Category World News

A massive military parade is set to roll through Washington, DC, as United States President Donald Trump marks his 79th birthday with a contentious show of force that coincides with the US Army’s 250th anniversary, as nationwide “No Kings” protests are held against Trump policies in more than 2,000 cities and towns.

The Washington, DC event on Saturday hastily added to the Army’s long-planned celebration, has drawn criticism for its cost, timing, and overt political overtones. There will not be a “No Kings” protest in the US capital to avoid confrontations.

The parade unfolds against a febrile, tense national backdrop. This past week, Trump deployed US Marines to manage protests in Los Angeles over aggressive immigration raids. He also activated the California National Guard without the governor’s consent, provoking legal challenges and accusations of federal overreach.

The military parade will begin at the Lincoln Memorial and snake down Constitution Avenue, flanked by security fences and watched closely by armed personnel at 6:30pm local time (22:30 GMT).

Nearly 6,200 soldiers will march, joined by 128 military vehicles – including 60-tonne M1 Abrams tanks – and 62 aircraft. A parachute jump, a concert headlined by Lee Greenwood, and fireworks are planned to cap off the night.

Trump announced on social media that the parade would proceed “rain or shine”, brushing off concerns over forecast thunderstorms and nationwide protests.

The National Weather Service has warned of possible lightning, which could force delays. Officials say they are prepared to evacuate the National Mall if necessary.

Despite assurances from the White House, the event has triggered backlash over its projected $45m price tag and fears of militarisation of domestic politics.

Critics argue that the use of heavy armoured vehicles risks damaging infrastructure, prompting the Army to install steel plates along the route to protect roads.

A recent poll by the Associated Press-NORC Centre for Public Affairs Research found that 60 percent of Americans believe the parade is not a worthwhile use of public funds. Among those polled, 78 percent who expressed no strong opinion about the parade itself still disapproved of the expense.

Massive snowploughs have been stationed to block traffic on Pennsylvania Avenue, turning the thoroughfare into a pedestrian zone filled with food stalls and souvenir vendors. The festival atmosphere includes fitness competitions, military equipment displays, and a ceremonial cake-cutting.

‘No Kings’ rallies

Civil rights groups accuse the Trump administration of using military assets to intimidate and suppress dissent.

Protesters planning to take part in the demonstrations said they oppose Trump’s deeply divisive policies. The organisers’ website said the administration has “defied our courts, deported Americans, disappeared people off the streets, attacked our civil rights, and slashed our services”.

Since Trump’s inauguration, the administration has sent immigrants to foreign prisons, set immigration arrest quotas, clashed with courts, slashed government jobs and proposed reductions to social services.

Although no demonstrations are formally scheduled in Washington, organisers of nationwide “No Kings” rallies say the parade reflects Trump’s personal ambition and ego, rather than any genuine tribute to the armed forces.

White House spokesperson Anna Kelly reaffirmed that the event would proceed regardless of weather or criticism. However, lightning could lead to sudden delays and crowd evacuations.

The military spectacle is divided into historical segments, with troops and equipment representing different eras of US Army history.

An estimated 200,000 people are expected to attend. The parade will conclude with Trump swearing in 250 new or reenlisting troops and a dramatic skydiving display by the Army’s Golden Knights.

While the Army insists the event is about heritage and honouring service, critics argue the spectacle veers uncomfortably close to a political rally with troops as props.

EXPLAINER

Iran is considering closing the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian news agency IRINN has reported, citing key conservative lawmaker Esmail Kosari, as the conflict with Israel intensifies.

The move would send oil prices soaring and risk expanding the war. So what is the strategic waterway and why is it vital to global trade?

Hormuz is the only marine entryway into the Persian Gulf. It splits Iran on one side and Oman and the United Arab Emirates on the other, and it links the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea in the Indian Ocean.

According to the US Energy Information Administration, about 20 percent of global oil consumption flows through the strait, which the agency describes as the “world’s most important oil transit chokepoint”. At its narrowest point, it is 33km (21 miles) wide, but shipping lanes in the waterway are even narrower, making them vulnerable to attacks and threats of being shut down.

During the Iran-Iraq conflict between 1980 and 1988, which killed hundreds of thousands on both sides, both countries targeted commercial vessels in the Gulf in what became known as the Tanker War, but Hormuz was never completely closed.

