International
Metro ban for women without head coverings in Iran’s second city

AFP
Women in Iran’s second-largest city will be banned from taking the Mashhad metro if they are not wearing a head covering, local media reported on Wednesday.
Since the country’s 1979 Islamic revolution, Iranian law requires all women, regardless of nationality or religious belief, to wear a hijab that covers the head and neck while concealing the hair.
But many have pushed the boundaries over the past two decades by allowing their head coverings to slide back and reveal more hair, especially in Tehran and other major cities.
Mashhad’s deputy prosecutor wrote to the city’s governor “demanding he ban women not wearing an Islamic head covering from accessing the metro”, said the Young Journalists Club (YJC), a news agency linked to state television, publishing a copy of the June 26 letter.
If officials do not enforce the ban by July 6 “they will be prosecuted”, the letter said.
Mashhad, the capital of northeastern Razavi Khorasan province and home to more than three million people, is the site of the Imam Reza shrine, which honours one of the most revered figures in Shiite Islam.
“The letter from Mashhad’s deputy prosecutor is in accordance with the law,” Iran’s attorney general Mohammad Jafar Montazeri told the YJC, confirming the note’s authenticity.
On Tuesday, local media said authorities had closed three coffee shops in the city of Qom due to female customers not wearing head coverings.
Last month, police arrested several girls in the southern city of Shiraz after they removed their head coverings during a skateboarding event, along with organisers.
International
Paraguay summons Brazilian ambassador over Itaipú espionage scandal

Paraguay summoned the Brazilian ambassador in Asunción on Tuesday to demand “explanations” and called its own representative in Brasília for consultations following Brazil’s acknowledgment of an espionage operation. The Brazilian government, led by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, attributed the operation to the previous administration.
The surveillance effort aimed to uncover Paraguay’s position in now-suspended negotiations with Brazil regarding the pricing of electricity from the binational Itaipú hydroelectric plant, according to reports in the Brazilian press.
The Brazilian government “categorically denied any involvement in the intelligence operation,” stating in a Foreign Ministry communiqué on Monday that the espionage was carried out under former President Jair Bolsonaro’s administration (2019-2023).
“The operation was authorized by the previous government in June 2022 and was annulled by the interim director of the (state intelligence agency) ABIN on March 27, 2023, as soon as the current administration became aware of it,” Brazil’s government asserted.
Paraguay’s Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez announced that Brazilian Ambassador José Antonio Marcondes de Carvalho was summoned “to provide detailed explanations” regarding the operation. Additionally, Paraguay recalled its diplomatic representative in Brasília “to report on aspects related to the intelligence activity conducted by Brazil regarding Paraguay’s government affairs.”
International
Elon Musk to step down as government advisor, per Trump insiders

President Donald Trump has informed his inner circle that Elon Musk will be stepping down from his role as a government advisor, according to a report by Politico today.
Citing three individuals close to Trump, Politico states that the president is pleased with Musk’s leadership at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), where he has implemented significant budget cuts. However, both have agreed that it is time for Musk to return to his businesses and support Trump from a different position outside the government.
A senior administration official told Politico that Musk will likely maintain an informal advisory role and continue to be an occasional visitor to the White House. Another source warned that anyone thinking Musk will completely disappear from Trump’s circle is “deluding themselves.”
According to the sources, this transition is expected to coincide with the end of Musk’s tenure as a “special government employee,” a temporary status that exempts him from certain ethics and conflict-of-interest regulations. This 130-day period is set to expire in late May or early June.
International
Milei vows to make Argentina so strong that Falkland Islanders “choose” to join

Argentine President Javier Milei reaffirmed his country’s claim over the Falkland Islands (known as the Islas Malvinas in Argentina) and praised the role of the nation’s armed forces during a ceremony marking the “Veterans and Fallen Soldiers of the Malvinas War Day,” commemorating 43 years since the 1982 conflict with the United Kingdom.
Argentina continues to assert sovereignty over the islands, arguing that Britain unlawfully seized them in 1833.
“If sovereignty over the Malvinas is the issue, we have always made it clear that the most important vote is the one cast with one’s feet. We hope that one day, the Malvinas residents will choose to vote with their feet and join us,” Milei stated.
“That is why we aim to become a global power—so much so that they would prefer to be Argentine, making deterrence or persuasion unnecessary. This is why we have embarked on a path of liberation, working to make Argentina the freest country in the world and once again the nation with the highest GDP per capita on the planet,” he added.
-
Central America3 days ago
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary urges Mexico to strengthen Guatemala border
-
Central America3 days ago
Panama grants Martinelli 72-hour extension to travel to Nicaragua
-
International2 days ago
Paraguay summons Brazilian ambassador over Itaipú espionage scandal
-
Central America5 days ago
Panama police clarifies that Interpol alert for Martinelli is still pending
-
International3 days ago
Trump urges Putin to reach peace deal
-
International5 days ago
Deportation flight lands in Venezuela; government denies criminal gang links
-
Sports2 days ago
Filipe Luis debuts as coach in Copa Libertadores with Flamengo
-
International2 days ago
Elon Musk to step down as government advisor, per Trump insiders
-
Central America2 days ago
Guatemalan police officer killed in mob riots over baby kidnapping
-
Sports2 days ago
Venezuela investigates 18 baseball players seeking asylum in Spain
-
International2 days ago
Milei vows to make Argentina so strong that Falkland Islanders “choose” to join
-
International2 days ago
Óscar Arias: Trump’s trade policies are a step backward
-
International2 days ago
ICE agent’s arrest of suspect sparks controversy in Boston