Category: Trending

At least 60 people were killed by the latest Israeli strikes across Gaza in a 24-hour period, Gaza’s health ministry said Friday.

Israeli MP Ayman Odeh was forcibly removed from the podium in the parliament after he denounced Israel’s war in Gaza amid the rising death toll.

“After a year and a half in which you killed 19000 children, 53,000 residents, destroyed all the universities and the hospitals, you feel there is no political win, that’s why you go crazy,” he says before being removed from the podium

His speech created chaos in the parliament. A video shows the MP speaking in the parliament as others oppose. Moments later, he was removed from the podium. He kept speaking as he was being taken away.

Meanwhile, in the latest update, at least 60 people were killed by Israeli strikes across Gaza in a 24-hour period, Gaza’s health ministry said Friday.

The deceased include 10 people in the southern city of Khan Younis, four in the central town of Deir al-Balah and nine in the Jabaliya refugee camp in the north, according to the Nasser, Al-Aqsa and Al-Ahli hospitals where the bodies were brought.

Amid the ongoing war, Israel has blocked humanitarian aid to Gaza for nearly three months, prompting growing alarm from international observers. Experts warn that much of Gaza’s population—over 2 million people—is now at severe risk of famine.

Even the United States, Israel’s closest ally, has expressed concern over the escalating hunger crisis.

The latest wave of airstrikes, which continued into Friday morning, followed a deadly assault on a hospital in northern Gaza. Israeli tanks and drones reportedly targeted the facility, sparking fires and causing extensive destruction.

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/you-killed-19000-children-israeli-mp-removed-from-podium-over-gaza-remarks-video-9350237.html

A US judge on Friday (May 23) suspended the Trump administration’s move to block Harvard from enrolling and hosting foreign students after the prestigious university sued, calling the action unconstitutional.

The order provides temporary relief to thousands of international students who were faced with being forced to transfer under a policy that the university called a “blatant violation” of the US Constitution and other federal laws, and said would have an “immediate and devastating effect” on the university and more than 7,000 visa holders.

“Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard,” the 389-year-old school said in its lawsuit filed earlier on Friday in Boston federal court. Harvard enrolled nearly 6,800 international students in its current school year, equal to 27 per cent of total enrollment.

The US government’s move was the latest escalation in a broader battle between Harvard and the White House, as Trump seeks to compel universities, law firms, news media, courts and other institutions that value independence from partisan politics to align with his agenda. Trump and fellow Republicans have long accused elite universities of left-wing bias.

Harvard has pushed back hard against Trump, having previously sued to restore nearly US$3 billion in federal grants that had been frozen or cancelled. In recent weeks, the administration has proposed ending Harvard’s tax-exempt status and hiking taxes on its endowment, and opened an investigation into whether it violated civil rights laws.

In its complaint, Harvard said the revocation would force it to retract admissions for thousands of people, and has thrown “countless” academic programmes, clinics, courses and research laboratories into disarray, just a few days before graduation.

It said the revocation was a punishment for Harvard’s “perceived viewpoint,” which it called a violation of the right to free speech as guaranteed by the US Constitution’s First Amendment.

The Trump administration may appeal US District Judge Allison Burroughs’ ruling. In a statement, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said, “unelected judges have no right to stop the Trump Administration from exercising their rightful control over immigration policy and national security policy”.

White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller claimed that, in granting a temporary pause, “a communist judge has created a constitutional right for foreign nationals … to be admitted to American universities funded by American tax dollars”.

There will be an injunction hearing on May 29, a court filing showed.

In announcing on Thursday the termination of Harvard’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification, effective starting in the 2025-2026 academic year, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, without providing evidence, accused the university of “fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party”.

Harvard says a fifth of its foreign students in 2024 were from China.

US lawmakers from both parties have expressed concerns about the influence of the Chinese government on US college campuses, including efforts by Beijing-directed Chinese student associations to monitor political activities and stifle academic speech.

The university says it is committed to combating antisemitism and investigating credible allegations of civil rights violations.

HARVARD DEFENDS “REFUSAL TO SURRENDER”

In her brief order blocking the policy for two weeks, Burroughs said Harvard had shown it could be harmed before there was an opportunity to hear the case in full.

The judge, an appointee of Democratic President Barack Obama, scheduled hearings for May 27 and May 29 to consider next steps in the case. Burroughs is also overseeing Harvard’s lawsuit over the grant funds.

Harvard University President Alan Garber said the administration was illegally seeking to assert control over the private university’s curriculum, faculty and student body.

“The revocation continues a series of government actions to retaliate against Harvard for our refusal to surrender our academic independence,” Garber wrote in a letter on Friday to the Harvard community.

The revocation could also weigh on Harvard’s finances. At many US universities, international students are more likely to pay full tuition, essentially subsidising aid for other students.

“It is a privilege, not a right, for universities to enrol foreign students and benefit from their higher tuition payments,” DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement.

Harvard’s bonds, part of its US$8.2 billion debt pile, have been falling since Trump first warned US universities in March of cuts to federal funding.

Leaders of the Harvard chapter of the American Association of University Professors called Trump’s action “the latest in a string of nakedly authoritarian and retaliatory moves against America’s oldest institution of higher education.”

Leo Gerden, a Swedish student set to graduate Harvard with an undergraduate degree in economics and government this month, called the judge’s ruling a “great first step” but said international students were bracing for a long legal fight that would keep them in limbo.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/harvard-international-students-judge-blocks-trump-order-5150586

The limited amount of food that trickled into Gaza after an Israeli blockade was partly lifted has sparked chaotic scenes, as hunger continues to spread.

Bakeries distributing food were overwhelmed by crowds and forced to close on Thursday, and armed looters attacked an aid convoy overnight – sparking a firefight with Hamas security officials who, witnesses say, were then targeted by an Israeli drone strike.

The incident in central Gaza, recounted to BBC News by eyewitnesses, local journalists and Hamas officials, underscores the deteriorating security situation in Gaza, where governance has collapsed and lawlessness has spread.

A convoy of 20 trucks, co-ordinated by the World Food Programme (WFP) and carrying flour, was en route from the Kerem Shalom crossing to a WFP warehouse in the city of Deir al-Balah.

It was being escorted by six Hamas security officers when it was ambushed by five unidentified gunmen, who fired at the tyres of the vehicles and tried to seize the cargo.

The Hamas security team engaged the attackers in a brief firefight, witnesses told BBC News.

Shortly after the clash began, Israeli drones targeted the Hamas unit with four missiles, killing six officers and wounding others.

Hamas issued a statement condemning the attack as “a horrific massacre” and accused Israel of deliberately targeting personnel tasked with protecting humanitarian aid.

In a statement, the IDF said one of its aircraft identified “several gunmen, including Hamas terrorists”, near humanitarian aid trucks in central Gaza and “struck the gunmen following the identification”.

The IDF said it would make “all efforts possible to ensure that the humanitarian aid does not reach the hands of terrorist organizations”.

A small amount of food has been allowed to cross into Gaza this week: around 130 lorries carrying aid have crossed the border in the last three days, after an 11-week blockade was partly lifted by the IDF.

The UN says 500 to 600 trucks of supplies a day are needed in Gaza.

International agencies, including the UN and the WFP, have repeatedly warned that the growing insecurity is hampering the delivery of desperately needed food and medical supplies to the population – the majority of whom are displaced.

Israel says the blockade was intended to put pressure on Hamas to release the hostages still held in Gaza. Israel has also accused Hamas of stealing supplies, which the group has denied.

The WFP said 15 of its aid trucks were looted overnight on Thursday, and that “hunger, desperation and anxiety over whether more food aid is coming is contributing to rising insecurity”. The organisation called on Israel to help ensure the safe passage of supplies.

Philippe Lazzarini, the head of UNRWA, an agency that supports Palestinian refugees, wrote on X that no one should be “surprised let alone shocked” that aid had been looted because the “people of Gaza have been starved [and] deprived of the basics including water and medicines for more than 11 weeks”.

Earlier on Thursday, angry and hungry Palestinians crowded outside bakeries in Gaza in a desperate attempt to obtain bread, but the situation quickly descended into chaos, forcing distribution to halt.

It forced most bakeries to suspend operations, citing a lack of security.

Many residents across Gaza voiced growing frustration over the aid distribution method and criticised the WFP, which oversees food deliveries.

Some called for an immediate shift from distributing baked bread to handing out flour directly at a rate of one sack per family.

Locals argue that distributing flour would allow families to bake at home or in tents – which, they say, would be safer than waiting at the overcrowded aid centres.

Palestinians on the ground have told of the deepening humanitarian crisis and the collapse of basic services facing people living among the fighting or forced from their homes, as the IDF continues to ramp up its military operations against Hamas.

From a displacement camp in southern Gaza’s al-Mawasi, Abd al-Fatah Hussein told BBC News over WhatsApp that the situation is getting worse due to the number of people in the area.

The father-of-two said there is “no room” in al-Mawasi, where people ordered by the Israeli military to leave their homes are being told to go for safety.

“There is no electricity, no food, insufficient portable water, and no available medicine,” he said.

“The repeated air strikes, especially during the night, add to the suffering.”

He described the aid trucks coming in as a “drop in the ocean of Gaza’s needs”.

When he announced some supplies would finally be allowed into the strip earlier this week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said only a “basic amount” would be able to cross.

Humanitarian organisations have warned the amount of food entering Gaza in recent days is not close to what is needed to feed the 2.1 million people living there, while the UN has said about 500 lorries entered the territory on average every day before the war.

Widespread famine, humanitarian groups have warned, looms over Gaza.

Secretary-General António Guterres said 400 trucks had been cleared to enter Gaza this week, but supplies from just 115 had been collected. He said nothing had “reached the besieged north” so far.

While some flour, baby food and medical supplies had made it into Gaza, and some bakeries in the south had begun operating again, Guterres said that amounted to a “teaspoon of aid when a flood of assistance is required”.

“The supplies – 160,000 pallets, enough to fill nearly 9,000 trucks – are waiting,” he added.

Rida, a midwife with charity Project HOPE in Deir al-Balah, said women come to her clinic suffering from fainting, having sought medical help without eating breakfast.

Many of them eat only one meal a day and subsist on high energy biscuits given by the charity, she said.

“Due to malnutrition they are always telling us, ‘my baby cannot take enough supplement from my breast… my baby won’t stop crying… they always need to be breastfed, but my breast is empty’.”

Teenager Saba Nahed Alnajjar lives in Khan Younis, where the IDF ordered a mass evacuation earlier this week ahead of what it said would be an unprecedented military operation there.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2ekv9ez43o

The US Department of Homeland Security announced on Thursday that it revoked Harvard University’s ability to enroll international students.

Trump has expressed his anger over Harvard’s rejection of his demand that it submit to admissions and hiring oversight after he alleged the university was a center of antisemitism and “woke” ideology.

“Effective immediately, Harvard University’s Student and Exchange Visitor (SEVIS) Program certification is revoked,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote in a letter to the Ivy League institution that has produced 162 Nobel Prize winners.

US calls Harvard ‘hostile to Jewish students’

“As I explained to you in my April letter, it is a privilege to enroll foreign students,” Noem wrote.

“As a result of your refusal to comply with multiple requests to provide the Department of Homeland Security pertinent information while perpetuating an unsafe campus environment that is hostile to Jewish students, promotes pro-Hamas sympathies, and employs racist ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ policies, you have lost this privilege,” she added.

Noem’s statement also said the steps taken against Harvard should “serve as a warning to all universities and academic institutions across the country.”

The homeland security secretary said Harvard can regain its ability to host foreign students if it produces a trove of records on foreign students within the next 72 hours.

Her updated request demands all records, including audio or video footage, of foreign students participating in protests or dangerous activity on campus.

“This administration is holding Harvard accountable for fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus,” Noem added in a statement.

Harvard’s certification in the Student and Exchange Visitor Program gave the school the ability to sponsor international students to get their visas and attend school in the US.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/us-blocks-harvard-from-enrolling-foreign-students/a-72639345

TWO people have died after a plane slammed into a neighborhood in San Diego in a fiery crash that set 15 homes and several cars ablaze.

Eight others were injured when the plane plunged from the sky and crashed into military housing in heavy fog.

The small plane crashed in the Murphy Canyon neighborhood, near Tierrasanta, before 4 am, reported San Diego ABC affiliate KGTV.

Two people on board, later identified as former The Devil Wears Prada drummer Daniel Williams and music Agent Dave Shapiro, were killed in the horrific scene.

One hundred people were evacuated from their homes as flames spread from the wreckage to up to 15 homes.

Cars were also torched in the chaos.

“When it hit the street, as the jet fuel went down it took out every single car that was on both sides of the street,” assistant fire chief Dan Eddy told reporters.

