Israel said on Sunday it has named its first-ever resident ambassador to Slovenia, signalling a diplomatic reset after Ljubljana's change of government.

Ties between Israel and Slovenia had soured under the previous centre-left government of prime minister Robert Golob, which had characterised Israel's military offensive in Gaza as "genocide".

But ties have warmed significantly since conservative Prime Minister Janez Jansa took office.

Israel's foreign ministry announced that Ruth Cohen-Dar -- until now non-resident ambassador to Slovenia and Malta -- will become the country's first permanent envoy in Ljubljana.

The move follows Israel's decision last month to open an embassy in Slovenia.

"The decision to establish the embassy was made after many years of a downturn in relations between Israel and Slovenia, and following the formation of a new government in Slovenia headed by Janez Jansa, a friend of Israel," the ministry said.

Slovenia's new conservative-led government lifted an arms embargo on Israel, scrapped entry bans on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and two of his ministers, and reversed a ban on imports from Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Jansa's government has also removed a Palestinian flag symbolically displayed on the government building since Slovenia recognised Palestinian statehood in 2024.

Israel's far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has cancelled a planned trip to New York next week following calls for his prosecution and plans for protests against his visit, various reports said on Sunday.

Ben-Gvir was expected to lead a ministry delegation to a UN police summit in the city on 7-8 July. Sources in the ministry said it had decided not to attend the event.

This is the second time this month Ben-Gvir has been forced to cancel a trip to the US. The extremist minister had planned to travel to the US for a holiday in June but had difficulties obtaining a visa.

Israeli officials expressed security concerns about activists' plans to protest his visit, as well as potential opposition among New York officials. Pro-Palestine groups staged demonstrations against his visit to the US last year, which triggered violent confrontations between pro-Israel and progressive Jewish groups.

The decision came after human rights groups this week called on federal and state prosecutors to launch criminal investigations into the minister in relation to his alleged involvement in the torture and abuse of Palestinians.

This week, the Hind Rajab Foundation called on the US Department of Justice to arrest and prosecute Ben-Gvir during his visit.

The group said the far-right minister has "used his authority to enact a policy of systematic torture, murder, abuse, and forced displacement" in Palestine.

The foundation also joined forces with the US-based Centre for Constitutional Rights to call on state prosecutors to open a criminal investigation into the minister.

In a letter to New York Attorney-General Letitia James, the rights groups accused Ben-Gvir of enabling acts of torture and abuse against 11 New York residents, including one Palestinian-American and 10 Global Sumud Flotilla activists.

The groups argued that James has the authority to investigate the minister because "a number of New York residents have been harmed by Ben-Gvir’s criminal conduct and because Ben-Gvir may also be engaging in criminal conduct while in New York".

Brad Parker, the centre's associate director of policy, described Ben-Gvir as a "far-right, ultranationalist Israeli politician and hardline Israeli settlement leader" who deploys "extreme racist rhetoric, glorification of violence, and incitement".

More than a dozen Jewish groups had planned to demonstrate alongside pro-Palestine activists at the UN headquarters during Ben-Gvir's visit.

Criminal complaint against Israeli soldier in Italy

The latest developments come as the Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) this week said it had filed a criminal complaint with Italy's public prosecutor against an Israeli soldier for alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity and acts of genocide in Gaza.

It said it had collected visual evidence against Arik Ben Asulin, of the Israeli military's 749th Combat Engineering Battalion, showing him participating in demolitions.

The foundation said social media posts feature "videos of demolitions and photographs of him handling detonation cables. These materials demonstrate not only his direct involvement in the demolition operations, but also his public endorsement of them."

The Brussels-based group said it believes that Ben Asulin is currently in Italy and called on prosecutors to invoke Italy's universal jurisdiction over international crimes.

“The evidence shows that Ben Asulin did not merely witness the destruction - he participated in it and broadcast it with pride," said Natacha Bracq, HRF's head of litigation.

"His actions formed part of a broader policy carried out by the 749th Battalion to erase entire communities and render Gaza uninhabitable."

