Russia Ready to Help Africa Develop Infrastructure — Top Diplomat

Sergey Lavrov highlighted the Africans’ desire to make the utmost use of what was given to them

© Valery Sharifulin/TASS

MOSCOW, June 11. /TASS/. The moment is ripe for Russia to provide full assistance to African countries that are demonstrating a desire to develop their own industrial production, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in opening remarks during talks with Bankole Adeoye, the African Union (AU) Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security.

Russia’s top diplomat highlighted the Africans’ desire "to make the utmost use of what was given to them by nature and by God," that is to develop their own industrial production, and do everything so that as much added value from natural resources as possible can stay in those countries.

"Our country has a long-standing track record in supporting the development of national industries and national agriculture in African countries," Lavrov noted. "Right now, I think, is the right time to use this experience in practice and meaningfully in new conditions," he added.

Police Blast Water Cannon During Second Straight Night of Racist Violence in Belfast

Protesters set fire to a barricade as police block Antrim Road, at the Sandyknowes roundabout in Newtownabbey, June 10, 2026

Roger McKenzie

THERE was a second straight night of racist violence on the streets of Belfast on Wednesday following the knife attack by Hadi Alodid on Stephen Ogilvie that blinded the victim and left him hospitalised.

Police blasted water cannon at protesters in Northern Ireland who set small fires and hurled bricks, rocks and bottles at them.

Masked demonstrators tore bricks from the walls outside homes and smashed pavements with sledgehammers to attack riot police. In one place, the thugs used sections of a dismantled picket fence to take cover on the street.

The fresh clashes came hours after Mr Ogilvie’s family appealed for an end to the violence and said migrants “make a deeply valuable contribution to our country.”

“We do not want this terrible tragedy to be used to divide people or fuel hostility,” the family said in a statement.

Once again, the hooligans targeted homes in working-class areas of East Belfast which they believed housed immigrants.

Loyalist paramilitary groups still reportedly hold considerable sway over the streets.

“Very poor white people” are being convinced that “very poor, hard-working brown or black people” are responsible for the “problems caused by billionaire white men,” Allison Morris, crime correspondent at the Belfast Telegraph, told Channel 4 News today.

In a statement, the Communist Party of Ireland said it was shocked by both the stabbing and the racist violence that followed.

“Organised loyalist elements and far-right agitators have sought to exploit this incident to spread fear and division,” the statement said.

The party said it was alarmed to hear reports of “lists containing the names and addresses of migrant families being circulated,” adding that “whatever differences may exist regarding migration policy, there can be no justification for the targeting of families, the circulation of personal details, or threats against individuals and communities.

“Such actions represent an assault on basic democratic rights and have no place in a civilised society.”

Gerry Murphy, the assistant general secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU), labelled the two nights of violence as “raw racism.”

Mr Murphy said: “We stand with all families whose property has been targeted and their safety put in danger by thugs hiding their faces behind masks and scarves.”

He added that the ICTU stands “against the criminals who are attacking people, property and public services. We also stand against those who feed these flames with loose talk about ‘illegal immigration,’ ‘invasion’ or ‘alien cultures’.”

Lowe is Leading the Right Towards Fascism

Rupert Lowe attends a farmers protest in Whitehall, London, March 4, 2025

Morning Star

REFORM UK and Rupert Lowe’s Restore Britain are in a race to the far right, out-bidding each other in racist provocation and authoritarian menace.

This week, Lowe may be ahead. He crossed a further line with his pledge, in the wake of the attack in Belfast, to imprison politicians who, he claimed, had facilitated mass immigration.

This is what he wrote on X: “I want people finally held to account for what has been done to our country. Civil servants, judges, politicians. If they have knowingly placed unvetted dangerous third world savages in our communities, near our children, then a Restore Britain government will aim to prosecute them. If that includes Reform’s Robert Jenrick and Suella Braverman, then so be it. 

“I want to send a very clear message to officials planning to place more of these men in communities across Britain — near schools, nurseries, families. When Restore Britain wins the next election, we will pursue you with the full power of the state. That will apply retrospectively.”

Let us be clear what Lowe is proposing. Officials or politicians who took decisions which were entirely lawful at the time can be prosecuted and imprisoned retrospectively, negating a basic principle of justice.

This is the language of fascism. It is, of course, unlikely that Lowe will be in a position to implement his programme, which includes the widespread use of the death penalty for non-white offenders.

However, the Restore leader has been pushing the boundaries of the politically acceptable, and others on the right have been following, including through violence on the streets. 

It is time for the labour movement to call this out for what it is – the beginnings of a move to far-right dictatorship. All democrats must unite to resist Lowe and his ilk.

Healey’s Exit Shows Starmer’s Bankruptcy

Prime Minister Keir Starmer (left) and Defence Secretary John Healey 

JOHN HEALEY’S departure as defence secretary is certainly a further blow to Keir Starmer’s fast-disappearing authority.

Healey has spent the last two years touring the world making belligerent threats and campaigning for increased militarisation. He is neck-deep in the Labour right tradition of putting guns before butter.

While he does not say it in his resignation letter, Healey surely agrees with one of his Labour predecessors at the ministry, George Robertson, and Tony Blair, who have recently called for cutting welfare spending to free up funds for arms.

However, his letter is revealing in ways he does not intend. It reveals that arms spending is actually set to rise by £13 billion annually, a point which will surely be overlooked in the media hullabaloo over his departure, which makes it seem as if the military budget was actually being cut.

It isn’t. And Healey’s letter shows where the increases are being spent – on leading a force in the Straits of Hormuz to try to get President Trump out of the mess he has created with his British-enabled aggression against Iran.

And on preparing an expeditionary force for Ukraine, the latest in a line of British initiatives to obstruct any possible settlement to that bloody and drawn-out conflict.

Britain should not be spending a penny on imperialist adventures like these, nor on the other forms of sabre-rattling Healey was so fond of, including trying to menace China.

So this is not a row about defence spending. It is a split which highlights the impasse of British imperialism and “Global Britain” posturing, which working people cannot afford to pay for and would not be in their interests even if they could.

Healey’s departure is a further indicator of the bankruptcy of Keir Starmer’s pro-Washington strategy and the need for a fundamental reset of priorities by Labour.

 Starmer in Crisis as Healey Quits over Arms Spending

Defence Secretary John Healey walks into the press conference following the Aukmin Summit, at Lancaster House in London, June 10, 2026

Andrew Murray

Morning Star 

SIR KEIR STARMER’S tottering authority crumbled further today as Defence Secretary John Healey quit in a row over arms spending.

Mr Healey slammed Sir Keir for not overruling Chancellor Rachel Reeves in an argument over how fast to raise the military bill.

He claimed that the £13.5 billion additional funding agreed would still leave the armed forces short in his global war-fighting plans.

His departure, to paeans of praise from the Tories, is a fresh political crisis for a premier already all but overwhelmed by them.

The Westminster consensus was that being called out for weakness by Mr Healey meant that Sir Keir could no longer realistically hope to see off a challenge to his position by Andy Burnham, if the Greater Manchester Mayor returns to the Commons in next week’s Makerfield by-election.

Leading left MP John McDonnell pointed out that “despite a huge parliamentary majority there is a remarkable instability about this administration that, if it isn’t addressed soon, could render the government paralysed by lack of leadership.”

And Green Party leader Zack Polanski said: “This is a government in chaos, unable to govern, with no leadership, under a caretaker prime minister who’s expected to be replaced within weeks. Britain deserves better.”

Mr Healey as good as accused Sir Keir of gambling with Britain’s security by not fully funding the ambitions of last year’s Strategic Defence Review.

In particular, the outgoing Defence Secretary wanted more cash for interventions in the Straits of Hormuz, to deal with the consequences of the catastrophic US-Israeli aggression against Iran, and Ukraine.

He wrote to the premier: “You have been unable, and the Treasury has been unwilling, to commit the resources that the nation needs to defend the country at this time of rising threats.

“The demands on defence have increased still further, as have the UK commitments you have rightly made to allies. 

