Petrol shortages and ‘oil rain’ bring Russia-Ukraine war home to Moscow
Months of Ukrainian strikes on Russia’s oil infrastructure have led to widespread fuel rationing, with Russian President Vladimir Putin now unable to mask the war’s economic effects. The Russian petrol shortages come amid other good news for Ukraine, which during the past week garnered 4 billion euros ($4.6bn) in new military aid commitments from its allies for anti-ballistic interceptors, long-range artillery and unmanned systems. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list Ukrainian Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said Ukraine and Germany also signed an agreement to develop a European anti-ballistic interceptor missile – a longstanding desire of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The European Union, too, released 6 billion euros ($6.9bn) in military aid from its European Peace Facility and started talks that are expected to lead to Ukraine’s membership. Both developments had long been delayed by Hungarian premier Viktor Orban, who lost power in April. [Al Jazeera] After opening the first of six negotiation clusters with Brussels to join the EU, Zelenskyy urged the EU Intergovernmental Conference to move faster and open the remaining five simultaneously. “Ukraine has earned the right to move faster … We are ready to open all clusters. We have done our work. Everyone in Europe knows this,” he said. Rationing in Russia Russian independent news outlet The Bell reported rationing in 53 Russian regions and in occupied Ukraine on Wednesday. That rationing had reached the principal urban centres of Moscow and Saint Petersburg, where the Tatneft chain of petrol stations on Monday began limiting customers to 20 litres of petrol (5.3 gallons) and 40 litres of diesel at a time “for technical reasons”. Advertisement Other petrol chains, including Rosneft, placed upper limits of 90 litres per sale. (Al Jazeera) Rosneft and Bashneft, the state oil company of the Republic of Bashkortostan, on Tuesday reportedly banned sales of petrol in canisters due to “increased seasonal demand”. These reports came after unusually low oil production during May. The International Energy Agency reported that Russia produced 8.74 million barrels per day of oil last month, versus 8.96 million bpd in April, approximately 100,000 barrels below target. Russian oil producers have in the past few weeks announced production cuts following damage to infrastructure caused by Ukrainian strikes. Russia was reacting to the shortages by allowing some refineries to circulate under-refined petrol with a higher sulphur content, Russian business newspaper Kommersant reported. Reuters reported that Russia also planned to increase imports of refined petroleum products from Asia. Ukraine’s war on the Russian budget Kyiv gave its strikes added political import by striking the Moscow Oil Refinery twice during the week, on Tuesday and Thursday, sending black clouds of smoke into the Moscow skyline that residents reported caused “oil rain” and covered surfaces in black soot. “The company’s products account for over 38 percent of the capital region’s fuel consumption, including supplying aviation fuel to Domodedovo, Vnukovo, Sheremetyevo, and Zhukovsky airports,” said the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Ukraine’s General Staff said one of the refinery’s primary processing units was damaged in the first strike, while the second caused five simultaneous fires, reportedly damaging a combined processing unit, a secondary processing unit and a tank farm. (Al Jazeera) The refinery was forced to halt operations. The pollution caused six airports around Moscow to shut down, cancelling flights. Days earlier, Putin had promised Russians that Ukrainian long-range strikes would be contained. “We will increase our strikes on the enemy’s infrastructure in such a way as to discourage them from attacking our civilian objects,” he had told a news conference. Ukraine did not say what means it used to strike the refinery in Moscow, which is one of Russia’s best-defended areas from aerial threats. Russia’s defence ministry said later on Thursday that it had downed 992 drones and four missiles over a 24-hour period. In the past week, Ukraine also