Peru's runoff on a knife edge: count the result, or recount it? Fujimori leads by ~900 votes

Peru's presidential run-off is essentially tied: with 98.22% of tally sheets processed, right-wing Keiko Fujimori holds 50.003% to leftist Roberto Sánchez's 49.997% — a lead of just over 900 votes out of more than 18 million, per the electoral office ONPE. Fujimori urges calm and says the official count should be allowed to finish; Sánchez is asking for a full recount before any winner is declared. EU observers called the vote 'peaceful and orderly.'

Fujimori: let the official count finish

Keiko Fujimori leads the official ONPE tally — 50.003% to 49.997%, about 900 votes ahead with 98.22% processed, boosted by overseas ballots from the US and Japan. She said she received the results 'with serenity and great gratitude,' called for 'reflection and calm,' and urged waiting for the final ONPE count rather than pre-empting it — noting Sánchez had pledged to respect the result. Roughly 480,000 challenged ballots still must be reviewed, a standard process that could take up to two weeks.

Buenos Aires Times ↗

Sánchez: recount before declaring a winner

With the margin down to a few hundred votes in a 50–50 split, leftist Roberto Sánchez is calling on Fujimori to back a full vote recount before any winner is proclaimed, arguing a contest this close demands maximum scrutiny of the tally sheets. His Juntos por el Perú party says it is viewing the partial results with 'composure' and has met with the EU election-observation mission, which judged the run-off peaceful and orderly despite a highly polarised campaign.

France 24 ↗

World

World Jun 12

Deadly protests in Kenya over a US-built Ebola facility: reckless imposition, or a needed health partnership?

Protests have continued in Kenya against a US plan to build an Ebola quarantine facility at Laikipia Air Base — demonstrators cite infection fears and a lack of transparency, and a protest leader says police shot dead protesters. The standoff is sharpening as the outbreak worsens next door: confirmed Ebola cases in DR Congo have climbed to about 676. President Ruto defends the facility as 'the right thing,' pointing to a longstanding US-Kenya partnership on health.

World Jun 12

China arrests US scholar Min Zin on espionage charges: a caught spy, or a criminalized researcher?

China has confirmed the arrest of Min Zin, a US-citizen scholar who studies Myanmar and Chinese foreign policy, on suspicion of 'engaging in espionage activities that endanger China's national security.' He disappeared on June 3 after travelling to Kunming for a conference. Beijing presents it as a national-security case; colleagues and observers see a think-tank academic criminalized for his research, and warn of arbitrary detention just as Washington and Beijing try to reset ties after a Trump–Xi summit.

World Jun 12

DR Congo's referendum push: a legitimate constitutional update, or a power grab met with bullets?

A bill paving the way for a constitutional referendum in DR Congo has intensified a standoff between President Tshisekedi's camp and the opposition. The government frames it as a legitimate update to the constitution; the opposition calls it a bid to entrench the president's rule, and an opposition sit-in in Kinshasa was met with deadly force — veteran opposition leader Martin Fayulu says two protesters were killed and several wounded, including Jean-Marc Kabund.

World Jun 12

A move to suspend Colombia's President Petro: defending the election, or an unconstitutional power play?

A member of the Colombian Congress's Accusations Committee issued an order purporting to provisionally suspend leftist President Gustavo Petro until June 21, amid accusations he improperly meddled in the upcoming election. Backers cast it as accountability for interfering in the vote; Petro and legal experts call the order unconstitutional — issued by a single lawmaker, bypassing the procedure that requires the full House committee and the Senate — and Petro has alleged extortion.

Conflict

Conflict Jun 11

US and Iran trade direct strikes, then Trump says a peace deal is near: breakthrough, or 'boy who cried wolf'?

After a second straight day of US-Iran strikes — Iran hitting American bases in Jordan and the Gulf, the US striking back inside Iran — Trump abruptly called off further threatened strikes on June 11 and declared a peace deal is close, saying the Strait of Hormuz will reopen 'as soon as' the two sides sign. Washington frames it as a diplomatic breakthrough secured through pressure; Tehran says it struck back and will not be coerced, and skeptics note Trump's repeated, unfulfilled deal claims.

Conflict Jun 11

US strike on an oil tanker off Oman kills three Indian sailors: civilian shipping attacked, or a blockade enforced?

Three Indian sailors were killed when US forces struck the tanker Settebello off the coast of Oman on June 11, amid the widening US-Iran war over the Strait of Hormuz. India lodged a rare formal protest and summoned a senior US diplomat, demanding an end to attacks on commercial shipping; US Central Command says its forces warned the crew before firing on a vessel that was trying to run Iranian oil through a US naval blockade.

Conflict Jun 10

Detained Gaza hospital director Abu Safiya: wronged civilian doctor, or held Hamas operative?

Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya — director of northern Gaza's Kamal Adwan Hospital, held by Israel since a raid on the hospital — appeared at an Israeli court in Jerusalem looking, his family says, gaunt and mistreated, as his trial was again postponed. His son, Palestinian rights groups and UN experts warn his health is deteriorating and demand his release; Israel's military says he is a Hamas operative and that the hospital was used by Hamas, the basis for his wartime detention.

Conflict Jun 10

Pakistani airstrikes hit Afghan border: counter-terror operation, or killing civilians?

Pakistan's military says cross-border airstrikes hit 'terrorist hideouts' and killed 26 militants along the Afghan frontier; Afghanistan's Taliban government says the same raids killed at least 13 people — including, it says, 11 children, a woman and an elderly man — and were a deadly violation of sovereignty. Each side gives sharply different casualty accounts.

Politics

Politics Jun 12

FISA Section 702 lapses: a dangerous intelligence gap, or a privacy win that changes little?

A short-term extension of FISA Section 702 — a key US foreign-surveillance authority — failed in the House amid backlash tied to Trump's intelligence pick Bill Pulte, letting the powers expire. Security hawks warn of a dangerous intelligence blind spot. Privacy advocates counter that 702 enabled warrantless surveillance sweeping up Americans' communications — and note that, in practice, the spying will largely continue under existing certifications and other authorities, so the 'gap' is overstated.

Politics Jun 12

South Korea jails ex-president Yoon for 30 years over Pyongyang drone flights: a plot to manufacture war, or political payback?

A Seoul court sentenced ousted former president Yoon Suk Yeol and his ex-defense minister Kim Yong Hyun to 30 years in prison on June 12, finding them guilty of 'aiding an adversary' and abuse of power over secret 2024 drone flights into North Korea. Prosecutors say Yoon deliberately tried to provoke a North Korean attack to justify imposing martial law at home; Yoon's lawyers say the flights were a legitimate response to North Korean provocations and that the conviction itself harms South Korea's security. Yoon is already serving a life term in a separate rebellion case.

Politics Jun 11

UK defence secretary resigns over military spending, in blow to Starmer

Defence Secretary John Healey quit on June 11, publishing a resignation letter that accused Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the Treasury of failing to fund the armed forces adequately at a dangerous moment. The government's side is the fiscal case: defence spending is already rising at a record pace, but must be balanced against strained public finances, weak growth forecasts and competing departmental demands.

Politics Jun 10

Trump downsizes US intelligence under interim chief Pulte: overdue reform, or politicizing the spies?

President Trump has directed interim national intelligence chief Bill Pulte to downsize the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and is sticking with him despite a looming lapse in surveillance powers. The administration frames it as cutting a bloated bureaucracy; critics — Democrats and even some Republicans — call Pulte, a Trump loyalist with no intelligence background, unqualified and warn the move politicizes US intelligence.

Economy

Economy Jun 13

US clears the $111bn Paramount–Warner merger: a pro-competitive giant, or a media-concentration threat?

Trump's Justice Department approved the $111bn merger of Paramount Skydance (controlled by the Ellison family) and Warner Bros Discovery, parent of CNN and HBO, finding no likely harm to competition. Paramount calls the deal pro-competitive — a stronger company to take on Big Tech. But critics warn it shrinks the number of studios and could merge CNN and CBS News, while EU and UK regulators are still investigating the tie-up and its Gulf sovereign-wealth-fund financing, and journalists fear for editorial independence.

Economy Jun 12

US sanctions Cuba's state oil company Cupet: lawful pressure on a bad actor, or strangling a population?

The US State Department added Cuba's state oil company Unión Cuba-Petróleo (Cupet) to the Treasury's OFAC sanctions list under Executive Order 14404, blocking its US assets, as part of the Trump administration's maximum-pressure campaign to cut fuel to the island. Washington says Cuba weaponizes energy and that Cupet holds assets expropriated from Americans; Havana calls it 'vulgar lies' and says the move deepens an energy blockade that punishes ordinary Cubans amid blackouts and shortages.

Economy Jun 10

Trump says he won't renew the USMCA trade pact: leverage for a better deal, or a blow to North American trade?

President Trump says he is 'not looking to renew' the USMCA free-trade agreement with Canada and Mexico, raising the prospect that it could lapse. Washington frames it as leverage to rework the deal on better US terms; Canada is publicly urging the US and Mexico to renew the pact for another 16 years, warning of disruption to deeply integrated North American trade.

Economy Jun 10

US inflation flares again: should the Fed hold rates high, or stop squeezing households?

US inflation has jumped to a three-year high, driven by spiking gas prices from the Iran-war energy shock — and traders are now betting the Fed may even hike. One side says the Fed must keep (or raise) rates to choke off the new inflation wave; the other says high rates mostly punish ordinary Americans while doing little against supply-driven price spikes.

Technology

Technology Jun 13

US orders Anthropic to pull a frontier AI model over a 'jailbreak': vital security move, or disproportionate overreach?