“Conflict in the Middle East, with the UK now leading the multinational Strait of Hormuz military mission; High North security, with the UK now leading Nato’s Arctic Sentry mission; increased Russian activity towards the UK and Nato nations and increased attacks in Ukraine, with the Paris agreement confirming a British deployment to Ukraine after a ceasefire.”

Mr Healey, acting on behalf of the military brasshats, has been demanding arms spending of 3 per cent of GDP by the end of the decade, rising to 3.5 per cent at least by 2035.

In his letter, he claimed that the Defence Investment Plan Sir Keir has signed off would leave the proportion only at 2.68 per cent by 2030.

Stop the War Coalition convener Lindsey German said Mr Healey’s departure should lead to a strategic rethink.  

She said: “John Healey’s resignation over the PM and Chancellor not funding the insatiable military-industrial complex to the level that would satisfy his hunger for more and endless wars should surely create a serious debate in government about doing things differently.

“How about working for peace, and security at home based on proper investment in housing, education, health and the environment, and therefore the creation of decent, well-paid jobs through the funding of infrastructure projects rather than the militarisation of our economy?

“We are already one of the top defence spenders in the world.”

She added that “Healey’s sickening lust for war is shared by many in government and across Europe and the West. There could be no more critical time for the International Anti-War conference in London on June 20 to be taking place.”

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said the defence plan “is fast becoming a national disgrace. Make no mistake jobs and skills are at risk.

“John Healey’s resignation letter has laid bare the utter chaos at the heart of government on this issue. Defending the UK and investing in our defence industry simply can’t be done on the cheap.

“Failure to protect UK defence jobs would be a national betrayal.”

The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament said: “Healey argues that Britain’s military is under-funded. Yet according to  from the Institute for Fiscal Studies, British military spending in real terms is now actually higher than during the Cold War.

“The deadlock over the Defence Investment Plan and Healey’s resignation provides the government with an opportunity to change course and tackle the real security issues that we face: investing in climate action, healthcare, education, and food security.”

Labour’s right will likely intensify their agitation to cut welfare to fund the military, as Tony Blair and former defence secretary George Robertson have recently urged.

Today Geoff Hoon, defence secretary at the time of the Iraq War, said: “The money has to come from somewhere. 

“I don’t think this is the right time for significant tax increases; I don’t think the public would support that. Therefore, we have to look at some other aspect of government spending.

“It does seem to me that another look at welfare reform might not be such a bad thing.”

British Defense Secretary Resigns over Lack of Investment

John Healey said that he was stepping down "with great regret and reluctance"

© Ian Forsyth/ Getty Images

LONDON, June 11. /TASS/. British Defense Secretary John Healey has resigned, citing a lack of promised defense investment.

"You have been unable, and the Treasury has been unwilling, to commit the resources that the nation needs to defend the country at this time of rising threats," he said in a letter to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, posted on X.

"Your DIP [Defense Investment Plan] financial settlement – which I was first given in full on Monday afternoon this week – falls well short of what is required for defense. <...> I am now left with no other option than to submit my resignation as your defense secretary" he pointed out, addressing Starmer.

Healey added that he was stepping down "with great regret and reluctance."

At a NATO summit held in The Hague last June, Starmer promised to publish a plan to implement his commitment to bring core defense spending to 3.5% of GDP by 2035. The plan was expected to be presented last fall, but it has not yet been released. The British government says the document will be published in the coming weeks.

Sky News reported on Tuesday that the Treasury had offered the Ministry of Defense an additional 13 billion pounds to help fund the purchase of new jets, submarines, ships, drones and missiles. According to the media outlet, this is at the lower end of a range of between 12 billion pounds and 18 billion pounds under consideration.

The Times wrote earlier that the British Ministry of Defense was short of 28 billion pounds over the next four years despite plans to boost spending.

Key Statements from Kremlin Spokesman Peskov Briefing

According to Dmitry Peskov, Russia is concerned about the latest escalation between the US and Iran and calls on all parties to exercise restraint and return to negotiations

Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov Alexander Shcherbak/TASS

© Alexander Shcherbak/TASS

MOSCOW, June 11. /TASS/. Preparations for elections to the State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, EU sanctions plans, and the sick leave of Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina were the main topics of Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov's briefing on Thursday.

TASS has compiled the Kremlin spokesman's key statements.

On President's schedule

- Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold a meeting with the permanent members of the Russian Security Council today.

- Tomorrow is a working day for the head of state, and traditional events are also planned for Russia Day.

On State Duma elections

- The presidential decree scheduling the State Duma elections will be signed within the timeframe stipulated by law. "The corresponding presidential decree will be signed within the appropriate timeframe stipulated by law. We do not announce this in advance, and we will not do so now," Peskov noted.

- Preparations for the State Duma elections are currently underway, and they will be held in full compliance with Russian law. "Regarding the elections, I would like to remind you of President Putin's words about the importance of holding elections in any case. Therefore, preparations are underway for these very important elections, and they will be held in full compliance with our laws," the Kremlin official added.

On escalation between the US and Iran

- Russia is concerned about the latest escalation between the US and Iran and calls on all parties to exercise restraint and return to negotiations. "We are concerned about this. We call on all parties to this conflict to exercise restraint," Peskov said.

- A new round of escalation between the US and Iran is fraught with consequences for the entire global economy. "Another round of escalating tensions is fraught with new, additional negative consequences for the situation in the region and the international economy as a whole," he emphasized.

On EU's plans for new sanctions

- The situation in the banking sector is absolutely stable and under control. "Just yesterday, at a meeting with the government, the president said that despite certain difficulties, including trends such as slower investment growth, the situation is still absolutely stable and completely under control.

- The same can be said about the banking sector," the Kremlin spokesman assured. "Regarding illegal sanctions and external restrictions on our banking system, this is not a new phenomenon. You know that our largest banks have long been under sanctions," he recalled.

- Being under sanctions does not prevent Russian banks from earning large profits and developing: "This does not prevent banks from earning large profits, developing, maintaining absolute stability, and retaining the highest possible reliability ratings," the official said.

On Nabiullina's sick leave

- The sick leave of Bank of Russia Governor Elvira Nabiullina "should not be a source of conspiracy theories". "We wish her a speedy recovery and hope that everything is absolutely fine. People get sick sometimes. There's nothing special about it. This shouldn't be a source of, you know, conspiracy theories," Peskov concluded.

Russian Troops Liberate Two Communities in Ukraine Operation Over Past Day — Top Brass

Russia’s Battlegroup North inflicted more than 205 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed an enemy tank and a US-made armored vehicle in its areas of responsibility over the past day, the Defense Ministry reported

© Alexander Polegenko/TASS

MOSCOW, June 11. /TASS/. Russian troops liberated two communities in the Kharkov Region and the Donetsk People’s Republic over the past 24 hours in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported.

"Battlegroup North units gained control of the settlement of Okhrimovka in the Kharkov Region through decisive operations. <…> Battlegroup South units liberated the settlement of Roskoshnoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic through decisive operations," the ministry said in a statement.

Kiev loses 1,220 troops along engagement line in past day – latest figures

The Ukrainian army lost roughly 1,220 troops in battles with Russian forces in all the frontline areas over the past 24 hours, according to the latest data on the special military operation in Ukraine released by Russia’s Defense Ministry.

The latest figures show that the Ukrainian army lost over 205 troops, a tank and a US-made armored vehicle in the responsibility area of Russia’s Battlegroup North, roughly 220 troops and 10 armored combat vehicles in the responsibility area of the Battlegroup West and over 120 troops and six armored combat vehicles in the responsibility area of the Battlegroup South.

During the last 24-hour period, the Ukrainian army also lost over 310 troops, three tanks and two armored combat vehicles in the responsibility area of Russia’s Battlegroup Center, roughly 315 troops and four armored combat vehicles in the responsibility area of the Battlegroup East and about 50 troops and seven jamming stations in the responsibility area of the Battlegroup Dnepr, the latest figures show.

Russia’s Battlegroup North inflicts over 205 casualties on Ukrainian army in past day

Russia’s Battlegroup North inflicted more than 205 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed an enemy tank and a US-made armored vehicle in its areas of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported.