struck the TANEKO refinery in the Republic of Tatarstan, one of Russia’s largest, which produces aviation fuel for the armed forces, and numerous tank farms, pumping stations and oil terminals. Advertisement As part of a campaign against weapons manufacturers, Ukraine on June 12 struck the Tolyattikauchuk chemical plant, which manufactures synthetic rubber used in solid rocket and missile fuel. Putin made a rare concession that Ukraine was succeeding in causing economic pain. “The blows of the Armed Forces of Ukraine damage the Russian economy … The enemy is increasing the use of aircraft-type UAVs in order to split Russian society and cause economic damage,” Putin said. “But everything is quickly recovering,” he added. “We understand that Putin is rarely provided with completely truthful information without embellishment,” said Zelenskyy. Not everyone in Moscow agreed with Putin. “We continue to face new prohibitions, restrictions and a growing financial burden,” wrote Duma (lower house) member Vyacheslav Markhaev on June 11. He associated the ineffectiveness of economic reforms that “remain on paper” with the ineffectiveness of Russia’s war in Ukraine. “Attacks on our cities do not stop, their geography is expanding.” A woman is treated for a wound at a site of an apartment building hit by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia’s war on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on June 16, 2026 [Reuters] Russian officials have pointed out the financial strain of the war since the summer of 2025, leading to promises from the Kremlin to lower military expenditure in 2026. The opposite appears to be happening, however. Russia is increasing its defence budget despite falling tax revenues, said Janis Kluge, an economist and Russia expert at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs. Russian finance ministry data suggested that defence spending was up 30 percent in the first quarter, compared with the same period last year, Kluge said. Although defence spending was meant to fall from 7.8 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) last year to 6.2 percent this year, it was on track to reach 10 percent, he found. Falling government income meant that military spending has reached two-thirds of budget revenues, Kluge said. Russia’s financial situation could further
Cuba: Between charcoal and solar panels
Several kilometres away, along Havana’s iconic Malecón waterfront, a different reality is taking shape. Under the midday heat, workers move large photovoltaic panels across the roof of the Fuego Lento restaurant overlooking the sea. Several floors below, customers eat lunch while technicians drill, bolt and connect the new installation. Josecal Duarte, one of the technicians overseeing the project, has witnessed demand surge. “More and more people are importing solar panels and batteries. They’re buying them for their businesses, for their homes, to survive.” A 615-watt solar panel costs about $160 before transport and installation. Most homes and businesses require several panels, along with lithium battery systems capable of storing electricity generated during the day. Inside the restaurant, owner Aris Lopez Torres says she spent years searching for ways to keep her business afloat. First came a generator, then lithium batteries, but rising fuel prices and increasingly frequent blackouts quickly exposed the limits of both options. “It was either this or close the restaurant,” she says. “Without electricity, we can’t do anything.” The photovoltaic installation will not cover all of the restaurant’s needs, but it allows essential equipment to keep operating. “The refrigerators are the priority,” she explains. “We’re only using one air conditioner out of three now. It’s survival economics because the situation is very serious.” Across the capital, solar installation companies and battery retailers are struggling to keep up with demand. “Demand keeps growing,” says Mario Perdomo, who works for MIDICAS, a company that installs solar systems throughout Cuba. “People want to be prepared when the power goes out,” adds Elizabeth Diego, a saleswoman in central Havana. For a large part of the Cuban population, however, these technologies remain out of reach. Adblock test (Why?)
