Smoke billowed from the Soroka Medical Center after its old surgical building was directly hit, according to the hospital’s director general.
Dollar strengthens amid Middle East tensions, Norges Bank cuts rates unexpectedly
Dollar firms as Mideast worries cast shadow, Norges Bank delivers surprise cut
Israel targeted by Iranian missiles striking hospital and residential buildings
Iran launched a missile attack against Israel, causing severe damage and striking Israel's main hospital in the south.
Political Crisis in Thailand Erupts as Prime Minister’s Phone Call with Former Cambodian Leader Leaked
Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra apologized Thursday for a leaked phone call with former Cambodian leader Hun Sen that has provoked widespread anger and put her government on the brink of collapse.
Her main coalition partner has quit and calls are mounting for her to resign or announce an election, throwing the kingdom into a fresh round of political instability as it seeks to boost its spluttering economy and avoid U.S. President Donald Trump’s swinging trade tariffs.
The conservative Bhumjaithai party pulled out on Wednesday saying Paetongtarn’s conduct in the leaked call had wounded the country and the army’s dignity.
As pressure grew on Thursday Paetongtarn, the daughter of Thaksin Shinawatra—Thailand’s most influential but controversial modern politician—apologized at a press conference alongside military chiefs and senior figures from her Pheu Thai party.
“I would like to apologize for the leaked audio of my conversation with a Cambodian leader which has caused public resentment,” Paetongtarn told reporters.
In the call, Paetongtarn is heard discussing an ongoing border dispute with Hun Sen—who stepped down as Cambodian prime minister in 2023 after four decades but still wields considerable influence.
She addresses the veteran leader as “uncle” and refers to the Thai army commander in the country’s northeast as her opponent, a remark that sparked fierce criticism on social media.
The loss of Bhumjaithai’s 69 MPs left Paetongtarn with barely enough votes to scrape a majority in parliament, and a snap election looks a clear possibility—barely two years after the last one in May 2023.
Two other coalition parties, the United Thai Nation and Democrat Party, will hold meetings to discuss the situation later Thursday.
Paetongtarn will be hoping her apology and show of unity with the military are enough to persuade them to stay on board.
Losing either would likely mean the end of Paetongtarn’s government, and either an election or a bid by other parties to stitch together a new coalition.
Resignation calls
Thailand’s military said in a statement that army chief General Pana Claewplodtook “affirms commitment to democratic principles and national sovereignty protection”.
“The Chief of Army emphasized that the paramount imperative is for ‘Thai people to stand united’ in collectively defending national sovereignty,” it added.
Thailand’s armed forces have long played a powerful role in the kingdom’s politics, and politicians are usually careful not to antagonize them.
The kingdom has had a dozen coups since the end of absolute monarchy in 1932, and the current crisis has inevitably triggered rumors that another may be in the offing.
If Paetongtarn is ousted in a coup she would be the third member of her family, after her aunt Yingluck and father Thaksin Shinawatra, to be kicked out of office by the military.
The main opposition People’s Party, which won most seats in 2023 but was blocked by conservative senators from forming a government, urged Paetongtarn to call an election.
“What happened yesterday was a leadership crisis that destroyed people’s trust,” People’s Party leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut said in a statement.
The Palang Pracharath party, which led the government up to 2023 and is headed by General Prawit Wongsuwan—who supported a 2014 coup against Paetongtarn’s aunt Yingluck—said the leaked recording showed she was weak and inexperienced, incapable of managing the country’s security.
Hundreds of anti-government protesters, some of them veterans of the royalist, anti-Thaksin “Yellow Shirt” movement of the late 2000s, demonstrated outside Government House Thursday demanding Paetongtarn quit.
Awkward coalition
Paetongtarn, 38, came to power in August 2024 at the head of an uneasy coalition between Pheu Thai and a group of conservative, pro-military parties whose members have spent much of the last 20 years battling against her father.
Growing tensions within the coalition erupted into open warfare in the past week as Pheu Thai tried to take the interior minister job away from Bhumjaithai leader Anutin Charnvirakul.
The loss of Bhumjaithai leaves Pheu Thai’s coalition with just a handful more votes than the 248 needed for a majority.