During the last 24-hour period, Battlegroup North units "inflicted losses on formations of two mechanized brigades of the Ukrainian army and a territorial defense brigade in areas near the settlements of Zhovtnevoye, Basovo, Varvarovka and Kazachya Lopan in the Kharkov Region," the ministry said.

In the Sumy direction, Battlegroup North units inflicted losses on manpower and equipment of a mechanized brigade of the Ukrainian army and two territorial defense brigades in areas near the settlements of Ivolzhanskoye, Khoten, Mogritsa, Ryasnoye and Novaya Sech in the Sumy Region, the ministry reported.

The Ukrainian army lost more than 205 personnel, a tank, a US-made HMMWV armored vehicle, five motor vehicles and two field artillery guns in those frontline areas over the past 24 hours, it specified.

Russia’s Battlegroup West inflicts 220 casualties on Ukrainian army in past day

Russia’s Battlegroup West inflicted roughly 220 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed 10 enemy armored combat vehicles in its area of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported.

"Battlegroup West units gained better lines and positions and inflicted losses on manpower and equipment of two mechanized brigades, an assault brigade of the Ukrainian army, a marine infantry brigade, a territorial defense brigade and a border guard detachment of Ukraine’s Border Guard Service in areas near the settlements of Cherneshchina, Druzhelyubovka and Shiykovka in the Kharkov Region, Lozovoye, Rubtsy, Shchurovo, Svyatogorsk and Krasny Liman in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the ministry said.

The Ukrainian army lost an estimated 220 personnel, 10 armored combat vehicles, including an M113 armored personnel carrier and a HMMWV armored vehicle of US manufacture, a French-made VAB armored personnel carrier and a Canadian-made Senator armored vehicle, 13 motor vehicles, a Grad multiple rocket launcher, two artillery guns and two electronic warfare stations in that frontline area over the past 24 hours, it specified.

Russia’s Battlegroup South inflicts over 120 casualties on Ukrainian army in past day

Russia’s Battlegroup South inflicted more than 120 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed six enemy armored combat vehicles in its area of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported.

During the last 24-hour period, Battlegroup South units "inflicted losses on formations of three mechanized brigades, a motorized infantry brigade, an airmobile brigade of the Ukrainian army and a territorial defense brigade in areas near the settlements of Malinovka, Druzhkovka, Nikolayevka, Rai-Aleksandrovka, Piskunovka, Konstantinovka and Artyoma in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the ministry said.

The Ukrainian army lost more than 120 personnel, six armored combat vehicles, including a US-made HMMWV armored vehicle and a Canadian-made Senator armored vehicle, eight motor vehicles, three artillery guns and an electronic warfare station in that frontline area over the past 24 hours, it specified.

Russia’s Battlegroup Center inflicts over 310 casualties on Ukrainian army in past day

Russia’s Battlegroup Center inflicted more than 310 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed three enemy tanks and two armored combat vehicles in its area of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported.

"Battlegroup Center units improved their forward positions and inflicted losses on manpower and equipment of four mechanized brigades, an airmobile brigade, a jaeger brigade, an assault brigade, an assault regiment of the Ukrainian army, a marine infantry brigade and three National Guard brigades in areas near the settlements of Belitskoye, Zavido-Kudashevo, Novoaleksandrovka, Kucherov Yar, Vasilevka, Dobropolye, Annovka and Sergeyevka in the Donetsk People’s Republic and Novopavlovka in the Dnepropetrovsk Region," the ministry said.

The Ukrainian army lost more than 310 personnel, three tanks, two armored combat vehicles, 13 motor vehicles and two field artillery guns in that frontline area over the past 24 hours, it specified.

Russia’s Battlegroup East inflicts 315 casualties on Ukrainian army in past day

Russia’s Battlegroup East inflicted roughly 315 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed four enemy armored combat vehicles in its area of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported.

"Battlegroup East units kept advancing deep into the enemy’s defenses and inflicted losses on manpower and equipment of a mechanized brigade, two assault brigades, three air assault brigades, three assault regiments of the Ukrainian army and a marine infantry brigade in areas near the settlements of Malomikhailovka, Aleksandrovka and Velikomikhailovka in the Dnepropetrovsk Region, Sorochino, Novosyolovka, Barvinovka and Lesnoye in the Zaporozhye Region," the ministry said.

The Ukrainian army lost an estimated 315 personnel, a Stryker armored personnel carrier, a HMMWV armored vehicle and an Oshkosh M-ATV armored vehicle of US manufacture, a British-made Spartan armored personnel carrier, nine motor vehicles and two artillery guns in that frontline area over the past 24 hours, it specified.

Russia’s Battlegroup Dnepr eliminates 50 Ukrainian troops in past day

Russia’s Battlegroup Dnepr eliminated roughly 50 Ukrainian troops and destroyed seven enemy jamming stations in its area of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported.

"Battlegroup Dnepr units inflicted losses on formations of a mechanized brigade of the Ukrainian army in areas near the settlements of Grigorovka and Orekhov in the Zaporozhye Region," the ministry said.

"Up to 50 [Ukrainian] military personnel, 15 motor vehicles and seven electronic warfare stations were destroyed," the ministry said.

Russian troops strike Ukrainian army’s energy, transport sites in past day

Russian troops struck energy and transport infrastructure used by the Ukrainian army and enemy deployment sites over the past 24 hours, the ministry reported.

"Operational/tactical aircraft, attack unmanned aerial vehicles, missile troops and artillery of the Russian groups of forces struck ammunition and fuel depots, transport and energy infrastructure used to support the Ukrainian army’s operations, sites for the storage, preparation and launch of long-range unmanned aerial vehicles, and also temporary deployment areas of Ukrainian armed formations and foreign mercenaries in 142 locations," the ministry said.

Russian air defenses intercept nearly 800 Ukrainian UAVs, 10 smart bombs in past day

Russian air defense forces intercepted and destroyed nearly 800 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), 10 smart bombs and three US-made HIMARS rockets over the past 24 hours, the ministry reported.

"Air defense capabilities shot down 10 guided aerial bombs, three rockets of the US-made HIMARS multiple launch rocket system, three Neptune long-range missiles and 798 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles," the ministry said.

Russia’s Black Sea Fleet destroys Ukrainian naval drone over past day

Russia’s Black Sea Fleet destroyed a Ukrainian naval drone in the Black Sea waters over the past 24 hours, the ministry reported.

"The Black Sea Fleet’s forces destroyed an unmanned boat of the Ukrainian army in the southwestern part of the Black Sea," the ministry said.

Overall, the Russian Armed Forces have destroyed 671 Ukrainian combat aircraft, 284 helicopters, 160,562 unmanned aerial vehicles, 661 surface-to-air missile systems, 29,718 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 1,733 multiple rocket launchers, 35,306 field artillery guns and mortars and 63,832 special military motor vehicles since the start of the special military operation, the ministry reported.

London Steps Up Confrontation with Moscow — Ambassador Kelin

Andrey Kelin noted that Russia and the UK are connected by a common past, mutual interests, and a rich potential for normal cooperation

Russian Ambassador to London Andrey Kelin Ilya Dmitryachev/TASS

© Ilya Dmitryachev/TASS

LONDON, June 11. /TASS/. The United Kingdom has chosen a course of confrontation with Russia and will not change it, Russian ambassador to London Andrey Kelin said at a reception on the occasion of Russia Day.

"Admittedly, there is almost nothing to talk about here, and that in itself is eloquent," he said, talking about relations between Russia and the United Kingdom. "London has relied on confrontation and is consistently increasing it. This is sad, first of all for the UK itself. Our states are connected by a common past, mutual interests, and a rich potential for normal cooperation," the diplomat explained.

"All this has been deliberately sacrificed to the political situation. Hopefully, sooner or later common sense and pragmatism will prevail among the British ruling circles," Kelin said.

The reception, held at the ambassador's residence, is attended by heads and staff of diplomatic missions of friendly states of the CIS, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America, representatives of international organizations based in London, British political and business circles, public associations and mass media, as well as Russian compatriots.