‘Destruction is the goal’: Israel steers between the US, Iran, and Lebanon
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has restrained himself from openly displaying his opposition to the memorandum of understanding between Iran and the United States. But looking to the positions of Israelis from across the political spectrum, and the military’s actions in Lebanon, the picture is clear: Israel is angry, and Israel is worried. Netanyahu has always been careful with US President Donald Trump, knowing that his occasional criticisms of Israeli policy have been coupled with allowing Israel to pursue many of its military and political goals, even as the rest of the world isolates the country. The war with Iran was a case in point – after years of US refusal, Netanyahu had finally convinced a US president to jointly attack Iran. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list But that war has gone badly for the US, and Trump’s decision to accept a deal – without any apparent input from Israel – has upended many of the assumptions underpinning what many in Israel see as their “special relationship” with the US, as well as making clear the power dynamics between the two allies. Under the terms of the US-Iran agreement, as well as creating a $300bn reconstruction plan for Iran, the US commits that it and “its allies” will undertake the “immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon”. Israel immediately responded to that agreement by pounding Lebanon, killing at least 47 people on Friday, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health. Four Israeli soldiers were also killed overnight by the armed Lebanese group, Hezbollah, prompting Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to say that “all of Lebanon must burn”. Advertisement And yet, by Friday evening, a ceasefire is reported to have been agreed between Israel and Hezbollah – likely after US pressure, with the US-Iran deal at risk of collapsing. Rock and a hard place How far Netanyahu can go in his defiance of the US, whose diplomatic and financial support are critical to Israel, and how far he can go in appeasing an Israeli public and political establishment widely understood to reject the deal, is unclear. According to a television poll published on Thursday, only a small minority of Israelis believe their country has won the war against Iran – an opponent that, for generations, they had been told was bent on their destruction. “The depth of disappointment over the US-Iran memorandum of understanding is very real and deep,” Israeli pollster and political analyst Dahlia Scheindlin said. “Israelis are fully aware that none of their goals as articulated and overconfidently promised by Netanyahu have been achieved. They believe the war ended prematurely and that something went wrong with the grand plan. They don’t love blaming Trump but see him as making decisions based on US interests, and many blame Netanyahu for miscalculations in creating the dependency on Trump.” US Vice President JD Vance stepped into the fray on Thursday, addressing Israel and the deal’s critics in its cabinet directly. “Donald J Trump is the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment in time,” Vance said, referring to the international condemnation that has followed Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza and multiple attacks on its neighbours. Vance continued, appearing to turn to Ben-Gvir and his fellow far-right figure, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. “If I was in the cabinet of the Israeli government, I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire world,” Vance said. US Vice President JD Vance has addressed criticism of the memorandum of understanding in Israel. The Trump administration is facing criticism for the deal, which opponents say is in Tehran’s favour. [Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA] “I can’t think of a time when either a US vice president or president has been so openly critical of Israel and used such language,” Chatham House’s Yossi Mekelberg said, referencing direct criticism of both Netanyahu and Israel’s attacks on Lebanon voiced by Trump during the G7 meeting on Wednesday. “Netanyahu understands he can’t afford a real rift with the US, but at least needs the appearance of one for his position to be sustainable,” he added. “It’s hard to see any way out for Netanyahu ahead of the elections, other than playing for time and leaving it until after the vote. Even if he halts action against Hezbollah tomorrow, could he rely upon them not attacking the north of Israel when they know how vulnerable he is?” Advertisement To that end, the degree to which Smotrich and Ben-Gvir were breaking with the prime minister in their criticism of the US-Iran deal, and how much they were reflecting his policy, was unclear, Ofer Cassif, an Israeli parliamentarian from the left-wing Hadash party, said. Netanyahu has been making political capital out of the threat posed by Iran since the 1990s, when he first claimed the country was on the brink of making a nuclear weapon, and Hezbollah, whose rocket fire on northern Israel in the wake of the Hamas-led attack of October 7, 2023, went a long way in deflecting from his own failures before that incursion. “All Netanyahu and his thugs, this so-called government, are interested in, is thwarting, hindering and destroying the agreement while seeming as if they were not, by selling a story of security and defence. That’s the real issue here,” Cassif said. “Destruction is the goal.” Adblock test (Why?)