“You can see that every single car was burning down both sides of the street.”

In the horrifying aftermath, it was initially unclear how many people were on board the aircraft.

However, police have now confirmed that two people on the private plane were killed in the wreck.

Emergency responders were searching for victims in a large debris field because of the extensive blast radius, and they were seen carrying three Husky puppies from a charred home.

A police spokesman described the horror as “a movie-style scene.”

“I can’t quite put words to describe what the scene looks like,” said San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl.

“But with the jet fuel going down the street, and everything on fire all at once, it was pretty horrific to see.”

Of the eight people who were wounded, one person was hospitalized and two others were treated and released, SDPD said.

HUGE EXPLOSION

Emergency crews rushed to the scene near the Admiral Baker Golf Course just before 3:50 am.

The plane was about to land at Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport when it slammed into the neighborhood.

Responders spent the morning carrying out a primary and secondary search of the area with several blocks under evacuation orders.

The neighborhood is run by Liberty Military Housing, which provides single-family and townhomes to service members on and near bases.

Residents reported being woken up by a large “boom.”

One local woman told KGTV she realized she had to make a speedy escape when she saw a wall of orange flames outside her home.

Another man heard the explosion and described seeing the plane plunge toward the ground.

When he saw a “trail of orange” and the “sky light up orange” following the crash, he knew he had to immediately evacuate his family.

Every single car was burning down both sides of the street.

They safely escaped the inferno.

But their car, which was parked in front of their home, was destroyed.

It ended up being dragged all the way down the street amid the chaos.

The man said he was shocked as he would never have imagined a plane crash in the densely populated residential area.

Christopher Moore, who lives one street over from the crash site, said he and his wife were awakened by a loud bang and saw smoke filling the street.

While escaping, they saw a car engulfed in flames, “It was definitely horrifying for sure.”

Power lines are also down, which has prompted an emergency response from energy workers.

Assistant Fire Department Chief Dan Eddy said earlier, “We have jet fuel all over the place.

“Our main goal is to search all these homes and get everybody out right now.”

Eddy confirmed it was very foggy at the time the private plane crashed.

“You could barely see in front of you,” he added.

He also said during a news conference that they will be investigating whether the plane hit a power line.

THE PLANE’S LAST MOMENTS

The Federal Aviation Administration said the plane was a Cessna 550 aircraft.

It was coming from the Midwestern United States, according to officials.

The plane can carry six to eight people.

Pete Muntean, CNN’s aviation correspondent, said on X that there was, “No apparent distress call from the Citation private jet that crashed into Navy housing on approach into San Diego’s Montgomery Field.”

Everything on fire all at once, it was pretty horrific to see.

The flight tracking site Flight Aware listed a Cessna Citation II jet that was scheduled to arrive at the Montgomery-Gibbs Executive airport in San Diego at 3:47 am from the small Colonel James Jabara Airport in Wichita, Kansas.

The FAA said the National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation.

Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport, and Gillespie Field are located near the devastated area.

The San Diego Police Department has asked people to contact authorities if they find any plane debris or jet fuel.

Emergency teams said they expected to remain at the crash site for the remainder of today, and overnight.

Police have warned local residents against trying to travel to the affected area, to allow emergency crews to search for possible victims.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14298010/plane-crashes-san-diego-neighborhood-cars-home-fire/

Israel allowed 100 aid trucks carrying flour, baby food and medical equipment into the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, the Israeli military said, as UN officials reported that distribution issues had meant that no aid had so far reached people in need.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would be open to a temporary ceasefire to enable the return of hostages. But otherwise he said it would press ahead with a military campaign to gain total control of Gaza.

After an 11-week blockade on supplies entering Gaza, the Israeli military said a total of 98 aid trucks entered on Monday and Tuesday. But even those minimal supplies have not made it to Gaza’s soup kitchens, bakeries, markets and hospitals, according to aid officials and local bakeries that were standing by to receive supplies of flour.
“None of this aid – that is a very limited number of trucks – has reached the Gaza population,” said Antoine Renard, country director of the World Food Programme.
The blockade has left Gazans in an increasingly desperate struggle for survival, despite growing international and domestic pressure on Israel’s government, which one opposition figure said risked turning the country into a “pariah state”.

Thousands of tons of food and other vital supplies are waiting near crossing points into Gaza but until it can be safely distributed, around a quarter of the population remains at risk of famine, Renard said.
“I’m here since eight in the morning, just to get one plate for six people while it is not enough for one person,” said Mahmoud al-Haw, who says he often waits for up to six hours a day hoping for some lentil soup to keep his children alive.
U.N. officials said security issues had prevented the aid from moving out of the logistics hub at the Kerem Shalom crossing point but late on Wednesday there appeared some hope that supplies would move more freely.
Nahid Shahaiber, a major transport company owner, said 75 trucks of flour and over a dozen more carrying nutritional supplements and sugar were inside the southern area of Rafah and witnesses said trucks carrying flour had been seen in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.

Israel imposed a blockade on all supplies entering Gaza in March, saying Hamas was seizing supplies meant for civilians – a charge the group denies.
Under mounting international pressure, it has allowed aid deliveries by the U.N. and other aid groups to resume briefly until a new U.S.-backed distribution model using private contractors operating through so-called secure hubs is up and running by the end of the month. But the United Nations says the plan is not impartial or neutral, and it will not be involved.

‘PARIAH STATE’

As people waited for supplies to arrive, air strikes and tank fire killed at least 50 people across the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, Palestinian health authorities said. The Israeli military said air strikes hit 115 targets, which it said included rocket launchers, tunnels and unspecified military infrastructure.

Efforts to halt the fighting have faltered, with both Hamas, which insists on a final end to the war and withdrawal of Israeli forces, and Israel, which says Hamas must disarm and leave Gaza, sticking to positions the other side rejects.
Netanyahu said an Israeli air strike this month had probably killed Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar and he reiterated his demand for the complete demilitarization of Gaza and the exile of Hamas leaders for the war to end.
The resumption of the assault on Gaza since March, following a two-month ceasefire, has drawn condemnation from countries including Britain and Canada that have long been cautious about expressing open criticism of Israel. Even the United States, the country’s most important ally, has shown signs of losing patience with Netanyahu.
Netanyahu said it was “a disgrace” that countries like Britain were sanctioning Israel instead of Hamas.
There has been growing unease within Israel meanwhile at the continuation of the war while 58 hostages remain in Gaza.
Left-wing opposition leader Yair Golan drew a furious response from the government and its supporters this week when he declared that “A sane country doesn’t kill babies as a hobby” and said Israel risked becoming a “pariah state among the nations.”
Golan, a former deputy commander of the Israeli military who went single-handedly to rescue victims of the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct 7, 2023, leads the left-wing Democrats, a small party with little electoral clout.
But his words, and similar comments by former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in an interview with the BBC, underscored the rift within Israel. Netanyahu dismissed the criticism, saying he was “appalled” by Golan’s comments.
Opinion polls show widespread support for a ceasefire that would include the return of all the hostages, with a survey from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem this week showing 70% in favour of a deal.
But hardliners in the cabinet, some of whom argue for the complete expulsion of all Palestinians from Gaza, have insisted on continuing the war until “final victory”, which would include disarming Hamas as well as the return of the hostages.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/gaza-still-waiting-aid-pressure-mounts-israel-2025-05-21/

DONALD Trump has unveiled plans for a high-tech “Golden Dome” missile defence system, which the president claims should be operational by the end of his term in office.

The futuristic concept announced by Trump would see American weapons put in space for the first time ever.

Trump had already signalled his intent to set up a Golden Dome following his return to the White House, calling missile attacks the “most catastrophic threat facing the United States”.

The idea is modelled on Israel’s Iron Dome defence system, which uses radar to detect incoming missiles and calculates which ones pose a threat to populated areas.

But the Golden Dome would be an infinitely bigger project, not least because the United States is more than 400 times larger than Israel.

During his announcement in the Oval Office yesterday, Trump said his new Golden Dome would be “capable of intercepting missiles even if they are launched from the other side of the world”.

While an initial sum of $25 billion has been allocated for the project, officials believe it will cost far more over coming decades.

Trump said it will cost around $175 billion in total during his announcement yesterday.

But one estimate from the Congressional Budget Office has the space-based components alone costing $542 billion over the next 20 years.

Trump also claimed that Canada “has called us and they want to be part of it”.

Then-Canadian Defence Minister Bill Blair acknowledged his country’s interest during a visit to Washington earlier this year, saying Ottawa’s participation would “make sense”.

The Golden Dome would be designed to take on a wide range of missile threats to the United States, including lightning-fast hypersonic missiles that tear through the air faster than the speed of sound.

It also aims to protect America from fractional orbital bombardment systems, which deliver missiles from space.

“All of them will be knocked out of the air,” Trump said, claiming the success rate is “very close to 100%”.

The missile defence system is intended to stop warheads at any stage in their deployment, from before launch to while they are in the air.

Pentagon officials have long sounded the alarm that existing defence systems have not kept up with new missile tech being developed by Russia and China.

China has around 400 intercontinental ballistic missiles and Russia has 350, according to a Defense Intelligence Agency assessment from last week.

Trump signed an executive order shortly after returning to office ordering proposals for a “next-generation missile defense shield”.

He said: “There really is no current system.

“We have certain areas of missiles and certain missile defence, but there is no system… there has never been anything like this.”

Trump wants the Golden Dome to be operational by the end of his term, which expires in January 2029.

But US Air Force secretary Troy Meink has told senators the project is “still in the conceptual stage”.

Space Force General Michael Guetlein, vice chief of space operations, has been earmarked to oversee its development.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14284993/trump-golden-dome-2029/

Repeating his claim on Wednesday, he said, “Somebody had to be the last one to shoot. But the shooting was getting worse and worse, bigger and bigger, deeper and deeper into the countries. And we spoke to them, and I think we, you know, I hate to say we got it settled, and then two days later, something happens, and they say it’s Trump’s fault.”

US President Donald Trump has yet again repeated the claim that help India and Pakistan “settle” their long nights of conflict early this month through “trade”. Speaking during a meeting with visiting South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Trump said the United States was doing a “big deal” with both India and Pakistan.
“If you take a look at what we just did with Pakistan and India. We settled that whole thing, and I think I settled it through trade,” Trump said, quoted PTI. The US President further said, “And I said, What are you guys doing?”
India and Pakistan got engaged in four nights of intense conflict after Pakistan violated the ceasefireacross the Line of Control (LoC) and International Borders (IB) in Rajasthan, Punjab and Gujarat. Pakistan sent drones and missiles to attack key military establishments, civilian areas and holy sites in India. This Islamabad did in response to New Delhi’s ‘Operation Sindoor’ that avenged the brutal killing of 26 tourists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam.

When the two countries reached an understanding for the ceasefire, Trump was the first one to share the news on May 10, and with it, he claimed the US played critical role in the entire setup. He said that India and Pakistan agreed to a “full and immediate” ceasefire after a “long night” of talks mediated by Washington.

Repeating the same on Wednesday, he said, “Somebody had to be the last one to shoot. But the shooting was getting worse and worse, bigger and bigger, deeper and deeper into the countries. And we spoke to them, and I think we, you know, I hate to say we got it settled, and then two days later, something happens, and they say it’s Trump’s fault.”
“But… Pakistan has got some excellent people and some really good, great leader. And India is my friend, Modi,” Trump said; at this point, the South African president replied, “Modi, mutual friend”.
“He’s a Great guy and I called them both. It’s something good,” Trump told the media, as per PTI.

AN OMINOUS cryptic message was broadcast from Russia’s mysterious “doomsday radio station” around the time of Vladimir Putin’s telephone call with Donald Trump yesterday.

It marks the second time year that the Soviet-era relic creaked into action during a conversation between the two presidents.

Just ahead of the White House’s call to Putin, the UVB-76 radio station broadcast the sinister code NZhTI 89905 BLEFOPUF 4097 5573.

This was followed up a few hours later with NZhTI 01263 BOLTANKA 4430 9529.

Known variously known as Buzzer, Dead Hand Radio or Judgement Day Radio, the radio station has been around since the Cold War, although its purpose is classified.

It operates around the clock making a strange buzzing sound, but it sometimes sends out cryptic messages.

It is unknown what these messages actually mean, but the station is widely assumed to have a military purpose – with possible links to Moscow’s nuclear forces.

Back in April, the radio broadcast four words – Neptune, Thymus, Foxcloak, and Nootabu, according to Telegram channel UVB-76 logs, which monitors its activity.

Following his call with Putin, Donald Trump posted that talks “will immediately start negotiations toward a Ceasefire and, more importantly, an END to the War.”

He also suggested that peace talks could be hosted at the Vatican, where newly-elected Pope Leo XIV met with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky following his inaugural mass at St Peter’s Square.