Six Decades After the March Against Fear African Americans Still Fighting for Their Political Lives

In the summer of 1966, the state of race relations in the United States stood at the crossroads whereas today a resurgence of white supremacist ideology is systematically eviscerating voting rights and representation for the nationally oppressed

By Abayomi Azikiwe

Editor, Pan-African News Wire

Wednesday June 10, 2026

Political Review

On June 5, 1966, James Meredith, a University of Mississippi graduate, set out to conduct a “March Against Fear” from Memphis, Tennessee to Jackson, Mississippi.

Meredith had been admitted to the whites-only “Ole Miss” university in Oxford during 1962 when a racist mob sought to prevent his attendance at the higher educational institution.

During the unrest, two people were killed, a French journalist and a white repairman. In addition, over 100 federal marshals were deployed by then President John F. Kennedy to ensure the enrollment of Meridith. After his admission, the situation calmed and Meredith graduated a year later, becoming the first African American to do so in the history of the university. 

Meredith, who was not a member of any Civil Rights organization, began his journey on that Sunday afternoon to walk more than 200 miles to the state capital of Mississippi at Jackson. On the second day of his march, Meredith was shot in an ambush by a white Memphis resident named Aubrey Norvell, 40, just outside of Hernando, Mississippi, who was stalking him along Highway 51.

Meredith was wounded in his head, neck, back and leg by the shotgun pellets fired by Norvell who was hidden in the trees lining the highway. He survived the attack and would later rejoin the march after several Civil Rights organizations vowed to continue the walk to the state capital. 

After the wounding of Meredith, leaders of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and the Congress on Racial Equality (CORE) held a meeting in Memphis and pledged to continue the march. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and Urban League also attended the Memphis meeting. Roy Wilkins, the then Executive Secretary of the National NAACP, did not join the march, yet Whitney Young, leader of the National Urban League (NUL), did join the march later as it approached Jackson. 

Stokely Carmichael (later known as Kwame Ture), the recently elected Chairman of SNCC, had been selected with a mandate to forge an independent political position. Carmichael had participated in the Freedom Summer campaign of 1964 where the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP) recruited people while engaging in a voter registration drive that year. The MFDP took a delegation to Atlantic City, New Jersey to challenge the seating of the all-white Democratic Party delegates at the Democratic National Convention. Although the challenge did not succeed, the activities of the MFDP set the stage for independent political organizing in the South.

After the Selma to Montgomery March of 1965, Carmichael and other SNCC organizers moved into Lowndes County, Alabama to build alongside local activists an independent political organization. The Lowndes County Freedom Organization (LCFO) was the original Black Panther Party utilizing the animal as a symbol of self -defense and independent politics.

It was within this framework that the Mississippi March Against Fear was held. As the march proceeded towards Jackson a debate between Carmichael and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., President of the SCLC, erupted over nonviolence as a principle as opposed to self-defense and the quest for political power.  

SNCC had already taken a firm position against the U.S. genocidal war against Vietnam and the draft as a whole. Several of its members were threatened with prosecution for their refusal to abide by the selective service system which they accused of being racist. 

Dr. King and SCLC did not come out against the Vietnam War and the draft until the opening months of the following year of 1967. During the March Against Fear, the central differences between SNCC and SCLC revolved around the call for Black Power which was made by Field Secretary Willie Ricks (now known as Mukasa Dada) and later Carmichael. 

Floyd McKissick, the Executive Director of CORE, did endorse the Black Power slogan and seemed to be in alliance with SNCC. By the time the march reached Jackson, 15,000 people had joined the manifestation. 

From Freedom Now to Black Power

This long march in June 1966 represented a turning point in the African American struggle. The slogan demanding Black Power was open to interpretation by a variety of political forces including SNCC, CORE and others. 

Many media and political forces associated the slogan with the rise in urban rebellions which had taken place between 1963 and 1966. In May of 1966, prior to the March Against Fear, a rebellion erupted in the Hough Section of Cleveland. The previous year in Los Angeles, the Watts Rebellion was the largest of such incidents in U.S. history. During 1964, rebellions erupted in Harlem, New York, Philadelphia, and several cities in New Jersey. In 1963, a section of the African American community had rebelled during the tense mass struggles to end segregation in the city of Birmingham, Alabama and Cambridge, Maryland.

The SNCC leadership under Carmichael did not condemn the rebellions while viewing them as a natural outcome of the oppressive conditions facing African Americans. After the march in Mississippi, Dr. King returned to Chicago where the SCLC had opened a campaign for open housing and the eradication of slums. 

On July 12, a rebellion erupted on the West Side of Chicago which lasted four days prompting the deployment of the Illinois National Guard to put down the uprising. The rebellion was obviously against the horrendous conditions under which many African Americans lived in Chicago. The community had been outraged by the refusal of the city administration under Mayor Richard Daley, Sr. to heed to the demands made by Dr. King and the Chicago Freedom Movement, led by Al Raby. 

After the Summer of 1966, the rebellions would escalate for the next four years. In Detroit during late July 1967, the largest urban rebellion took place outstripping the events in Watts, Newark, Cleveland and other cities. There were more than 160 rebellions during 1967 prompting the establishment of a National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorder by the then Democratic President Lyndon B. Johnson. 

The findings of the panel headed by then Illinois Governor Otto Kerner said that the U.S. was heading towards two societies: one black, one white, separate and unequal. The Kerner Commission made sweeping recommendations for reforms involving race relations. However, the Johnson administration ignored the findings and recommendations of the Kerner Commission as the political atmosphere for additional Civil Rights legislation had soured due to the rebellions and the call for Black Power. 

Relevance of the March Against Fear to the Struggle Today for Voting Rights

Some six decades after the March Against Fear, the Supreme Court in their 6-3 ruling in the Louisiana v. Callais decision has gutted the Voting Rights Act of 1965. During the march through Mississippi in June 1966 when the call for Black Power arose, there had not been any African American Congressional or Senatorial representatives from Mississippi since the period of Reconstruction when Hiram Rhodes Revels (Senate), the first African American to serve in the U.S. Senate, filled a seat during Reconstruction (1870–1871); and Blanche Kelso Bruce (Senate), served a full term in the U.S. Senate (1875–1881) and John Roy Lynch (House), served in the U.S. House of Representatives (1873–1877, 1881–1883). 

Even after the mass Civil Rights Movement and the March Against Fear, it would take more than two decades for an African American to be elected to the House of Representatives from Mississippi. Mike Espy was the first African American to represent Mississippi in the House of Representatives since Reconstruction, serving from 1987 to 1993. Bennie Thompson, the only current Congressperson from the state has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1993. 

With the Conservative majority on the Supreme Court and within the House of Representatives and the Senate, they are clearly committed to the mass disenfranchisement of African Americans in the South where the majority of this oppressed nation still resides. The evisceration of the Voting Rights Act coincides with the striking down of affirmative action and diversity, equity and inclusion by the Supreme Court. These policy decisions are designed to weaken the political and social status of African Americans. 

These developments will require the reemergence of a mass democratic movement for full equality and self-determination. The shooting of James Meredith on that Mississippi highway sixty years ago provides an indication of the level of sacrifice and struggle required to gain national liberation and social emancipation in the 21st century. 

IRGC Strikes 18 US Military Targets in Two Missile Waves; Fifth Fleet in Bahrain Hit by Army Drones

Thursday, 11 June 2026 1:01 AM

File photo of Iranian missiles

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) and the Iranian Army have announced a series of coordinated retaliatory military operations targeting US military installations across the region, including assets in Bahrain.

The statements, issued in early Thursday, described the operations as a response to American aggression targeting various regions in southern Iran.

Two-wave operation targets 18 US military assets

The IRGC said its Aerospace Force and Navy conducted a retaliatory operation in two separate waves in reprisal for attacks on the Corps' coastal outposts and service units, law enforcement posts, and the Bandar Abbas airport area.

"Eighteen key targets belonging to the criminal US military" were struck and destroyed at the Ali al-Salem and Ahmad al-Jaber airbases in Kuwait, as well as the Sheikh Isa airbase in Bahrain.

