‘Extremely cruel and tragic’: Iranian director Asghar Farhadi speaks out against state violence and the war

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The film-maker, who won the Grand Prix for A Hero in 2021, condemned both the killing of protesters and the conflict’s bombing campaigns during a Cannes press conference

Oscar-winning Iranian director Asghar Farhadi has described the deaths of civilians in Iran as “extremely cruel and tragic” during a press conference at the Cannes film festival.

Farhadi, whose new Paris-set drama Parallel Tales premiered on the Croisette on Thursday night, was asked about working free from censorship in France, the war involving Iran, the US and Israel, and the repression of protesters in his native country.

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German leader Merz says he ‘would not advise my children to go’ to US

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Chancellor says he no longer views US as land of opportunity amid ‘deeply polarising’ social climate

Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, already embroiled in a row with Donald Trump over the Iran war, has said he would not advise his children to study or work in the US in the current climate.

Speaking to a conference of young Catholics in Würzburg, the conservative leader, viewed by many as a transatlanticist, said he no longer saw the US as the land of opportunity.

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Iran says Chinese ships passed through Hormuz overnight – DW.com

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  1. Iran says Chinese ships passed through Hormuz overnight  DW.com
  2. Iran Lets Chinese Ships Through Strait of Hormuz Amid Rising Tensions After Vessel Seizure  The New York Times
  3. Iran war updates: Chinese vessels allowed to sail Hormuz as Trump meets Xi  Al Jazeera
  4. Oil ends flat as tanker crossings through Strait of Hormuz temper supply fears  Reuters
  5. Chinese Supertanker Carrying 2 Million Barrels Of Iraqi Oil Makes Rare Exit From Strait Of Hormuz  Marine Insight
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End of Ukraine’s ‘untouchables’? Zelensky faces final choice for Ukraine’s anti-corruption future – The Kyiv Independent

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  1. End of Ukraine's 'untouchables'? Zelensky faces final choice for Ukraine's anti-corruption future  The Kyiv Independent
  2. Zelenskyy’s ex-top aide arrested as Ukraine graft probe widens  NBC News
  3. Will Ukraine corruption scandal reach Volodymyr Zelenskyy?  DW.com
  4. A test for Ukraine, a dilemma for Zelensky: What's at stake in the Andriy Yermak corruption probe  France 24
  5. Zelensky’s right-hand man turned to fortune teller to eliminate enemies  The Telegraph
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Oman caught between US and Iran after Tehran’s claims of joint strait of Hormuz plan

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Muscat silent about plans – opposed by US – to charge fee and demand details on nationality of all transiting ships

Oman has been caught in geopolitical crossfire after Iran said it was coordinating with the Gulf state over the future management of the strait of Hormuz, including Tehran’s plans to impose fees on commercial shipping.

The Omani exclave of Musandam lies to the south of the contested waterway, which normally carries a fifth of the world’s seaborne oil traffic but has been blockaded for 10 weeks since the US-Israeli attack on Iran in February.

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‘23 Targets Hit Overnight’ – Ukraine Unleashes Wave of Strikes on Russia, Hits Aircraft, Air Defenses and Ammo Ship – Kyiv Post

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  1. ‘23 Targets Hit Overnight’ - Ukraine Unleashes Wave of Strikes on Russia, Hits Aircraft, Air Defenses and Ammo Ship  Kyiv Post
  2. Ukrainian drones destroy £30m Russian plane at airbase  The Telegraph
  3. Strike on Yeysk Airfield: Satellite Images Confirm Complete Destruction of Be-200  Мілітарний
  4. Ukraine’s AI Drones Are Hunting Russian Supply Lines  Forbes
  5. Ukraine Blew Up One of Russia’s Rare Be-200 Aircraft, Hit Ka-27 Helicopter at Yeysk Air Base  UNITED24 Media
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36 countries approve creation of special Ukraine tribunal to prosecute Russia – France 24

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  1. 36 countries approve creation of special Ukraine tribunal to prosecute Russia  France 24
  2. 'Point of no return': 36 countries join special tribunal to prosecute Vladimir Putin  Euronews.com
  3. 36 countries sign agreement establishing ‘tribunal for Putin’  Meduza
  4. Ukraine: European countries sign up to special tribunal plan  DW.com
  5. Putin and Lukashenko Receive Their “Tickets to The Hague” After Historic Tribunal Agreement  UNITED24 Media
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Everybody Loses in the Cynical Israeli-Palestinian Sexual Violence Competition – Haaretz

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  1. Everybody Loses in the Cynical Israeli-Palestinian Sexual Violence Competition  Haaretz
  2. First on CNN: New report details ‘systematic’ rape and sexual violence during Hamas’ Oct 7 attack on Israel  CNN
  3. The Truth About Hamas  WSJ
  4. Several former Hamas hostages in Gaza share accounts of sexual assault  NBC News
  5. Why do feminists refuse to believe that Hamas raped Jewish women?  The Telegraph
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Mali’s forces target rebel alliance in junta’s fight to keep power

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Army supported by Russian mercenaries launches airstrikes after offensive by coalition of Islamist extremists and Tuareg separatists

Mali’s armed forces, supported by Russian mercenaries, have launched airstrikes targeting a rebel alliance of Islamist extremists and Tuareg separatists as the ruling junta struggles to maintain its hold on power in the unstable west African country.

Earlier this week warplanes targeted the key northern town of Kidal, which was lost when the rebels launched a surprise offensive across much of Mali in late April.

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Ukraine and Russia swap hundreds of prisoners, strike on Kyiv apartment block kills 24 – NBC News

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  1. Ukraine and Russia swap hundreds of prisoners, strike on Kyiv apartment block kills 24  NBC News
  2. Prisoner swap goes ahead as Kyiv mourns 24 killed in Russian strike on flats  BBC
  3. Russia and Ukraine swap 205 prisoners of war each  Reuters
  4. SSU releases exclusive footage of today’s prisoner exchange  Ukrinform - Ukrainian National News Agency
  5. 205 Ukrainian POWs return from Russian captivity in latest exchange  The Kyiv Independent
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