The foundation has since 2024 pursued legal action against dozens of Israeli soldiers accused of committing war crimes in Gaza.

Three sons of slain Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei prayed beside his coffin and those of four other family members on Sunday, but Mojtaba, the son who succeeded him as Iran's supreme leader, did not make an appearance.

State TV showed Mostafa, Meysam and Masoud Khamenei praying behind the coffins laid out in the vast courtyard of Tehran's Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla, a sprawling religious complex.

Their father, alongside several other members of the family, was killed in an airstrike when the United States and Israel launched a war on Iran on February 28.

The conflict, which raged for several weeks before the sides reached a shaky ceasefire, has caused death and destruction across the region and left Iran's theocratic government, backed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, in power.

In a show of public devotion to the state and revolutionary zeal, the Islamic Republic is staging a week of mass funeral processions for Khamenei, including taking his remains to Shi'ite religious sites in neighbouring Iraq.

After a day lying in state indoors for senior Iranian leaders and foreign officials to visit, Khamenei's coffin was displayed outdoors on Saturday under glass, along with those of his daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law and 14-month-old granddaughter.

NO SIGHTINGS OF MOJTABA

There has still been no public sighting or image released of Mojtaba, said to have been injured in the attack that killed his father and the other family members on February 28, when Israel and the US bombed Iranian targets at the start of the war.

Mojtaba Khamenei's face was disfigured and he suffered a significant injury to one or both legs, people close to his inner circle told news agency Reuters.

One disappointed mourner said she had hoped to see the new supreme leader during the funeral events. "Until the last moment, before the prayer began, I kept telling those around me that I hoped (Mojtaba Khamenei) himself would come. That was our only wish," a young woman wearing makeup and sunglasses told the semi-official Tasnim news agency in an interview.

A ceasefire has suspended the four-month-old war under an agreement with Washington that Iran's authorities say will ultimately bring huge economic benefits, in line with what they describe as a victory over a superpower.

U.S. President Donald Trump told the Axios news website that peace talks had been paused for a week for the events surrounding the funeral.

On Sunday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf prayed behind the coffins. Masoud Khamenei was seen crying and wiping his tears with a keffiyeh – the chequered scarf that is a symbol in Iran of militant revolutionary ideals and solidarity with Palestinians – as an imam recited funeral prayers.

IRANIANS FLOCK TO CENTRAL TEHRAN

Crowds of Iranians, many weeping and some beating their chests, have thronged the Mosalla, including overnight.

The Iranian metro railway network said it had clocked 7 million trips from late on Saturday to Sunday morning as people flocked to the centre.

After what authorities are billing as a massive procession in central Tehran on Monday, the remains will be taken to the seminary city of Qom, the centre of Iran's Shi'ite hierarchy, for ceremonies on Tuesday.

From there the body will be flown to Iraq for ceremonies in the Shi'ite holy ⁠shrine cities of ​Najaf and Kerbala on Wednesday. It will return to Iran on Thursday for another ​procession in Mashhad, to be buried near the tomb of another of the medieval Shi'ite imams.

Authorities plan to mobilise millions of people for big processions over the coming days, offering transport, food and lodging.

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels killed 14 troops in an attack south of the port city of Hodeidah, a military official aligned with the country's internationally-recognised government told AFP news agency on Sunday.

The official said pro-government forces had repelled the attack in Hays district, south of Hodeidah, in "clashes lasting for several hours at dawn on Saturday".

He added "fighting resulted in dead and wounded among (Houthi) ranks," without specifying the number killed in the opposing force.

The Houthis have been at war with the government since 2015 in a conflict that has killed hundreds of thousands of people and triggered a major humanitarian crisis in Yemen.

The rebels control Yemen's capital Sanaa and much of the north, including Hodeidah on Yemen's western Red Sea coast, while the internationally-recognised government holds much of the south.

The fighting between the two sides has largely been frozen since a UN-negotiated truce in 2022.

But on Friday the Houthis threatened airports and vital assets belonging to Saudi Arabia, a key backer of Yemen's Aden-based government.

