International
HAPPENING NOW: Shops, businesses shut as protesters gather in South Africa over xenophobia
Many shops and businesses remained closed across parts of South Africa on Tuesday as protesters mobilized for anti-immigrant demonstrations, highlighting deep tensions over immigration, jobs, and alleged crime linked to foreign nationals.
Protesters, often associated with groups such as March and March, gathered in cities including Durban, Johannesburg, Boksburg, and other areas, demanding that undocumented migrants leave the country. Some marches featured participants wrapped in South African flags and carrying sticks, chanting slogans like “Mabahambe” (“They must go”). A key flashpoint has been the self-imposed June 30 deadline set by some activist groups for foreigners without valid documentation to depart.
Business owners, particularly those running foreign-owned spaza shops, informal stalls, and small enterprises, shuttered their premises in anticipation of potential unrest. In areas like Boksburg and Kwathema, many shops stayed closed for the day, with some owners citing fears of vandalism, looting, or confrontations. Reports emerged of protesters moving between businesses to inspect worker documentation and urging the dismissal of non-South African employees.
While many demonstrations proceeded under heavy police presence and remained largely peaceful, isolated incidents of intimidation, vandalism, and demands for foreign nationals to vacate properties were noted. In previous weeks and related actions, some immigrant traders abandoned their stalls after threats, with communities turning into “ghost towns” in affected neighborhoods.
Protesters voiced frustrations over what they perceive as foreigners taking local jobs, contributing to crime, and straining public services. “People are not working, the jobs are being taken by illegal foreigners. It’s not fair,” one demonstrator told reporters in Durban.
Critics, including human rights groups and some analysts, have labeled the actions as xenophobic, noting that migrants are often scapegoated despite limited evidence for broad claims. Many affected business owners, including those legally residing in South Africa, expressed fear for their safety and livelihoods.
The South African government has distanced itself from the June 30 deadline, with authorities deploying police to maintain order. The situation continues to evolve amid broader debates on immigration policy ahead of local elections.
This latest wave of protests reflects recurring tensions in South Africa, where economic hardship and competition in the informal retail sector have fueled anti-foreigner sentiment in recent years.
International
Democrats Win US midterm elections
Trump acknowledges the Iran war, and the rising cost of living, were factors in his Republican Party’s defeat – as the White House posts on social media: “Trump is still your president”
US President Donald Trump
The Democrats win the Senate and the House in US midterm elections, taking control of Congress for the rest of Donald Trump’s tenure.
Voters in conservative bastions who had propelled the president to his second term in office just two years ago swung dramatically toward Democrats, fueled by deep frustration over the unpopular war with Iran, anxiety over the high cost of living and anger at Trump’s stewardship of the country.
Trump acknowledges the Iran war, and the rising cost of living, were factors in his Republican Party’s defeat – as the White House posts on social media: “Trump is still your president”

In Texas, the biggest Republican state, Democrats ended a decades-long losing streak in seismic fashion, winning a Senate seat and ousting three-term Governor Greg Abbott.Kansas elected its first Democratic senator since the Great Depression nearly a century ago, and in South Carolina, a state that Trump carried by nearly 18 points in 2024, Democrats turned aside his hand-picked Senate candidate.The results will usher in a new era of divided government in Washington, following two years in which the Republican-controlled Congress rarely exercised its power to rein in Trump.
International
JUST IN: Plane Crash Near Trump’s Florida Home Kills All 9 Aboard
A private Learjet 60 crashed into a residential neighborhood in Palm Beach County, Florida, on Sunday afternoon, killing all nine people on board, officials confirmed.
The aircraft, flying from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas, went down around 12:50 p.m. local time near Cresthaven/Greenacres, roughly 7–11 kilometers (about 4–7 miles) from President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort.
It struck near a busy roadway at the entrance to a mobile-home community, creating a large fireball and leaving a crater in the road. Debris was scattered across a wide area, and nearby power and water lines were damaged.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called the crash a “horrific tragedy” and confirmed there were no survivors among the nine occupants.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis described the impact as “cataclysmic,” saying it “looked like a missile going down.” No injuries were reported among people on the ground. About 600 residents of a nearby mobile-home park were evacuated.
Trump had been at Mar-a-Lago earlier Sunday but departed on Air Force One from the nearby airport about an hour before the crash.
The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation, with support from the Federal Aviation Administration.
Early reports noted the crew had discussed moderate turbulence and ice shortly before the steep descent.
International
Tens of thousands protest against Narendra Modi regime in Delhi
The protest was one of the largest shows of opposition strength in years, taking place amid a wider resurgence of anti-government dissent which has been systematically crushed over the 12 years of the Modi regime.
Thousands of opposition supporters have gathered in Delhi as protests against the Narendra Modi government continue to gather momentum.
Led by the Congress party, India’s opposition alliance has brought together supporters from across the country, amid growing anger over a large-scale revision of the country’s voter roll that has seen 130 million names erased.
Opposition leaders have alleged the process gives Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) an electoral advantage, and have called for the resignation and impeachment of the chief election commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar.
The BJP has denied the claims.
Addressing tens of thousands of party workers and supporters, the opposition leader Rahul Gandhi said Kumar had “carried out the biggest crime. He has tried to silence the voice of people, strangulate our country.”
Gandhi said the opposition, united under the acronym India (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance), would not let “democracy be finished in the country” and warned Modi: “You can’t run anywhere.”
The protest was one of the largest shows of opposition strength in years, taking place amid a wider resurgence of anti-government dissent which has been systematically crushed over the 12 years of the Modi regime.
The Guardian Uk
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