Craig Foreman and his wife, Lindsay Foreman, were detained while traveling through Iran during a round-the-world motorcycle trip at the beginning of 2025. The couple was convicted in February and sentenced to 10 years in prison on espionage charges, allegations they have consistently denied.

Their son, Joe Bennett, said the family had received reports that Craig Foreman was unexpectedly brought before a judge after being told he was being taken to meet his lawyer. Instead, he was informed that his sentence had been increased by two years.

“We have received extremely concerning reports that Craig has been sentenced to a further two years in prison,” Bennett said in a statement.

According to Bennett, Iranian authorities told his stepfather that the additional sentence had been imposed because he had spoken to members of the media while in custody.

“We understand he was told he was being taken to see his lawyer, but was instead brought before a judge and informed of the additional sentence,” Bennett said.

He added that the family was shocked by the reported decision, saying they believed Craig Foreman had been punished simply for making his situation public.

The reported extension comes as both Craig and Lindsay Foreman continue a prolonged hunger strike launched in May to protest their detention. According to the family, Craig has now gone 68 days without food, while Lindsay has been refusing food for 59 days.

Family members said both have lost significant weight and that their health continues to deteriorate as the protest continues.

“My mum and Craig are eighteen months into an ordeal they should never have known,” Bennett said, describing the additional prison term as a violation of fundamental rights and alleging that Craig Foreman had no opportunity to defend himself before the sentence was extended.

The Foremans entered Iran despite travel advice from the British Foreign Office warning against all travel to the country. Their family and friends had also advised them not to make the journey.

The couple are among a number of Western nationals detained by Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Tehran has repeatedly faced accusations from Western governments of engaging in what critics describe as “hostage diplomacy” by detaining foreign citizens to gain political leverage in disputes with European countries and the United States. Iran has denied such allegations.

The latest development comes a day after Iran criticized a British proposal to outlaw support for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps alongside an Iran-linked organization accused of carrying out attacks against the Jewish community.

Iranian authorities had not publicly responded to the family’s latest claims at the time of publication.

The proposed amnesty law, one of the session’s most closely watched measures, aims primarily to ease severe overcrowding in Lebanon’s prisons. Previous attempts to secure parliamentary approval have repeatedly failed because of deep political and sectarian disagreements over which groups should be included.

Lawmakers are expected to consider the bill alongside a proposal to formally abolish capital punishment, which has not been carried out in Lebanon since 2004.

The amnesty proposal has long been a central demand of the families of Islamist prisoners, including individuals accused of attacking the Lebanese army, taking part in armed confrontations in the northern city of Tripoli and plotting bomb attacks.

Families in the eastern regions of Baalbek and Hermel, strongholds of Hezbollah and its ally the Amal Movement, have also called for amnesty for people convicted or accused of drug-related offenses and theft. The areas have long been associated with illicit cannabis cultivation.

Another group seeking inclusion in the legislation comprises relatives of Lebanese who fled to Israel following Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000. Many left fearing reprisals, particularly from Hezbollah and its supporters, and their families have urged lawmakers to extend amnesty provisions to them.

The competing demands have complicated efforts to achieve political consensus, with lawmakers divided over the scope of any legislation and the categories of prisoners who should benefit.

Lebanon previously enacted a sweeping general amnesty following the end of the 1975-1990 civil war. That measure enabled many former militia leaders and wartime figures to enter political life without facing prosecution for crimes committed during the conflict.

Parliament is also expected to vote on legislation abolishing the death penalty, a move supporters argue would align Lebanon’s legal framework with countries that have ended capital punishment.

The issue has practical implications for international judicial cooperation. Countries that prohibit capital punishment are often unwilling to extradite suspects to jurisdictions where they could face execution, and supporters of the proposal say abolition could remove that obstacle.

The legislative session marks parliament’s first formal sitting since lawmakers voted in March to postpone national elections by two years because of the war between Israel and Hezbollah.

The package of legislation under consideration reflects lawmakers’ efforts to address longstanding judicial, penal and legal issues at a time when Lebanon continues to face political divisions and broader security challenges linked to the conflict along its southern border.

Voting on the proposed measures is expected to continue throughout the two-day parliamentary session.