Taiwan accuses Kenya of deporting conference delegates on China’s behalf
The first African nation to host the global oceans conference defends the deportations, saying it ‘recognises only one China’. Published On 17 Jun 202617 Jun 2026 Taiwan has accused Kenya of deporting people from the island who planned to attend a global oceans conference in Mombasa and blamed Beijing for exerting pressure on the East African country. Focus Taiwan, the English-language website of Taiwan’s Central News Agency, reported that two delegation members headed to the Our Ocean Conference were denied entry and detained by Kenyan immigration authorities. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday that the scholars’ passports and mobile phones were confiscated as they were detained for more than 20 hours before being deported. In a statement, the ministry condemned “the barbaric acts of confiscating passports, mobile phones, and restricting personal and communication freedoms – actions that violate human rights and international norms”. Taiwan’s Ocean Affairs Council (OAC), its government body in charge of marine-related policies, said the visas were revoked at the last minute and described the incident as “barbaric obstruction”. OAC Minister Kuan Bi-ling said “political interference yields no benefit for ocean governance” at a time when “the world’s ocean needs deeper and wider cooperation”. Kenya defended its decision to deport the Taiwan representatives. Ministry of Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei said his country’s foreign policy “recognises only one China”. “Any person purporting to hold a Taiwanese passport would ordinarily not be allowed through our borders for lacking proper documentation and would not in any event be part of a formal state meeting convened by Kenya government,” Sing’oei said. Advertisement China and Taiwan split in 1949 as a result of a civil war. For decades, China has seen Taiwan as its own territory and said the island must come under its control, even through the use of force if necessary. Kenya is hosting the annual oceans conference, which focuses on addressing critical ocean issues, including climate change, biodiversity and pollution. Organisers have sought to position Africa, which is hosting the event for the first time, as a driving force in global ocean governance. The challenge for African and Commonwealth nations attending the conference is to push forward the implementation of a landmark treaty adopted in June 2023 to protect the high seas. Despite record commitments to marine conservation, much of the world’s ocean protections still exist only on paper. Delegates said the coming months will be critical in determining whether the treaty, the Agreement on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction, becomes a transformative tool for ocean conservation or another set of international promises that fail to materialise. Adblock test (Why?)
Pro-Palestine solidarity on display at the 2026 World Cup
NewsFeed Fans from Algeria to Bosnia are making sure the Palestinian cause gets attention during the World Cup. Flags and chants honouring Palestinians in Gaza rung out in Kansas City as Algeria faced Argentina. Published On 17 Jun 202617 Jun 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Inside Canada’s ‘troubling’ shift on migrant, refugee rights
Toronto, Canada – When Diana Gallego listened to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s widely touted speech at the World Economic Forum at the start of this year, she couldn’t help but feel a disconnect. Carney had made an impassioned plea to the world’s “middle powers” to break with a United States-led international order that he said was no longer working, and his words found receptive audiences around the world. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list But for Gallego, co-executive director of FCJ Refugee Centre, an organisation that supports refugees and asylum seekers in Canada’s largest city, the prime minister’s statements rang hollow amid his government’s hardening approach to immigration. “We saw the [prime] minister going to Davos [with] this beautiful discourse, saying we should not copy our neighbours … But internally, the policies are telling us another story,” Gallego told Al Jazeera. “Canada is closing the doors now.” Gallego is among more than a dozen experts – from lawyers to professors, rights advocates and former government officials – who told Al Jazeera that Canada is at a “troubling” crossroads in its policies towards migrants and refugees. As Canadians have grappled with rising economic and social pressures in recent years, a decades-old consensus on the benefits of immigration has frayed. Hostile rhetoric blaming newcomers for Canada’s ills has intensified, and Carney’s government has slashed temporary visas and restricted access to asylum. Experts say a “generational shift” is under way. “The general rhetoric is, ‘We don’t want you here’,” said Gallego. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal Party won the 2025 elections [File: Christoffer Andersen/EPA] Influx in temporary migration A settler-colonial state, Canada has encouraged successive waves of immigration throughout its history, from largely European settlement in the early to mid-1900s to specialised programmes that brought refugees and high- and low-skilled workers to Canadian shores. Advertisement For decades, that influx of newcomers was widely viewed as a positive thing: immigration was fuelling the country’s economy, staffing key job sectors and counteracting a rapidly ageing population. But over the past few years, Canada has seen one of the most dramatic shifts in how the public views immigration – and the government has tapped into increasingly negative sentiment to cut programmes and pass new, restrictive laws. The policy changes began under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whose Liberal Party government had dramatically increased temporary immigration during the COVID-19 pandemic to fill labour market gaps. The figures shot up rapidly and, by October 2024, there were nearly 3.15 million non-permanent residents in Canada, accounting for roughly 8 percent of the population, according to official figures. At the same time, systemic issues – from a shortage of affordable housing to high grocery costs and long hospital wait times – were putting the squeeze on many Canadian households. Public attitudes quickly hardened, and a 2024 poll (PDF) found a majority of Canadians saying for the first time in decades that there was “too much immigration”. Since then, several incidents of xenophobic violence have been reported, including in some of Canada’s largest cities, where the influx of migrants has been among the most visible. Under pressure as angry discourse soared, the Trudeau government promised in 2024 to get immigration back to “sustainable” levels, and the cuts began, including most notably to international student visas. “The reality is that not everyone who wants to come to Canada will be able to – just like not everyone who wants to stay in Canada will be able to,” Marc Miller, Canada’s former immigration minister, said in September that year. A major intersection in Toronto, Canada’s largest city [Jillian Kestler-D’Amours/Al Jazeera] ‘Erroneous beliefs’ The numbers of arrivals dropped quickly as student and work visas were cancelled, forcing thousands of people to leave Canada or remain without legal status. By the start of this year, non-permanent residents totalled about 2.67 million, according to government figures, a 15 percent drop from the peak in October 2024. “I don’t think you can blame the housing crisis in Canada on immigration, but there’s no doubt that the radically increased numbers under Justin Trudeau’s regime had a political effect,” Allan Rock, a former Canadian justice minister and Liberal lawmaker, told Al Jazeera. The government, Rock explained, has been “reading the room and sensing that Canadians were connecting local economic and financial difficulties with migration”. Advertisement At the same time, right-wing politicians have seized on those public attitudes, with the opposition Conservative Party earlier this year pushing the governing Liberals to cut healthcare for people it described as “fake refugees”. The Conservatives, also, have echoed US President Donald Trump in advocating for changes to “birthright citizenship”, claiming that the “outdated rule” that grants citizenship to anyone born in Canada “presents yet another strain on our immigration system that Canada can’t handle”. “With over 7 per cent of Canada’s population here on temporary status – and arrivals massively outpacing the capacity of our housing, healthcare and jobs markets – something needs to change,” the party said. Rights advocates have denounced that rhetoric while accusing policymakers of falsely linking migrants and refugees to social problems to absolve themselves of responsibility for a years-long failure to properly fund healthcare, education and other services. On the housing issue, for instance, experts have found (PDF) that, while immigration increases demand for housing stock, its effect on prices is far less important than public discourse would have people believe. “Leadership means not simply caving into public opinion when it’s based on erroneous beliefs,” Rock told Al Jazeera. “We’re buying into, and we’re supporting, a growing international trend to tighten borders and build walls and validate erroneous beliefs about refugees and migrants.” “It’s a betrayal of values that this country has always stood for, and I find it troubling.” Carney doubles down Yet, since taking office in April 2025, Carney – the prime minister – has continued where his predecessor Trudeau left off on immigration. In late March, Carney’s Liberal government passed a sweeping new law that grants Ottawa the power to
Messi hat-trick fires holders Argentina to win over Algeria at World Cup
