Six In The Morning Tuesday 24 June 2025

 

Trump lashes out at Israel and Iran as he accuses both of violating ceasefire

Summary

• US President Donald Trump lashes out at Israel and Iran, using an expletive as he accuses both sides of violating the ceasefire

• Israel says it has hit an Iranian radar but has "refrained from further attacks" after PM Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to Trump

• Explosions have been heard in Iran, residents tell BBC Persian

• Israel says missiles were launched by Tehran after the truce took effect - Iran denies launching fresh attacks

• Overnight, before the ceasefire was confirmed, both sides exchanged fire, with Tehran residents saying they witnessed one of the "heaviest" rounds of attacks by Israel. Local officials say nine people have been killed in northern Iran

• Israel's emergency service says four people were killed in Beersheba. Rescue teams tell our correspondent a building was hit where residents had been sheltering

‘Rightwing extremist’ German magazine wins court battle against ban

Far-right AfD party welcomes ruling in favour of Compact, which sets high bar for any government crackdown

Deborah Cole in Berlin

Tue 24 Jun 2025 13.52 BST

A German federal court has overturned a ban on a magazine classed by the government as rightwing extremist, in a high-profile legal battle seen as pitting efforts by the authorities to protect the democratic order against media freedom.

The federal administrative court said that while Compact, a publication with close ties to the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party, had produced “anticonstitutional” content, it did “not yet” represent a threat to the state.

Syria: IS splinter group behind church bombing

A little-known Islamist group has claimed responsibility for a Sunday bombing that killed 25 Christians and injured 63 more. It also disputes government arrest claims.

On Tuesday, the Islamic State (IS) splinter group Saraya Ansar al-Sunna (Brigade of Sunni Supporters) claimed responsibility for the deadly Sunday bombing of a Greek Orthodox Church in the Syrian capital, Damascus.

The incident happened when a member of the group blew himself up at the doors of the Saint Elias Church in the Christian-Sunni Muslim neighborhood of al-Dweilaa during Sunday mass, killing 25 people and injuring another 63.

The group released a social media post claiming the attack was triggered by unspecified "provocations by Christians in Damascus."

'I never thought the US tortured people but I was tortured': Ex-Guantanamo prisoner Slahi

A man who spent 14 years in prison without charge in Guantanamo Bay until his release in 2016 has spoken to FRANCE 24 about his experience of suffering torture there. Mohamedou Ould Slahi is an engineer from Mauritania who was accused by the US of recruiting for and providing other support for al Qaeda in Afghanistan and even of being involved in organising the 9/11 attacks. While in Guantanamo he says he was subjected to a range of torture methods – from sleep deprivation, to isolation, to beatings. His story was documented in his memoir, "Guantanamo Diary", and was turned into a star-studded 2021 film, "The Mauritanian", which tells the story of him and his lawyer who succeeded in obtaining his release. He spoke to us in Perspective.

Township mechanics in South Africa unite to turbocharge their small businesses

By  MICHELLE GUMEDE

Updated 7:06 AM PDT, June 24, 2025

Themba Maseko quickly wipes oil and grease off his hands with a rag as he breaks away from repairing one car to assist another customer who needs parts for a low-riding BMW 325is that he’s pulled up in, exhausts booming.

As soon as Maseko returns beneath the hood of the first vehicle to continue his work, yet another man arrives desperately wanting his car to be looked at.

“It gets hectic,” said the 39-year-old mechanic, sweat plastering his face.

‘Foreigners for both nations’: India pushing Muslims ‘back’ to Bangladesh

Hundreds taken to Bangladesh border at gunpoint in a crackdown by Assam government, with some other BJP-governed states following suit.

By Arshad Ahmed and Mahibul Haque

Published On 24 Jun 202524 Jun 2025

Ufa Ali could barely stand.

On May 31, the 67-year-old bicycle mechanic returned to his home in India’s northeastern state of Assam after spending four harrowing days stranded in Bangladesh, the neighbouring country he claims he had only heard of “as a slur” since birth.

Ali’s weeklong ordeal began on May 23 when he was picked up by the police from his rented house in Kuyadal, a small village in Assam’s Morigaon district, during a government crackdown on “declared foreign nationals” – a category of people unique to Assam. The state is a tea-producing hub where the migration and settlement of Bengali-speaking people from neighbouring areas for more than a century has led to ethnic tensions with the Indigenous natives, who mainly speak Assamese.