The battle between the conservative pro-royal establishment and Thaksin’s political movement has dominated Thai politics for more than 20 years.
Former Manchester City owner Thaksin, 75, still enjoys huge support from the rural base whose lives he transformed with populist policies in the early 2000s.
But he is despised by Thailand’s powerful elites, who saw his rule as corrupt, authoritarian and socially destabilizing.
The current Pheu Thai-led government has already lost one prime minister, former businessman Srettha Thavisin, who was kicked out by a court order last year that brought Paetongtarn to office.
Home Office bans South African politician from entering UK
A controversial South African politician central to a row over race relations in the country has been denied entry to the UK.
The Home Office said Julius Malema had been deemed “non-conducive to the public good” and that it was “undesirable” to grant him entry.
In a letter published by local media outlet News 24, the UK government cited his vocal support for Hamas, including a speech he made after the 7 October attacks in which he said his own party would arm the group if it came into power.
The UK also raised his threat to call for the “slaughter of white people” and to “take up arms” as a reason for the rejection.
His Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party, which came fourth in South Africa’s parliamentary election last year, condemned the decision as “cowardice” and said it would stifle democratic debate.
Malema featured prominently in a video played last month by President Donald Trump during a visit by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to the White House.
This is the second time Malema has been denied entry to the UK in just two months.
The first time the UK government said he had submitted his application too late – this time, a British official in South Africa told the BBC it was a “substantive decision”.
The UK said he has no right of appeal and was likely to be denied any future applications, according to News 24.
Wes Donehower Elevated to Senior Vice President of A&R at Big Loud and Mercury Records
Wes Donehower has been promoted to the role of Senior Vice President, A&R at Big Loud Records and Mercury Records.
According to Wednesday’s (June 18) announcement, this “unique” dual role originated from the “successful strategic alliance” between Big Loud Records and Mercury Records.
Since signing a multi-year distribution deal back in 2024, the two labels have worked closely together across artists like Big Loud’s Morgan Wallen.
In his previous role, Donehower served as Senior Vice President, A&R at Republic Records where he worked on the deal to bring Jelly Roll to the label in partnership with BMG and Broken Bow Records.
He also led A&R on Jelly Roll‘s latest album, Beautifully Broken, which debuted at No.1 on the Billboard 200.
Prior to this, Donehower worked in A&R at Columbia Records where he signed artists such as Lil Nas X, Russ, Koe Wetzel, and Quinn XCII.
Big Loud partner and CEO Seth England commented on Donehower’s appointment: “Wes has an exceptional track record of discovering and signing game-changing talent, and he’s firmly established himself as one of the industry’s top A&R executives.”
“Wes has firmly established himself as one of the industry’s top A&R executives.”
Seth England, Big Loud
Added England: “I respect his work ethic, his creative instincts, and the impact he makes on the culture.
“We’re honored to welcome him into the Big Loud family through our partnership with Mercury.”
Mercury Records Chairman and CEO Tyler Arnold, said: “Wes is an incredible A&R executive who has an innate ability to work across every genre.
“He has great instincts, but more impressively has a gift of building long lasting and genuine relationships with artists.
“We’ve shared a lot of great moments already, and I’m so excited to team up with Wes for many years to come.”
“He has great instincts, but more impressively has a gift of building long lasting and genuine relationships with artists.”
Tyler Arnold, Mercury Records
Commenting on his new role, Donehower said: “Tyler and Seth have set a standard for our business with their dynamic and artist centric approach.
“It’s a privilege to work with both the Mercury and Big Loud teams.
“It’s a privilege to work with both the Mercury and Big Loud teams.”
Wes Donehower, Big Loud and Mercury Records
“I’m looking forward to continuing to build new relationships in country music while fostering my longstanding partnerships across all genres.”
This appointment is another sign of the strengthening relationship between Big Loud Records and Mercury Records’ parent company, Universal Music Group.
On May 1, Big Loud sold a minority stake in Morgan Wallen’s master recording catalog to Chord Music Partners, in a deal reportedly valued at over $200 million.
