Morning news wrap: Netanyahu warns Iran again; Bengaluru doctor threatens to crash plane over lost bag, and more
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to strike all nuclear facilities in Iran, declaring that he won't wait for US approval as tensions escalate in the Middle East.
A bizarre scene unfolded at Bengaluru airport when a doctor threatened to crash an Air India flight if his bag wasn't found, causing delays and forcing crew to deboard him. Down south in Chennai, DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran has accused his brother Kalanithi, head of Sun Group, of massive financial fraud, stirring up a family-business feud.
On the sports front, Lionel Messi has once again made headlines by leading Inter Miami to a historic win over a European club, marking a first for the MLS.
The match showcased Messi's enduring brilliance on the field.
Here are the top five stories of the morning:
Netanyahu threatens strikes on Iran nuclear sites
Israeli PM Netanyahu said Israel is prepared to strike 'every nuclear site in Iran' and 'eliminate Khamenei' without waiting for US approval. The remarks come amid soaring regional tensions.
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Chinese hackers spying on Russia for Ukraine war intel: Report
A US-based cybersecurity firm says Chinese hackers have targeted top Russian government agencies to steal classified data related to the Ukraine conflict.
The motive appears to be Beijing's strategic positioning.
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Bengaluru doctor threatens to crash plane over lost bag
An Air India flight from Bengaluru to Surat was delayed after a doctor allegedly threatened to crash the aircraft if his bag wasn't located. Crew had to deboard him for security reasons.
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DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran accuses brother of fraud
Chennai MP Dayanidhi Maran has filed a complaint against his brother Kalanithi, accusing him of defrauding him of ?100 crore through forged signatures and false agreements.
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Messi leads Inter Miami to MLS history
Lionel Messi starred in Inter Miami's latest victory, this time against a visiting European side, helping the club secure a historic milestone in the MLS.
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Indian Express
24 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Kremlin declines to predict when Putin and Trump may meet
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday he could not predict whether Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet with US President Donald Trump this year. Peskov told reporters that Russia hopes to agree with the United States soon on a new round of negotiations to remove 'irritants' in bilateral ties.
Indian Express
24 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Israel-Iran conflict: Day after Israeli attack, nuclear watchdog confirms damages to key under-construction reactor near Tehran
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IEAE) has confirmed that Israel's strikes on Friday resulted in damages to key buildings at the partially constructed Khondab (formerly known as Arak) Heavy Water Production Plant including its distillation unit. The nuclear watchdog's statement comes a day after the global body said no damages were 'initially visible'. 'While damage to the nearby Heavy Water Production Plant was initially not visible, it is now assessed that key buildings at the facility were damaged, including the distillation unit,' the IEAE's latest statement on 'Updates on developments in Iran' said. No damage has been observed at Iran's other nuclear sites so far, it added. No radiological consequence was expected, IEAE's Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said. This has been attributed to the reactor not being operational and not containing any nuclear material. 'There is a lot of nuclear material in Iran in different places, which means that the potential for a radiological accident with the dispersion in the atmosphere of radioactive materials and particles does exist,' he added, stressing on the possible nuclear safety risks. IAEA, in its statement, also sought to receive timely and regular technical information about the nuclear facilities and their respective sites in the country. 'This information is needed to promptly inform the international community and ensure an effective response and assistance to any emergency situation in Iran,' Director General Grossi said. He added that the agency was also in constant contact with other countries in the region amid the ongoing tensions in the Middle East. The Khondab reactor was hit on Thursday (June 19) as the both Israel and Iran continued to trade strikes on the seventh day of the conflict. The Israeli strikea also damaged the nearby plant that makes heavy water. Heavy-water reactors can be used to produce plutonium which, like enriched uranium, can be used to make an atom bomb. So far, Israel has announced that its attacks have hit prominent Iranian nuclear sites in Natanz, Isfahan, Arak and Tehran itself. With AP inputs
