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The US Supreme Court sides with Donald Trump in that the president of the United States, no matter who that person is, is entitled to “presumptive immunity” for official acts in office. A move that further delays his trial for trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election. The United States continues pushing for an Israel-Hamas peace plan involving regional intermediaries Egypt and Qatar. The far-right wins big in French elections and liberals in the U.S. are worried about their candidate’s poor debate performance and consequences it might have for the party. Hungary takes over the EU presidency, we’ll get an update from Kyiv. Heavy rains are wreaking havoc in Europe and South Asia as a hurricane approaches the Caribbean. Plus, is World War III inevitable?

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islamabad — A group of independent experts from the United Nations demanded Monday the immediate and unconditional release of Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan, asserting that his imprisonment is arbitrary and violates international laws. The Geneva-based Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, which reports to the U.N. Human Rights Council, published the opinion, saying that Pakistani authorities have “no legal basis” for Khan’s detention. The five-member group pointed out that the imprisonment of the 71-year-old former Pakistani leader violated at least a dozen articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. “The Working Group requests the government of Pakistan to take the steps necessary to remedy the situation of Mr. Khan without delay and bring it into conformity with the relevant international norms,” it said. Khan was convicted and sentenced to three years in August 2023 for alleged corrupt practices after a trial that he and independent legal experts declared replete with due process violations. Three days later, the Election Commission of Pakistan disqualified him from running for office for five years. The conviction was related to his alleged failure to report and disclose gifts received during his time as prime minister in the so-called Toshakhana case. Toshakhana — which literally means “treasure house” — is a government department where gifts received by Pakistani leaders during foreign state visits are stored and displayed. The U.N. group determined that the prosecution was not grounded in law from the outset, and that Khan’s unlawful detention “appears to have been intended to disqualify him from running for political office." The opinion was dated March 25 but made public only Monday. The experts concluded that “the appropriate remedy would be to release Mr. Khan immediately and accord him an enforceable right to compensation and other reparations.” Khan, a philanthropist, politician and former cricket star, has been in jail since last August. He served as the prime minister of Pakistan from 2018 to April 2022, when an opposition-led parliamentary no-confidence vote ousted him from power. Pakistani authorities, allegedly acting on behalf of the country’s powerful military, have filed numerous lawsuits against the ousted leader, accusing him of murder, sedition, graft and other crimes. Khan denies the allegations as frivolous and an attempt to keep him from power. He is the head of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or PTI, rated as the most popular political party in the South Asian nation of about 245 million people. The experts noted that they had reached out to the Pakistani government through regular communication procedures to clarify the legal provisions justifying Khan’s detention and its compatibility with the state’s obligations under relevant international treaties. “The working group regrets that it did not receive a response from the government to the present communication,” they stated. Pakistani officials did not immediately respond to the U.N. findings. The U.N. panel has the authority to investigate and issue legal opinions about alleged cases of arbitrarily imposed deprivation of liberty. Its opinions are not legally binding, but they hold significant reputational weight. Khan’s party hailed the group’s conclusions and renewed its demand for Khan’s immediate release. “The international silence has finally broken on the illegal incarceration of Imran Khan,” said Zulfi Bukhari, adviser to Khan and a PTI spokesperson. “The international condemnation of the manner in which the government of Pakistan illegally stripped Mr. Khan of his freedom and rights has echoed from the U.S. to the U.N. ... and now the Working Group [is] shining a light on it as a blatant effort to interfere with his intentions to run for political office,” Bukhari stated. In the lead-up to Pakistan’s February 2024 general elections, PTI candidates were arrested, tortured and intimidated into leaving the party. Authorities blocked and disrupted PTI campaign rallies, and the party was deprived of its iconic cricket bat symbol in a controversial move, forcing its candidates to run as independents. Just days before the February 8 election, Khan was convicted in three more cases and sentenced to an additional 10 years, 14 years and seven years, respectively. He blamed the military for the crackdown on his party and vote manipulations and mobile phone and internet shutdowns on election day — charges the election commission and the military denied. Despite the restrictions, independents aligned with PTI won the most directly elected seats, 92, but were short of a simple majority needed to form the government. Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 368-7 to urge a “full and independent investigation of claims of interference or irregularities” in Pakistan’s election. Islamabad rejected the probe call as an interference in the country’s internal affairs, saying the U.S. congressional resolution stemmed from “an incomplete understanding of the political situation and electoral process” in Pakistan.