The rebel group, part of Iran's "axis of resistance" against Israel and the United States, accused the kingdom of trying to stop an Iranian plane from landing.

Herve Renard, who took over from Sabri Lamouchi as Tunisia coach in the middle of the World Cup, announced on Saturday that he was stepping down after just two matches in charge of the Eagles of Carthage.

"My adventure (with Tunisia) has come to an end," the 57-year-old Frenchman posted on Instagram.

"Before I leave, I would like to express my sincere thanks to the Tunisian Football Federation for allowing me to take part in the 2026 World Cup.

"It was an honour to represent Tunisia and to have this unforgettable experience," added Renard, who has guided Zambia and Ivory Coast to Africa Cup of Nations glory.

Renard had been appointed by the federation on 16 June to succeed Lamouchi, who was sacked after Tunisia's 5-1 thrashing by Sweden in their opening match.

But the former Saudi Arabia boss fared no better than his predecessor, overseeing a 4-0 loss to Japan and a 3-1 defeat to the Netherlands in the north Africans' remaining two group matches.

Following Tunisia's elimination, Renard told AFP that he had come "for this World Cup", without specifying whether Tunisia had asked him to extend his contract.

Renard had been set to guide Saudi Arabia through the World Cup but was sacked from his post less than two months before the start of the tournament in North America.

The United States celebrated its 250th birthday on Saturday with parades, flyovers and fireworks to come, as President Donald Trump stamped his mark on the landmark anniversary in a deeply divided nation.

Washington's traditional pyrotechnic display on the National Mall - lined with monuments celebrating the nation's Founding Fathers - has been super-sized, and is being touted as the biggest ever.

Trump organised a program of flyovers and an unusual campaign-style political rally - for July Fourth, which marks the anniversary of the 1776 signing of the Declaration of Independence.

The national holiday comes in the middle of a brutal heat wave, with some 160 million Americans under extreme weather warnings, wreaking havoc with parades, block parties and barbecues in towns and cities across much of the country.

With temperatures in the US capital expected to reach 102F (39C) - and the heat index soaring to 110-115F, the Independence Day parade in Washington was cancelled.

Trump, who turned 80 last month, remains undeterred by the oppressive warmth, and has promised to make a "really long speech - just to show that I can do anything."

Patrick Thompson, a teacher in the Washington suburb of Alexandria, Virginia, said he would enjoy the day - but not at the national fireworks show.

"We still want to celebrate the country and be patriotic and it's exciting," Thompson, a father of two teenagers, told AFP.

"But it's so weird because it's got this... strange mar over it because of Trump and just like the 250 thing that turns out to not be what anyone hoped."

'Renewed attack'

Trump visited the iconic Mount Rushmore monument in South Dakota on Friday for an evening address under the stony gaze of his legendary predecessors George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt.

While he lauded US exceptionalism and praised the country's past leaders, he also said America's identity was under "renewed attack" from domestic "radicals and extremists," saving particular ire for a "resurgence of the communist menace."

It is a theme that the Republican leader has repeatedly hammered home in recent weeks, as the anti-establishment left of the Democratic Party won a string of US primary victories.

On Saturday, Vice President JD Vance took up a similar theme in a speech in New York, urging Americans to "reject the view of your nation that sees only its sins, but not its grace and its greatness."

The deep divisions were on full display near Capitol Hill, where masked men - some of them carrying Confederate flags and others sporting logos of the white supremacist Patriot Front - gathered, shouting, "Reclaim America!"

Pope Leo XIV - the Catholic Church's first US pope, who has sparred with Trump over his immigration crackdown - used the occasion to say that his vision of the American dream includes an inclusive society.

"Defending human life also includes welcoming, protecting and assisting immigrants, whose hopes, sacrifices and contribution have formed part of the history of this country from its very beginning," the Chicago-born pontiff said.

Celebration and reflection

For Americans, the 250th anniversary festivities offer a moment for reflection as well as celebration.

After two and a half centuries of triumphs and tragedies, slavery and freedom, civil war and world wars, multiple surveys indicate a nation divided about where it is and where it's going.