But while the Russian dictator called his discussion with Trump “frank and very useful”, Moscow’s forces went on the attack shortly afterwards.

More than 108 drones were fired at Ukraine, according to Kyiv’s air force.

One struck a civilian minibus in Ukraine’s Kherson region, wounding a woman aged 65.

Kamikaze drones also hit Dnipropetrovsk, triggering a major fire in Synelnykovsky district, while others struck Nikopol, Pokrovska, Myrivska and Marhanetska.

Some 56,000 residents of the Ukrainian border region Sumy have been forced to evacuate over fears of Russian attacks.

Trump had previously pledged to end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours upon assuming office.

But concern appears to be mounting in European capitals that Trump had failed to publicly threaten Putin with harsh sanctions for failing to swiftly agree a ceasefire as a prelude to peace talks.

The previous aim had been a 30-day ceasefire, although Trump appeared not to impose a timescale.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said: “Europe will increase pressure on Moscow with sanctions.

“We agreed on this with US President Donald Trump after his conversation with Putin.”

No humanitarian aid has been distributed yet in the Gaza Strip, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Tuesday (May 20), despite more supplies being dropped off on the Palestinian side of the Kerem Shalom crossing.

“Israeli authorities are requiring us to offload supplies on the Palestinian side of Kerem Shalom crossing and reload them separately once they secure our team’s access from inside the Gaza Strip,” Dujarric told reporters.

“Today, one of our teams waited several hours for the Israeli green light to access the Kerem Shalom area and collect the nutrition supplies. Unfortunately, they were not able to bring those supplies into our warehouse,” he said.

Earlier on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the UN humanitarian office in Geneva said Israel had given permission for about 100 aid trucks to enter Gaza.

UN aid chief Tom Fletcher said on Monday the initial amount of aid approved by Israel was “a drop in the ocean”.

Israel says it plans to intensify military operations against Hamas, to control the whole of Gaza, already devastated by an Israeli air and ground war since Hamas’ cross-border attack on Israeli communities in October 2023.

Israel has said its blockade is aimed in part at preventing Palestinian militants from diverting and seizing aid supplies. Hamas has denied doing so.

A US-backed group plans to start work in the Gaza Strip by the end of May, with a new model of aid distribution in the Palestinian enclave. But the United Nations says the plan is not impartial or neutral, and it will not be involved.

Malnutrition rates in the densely populated territory have risen during the Israeli blockade and could worsen if food shortages continue, a health official at the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA said in Geneva on Tuesday.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/un-says-aid-not-distributed-yet-gaza-despite-trucks-entering-enclave-5142611

DONALD Trump has claimed that Vladimir Putin wants to put an end to the war in Ukraine and hinted that Pope Leo XIV might hold the peace talks.

The US President said the negotiations are set to begin “immediately” as Vladimir Putin has finally admitted he must make a deal.

Trump and Putin held a two-hour phone call on Monday afternoon in a desperate bid to end the three year-long war in Ukraine which has left tens of thousands dead.

The US President claimed that Putin “wants to stop” the war and said that negotiations towards a ceasefire will start immediately.

But he warned that there are some “big egos” involved which could make negotiations difficult.

Trump went on to hint at a possible venue for the peace talks and suggested that the Vatican was “very interested” in hosting the negotiations.

Putin spoke to Russian state media after coming off the call and admitted that he must make a peace deal with Ukraine.

He said Russia is “ready to work with the Ukrainian side” on a possible future peace agreement, but said that both sides must be willing to compromise.

Zelensky also spoke out on Monday evening to reassert his “red lines” for a peace deal.

The Ukrainian President insisted that he would not give into Russia’s territory demands, saying: “Ukraine won’t withdraw its troops on its own territories.”

Zelensky spoke with Trump “for a few minutes” before his chat with Putin.

The pair spoke again after the call as Trump debriefed a select group of European leaders including Emmanuel Macron, Giorgia Meloni, Friedrich Merz and Alexander Stubb.

The crunch talks come after US Vice President JD Vance warned that Trump may be forced to walk away from ceasefire talks if Putin continues to ignore calls for peace.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14240538/putin-russia-ukraine-talks-peace/

Israel has announced it will allow a “basic amount of food” to enter Gaza to ensure that “no starvation crisis develops” after blockading the territory for 10 weeks.

A statement from the prime minister’s office said the move was made on recommendation of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and based on the need to support its renewed military offensive against Hamas.

The announcement came hours after Israel’s military said it had begun “extensive ground operations” throughout Gaza.

Israel has come under increasing pressure to lift its blockade, during which no food, fuel or medicines have been allowed in.

Aid agencies have warned about the risk of famine among Gaza’s 2.1 million population, as footage and accounts emerge of emaciated children suffering malnutrition.

French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot called on Israel to allow the “immediate, massive and unhampered” resumption of aid to Gaza.

The statement from PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said that Israel would allow “a basic quantity of food to be brought in for the population” of Gaza to “make certain no starvation crisis develops” – adding that such a situation would jeopardise its new offensive, named Operation Gideon’s Chariot.

Israel would also “act to deny Hamas’s ability to take control of the distribution of humanitarian assistance”, the statement added.

Earlier on Sunday, the IDF launched strikes on sites including a hospital in northern Gaza. Israel says it aims to free hostages held in Gaza and defeat Hamas.

Strikes hit the southern city of Khan Younis, as well as towns in the north of Gaza, including Beit Lahia and the Jabalia refugee camp, rescuers said.

At least 67 people have been killed and 361 injured in Gaza in the last 24 hours, the Hamas-run health ministry said.

A woman in Khan Younis told the BBC the situation there was “very difficult” and she had been kept awake by the sound of bombing, while enduring “severe shortages of flour and gas and food”.

The civil defence, Gaza’s main emergency service, said the al-Mawasi camp in the south, where displaced people had been sheltering, was also attacked overnight leading to 22 deaths and 100 people injured. The camp had previously been designated as a “safe zone”.

In the broad evacuation order on Sunday that it described as a “final warning”, the Israeli army said it would “launch a powerful strike on any area used for launching rockets”, and urged people to “move immediately west to the known shelters in al-Mawasi”.

Three public hospitals are now “out of action” in the North Gaza governorate, the health ministry said, amid Israel’s escalating air strikes.

Medical staff at one of them, the Indonesian Hospital in Beit Lahia, told the BBC at about 21:40 local time (20:40 GMT) that IDF tanks had pulled up outside and were firing at the hospital.

They said 55 people were inside, including four doctors and eight nurses. The rest were immobilised patients who were not able to flee the hospital after the morning’s attack, they said.

About 50 minutes later staff said the IDF had left the vicinity of the hospital.

The IDF has said its troops are fighting “terrorist infrastructure sites” in northern Gaza, including the area adjacent to the Indonesian Hospital.

Earlier on Sunday, Gaza’s health ministry said staff and patients there had come under “heavy fire”. It accused Israel of besieging the hospital, cutting off access, and “effectively forcing the hospital out of service”.

Medics told the BBC no evacuation order or warning was issued before the attacks, and at no point were there any military targets in the Indonesian Hospital.

The onslaught comes as negotiators from Israel and Hamas continue trying to reach a ceasefire agreement in Qatar.

Israeli media quoted the office of the prime minister as saying Israel’s negotiating team was exhausting “every possibility” for a deal on Sunday.

Netanyahu’s statement said it “would include the release of all the hostages, the exile of Hamas terrorists, and the disarmament of the Gaza Strip”, reports said.

A senior Hamas source told the BBC that “no breakthrough or progress has been achieved so far in the ongoing negotiations in Doha due to continued Israeli intransigence”.

The source said Hamas had expressed willingness to release all Israeli hostages in a single phase, “on the condition of reaching a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire agreement – something the Israeli side continues to reject, as their negotiating team lacks the mandate to decide on key issues”.

The source stressed that Hamas “rejects any partial or temporary arrangements”.

The group has proposed releasing all hostages in exchange for an agreed number of Palestinian prisoners, a full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and the entry of humanitarian aid.

“Israel wants to retrieve its hostages in one or two batches in return for a temporary truce,” the Hamas source told the BBC.

Speaking to the BBC on Sunday, Mohammed Salha, director of the al-Awda private hospital in northern Gaza, said the closure of the Indonesian Hospital would affect the care he was able to provide.

He said al-Awda depended on the Indonesian Hospital for stores of oxygen and for its intensive care unit.

Mr Salha added that there had been a bombing near his hospital overnight causing “a lot of damage” to the facility that staff were attempting to quickly repair.

The latest damage to hospitals comes after Israeli strikes hit two of the largest medical centres in Khan Younis, the Nasser Medical Complex and European Hospital.

Israel accused Hamas of hiding a command and control centre beneath the European Hospital, and said it conducted a “precise strike” on “Hamas terrorists”.

Israeli media reported the target of the strike was senior Hamas figure Mohammed Sinwar – the younger brother of the former Hamas leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar.

Thousands of people have been killed since Israel resumed its strikes on 18 March, following the collapse of a fragile ceasefire which lasted two months.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy90d929yyno

Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist Saifullah Khalid, who planned attacks in Nagpur, Rampur, and Bangalore, was living under a false identity in Nepal before relocating to Pakistan’s Sindh province, where he was killed.

A top Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative, Saifullah Khalid, accused of orchestrating several high-profile terror attacks in India, has been killed in Pakistan’s Sindh province, sources told India Today TV on Sunday. He was attacked by some unknown assailants in Matli city of Badin district in Shind.

According to sources, Abu Saifullah had been given strict instructions by the organisation to limit his movements. He had also been provided security. However, earlier today, as he stepped out of his house in the city of Matli, he was targeted and shot dead at a nearby intersection.

Khalid was a key conspirator in three major attacks: the 2005 Indian Science Congress (ISC) attack in Bangalore, the 2006 attack on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) headquarters in Nagpur and the 2008 CRPF camp assault in Rampur.

These attacks, carried out over a span of three years, claimed several lives and marked a massive escalation in LeT’s operations on Indian soil.

Operating under the alias “Vinode Kumar,” Khalid was based in Nepal for several years, where he lived under a false identity and married a local woman, Nagma Banu.

From Nepal, he is believed to have coordinated activities for LeT, maintaining a low profile while playing a crucial role in recruitment and logistics.

More recently, Khalid had shifted his base to Matli in the Badin district of Sindh province in Pakistan. There, he continued working for Lashkar-e-Taiba, a UN-proscribed Pakistani terrorist group and its front organisation Jamaat-ud-Dawa, primarily focusing on recruitment and fund collection for terror operations.

Last week, three more Lashkar terrorists, including ‘Operations Commander’ Shahid Kuttay, were killed in an encounter with security forces in south Kashmir’s Shopian district.

Kuttay, and the other two, Adnan Shafi, a resident of the Vanduna Melhura area of Shopian, and Ahsan ul Haq Sheikh, a resident of Murran area of the neighbouring Pulwama district, were killed in the Shukroo Keller area. Two AK series rifles, a large quantity of ammunition, grenades, and other war-like stores were found in their possession.

Source : https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/saifullah-khalid-lashkar-terrorist-big-attacks-in-india-killed-in-pakistan-sindh-province-2726649-2025-05-18

Former President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with an “aggressive” form of prostate cancer, a spokesman announced Sunday.

The diagnosis was revealed after doctors found a “small nodule” on Biden’s prostate that “necessitated further evaluation” during a physical exam earlier this month.

“Last week, President Joe Biden was seen for a new finding of a prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms,” read a statement from Biden’s personal office issued Sunday. “On Friday, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone.

“While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive, which allows for effective management,” the statement went on. “The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians.”

The 82-year-old’s longtime physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor deemed Biden “fit to serve” in February 2024 after the then-presumptive Democratic nominee underwent a routine examination at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

Last July, after Biden dropped out of the presidential race, O’Connor told The Post that the former president’s health was “excellent.”

Biden had a cancerous skin lesion removed from his chest after a physical in February, 2023, which turned out to be basal cell carcinoma. However, O’Connor said “all cancerous tissue was successfully removed” and no further treatment was required.

News of his prostate cancer diagnosis comes amid a firestorm of allegations that the erstwhile Biden administration and members of his inner circle knowingly hid his physical and cognitive decline from the American public.

Among the conversations allegedly had behind closed doors by those closest to him were serious discussions of having Biden use a wheelchair during his second term in office if he prevailed in the election, according to a new book “Original Sin,” penned by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios reporter Alex Thompson.

Biden’s cancer diagnosis came just two days after Axios released bombshell audio from a series of interviews the former president held with special counsel Robert Hur in October 2023, pursuant to an investigation into classified documents he improperly had in his possession.

