01/06/2026

MONDAY | JUNE 1, 2026

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THREE KILLED IN ‘NARCO’ BOAT STRIKE WASHINGTON: The US military conducted a lethal strike on a boat in the Eastern Pacific on Saturday, killing three men. The latest attack brings the total number of those killed to over 200, according to an AFP tally, since the Trump administration began its offensive in September. US Southern Command said “the vessel was transiting along known narco trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations. Three male narco-terrorists were killed during this action.” Black-and-white video footage accompanying the post showed the boat sitting on the open sea before being engulfed by a large explosion. Legal experts and rights groups say the strikes could amount to extrajudicial killings. – AFP METEOR EXPLODES the northeastern United States on Saturday, Nasa said, setting off booms that echoed over the region with a blast equivalent to 300 tonnes of TNT. The fireball broke up over northeastern Massachusetts and southeastern New Hampshire at 2.06pm (2.06am in Malaysia), said the US space agency’s deputy news chief Jennifer Dooren. “This fireball was not associated with any active meteor shower, but it was a natural object and not a re-entry of space debris or a satellite. The energy released at breakup is estimated to be equivalent to about 300 tonnes of TNT, which accounts for the loud booms.” The meteor was travelling at more than 120,000 kph at an altitude of 40 miles when it broke apart, Dooren said. – AFP SEATTLE: The death toll from a chemical tank rupture in Washington state climbed to 11 as crews recovered the bodies of all nine missing people. Two fatalities had been confirmed after the tank containing “white liquor” – a chemical solution of sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide used in making paper pulp – imploded at a Nippon Dynawave Packaging facility on Tuesday. The search for the missing carried on through the week as recovery crews worked through debris in indoor areas and flew drones over the perimeter of the site, said Cowlitz Fire & Rescue’s deputy chief Kurt Stitch. – Reuters OVER U.S. WASHINGTON: A meteor Earth crashing exploded toward over ELEVEN DEAD IN CHEMICAL SPILL

Iran has agreed not to have nuclear weapons: Trump

BR I E F S

o Tehran wants Lebanon included in truce deal

sovereign control,” the ministry said. “We consider these statements as yet another information operation by the occupying state.” The strike blew a hole in the wall of the machine room but did not damage core equipment, Rosatom said. Authorities in Zaporizhzhia in April accused Ukraine of carrying out a strike. – AFP The push to Beaufort came as the Israeli military issued a sweeping evacuation order to areas south of the Zahrani River, north of the Litani while Lebanon prime minister Nawaf Salam accused Israel on Saturday of pursuing a “scorched-earth policy and collective punishment” in the south, urging a halt to the fighting and warning it was “destroying towns and villages, and forcing their inhabitants into exile”. Military delegations from both countries held security talks in Washington on Friday, with more negotiations planned this week. Salam said the outcome of the negotiations was “not guaranteed”, but called them “the least costly path for our country and our people”. A truce to halt the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah began on April 17 but has not been observed. In Paris, the French foreign minister said France has requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council. “I have requested an emergency meeting because, while we recognise Israel’s right, like that of all countries, to self-defence ... nothing can justify the continuation of Israeli military operations in Lebanon and its ever deeper occupation of Lebanese territory,” Jean-Noel Barrot said on the BFMTV channel.– AFP earlier said they were on the brink of striking a deal, he struck a less urgent tone and hinted at renewed military action in the Fox interview. “I’m in no hurry. Slowly but surely we’re getting, I think, what we want and if we don’t get what we want, we’re going to end in a different way,” he said. That echoed comments from Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth on Saturday that Washington was “more than capable” of restarting the war if necessary. Although daily strikes throughout Iran and the Gulf have stopped since Tehran and Washington struck a temporary ceasefire in April followed by historic talks hosted by Pakistan, bursts of armed conflict have continued. – AFP

The New York Times and Axios media outlets reported on Saturday that Trump had sent back a new framework to be considered by Iran with “tougher” terms, although it was not immediately clear what that entailed. Trump has said his priorities for any deal include stopping Iran from any nuclear weapon development and reopening the blockaded Strait of Hormuz. “The one guarantee that I have to have is that there will be no nuclear weapons. They’ve agreed to that, and it was very interesting,” he told his daughter-in-law Lara Trump in an interview broadcast on her Fox News programme on Saturday night. But Tehran has previously cast doubt on Trump’s assertions and the

closer to an incident that is highly likely to affect even those who live far beyond the borders of Russia and Ukraine,” Rosatom CEO Alexei Likachev told Russian media. Rejecting the accusations, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that they lacked “logic”. “It is unclear why Ukraine would strike its own nuclear power plant located on its own territory, which it itself seeks to regain under its QLAYAA: Israel’s flag flew over the medieval fortress on Beaufort in Lebanon yesterday as it warned Lebanese civilians to evacuate a large area of the south of the country ahead of stepped up ground operations. Shelling was audible and smoke rose from the surrounding area as the invading army’s banner was seen above the castle, which Israeli forces famously used as a base during their previous two-decade long occupation. Defence Minister Israel Katz said troops had captured the historic strongpoint, which commands sweeping views of south Lebanon, as they expanded their ground operations. “Forty-four years after the heroic Battle of Beaufort, and on this day commemorating the soldiers who fell in the First Lebanon War, our troops have returned to the summit of Beaufort and once again raised the Israeli flag,” Katz said. “Under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and my direction, the IDF expanded the operations in Lebanon, crossed the Litani River, and captured the Beaufort Ridge – one of the most important strategic points for defending the communities of the Galilee and safeguarding the security of our forces.” parties appeared far apart on their key priorities. Iran has said it requires the release of US$12 billion (RM47.7 billion) in frozen assets before it moved to substantive talks on issues such as its nuclear programme and called earlier Trump comments that its enriched uranium, a precursor for nuclear weapons, would be destroyed “baseless”, according to Iranian media. Tehran has also insisted that Lebanon must be included in any end to the war despite ongoing fighting, with Beirut accusing Israel of a “scorched-earth policy” as its forces advanced and carried out further airstrikes it says target Hezbollah. After Trump and US officials

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump said he had secured guarantees from Iran that it would not develop nuclear weapons, as reports emerged he had sent a tougher peace proposal back to Tehran. Any tweaks to the proposal could prolong even further an agreement to formally end the Middle East war and open the Strait of Hormuz maritime route after weeks of efforts to secure a deal despite fractious rhetoric and the occasional flare up of armed conflict. US

Israel plants flag on medieval castle

Israel bombarding a village near Marjayoun in Lebanon. – REUTERSPIC

Drone hits captured nuclear plant in Ukraine VIENNA: A drone hit the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Russian occupied southern Ukraine, the UN nuclear agency said, citing local officials. from state-owned nuclear power firm Rosatom accusing Ukraine of a deliberate attack – a claim strongly denied by Kyiv.

“There should be no attack of any kind from or against the plant,”agency chief Rafael Grossi was quoted as saying on the IAEA X account on Saturday. “Attacking nuclear sites is like playing with fire.” Rosatom alleged the drone was controlled via a fibre-optic cable, which ruled out “the possibility of an accidental strike”. “Today, we have come one step

Close to the front line in southern Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia is the biggest nuclear power plant in Europe. Moscow and Kyiv have repeatedly accused each other of risking a nuclear catastrophe with attacks since it was captured by Russian forces in 2022.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) posted on social media that the Russian-run plant’s operator informed it that a drone had hit the turbine building on Saturday, “reportedly causing a hole in its wall”. Russian media carried a statement