Universal Music Group holds a 25.8% stake in Chord Music Partners, via a $240 million investment made in February 2024.Music Business Worldwide
Russia-Ukraine conflict: Recap of major events on day 1,211 | Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine war
Here are the key events on day 1,211 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
This is how things stand on Thursday, June 19 :
Fighting
- The death toll from a large-scale Russian attack on Kyiv earlier this week has risen to 28, with 130 injured, although rescue work is still under way.
- The attack was carried out by 440 drones and 32 missiles, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
- Moscow characterised the attack as precision strikes on “military-industrial facilities in the Kyiv region”, although video footage showed the attack levelling parts of an apartment block in the Ukrainian capital.
- Russia said it captured the village of Novomykolaivka in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region, where Russian forces have renewed their offensive. The region has been at the centre of fighting since the Russian invasion in 2022.
Diplomacy
- Speaking to foreign media at a late-night news conference, Russian leader Vladimir Putin dismissed fears that he was planning to attack the NATO military alliance. He said the military bloc and its rearmament did not threaten Russia.
- Putin said he would consider Germany to be a direct actor in the Ukraine war should it supply Kyiv with Taurus cruise missiles. Earlier this month, Germany’s Ministry of Defence said it did not have plans to do so, despite repeated requests from Ukraine.
- Putin further said he does not consider Germany to be a “neutral state”, but a “party supporting Ukraine, and in some cases … as accomplices in these hostilities”.
- Despite his remarks, Putin said he was prepared to meet with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, although he also expressed doubts about Germany’s role as a mediator in the Russia-Ukraine war.
- Putin has offered to meet with Zelenskyy but only during the “final phase” of talks to end the conflict. Last month, Putin declined to attend a face-to-face summit in Istanbul with the Ukrainian president.
- Zelenskyy is reportedly planning to attend a NATO meeting in The Hague next week, where members will discuss raising defence spending to 5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP).
Sanctions
- Canada announced new sanctions targeting 77 individuals, 39 entities and 200 vessels in Russia’s “shadow fleet” of oil tankers. In addition to the sanctions, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney pledged a further $1.47bn in military support for Ukraine.
Putin defers conflict resolution between Iran and Israel to the two nations involved
Vladimir Putin has said Iran did not take up Russia’s offer to work together on air defence and said anti-air systems were not covered under the strategic partnership Moscow and Tehran signed in January.
Putin, Russia’s president, said in a televised interview late on Wednesday that the agreement did not cover defence.
“We once proposed to our Iranian friends to work together on anti-air systems, but our partners did not show any great interest,” he said.
“As far as individual supplies are concerned, yes, of course, we made those at the time, but this has nothing to do with the crisis today,” Putin added, without specifying when the offer and past supplies took place.
Federal Reserve maintains interest rates amidst trade tensions
People and businesses in the US have faced a whirlwind of policy change in recent months. But one thing has remained fixed: borrowing costs set by the US central bank.
The Federal Reserve stuck with that strategy on Wednesday, leaving its key interest rate unchanged, even as officials’ expectations for the economy worsened.
The decision marked the fourth in a row without action, keeping the bank’s influential lending rate hovering around 4.3%, where it has stood since December.
That came despite forecasts from policymakers suggesting they expect slower growth, higher unemployment and faster inflation than they did just a few months ago.
Typically, the Fed lowers borrowing costs if it believes the economy is struggling and raises them if prices start to rise too quickly.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly called on the Fed to cut interest rates, while pushing major changes to economic policy, including raising tariffs on goods from around the world.
Fed officials, who are empowered to set interest rates independent of the White House, have said they are worried that a one-time jump in prices due to those new levies could morph into a more persistent problem.
Inflation, the pace of price increases, remains above the Fed’s 2% target, coming in at 2.4% in May.
Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell said the bank was braced for prices to rise more quickly in the months ahead as firms start to pass on the cost of the import taxes to their customers.
“That process is very hard to predict,” he said, noting that it would depend on how big the tariffs are and their duration.
“That is why we think the appropriate thing to do is hold where we are.”
He said the bank could afford to wait, noting that the economy overall remained “solid” and the unemployment rate remains low at 4.2%.
But projections released by the Fed showed that policymakers, on average, are expecting growth to slow to 1.4% this year, down from 2.5% last year and the 1.7% they were forecasting in March.