In the recordings — which the White House vehemently refused to release last year as rumors of his failing mental acuity swirled — Biden at times slurred his speech and couldn’t remember details about his own life including when his term as vice president ended, when his son Beau died, and what year President Trump was elected.

Trump wrote a brief message of support for his former rival on Truth Social shortly after his diagnosis was announced.

“Melania and I are saddened to hear about Joe Biden’s recent medical diagnosis. We extend our warmest and best wishes to Jill and the family, and we wish Joe a fast and successful recovery,” he wrote.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris — who controversially took Biden’s place as the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee — also delivered a message of condolence on social media.

“Doug and I are saddened to learn of President Biden’s prostate cancer diagnosis. We are keeping him, Dr. Biden, and their entire family in our hearts and prayers during this time,” Harris wrote on X.

“Joe is a fighter — and I know he will face this challenge with the same strength, resilience, and optimism that have always defined his life and leadership. We are hopeful for a full and speedy recovery.”

Source :https://nypost.com/2025/05/18/us-news/former-president-biden-has-aggressive-prostate-cancer-that-has-spread-to-his-bones/

Two North Korean fishermen say they want to return home after their boat was washed south of the maritime boundary months ago. But Pyongyang hasn’t picked up the phone.

Two North Korean fishermen who “accidentally defected” to South Korea have now spent more time in limbo than any other reluctant defectors in the history of the two nations.

The two men were picked up by a South Korean naval patrol on March 7 in the Yellow Sea. Apparently, wind and strong currents pushed their fishing boat over the Northern Limit Line (NLL) close to Eocheong Island, off the west coast of the Korean Peninsula.

There are no indications that the two men were intending to defect, and they have both repeatedly expressed their desire to return to North Korea during questioning by South Korean military and intelligence agencies.

Their stay in South Korea is now well into its third month, longer than any other loyal North Koreans who had requested repatriation. Dozens of others before them have found it relatively straightforward to make the return journey. This time, however, North Korea has refused to pick up the phone.

Men stuck ‘until relations with the North improve’
The North is “very obviously showing its displeasure” with Seoul and the administration of the now impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, a conservative who led more of a hard-line policy on Pyongyang, Lankov told DW.

“For now, these men appear to be stuck in South Korea until relations with the North improve, although it is of course possible that they will eventually change their minds and decide they no longer want to go back,” he said. “Even if they do still want to return, it seems likely that might take a long time.”

In October, the state-run Korea Central News Agency confirmed in a report that changes to the North’s constitution that were proposed earlier in the year had gone into effect and that South Korea is now officially designated as a “hostile state.” Under Pyongyang’s new attitude to its neighbor, roads across the border have been dug up and blocked with anti-tank obstacles, railway lines have been removed and the frontier is “permanently” sealed.

Pyongyang is no longer interested in reunification and the South is its “principal enemy,” KCNA reported.

North goes fully silent
As a consequence, North Korean personnel at the Panmunjom border post where the two sides have faced off since the armistice was signed to conclude the 1950-’53 Korean War are no longer responding when the South calls the cross-border hotline.

“The relationship was in a bad state before, but now the North has just stopped communicating completely,” said Ahn Yinhay, a professor of international relations at Korea University in Seoul.

“Things became worse after Yoon became president, in part because he reached agreements with the US and Japan for a three-way security alliance in the region,” she said. “And since then, they are not picking up the phone at the border and there is no other way to reach them.”

Ahn said the two fishermen appear to be loyal North Korean subjects, although she questioned whether their repeated desire to return to the North is in part out of concern for the well-being of their families. The regime in Pyongyang has traditionally treated relatives of people who flee the nation harshly, including putting them in labor or political reeducation camps.

Quoting sources in the North, dissident media has reported that those punishments have become even more harsh recently.

“They will be aware that the North will be monitoring news reports in the South and I expect they are sticking to their position that they wish to be repatriated to protect their families,” Ahn said.

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/north-koreas-accidental-defectors-stuck-south-of-border/a-72565173

A car bomb exploded near the American Reproductive Centers fertility clinic in Palm Springs, California, resulting in the death of one person

A car bomb exploded near the American Reproductive Centers fertility clinic in Palm Springs, California, resulting in the death of one person, Mayon Ron DeHarte confirmed. A police department spokesperson said that the explosion was an ‘intentional act of violence’.

Authorities confirmed that the explosion took place around 11 AM local time on North Indian Canyon Drive near East Tachevah Drive. Lt. William Hutchinson said police is investigating the incident as an ‘act of terrorism’. ABC News, citing law enforcement sources and the facility, said at least five people were injured in the explosion.

“It has been identified as a bomb that was either in or near the car,” DeHarte said. The Federal Bureau of Investigation in Los Angeles said in a social media post that it was investigating the explosion with bomb technicians deployed to the scene.

Here are 10 key points on the situation in Palm Springs
Explosion Details: A car bomb detonated at 10:52 a.m. PDT outside the American Reproductive Centers on 1199 North Indian Canyon Drive, causing a “massive boom” that shattered windows and was felt miles away.

Casualties: At least one person was killed, with unconfirmed reports of injuries. Graphic images showed human remains, but the victim’s identity is undisclosed, per the Clark County Coroner’s Office.

Clinic Damage: The fertility clinic, specializing in IVF but not abortions, sustained severe structural damage, though its IVF lab and stored embryos were reportedly spared.

Terrorism Investigation: The FBI and ATF are investigating the blast as a possible terrorist act, with Mayor Jeffrey Bernstein confirming the device was a bomb. No group has claimed responsibility.

Police Response: Palm Springs police, led by Lt. William Hutchinson, secured the area, closing North Indian Canyon Drive and urging residents to avoid it. Firefighters assisted.

Motive Uncertainty: No motive is confirmed. Authorities are exploring whether the clinic was targeted due to misperceptions about providing abortions or other ideological factors, but no evidence supports specific claims.

Russia and Ukraine have agreed to swap 1,000 prisoners of war (PoWs) each, according to the head of Moscow’s peace talks delegation, but there is no agreement on the ceasefire between two countries. In the first direct peace talks since February 2022 when Moscow led an invasion of Kyiv, Ukraine also accused Russia of introducing new “unacceptable demands”.

While there was no ceasefire agreement, exchange of 1,000 prisoners of war is the biggest swap between the two countries.

Both sides also discussed a ceasefire and a meeting between their heads of state, according to chief Ukrainian delegate Rustem Umerov.

Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, who headed Moscow’s delegation, said both sides agreed to provide each other with detailed ceasefire proposals and a meeting by their heads of state..

The demands had not been previously discussed, the official said.

During the talks, the Ukrainian side reiterated its call on focusing on agreement on an immediate ceasefire and substantive diplomacy, “just like the U.S., European partners, and other countries proposed.”

The two sides also said they would “present their vision of a possible future ceasefire”, said Russia’s top negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky.

Russia also took note of Ukraine’s request for a meeting of Presidents Putin and Zelensky, he said. Also Read | ‘As soon as we can set it up’: Donald Trump says wants to meet Vladimir Putin

“Overall, we are satisfied with the results and ready to continue contacts,” Medinsky added.

Putin declined to travel to Turkey for the meeting, which he had proposed, sending a second-level delegation instead.

Zelensky said Putin was “afraid” of meeting, and criticised Russia for not taking the talks “seriously”.

Earlier, Volodymyr Zelensky had blasted Vladimir Putin of being “unserious” about peace after the Kremlin leader failed to attend direct negotiations in Turkey aimed at ending the war.

Source : https://www.livemint.com/news/world/ukraines-zelensky-blasts-vladimir-putin-s-no-show-at-peace-talks-russia-does-not-intend-to-end-the-war-11747341678670.html

Razzak Baloch, a prominent Baloch leader, also called for international support, particularly from India and the US, emphasising the need for peace and an end to military oppression by Pakistan.

Baloch leader, Razzak Baloch, has made an explosive claim on how Pakistani authorities have lost control of over 80 per cent of Balochistan. In an interview with TAG TV, Razzak Baloch, secretary general of the Baloch American Congress, claimed that Pakistani forces are afraid to even leave Quetta after dark, and stated that they should withdraw with dignity in time, rather than waiting for a situation like Bangladesh to happen.
“Pakistani forces cannot even leave Quetta after dark,” Baloch told TAG TV, adding that even elected Pakistani officials have admitted to this situation and how the military avoids patrolling from 5 pm to 5 am due to security fears.
He stated that Pakistan has lost control over 70–80 per cent of the region and urged global powers, especially India and the United States, to support the Baloch struggle. “If India supports us, our doors will open,” he said, asserting that delays in support would only strengthen what he described as a “barbaric army,” affecting the region’s stability.

Calling for peace and an immediate end to military oppression across Pakistan’s provinces, the leader further remarked that it would be wiser for the Pakistani army to withdraw with dignity rather than face a situation like Bangladesh, where only their boots were left behind.

The Supreme Court seemed intent Thursday on maintaining a block on President Donald Trump’s restrictions on birthright citizenship while looking for a way to scale back nationwide court orders.

It was unclear what such a decision might look like, but a majority of the court expressed concerns about would happen if the Trump administration were allowed, even temporarily, to deny citizenship to children born to people who are in the United States illegally.

The justices heard arguments in the Trump administration’s emergency appeals over lower court orders that have kept the citizenship restrictions on hold across the country.

Nationwide injunctions have emerged as an important check on Trump’s efforts to remake the government and a source of mounting frustration to the Republican president and his allies.

Judges have issued 40 nationwide injunctions since Trump began his second term in January, Solicitor General D. John Sauer told the court at the start of more than two hours of arguments.

Birthright citizenship is among several issues, many related to immigration, that the administration has asked the court to address on an emergency basis.

The justices also are considering the Trump administration’s pleas to end humanitarian parole for more than 500,000 people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela and to strip other temporary legal protections from another 350,000 Venezuelans. The administration remains locked in legal battles over its efforts to swiftly deport people accused of being gang members to a prison in El Salvador under an 18th century wartime law called the Alien Enemies Act.

Trump signed an executive order on the first day of his second term that would deny citizenship to children who are born to people who are in the country illegally or temporarily.

The order conflicts with a Supreme Court decision from 1898 that held that the Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment made citizens of all children born on U.S. soil, with narrow exceptions that are not at issue in this case.

States, immigrants and rights group sued almost immediately, and lower courts quickly barred enforcement of the order while the lawsuits proceed.

The current fight is over the rules that apply while the lawsuits go forward.

The court’s liberal justices seemed firmly in support of the lower court rulings that found the changes to citizenship that Trump wants to make would upset the settled understanding of birthright citizenship that has existed for more than 125 years.

Birthright citizenship is an odd case to use to scale back nationwide injunctions, Justice Elena Kagan said. “Every court has ruled against you,” she told Sauer.

If the government wins on today’s arguments, it could still enforce the order against people who haven’t sued, Kagan said. “All of those individuals are going to win. And the ones who can’t afford to go to court, they’re the ones who are going to lose,” she said.

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson described the administration’s approach as “catch me if you can,” forcing everyone to file suit to get “the government to stop violating people’s rights.”

Several conservative justices who might be open to limiting nationwide injunctions also wanted to know the practical effects of such a decision as well as how quickly the court could reach a final decision on the Trump executive order.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh pressed Sauer with a series of questions about how the federal government might enforce Trump’s order.

“What do hospitals do with a newborn? What do states do with a newborn?” he said.

Sauer said they wouldn’t necessarily do anything different, but the government might figure out ways to reject documentation with “the wrong designation of citizenship.”

Kavanaugh continued to push for clearer answers, pointing out that the executive order gave the government only about 30 days to develop a policy. “You think they can get it together in time?” he said.

The Trump administration, like the Biden administration before it, has complained that judges are overreaching by issuing orders that apply to everyone instead of just the parties before the court.

Picking up on that theme, Justice Samuel Alito said he meant no disrespect to the nation’s district judges when he opined that they sometimes suffer from an “occupational disease which is the disease of thinking that ‘I am right and I can do whatever I want.’”

But Justice Sonia Sotomayor was among several justices who raised the confusing patchwork of rules that would result if the court orders were narrowed and new restrictions on citizenship could temporarily take effect in more than half the country.

Some children might be “stateless,” Sotomayor said, because they’d be denied citizenship in the U.S. as well as the countries their parents fled to avoid persecution.

New Jersey Solicitor General Jeremy Feigenbaum, representing 22 states that sued, said citizenship could “turn on and off” for children crossing the Delaware River between Camden, New Jersey, where affected children would be citizens, and Philadelphia, where they wouldn’t be. Pennsylvania is not part of the lawsuit.

