Iran says deal on Strait of Hormuz is close but not enough to open the waterway

South Korean investigators have launched a major investigation into the National Election Commission after allegations that officials altered voter turnout figures during the June 3 local elections. Authorities searched the commission’s offices on Thursday as part of a widening probe into what could become one of the country’s most serious election controversies in recent years. The investigation follows widespread problems that disrupted voting on election day. Dozens of polling stations ran out of ballot papers, creating confusion for voters across the country. The shortages occurred during the first nationwide local elections held after President Lee Jae Myung took office last year. The incident sparked public criticism, street protests, and growing demands for greater transparency in the country’s election system. The controversy also forced National Election Commission chief Roh Tae-ak to resign. President Lee responded by ordering a full investigation into the failures that affected the election process. Since then, police and prosecutors have been examining whether the problems were caused by simple mistakes or deliberate misconduct. According to investigators, there is evidence that officials from both the National Election Commission and the Gyeonggi Provincial Election Commission entered false voter turnout figures into the election reporting system. Authorities believe some staff members changed numbers without following the commission’s official approval procedures. Investigators suspect the changes were made to fix earlier reporting mistakes while officials waited for accurate turnout data from polling stations. Instead of correcting the figures through the required process, they allegedly adjusted turnout numbers across several voting locations to make the overall totals appear consistent. Reports suggest one example involved a polling station where officials accidentally recorded 1,000 voters instead of the actual 100. Rather than immediately correcting the mistake, investigators believe the excess figures were temporarily distributed among other polling stations with the expectation that later voter turnout would balance the totals. Authorities are now examining whether similar adjustments were made elsewhere during the election. Under the commission’s regulations, any correction to turnout figures must receive formal approval before being entered into the system. Investigators believe those procedures may have been bypassed in several cases. Officials leading the investigation confirmed that two election workers have already been placed under formal investigation on suspicion of falsifying official electronic records. Authorities are now trying to determine whether the alleged actions were limited to lower level employees or whether senior officials knew about or approved the changes. Analysts say the case has drawn attention to long standing concerns about oversight within South Korea’s election commission. Because the commission operates as an independent constitutional body, critics argue that its internal monitoring and disciplinary systems have not always been strong enough to prevent misconduct. The ballot paper shortages also affected voters directly. Data provided by the commission to lawmakers showed that at least 90 people were unable to cast their ballots because voting papers were unavailable at their polling stations. The controversy has also fueled political tensions. Supporters of former president Yoon Suk Yeol, who is currently in jail while facing trial on insurrection charges, have renewed claims that the country’s elections require closer scrutiny. Some far right groups have repeated allegations of foreign interference despite the absence of verified evidence supporting those claims. In recent weeks, university students have joined demonstrations calling for a complete investigation into the election commission. Protesters are demanding stronger safeguards to protect voting rights and restore public confidence in South Korea’s democratic institutions. As the investigation continues, authorities say they will examine every level of the election process to determine whether any broader misconduct took place.