Drone strikes against US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain

Separately, the Army's Public Relations Office reported a drone operation targeting the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain.

"In response to a ceasefire violation and attacks on parts of southern Iran, the Islamic Republic of Iran's Army used various explosive-laden drones to strike the US Fifth Fleet," the office noted.

It added that communication antennas and radar systems associated with the fleet’s Patriot air defense system were targeted in the counterstrikes.

The Army said its forces remained fully prepared for further confrontation and would continue operations until the "punishment of the aggressor" was completed.

Meanwhile, the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, Iran's highest operational command unit, also issued a statement, attributing the halt brought about to the latest round of the aggression to "powerful and decisive response" by the armed forces.

Also on Thursday, US President Donald Trump said US bombing in Iran would stop shortly, claiming that senior Iranian officials had called to ask him to halt the latest attack.

The IRGC, however, categorically rejected the claim, calling it "a cover to escape war."

The headquarters further stated that the Iranian military response to US atrocities would continue, without specifying timing or scope.

The coordinated retaliation came after fresh explosions were reported across parts of Hormozgan and other southern regions of the Islamic Republic, as the US military confirmed launching a new wave of unprovoked assaults against the country.

In response to the latest aggression, the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters has also ordered closure of the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

"From this moment, due to insecurity in the region, the Strait of Hormuz is declared closed to the passage of all vessels, including oil tankers and commercial ships, and any traffic will be targeted," the command unit said in a statement.

Sudanese Pound Hits Record Low as War Cripples Production

10 June 2026

A picture taken on January 21, 2020, shows a US 1 dollar bill and a Sudanese 100 pound bill at a brokerage in the capital Khartoum on January 21, 2020. (AFP photo)

June 10, 2026 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese pound has plunged to an unprecedented low against foreign currencies due to intense speculation and rising import demands amid a severe shortage of foreign exchange reserves.

The local currency has experienced a sustained decline driven by the prolonged war and a widening trade deficit, marked by weakening exports and rising imports.

Since the beginning of the year, foreign exchange rates have climbed significantly, with the U.S. dollar rising from 3,750 pounds to between 4,200 and 4,300 pounds.

Parallel market traders told Sudan Tribune on Tuesday that the pound fell further to 4,400 per dollar amid a surge in demand for the greenback and other foreign currencies.

The Saudi riyal reached 1,140 Sudanese pounds, the UAE dirham hit 1,171 Sudanese pounds, the euro was trading at 5,058 Sudanese pounds, and the British pound reached 5,810 Sudanese pounds, while the Egyptian pound was recorded at 90 Sudanese pounds.

A trader, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there is high demand for foreign currency to fund fuel imports, alongside speculative activity among currency traders seeking to secure large dollar volumes.

Banking expert Waleed Dalil said the depreciation of the pound poses a severe economic challenge that directly affects citizens’ daily lives, noting that inflation has reached record highs due to the conflict’s toll on infrastructure and financial institutions.

Dalil attributed the currency’s collapse to the halt in domestic production and the collapse of exports.

Vital sectors such as agriculture, industry, and mining face near-total paralysis across many regions due to instability and disrupted supply chains, Dalil said, adding that this has led to a near-absence of export revenues from gold and agricultural products, while the country increasingly relies on imports, driving up dollar demand.

Expatriate remittances through official channels have also dropped by over 70% due to disruptions to the banking system and the central bank at various times, Dalil added.

International support, loans, and economic grants that previously bolstered foreign exchange reserves have been frozen, compounded by a fiscal deficit and the printing of unbacked currency.

Dalil said the government has resorted to deficit financing to cover rising expenditures and manage emergencies, printing new banknotes without backing from production or gold, thereby expanding the money supply and sharply reducing purchasing power.

The financial weight has shifted entirely to the black market because official banks are unable to provide foreign currency to importers and citizens, making currency pricing subject to aggressive speculation and panic buying, Dalil added.

Economic analyst Haitham Mohamed Fathi said Sudan is experiencing a severe contraction across productive sectors, including industry, mining, oil, and agriculture, a trend that has worsened during the war.

Traders, smugglers, and speculators have capitalized on the country’s shifting economic structure as a trade-and-services economy rises at the expense of industrial and agricultural production, Fathi added.

Stabilizing the Sudanese pound depends on the transitional government’s ability to implement fundamental structural reforms, including restructuring financial institutions, curbing inflation, and supporting productive sectors to revive the economy, Fathi said.

Fathi noted that the growing debate over importing strategic goods, particularly fuel, has directly affected commodity prices across the production and transport chains, and has been worsened by the loss of oil-producing areas and erratic transit revenues from South Sudan’s oil.

The Sudanese economy is caught in a complex crisis in which economic, monetary, and political variables intersect, exacerbated by a lack of international cooperation and the halt in foreign financial assistance, Fathi said.

Market fears fueled by the pound’s depreciation have trapped the currency in a vicious cycle of depreciation and inflation, leaving the central bank with limited tools to manage current economic conditions, Fathi added.

Darfur Rights Group Records 470 Deaths in Air Strikes and Drone Attacks

09/06/2026 17:54 

EL FASHER / NYALA / NORTH KORDOFAN / EL GEZIRA / SENNAR / OMDURMAN / KHARTOUM

Turkish-made Baykar Bayraktar Akıncı drone (File photo: Azerbajani Air Force / CC BY 4.0)

A Darfur advocacy group says air strikes and drone attacks killed at least 470 people and injured 187 others across Sudan between March 2024 and January 2026, as civilians continue to bear the brunt of the war.

In a report published on Monday, the Darfur Victims Advocacy Organisation documented 42 air raids and one drone attack during the period. The group said North Darfur accounted for about 61 per cent of the attacks, making it the hardest hit state. South Darfur followed with 16 per cent, while the remaining strikes occurred across Kordofan, El Gezira and Sennar.

The organisation attributed 87 per cent of the attacks to the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), while the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) carried out the remaining 13 per cent, mainly using drones and artillery.

Adam Obama, the organisation’s executive director, told Radio Dabanga yesterday that the conflict has entered a new phase marked by the growing use of advanced military technology and foreign-made drones.

He said the report documented the use of Iranian drones, including the Mohajer-6 and Ababil-3, as well as Turkish drones such as the Bayraktar TB2 and Bayraktar Akıncı, in attacks on residential areas and markets.

The report said the attacks destroyed infrastructure, disrupted farming and trade, and deepened poverty. It also warned that actors linked to the war economy have seized control of key sectors, including mining.

The organisation said the violence has displaced millions of people and left many families sheltering in schools, unfinished buildings and open spaces. It also highlighted rising levels of trauma, anxiety and depression among women and children living under constant threat.

The group called for an immediate air embargo over Darfur and other affected areas, a ban on arms supplies to the warring parties, and the creation of an international fact-finding mission.

Drone attack reported in Omdurman

Residents of Omdurman reported explosions near the Wadi Seidna military base north of the city at dawn on Tuesday after a drone attack.

Military sources said air defences intercepted the drone, although Radio Dabanga could not independently verify the claim. Sources also reported missile strikes inside the city, but no information was immediately available on casualties or damage.

Khartoum state has seen repeated drone attacks in recent months, including strikes blamed on the RSF that targeted parts of Omdurman and Khartoum International Airport.

Three killed in North Kordofan

The Emergency Lawyers Group said a drone strike killed three civilians and injured another person on Sunday evening in the Adeid Raha area of Sudri locality in North Kordofan.

The group said the attack targeted two civilian vehicles travelling for medical treatment.

According to the organisation, the strike forms part of a wider wave of drone attacks on civilians in North Kordofan. It said it documented 33 civilian deaths and dozens of injuries in the state over the past week.

The group warned that continued attacks on civilians, transport routes and health facilities are worsening the humanitarian crisis and called for immediate protection for civilians under international humanitarian law.