baghdad, iraq — Iraqi police announced Monday the arrest of three suspected members of a militant group accused of arson attacks in the country's north.  The announcement comes at a time of heightened tension in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, where the Turkish army is conducting operations against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is listed as a "terrorist" group by Ankara and several Western allies.  The region is also scheduled to hold much-delayed elections in October.  The fires in 2023 and 2024 struck markets and shopping centers in the cities of Kirkuk, Irbil and Dohuk, Iraqi interior ministry spokesperson Moqdad Miri said during a news conference, adding that the suspects made "confessions."  One suspect was arrested at the end of May and "chemical products" used to start fires were found in his vehicle, Miri said.  "The entity responsible for execution ... is the PKK organization, a banned organization," he added.  The objective was to "harm the commercial interests of a country with which they are in direct opposition," as well as "to impact the security and economic situation" of the autonomous Kurdistan region, he added.  In a statement, the PKK's political bureau "rejected" what it said were "baseless allegations."  It called on "the Iraqi state and the ministry of the interior to act responsibly in the face of directives coming from Turkish intelligence" and to "identify the real perpetrators" of the fires.  Strained ties   The PKK, which has fought a decadeslong insurgency against the Turkish state, has a presence in northern Iraq, as does Turkey, which has operated from several dozen military bases there against the Kurdish group.  Turkey's military operations, which sometimes take place deep inside Iraqi territory, have frequently strained bilateral ties.  During the joint conference, a senior official from Kurdistan's interior ministry, Hemin Mirany, revealed the identity of two of the suspects, saying that one belonged to the local peshmerga armed forces.  The other suspect was an "officer in the anti-terrorist services of Sulaymaniyah," Kurdistan's second city, Mirany said.  The Kurdish official said the two men were "recruited" by the PKK and were "trained by fighters coming from Turkey and Syria in particular."  The three suspects were presented at the conference wearing yellow prison outfits, kneeling, blindfolded and handcuffed with their hands behind their backs.  Officials in both Turkey and Irbil, the capital of the Kurdistan region, have accused the PKK of benefiting from support within the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), a major political party that controls the security services in Sulaymaniyah.  Responding to a request for comment, a PUK spokesperson, Saadi Ahmed Pire, told AFP the anti-terrorism officer arrested had been "immediately removed" eight months ago when federal authorities first warned them that the individual had been accused.  In March, following a visit by senior Turkish officials to Iraq, Baghdad quietly listed the PKK as a "banned organization" — though Ankara demands that the Iraqi government do more in the fight against the militant group.

Russian attacks on Ukrainians cities, including the capitol Kyiv continued through the weekend. Hungary's nationalist government, which has a history of blocking or delaying funds and arms for Ukraine took it’s turn Monday in the rotation as president of the European Union. Campaigners in Georgia are seeking to highlight past atrocities committed by invading Russian troops. Ten Ukrainian civilians return to Kyiv after being held for years in Russia. A celebrity chef in America is becoming a hero for Ukraine.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

France’s far-right has never been closer to power after winning the first round of snap legislative elections Sunday. It’s a stunning result that could see the far-right taking control of the government — and a far-right prime minister ahead of the Paris Olympics — if it wins big in the second round of voting July 7. The left and center are now calling for an alliance against extremism in one of Europe’s largest countries. Lisa Bryant reports from Paris.