Argentina open defence of their World Cup crown with a Lionel Messi-inspired 3-0 win against Algeria at 2026 edition. Published On 17 Jun 202617 Jun 2026 Lionel Messi marked his record sixth World Cup appearance with his first hat-trick at a FIFA tournament – also becoming the joint-highest scorer at a World Cup – as Argentina beat Algeria 3-0 to open the defence of their global crown. The former 38-year-old forward thought he had opened the scoring in the eighth minute in Kansas City on Tuesday when he slotted home from close range, but the offside flag was raised. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list The dream start to his record-setting appearance, which will be matched by Cristiano Ronaldo for Portugal against the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Wednesday, was not to be denied for long, though. A trademark, mazy run was capped by a drive on the edge of the box from that famed left foot. The power was too much for Algeria keeper Luca Zidane, son of World Cup winner with France, Zinedine. Messi doubled his tally on the hour mark with a simple tap-in from a rebound off the keeper following a drive from Alexis Mac Allister. The moment that was magical even for a player as decorated as Messi came in the 76th minute when he drilled low past the keeper from just outside the box. The strike took Messi level with former Germany striker Miroslav Klose on 16 World Cup goals. His substitution came just three minutes later to a standing ovation – even old maestro seemed disappointed to be removed, and most likely rested for Argentina’s tilt at becoming only the third side to defend a World Cup title. Algeria – the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations winners – offered little, but were themselves denied an early goal when Fares Chaibi’s ninth-minute strike was ruled out for offside. Advertisement Messi saw to it that there was no opening game upset to be had at this edition, with Argentina having lost their opening game at Qatar 2022 to Saudi Arabia before defeating France in the final. The iconic Argentinian number 10, who spent the majority of his club career in Spain with Barcelona before moving to French giants Paris Saint-Germain, plies his trade in US football’s Major League Soccer with Inter Miami. It was during an end-of-season game for Miami that he sustained a minor hamstring injury that slowed him down in the lead-up to the World Cup. But the eight-time winner of the Ballon d’Or, which honours global football’s best player, had no problems in a tune-up last week with Iceland, scoring on a penalty kick while playing for 20 minutes. Messi’s appearance against Algeria was the 200th of his international career, which began in 2005 at the age of 18. The only players with more are Portugal’s Ronaldo, who will play in his 229th on Wednesday, and Kuwait’s Bader Al-Mutawa, who played in 202. The Argentinian’s hat-trick also upstaged two of football’s other big stars – Kylian Mbappe of France and Erling Haaland of Norway – who had big games on Tuesday. Mbappe scored twice in France’s 3-1 win over Senegal earlier in the day and is tied for fourth on the World Cup scoring list with 14, while Haaland scored twice for Norway in their 4-1 win over Iraq. Jordan and Austria open their account in the group later on Tuesday in San Francisco. Argentina next face Austria on Monday. Adblock test (Why?)
Trump administration seeks to halt air pollution lawsuit against xAI
US Department of Justice claims NAACP lawsuit threatens ‘national, economic, and energy security’. The United States government has intervened on the side of Elon Musk’s xAI in a legal dispute over the environmental impact of a $20bn data centre in Tennessee, claiming that efforts to block a related power project threaten national security. In a court motion filed this week, the Department of Justice requested the dismissal of a lawsuit accusing xAI of illegally operating dozens of natural gas turbines at a Southaven, Mississippi facility constructed to power the Colossus 2 data center in nearby Memphis, Tennessee. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the largest civil rights group for African Americans, filed the lawsuit in April under the 1963 Clean Energy Act, which allows citizens to seek injunctions and civil penalties against alleged polluters. The NAACP alleges that xAI erected the turbines without obtaining the necessary permits, exposing hundreds of thousands of residents in Mississippi and neighbouring Tennessee to harmful pollutants linked to “increases in asthma, respiratory diseases, heart problems, and certain cancers”. The lawsuit notes that a “much larger share” of residents are Black compared with the US general population. In its motion, filed in a US District Court on Monday, the Justice Department accused the NAACP of threatening “national, economic, and energy security by seeking to shut off the power supply for artificial intelligence innovation that supports the Department of War’s military operations”. The motion also claims that the US Constitution vests the power to seek civil penalties “conclusively and preclusively” in the executive branch, including the “discretion to decide when such an enforcement action is unwarranted or inconsistent with federal enforcement priorities”. Advertisement Adam Gustafson, the top prosecutor at the