The forecasts call for inflation of roughly 3%, up from the 2.7% predicted in March and a rise in the unemployment rate to 4.5%.
The outlook for interest rate cuts in 2025 did not change significantly, with a majority of members still expecting rates to drop just below 4% by the end of the year.
But the projections anticipate slightly higher rates in 2026 and 2027 than previously forecasted.
In remarks on Wednesday ahead of the Fed’s decision, Trump repeated his criticism of Powell, calling him “stupid” and “too late” to act, while speculating about the end of his term.
The European Central Bank has cut interest rates eight times since last June. The Bank of England cut borrowing costs last month but is expected to hold rates steady this week.
But Isaac Stell, investment manager at Wealth Club, said Trump may have “talked himself into a bit of a bind”, as the Fed stays committed to its wait-and-see approach.
“Central bankers tend to jealously guard their independence, which means that unless there’s a really compelling reason to cut they might just stay sat on the fence,” he said.
Fed interest rate decisions determine what it charges banks for short-term loans.
That rate in turn has significant influence over borrowing costs across the economy, informing what regular banks end up charging households and businesses for mortgages and other kinds of loans.
At 4.3%, the Fed’s benchmark interest rate remains markedly higher than it was between 2008 and 2022, when the bank started to hike rates in response to rising prices.
But it is roughly a percentage point lower than where it stood last year.
Harvard Women’s Team Welcomes Sarah Beckman and Audrey Lee for the 2025-26 Season
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The Harvard University women’s swimming and diving team is adding a pair of Southern Californians to the squad for 2025-26: Sarah Beckman from Ventura and Audrey Lee from Trabuco Canyon. They will join Aliana Marakovic, Carolina Daher, Davina Huang, and Hazel Mouhidin in Cambridge next fall.
Sarah Beckman
“I am beyond excited to announce my commitment to the admissions process at Harvard University!! Thank you so much to my parents, friends, teammates, coaches, Coach Amanda and Coach Geordie for all their support in this process! Go Crimson!! ❤️”
Beckman is graduating from Ventura High School, whom she represented at CIF-Southern Section Division I Championships in May. She placed 5th in the 200 free (1:49.16) and 2nd in the 100 fly (54.62), coming within a second pf her PBs in both events. She’d swum her fastest 200 free (1:48.88) at the Channel League championships in April, and her best 100 fly (53.42) a year ago at the 2024 Channel League championships. Beckman went on to the California State Meet where she finished 11th in the 200 free (1:50.57) and 5th in the 100 fly (54.73).
Last summer at the 2024 Speedo Summer Championships, swimming for her club team, Buenaventura Swim Club, she clocked LCM bests of 1:01.91 in the 100 fly, 58.25 in the 100 free, and 2:06.20 in the 200 free.
Beckman’s best times would have scored in the ‘A’ final of the 100 fly, the ‘B’ final of the 200 free, and the ‘C’ final of the 100 free at the 2025 Ivy League Women’s Championships.
Best SCY times:
- 100 fly – 53.42
- 200 free – 1:48.88
- 100 free – 50.99
- 50 free – 23.86
Audrey Lee
“I am incredibly humbled to announce my commitment to the admissions process at Harvard University! I am so excited to continue my studies and athletic career alongside such an amazing group of people. Thank you to everyone who cheered for me, supported me, and guided me throughout this process, and especially to Coach Amanda and Coach Geordie for this opportunity. Go Crimson! ♥️”
Lee swam for Santa Margarita Catholic High School and SOCAL Aquatics Association, specializing mainly in sprints. At the 2025 California CIF-Southern Section Division I Championships, she placed 14th in the 50 free (24.19) and 19th in prelims of the 100 free (52.93); as a junior in 2024, she had been 3rd (23.36) and 4th (51.01) in the respective events.
In LCM, she clocked a 58.31 in the 100 free and 1:04.51 in the 100 fly last summer at Southern California’s June Age Group Championships.
Lee’s best times would have scored in the ‘B’ final of the 50 free and the ‘C’ final of the 100 free at the 2025 Ivy League Women’s Championships.
Best SCY times
- 50 free – 23.22
- 100 free – 50.83
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