US to cut air and naval assets deployed for NATO operations in Europe
Plans include cutting 50 fighter jets, while restationing aircraft carrier, bomber task force group, reports NY Times. By AFP, Anadolu, Reuters and The Associated Press Published On 12 Jun 202612 Jun 2026 The United States plans to cut air and naval assets designated to NATO operations in Europe, in another hit to confidence concerning Washington’s commitment to the military alliance. European officials on Friday backed up a report in The New York Times that the administration of President Donald Trump is set to sharply reduce the deployment of NATO-assigned fighter jets and maritime reconnaissance aircraft, and relocate a submarine, aircraft carrier and several warships. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list The plan comes as part of a broader US strategy to draw down its military presence in Europe as it focuses resources on the Middle East, Asia, and the Americas. Major movements of troops along NATO’s eastern flank have been announced, introducing instability to cross-Atlantic security at time when Europe is increasingly focused on potential Russian military threats. NATO officials said on Friday that the alliance is aware of some planned US reductions and sought to frame them positively, insisting the pullback will be good for long-term sustainability. “This change strengthens NATO’s defence plans by reducing over-dependence on one ally and is a reflection of a broader shift happening within the alliance,” NATO spokesperson Allison Hart told the Anadolu news agency. “This is about putting NATO on a more sustainable footing for the decades to come,” Hart added. Alternative defence plans According to the NYT, the US intends to decrease the number of F-16 and F-15E fighter jets allocated to NATO from about 150 to 100, while dropping maritime surveillance aircraft from 26 to 15. Eight aerial refuelling aircraft are also expected to be withdrawn completely. Advertisement The report said one of two bomber task force groups previously assigned to European defence would be redeployed to another region, while a missile-capable submarine and an aircraft carrier would also be stationed elsewhere. The expected cuts – which would affect NATO’s reconnaissance and long-range strike capacity – and further US disengagement have forced NATO to weigh alternative plans for Europe’s defence in the event of a Russian attack. However, Washington’s erratic plans are making it more complicated for the alliance’s European member states to identify priorities. “We need to focus on things that we can acquire quickly, that we can field quickly, and that we can scale rapidly and sustain over time, and that goes for long-range fires” as well as drones, said NATO’s supreme allied commander, US General Alex Grynkewich, at an airshow in Berlin on Thursday. “Those sorts of things can help us mitigate the near-term risk should we find ourselves needing to deter and defend,” he said. Trump has repeatedly lashed out at NATO, including for what he deems insufficient support for the US-Israeli war on Iran, and described the alliance as a “paper tiger”. The US president has also accused European governments of underinvesting in their militaries and relying too heavily on US protection, while urging both Europe and Asian allies to boost defence spending to 3.5 percent of GDP. Trump is expected to attend a NATO summit in Turkiye on July 7-8. His secretary of state, Marco Rubio, described the summit as “probably the most important meeting in NATO’s history, because there’s some things that need to be cleared up and fixed.” Adblock test (Why?)
US judge extends block on Trump’s $1.8bn ‘anti-weaponisation’ fund
Justice Department had walked back controversial plan after meeting backlash from lawmakers and lawsuits. Published On 12 Jun 202612 Jun 2026 A federal judge in the United States has indefinitely blocked the Trump administration from moving forward with plans for a $1.8bn “anti-weaponisation” fund, meant to offer payments to those who experienced alleged “lawfare” and “weaponisation” of the government. The ruling on Friday represents another setback for the scheme, which has faced heavy resistance from lawmakers and has been walked back by the Department of Justice previously. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list Judge Leonie Brinkema of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia had issued a temporary halt to the fund last week and issued a preliminary injunction as it was set to expire on Friday. The fund was the product of a settlement between Trump and the Justice Department of a $10bn lawsuit the president had brought against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The Justice Department set up a $1.776bn fund that would have been helmed by a five-member commission to distribute funds to those they deemed victims of “weaponisation”, a term that Trump has used to describe investigations and criminal cases into himself and his allies. Attorney General Todd Blanche walked back the plans earlier this month amid growing criticism, and government attorneys have argued that lawsuits challenging the scheme are now irrelevant. Even before the administration announced it was dropping the fund, the Justice Department did not form the five-member commission to decide on payout criteria, so no money was paid out or claims accepted. Many of the Republican president’s allies are opposed to compensating rioters who stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. In May, however, Blanche would not rule out the possibility that Capitol rioters who engaged in violence could be eligible to apply for payments from the fund. Advertisement Trump issued mass pardons to Capitol rioters on his first day back in the White House last year. More than 1,500 people were charged in the January 6 attack before Trump erased every case with his sweeping act of clemency. Plaintiffs who sued to block the plan argued that the scheme diverted taxpayer funds into what was essentially a slush fund and have expressed doubt about Blanche’s assurances that the fund will not move forward. While the administration has moved away from the scheme, Trump himself has not endorsed its cancellation and has continued to discuss it positively in comments to the press. Adblock test (Why?)
