VIENNA (AP) — The U.N. nuclear watchdog has been unable to inspect nuclear facilities in Iran affected by the war last June according to a confidential report by the U.N. nuclear watchdog circulated to member states and seen Thursday by The Associated Press.

The International Atomic Energy Agency reported that it “cannot provide any information on the current size, composition or whereabouts of the stockpile of enriched uranium in Iran or whether Iran has suspended all enrichment-related activities.”

The IAEA warned that it was “unable to discharge its safeguards responsibilities” that it has under the Safeguards Agreement of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, adding that it is “indispensable and urgent” for Tehran to implement its obligations under that Treaty.

The only nuclear facility inspected in Iran by IAEA inspectors since the last report in February has been the Bushehr nuclear power plant, which was visited on June 1-3. The reactor currently running at Bushehr uses uranium from Russia enriched to 4.5%, a low level needed for power generation in such plants.

The confidential report come as tensions have flared in the Middle East.

Iranian drones heavily damaged a passenger terminal at Kuwait’s main airport on Wednesday, killing one person, wounding dozens of others and briefly closing the airfield — the latest in back-and-forth attacks by Iran and the U.S. that test a fragile ceasefire.

According to the IAEA, Iran maintains a stockpile of 440.9 kilograms (972 pounds) of uranium enriched up to 60% purity — a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%.

That stockpile could allow Iran to build as many as 10 nuclear bombs, should it decide to weaponize its program, IAEA director general Rafael Grossi warned in a recent AP interview. He added that it doesn’t mean that Iran has such a weapon.

Such highly enriched nuclear material should normally be verified every month, according to the IAEA’s guidelines.

The report said Grossi reiterates his “full support to the negotiations underway aimed at finding a mutually acceptable solution to issues related to Iran’s nuclear programme, and his readiness … to support an eventual agreement.”

Talks have dragged on for weeks as mediators seek a more enduring truce in the war, now in its fourth month. They are increasingly strained by Israel’s broadening war with Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.

Iran maintains its hold on the Strait of Hormuz — a crucial waterway for the world’s oil and natural gas and related products like fertilizer — and the U.S. continues its blockade of Iranian ports. Global fuel prices remain high, and the effects of the conflict are felt well beyond the region.

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The Associated Press receives support for nuclear security coverage from the Carnegie Corporation of New York and Outrider Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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Additional AP coverage of the nuclear landscape: https://apnews.com/projects/the-new-nuclear-landscape/

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Gunmen raided an off-campus residence in northwest Nigeria and kidnapped seven students, police said.

The attack occurred early Wednesday in the Kaura Namoda area of conflict-battered Zamfara state, police spokesman Yazid Abubakar said in a statement. One of the students escaped and was in custody.

The police spokesman said it wasn’t clear where the students were taken but efforts were underway to rescue the remaining six.

Zamfara has been a hotspot for armed gangs that carry out kidnappings for ransom, with abductions of students increasing in recent years across the country.

A tally by local news outlet Premium Times found that at least 1,900 students have been kidnapped from 20 schools since the 2014 mass abduction of over 200 schoolgirls from Chibok in Borno state.

GUIZHOU, China (AP) — For tourists, a massive new suspension bridge in southwestern China is a new selfie spot and social media attraction. But for local residents, it’s something far more practical: a link to the highway that cuts travel times from hours to just minutes, and a symbol of a flow of investment that has provided unprecedented access to high-speed internet in this remote region.

At 625 meters (2,050 feet) above the river below, the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge in the mountainous province of Guizhou is considered the world’s highest bridge. The structure stretches 2,890 meters (9,482 feet), with a main span of 1,420 meters (4,660 feet).

Since it opened in September 2025, thousands of tourists have visited the area, where companies are also investing in high-speed 5G network infrastructure. The influx of visitors has given rise to new businesses, from stores and restaurants to homestays catering to tourists.

The Associated Press recently joined a media tour of the region.

As China expands transportation and internet infrastructure in remote areas, nearby communities have also benefited from broader internet coverage. One example is Tianlong Tunpu, an ancient town with more than 600 years of history located more than 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the bridge.