One possible solution for the court might be to find a way to replace nationwide injunctions with certification of a class action, a lawsuit in which individuals serve as representatives of a much larger group of similarly situated people.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/immigration-supreme-court-birthright-citizenship-nationwide-injunctions-2c495cddc1436e21a9fa976d295dc292

State carrier Qatar Airways signed a deal on Wednesday (May 14) to purchase up to 210 widebody jets from Boeing during President Donald Trump’s visit to the Gulf Arab country, a coup for the US planemaker.

The deal for Boeing and 787 planes with GE Aerospace engines was worth US$96 billion, according to the White House. It is a win for Trump on a high-profile visit to the region, even though it will be years before the jets are delivered.

The sale is also a boost for Boeing and its biggest engine supplier at a time when large versions of rival Airbus’ A350, powered by Rolls-Royce engines, have struggled with maintenance problems from operating in the world’s hottest climates, including the Gulf region.

The agreement is for 160 firm orders, 130 787s and 30 777Xs, and options for another 50 of the two long-haul airplanes, according to Boeing. The company’s shares rose 0.6 per cent in New York, while GE Aerospace stock gained 0.7 per cent.

For the 787s, Qatar opted for GE Aerospace’s GEnx engines rather than Rolls-Royce’s Trent 1000, according to the administration. GE Aerospace’s GE9X is the only engine option for the 777X.

The deal for 400 GE engines is the largest ever for GE Aerospace, the company’s CEO Larry Culp said in a statement, a point echoed by Qatar Airways, which told Reuters in March that it was working on a large order for widebody jets.

Trump and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani joined a signing ceremony with Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg and Qatar Airways CEO Badr Mohammed Al-Meer. Trump said Ortberg told him it was the largest jet order in Boeing’s history.

The deal was signed during Trump’s second stop on a tour of Gulf states after he struck a string of deals with Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/qatar-airways-signs-deal-up-210-boeing-jets-during-trump-visit-5130371

Harvard University is dedicating $250 million of its own funds to support researchers after U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration froze nearly $3 billion in federal grants and contracts in recent weeks, the university announced on Wednesday.
The elite Ivy League university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of Trump’s most prominent targets. The Republican president has been making an extraordinary effort to revamp private colleges and schools across the U.S. that he says foster anti-American, Marxist and “radical left” ideologies. He has criticized Harvard in particular for hiring prominent Democrats to teaching or leadership positions.

Harvard is suing the Trump administration over its decision to cut off grants awarded to the school’s researchers, mostly in the medical sciences. Harvard calls this an unconstitutional attempt to curtail academic freedom and speech rights.
The government announced the cuts last month, hours after Harvard’s president, Dr. Alan Garber, denounced a lengthy list of demands by the Trump administration to overhaul the school’s leadership, teaching and admissions, and audit the views of its students and professors.
Garber, in a joint statement with Provost John Manning, said the Trump administration was “stopping lifesaving research” and called it an “extraordinarily challenging time” for the country’s oldest and wealthiest university.

On Wednesday, Harvard said Garber was taking a temporary, voluntary pay cut of 25% starting in July. The university previously announced a hiring freeze.
The statement said Harvard “cannot absorb the entire cost” of the frozen grants, which the Trump administration says are worth more than $2.6 billion. The school said it was working with researchers to help them find alternative funding.
“The impact of such steps on the nation’s scientific research enterprise could be severe and lasting,” the statement said.
Trump’s administration has accused Harvard of continuing to consider race when reviewing student applications and of allowing discrimination against Jews as a result of the pro-Palestinian student protest movement that roiled American campuses last year.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us/harvard-university-puts-250-million-shore-up-research-hit-by-trump-freeze-grants-2025-05-14/

An Israeli air strike has killed 28 people and injured dozens at the European Hospital in Khan Younis, a spokesman for the Hamas-run civil defence agency has said.

Israeli warplanes dropped six bombs simultaneously on the Gaza hospital, hitting both its inner courtyard and surrounding area, according to local sources.

The Israeli military said it had conducted a “precise strike” on “Hamas terrorists in a command and control centre” which it claimed was beneath the hospital.

A freelance journalist working for the BBC in Gaza was among those injured in the air strike, and is now in a stable condition after receiving medical attention.

The strike at European Hospital resulted in several deep craters inside the hospital compound, which buried several vehicles including part of a large bus.

Eyewitnesses said Israeli drones maintained a tight aerial siege over the building, preventing rescue teams from reaching the site.

A quadcopter drone reportedly wounded two civil defence officers as they attempted to approach the European Hospital.

Dr Tom Potokar, a plastic surgeon working with the Ideals international aid charity, was in the hospital when it was hit.

Speaking to the BBC’s Newshour programme, he described “six enormous explosions one after the other” that directly hit the hospital with “no warning whatsoever”.

“There was complete panic,” he added.

The dead and wounded have been transferred to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, local sources said, where medical teams are reportedly struggling to deal with the casualties.

The emergency department of Nasser Hospital was hit by another strike earlier on Tuesday, according to medical sources and eyewitnesses.

They said a well-known Palestinian photojournalist was among two people killed.

Hassan Aslih, who was being treated for injuries from a previous Israeli strike, was targeted in what witnesses described as a drone attack on the hospital’s surgical wing.

A doctor there confirmed that Aslih had been at the hospital for nearly a month after surviving an air strike on the same facility in April.

The Israeli military had previously accused him of involvement in the 7 October Hamas attack on Israel. The strike in April killed Aslih’s colleague Helmi al-Faqawi and wounded several other journalists.

In a joint statement the IDF and the Israeli Securities Authority (ISA) said Hamas “continues” to use hospitals in Gaza for its activities – a long-standing Israeli allegation which the group denies.

Israeli media reported the target of the strike was senior Hamas figure Mohammed Sinwar – the younger brother of the former Hamas leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2jvx3yjg3o

A statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said that the concerned official has been directed to leave Pakistan within 24 hours.

Pakistan on Tuesday declared a staff member of the Indian High Commission here “persona non grata” for engaging in activities what it called “incompatible” with his privileged status.

A statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said that the concerned official has been directed to leave Pakistan within 24 hours.

“The Government of Pakistan has declared a staff member of the Indian High Commission, Islamabad, as persona non grata for engaging in activities incompatible with his privileged status,” it said.

It added that the Indian Charge d’Affaires was called to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday for a démarche, conveying this decision.

Earlier, India expelled a Pakistani official working at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi for allegedly indulging in espionage.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/pakistam-asks-indian-diplomat-to-leave-country-within-24-hours-8407327

The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) took responsibility for more than 51 attacks on Pakistani forces. The BLA urges the world, especially India, to support efforts to stop Pakistan’s terrorism and prevent nuclear risks.

The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has warned of a regional shift, declaring that “a new order has become inevitable” in South Asia. It rejected the claims of being a foreign proxy, the group called itself “a dynamic and decisive party” in the region’s future.

Separately, the BLA claimed it carried out 71 coordinated attacks at over 51 locations in occupied Balochistan, targeting Pakistani military and intelligence sites.

“We strongly reject the idea that Baloch national resistance is a proxy of any state or power. The BLA is neither a pawn nor a silent spectator,” the group said. “We have our rightful place in the current and future military, political and strategic formation of this region and are fully aware of our role.”

The BLA sharply blasted Pakistan, accusing it of using deceptive peace rhetoric while fostering terrorism. Addressing India directly, the BLA said, “Every talk of peace, ceasefire and brotherhood from Pakistan is merely a deception, a war tactic and a temporary ruse.”

BLA HITS MORE THAN 51 LOCATIONS

In a seperate release, the group claimed that it had carried out a large-scale coordinated offensive against Pakistani military positions. According to BLA spokesperson Jeeyand Baloch, “During the height of India-Pakistan military escalation earlier this week, Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) opened another front for the Pakistani military as it carried out 71 coordinated attacks, which went on for many hours, at more than 51 locations across the occupied Balochistan.”

Targets included military convoys, intelligence centres, and mineral transport vehicles. “The aim of these attacks was not simply to destroy the enemy but to test military coordination, ground control, and defensive positions, in order to strengthen readiness for future organised warfare,” Baloch said.

The BLA also accused Pakistan’s military and intelligence establishment ISI, calling it a breeding ground for terrorism. “Pakistan has not only been a breeding ground for global terrorists but also a centre for the state-sponsored development of deadly terrorist groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad and ISIS,” the statement read. “The ISI is the network behind this terrorism… Pakistan has become a nuclear state of violent ideology.”

The BLA appealed to the international community, including India, for political, diplomatic, and defence support, saying that this could pave the way for “a peaceful, prosperous and independent Balochistan.”

“If we receive political, diplomatic and defence support from the world, especially from India, Baloch nation can eliminate this terrorist state,” the group stated.

WARNING OF NUCLEAR RISK

In its message, the BLA warned of dire consequences if Pakistan’s current trajectory is not addressed. “If Pakistan continues to be tolerated, then in the coming years very existence of this state may lead to the ruin of the entire world,” the statement warned. “The control of nuclear weapons by a fanatical military establishment is a ticking time bomb—not only for the region but for global security.”

Earlier, Pakistani army chief, Asim Munir, claimed that the “unrest” in Balochistan is the result of just 1,500 people, the government in Islamabad has conveniently blamed the Indian government for the home-grown, decades-long resistance in the province.

Source : https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/ready-to-attack-bla-hits-51-locations-in-pakistan-amid-heating-tensions-glbs-2723310-2025-05-12

Global stock markets surged on Monday after the U.S. and China agreed to slash steep tariffs for at least 90 days, tapping the brakes on a trade war between the world’s two biggest economies that had fed fears of a global recession.
But the temporary pause did little to address the underlying schisms that led to the dispute, including the U.S. trade deficit with China and U.S. President Donald Trump’s demand for more action from Beijing to combat the U.S. fentanyl crisis.

While investors cheered the move, businesses were seeking more clarity.
Under the temporary truce, the U.S. will cut extra tariffs it imposed on Chinese imports last month from 145% to 30% for the next three months, the two sides said, while Chinese duties on U.S. imports will fall to 10% from 125%.
In addition to the tariff reductions, China agreed to lift export countermeasures issued after April 2, including restrictions on rare earth minerals and magnets used widely in high tech manufacturing, U.S. trade representative Jamieson Greer said in an interview with Fox News.
Financial markets cheered the reprieve in a conflict that had brought nearly $600 billion in two-way trade to a standstill, disrupting supply chains and triggering layoffs.

Wall Street stocks finished sharply higher, with the S&P 500 closing at its highest level since March 3 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite recording its highest close since February 28.
The dollar rose, while safe-haven gold prices fell as the news eased – but did not erase – concerns that Trump’s trade war could crater the global economy.
Trump and his allies hailed the agreement as proof his aggressive tariff strategy was paying dividends, after the U.S. struck preliminary pacts with Britain and now China.
“They’ve agreed to open China, fully open China, and I think it’s going to be fantastic for China, I think it’s going to be fantastic for us, and I think it’s going to be great for unification and peace,” Trump said at the White House.
It was not yet clear whether the deep trade imbalances that have hollowed out U.S. manufacturing will be addressed.

Even U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who hammered out Monday’s agreement with Chinese counterparts in weekend talks in Geneva, has acknowledged it will take years to reset Washington’s trade relationship with Beijing.
China’s state media said Beijing held firm to its principles while opening a path to more cooperation with the U.S., breaking from its tone of defiance a week earlier.
“Economic and trade cooperation between China and the U.S. has a deep foundation, great potential and broad space,” government-run broadcaster CCTV said in a commentary.
Trump campaigned in the 2024 election on addressing unfair trade practices and resurrecting U.S. manufacturing capacity. He won votes from blue-collar workers in states like Michigan and Pennsylvania that have lost manufacturing jobs for decades.
But Trump’s tariff policy also drew fire from a range of groups. Small businesses and truckers were girding for major repercussions from the China tariffs, while American consumers worried about rising costs.
Scott Kennedy, a China business and economics expert at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the administration needed to pull back or risk severe damage to the U.S. economy.
“This is 100% a retreat by the U.S., not a Chinese cave,” Kennedy said. “The U.S. was the one that launched the trade war and escalated it. The Chinese retaliated and they’ve only withdrawn their retaliatory measures.”
But Kelly Ann Shaw, an attorney with Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld who worked as a key trade adviser during Trump’s 2017-2021 term, said Trump was simply fulfilling his campaign promises.

“The president is doing what he said he would. This is absolutely about resolving disparities in the trading relationship,” she said.
She acknowledged that 90 days was not much time to address major U.S. concerns over non-tariff barriers such as subsidies for capital and labor.
“They’ve got their work cut out for them.”