Fire rips through the world’s biggest refugee camp in Bangladesh
NewsFeed A large fire broke out in the Kutupalong refugee camp in Bangladesh, the world’s biggest displacement centre. The site is home to more than a million Rohingyas, who face persecution in neighbouring Myanmar. Published On 12 Jun 202612 Jun 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Archaeologists find ancient female-led society in Turkiye
NewsFeed Archaeologists have discovered evidence of an ancient female-led society in the ruins of a city in present-day Turkiye. Researchers studied 300 skeletons in the 9,000-year-old city of Catalhoyuk and found a civilization where families were headed by women and girls. Published On 12 Jun 202612 Jun 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Activists form human Palestine flag at World Cup opener in Mexico City
NewsFeed Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered in Mexico City during the opening of the 2026 FIFA World Cup to form a giant human Palestinian flag. Organisers said the action sought to keep the Palestinian struggle in the spotlight during one of the world’s most-watched sporting events. Published On 12 Jun 202612 Jun 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Alarm as Ebola spreads into new areas of DR Congo
Cases are being identified in new health zones on a near-daily basis, warns the WHO’s head of epidemiology. By AFP and Reuters Published On 12 Jun 202612 Jun 2026 Ebola has spread to new areas of north-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), including a crowded displacement camp, raising fears that the country’s near-month-long outbreak is entering a more dangerous phase and larger scale than previously thought. The outbreak, caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain of the virus, is showing signs of local transmission in newly affected communities as response measures lag, a senior World Health Organization (WHO) official warned on Friday. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list Since the outbreak was declared on May 15, there have been 676 confirmed Ebola cases, including 136 deaths in the Ituri province – the centre of the outbreak – as well as North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, according to WHO figures. A total of 32 patients have recovered. The United Nations agency reports a further 119 cases are suspected in the DRC, as the virus starts to spread to new areas. Olivier le Polain, the WHO’s head of epidemiology and analytics, said that cases were being identified in new health zones within the three affected provinces on a near-daily basis. “That reflects really the scale of this outbreak: a scale that is much bigger than what is being detected, and the high mobility of the population,” he said. Much more needs to be done to contain the virus, the WHO said, with isolation bed capacity far below the anticipated need, based on how it is spreading. No approved vaccines or treatments exist for the Bundibugyo species of the virus. ‘Blind spots’ Le Polain added that while in recent weeks, cases in new areas could be traced back to travel from hotspots, now “we also see local community spread in new areas”. Advertisement “There are still many blind spots in some areas that are high risk,” he said. “The full scale of the outbreak is not yet clear and we’ll get more clarity as surveillance improves.” Le Polain said contact tracing was getting better but was “still too low to ensure appropriate control”. “There’s a lot more that needs to be done across the board: more supplies to ensure that we’ve got safe spaces to isolate patients. Surveillance can scale up, but if you don’t have any space to put your patients safely, it becomes very difficult,” he added. The WHO official’s remarks came shortly after the UN’s refugee agency confirmed the first Ebola-related deaths in the crowded Kpanga displacement camp in Ituri province. DR Congo’s struggle to contain the disease has been complicated by the legacy of decades of conflict in the region. The government lacks full oversight due to the presence of armed rebels seeking control over the mineral riches in the area, leaving infrastructure poor or destroyed, and violence having chased huge numbers of people from their homes. According to an aid worker with knowledge of the cases cited by Reuters, those deaths occurred on May 31 and June 1. Cramped conditions at camps like Kpanga, where hundreds of people sometimes share a toilet, have fuelled concerns of rapid contagion. “We are all really worried that Ebola in these camps will spread extremely quickly and that there will be panic and people will flee all over whether or not they’re contacts, whether or not they’re ill,” Caitlin Brady, country director for the Danish Refugee Council in Congo, told Reuters. That will alarm neighbouring Uganda, which has confirmed 19 cases and two deaths but was reported recently by the African Union’s health agency to have the situation “under control”. Adblock test (Why?)
