Category World News

Tehran’s streets are revolving around suitcases that are dragged across pavements, a single mother balancing her young son with one hand, and a woman entering a subway station to spend yet another night underground. Young Iranians are turning to the internet and WhatsApp for their only safe haven as a result of Israel’s attacks, leaving them without shelters, alerts, or public evacuation plans.

Momo, a 24-year-old IT engineering student in Tehran, says, “We don’t know where to go.”

“We never know whether the Ministry of Intelligence or the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps are located in the building next door. I’m not sure if my upstairs neighbor is a regular person or a government official. He made reference to Israel’s alleged attacks on residential buildings, which are allegedly targeted at people connected to Iran’s military or its nuclear program, and said the facility nearby might be a part of a secret military operation.

Momo has chosen to remain in Tehran out of principle, not just for his two-year-old rescue cat. What would I actually do? Here is where I live. I’ve lived here all my life. We will not resist Israeli aggression or repressive regimes. Many of us are still here. Although we’re not sure how long this will last, I’d rather my house be my grave than a place of displacement.

The internet provides no shelter.

Generation Z from Iran, who was born between the mid-1990s and the mid-2010s, are establishing new safe havens in the digital world with conventional safe havens out of reach and communication networks under heavy surveillance or complete blockade. Forums have turned into lifelines, providing impromptu shelters, therapy rooms, and organizing hubs.

Momo has used Discord for seven years. Momo claims that it is Momo’s only place where I can breathe. When playing games with friends, I only voice chatted on Discord. It now feels like home. More frequently than not, we communicate with our families there. We watched movies and TV shows together in the middle of the bombings. We doze off online occasionally.

In the midst of sanctions, political unrest, and censorship, this generation of Iranians grew up. Many were also key players in the anti-government demonstrations against 2022 that began after Mahsa Amini was detained for wearing an “improper hijab,” a movement that is renowned worldwide for the slogan “Woman, Life, Freedom.” Online resources were a crucial part in those days, and they are still very useful today.

Nearly 14 million Iranians, or roughly 15% of the population, are Gen Z gamers and frequent Discord users, according to Iranian daily Shargh. They use VPNs and encrypted apps to stay connected digitally despite the official restrictions.

We were in the middle of a game when the attacks started, Samin, a 23-year-old from northern Iran, claims. “It was surreal, not knowing whether the explosions were occurring in the game or in real life.” This bitter irony was created by these video games, which included numerous gunshots and bombs, whether I was playing Call of Duty or not. Unfortunately, the sounds were actually bombings rather than the sounds of the video game.

In Iran in April 2024, there was no peaceful discussion, with some people believing the government had stopped it because of its use as a platform for protests, despite Iran’s judiciary’s official citing concerns over inappropriate content. Gen Z still can’t escape being re-connected to the app despite the ban.

“Sometimes, we go to great lengths to locate a reliable VPN, log into Discord, and sign up for our channels. We call someone if they don’t log in. Our hearts race because we worry that they might have been killed in a bombing, Samin says. More than ever, we’re constantly checking in on one another online. We’ve all experienced grieving, including losing loved ones, birthdays, and the sound of overhead missiles. In that space, we discuss our worries and daily struggles. Although it’s a painful environment, there is also hope, compassion, and love.

Pregnancy, anxiety, and perseverance

In Tehran, a WhatsApp group that was started as a prenatal yoga class has grown into an unanticipated hub of resilience. Pregnant women who were unable to flee the capital now exchange voicemails, emergency advice, and breathing techniques.

For months, Ameneh and her friend Zohreh, both PhD holders and recipients of US green cards, had been awaiting their parents’ visa approval from the US. Both women were expecting children, but they had different decisions: Zohreh went to Iran to have her family support her labor, and Ameneh chose to remain in San Francisco to give birth alone in the US.

Both women are devastated but still connected via a group chat on the encrypted messaging app “Yoga for Pregnancy” four days after Israel bombarded Iran.

We practice yoga together online and offer each other self-care and breathing tips to prevent panic attacks. When things turn quiet again, Zohreh, who is eight months pregnant in Tehran, lights candles and sends voice notes.

“I was awakened by the explosion’s sound. To stop my contractions, a friend advised me to concentrate on breathing and heart rate. They also advised me to practice yoga once more after my baby stopped moving for hours.