Indian digital rights activists and student leaders are challenging Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government in the Delhi High Court over the deployment of artificial intelligence-powered mass surveillance during recent youth protests in New Delhi. Student activist Aishe Ghosh filed a petition with the Delhi High Court seeking to declare the police’s mass surveillance of demonstrators unconstitutional. The lawsuit requests the immediate destruction of all personal and biometric data collected during the demonstrations and asks the court to establish clear binding guidelines governing the use of surveillance technologies at public gatherings. The controversy intensified after photographs circulated showing a mobile police surveillance unit, branded “Ikshana” and developed alongside security firm CP Plus, deployed at the main protest site. The vehicle featured telescopic masts providing 360-degree coverage, AI-powered cameras, and real-time facial recognition capabilities that displayed face accuracy metrics to match attendees against law enforcement databases. Furthermore, police officers were documented recording the social media handles of arriving participants. Digital rights organisations, including the Internet Freedom Foundation, have formally requested the Delhi Police Commissioner to delete all biometric data gathered during the events. Advocates emphasise that India currently lacks a dedicated legal framework governing police deployment of facial recognition systems, making such intrusive measures disproportionate and illegal. During court proceedings, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta defended law enforcement actions, arguing that expectations of privacy at a public gathering were misplaced and asserting that the security measures were absolutely necessary in the interest of public order. Delhi Police maintained that the technology was used solely to identify individuals with criminal histories and count crowd size without restricting freedoms. The court challenge continues despite the end of the student demonstrations, which were triggered by widespread examination paper leaks in national competitive tests. The protests culminated in the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and the announcement of a government panel tasked with overhauling the national examination system.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced that Kyiv has delivered fresh peace proposals to American negotiators aimed at ending the conflict with Moscow. He simultaneously warned that Russia intends to use its upcoming parliamentary elections to launch a new, large-scale military mobilisation. Speaking in his nightly address, Zelenskiy stated that the proposals handed to the United States focus on bolstering Ukraine’s defence capabilities, particularly air defence, while urging Washington to exert diplomatic and economic pressure on the Kremlin to halt the war. The movement in negotiations comes as U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner prepare for potential visits to both capitals, following a period where diplomatic efforts had largely stalled. Kyiv continues to press for an immediate ceasefire after nearly four and a half years of fighting, whereas Moscow insists any agreement require Ukraine to permanently cede four claimed regions. Zelenskiy also cited Ukrainian intelligence reports indicating that Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to exploit September’s parliamentary polls to orchestrate a rapid autumn draft. “They are preparing for mobilisation in the autumn, immediately after the imitation of parliamentary elections,” Zelenskiy said, estimating that Moscow aims to draft several hundred thousand additional personnel by the end of the year, alongside ongoing voluntary contract recruitment. The electoral warning follows a decision by Russia’s Supreme Court on Monday to bar the liberal Yabloko party, the country’s sole registered anti-war political group, from contesting the upcoming election. Kremlin officials have denied plans for a mandatory draft, pointing to 200,000 voluntary sign-ups recorded in the first half of the year.

US Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna has backed New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s call for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to be arrested if he enters US jurisdiction under an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court. Khanna said the United States should cooperate with the international court and uphold international law regardless of who is involved. Speaking during an interview on Capitol Hill, the California lawmaker said the US president should enforce ICC arrest warrants for any individual wanted by the court, including both Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin if they were to enter American jurisdiction. He argued that respecting international law is essential to protecting human rights and maintaining a rules based international order. According to Khanna, US authorities should act on such warrants rather than ignoring them. The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in 2024, accusing him of alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity connected to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza following the Hamas attack in October 2023. Israel has strongly rejected the accusations and criticized the court’s decision, maintaining that its military actions were carried out in self defense. Khanna’s remarks come after his recent visit to the occupied West Bank, where he said he was briefly detained by Israeli settlers and members of the Israeli military while visiting a Palestinian village. The congressman suggested the incident had strengthened his views on the importance of accountability and respect for international law. Khanna, who is considered a possible Democratic presidential candidate for the 2028 election, also joked that detaining potential future US presidents was unlikely to improve relations with Washington. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has also been outspoken on the issue. He recently said he had explored whether city authorities could arrest Netanyahu if the Israeli leader visits New York for the United Nations General Assembly later this year. Mamdani later acknowledged that a city mayor does not have the legal authority to carry out such an arrest but argued that the federal government could take action if it chose to do so. Mamdani has publicly stated that he believes anyone facing charges before the International Criminal Court should be held accountable through legal proceedings. His comments have attracted significant attention in the United States, where debate over the Gaza conflict and Washington’s relationship with Israel remains deeply divided. President Donald Trump has firmly rejected any suggestion that Netanyahu could be arrested while visiting the United States. Earlier this week, Trump stated that the Israeli prime minister would not face arrest under any circumstances during his stay in the country, making clear that his administration would not enforce the ICC warrant. Khanna responded by accusing Trump of ignoring international law and failing to prioritize human rights. He argued that refusing to cooperate with the International Criminal Court damages America’s credibility and weakens the international legal system. He also suggested that enforcing the ICC warrant could strengthen Washington’s influence over Israel, particularly after reports that Netanyahu continued military operations in Lebanon despite US pressure to observe a ceasefire. According to Khanna, accountability should apply equally to all leaders regardless of their position or political alliances. He said individuals facing serious allegations before an international court should not expect to travel freely without legal consequences. Netanyahu is expected to travel to Washington next week for talks with President Trump. The meeting will be their first face to face discussion since the United States and Israel carried out joint military strikes against Iran earlier this year. During the visit, Netanyahu is also expected to attend the funeral of Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who was widely regarded as one of Israel’s strongest supporters in the US Congress. The visit is likely to attract international attention as debate continues over the ICC warrant, the war in Gaza and the future of US policy toward Israel.