Stock markets surge as Trump calls off strikes on Iran, touts peace deal
Wall Street and Asian markets rally on hopes for an end to the US-Israel war on Iran. Published On 12 Jun 202612 Jun 2026 Stock markets have surged following US President Donald Trump’s announcement that he called off planned strikes against Iran and a peace deal with Tehran is imminent. Wall Street’s benchmark S&P500 index finished nearly 1.8 percent higher on Thursday, ending a three-day streak of losses for the biggest single-day gain since April. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list The tech-focused Nasdaq Composite jumped 2.5 percent, while the older, blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average gained about 1.9 percent. The rally continued in the Asia Pacific on Friday, with markets in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Australia racking up gains. South Korea’s Kospi, the best-performing major index this year, surged more than 8 percent in morning trading, while Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 rose as much as 4 percent. Taiwan’s TAIEX gained about 2.4 percent, and Australia’s ASX 200 rose about 1.8 percent. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index was up more than 1 percent. Brent crude, the primary international benchmark for oil prices, fell about 1 percent to below $89.50 a barrel on hopes for a return to normality in the Strait of Hormuz, which in peacetime carries about one-fifth of global energy supplies. The market rebound came after Trump on Thursday suggested that a deal to end the war on Iran could be signed as soon as this weekend. “We just made a great settlement of the war with Iran… subject to finalisation of documents,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office of the White House. Iran has not publicly confirmed Trump’s claims, but a Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman told reporters a memorandum of understanding with the US is “under consideration”. Advertisement “For the rally to be sustained, investors will want to not only see the actual deal being signed, but a complete reopening of the Strait of Hormuz,” Khoon Goh, head of Asia research for ANZ Bank, told Al Jazeera. “Only then will we see the gains extend.” Fabien Yip, a market analyst at the online broker IG Group in Sydney, Australia, said the rally reflected a “meaningful easing of geopolitical risk”, as well as anticipation over Friday’s market debut of SpaceX, set to be the largest of its kind in history. “The broader read on today’s Asian follow-through is that dip-buying interest remains genuine,” Yip told Al Jazeera. “That matters for how you characterise what’s happened over the past week. “This looks less like a structural break in the bull market and more like a healthy reset after a rapid, near-straight-line advance, the kind of consolidation that can potentially extend a rally’s longevity.” Adblock test (Why?)
White House shows off cage match arena as corruption lawsuit looms
NewsFeed White House officials previewed the grounds where they’ll host a cage match to celebrate US President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday on Sunday. A lawsuit is being considered to halt the event, raising questions of corruption and impropriety on the president’s role in setting up the event. Published On 12 Jun 202612 Jun 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Bosnia’s Esmir Bajraktarevic: Child of Srebrenica
Game Theory How does a football penalty become a story about survival? As Bosnia and Herzegovina prepare to face Canada in their 2026 World Cup opener, many eyes will be on Esmir Bajraktarevic. Born in the US, to a family affected by the Srebrenica genocide, his journey is about far more than just football. Published On 12 Jun 202612 Jun 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
LIVE: Mexico vs South Africa – World Cup 2026
[unable to retrieve full-text content] Follow our live build-up, with full opening ceremony and team news coverage, ahead of our text commentary stream.