State Department — The United States is "determined" to prevent military conflict between Israel and Hezbollah fighters based in southern Lebanon from escalating into an all-out war, America’s top diplomat said Monday.  While acknowledging “forces of momentum ... may be leading” toward a war between Israel and Hezbollah, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, “None of the main actors actually want a war.”  “I don't believe Hezbollah actually wants a war,” he told an audience at the Washington-based Brookings Institution. “Israel doesn't want a war, although they may well be prepared to engage in one if necessary. ...  “Lebanon certainly doesn't want a war because it would be the leading victim in such a war,” he added. "And I don’t believe that Iran wants a war, in part because it wants to make sure that Hezbollah is not destroyed and that it can hold onto Hezbollah as a card if it needs it."    Blinken’s comments come as Israel signals that a military "downshift" in Gaza would allow its forces to allocate more resources to addressing the threat posed by the Iran-backed Hezbollah on the northern front.  As Blinken spoke, pro-Palestinian protesters outside the Brookings Institution could be heard through his microphone.  Blinken renewed his call on Hamas' leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, to accept a U.S.-proposed Gaza cease-fire and said Washington is “determined not to be outpaced” in Gaza's post-war reconstruction.  “We know that there are three things that are unacceptable for Gaza's future: an Israeli occupation; Hamas perpetuating its leadership; or chaos, anarchy, lawlessness, which is what we're seeing in big parts of Gaza today.”  In Jerusalem, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday said Israel is “advancing to the end of the phase of eliminating” Hamas' military capabilities in the Gaza Strip, nearly nine months into Israel’s war with the militants.  Blinken also defended U.S. President Joe Biden following Thursday night's presidential debate with former president Donald Trump, which many deemed a disappointing performance by Biden. Blinken said that U.S. allies “like the choices and the policies" Biden is pursuing.  China  In his foreign policy speech on Monday, Blinken also addressed China.  “I think China's objectives are clear. Over time, over the coming decades, they would like to be the leading country, the dominant country in the international system, militarily, economically, diplomatically, that's clear,” said Blinken.  While the U.S. has stated that its goal is to responsibly manage competition with China, the government in Beijing has refuted this, saying the relationship between the world’s two largest economies should not be defined by competition.  Chinese officials have said that “major-country competition” provides “no answer to the problems in the U.S. or the challenges in the world.”  The U.S. will host a NATO summit in Washington from July 9 to July 11, with a focus on European security amid Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine.  Four countries from the Indo-Pacific region — Australia, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand — are set to attend the summit.  Secretary Blinken warned that while China is not directly providing arms to Russia, its supply of critical materials has helped Moscow sustain its war on Ukraine, posing serious repercussions for European security. Blinken said that 70% of Russia's imported machine tools and 90% of its microelectronics come from China.  Chinese officials have rejected what they describe as Washington's "smear," asserting that Beijing regulates the export of dual-use articles in accordance with its laws and regulations. 

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

copenhagen, denmark — Sweden launched a groundbreaking new law Monday, allowing grandparents to step in and get paid parental leave while taking care of their grandchildren for up to three months of a child’s first year. The development comes after the Swedish parliament, the 349-seat Riksdag, approved last December the government’s proposal on transfer of parental allowance. This comes 50 years after the Scandinavian country became the first in the world to introduce paid parental leave for fathers and not just mothers. Under the law, parents can transfer some of their generous parental leave allowance to the child's grandparents. A parent couple can transfer a maximum of 45 days to others while a single parent can transfer 90 days, according to the Social Insurance Agency, a government agency that administers the social insurance system. This Scandinavian country of 10 million, known for its taxpayer-funded social welfare system, has over generations built a society where citizens are taken care of from cradle to grave. In Sweden, you are entitled to be fully off work when your child is born. Parental benefit is paid out for 480 days, or about 16 months, per child. Of those, the compensation for 390 days is calculated based on a person's full income while for the remaining 90 days, people get a fixed amount of 180 kronor ($17) per day. There are also other benefits for parents in Sweden — they can also work reduced hours until the child is 8 years old, while government employees can get those reduced hours until the child turns 12. Alexandra Wallin of the agency told Swedish broadcaster SVT the new law will "give greater opportunities." Still, the rules for grandparents, she said, are the same as for ordinary parental allowance and require a person be insured for parental allowance, which most people in Sweden are. There are conditions for parental allowance — a retiree can also take parental leave, for example, in which case the compensation is based on the person’s pension. A person may not look for work or study during the time they receive parental allowance. In the central town of Avesta, about 140 kilometers (87 miles) northwest of Stockholm, Ritva Kärkkäinen told SVT she is considering taking time off work to care for her grandchildren. In 1974, Sweden replaced gender-specific maternity leave with parental leave for both parents. At the time, the so-called parental insurance enabled parents to take six months off work per child — with each parent entitled to half of the days. However, after that move, only 0.5% of the paid parental leave was taken by fathers, according to the Social Insurance Agency. Today, fathers in Sweden take around 30% of the paid parental leave, the agency said.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

Former army chief earns nearly 56% of vote to earn second 5-year term