Speaking at a public event in Sao Paulo state on Monday, Lula responded to Trump’s announcement that the United States would reinstate a blockade of Iranian ports on the Strait of Hormuz and levy a 20% charge on cargo transported through the strategic waterway.

Trump said the proposed fee would help cover the costs of maintaining security and keeping the strait open for international shipping following renewed tensions with Iran.

Lula rejected the proposal, arguing that charging commercial vessels for passage through one of the world’s most important maritime routes would contradict the United States’ longstanding position against piracy.

He said the United States had historically fought piracy and should not now assume a role that resembled the practice it had opposed.

The Brazilian leader also warned that renewed instability in the Gulf was contributing to higher prices for fuel and essential food products in Brazil, including beans, rice, tomatoes and onions, increasing pressure on consumers.

The latest comments come as fighting involving the United States and Iran has reignited after a temporary easing of tensions under an interim agreement reached in June.

Iran had restricted shipping linked to its ports in the Strait of Hormuz after U.S. and Israeli military operations earlier this year. Those restrictions were eased following the interim agreement, but Trump has pledged to restore the blockade after renewed hostilities.

The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most strategically important maritime chokepoints, carrying a significant share of global crude oil and natural gas shipments. Any disruption to navigation through the waterway has the potential to affect international energy markets and shipping costs.

Brazil has sought to cushion the domestic impact of higher oil prices. Lula said revenue generated from a 12% tax on crude oil exports, introduced in March, was being used to help offset rising fuel costs.

The 80-year-old leftist leader is seeking a fourth presidential term in Brazil’s elections scheduled for October, with inflation and living costs expected to remain central issues in the campaign.

The fires, which began on Sunday, spread rapidly through the Fontainebleau forest, a UNESCO-designated biosphere reserve, as northern France endured another intense heatwave. The Seine-et-Marne fire department said the burned area exceeded 1,900 hectares by Tuesday morning, adding that the figure was expected to rise as the fires continued to spread.

Paul-Edouard Laurain, spokesperson for the Seine-et-Marne departmental fire and rescue service, said around 850 firefighters were working to contain the fires during the day.

The first blaze expanded quickly, consuming nearly 1,200 hectares by Monday afternoon, according to Interior Minister Laurent Nunez. A second fire later broke out and destroyed about 100 hectares, prompting the evacuation of around 1,000 residents in and around Fontainebleau.

Authorities said one of two people arrested in connection with the fires was an 18-year-old man with no prior criminal record. A source close to the investigation said he was detained with soot on his hands and carrying a lighter.

Officials are investigating whether the fires were deliberately set. Nunez said investigators identified around 10 separate ignition points within a one-kilometer area, a pattern he said suggested the possibility of intentional arson.

The scale of the emergency prompted an unprecedented aerial firefighting response in the greater Paris region. Authorities deployed four Canadair water-bombing aircraft, two Dash planes and three helicopters, with rescue officials reporting 187 aerial water drops during Monday’s operations.

Although firefighting efforts continued overnight with around 600 personnel rotating on the ground, rescue commander Jean-Marc Sicard said weather conditions remained unfavorable and the fire was still advancing despite brief periods of reduced activity.

The wildfires disrupted transport during one of France’s busiest holiday travel periods. Sections of the A6 motorway linking Paris with southeastern France were closed, while railway infrastructure damaged by the fire temporarily halted high-speed train services between Paris and Lyon before repairs allowed operations to resume.

Residents and local farmers joined emergency efforts by transporting water in tractors and making private water supplies available to firefighters. Some homeowners evacuated their properties but later returned to assist rescue crews.

President Emmanuel Macron said all available national resources had been mobilized to combat what he described as an exceptionally large wildfire.

France has experienced its third heatwave in less than three months, with multiple wildfires breaking out across the country in recent weeks. Scientists have linked the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme heat and wildfire conditions to human-induced climate change.

Official figures show more than 2,000 excess deaths were recorded during France’s June heatwave, with a further 300 linked to unusually high temperatures in late May.

Civil security authorities said wildfires have burned about 25,000 hectares across France since the beginning of the year, roughly double the area affected during the same period in 2025. Forecasts indicated high temperatures would persist through Bastille Day celebrations on Tuesday, maintaining elevated wildfire risks across the country.

