World

The KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya ferry sank in the Bali Strait after midnight on Wednesday, resulting in at least four deaths and many missing. The ferry was traveling from Ketapang port in East Java to Gilimanuk in northern Bali. It sank about five kilometers from its destination due to rough seas and bad weather.

The U.S. Department of Defense has temporarily halted some key weapons shipments to Ukraine, causing concern in Kyiv and Washington. This pause, due to low U.S. stockpiles, impacts precision-guided munitions and air-defense interceptors crucial for countering Russian drones and missiles. This is the third disruption of U.S. military aid to Ukraine in 2024–25, coinciding with Russia's intensified summer offensive in eastern Ukraine and continuous drone and missile attacks on civilian areas.

Thailand's Constitutional Court has suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra over alleged ethical breaches during a call with Cambodia's ex-prime minister. This action follows a petition by 36 senators. Until a final decision is made, Deputy Prime Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit will act as caretaker prime minister. This ruling highlights the instability within Thailand's political scene and adds pressure on the Pheu Thai-led coalition.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese insists that tariffs on Australian goods should be eliminated. As the U.S. considers new tariffs, Albanese highlighted Australia's strong trade ties with the U.S. and promised to push for zero tariffs. He remains committed to this goal, even as the current 90-day suspension of a minimum 10 percent duty is about to end.

In Serbia's capital, anti-government protesters clashed with riot police near government buildings and Pionirski Park. Demonstrators demanded President Aleksandar Vučić call an early election and end his 12-year rule. The police responded forcefully, resulting in six officers injured and several dozen protesters detained.

In a rare acknowledgment of potential misconduct, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has launched an internal investigation into allegations that its troops deliberately fired on Palestinian civilians gathering at humanitarian aid distribution points in Gaza. The announcement comes as Gaza’s health authorities report more than 500 deaths in the vicinity of aid sites since late May—and as a fresh Israeli airstrike killed 18 people collecting flour in central Gaza. The unfolding inquiries and mounting civilian casualties have drawn international concern over the conduct of both ground troops and air forces in densely populated areas already ravaged by conflict.

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has broken his week-long silence to issue a defiant video message proclaiming the Islamic Republic’s “victory” over Israel and vowing severe reprisals should the United States strike Iranian territory again. His remarks, aired on state television Thursday, came amid diplomatic fallout from U.S. and Israeli air strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities earlier this month and parliamentary moves in Tehran to curtail cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog.

For the past 13 days, Iran has experienced one of the most comprehensive internet shutdowns in recent history. Triggered at the outset of the sudden escalation between Israel and Iran, the blackout severed ordinary citizens from global information networks, turning smart phones into nothing more than expensive paperweights. Yet, in bedrooms and university dorms across Tehran and other major cities, a determined network of young Iranians have worked around the clock to breach government firewalls—and keep Iran’s voice alive online.