Justice Department’s environment and natural resources division, said in a statement that the government would “not sit idly by while private organisations use environmental laws to undermine our national security”. xAI, which is a subsidiary of Musk’s SpaceX, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Elon Musk listens to a speech by Chinese President Xi Jinping during a state dinner with US President Donald Trump at the Great Hall of the People, in Beijing, China, on May 14, 2026 [File: Mark Schiefelbein/AP] Earthjustice, an advocacy group representing the NAACP in the lawsuit, condemned the intervention as a “massive power grab” by President Donald Trump’s administration. “Trump’s Justice Department wants to shield Elon Musk’s data center company, xAI, from being held accountable for its illegal pollution – and it’s attempting to grab power from impacted communities, the courts, and Congress to do so. There is no moral or legal precedent for this,” Laura Thoms, director of enforcement for Earthjustice, said in a statement. Abre’ Conner, director of environmental and climate justice at the NAACP, said that polluters should not benefit “at the expense of the health of Black communities”. “Laws like the Clean Air Act are a bedrock insurance policy for communities to hold polluters accountable for decisions that cause them harm,” Conner said in a statement. “This should not be up for debate, and the NAACP will continue to stand up for democracy and against federal bullying and authoritarianism.” The Trump administration has cultivated close ties with Musk, the world’s richest man, tapping the tech titan as a temporary cost-cutting tsar and using xAI’s flagship model Grok in the Pentagon’s drive to become an “AI-enabled fighting force”. In testimony in support of Monday’s motion, Cameron Stanley, the Pentagon’s top official for AI, said that Grok had been used to launch more than 2,000 munitions at 2,000 targets within the first 96 hours of the US-Israel war on Iran. If Grok cannot be deployed and upgraded due to “limitations in energy supply or limited reserve compute capability”, numerous tools used by the Pentagon would be “severely impacted”, Stanley said in a declaration made under oath. Adblock test (Why?)
Russian drone strikes residential building in Ukraine
NewsFeed A suspected Russian drone attack on a residential building in Ukraine has injured at least seven people. Emergency services responded as fire ripped through the building in Zaporizhzhia. Published On 17 Jun 202617 Jun 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
US stock market climbs as US-Iran deal stirs hopes for end to energy chaos
Benchmark S&P 500 rises 1.7 percent, while tech-heavy Nasdaq jumps 3.1 percent. Published On 16 Jun 202616 Jun 2026 US stocks have rallied on hopes that the tentative deal to end the US-Israel war on Iran will restore stability to energy supply chains roiled by months of disruption in the Strait of Hormuz. The S&P 500 rose 1.7 percent on Monday, taking the benchmark index within touching distance of its all-time high. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list The tech-focused Nasdaq Composite jumped 3.1 percent, aided by a 19.6 percent gain by SpaceX, which on Friday made the biggest market debut in history and minted the world’s first trillionaire in Elon Musk. The blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 0.9 percent, closing at a record high. Brent crude futures, the primary benchmark for global oil prices, fell nearly 5 percent to just above $83 a barrel, the lowest price since the first week of the conflict. Asian stock markets were largely flat on Monday morning, after surging the previous day on the back of US President Donald Trump’s announcement of his deal with Tehran. As of 01:30 GMT, Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 was 0.01 percent lower, while South Korea’s Kospi, the best-performing major index this year, was down 0.06 percent. In Taiwan, the TAIEX was up 0.2 percent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index was down 0.07 percent. Jay Goldberg, a senior analyst for tech-related equities at the Chicago-based Seaport Research Partners, said the announcement of the US-Iran deal had tilted investors’ risk balancing act towards buying into the market. “To oversimplify, the debate has been: AI spending is strong, but there’s a war going on,” Goldberg told Al Jazeera. Advertisement “The war is over, it seems, so that side of the argument falls away. Investors are now feeling better about taking on more risk,” Goldberg said. While Washington and Tehran’s framework has raised hopes for a return to stability in global energy markets, it is expected to take months before energy flows fully return to normal, due to the massive backlog of vessels around the Strait of Hormuz and the need to ensure the waterway is safe from Iranian naval mines. According to the International Shipping Chamber, about 500 ships are still waiting to pass through the strait, which normally carries about one-fifth of global supplies of oil and liquefied natural gas. Adblock test (Why?)