Trump administration escalates legal battles with Los Angeles

The U.S. Justice Department on Monday sued the City of Los Angeles, Mayor Karen Bass, and the City Council, asking a federal judge to strike down the city's "sanctuary" ordinance on the grounds it obstructs federal immigration enforcement.

Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, the lawsuit argued that Los Angeles violated the Constitution's Supremacy Clause and two federal information -- sharing statutes by forbidding local police and other agencies from cooperating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) unless a suspect faces serious felony charges.

The Justice Department sought a court order blocking the ordinance, which took effect on Dec. 9, 2024, after a unanimous council vote.

U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi said the policy was "the driving cause of the violence, chaos, and attacks on law enforcement that Americans recently witnessed in Los Angeles," according to a press statement issued Monday. She called the suit part of President Donald Trump's pledge to "end lawless sanctuary jurisdictions."

Los Angeles officials sharply disputed that narrative. "To characterize what is going on in our city as a city of mayhem is just an outright lie," Bass told the Los Angeles Times on June 12 while visiting demonstrators denouncing recent immigration raids. The mayor argued that federal swoops "terrorize families and harm our economy."

Trump signs executive order terminating Syria sanctions: White House

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order terminating Syria sanctions, according to the White House website.

Trump "signed a historic Executive Order terminating the Syria sanctions program to support the country's path to stability and peace," the White House said in a fact sheet.

"The Order removes sanctions on Syria while maintaining sanctions on Bashar al-Assad... The Order permits the relaxation of export controls on certain goods and waives restrictions on certain foreign assistance to Syria," said the White House.

Under the order, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is directed to "explore avenues for sanctions relief at the United Nations to support stability in Syria."

Syria has been designated a State Sponsor of Terrorism by the United States since December 1979. Additional sanctions and restrictions were added in May 2004 with the issuance of Executive Order 13338, while in May 2011, the U.S. government imposed additional sanctions targeting key sectors of the Syrian economy.

In remarks to an investment forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on May 13, Trump announced that he planed to lift sanctions on Syria.

UN chief alarmed by new displacement orders amid hostilities in Gaza

Israeli new evacuation orders for northern Gaza Strip alarm UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who also condemns the loss of life from the latest Israeli airstrikes, a UN spokesman said on Monday.

"Civilians must be respected and protected," said Stephane Dujarric, chief spokesman for Guterres.

Calling for the immediate, unconditional release of all hostages, Dujarric said the secretary-general also welcomes the continued efforts by the mediators and reiterates his appeal to reach a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.

Palestinian medical and security sources said that at least 21 people were killed and dozens more wounded on Monday when an Israeli airstrike hit a beachfront cafe in Gaza City.

Al-Shifa Hospital said in a brief statement that most of the victims were women and children brought to the hospital following the strike.

Palestinian security officials and eyewitnesses told Xinhua that an Israeli aircraft fired at least one missile at the cafe west of the al-Shati refugee camp.

Record heat grips southern Europe

Southern Europe is facing a wave of extreme weather, with record-setting temperatures across land and sea, according to national meteorological agencies and the European Copernicus program.

On Sunday, the Mediterranean Sea recorded its highest average sea surface temperature ever for June, reaching 26.01 degrees Celsius, French media reported, citing data from the European Copernicus program.

In France, Meteo-France has placed 84 departments on orange alert for a heatwave, with temperatures already exceeding 35 degrees Celsius across three-quarters of the country and locally approaching 40 degrees, the agency said on its official website on Monday.

July 1 is expected to mark the peak of this heatwave, which began on June 19, with maximum temperatures forecast to range between 36 degrees and 40 degrees, and isolated peaks reaching 41 degrees. On that day, 16 departments in France will be placed on red alert.

Trkiye to host 2026 NATO summit in Ankara: Erdogan

Trkiye will host the 2026 NATO leaders' summit in its capital Ankara, the country's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday.

"Trkiye will host the 2026 NATO heads of state and government summit in July, hopefully. We will host NATO leaders in our capital Ankara and prepare the ground for taking very important decisions," Erdogan said at a press conference following a cabinet meeting.

He elaborated on Trkiye's participation in the recent NATO leaders' summit held in The Hague on June 24-25, where he emphasized the need to remove trade restrictions in the defense industry within the alliance framework.

"In the alliance documents, we reflected our will to remove obstacles to trade in defense industry products," Erdogan said, adding that during both closed sessions and bilateral meetings with other leaders, he had underscored the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Erdogan reiterated Trkiye's commitment to actively contributing to NATO's unity and effectiveness, while continuing to raise humanitarian concerns on global platforms.