ON-AND-OFF APPROACH

Seeking to reduce the U.S. trade deficit, Trump targeted countries worldwide with an array of tariffs and especially aggressive levies on China, which he blames for exacerbating the U.S. fentanyl crisis.
Markets shuddered in response, and last month Trump quickly paused most of his “reciprocal” tariffs on dozens of countries, except China.
Trump’s on-and-off approach has rattled investors and weakened his approval ratings among U.S. voters worried tariffs will lift prices on everything from toys to cars.
The remaining U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports are still stacked atop prior duties. Even before Trump took office in January, China was saddled with 25% U.S. tariffs he had imposed on many industrial goods during his first term, with lower rates on some consumer goods.
The agreement leaves these duties unchanged, along with tariffs of 100% on electric vehicles and 50% on solar products imposed by former Democratic President Joe Biden.
Retailers may take a wait-and-see approach to 30% tariffs that would drive up prices for shoppers, said Gene Seroka, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, the nation’s busiest and the No. 1 ocean entry point for imports from China.
Monday’s accord also does not include the “de minimis” exemptions for low-value e-commerce shipments from China and Hong Kong, which the Trump administration terminated on May 2.
However, the tariffs were cut by more than many analysts had anticipated. Last week, Trump floated a much higher rate of 80%.
Shipping industry representatives said the temporary cuts may prompt many companies to restart loadings of goods while tariffs remain low, but uncertainty around any eventual deal may leave businesses wary of ramping up orders dramatically.
Mike Abt, co-president of family-owned Abt Electronics in Chicago, said the company is working down inventories squirreled away before tariffs went live.
“Everyone wants consistency, and that’s been the hard part of this whole thing,” he said. “It’s so fluid. It’s like a game of Risk, you really don’t know what the right answer is.”

Within the administration, the truce marked a victory for Bessent, a former hedge fund executive who had advocated for the earlier 90-day pause in the global reciprocal tariffs to allow time for negotiation.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/china/us-china-reach-deal-slash-tariffs-officials-say-2025-05-12/

The US and China have agreed on a deal to help resolve the trade war raging between the world’s two largest economies, top Trump administration officials announced Sunday.

Details of the deal — struck during negotiations in Switzerland over the weekend — were not revealed, but officials teased that more information will be shared on Monday.

“The U.S. has a massive $1.2 trillion trade deficit, so the President declared a national emergency,” US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Sunday. “We’re confident that the deal we struck with our Chinese partners will help us work toward resolving that national emergency.”

President Trump has imposed tariffs of up to 145% on goods from China, with China slapping retaliatory tariffs on American exports.

Greer joined Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng for the talks in Geneva, Switzerland, over the weekend to address the triple-digit tariff.

“I can tell you that the talks were productive,” Bessent teased.

The announcement comes after the Trump administration unveiled a framework for a trade deal with the United Kingdom last week.

China is America’s third-largest trading partner and has long drawn ire from Trump over its practices, including exporting deadly fentanyl, currency manipulation, intellectual property theft, forced technology transfers and more.

Some estimates have pegged annual Chinese IP theft from the US at $225 to $600 billion annually.

Last year, the US had a $295.4 billion trade deficit with China, a major pet peeve of Trump’s.

During his second term, Trump slapped a 20% tariff against China, seeking concessions on the fentanyl crisis.

Then on “Liberation Day,” he unveiled so-called “reciprocal” tariffs on Beijing, prompting swift retaliation.

Despite the vast differences, Trump administration officials claim that they made remarkable progress with China in about two days.

“It’s important to understand how quickly we were able to come to [an] agreement, which reflects that perhaps the differences were not so large as maybe thought,” Greer added.

“There was a lot of groundwork that went into these two days.”

On Saturday, Trump crowed that “GREAT PROGRESS MADE” in deliberations with China.

The president’s team is frantically working to strike lightning deals with a bevy of countries, given Trump’s July 8 deadline to reach an agreement or else face the customized higher rates he announced last month.

Those “Liberation Day” tariffs tossed the global markets into chaos when Trump announced them in the White House Rose Garden on April 2.

The pandemonium that ensued as world leaders, businesses and consumers alike struggled to wrap their heads around the tariffs – many of which seemed to be determined with little financial analysis – tanked the stock markets, all but wiping out the economic “Trump bump” the president enjoyed since his November election.

Source : https://nypost.com/2025/05/11/world-news/us-and-china-have-hammered-out-a-trade-deal-us-trade-representative-says/

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday proposed direct talks with Ukraine on May 15 in Turkey that he said should be aimed at bringing a durable peace, an initiative welcomed by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Putin sent thousands of troops into Ukraine in February 2022, unleashing a war that has left hundreds of thousands of soldiers dead and triggering the gravest confrontation between Russia and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

The Russian leader, who has offered few concessions towards ending the conflict so far, said the talks in the Turkish city of Istanbul will be aimed at eliminating the root causes of the war and restoring a “long-term, lasting peace” rather than simply a pause for rearmament.
“We are proposing that Kyiv resume direct negotiations without any preconditions,” Putin said from the Kremlin in the early hours of Sunday. “We offer the Kyiv authorities to resume negotiations already on Thursday, in Istanbul.”
Putin said that he would speak to Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan later on Sunday about facilitating the talks, which he said could lead to a ceasefire.

“Our proposal, as they say, is on the table. The decision is now up to the Ukrainian authorities and their curators, who are guided, it seems, by their personal political ambitions, and not by the interests of their peoples.”
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s office and Ukraine’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment on the proposal.
In a message on the social network Truth Social, Trump hailed Putin’s proposal as a positive for ending the war.
“A potentially great day for Russia and Ukraine!” Trump said. “Think of the hundreds of thousands of lives that will be saved as this never ending ‘bloodbath’ hopefully comes to an end.”

NO CEASEFIRE?

Putin’s proposal for direct talks with Ukraine came hours after major European powers demanded on Saturday in Kyiv that Putin agree to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire or face “massive” new sanctions.

Putin dismissed what he said was the attempt by some European powers to lay down “ultimatums”.
Russia, Putin said, had proposed several ceasefires, including a moratorium on striking energy facilities, an Easter ceasefire and most recently the 72-hour truce during the celebrations marking 80 years since victory in World War Two.
Both Russia and Ukraine accused each other of violating the temporary truce proposals, including the May 8-10 ceasefire.
Despite Putin’s call for peace talks, Russia on Sunday launched a drone attack on Kyiv and other parts of Ukraine, injuring one person in the region surrounding the Ukrainian capital and damaging several private homes, Ukrainian officials said.
Putin said that he does not rule out that during his proposed talks in Turkey both sides will agree on “some new truces, a new ceasefire,” but one that would be the first step towards a “sustainable” peace.

PEACE?

Putin, whose forces have advanced over the past year, has stood firm in his conditions for ending the war despite public and private pressure from Trump and repeated warnings from European powers.
In June 2024, he said that Ukraine must officially drop its NATO ambitions and withdraw its troops from the entirety of the territory of four Ukrainian regions claimed by Russia.
Russian officials have also proposed that the U.S. recognise Russia’s control over about one-fifth of Ukraine and demanded that Ukraine remains neutral though Moscow has said it is not opposed to Kyiv’s ambitions to join the European Union.
Putin specifically mentioned the 2022 draft deal which Russia and Ukraine negotiated shortly after the Russian invasion started.
Under that draft, a copy of which Reuters has seen, Ukraine should agree to permanent neutrality in return for international security guarantees from the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council: Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.
“It was not Russia that broke off negotiations in 2022. It was Kyiv,” Putin said. “Russia is ready to negotiate without any preconditions.”
He thanked China, Brazil, African and Middle Eastern countries and the United States for their efforts to mediate.
Trump, who says he wants to be remembered as a peacemaker, has repeatedly said he wants to end the “bloodbath” of the Ukraine war which his administration casts as a proxy war between the United States and Russia.
“I will continue to work with both sides to make sure that it happens,” Trump said in his Truth Social post on Sunday. “The USA wants to focus, instead, on Rebuilding and Trade. A BIG week upcoming!”
Former U.S. President Joe Biden, Western European leaders and Ukraine cast the invasion as an imperial-style land grab and repeatedly vowed to defeat Russian forces.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/putin-proposes-direct-talks-with-ukraine-may-15-2025-05-10/

Pakistan violates ceasefire: Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said that the armed forces were giving an “adequate and appropriate response” to these violations by Pakistan.

Hours after India and Pakistan agreed to halt military action, in a late-night press briefing, India said that Pakistan has violated the understanding arrived at earlier and Indian forces were giving an “adequate and appropriate response” to the violations. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Saturday said, “For the last few hours, there have been repeated violations of the understanding arrived at earlier this evening between the Directors General of Military Operations of India and Pakistan. This is a breach of the understanding arrived at earlier today.”
“The armed forces are giving an adequate and appropriate response to these violations and we take very very serious note of these violations,” he added.

The Foreign Secretary said, “We call upon Pakistan to take appropriate steps to address these violations and deal with the situation with seriousness and responsibility. The armed forces are maintaining a strong vigil on the situation. They have been given instructions to deal strongly with any instances of repetition of the violations of the border along the International Border as well as the Line of Control.”

Earlier on Saturday, Misri, in a less than five-minute briefing, said that the directors general of military operations (DGMO) of India and Pakistan agreed to stop all firings and military action on land, air and sea with effect from 5 pm on Saturday. The DGMO of Pakistan called the DGMO of India at 3.35 pm earlier this afternoon, he added.

“It was agreed between them that both sides would stop all firing and military action on land, and in the air and sea, with effect from 1700 hours IST Saturday,” he said, adding that. the “Instructions have been given on both sides to give effect to this understanding. The DGMOs will talk again on May 12 at 1200 hours.”
The brief announcement by the foreign secretary came shortly after US President Donald Trump said India and Pakistan have agreed to a “full and immediate” ceasefire after talks mediated by the US.

Source : https://www.timesnownews.com/india/pakistan-violating-understanding-reached-on-stopping-firings-foreign-secretary-vikram-misri-article-151606682

Russia marked the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II with a massive military parade on Red Square on Friday.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/russia-victory-day-photos-fe4bb13744424a1a7c1f7b77f66c0759

The locations include Baramulla, Srinagar, Avantipora, Nagrota, Jammu, Ferozpur, Pathankot, Fazilka, Lalgarh Jatta, Jaisalmer, Barmer, Bhuj, Kuarbet and Lakhi Nala.

Drones have been sighted at 26 locations ranging from the Baramulla in the North to Bhuj in the South, along both the International Border and the Line of Control with Pakistan. These include suspected armed drones posing potential threats to civilian and military targets, according to a defence official.
The locations include Baramulla, Srinagar, Avantipora, Nagrota, Jammu, Ferozpur, Pathankot, Fazilka, Lalgarh Jatta, Jaisalmer, Barmer, Bhuj, Kuarbet and Lakhi Nala.
An armed drone targeted a civilian area in Ferozpur, resulting in severe injuries to members of a local family. The injured have been provided medical assistance and the area has been sanitised by security forces.

The Indian Armed Forces are maintaining a high state of alert, and all such aerial threats are being tracked and engaged using counter-drone systems. The situation is under close and constant watch, and prompt action is being taken wherever necessary.

Source : https://www.timesnownews.com/india/from-baramulla-to-bhuj-drones-spotted-at-26-locations-along-india-pak-border-article-151600764

Bill Gates pledged on Thursday to give away $200 billion via his charitable foundation by 2045 and lashed out at Elon Musk, accusing the world’s richest man of “killing the world’s poorest children” through huge cuts to the U.S. foreign aid budget.
The 69-year-old billionaire co-founder of Microsoft said he was speeding up his plans to divest almost all of his fortune and would close the foundation on December 31, 2045, years earlier than previously planned. Gates said he believed the money would help achieve several of his goals, such as eradicating diseases like polio and malaria, ending preventable deaths among women and children, and reducing global poverty.

His announcement follows moves by governments, including the Trump administration, to slash international aid budgets used to prevent deadly disease and famine.
The U.S. cuts have been overseen by Musk, who has publicly bragged about feeding the U.S. Agency for International Development “into the wood chipper,” and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Around 80% of USAID programs are set to be cut; the agency spent $44 billion worldwide in fiscal 2023.
“The picture of the world’s richest man killing the world’s poorest children is not a pretty one,” Gates told the Financial Times.
In an interview with Reuters, Gates warned of a stark reversal to decades of progress in reducing mortality over the next four to six years due to the funding cuts by governments worldwide.

“The number of deaths will start going up for the first time … it’s going to be millions more deaths because of the resources,” Gates told Reuters.
The Gates Foundation’s annual budget will reach $9 billion by 2026 and around $10 billion annually after that due to the accelerated spending. Gates has warned the White House that his foundation and other philanthropies cannot fill the gaps left by governments.
“I think governments will come back to caring about children surviving” over the next 20-year period though, Gates said on Thursday.
Gates and Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, once agreed over the role of the wealthy in giving away money to help others, but have since clashed several times.
Asked if he had appealed to Musk recently to change course, Gates said it was now up to Congress to decide on the future for U.S. aid spending.