Originally established as a military outpost during the Ming Dynasty, the town is known for local Dixi operas characterized by military-themed storytelling, striking wooden masks and an unusual performance style that sets it apart from other styles of Chinese opera.

Residents say the community is receiving more visitors, in part because social media allows them to promote the town to a wider audience.

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This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.

BERLIN, June 4 (Reuters) – A senior member of Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) met one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s top advisers as well as the head of energy group Gazprom and called for a reopening of the Nord Stream gas pipeline.

Markus Frohnmaier, the AfD’s parliamentary foreign policy spokesperson, is attending Putin’s showpiece economic conference in St Petersburg, defying warnings from Germany’s foreign ministry, which said it “explicitly advised the AfD against these trips”.

In posts on the social media platform X, Frohnmaier said he had met Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller and Kirill Dmitriev, Putin’s special envoy for investment and economic cooperation, on Wednesday.

Dmitriev, Miller and Gazprom are all subject to Western sanctions imposed over Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Frohnmaier, who has called repeatedly for Germany to engage with Russia to resume energy supplies, said the meeting with Miller focused on the pipeline and a full resumption of Russian gas deliveries to Germany. 

“Germany is caught in a severe economic downward spiral, and a key driver of this is the high cost of energy,” Frohnmaier said.

“That is why all options must be put back on the table, including the recommissioning of Nord Stream and the resumption of trade relations with Russia.”

Gazprom also confirmed the meeting with Frohnmaier.

“Looking forward to building a great FUTURE together with AfD, Germany’s most popular party,” Dmitriev wrote on his X account.

END OF RUSSIAN ENERGY HURT GERMAN ECONOMY, AFD ASCENDANT

For decades, Germany’s economic model was largely built on access to cheap Russian energy. Prior to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, Russia supplied over a third of crude oil imports ​and more than half of its natural gas.

Germany has struggled to emerge from the shock caused by the shutdown of the undersea Nord Stream pipeline, which was crippled by explosions in September 2022 and left Berlin scrambling to find alternative ​supplies.

Nord Stream 1’s two pipelines were damaged in the blasts. Nord Stream 2, completed in 2021, has one intact pipeline, but Germany halted the project and it never began operations.

Russia has accused Ukraine of being behind the attack, though Kyiv has repeatedly denied any involvement.

Opinion polls show the AfD, currently the largest opposition party in parliament, building a lead over Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservatives, who lead a coalition with the centre-left Social Democrats.

With two key state elections in eastern Germany in September, the AfD is hoping to win power for the first time in the state of Saxony-Anhalt and polls show it could also take the largest share of votes in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

The party, which has also made strong gains in recent elections in western Germany, has been critical of Merz’s strong support for Ukraine and says it would look to re-establish relations with Moscow.

“At a time when many seem more comfortable with confrontation than conversation, genuine dialogue matters more than ever,” Frohnmaier said on X after his meeting with Dmitriev.

(Reporting by James Mackenzie; Additional reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin in St Petersburg; Editing by Joe Bavier)

June 4 (Reuters) – Peru’s leftist presidential candidate Roberto Sanchez has gained ground against conservative Keiko Fujimori ahead of Sunday’s presidential runoff, though both candidates remained in a statistical tie, an Ipsos poll showed on Thursday.

Sanchez, ally of ousted and jailed former President Pedro Castillo, has recently moderated his messaging and secured 43.8% of support in the poll. Fujimori, daughter of former president Alberto Fujimori, gained 43.2% of the intended vote, the poll showed.

BY THE NUMBERS

• The poll was conducted on June 3 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.1%, sources close to Ipsos said.

• About 13% of poll respondents voted blank or annulled their ballot.

• A previous Ipsos poll released May 31 showed Fujimori at 38% and Sanchez at 35%, with 27% of voters still undecided.

• Fujimori, running for the fourth time and considered pro-market, won the first round of the presidential vote on April 12 with 17.18% of votes.

• Sanchez narrowly came second with 12.03% of votes.

• It is illegal within Peru to publish polls during the last week before a presidential election. Surveys can be carried out as long as local media do not publish them.

