U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, together with the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors, announced the signing of a framework agreement described as the first step toward peace following months of conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, Euronews reported.

Officials have not yet disclosed details of the agreement, which was signed by Israel’s Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter and Lebanon’s Ambassador to the United States Nada Hamadeh.

Hamadeh said the framework agreement represents the first step toward restoring Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, achieving a permanent and final cessation of hostilities, and enabling the Lebanese people to return to their homes.

Leiter, in turn, said the ultimate goal of the framework agreement is peace between the two countries.

“True peace, where both countries live in security and the sovereignty of Israel and Lebanon is respected, preserved and protected. Through this trilateral framework agreement, based on concrete results, the path to peace between Israel and Lebanon is open,” Leiter said.

Extreme heat has led to a rise in heat-related deaths in France. French Health Minister Stéphanie Rist said the authorities have developed emergency response plans for all hospitals in Paris and the surrounding areas, the BBC reported.

Meanwhile, an 18-month-old child died in Marseille after being left inside a vehicle. It was not the first such case in France. On Wednesday, a three-year-old child also died in a car, while on Monday a similar tragedy claimed the lives of two young children in the southern town of Carpentras.

Since the start of the heatwave, 55 people have drowned in France, with around two-thirds of the victims swimming in areas where lifeguards were not present.

Between Sunday and Thursday, 327 people died in Spain due to high temperatures. However, the heatwave has already begun to ease in the country.

Meanwhile, scientists monitoring Switzerland’s glaciers said that by Monday, all of the snow and ice accumulated during the winter is likely to have melted. Such conditions are usually recorded in August, but scientists warned that the current rate of glacier melt is comparable to that of 2022, when the fastest glacier melt on record was observed.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that the United States and India are in the final stage of concluding a trade agreement, RIA Novosti reported.

“We hope to conclude the trade agreement very soon. We are in the final stage of finalizing it, and the process is progressing very positively,” Rubio said.

Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a reduction in tariffs on imports of Indian goods following a phone conversation with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“As a sign of friendship and respect for Prime Minister Modi and India, and at his request, we have reached an agreement on a trade deal between the United States and India. The United States will apply reduced tariffs, lowering them from 25% to 18%,” Trump said.

At least 920 people have been killed and 3,360 injured in the two powerful earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24, according to the latest figures released by the country’s authorities.

Reuters reported that more than 51,000 people remain missing following the disaster.

According to the report, rescue teams from Mexico, El Salvador and other countries have arrived in Venezuela, while the United States has pledged $150 million in assistance and announced an easing of sanctions against the country.

The United Nations has estimated the direct damage caused by what has been described as the strongest earthquake recorded in the past 100 years at $6.7 billion.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) has raised the threat level in the Strait of Hormuz following attacks on commercial vessels in the region, Euronews reported.

Earlier, the tanker Master of Tanker was struck by an unidentified projectile while transiting the strait. The vessel’s bridge was damaged, but no crew members were injured.

The UKMTO has warned mariners about the presence of naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz and said that vessels should await further instructions while mine clearance operations are under way.

The Strait of Hormuz has long been a focal point of tensions between Washington and Tehran and features prominently in the memorandum of understanding recently agreed between the two sides.

Armenian Interior Minister Arpine Sargsyan received Gela Geladze, Head of Georgia’s State Security Service.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the sides highly valued the friendly and partnership-based relations established between Armenia and Georgia.

Sargsyan and Geladze also underscored the importance of the high level of effective cooperation between the law enforcement and security agencies of the two countries.

The heads of the respective agencies discussed a number of issues of mutual interest, reviewed ongoing programmes and outlined possible areas for further cooperation.

Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan received a delegation led by Seyed Hamid Pourmohammadi, Vice President of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Head of the Planning and Budget Organization.

According to the Armenian government, Grigoryan welcomed the delegation and, on behalf of the government, reaffirmed Armenia’s readiness to further develop its friendly relations with Iran.

The meeting focused on current issues on the Armenia-Iran bilateral agenda. The sides also reviewed ongoing cooperation in transport, energy, trade and economic relations, and other areas of mutual interest.

The interlocutors also discussed the modernization of the border checkpoint and measures to increase border crossing capacity, which they noted would directly contribute to the further development of bilateral trade and economic cooperation.

As co-chairs of the Armenia-Iran Intergovernmental Joint Commission, Deputy Prime Minister Grigoryan and Iranian Vice President Pourmohammadi underscored the importance of the commission’s work and agreed to continue discussions within that framework.