“Gates is a huge liar,” Musk said in reply to a tweet on his X social media platform that featured an interview with Gates warning about U.S. aid cuts. Musk’s spokespeople were not immediately available for comment.

Gates said that despite his foundation’s deep pockets, progress would not be possible without government support.
“There are too many urgent problems to solve for me to hold onto resources that could be used to help people,” Gates wrote in a post on his website. “It’s unclear whether the world’s richest countries will continue to stand up for its poorest people.”
He praised the response to aid cuts in Africa, where some governments have reallocated budgets, but said that, as an example, polio would not be eradicated without U.S. funding.
Gates made the announcement on the foundation’s 25th anniversary. He set up the organization with his then-wife Melinda French Gates in 2000, and they were later joined by billionaire investor Warren Buffett.

‘WHAT MY PARENTS TAUGHT ME’

Since inception, the foundation has given away $100 billion, helping to save millions of lives and backing initiatives like the vaccine group Gavi and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
It will close after it spends around 99% of Gates’ personal fortune, he said. The founders originally expected the foundation to wrap up in the decades after their deaths.
Gates, whose fortune is currently valued at around $108 billion, expects the foundation to spend around $200 billion by 2045, with the final figure dependent on markets and inflation.
The foundation has faced criticism for its outsized power and influence in the field without the requisite accountability, including at the World Health Organization.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/bill-gates-give-away-fortune-by-2045-200bn-worlds-poorest-2025-05-08/

Amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan, the sound of explosions was heard near the Line of Control (LoC) in the Poonch and Rajouri districts of Jammu and Kashmir early Friday morning.

Amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan, the sound of explosions was heard near the Line of Control (LoC) in the Poonch and Rajouri districts of Jammu and Kashmir early Friday morning.

Further details are awaited.

Meanwhile, the Border Security Forces (BSF) foiled a major infiltration attempt along the International Boundary in the Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday. The attempt was made around 11 pm on May 8.

In a post on X, BSF Jammu wrote, “At around 2300 hours on 8 May 2025, BSF foiled a major infiltration bid at the International Boundary in Samba district, J&K.”

Earlier, multiple sources told ANI that a Pakistani Air Force jet was shot down by Indian Air Defence systems in the Pathankot sector of Punjab. However, official confirmation from the government is still awaited, and more details are expected soon.

Defence sources also said that the Indian Army shot down two Pakistani drones in the Naushera sector of Jammu and Kashmir. The drones were intercepted during a heavy exchange of artillery fire between Indian and Pakistani forces.

According to the Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff, Pakistan also tried to target military stations in Jammu, Pathankot, and Udhampur, all located near the International Border. The Indian Armed Forces responded strongly, and no loss of life was reported.

In a post on X, the Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff stated: “Military Stations of Jammu, Pathankot and Udhampur in proximity to the International Boundary, in Jammu and Kashmir targeted by Pakistan using missiles and drones. No losses. Threat neutralised by Indian Armed Forces as per SoP with kinetic and non-kinetic means.”

These developments come after India launched “Operation Sindoor” on May 7. During the operation, the Indian Armed Forces carried out missile strikes on nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK).

Source : https://www.freepressjournal.in/india/india-pakistan-tensions-escalate-explosions-heard-near-loc-in-poonch-and-rajouri-video

Speaking to Fox News, Vance said, “We are concerned about any time when nuclear powers collide and have a major conflict. We want this thing to de-escalate as quickly as possible. We can’t control these countries, as India has its gripes with Pakistan and Pakistan has responded to India.”

Reacting to the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, US Vice President JD Vance on Thursday said, the India-Pakistan conflict is ‘fundamentally none of our business’. Vance further said that the conflict has ‘nothing to do with America’s ability to control it’.

Speaking to Fox News, Vance said, “We are concerned about any time when nuclear powers collide and have a major conflict. We want this thing to de-escalate as quickly as possible. We can’t control these countries, as India has its gripes with Pakistan and Pakistan has responded to India.”

“What we can do is try to encourage these folks to de-escalate, but we are not going to get involved in the middle of a war that is fundamentally none of our business and has nothing to do with America’s ability to control it,” he added.

Vance’s statement comes a day after President Donald Trump called the escalating tensions between the two countries ‘terrible’. When asked about his position, the POTUS added that he ‘gets along with both.’

Source : https://www.freepressjournal.in/world/none-of-our-business-vice-president-jd-vance-says-america-will-not-get-involved-in-india-pakistan-war-video

Thick black smoke emerged on Wednesday (May 7) from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel in a sign that cardinals had failed to elect a new head of the Catholic Church in their first conclave vote.

Tens of thousands of people gathered in St Peter’s Square to await the smoke, which came around three hours and 15 minutes after the 133 cardinals were closed in.

The prelates will now withdraw to the Santa Marta guesthouse, where they are staying for the election, before starting to vote again on Thursday.

Cardinals were called back to Rome following the death of Pope Francis on Apr 21 after 12 years as head of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.

Under a centuries-old ritual, those aged under 80 vote in secrecy in the Sistine Chapel until one of them secures a two-thirds majority – 89 votes – to be elected pope.

Locked away to avoid distraction, their only means of communicating the outcome is by burning their ballots with chemicals to produce smoke.

It is black if there is no decision, white if they have a new pope.

This conclave is the largest and the most international ever, assembling cardinals from around 70 countries, many of whom did not previously know each other.

There is no clear frontrunner to succeed the charismatic Argentine Francis, with the cardinals representing a range of progressive and conservative traditions within the Church.

But the challenges facing the 2,000-year-old institution are clear.

The new pope will have to face diplomatic balancing acts at a time of geopolitical uncertainty, as well as deep splits within the Church.

There is also the continued fallout from the clerical child abuse scandal and – in the West – increasingly empty pews.

WAITING FOR THE SMOKE

The start of the conclave, with a solemn procession of cardinals and other clergy into the Sistine Chapel, was streamed live on large screens in front of St Peter’s Basilica.

As night fell, the crowds swelled, including many young people and children. Some sang hymns while others danced, while one young woman showed off her black miniature poodle dressed as the pope.

The screens went black at 9pm local time, eliciting groans from the crowds, minutes before the black smoke was spotted wafting from the chimney, bringing on a new wave of disappointed reaction.

Still, James Kleineck, 37, from Texas, said he was “excited” to witness the unique event.

“I don’t mind that it’s black smoke, it shows the Holy Spirit is at work. There will be other votes soon enough, we will get our pope,” he told AFP.

The cardinal electors had earlier gathered in the nearby Pauline Chapel in silent prayer before proceeding to the 15th-century Sistine Chapel, where tables and chairs were laid out beneath Michelangelo’s frescoes.

They took a group oath of secrecy before each cardinal approached the altar to utter his personal vow not to reveal what happened in the conclave, on pain of excommunication.

According to a video feed produced by the Vatican, they filed up one by one in front of the Renaissance master’s depiction of the Last Judgement, when Christians believe God determines who goes to heaven or hell.

The conclave’s master of ceremonies then declared “Extra omnes” – “Everybody out” in Latin – and then shut the heavy doors of the chapel.

There are four votes a day until a winner is elected.

Both Francis and his predecessor Benedict XVI were elected within two days, but the longest papal election lasted 1,006 days, from 1268 to 1271.

PRAY FOR UNITY

The cardinals joined a mass in St Peter’s Basilica ahead of the conclave on Wednesday morning, where Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, offered some final advice.

“We are here to invoke the help of the Holy Spirit, to implore his light and strength so that the pope elected may be he whom the Church and humanity need at this difficult and complex turning point in history,” he said.

“This is also a strong call to maintain the unity of the Church … a unity that does not mean uniformity, but a firm and profound communion in diversity.”

He called it a choice of “exceptional importance”, requiring the red-robed prelates to set aside “every personal consideration”.

Battista Re himself is too old to vote.

The mass was the last rite to be celebrated publicly before the 267th pope is presented to the world from a balcony of St Peter’s Basilica.

WOMEN PROTEST

The cardinals have spent days discussing the most pressing challenges facing the Catholic Church and the character traits its new leader needs.

Burning issues include falling priest numbers, the role of women, the Vatican’s troubled balance sheets and how to adapt the Church to the modern world.

Battista Re urged cardinals to pray for “a pope who knows how best to awaken the consciences of all … in today’s society, characterised by great technological progress but which tends to forget God”.

Meanwhile across Rome, women’s rights activists gathered to protest the absence of women in the conclave.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/black-smoke-papal-conclave-no-new-pope-first-try-5115956

The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed President Donald Trump’s administration to enforce a ban on transgender people in the military, while legal challenges proceed.

The court acted in the dispute over a policy that presumptively disqualifies transgender people from military service and could lead to the expulsion of experienced, decorated officers.

The court’s three liberal justices said they would have kept the policy on hold. Neither the justices in the majority or dissent explained their votes, which is not uncommon in emergency appeals.

Just after beginning his second term in January, Trump moved aggressively to roll back the rights of transgender people. Among the Republican president’s actions was an executive order that claims the sexual identity of transgender service members “conflicts with a soldier’s commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle, even in one’s personal life” and is harmful to military readiness.

In response, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a policy in February that gave the military services 30 days to figure out how they would seek out and identify transgender service members to remove them from the force. Those actions had been stalled by the lawsuits.

“No More Trans @ DoD,” Hegseth wrote in a post on X following Tuesday’s Supreme Court order. Earlier in the day, before the court acted, Hegseth said that his department is leaving wokeness and weakness behind. “No more pronouns,” he told a special operations forces conference in Tampa. “No more dudes in dresses. We’re done with that s—-.”

The Defense Department said Tuesday that officials are currently determining the next steps, but officials were not aware of any actions being taken right away.

Three federal judges had ruled against the ban.

In the case the justices acted on Tuesday, U.S. District Court Judge Benjamin Settle in Tacoma, Washington, had ruled for seven long-serving transgender military members who say that the ban is insulting and discriminatory and that their firing would cause lasting damage to their careers and reputations. A prospective service member also sued.

The individual service members who challenged the ban together have amassed more than 70 medals in 115 years of service, their lawyers wrote. The lead plaintiff is Emily Shilling, a Navy commander with nearly 20 years of service, including as a combat pilot who flew 60 missions in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

The Trump administration offered no explanation as to why transgender troops, who have been able to serve openly over the past four years with no evidence of problems, should suddenly be banned, Settle wrote. The judge is an appointee of Republican President George W. Bush and is a former captain in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General Corps.

Settle imposed a nationwide hold on the policy and a federal appeals court rejected the administration’s emergency plea. The Justice Department then turned to the Supreme Court.

The policy also has been blocked by a federal judge in the nation’s capital, but that ruling has been temporarily halted by a federal appeals court, which heard arguments last month. The three-judge panel, which includes two judges appointed by Trump during his first term, appeared to be in favor of the administration’s position.

In a more limited ruling, a judge in New Jersey also has barred the Air Force from removing two transgender men, saying they showed their separation would cause lasting damage to their careers and reputations that no monetary settlement could repair.

The LGBTQ rights groups Lambda Legal and the Human Rights Campaign Foundation called the high court order a devastating blow to dedicated and highly qualified service members.

“By allowing this discriminatory ban to take effect while our challenge continues, the court has temporarily sanctioned a policy that has nothing to do with military readiness and everything to do with prejudice. Transgender individuals meet the same standards and demonstrate the same values as all who serve. We remain steadfast in our belief that this ban violates constitutional guarantees of equal protection and will ultimately be struck down,” the groups said in a statement.

The federal appeals court in San Francisco will hear the administration’s appeal in a process that will play out over several months at least. All the while, though, the transgender ban will remain in place under the Supreme Court order.

In 2016, during Barack Obama’s presidency, a Defense Department policy permitted transgender people to serve openly in the military. During Trump’s first term in the White House, the Republican issued a directive to ban transgender service members, with an exception for some of those who had already started transitioning under more lenient rules that were in effect during Obama’s Democratic administration.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-transgender-military-ban-ef67038857bd5b99e128bf0b8866afb4

Evidence has been circulated through heads of multilateral development banks to show how the money given to Pakistan is being misused to stoke terror in India and the world

India, after ensuring that Pakistan’s economy is hurt by its important economic decisions, is now working to ensure that the neighbour is cut off from much of the world’s aid in the aftermath of the deadly Pahalgam attack.

There are several development banks like World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMD), and Asian Development Bank (ADB) which provide aid to countries for developmental work. For instance, as of December 31, 2024, ADB had committed about $43.4 billion to Pakistan over many loans, grants, and technical assistance. The World Bank had, till January 2025, approved a $20 billion aid package for Pakistan.