Police in the Philippines said the landslide, triggered by heavy rainfall intensified by the approaching typhoon, struck the southern island of Mindanao, killing at least five people and leaving six others missing. The fatalities came as governments across the western Pacific stepped up emergency measures ahead of the storm’s arrival.

In Taiwan, authorities evacuated more than 1,000 residents, most of them from the mountainous eastern county of Hualien, where officials were also monitoring two barrier dams amid concerns over flooding and landslides.

The Central Weather Administration (CWA) said Typhoon Bavi was carrying maximum sustained winds of 162 kph (100 mph) with gusts reaching about 198 kph on Friday. While the storm had weakened from super typhoon status after crossing Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands earlier in the week, forecasters said it remained a major threat because of its unusually large wind field.

CWA forecaster Wang Ping-hsiang said environmental conditions were expected to weaken the system further, but warned that Taipei, New Taipei, Keelung and Yilan would likely experience the strongest impacts, while mountainous areas in central and northern Taiwan were forecast to receive the heaviest rainfall.

The agency said Bavi’s wind radius had expanded to about 380 km (240 miles), making it the largest typhoon to affect Taiwan in more than 30 years. Authorities warned the storm could bring up to one metre of rain in some areas.

Schools and businesses were closed across northern and eastern Taiwan, including in the capital Taipei, while hundreds of domestic and international flights were cancelled as residents rushed to complete storm preparations.

In the northern port city of Keelung, shopkeepers stocked food supplies, reinforced storefronts with sandbags and taped windows after authorities urged residents to prepare for severe weather.

“They’re saying it’s going to be huge; of course that’s scary, right?” grocery store owner Chang Shih-huo, 76, told AFP, adding that his family had stocked up on instant noodles, bread and other essentials before expecting to close the shop as conditions deteriorated.

Restaurant owner Penny Pan said stronger preparations reflected expectations of unusually powerful winds. “In the past we never used sandbags to prepare for typhoons. But this time they’re forecasting Force 10 gusts, so the captains and fishermen have all been saying we need to be better prepared,” she told AFP.

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te urged residents in areas expected to bear the brunt of the storm to remain on high alert. Authorities said more than 20,000 troops, along with machinery, equipment and vehicles, had been placed on standby for emergency response operations.

Across the East China Sea, Japan’s remote Sakashima islands also prepared for the approaching storm. Some schools and offices were closed as weather officials warned of high waves, strong winds and possible landslides.

Masaru Nakamura, who works at a hotel on Miyako Island, said workers had secured outdoor objects with protective nets as weather conditions steadily worsened. In Okinawa’s capital, Naha, water sports operator Koki Ohama said weekend reservations had been cancelled because of the approaching typhoon.

After passing near Taiwan and Japan’s southwestern islands, Bavi is forecast to make landfall in eastern China over the weekend.

The storm approaches as parts of southern and central China are already recovering from severe weather that left at least 39 people dead, caused dozens of rivers to overflow and led to the bursting of a reservoir dam earlier this week.

Scientists have said warmer ocean temperatures can strengthen tropical cyclones and increase atmospheric moisture, resulting in heavier rainfall. The European Union’s Copernicus Marine Service said last week that the world’s oceans recorded their hottest June on record, while the return of the El Nino climate pattern this year is also contributing to warmer Pacific Ocean surface temperatures.

The Jordanian Armed Forces said its air defense systems intercepted and destroyed the incoming missiles before they could reach their intended destinations, adding that debris fell in several areas but caused no casualties or material damage.

The military said it would not permit any violation of Jordanian airspace, regardless of the source of the attack, reaffirming its commitment to protecting the kingdom’s sovereignty and the safety of its citizens.

Earlier in the day, government spokesperson Mohammad Al-Momani said air raid sirens had been activated after missiles launched from Iran entered Jordanian airspace. He said the projectiles were intercepted by the country’s air defense systems.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had fired 10 ballistic missiles at what they described as a U.S. “command-and-control center in West Asia” and the Al-Azraq air base in Jordan. The Guards warned that if the United States carried out further attacks, other American military facilities in the region would also be targeted.