Tehran grew out of fear as a result of US President Donald Trump’s threat that Tehran be “evacuated.” Due to their physical condition and limited access to medical care, Zohreh and many other pregnant women found themselves unable to leave the city. She claims that although we had intended to leave Tehran, I made the decision to stay so I could access a hospital after seeing the traffic and the possibility of giving birth early.

Iranians’ defiance lives in quiet, steadfast, and deeply human spaces as the bombs fall and uncertainty grows. They continue to find each other and refuse to face the darkness alone despite the regime’s warnings and the sky’s regime.

Names have been changed to better represent the people involved because of the sensitive nature of this story.

Despite President Donald Trump’s mounting pressure to lower rates, the US Federal Reserve has kept its benchmark rate unchanged.

The Fed announced on Wednesday that it would maintain its short-term rate at 4.25 to 4.5%.

Interest rates haven’t been cut since December, but the central bank’s decision was generally in line with expectations.

The decision comes as economic policymakers weigh warning signs. In its yesterday report from the US Department of Commerce, US retail sales numbers decreased more than expected. The US Department of Labor reported a record number of jobless claims for the week, reaching 248, 000.

The unemployment rate, however, was stable at 4.2 percent, which suggests that the labor market is still relatively stable even though the last jobs report showed that.

The Committee wants to achieve the highest possible rate of inflation and employment over the long-term. The central bank stated in a statement that the outlook’s uncertainty has decreased but is still high.

According to Powell, the central bank was holding rates steady in response to uncertainty caused by Trump’s economic and immigration policies as well as consumer prices, a crucial inflation indicator for the Federal Reserve, and that the labor market was not a major source of inflationary pressures. A 2.1% increase for the month of April was revealed in the most recent report.

According to Powell, “we’ve seen goods inflation increase slightly.” More of that is anticipated over the course of the summer, according to the organization. Tariffs must pass through the distribution chain to the final consumer before they can be implemented. We are beginning to notice effects, he continued, and we anticipate seeing more in the upcoming months.

Economists concur.

The US economy is showing more resilience than expected, despite the Fed’s pressure to raise rates. Only 1.4 percent of the US’s overall growth forecast for 2025 is currently in place. The nominal growth rate would be the lowest since 2020 if inflation were to reach 2.4 percent as of the most recent reading. According to Global X’s SVP and head of investment strategy, Scott Helfstein, the US growth rate could increase, which is warranted waiting.

“The jobs number has consistently performed better than anticipated.” Full employment and price stability are the requirements of the Fed. While both risks have increased as a result of policy uncertainty, the data fails to account for labor weakness or an increase in inflation. That is the central point of this Fed calculus.

Jerome Powell, the former Fed Chair, doesn’t seem to feel too hot. However, if there had been any easing, it would have been “absolutely stimulative” and lowering the interest rate on US debt, according to Michael Ashley Schulman, the partner and chief investment officer at Running Point Capital Advisors.

Policymakers are considering the escalating Middle East tensions and the looming and consistently shifting changes to Trump’s tariff policies. Prior to Israel’s attack last week on Iran and its retaliatory strikes, oil prices were in decline, but worries about the Strait of Hormuz closing as tensions rise have grown. Prices may also be going up in the coming weeks.

Powell is the subject of Trump’s criticism.

Trump criticized the central bank’s decision to hold rates steady before the rate announcement, which he had previously expressed disappointment with.

He remarked on his desire for rate cuts, saying “Powell’s too late.” Because he’s always too late, I refer to him as “too late Powell.” Trump said, “If you look at him, you know that I always knew that when I did this, I always knew that he was mistaken.”

It is unclear what Trump meant by “may have to force something,” he added.

He also suggested that he should serve as central bank’s leader. Trump reportedly said, “Maybe I should contact the Fed.” Can I choose my own appointment at the Fed? I’d perform much better than these people.”

Trump has recently rebuffed his call to fire the central bank head, and Powell’s term is set to expire in May.

He leaves in about nine months, he has to, and fortunately, he is terminated, according to Biden, former president. Trump said, “I don’t know why that is, but I suppose he was a Democrat, who has done a poor job.”

Israeli forces have attacked numerous Palestinians’ food-related targets repeatedly. &nbsp,

A Tennessee law that forbids hormone replacement therapy and puberty blockers for transgender minors is still in effect, according to the US Supreme Court.

The high court’s six conservative judges voted for Tennessee and its three left-leaning judges joined together to argue their case on Wednesday, which splintered ideologically.