Time of India
31 minutes ago
- Time of India
Europe's lithium quest hampered by China and lack of cash
Europe's ambition to be a world player in decarbonised transportation arguably depends on sourcing lithium abroad, especially in South America. Even the bloc's broader energy security and climate goals could depend on securing a steady supply of the key mineral, used in batteries and other clean energy supply chains. But Europe has run into a trio of obstacles: lack of money, double-edged regulations and competition from China, analysts told AFP. China has a major head start. It currently produces more than three-quarters of batteries sold worldwide, refines 70 percent of raw lithium and is the world's third-largest extractor behind Australia and Chile, according to 2024 data from the United States Geological Survey. To gain a foothold, Europe has developed a regulatory framework that emphasises environmental preservation, quality job creation and cooperation with local communities. It has also signed bilateral agreements with about 15 countries, including Chile and Argentina, the world's fifth-largest lithium producer. But too often it fails to deliver when it comes to investment, say experts. "I see a lot of memoranda of understanding, but there is a lack of action," Julia Poliscanova, director of electric vehicles at the Transport and Environment (T&E) think tank, told AFP. "More than once, on the day that we signed another MoU, the Chinese were buying an entire mine in the same country." The investment gap is huge: China spent $6 billion on lithium projects abroad from 2020 to 2023, while Europe barely coughed up a billion dollars over the same period, according to data compiled by T&E. Lagging investment At the same time, the bottleneck in supply has tightened: last year saw a 30 percent increase in global demand for lithium, according to a recent report from the International Energy Agency (IEA). "To secure the supply of raw materials, China is actively investing in mines abroad through state-owned companies with political support from the government," the IEA noted. China's Belt and Road Initiative funnelled $21.4 billion into mining beyond its shores in 2024, according to the report. Europe, meanwhile, is "lagging behind in investment levels in these areas", said Sebastian Galarza, founder of the Centre for Sustainable Mobility in Santiago, Chile. "The lack of a clear path for developing Europe's battery and mining industries means that gap will be filled by other actors." In Africa, for example, Chinese demand has propelled Zimbabwe to become the fourth-largest lithium producer in the world. "The Chinese let their money do the talking," said Theo Acheampong, an analyst at the European Council on Foreign Relations. By 2035, all new cars and vans sold in the European Union must produce zero carbon emissions, and EU leaders and industry would like as much as possible of that market share to be sourced locally. Last year, just over 20 percent of new vehicles sold in the bloc were electric. "Currently, only four percent of Chile's lithium goes to Europe," noted Stefan Debruyne, director of external affairs at Chilean private mining company SQM. "The EU has every opportunity to increase its share of the battery industry." Shifting supply chains But Europe's plans to build dozens of battery factories have been hampered by fluctuating consumer demand and competition from Japan (Panasonic), South Korea (LG Energy Solution, Samsung) and, above all, China (CATL, BYD). The key to locking down long-term lithium supply is closer ties in the so-called "lithium triangle" formed by Chile, Argentina and Bolivia, which account for nearly half of the world's reserves, analysts say. To encourage cooperation with these countries, European actors have proposed development pathways that would help establish electric battery production in Latin America. Draft EU regulations would allow Latin America to "reconcile local development with the export of these raw materials, and not fall into a purely extractive cycle", said Juan Vazquez, deputy head for Latin America and the Caribbean at the OECD Development Centre. But it is still unclear whether helping exporting countries develop complete supply chains makes economic sense, or will ultimately tilt in Europe's favour. "What interest do you have as a company in setting up in Chile to produce cathodes, batteries or more sophisticated materials if you don't have a local or regional market to supply?" said Galarza. "Why not just take the lithium, refine it and do everything in China and send the battery back to us?" Pointing to the automotive tradition in Mexico, Brazil and Argentina, Galarza suggested an answer. "We must push quickly towards the electrification of transport in the region so we can share in the benefits of the energy transition," he argued. But the road ahead looks long. Electric vehicles were only two percent of new car sales in Mexico and Chile last year, six percent in Brazil and seven percent in Colombia, according to the IEA. The small nation of Costa Rica stood out as the only nation in the region where EVs hit double digits, at 15 percent of new car sales.