The missile launches came on the second consecutive day of exchanges between Iran and the United States, following multiple U.S. strikes on Iranian targets. The renewed hostilities have added pressure to an already fragile ceasefire and heightened concerns over security around the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

Thursday’s interceptions marked the first time Jordan has publicly announced shooting down Iranian missiles since June 11, when the military said it intercepted 20 missiles after Iran said it had targeted an American command center in Jordan in retaliation for U.S. strikes.

The Al-Azraq area hosts a Jordanian air base that has previously been used by U.S., German, Belgian and French forces during operations against the Islamic State militant group.

Jordan has consistently maintained that it does not host foreign military bases. Officials say military personnel from partner countries are deployed at some Jordanian army facilities under bilateral cooperation and training agreements rather than permanent basing arrangements.

In April, the Jordanian military said that 281 Iranian missiles and drones had been launched toward the kingdom since the regional conflict began on Feb. 28. According to the military, 261 of those projectiles were intercepted, while authorities reported that 30 people were injured in the attacks and have since been discharged from hospital.

Officials condemned the violence and urged citizens not to obstruct recruitment officers, warning that such incidents risk serving Russian interests at a time when Ukraine remains engaged in a prolonged war.

According to the Lviv region’s territorial recruitment center, the confrontation began after conscription officers detained a man suspected of evading mandatory military service and took him to a local draft office. Another group of recruitment officers remained at the scene, where they were confronted by an increasingly hostile crowd.

The recruitment center said the group surrounded the military vehicle, behaved aggressively, caused significant damage and ultimately overturned it. Authorities appealed to the public to cooperate with recruitment personnel and police, stressing that Russia remained Ukraine’s only enemy and cautioning against what they described as enemy provocations.

Videos circulating on social media showed dozens of people surrounding the vehicle, shouting “shame” and recording the incident on their mobile phones.

Lviv regional governor condemned the attack, telling residents that Ukraine had only one enemy. Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovy said the incident could quickly become a tool for hostile propaganda, arguing that Russia sought to encourage internal divisions within Ukrainian society. He added that anyone found to have broken the law should be held accountable.

The incident highlights mounting strains surrounding Ukraine’s mobilization system more than four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022. Mandatory military service for men aged 25 and older has become one of the country’s most contentious domestic issues, with public debate focusing on who should be called up and how recruitment should be conducted.

Violence against recruitment officers was rare during the early stages of the war but has increased as the conflict has continued and public fatigue has grown.

According to figures reported by Interfax-Ukraine, police recorded five attacks against conscription officers in 2022. That number rose to 341 last year, while authorities have already reported more than 100 such incidents in 2026.

Last month, Ukraine’s defense minister announced plans for more flexible military contracts for conscripts following public criticism of the existing system, under which many recruits face indefinite periods of military service.

The latest confrontation in Lviv underscores the challenges Ukrainian authorities face in maintaining troop levels while seeking to preserve public support for mobilization during the continuing conflict with Russia.

The latest figures come as southern and central China face heavy rainfall and flooding, while a super typhoon is forecast to approach the country’s eastern provinces later this week.

According to state news agency Xinhua, 26 of the confirmed deaths were linked to the collapse of the Liulan Reservoir dam, where seven people remain unaccounted for.

Floodwaters had largely receded by Wednesday in Liulan village, but homes and streets remained covered in thick mud as residents and emergency crews began recovery operations.

Rescue teams continued efforts to reach isolated communities, using large drones to transport food and other essential supplies to people stranded across the swollen river after floodwaters cut off access.

Earlier this week, state broadcaster CCTV aired footage showing water surging through the collapsed concrete sections of the reservoir dam as rescue workers wearing life jackets carried out operations using inflatable boats.

Residents were seen clearing debris and salvaging damaged belongings from their homes, with some using excavators to remove mud and destroyed household items left behind by the floodwaters.

The floods are part of a broader spell of extreme weather affecting southern and central China, where persistent heavy rainfall has triggered flooding and disrupted communities across several areas.

Authorities continue search and rescue operations for those still missing while recovery efforts are underway in the hardest-hit communities.

The appeal aims to provide humanitarian assistance to 1.3 million people over the next six months as rescue efforts transition to recovery operations in areas hardest hit by the June 24 earthquakes.

U.N. humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said donors had already begun contributing to the relief effort and thanked countries providing assistance. He said the funding was needed to address urgent humanitarian needs created by the disaster.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil used the U.N. meeting to call for the release of Venezuelan state assets frozen abroad, arguing the funds should be made available to support reconstruction.