(Reporting by Marco Aquino, Editing by Daina Beth Solomon)

June 4 (Reuters) – The International Monetary Fund selected Alvaro Piris Chavarri as its new mission chief for Venezuela, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.

The IMF told Reuters it does not comment on staff issues.

Piris currently serves as the IMF’s assistant director in its African Department and mission chief for Ethiopia, according to the IMF. His prior roles include leading IMF missions in Mozambique, Lebanon and China.

The appointment comes after Venezuela, which has been in default on its external debt since 2017, said last month it would begin restructuring. Analysts estimate the total, including unpaid bonds, arbitration awards and interest, exceeds $150 billion.

Venezuela is seeking to reintegrate into the global financial system following the re-establishment of relations with the IMF and the World Bank, which were suspended in 2019 over government recognition disputes.

The IMF said it was discussing a path toward holding an “Article IV” consultation with Venezuela, a sign that engagement with Caracas is moving toward regular economic surveillance.

(Reporting by Rhea Rose Abraham in Bengaluru; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)

By Patricia Zengerle

WASHINGTON, June 4 (Reuters) – The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation on Thursday to provide aid to Ukraine and impose new sanctions on Russia, the latest sign that some Republicans are willing to defy party leaders and push back on President Donald Trump.

The House voted 226 to 195 for the Ukraine Support Act, which reached the floor after languishing for months. A handful of Republicans joined Democrats in signing a discharge petition to force the vote.

On Thursday, 18 Republicans and one independent who normally votes with them joined Democrats to pass the bill. It was the latest sign of a crack in what had been virtually unanimous support among members of Trump’s party for his policies.

Passage came a day after a smaller group of House Republicans joined Democrats to pass a resolution that would force the withdrawal of troops from hostilities with Iran unless Congress declares war or orders the use of military force.

However, the future of the Ukraine Support Act is uncertain. To become law it must be passed in the Senate, whose Republican leaders have not allowed votes on Russia sanctions legislation that has broad bipartisan support, saying they would wait for Trump’s guidance.

If it did pass the Senate, the bill would likely be vetoed by Trump. 

While many members of Congress from both parties strongly supported Ukraine in the first years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, some of Trump’s closest Republican allies – including House and Senate leadership – have grown cooler towards Kyiv since Trump returned to the White House in January 2025.

The president has also kept decisions on sanctions at the White House, not Congress, since starting his second term.

U.S. aid to the Kyiv government has slowed sharply even as Russia and Ukraine have been pummeling each other ⁠with missiles, drones and artillery. Peace talks are stalled, with Ukraine rejecting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s demand that it surrender territory it has successfully defended since 2022.

The Ukraine Support Act includes measures to help Ukraine rebuild after the war, authorizes more than $1 billion in assistance for Kyiv, and up to $8 billion in support via direct loans.

It also imposes stiff sanctions and export controls on Russia, including on financial institutions, oil and mining and Russian officials.      

(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Nia Williams and Ross Colvin)

Antisemitic Hate Crimes in New York City Jump 71% Since Last Year  

By The Media Line Staff  

Antisemitic violence continued to dominate New York City’s hate crime statistics, with the New York Police Department reporting a sharp increase in anti-Jewish offenses both month-over-month and over the longer term.  

According to NYPD figures, antisemitic hate crimes climbed 71% in May compared with May 2025 and were up 46% from the average recorded during the previous three months.  

The data showed that Jewish victims accounted for 60% of all confirmed hate crimes in the city despite Jews representing only about 10% of New York City’s population.  

Police statistics further indicated that anti-Jewish offenses exceeded the combined total of hate crimes directed at every other demographic group during the reporting period.  

Authorities recorded 41 antisemitic hate crimes in May, making Jews the most frequently targeted group in the city’s hate crime data.  

Other reported incidents included three crimes targeting Asians, five targeting Muslims, five based on sexual orientation, one targeting a Hispanic individual, one targeting a white person, one based on gender, one targeting an unspecified ethnicity and 10 targeting unspecified religious groups.  

The figures illustrate the disproportionate concentration of anti-Jewish hate crimes within New York City’s broader hate crime landscape.  