More recently, in 2019, four ships were attacked near the strait off the coast of Fujairah, UAE, amid heightened tensions between Iran and the United States during Donald Trump’s first presidency. Washington blamed Tehran for the incident, but Iran denied the allegations.

Attacking shipping lanes has long been used to apply pressure amid conflict. Since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, the Houthis in Yemen have been attacking ships around Bab al-Mandeb Strait, the entryway into the Red Sea on the other side of the Arabian Peninsula.

While the Houthi campaign has affected global commerce, ships can avoid the Red Sea by sailing around Africa – a longer but safer journey. However, there is no way to ship anything by sea out of the Gulf without going through Hormuz.

Even countries that do not import petrol from Gulf countries would be affected if the strait were to be closed because a major drop in supply would spike the price per barrel on the global market.

Despite the Iranian lawmaker’s threat, it is unclear whether Iran has the ability or willingness to shut down the strait.

Such a move would almost certainly invoke retaliation from the US, which has naval military assets in the region.

After Israel launched a wave of attacks across Iran early on Friday, targeting military leaders, residential buildings, army bases and nuclear sites, Iran responded with hundreds of ballistic missiles.

Although the US helped shoot down the Iranian missiles, Washington has not directly attacked Iran. US officials have stressed that Washington was not involved in the Israeli strikes.

Tehran has not targeted US troops or interests in the region, either.

Closing Hormuz, however, would hit Americans in the wallet and could spark a military response from Trump.

While an Iranian move against the strait may not be imminent, Kosari’s comments underscore that attacking shipping lanes is a card that Tehran may play amid the hostilities.

DEVELOPING STORYDEVELOPING STORY,

A top Democratic state leader, and former House speaker, and her husband were shot and killed in Minnesota, and a second lawmaker and his wife were wounded, in what appear to be politically motivated assassination attempts in the United States, local officials say.

Melissa Hortman and her spouse were killed in an “act of targeted political violence,” Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said on Saturday during a news conference.

The shootings come at a time of great political polarisation in the US, at a time when political leaders nationwide have been attacked, harassed and intimidated.

US President Donald Trump said in a White House statement that the FBI would join in the investigation. “Our Attorney General, Pam Bondi, and the FBI, are investigating the situation, and they will be prosecuting anyone involved to the fullest extent of the law. Such horrific violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America. God Bless the great people of Minnesota, a truly great place!”

An investigation is ongoing while police are still hunting the person believed to be the assailant, Walz said. Officials said the suspect was dressed as a law enforcement officer.

“An unspeakable tragedy has unfolded in Minnesota – my good friend and colleague, Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark, were shot and killed early this morning in what appears to be a politically motivated assassination,” he told reporters. “Our state lost a great leader,” he said.

Walz said that in a second attack, Senator John Hoffman and his wife, of Champlin, were shot multiple times, underwent surgery and that he was “cautiously optimistic” that they would survive “this assassination attempt.”

Drew Evans, superintendent of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said that authorities were actively searching for a suspect.

Autopsies will be done to determine the extent of injuries, but Hortman and her spouse died from gunshot wounds, Evans said.

Hoffman, a Democrat, was first elected in 2012. He runs Hoffman Strategic Advisors, a consulting firm. He previously served as vice chair of the Anoka Hennepin School Board, which manages the largest school district in Minnesota. Hoffman is married and has one daughter.

Hortman is the top House Democratic leader in the state Legislature and a former House speaker. She was first elected in 2004. Hortman, a lawyer, is married and has two children.

Both Hoffman and Hortman represent districts located north of Minneapolis.

GIFFORDS, the national gun violence prevention organisation led by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, released the following statement.

“I am horrified and heartbroken by last night’s attack on two patriotic public servants,” Giffords said.

“My family and I know the horror of a targeted shooting all too well. An attack against lawmakers is an attack on American democracy itself. Leaders must speak out and condemn the fomenting violent extremism that threatens everything this country stands for.”

Here’s where things stand on Saturday, June 14:

Fighting

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said troops halted Russian forces from advancing in the northeastern Sumy region following Moscow’s deployment of approximately 53,000 troops in its direction.
• Zelenskyy dismissed Russia’s claims that its forces had crossed the administrative border into the central Ukrainian region of Dnipropetrovsk.
• Russia’s defence ministry said troops had taken control of the village of Zelenyi Kut in the eastern Donetsk region.
• Russian air defences shot down 110 aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles, its defence ministry added.
• Governor of Kherson, Oleksandr Prokudin, said on Telegram that a 45-year-old resident was killed after a drone attack.