A Quinnipiac University Poll showed 61% of Americans thought the US was not living up to the ideals stated in the Declaration of Independence - though most Republicans think it does, and most Democrats think it doesn't.

Outside Washington, New York is hosting an international parade of tall ships, with flyovers and its own massive fireworks display. Vance spoke there from the deck of the USS Kearsarge.

In Philadelphia, lines formed early despite the heat to see the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence was signed.

For Loselie Weber, who was visiting Washington from Texas, the holiday inspires gratitude.

"As an immigrant - a legal immigrant - I came when I was seven years old, and I've been thankful, very thankful to be able to have the privilege of living here and the freedom that it has offered me," Weber told AFP.

Our live coverage of developments in the Middle East is closed and will be back tomorrow at 9am BST.

Here are the top stories we tracked this evening:

•    Iran's deputy foreign minister issued a "serious warning" over foreign military deployments in the Strait of Hormuz after the UK and France said they would work with Oman to secure the strategic waterway.

•    Iran's ambassador to China insisted Saturday that new fees would be charged to ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz - an idea rejected by Washington - while assuring that "friendly" nations would receive special treatment.

•    Lebanese media have reported fresh Israeli strikes in the south of the country, despite signing a framework agreement with Lebanon last month to end the conflict.

Morocco dispatched a determined Canada 3-0 in the World Cup last 16 on Saturday as Azzedine Ounahi scored twice and the the North Africans ended the co-hosts record run while advancing to the quarter-finals for the second time in a row.

The scoreline flattered Morocco, who were on the back foot for most of the opening period and failed to register an attempt on goal until the 28th minute after Canada had spurned a number of solid chances.

The tame first-half performance caused Morocco's visibly frustrated coach Mohamed Ouahbi to shake his head on the touchline following misplaced passes and needless errors before his players turned things around in the second period.

"It’s a World Cup match and these are difficult games with teams playing for their lives," he said. "We reacted very well in the second half in the second balls and the duels."

"I have to recognise that Canada were impressive - they played a top match. It was no surprise for us but in the second half we were able to profit from the space they left us - that was the key."

Morocco also suffered an early blow when Ismael Saibari, who has scored three goals in the tournament, was forced off due to a hamstring injury and replaced by Soufiane Rahimi in the 22nd minute during a feisty first half in which the referee issued six yellow cards.

The 2022 semi-finalists struggled as an energised Canada came out aggressively from the opening whistle, pushing forward and pressing as Morocco struggled to click into gear. Tani Oluwaseyi nearly gave Canada the lead early on when Morocco turned the ball over with the midfielder driving into the penalty area where he rifled a low shot that Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou saved with his leg.

Fairytale run

It looked like the co-hosts might prolong their fairytale run in the tournament but they paid for failing to convert their early chances when Morocco snatched the lead five minutes after the restart. Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi played a low pass from the right-hand side during a well-worked free kick routine to the unmarked Ounahi, who side-footed into the bottom corner of the net from 25 yards.

That goal took the air out of a Canada side who had to do without their talisman Alphonso Davies, who has struggled with fitness issues throughout a tournament in which they notched their first point and win at a World Cup.

Canada Prime Minister Mark Carney congratulated the team on X for their historic run while Marsch praised his players for the way they took the match to Morocco. "We have to be in these situations more and more, and then we have to find ways to succeed, and then we have to build from that,” Marsch said. “I'm really proud of our guys. We went after the game, they're hurting right now, but my goodness.”

Ounahi added a second on 82 minutes when a four-on-two break led to Brahim Diaz teeing the midfielder up to fire into the top corner as Canada got caught out trying to push forward for the equaliser. The two goals made Ounahi the first African player to score twice in a knockout round match since Senegal's Henri Camara notched a double against Sweden in 2002.

Morocco, who will face the winners of Saturday's last-16 clash between Paraguay and France in the quarter-finals on 9 July, added a late third via another lightning break as substitute Rahimi crowned a convincing performance.