More Than 13k Displaced by Renewed Tribal Clashes in South Darfur

 08/06/2026 18:24 

NYALA / KUBUM / MARKONDI / UMM BASA / ED EL FURSAN / REHEID EL BARDI / SHATTAYA / MUKJAR

A woman and her daughter at a facility in South Darfur (File photo: MSF)

More than 13,000 people have fled their homes in South Darfur in the past week as fighting between the Beni Halba and Salamat tribes continues to spread across the region. In a recent International Organization for Migration (IOM) report, they state that 11,630 people were displaced between 4 and 6 June alone following clashes in Kubum locality. 

The displaced fled the areas of Kubum, Markondi and Umm Basa and sought refuge elsewhere in Kubum locality as well as in North Nyala, South Nyala, Ed El Fursan, Reheid El Bardi and Shattaya.

The latest wave of displacement follows the flight of around 350 people on 30 May and a further 1,520 on 4 June, bringing the total number of people uprooted by the violence to more than 13,000 within a week.

Fighting between the Beni Halba and Salamat erupted in late May, leaving an unspecified number of people dead and forcing thousands to abandon their homes. Community leaders and other parties have repeatedly appealed for calm and urged both sides to halt the violence.

The latest unrest marks the third major flare-up between the two tribes since the outbreak of Sudan’s war more than three years ago.

Previous attempts to end the conflict have failed to secure lasting peace. The two sides signed a ceasefire agreement in Kass, South Darfur, in November 2023, followed by a reconciliation agreement in Mukjar locality, Central Darfur, in June 2024. They later concluded another peace deal in Mukjar in July 2025.

During the 2025 agreement, paramilitary Rapid Support Forces Commander Gen Mohamed ‘Hemedti’ Dagalo, intervened and pledged compensation for those affected by the violence.

Despite successive peace initiatives, renewed clashes have once again displaced thousands of civilians and raised fears of further instability in South Darfur.

Minnesota Man Originally from Somalia is One of 17 Trump Administration Targets for Denaturalization

By Aki Nace

June 8, 2026 / 2:36 PM CDT / CBS Minnesota

A 54-year-old Minnesota immigrant from Somalia is one of 17 people the Trump administration is targeting in its latest denaturalization campaign.

The U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota filed a civil denaturalization complaint against Abdikadir Kadiye on Wednesday. He faces several counts, including illegal procurement of naturalization and procurement of naturalization by concealment of a material fact.

Starting in 1997, Kadiye tried to enter the United States by filing two separate identities, the U.S. Department of Justice says. 

He initially said his name was Liban M. Degel, claiming he was married with no children, but after an immigration judge denied his application, he submitted a second application in 1998 under the name Kadiye, according to the complaint.

Justice Department officials said Kadiye told a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agent that he had previously used two identities during his admission process.

Federal law allows the government to try to denaturalize foreign-born U.S. citizens who officials believe committed fraud to obtain their citizenship. 

But the historically complex process has rarely been implemented; between 1990 and 2017, the Justice Department filed an average of just 11 legal complaints per year seeking to denaturalize American citizens, according to historical data. Last month, officials announced a dozen denaturalization cases.

The other 16 people targeted by the justice department on Monday are accused of a range of crimes from sex abuse of a minor and distributing drugs to committing immigration fraud.

Camilo Montoya-Galvez contributed to this report.

World Cup Referee from Somalia Barred from Entering US

The decision comes amid concern that Trump administration policies will hamper preparations for the global sporting event.

A worker walks past temporary fencing with FIFA World Cup 2026 signage outside SoFi Stadium.

A worker walks past temporary fencing with FIFA World Cup 2026 signage outside SoFi Stadium, June 5, 2026, in Inglewood, California. | Jae C. Hong/AP

By Joe Stanley-Smith and Sophia Cai

06/08/2026 08:27 PM EDT

A World Cup referee from Somalia has been denied entry to the U.S., forcing him out of the global sporting event just days before the first match.

Omar Artan had landed in Miami on a flight from Istanbul over the weekend when he was turned away, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement Monday.

CBP did not say why the referee was barred from entry, though Somalia is among about 40 countries designated for additional scrutiny or subject to travel bans under President Donald Trump.

“Following inspection, the traveler, a referee for the FIFA World Cup, was determined to be inadmissible due to vetting concerns and was denied entry,” CBP said.

The decision to bar his entry comes amid widespread concern that Trump administration policies will hamper World Cup preparation as the U.S. prepares to host matches in 11 cities.

FIFA confirmed it had been informed about the U.S. decision to bar Artan from entry and said his “status will not be changed at present.”

“In line with previous FIFA events, a host government ultimately determines who receives a visa and who is admitted into their country,” the organization said in a statement.

This is the first known case of a World Cup referee being barred from entry by U.S. immigration authorities, though several players and coaching staff, as well as numerous fans, have had trouble entering the country.

The State Department said it is working with the White House, Department of Homeland Security and FIFA to support efforts to secure visas for those involved in the World Cup but must also uphold U.S. law and administration policies.

“The Administration will not waver in upholding U.S. law and the highest standards of national security and public safety in the conduct of our visa process,” the department said in a statement.

Artan, a former player pushed into becoming a referee by injuries, would have been the first person from his country to officiate at a World Cup.

He spoke in a pre-tournament interview with Al Jazeera of the challenges he faced in his homeland. “You cannot give up,” he told the network. “You have to fight if you want to go to a place like the World Cup.”

Somalia is one of 12 countries whose citizens Trump effectively banned from entry to the U.S. in December 2025, citing terrorism risks. He has repeatedly directed specific animus toward the East African nation, saying in December that the country “stinks” and calling people from the country “garbage.”

The administration has also revoked temporary visas for thousands of Somali citizens in the country and accused people from the diaspora community in Minnesota of engaging in fraud.

The World Cup, which the U.S. will jointly host with Mexico and Canada, kicks off June 11 in Mexico City.

U.S. Bars Entry of FIFA World Cup Referee from Somalia, Citing "Vetting Concerns"

By Camilo Montoya-Galvez, Joe Walsh

June 10, 2026 / 10:25 AM EDT / CBS News

Federal immigration authorities barred a Somali soccer referee who was slated to officiate the FIFA World Cup from entering the U.S. over the weekend, Customs and Border Protection said in a statement Monday, citing "vetting concerns."

A FIFA spokesperson confirmed one of its officials, Omar Abdulkadir Artan, "will be unable to train and officiate at the FIFA World Cup 2026 after he was denied entry into the United States." 

"FIFA is not involved in host country immigration processes, including visa adjudications, and has been informed by authorities that Mr. Artan's status will not be changed at present," the spokesperson said. "In line with previous FIFA events, a host government ultimately determines who receives a visa and who is admitted into their country."

CBP, which oversees customs agents at international airports, said the referee was "determined to be inadmissible due to vetting concerns and was denied entry." He had arrived at Miami International Airport on Saturday on a flight from Istanbul, and underwent additional inspection, CBP said.

An administration official told CBS News on Wednesday that Artan was denied entry based on "derogatory information" that included "association" with suspected terrorist group members. The nature and extent of that alleged association is unclear.

"This individual was seeking admission to the United States. Upon further inspection by CBP, derogatory information, including association with suspected members of terror organizations, was discovered making the traveler ineligible for admission to the United States under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA)," the official said. "The traveler was refused admission and given immigration forms that provide the section of law used to complete an expedited removal under 8235 of the INA. President Trump's administration will not allow any security threat to enter our country — full stop."

Somalia is one of 39 countries listed on President Trump's "travel ban" executive order signed last year, which bars or restricts the entry of foreign nationals on national security grounds. Somalia is among the countries facing a near-total restriction on entry into the U.S., and while that order has exemptions for World Cup athletes and staff, immigration officials retain broad discretion to decide whether to grant or deny someone entry.

CBP said in its statement that it evaluates people seeking to enter the country "on a case-by-case basis using law enforcement, national security, and immigration information available at the time of inspection."

CBS News has attempted to reach out to Artan for comment.

Ciise Aden Abshir, a senior adviser to Somalia's Ministry of Youth and Sports and a former national team captain, condemned the decision not to admit Artan. He told Agence France-Presse that Artan is "among Africa's most respected referees and deserves the support of the entire football community," and argued the decision "undermines football's commitment to fairness, merit, and the spirit of fair play." 