The majority’s opinion was written by Chief Justice John Roberts. He explained in it that the plaintiffs, three transgender minors, their parents, and a doctor, had failed to successfully challenge the 14th Amendment of the Constitution, which guarantees equal protection under the law.

The plaintiffs claimed that because of their sex and gender, Tennessee’s SB1 law discriminated against them.

Roberts, however, disagreed. He noted that young men and women are equally subject to the ban.

He claimed that “SB1 does not conceal sex-based classifications.” The law does not forbid sexual activity that would otherwise be permitted. No minors may receive hormones or puberty blockers as part of SB1 to treat gender incongruence, gender identity disorder, or dysphoria.

Roberts also made the point that the Tennessee law still allows the use of puberty blockers to treat early puberty, disease, or injury in children. He wrote that any sex could submit that application.

According to Roberts, “SB1 does not exclude anyone from receiving medical care because of their transgender status, but rather removes one set of diagnoses from the spectrum of treatable conditions: gender dysphoria, gender identity disorder, and gender incongruence,”

Sometimes transgender youth receive hormone inhibitors to prevent the onset of puberty, preventing the development of secondary sexual traits like breasts, deeper voices, and facial hair.

According to LGBTQ advocates, this gender-affirming care is sometimes required to lessen the strain of such changes and lessen the need for additional surgeries in the future. Generally accepted, potenty blockers are safe and have a temporary effect.

Roberts noted that some medical professionals are urging more research into the drug’s long-term effects and citing “open questions” in the field.

According to Roberts, “Health authorities in a number of European countries have expressed serious concerns about the potential harms associated with the use of hormones and puberty blockers in the treatment of transgender minors.”

Recent developments only serve as further evidence that this area needs more flexibility in laws, he said.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote a fierce dissent in opposition to the majority’s position. Given that transgender youth are more likely to commit suicide, self-harm, and bullying, puberty blockers can save lives, she argued.

The majority contorts logic and precedent to say otherwise, bizarrely declaring that it must support Tennessee’s categorical ban on lifesaving medical care as long as “any reasonably conceivable state of facts” might support it, Sotomayor wrote.

The Court “abandones transgender children and their families to political whims by reversing from meaningful judicial review precisely where it matters most.” I disagree with you in sadness.

She emphasized that there is general agreement in the US medical community regarding the use of puberty blockers when gender dysphoria is suspected of being diagnosed with comprehensive and accurate diagnosis.

According to Sotomayor, “transgender adolescents’ access to hormones and puberty blockers (also known as gender-affirming care) is not based on their appearance at all.” “As opposed to that, access to care can be a matter of life or death.”

She questioned why Tennessee lawmakers should be able to regulate medical decisions and why transgender youth could still use puberty blockers to combat issues like unwanted facial hair in adolescence but not gender equality.

No regard for the child’s parents or doctors’ opinions, Tennessee’s ban is in effect regardless of the minor’s medical history.
the extent to which a minor’s mental health conditions or individual child’s need for medical care,” Sotomayor said.

The transgender community in the US is at a precarious time as a result of Wednesday’s decision.

US President Donald Trump has taken steps to restrict transgender people’s rights since taking office for a second term in January. The Republican leader announced that the federal government would only recognize both sexes, male and female, on his first day back in the White House.

He then issued an additional executive order on January 27, effectively establishing a ban on transgender military personnel. Trump said that transgender people were “expressing a false “gender identity” and that their identity “conflicts with a soldier’s commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle.”

That ban was also upheld by the Supreme Court. For transgender soldiers to self-identify and voluntarily leave the military, June 6 was the first day after that.

Trump has also stated that his administration will not fund transgender girls and women’s sports programs in schools. In states like Maine, where Democratic Governor Janet Mills has pledged to stand up to Trump, this decision has caused unrest.

The controversy over Tennessee’s ban on puberty blockers comes as a result of a string of similar laws. According to the ACLU, some 25 states have laws enforcing gender-affirming laws for transgender youth.

According to the group, those laws prevent around 100,000 transgender minors from receiving the medical care they might need.

The Supreme Court’s decision on Wednesday was initially challenged by a lower court, but the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the ruling while an appeal was pending.

The ACLU defended the Supreme Court’s decision as a setback but pledged to file legal challenges in the future. It made the claim in a statement that the Supreme Court had not overturned the general rule that transgender people should not be discriminated against.

The ACLU’s LGBTQ and HIV Project co-director, Chase Strangio, described today’s ruling as a “devastating loss for transgender people, our families, and everyone who cares about the Constitution.”