The latest statistics also come amid wider concerns about antisemitism across the United States. Recent records cited in the report showed that assaults against Jews nationwide have reached a 46-year high.  

Experts cautioned that the actual scope of the problem may be larger than official numbers suggest, noting that many incidents are never reported to law enforcement.  

Police Move To Extend Detention of 62 Suspects in Riot Outside Justice Sohlberg’s Home  

By The Media Line Staff  

Police are seeking to extend the detention of 62 suspects arrested during a violent riot outside the home of High Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, after demonstrators protesting the military draft of ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students vandalized the property and clashed with authorities.  

The suspects are scheduled to appear before the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court on Thursday morning, where police will request that they remain in custody pending further investigation.  

According to police, 65 people were arrested following the disturbances. Walla reported that 62 remained in detention and would be brought before a judge.  

The unrest unfolded Wednesday night when large numbers of protesters arrived at Sohlberg’s home in the West Bank settlement of Alon Shvut. During the riot, windows of the justice’s home and vehicle were smashed, and flower pots at the entrance to the property were destroyed.  

Ynet reported that police confiscated drones and GoPro cameras found in the possession of some of the suspects.  

The protest was linked to opposition among some ultra-Orthodox activists to Supreme Court decisions concerning military conscription. Sohlberg recently presided over rulings requiring the government to strengthen enforcement measures against draft evasion, making him a target of protesters opposed to the enlistment of yeshiva students.  

After the crowd dispersed, Magen David Adom personnel were called to the residence after Sohlberg reportedly felt unwell.  

His wife, Meira Sohlberg, expressed shock at the damage caused during the riot.  

“How is it possible that Jews are hurting each other?” she said. “Look at this destruction, a pogrom, what is this, Kristallnacht?” according to Ynet.  

Police Commissioner Danny Levy condemned the violence and instructed officers to pursue those responsible “to the fullest extent of the law.” Police said Levy was briefed by Jerusalem District Deputy Commander Yishai Shalem and stressed that legitimate protest cannot include violence, vandalism or attacks on public officials.  

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later spoke with Sohlberg and condemned the attack.  

United Torah Judaism chairman MK Yitzhak Goldknopf and Shas MK Yinon Azoulai also denounced the violence.  

Later, dozens of ultra-Orthodox protesters blocked Jerusalem’s Kikar Shabbat junction to protest the arrests. 

Netanyahu’s Lawyer Michael Rabello Wins State Comptroller Post Amid Voting Controversy  

By The Media Line Staff  

Attorney Michael Rabello, the longtime personal lawyer of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was elected Israel’s next state comptroller on Wednesday following a closely contested and controversial vote in the Knesset.  

Rabello secured the position in a second-round vote after neither candidate met the required threshold in the initial ballot.  

In the first round, retired Supreme Court justice Yosef Elron received 60 votes, while Rabello won 57. Under Knesset rules, a candidate must obtain 61 votes in the opening round to be elected.  

The runoff ended with Rabello defeating Elron by a margin of 61 votes to 57.  

The election process was overshadowed by over issues involving the secrecy of the ballot. Reports emerged that Likud lawmakers had been pressured to photograph or film their ballots to demonstrate support for Rabello, despite legal requirements that the vote remain secret.  

The allegations triggered sharp criticism from opposition parties, which accused the ruling Likud party of operating like a “crime organization.”  

According to reports, ministers suspected of supporting Elron were summoned to Netanyahu’s office during the vote.  

Amid the controversy, Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana ordered the second round of voting to be restarted in its entirety. Ohana said any instruction requiring lawmakers to photograph their ballots was “illegal and invalid.”  

The final tally differed from the earlier vote, indicating that some lawmakers changed their votes between rounds.  

Opposition parties are expected to petition the High Court of Justice to overturn the election due to alleged irregularities.  

Rabello has represented Netanyahu in numerous legal proceedings and has also acted on behalf of Netanyahu and his wife, Sara Netanyahu. In addition, he has participated in political negotiations connected to the prime minister.  

The state comptroller serves as an independent oversight authority that reports directly to the Knesset. The office is responsible for auditing government ministries, monitoring local government activities, reviewing the financial affairs of political parties, and protecting the public interest.