Artan has officiated international soccer matches for years, including at the Africa Cup of Nations, and he was named male referee of the year by the Confederation for African Football last year. 

The U.S. is hosting the 2026 World Cup, alongside Mexico and Canada. The tournament is set to start Thursday with a match in Mexico City, and will span more than a dozen other venues.

The tournament — which will include teams from 48 countries and scores of foreign tourists — follows a more-than-yearlong effort by the Trump administration to tighten entry into the United States, sparking worries that the games could be impacted. 

Amid the war in the Middle East, some Iranian soccer officials still do not have U.S. visas, according to Iranian state television. The team is also facing strict restrictions on when it can enter the U.S. before a match and how long it can stay after the conclusion before returning to its training grounds in Mexico. 

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers will play a role in security at the World Cup. White House border czar Tom Homan told CBS News last week that ICE's "primary focus" will be national security, not immigration enforcement.

"In the process of that, if we find a national security issue and it involves an illegal alien, of course we're going to take action on that," Homan said. "But the primary focus is: Keep those events safe, keep this nation safe and keep the spectators and the athletes safe."

Somalia Referee Says His World Cup Dream Is Dashed After U.S. Denies Entry

“I had the right papers and everything,” Omar Abdulkadir Artan said in his first interview since he was turned back. He would have been the first Somali to referee a game in the tournament.

A referee in a light blue shirt holds up a yellow card. Two players in yellow and blue uniforms stand nearby.

By Matthew Mpoke Bigg

Reporting from Nairobi, Kenya

June 9, 2026

A referee from Somalia said on Tuesday that the biggest dream of his professional life had been shattered after the American authorities denied him permission to enter the United States to participate in the World Cup soccer tournament.

The referee, Omar Abdulkadir Artan, was one of 52 selected for this summer’s World Cup in North America. He was one of seven African referees to be chosen for the tournament and would have been the first Somali to referee a World Cup game.

Speaking for the first time since he was denied entry to the United States, Mr. Artan told The New York Times that officiating a World Cup game would have been a symbol for all Somalis of what they could achieve in spite of their country’s difficulties.

“I am very, very disappointed,” Mr. Artan said in a telephone interview from Istanbul, the city he had been flown to after he was refused entry. “I’m just simply a referee who’s trying to live his dream, the biggest dream of my life, to come to the World Cup.”

Mr. Artan flew to Miami International Airport on Saturday, five days before the first game of the tournament, on Thursday, but was prevented from entering the United States by border officials, who took him aside and questioned him in a small room overnight.

“I had the right papers and everything. I had the right visa,” Mr. Artan said, adding that he had also showed documentation from FIFA as well as photographs of his career of over a decade as a professional referee. Border officials also checked online material detailing Mr. Artan’s career, he said. He was named referee of the year in 2025 by the Confederation of African Football, which governs soccer in Africa.

The interview ended after 11 hours, Mr. Artan said, and he was then taken to a separate holding cell where he was detained for several further hours before being put on a flight back to Istanbul. He said that officials did not give him a reason for refusing him entry.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement that decisions were made on a case-by-case basis and did not provide details about why Mr. Artan had been denied entry.

“The traveler underwent additional inspection, a routine part of Customs and Border Protection’s inspection process when officers need to verify information or determine admissibility,” the statement said. “Following inspection, the traveler, a referee for the FIFA World Cup, was determined to be inadmissible due to vetting concerns and was denied entry.”

Mr. Artan said, “I think that they have a problem with my country,” adding that he would return to the Somali capital, Mogadishu, on Wednesday. He said that he had been preparing for the World Cup for four years, taking courses with FIFA in Qatar and in the United Arab Emirates.

The border protection force decision has drawn criticism from top soccer officials and prominent Democrats, including Hillary Clinton, but the head of the White House Task Force on the FIFA World Cup 2026, Andrew Giuliani, defended it and said there had been derogatory information about Mr. Artan.

“We also want to make sure that we are not going to allow a soccer tournament to be the opportunity for terrorists to potentially get in the country or anybody who is actually talking to them,” he told the British Broadcasting Corporation.

A search of the sanctions list website of the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control shows that Mr. Artan’s name is similar to that of a man identified as linked to the Somali militant group Al Shabab and upon whom the U.S. government had imposed sanctions. The office is part of the Treasury Department.

That similarity would most likely have prompted additional questioning by border officials about potential ties to Al Shabab, according to Melissa Chavin, an immigration lawyer based in London who specializes in assisting clients seeking to go to the United States. Customs and Border Protection did not immediately reply to a request for comment

Mr. Artan told The Times that border officials had asked him repeatedly if he had ever met anyone from the militant group. He said he had replied that he knew nothing about Al Shabab and was simply a soccer referee going about his business.

The Trump administration has imposed severe travel and visa restrictions on Somalia, a country in East Africa, and it was not clear whether FIFA had sought clearance for Mr. Artan to enter the United States.

FIFA did not immediately respond to a request for comment but confirmed in a statement that Mr. Artan would not be able to officiate at the World Cup.

“FIFA is not involved in host country immigration processes, including visa adjudications, and has been informed by authorities that Mr. Artan’s status will not be changed at present,” the statement said.

It was unclear why Mr. Artan could not have been considered for referee duty in Mexico or Canada, the two other countries hosting the tournament.

In the interview, Mr. Artan recounted his journey to the United States, which he said had begun last week in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, where he waited to secure travel papers. Once the documents arrived, he flew to Istanbul before catching a connecting flight to Miami ahead of a pretournament meeting of FIFA referees in the city.

Mr. Artan said that border officials had asked him why he had come to the United States and about politics in Somalia, which for more than a decade has been on a path toward stable statehood. Al Shabab controls parts of the country and has fought a yearslong insurgency against the government.

The relationship between the United States and Somalia has been fraught in recent years.

In December, President Trump singled out Somali immigrants, calling them “garbage” in a tirade at the White House and saying that Somalia was “not even a country.” Nonetheless, the Pentagon has been working with Somalia’s government to conduct scores of airstrikes against militant targets in the country.

Other countries attending the World Cup have faced difficulties traveling to the United States. Last week, members of Iran’s soccer team were granted visas to enter the country after months of uncertainty caused by the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. But more than a dozen members of the team’s support staff were denied entry.

Hussein Mohamed contributed reporting from Mogadishu, Somalia.

Somalia Football Referee Denied Entry to US Returns Home to Hero's Welcome

Somali referee, Oma

Somali international referee Omar Artan has returned home to a hero’s welcome after being banned from entering the United States.

He was due to officiate at matches during the FIFA World Cup but was turned away at the border in Miami over the weekend, despite having a valid visa.

FIFA subsequently cut him from the tournament's referee list. His exclusion has sparked outrage across the world.

As Artan disembarked in Mogadishu, supporters waving Somali flags crowded around him before draping him in the flag.

He was set to be the first referee from Somalia to officiate at a World Cup after making FIFA’s final list for the tournament.

Artan is one of Africa’s top football umpires and was named the continent’s best male referee in 2025.

Speaking on his arrival, he thanked the Somali government, the public, and FIFA for their support. Artan said he plans to be at the next World Cup and urged Somali youths to be proud of their country.

“Somalia is ours, whether things are good or bad. I want to tell our youth not to lose hope ⁠in our country,” he said.

The Trump administration said Artan was denied entry because of his links to what it described as “suspected members of terror organisations”.

Artan was issued a visa to travel to the US last week, according to the Somalia Embassy in Kenya that processed it.

The US is co-hosting the tournament with Mexico and Canada, and he was due to meet up with other World Cup referees at their training base in Miami.

The highly unusual move to deny a FIFA-appointed match official permission to enter a World Cup host country has also raised questions about the US' capacity to host the competition.

Somalia is one of nearly 40 countries subject to new travel restrictions under the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration.

Decades of war and the rise of the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab extremist group has limited the potential of many in Somalia.

Although Artan's denial of entry brought disappointment, his achievement reminded some in the country about what is possible if they chase their dreams.