Gil said accounts belonging to the Venezuelan government remained blocked in several countries as a result of sanctions, specifically referring to gold held in Britain and financial assets frozen by the United States.

The United States has already suspended a number of economic sanctions on Venezuela for four months to facilitate humanitarian relief operations.

Washington imposed broad economic sanctions on Venezuela beginning in 2019 as part of its policy toward the government of former President Nicolas Maduro, whom it regarded as illegitimate. Relations have since improved following the removal of Maduro from power in January, with the Trump administration backing interim President Delcy Rodriguez and gradually easing sanctions, including measures intended to support the development of Venezuela’s oil sector.

The United Nations estimates the earthquakes caused approximately $6.7 billion in damage, equivalent to about 6% of Venezuela’s gross domestic product. Even before the disaster, the country had faced years of economic hardship that weakened infrastructure and public health services.

Commercial flights to Caracas remain disrupted after the capital’s international airport sustained damage during the earthquakes.

Government figures updated on Tuesday put the death toll at 3,685, with nearly 17,000 people injured. Authorities said almost 18,000 people had been left homeless after residential buildings collapsed, particularly in the coastal city of La Guaira.

International search-and-rescue teams have largely concluded efforts to locate survivors, shifting their focus to recovering victims’ bodies. Families, however, continue searching through the rubble in hopes of finding missing relatives.

In La Guaira’s Caraballeda district, residents searched damaged neighborhoods for food, water and other essential supplies while relying on aid donations. Nearby, excavators continued clearing debris from collapsed apartment buildings as relatives waited for news of missing family members.

The June 24 earthquakes measured magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, making them among the most destructive seismic events to strike Venezuela in recent decades and prompting a large-scale international humanitarian response.

The Kathmandu District Court found Rayamajhi guilty of offences against the state, fraud and organized crime, court information officer Shiva Khatiwada said. Khand was convicted as an accomplice in the same case, which involved a broader network accused of exploiting people seeking opportunities to migrate abroad.

In total, the court convicted at least 15 defendants in connection with what has become widely known in Nepal as the fake Bhutanese refugee scam. Seven other defendants were acquitted, Khatiwada told AFP.

According to the prosecution’s case, those involved collected large sums of money from Nepali citizens by promising to present them as eligible Bhutanese refugees, enabling them to qualify for international resettlement programs that had already ended. The promised relocation never materialized, leaving hundreds of victims without either migration opportunities or the money they had paid, according to Nepali media reports cited in the source material.

The fraudulent operation emerged after the closure of an international third-country resettlement initiative that had relocated tens of thousands of Bhutanese refugees from camps in Nepal. Investigators allege the accused exploited public awareness of that earlier program by falsely claiming they could still secure overseas resettlement through fabricated refugee documentation.

The case has its roots in a decades-long refugee crisis involving the Lhotshampa, an ethnic Nepali community from Bhutan. More than 100,000 ethnic Nepalis fled Bhutan during the early 1990s after policies introduced by the Himalayan kingdom made national dress compulsory and restricted the use of the Nepali language.

The Nepali-speaking Lhotshampa were classified as immigrants and stripped of citizenship rights after Bhutan’s “One Nation, One People” policy was introduced in 1985. Many subsequently settled in refugee camps in eastern Nepal while diplomatic efforts sought a resolution to their status.

After years of negotiations failed to secure large-scale repatriation to Bhutan, an international third-country resettlement program operated between 2007 and 2018. The majority of refugees were resettled in the United States, while thousands of others moved to countries including Canada, Australia, New Zealand and several European nations.

Authorities say the criminal scheme only began after that internationally supported resettlement process had concluded. The accused allegedly targeted Nepali citizens by claiming they could still gain access to overseas relocation through false refugee identities, despite the official program having already closed.

Nepali police launched the investigation after several alleged victims filed complaints, leading to the first arrests in March 2023. The investigation subsequently expanded into one of the country’s highest-profile corruption and fraud cases because of the involvement of senior political figures and former government officials.

Tuesday’s ruling represents the latest judicial milestone in the case, with those convicted expected to learn their sentences when the Kathmandu District Court reconvenes on July 13.