Anthropic disabled two newly launched AI models — Claude Fable 5 and the underlying Mythos 5 — to comply with an export-control directive it received from the US government on Friday citing national security. The order barred access for any foreign national (even non-citizen Anthropic employees), so the company pulled the models for all users; its other models, including Claude Opus 4.8, are unaffected. Washington's concern, as relayed to Anthropic, is a technique to 'jailbreak' Fable 5's safeguards and unlock powerful cybersecurity capabilities; Anthropic says the jailbreak is narrow, minor and replicable on other uncontrolled models, and is fighting to reverse the order.

Technology Jun 9

Pentagon lists Alibaba, Baidu and BYD as 'Chinese military companies': security flag, or discriminatory smear?

The US Defense Department added tech giants Alibaba and Baidu and carmaker BYD to its '1260H' list of firms it considers tied to China's military — a move that could pressure American companies to drop them as suppliers. Beijing's embassy condemned the designation as 'discriminatory,' and the named firms reject it, with some weighing legal action.

Technology Jun 8

Apple's new 'Siri AI': a privacy-first leap, or just catching up?

At Tim Cook's last WWDC as CEO before handing over to John Ternus, Apple unveiled a more conversational 'Siri AI' built on a two-tier, partly Google-powered model, and pitched a privacy-first approach to AI across its devices. Supporters call it a thoughtful, user-centred alternative to rivals 'racing forward'; skeptics say Apple is simply catching up after a year of Siri delays.

Technology Jun 8

Meta moves to hold Israeli spyware maker NSO Group in contempt

Meta says NSO Group ran fresh phishing attacks and tested its spyware on WhatsApp accounts, defying a court order barring it from targeting WhatsApp users — and is asking US courts to hold the firm in contempt, backed by a dozen digital-rights groups. NSO, blacklisted by Washington, is appealing the underlying injunction and has warned it could be put out of business.

Science

Science Jun 11

NASA defends an all-male Artemis Moon crew: best for the mission, or breaking the 'first woman on the Moon' promise?

NASA's chief is defending the all-male crew picked for the Artemis 3 Moon landing, saying the choice reflects experience and readiness. Critics note that Artemis — named after the Greek goddess — was long sold as the mission to land 'the first woman and first person of color' on the Moon, and say an all-male crew breaks that pledge.

Science Jun 10

OB-GYNs issue their own vaccine guidance, breaking with RFK Jr.'s CDC: following the evidence, or defying federal policy?

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) released its own vaccine recommendations that conflict with the CDC's, openly bucking Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s overhaul of federal vaccine guidance. The doctors say they are sticking to the scientific evidence to protect patients; Kennedy's HHS and its reconstituted vaccine advisers say they are restoring rigor, transparency and informed consent to a process they argue had become a rubber stamp.

Science Jun 8

DR Congo's Ebola outbreak: can vaccines stop it, or does the fight need much more?

The Ebola outbreak is now spreading at an 'unprecedented' pace, the Africa CDC says, with the virus crossing from DR Congo into Uganda — the WHO chief has flown in and the EU pledged €5 million. The response leans on vaccines and emergency funds, but a burned treatment centre and clashes with responders show that trust and community engagement matter as much as any vaccine.

Science Jun 3

Interstellar visitor 3I/ATLAS: alien craft or just a weird comet?

When the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS swept through our solar system, Harvard's Avi Loeb flagged 'anomalies' he said could hint at alien technology. Most astronomers said it was simply an unusual comet.

Environment

Environment Jun 11

Europe's next carbon costs: strengthen the climate market, or shield households from the bill?

The EU's plan to extend carbon pricing to road transport and heating fuels from 2028 (the 'ETS2') is set to push energy prices higher — and Brussels is moving to shield households from the spike. Investors managing trillions urge Europe to evolve and strengthen the carbon market rather than dilute it; others stress the cost-of-living hit on ordinary Europeans.

Environment Jun 7

Trump fires up coal with wartime powers: energy security, or propping up the dirtiest fuel?

President Trump invoked the Defense Production Act to steer some $700 million to coal-fired power — including two new plants in Alaska and West Virginia — backing what he calls 'clean, beautiful coal.' Supporters call it a grid-reliability and energy-security move; critics call it an emergency-powers lifeline for the dirtiest fossil fuel.

Environment Jun 4

Trump family-linked mega-resort splits Albania: tourism boom or a sold-off coast?

A €1.4bn luxury resort backed by Jared Kushner's Affinity Partners — on Albania's Sazan island and the protected Vjosa-Narta lagoon — has triggered mass protests and an anti-corruption probe. The government calls it a once-in-a-generation investment; opponents call it a stolen, protected coast.

Environment May 26

Is nuclear power a climate saviour or a costly distraction?

With climate deadlines looming, one camp says we need nuclear's reliable, carbon-free power now; another says it's too slow and expensive, and the money should go to renewables.