Writing on X on Tuesday, the World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wrote that Artan's expected milestone “stands no matter what”.

“You reached the summit of your profession and inspired a generation back home just by getting there, and being kept off the pitch you earned doesn’t change that,” he added.

United States Launches Renewed Attacks on Iran

Aggressive actions take place proving that Washington is not serious about a permanent settlement with Tehran while the Israeli Defense Forces continue their assaults on Southern Lebanon violating the ceasefire of two months earlier

By Abayomi Azikiwe

Editor, Pan-African News Wire

Wednesday June 10, 2026

Geostrategic Analysis

Although United States President Donald Trump has for more than two months claimed the administration was close to a long-term deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran, they have consistently violated the agreement made in April for a cessation of hostilities. 

Meanwhile, the Israeli occupation state in Palestine has continued to bomb and violate the sovereignty of neighboring Lebanon leaving more than 3,600 dead and hundreds of thousands more displaced.

Obviously, both the U.S. and its Israeli surrogates only want to maintain the current situation in West Asia where the Pentagon and the IDF can act with impunity against the people of Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Yemen, etc., in their efforts to continue the domination over the land, waterways and resources of the region. U.S. military forces have bases in various states within the Persian Gulf along with Palestine and Jordan in order to secure their imperialist stranglehold over oil and natural gas production along with international shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and other routes in the area.

The notions that Iran and its allies in the region represent a security threat to Washington and Tel Aviv are totally false. It was these two entities which initiated the war against Tehran on February 28. Aerial strikes on Iran resulted in the assassinations of the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other top officials within the Iranian government.

Almost immediately the Secretary of War and Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff stated that the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) forces had been rendered ineffective and eliminated. Yet, the IRGC backed up by 92 million Iranian people, effectively defended the state and its people amid constant bombings of strategic locations and residential neighborhoods.

Hezbollah, the Lebanese resistance movement, has fired missiles into the northern occupied territories of Palestine while engaging IDF forces in various towns and villages in the southern areas of the country. The U.S. and Israel have continued to misrepresent the ceasefire agreement saying it did not include the people and territory of Lebanon. They have suggested that the weak and western-backed government in Lebanon should disarm the resistance forces.

Nonetheless, the Lebanese administration is incapable of neutralizing the resistance since there are significant elements within the parliament which are members and supporters of Hezbollah. The resistance in Lebanon is part and parcel of a broader alliance of anti-imperialist forces operating in Iraq, Yemen and Palestine in conjunction with the Islamic Republic. This Axis of Resistance is the actual target of Washington and Tel Aviv.

During the elections of 2024, the Trump campaign decried imperialist wars in West Asia and the Russian Special Military Operation in Ukraine. Trump told the people in the U.S. that the situation in Ukraine would not have occurred if he had been in the White House in February 2022. However, the war did not begin in 2022. The overthrow of the Ukrainian government during February 2014 represented the beginning of the current round of military actions by Moscow which is seeking to prevent the expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

The overthrow of the Ukraine government took place during the second administration of former President Barack Obama. Yet, Trump began his first term in 2017 and the war in eastern Ukraine continued during the entire time period until he left office in early 2021.

Consequently, Trump, like other U.S. administrations, are warmongers. The ruling class cannot survive without the thousands of Pentagon bases with their hundreds of thousands of troops stationed around the world for the sole purpose of imperialist domination and intrigue.

U.S. and Israel Escalates Tensions in West Asia

The Iranian government did not collapse after a two-pronged campaign aimed at regime change. In January, counter-revolutionary elements sought to ignite riots throughout the country after the national currency was manipulated downward by the U.S. Treasury Department. 

With the failure of the purported uprising designed to reimpose the Pahlavi monarchy, the February 28 attacks were launched by Tel Aviv and Washington. During the course of the bombing operations against Iran, the Islamic Republic took full control of the Strait of Hormuz igniting a global energy crisis which has driven up the prices of fuel, fertilizer, food and other essential commodities for the world economic system. 

In the latest aggressive actions which escalated on June 9, Press TV reported that:

“Several locations in the southern Iranian province of Hormozgan were hit by US projectiles late on Tuesday, the Islamic Republic's national broadcaster said, in yet another act of unprovoked and illegal military aggression. Reporting on Wednesday, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) said a location on Qeshm Island was one of the sites that came under the US attack. According to an informed source cited by the broadcaster, six explosions were heard in Qeshm, which the source said were caused by enemy projectiles. The broadcaster added that the projectiles had apparently been launched from a warplane. An IRIB correspondent further said that, based on the information available so far, the impact of one projectile in the province's littoral Sirik County has been confirmed. At least two water reservoirs in the Bomani district of the county were targeted by the enemy, and the drinking water supply to this district has been temporarily cut off. According to an IRIB correspondent in Jask, another one of Hormozgan's coastal counties, two locations in the county's city of Jask and Kuh-e Mobarak were also struck by such projectiles.” (https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2026/06/09/770159/United-States-attacks-Iran-bases-high-alert)

The U.S. cited the shooting down of a Pentagon Apache helicopter in the Strait of Hormuz by the IRGC naval forces as the reason for the latest bombing operations. Nevertheless, the U.S. has no mandate to patrol the Persian Gulf and its straits under the International Law of the Sea. 

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi responded to the attacks by the Pentagon. In another article published by Press TV on June 9, it says:

“Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has warned the United States that its most recent spate of attacks on southern Iranian areas ‘will not go unanswered.’ The top Iranian diplomat made the remarks in a post on X early on Wednesday after the US struck multiple locations across the Hormozgan Province. ‘Despite its defeats on the battlefield, the U.S. opted to test our determination,’ he wrote, warning that the Iranian armed forces ‘will leave no attack or threat unanswered.’ ‘Leave our region if you want to be safe,’ he stated, adding that ‘the history of the Persian Gulf has many chapters on dire fates of intruding outsiders.’" (https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2026/06/09/770160/Iran-United-States-attacks-Hormozgan-warning-Araghchi)

Consequently, the White House must either abide by the ceasefire agreement or face the raft of the IRGC and its allies in the region. In response to the continuing attacks on Lebanon and Iran, the Yemeni resistance under Ansar Allah launched missile attacks on the Ben Gurion Airport inside the occupied territories.

Several U.S. Bases Attacked by IRGC

In other developments in the Persian Gulf, Al Mayadeen reported that the U.S. Fifth Fleet was attacked in retaliation for the ongoing aggression. After the initial U.S.-Israeli attacks on February 28, the Fifth Fleet in the Kingdom of Bahrain was attacked by Iranian military forces.

Other outposts for the Pentagon also suffered serious damage during March and April. The Kingdom of Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have operated for decades as bases for imperialism and zionism in the Persian Gulf and the entire West Asia region.

In the most recent events after June 9 and 10, Al Mayadeen notes:

“Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) announced early Wednesday that it had launched an attack targeting 21 US-linked sites across the region, including the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, stressing that the operation was in response to recent American aggression on Iran. The targets also included a US F-35 fighter jet base in al-Azraq in Jordan, as well as a command-and-control center at the same facility. Iranian Fars news agency reported that the IRGC used Kheibar Shekan missiles in strikes targeting F-35 hangars in Jordan. The IRGC added that it had destroyed four high-value targets using long-range solid-fuel missiles and said a US MQ-9 drone was shot down during aerial engagements over Jam in Iran’s southern Bushehr province. The IRGC warned that continued hostile actions would be met with ‘more severe and harsher responses,’ signaling readiness to expand its military operations if attacks persist.” (https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/iran-targets-us-bases--fifth-fleet-after-american-aggression)

This latest round of fighting between Iran, the U.S. and Israel illustrate the strategic confusion of imperialism and zionism. As they further wreck the world economy, opposition to their militarism will force more people to reject these systems of exploitation and oppression in their entirety. 

There can be no peace in the West Asia region as long as the Palestinian people remain subjected to occupation by the zionist entity. The occupation of southern Lebanon, the surrogate system of proxy control over Syria and large sections of Iraq and the attempts to overthrow the Islamic Republic of Iran will inevitably result in the escalation of resistance to Israel and its U.S. backers.