Mourners enter Khamenei’s funeral venue ahead of processions; huge crowds expected

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Tehran intends events as a show of strength to Islamic Republic’s foes * Extreme heat bears down as America’s 250th celebrations ramp up

The Times of Israel is liveblogging Saturday’s events as they unfold.

Extreme heat bears down as America’s 250th celebrations ramp up

Festivities commemorating the 250th anniversary of American independence ramped up across the United States on Friday as demonstrations of national pride — and hints of political polarization — were balanced with efforts to stay safe as much of the country baked under extreme heat.

President Donald Trump was on his way to South Dakota to deliver a speech and watch fireworks at Mount Rushmore, where storms swept through before his arrival. And in a novel twist, there will be a ball drop in New York City’s Times Square at midnight to usher in the July Fourth holiday with much the same revelry that is typically reserved for New Year’s Eve.

The sound of fighter jets on military flyovers shook the nation’s capital. In New York City, Mayor Zohran Mamdani delivered his own address on the country’s 250th anniversary that cast America as a nation of contradictions “working each day towards the perfection in which it was conceived.”

The activity culminates in the main event Saturday, when fireworks will erupt in communities across the US, along with backyard cookouts and block parties. Trump will deliver another speech at the National Mall in Washington before what is being billed as a historically massive fireworks show.

But for all the celebrations, there are also serious safety considerations as potentially record heat grips much of the Midwest and East Coast. Officials have warned those celebrating the holiday to stay hydrated and take air-conditioned breaks as needed.

Mass protests expected as German far-right AfD meets

German police are bracing to guard an annual congress of the far-right AfD party this weekend against tens of thousands of demonstrators who are determined to shut it down.

The standoff in the city of Erfurt, Thuringia state, comes as the opposition Alternative for Germany party is soaring in national opinion polls ahead of all other parties.

Inside the conference hall from Saturday, AfD co-leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla will seek to be reelected at the helm of the anti-immigration party.

Outside on the streets, up to 50,000 demonstrators from all over Germany are expected to stage rallies and sit-in blockades meant to prevent AfD delegates from even reaching the venue.

Up to 2,500 of the protesters are expected to come prepared for violence, according to internal police documents obtained by news weekly Der Spiegel.

The AfD’s rapid rise has unnerved many Germans, who feel they have a special duty to fight far-right politics given Germany’s dark Nazi past.

Some have seen a deliberate provocation in the AfD holding its Erfurt conference on the 100th anniversary of a Nazi conference in nearby Weimar, a charge the AfD denies.

“This is an extremely dangerous party,” Noa Sander, spokesperson for the anti-AfD “Resistance” protest alliance, tells AFP ahead of the conference in Erfurt, a city of about 220,000 people.

Mourners enter Khamenei’s funeral venue ahead of processions; huge crowds expected

Thousands of mourners enter Tehran’s Grand Mosalla for the funeral ceremonies of Iran’s late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, AFP journalists say, ahead of the official start.

The main courtyard of the vast complex is filled with people as authorities impose extensive traffic restrictions across the capital. Another AFP journalist sees mourners walking several kilometers to reach the venue.

Huge crowds are expected to pay their final respects to Khamenei at the start of marathon funeral ceremonies intended to serve as a show of strength to the Islamic Republic’s foes.

Iranian authorities say they anticipate between 15 and 20 million participants in Tehran alone over the next three days for tributes to the man who ran the country for three-and-a-half decades.

Six days of funeral ceremonies are planned to commemorate Khamenei, who ruled Iran as its number one from 1989 until his killing aged 86 on the first day of the US-Israeli war with Iran on February 28.

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Poll shows widespread dissatisfaction with PM and ministers

A new Channel 12 poll shows widespread public dissatisfaction with the prime minister and government ministers, as the country heads for elections.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gets a poor rating from 58% of respondents, with 38% rating him positively. Defense Minister Israel Katz is rated poorly by 61%, positively by 30%.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir gets a 63% to 32% ratio, while Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich is highly unpopular with 69% to 25%.

Other ministers fare little better, with Justice Minister Yariv Levin at 60% to 27%, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar at 54% to 29%, and Education Minister Yoav Kisch at 69% to 19%.

After Smotrich caused a stir this week by taking credit for the return of Gaza hostages, 58% of respondents say it is US President Donald Trump who is primarily responsible for their return, with only 28% crediting the government.

The survey also checked support for the coalition’s effort to approve a Basic Law to define Torah study as a foundational value of the State of Israel, which is mainly intended to shield Haredi draft evaders from sanctions and prosecution.

A total of 66% oppose advancing the law, while only 21% support it.