Diplomacy

• Russia and Ukraine exchanged prisoners of war for the fourth time in one week under agreements signed in Turkiye earlier this month.
• Russia’s defence ministry said soldiers were receiving medical treatment in Belarus before being transferred to Russia, but the ministry did not say how many prisoners of war were involved in the swap.
• Ukraine said it received the bodies of 1,200 soldiers from Moscow. According to Russian state media, Moscow did not receive any of its dead soldiers from Kyiv.
• The prisoner swaps are expected to continue until June 20-21.
• Zelenskyy stressed that Europe’s support for his country was “stalling” without the United States.
• The Ukrainian leader wrote on X that  “US-Russia dialogue feels too warm” and warned that appeasing Russian President Vladimir Putin would not end the war.
• Ukraine said it hoped that the ongoing military escalation between Iran and Israel would not affect its aid, as the attacks have led to a “sharp rise in oil prices”, which will hurt Kyiv and help Moscow, Zelenskyy said.
• The two sides are no closer to any temporary ceasefire agreement as a concrete step towards ending the war, despite some initial momentum from United States President Donald Trump.

South Africa have secured their first major title by beating defending champions Australia by five wickets in the final of the World Test Championship at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London.

The Proteas knocked off the remaining 29 runs they needed before lunch on Saturday – sealing the win with more than a day and a half to spare, and sparking emotional celebrations in front of a packed crowd.

They moved from a portentous 213-2 overnight to 282-5, the second-highest successful run chase in the 141-year Rest history at the self-proclaimed home of cricket.

Australia did not give up the WTC mace easily, relentlessly attacking the stumps and pressuring a South Africa side with an infamous history of blowing winning positions on big ICC stages.

But South Africa was staunch and composed, only three boundaries in more than two hours, and lost only three wickets on Saturday in an air of inevitability.

“We’ve come a long way as a team, as a country,” an emotional Keshav Maharaj said. “We always say we want to be good people and play good. We’re moving in the right direction as a cricketing nation.

Referencing South Africa’s last title of any kind, the 1998 ICC Champions Trophy, Maharaj fought back tears in adding, “After 27 years of pain, to finally get over the line is super emotional. We’re so grateful to have Temba (Bavuma, captain) to get us over the line.

“Diversity is our strength, so to see the crowd, they stand for the meaning of our rainbow nation. To lift the trophy is going to unite the nation even more.”

The desperate Australians used up all of their three reviews in vain within the first 90 minutes, but fought to the end. They took the new ball but were still blunted by a flat pitch.

Markram was the colossus Australia could not topple until it was too late.

The opener resumed the day on 102 and was out for 136 when only six more runs were needed. He spent six hours, 23 minutes in the middle.

About 15 minutes later, Kyle Verreynne broke the tension by hitting the winning run, a drive into the covers.

Markram and captain Temba Bavuma set up the victory with an unbeaten and chanceless partnership of 143 runs the day before. They could not finish what they started, adding only four runs together before Bavuma edged Pat Cummins behind for 66, one more than he had overnight.

Tristan Stubbs was castled on 8 by Mitchell Starc with 41 runs needed and South Africa was too close to the finish to be denied.

But Markram could not have the pleasure himself. With six runs needed to win, he was caught at midwicket by Travis Head off Josh Hazlewood.

Australia did not celebrate. Instead, players slapped Markram on the back and congratulated him on his match-winning knock as the Lord’s crowd stood and applauded.

They stood again when the end finally came, a rout of red-hot Australia with five sessions to spare.

South Africa’s history on the ICC’s biggest stages has been infamously cruel. The venues and dates of their most heart-breaking losses include Birmingham 1999, Dhaka 2011, Auckland 2015, Kolkata 2023 and Bridgetown 2024.

But London 2025 will go down as one of the greatest days in South African sport, when its cricket underdogs grabbed the advantage and did not let go against one of the great Australia Test sides to seal the title that ranks alongside the ICC’s Cricket World Cup and the T20 World Cup.

South Africa were criticised before the final for its supposedly easier road — it did not face Australia or England in a series in the 2023-2025 WTC cycle — but it has won eight straight tests, its second-longest streak in history, and half of them away from home.