As tradition dictates, Ukraine marks the Day of the Armenian Icon of the Mother of God of Kamianets-Podilskyi every year on June 27. The icon has been venerated by believers of all three Christian rites in Kamianets-Podilskyi—Armenians, Ukrainians and Poles.

AnalitikaUA.net reported the development.

“A thread connecting centuries and nations” is how renowned Ukrainian scholar Iryna Hayuk described the Armenian Icon of the Mother of God of Kamianets-Podilskyi.

“This icon, perhaps more than any other artefact—with the possible exception of the Armenian Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Lviv—embodies the history of Armenians on the territory of Ukraine,” Hayuk said.

The icon, which was brought from Crimea to Kamianets-Podilskyi and adorned at the request of the Armenian community of Venice, travelled across much of Europe after the city was captured by the Ottomans in the 17th century before returning to Ukraine following its liberation.

However, the miraculous icon had to wait many years for the restoration of the Armenian Chapel of St. Stephen. Only on June 27, 1791, was it solemnly consecrated and transferred to the restored church, on the day when the Armenian Archbishop of Lviv proclaimed a major feast.

The icon was revered by believers of all Christian communities in the city—Armenian Catholics, Orthodox Ukrainians and Catholic Poles—who sought its intercession for comfort and protection.

In 1920, however, when the Bolsheviks looted the church, the icon disappeared and was considered lost for nearly a century until it was discovered in 2006 at the Bohdan and Varvara Khanenko National Museum of Arts in Kyiv.

“After its authenticity was confirmed through a thorough attribution process, a solemn presentation of the icon took place at the Bohdan and Varvara Khanenko National Museum of Arts on June 27, 2012,” Iryna Hayuk said.

Armenian Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Zhanna Andreasyan has said that the second phase of the renovation of the Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex is expected to be completed in December this year.

Andreasyan made the remarks to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan during his visit to the construction site of the Kievyan Bridge.

According to the minister, weather conditions currently allow work to proceed at full pace. She noted that considerable time had been devoted last year to professional discussions on the technologies to be used in the renovation of the memorial complex, and that the necessary expertise has now been acquired.

The second phase of the project envisages the major renovation of three additional pylons of the Temple of Eternity. Renovation works at the museum section will also begin in parallel.

The memorial complex will remain open to visitors throughout the works.

The first phase of the renovation project was completed in April. It included the major renovation of the central, western and eastern sections of the memorial complex, as well as the pylons of the Temple of Eternity. A new drainage system was installed, and waterproofing works were carried out on the pylons and the foundations of the memorial wall.

The deteriorated waterproofing layer was removed, while the concrete framework of the pylons was reinforced and waterproofed using modern specialized materials. The rear and side stone slabs were replaced, and new paving was installed in the areas adjacent to the pylons.

A new pedestrian walkway was built along the memorial wall, the landscaped area was upgraded, and the irrigation network underwent major renovation.

Singer and People’s Artist of Armenia Raisa Mkrtchyan has died at the age of 84.

The news was announced by Artur Ispiryan, Director of the Public Radio Archive and a singer.

Raisa Mkrtchyan, a soloist with the Armenian State Television and Radio Variety Orchestra, was born on February 25, 1942, in the town of Sevan. She studied at the Romanos Melikyan Musical College in Yerevan and later at the Komitas State Conservatory of Yerevan.

From 1963 to 1968, she studied at the piano department of the Komitas State Conservatory of Yerevan. Since 1968, she had been a soloist with the Variety Orchestra of the Armenian State Committee for Television and Radio. Since 2002, she had also taught at the Komitas State Conservatory of Yerevan.

Alongside her studies, she performed with youth variety orchestras. She was the first performer of songs composed by Arno Babajanian, Konstantin Orbelyan, Alexander Ajemian, Eduard Balyan, Martin Vardazaryan and other composers. From 1968, she was a soloist with the Television and Radio Variety Symphony Orchestra.

She recorded more than 400 songs, a significant number of which are preserved in the Golden Collection of the Radio and Television archives. She also performed in numerous concerts in cities around the world.

In 2006, she was awarded the title of People’s Artist of the Republic of Armenia.

Mkrtchyan’s repertoire included works by Konstantin Orbelyan, Arno Babajanian, Robert Amirkhanyan, Alexander Ajemian, Alexey Ekimyan, Melik Mavisakalyan, Nikolai Petrov and other composers.

Throughout her career, she received numerous state awards, including the 1st Class Medal for Services to the Homeland and the Movses Khorenatsi Medal.