Now, apart from the diplomatic war, in Stage 2 of the global economic war against Pakistan, sources say India has been working the phone lines and other channels to convince the multilateral development banks, or MDBs as they are called, to cut off aid to Pakistan. Evidence and proof have been kept ready and circulated through heads of these banks concerned to show how the money given to Pakistan for development is being misused—the people continue to live in poverty while the army gets richer and the funds are being channelised to stoke terror in India.

In fact, the MDBs have also been given proof to show that Pakistan has emerged as a school of terror and terror attacks in, say the Moscow theatre or London bridge, had Pakistani imprint. A senior official told News18: “This is proof for the world and these MDBs on why they should snap aid to Pakistan. This money would be the lifeline for terrorists and not just India, even they could face terror acts.”

World Bank, for example, has committed over $50 billion for various road and infrastructure projects. Pakistan has about 25 financial arrangements with IMF, while the ADB has promised over $3.4 billion. The IMF will meet on May 9 to review the decision, while the ADB board will meet on May 20.

Source : https://www.news18.com/india/india-points-to-pakistans-global-terror-footprint-in-fresh-move-to-choke-neighbours-world-aid-ws-kl-9325097.html

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday an expanded offensive against Palestinian militant group Hamas would be “intensive” after his security cabinet approved plans that may include seizing the Gaza Strip and controlling aid.
However an Israeli defence official said the operation would not be launched before U.S. President Donald Trump concludes his visit next week to the Middle East.

The decision, after weeks of faltering efforts to agree a ceasefire with Hamas, underlines the threat that a war heaping international pressure on Israel amid dwindling public support at home could continue with no end in sight.
A report by Israel’s public broadcaster Kan, citing officials with knowledge of the details, said the new plan was gradual and would take months, with forces focusing first on one area of the battered enclave.
Netanyahu said in a video message the operation would be “intensive” and would see more Palestinians in Gaza moved “for their own safety”.
He said Israeli troops would not follow previous tactics based on short raids by forces based outside Gaza. “The intention is the opposite,” he said, echoing comments from other Israeli officials who have said Israel would hold on to the ground it has seized.

U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said Israel is a sovereign state that makes its own decisions, according to Axios, which also reported that he hopes for progress on a hostage and ceasefire deal before or during Trump’s visit. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Israeli troops have already taken over an area amounting to around a third of Gaza, displacing the population and building watchtowers and surveillance posts on cleared ground the military has described as security zones, but the new plan would go further.
One Israeli official said the newly approved offensive would seize the entire territory of the Gaza Strip, move its civilian population southward and keep humanitarian aid from falling into Hamas’ hands.
The defence official said aid distribution, which has been handled by international aid groups and U.N. organizations, would be transferred to private companies and handed out in the southern area of Rafah once the offensive begins.

The Israeli military, which throughout the war has shown little appetite for occupying Gaza, declined to comment on the remarks by government officials and politicians.
Israel resumed its offensive in March after the collapse of a U.S.-backed ceasefire that had halted fighting for two months. It has since imposed an aid blockade, drawing warnings from the UN that the 2.3 million population faces imminent famine.
The defence official said Israel would hold on to security zones seized along the Gaza perimeter because they were vital for protecting Israeli communities around the enclave.
But he said there was a “window of opportunity” for a ceasefire and hostage release deal during Trump’s visit.
“If there is no hostage deal, Operation “Gideon Chariots” will begin with great intensity and will not stop until all its goals are achieved,” he said.
Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi rejected what he called “pressure and blackmail”.

“No deal except a comprehensive one, which includes a complete ceasefire, full withdrawal from Gaza, reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, and the release of all prisoners from both sides,” he said.

‘OCCUPATION’

Israel has yet to present a clear vision for post-war Gaza after a campaign that has displaced most of Gaza’s population and left it depending on aid supplies that have been dwindling rapidly since the blockade.
Ministers have said that aid distribution cannot be left to international organizations which it accuses of allowing Hamas to seize supplies intended for civilians.
Instead, officials have looked at plans for private contractors to handle distribution, through what the United Nations has described as Israeli hubs.
On Monday, Jan Egeland, secretary-general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, said on X that Israel was demanding that the U.N. and non-governmental organisations shut down their aid distribution system in Gaza.
The decision to expand the operation was immediately hailed by Israeli government hardliners who have long pressed for a full takeover of the Gaza Strip by Israel and a permanent displacement of the population, along the lines of the “Riviera” plans outlined by Trump in February.
“We are finally going to conquer Gaza. We are no longer afraid of the word ‘occupation’,” Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich told a pro-settler conference in an online discussion.
However, opinion polls show the Israeli public increasingly wants a deal to bring back the remaining 59 hostages still held in Gaza and there were angry scenes outside parliament with dozens of protesters scuffling with police.
“All the families are tired,” said Ruby Chen, whose son Itay was killed in the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. “All the families have been scared about this new manoeuvring because there is no guarantee that it will get us to where the families want.”
With Israel facing threats from the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen, who on Sunday fired a missile that hit close to Ben Gurion Airport, an unstable Syria next door and a volatile situation in the occupied West Bank, the capacity for prolonged military operations also faces growing constraints.
Israel’s Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said on Sunday that the military has already begun issuing tens of thousands of call-up orders for reservists.
A government spokesman said reserve soldiers were being called up to expand operations in Gaza, not to occupy it.
Zamir, who took office in March, has pushed back against calls by government hardliners who want to choke off aid entirely and has told ministers aid must be let in soon, according to Kan.
The war was triggered by the Hamas October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli tallies, and saw 251 taken hostage into Gaza.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israeli-cabinet-approves-expansion-gaza-offensive-broadcaster-kan-reports-2025-05-05/

The Trump administration will offer a US$1,000 stipend and travel assistance to migrants who elect to voluntarily “self-deport” from the United States, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said on Monday (May 5).

The stipend and potential airfare for migrants who voluntarily depart would cost less than an actual deportation, the agency said. The average cost of arresting, detaining and deporting someone without legal status is currently about US$17,000, according to DHS.

President Donald Trump, a Republican, took office in January pledging to deport millions of people but so far has trailed deportations under his Democratic predecessor Joe Biden.

Biden’s administration faced high levels of illegal immigration and quickly returned many caught crossing the border.

The Trump administration has deported 152,000 people since Jan 20, according to DHS, lower than the 195,000 deported from February to April last year under Biden.

Trump’s administration has tried to encourage migrants to leave voluntarily by threatening steep fines, trying to strip away legal status and deporting migrants to notorious prisons in Guantanamo Bay and El Salvador.

“If you are here illegally, self-deportation is the best, safest and most cost-effective way to leave the United States to avoid arrest,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement.

In March, the administration launched a rebranded app called CBP Home to facilitate self-deportation. The app, previously called CBP One, was used by the Biden administration to allow migrants to enter the US legally.

Trump previewed the stipend plan in April, saying the US would consider allowing migrants to return.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/us-offers-1000-stipend-encourage-migrants-self-deport-5109891

Elon Musk’s vision has materialised as voters in South Texas approved a ballot measure to establish SpaceX site ‘Starbase’ as an official city.

Elon Musk’s long-standing dream is now a reality. Voters in South Texas have approved a ballot measure to establish the South Texas home of Musk’s SpaceX rocket company as an official city, and with a fittingly galactic name: Starbase. In a social media post on X, the tech billionaire confirmed the announcement and said that Starbase was now a real city.
The mandate was in favour of establishing Starbase as a city by a margin of 212 to 6, according to results published online by the Cameron County Elections Department. Most of the 283 eligible voters at the ballot are said to be SpaceX employees or those who had connections to the company, AP reported.
The incorporation of Starbase will give SpaceX the authority to set the pace of its own development in the area. It is expected that the new city will be governed by a city commission, comprising current or former SpaceX employees, who will have authority over zoning, building projects, and other aspects of life.

US President Donald Trump says he will hit movies made in foreign countries with 100% tariffs, as he ramps up trade disputes with nations around the world.

Trump said he was authorising the US Department of Commerce and Trade Representative to start the process to impose the levy because America’s movie industry was dying “a very fast death”.

He blamed a “concerted effort” by other countries that offer incentives to attract filmmakers and studios, which he described as a “National Security threat”.

“It is, in addition to everything else, messaging and propaganda!” Trump said on his Truth Social platform. “WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN!”

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick responded to the latest announcement, saying “We’re on it”.

But the details of the move are unclear. Trump’s statement did not say whether the tariff would apply to American production companies producing films abroad.

Several recent major movies produced by US studios were shot outside America, including Deadpool & Wolverine, Wicked and Gladiator II.

The governments of Australia and New Zealand have spoken out in support of their countries’ film industries.

“Nobody should be under any doubt that we will be standing up unequivocally for the rights of the Australian screen industry,” Australia’s home affairs minister Tony Burke said.

New Zealand’s Prime Minister Christopher Luxon told a news conference that his government was awaiting further details of the proposed tariffs.

“But we’ll be obviously a great advocate, great champion of that sector and that industry,” he added.

Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has imposed tariffs on countries around the world.

He argues tariffs will boost US manufacturers and protect jobs – but the global economy has been thrown into chaos as a result, and prices on goods around the world are expected to rise.

Ahead of his inauguration, Trump appointed three film stars – Jon Voight, Mel Gibson and Sylvester Stallone – to be special ambassadors tasked with promoting business opportunities in Hollywood, which he described as a “great but very troubled place”.

“They will serve as Special Envoys to me for the purpose of bringing Hollywood, which has lost much business over the last four years to Foreign Countries, BACK—BIGGER, BETTER, AND STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE!” Trump wrote at the time.

The US remains a major film production hub globally despite challenges, according to movie industry research firm ProdPro.

Its most recent annual report shows the country saw $14.54bn (£10.94bn) of production spending last year. That was down by 26% since 2022, though.

Countries that have attracted an increase in spending over the same period include Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the UK, according to the report.

Even before this most recent announcement, the US movie industry had been impacted by the fallout from Trump’s trade policies.

In April, China said it was reducing its quota of American films allowed into the country.

“The wrong action of the US government to abuse tariffs on China will inevitably further reduce the domestic audience’s favourability towards American films,” the China Film Administration said.

“We will follow the market rules, respect the audience’s choice, and moderately reduce the number of American films imported.”

Trump has hit China hardest with his tariffs salvo, imposing import taxes of up to 145% on goods from there.

His administration said last month that when the new tariffs are added on to existing ones, the levies on some Chinese goods could reach 245%.

Beijing has hit back with a 125% import duty on goods from the US.

Other countries currently face a blanket US tariff of 10% until a pause on higher levies expires in July.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump said he was meeting with many countries, including China, on trade deals.

He added, however, that he had no plans to speak with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping this week – despite previous reports that Washington had approached Beijing about holding trade talks.

Asked if any trade agreements would be announced this week, Trump said that could “very well be”, but gave no details.

Earlier, Trump signalled he may be willing to lower tariffs on China.

“At some point, I’m going to lower them, because otherwise, you could never do business with them, and they want to do business very much,” he said in an interview that aired Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press.

In the same interview, Trump said he may grant another extension to a deadline for China-based ByteDance to sell the US operations of TikTok.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjr7e2z1rxyo

The United Nations Security Council will meet today to discuss the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack

The United Nations Security Council will meet today to discuss the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.

Pakistan’s foreign office said yesterday it would brief the UN on regional developments in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, including the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty by India.

“This important diplomatic move is part of Pakistan’s efforts to present accurate facts to the international community,” said the foreign office of Pakistan, a non-permanent member of the Security Council.

India had suspended the Indus treaty, citing “sustained cross-border terrorism” from Pakistan after terror links to the neighbouring country emerged in the Pahalgam attack. Denying responsibility, Pakistan had called for a “neutral investigation”.

A week ago, India also warned the UN over Pakistan misusing and undermining the global forum to “indulge in propaganda and make baseless allegations against India.”

India has also reached out to eight non-permanent member nations of the Security Council as part of its diplomatic offensive.

Following the Pahalgam attack, India announced a string of measures against Pakistan, including the expulsion of Pakistani military attaches, suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty and immediate closure of the Attari land-transit post.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/un-security-council-to-meet-today-to-discuss-india-pakistan-tensions-8331546

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejected Putin’s short ceasefire offer by saying it’s “more of a theatrical performance” on the Russian president’s part. DW has the latest.

Billionaire investor Warren Buffett announced he was going to step down as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway by the end of the year. He has tapped Berkshire Hathaway executive Greg Abel replace him.

The billionaire investor took over the reins of Berkshire Hathaway back in 1965, when it was a medium-sized textile manufacturer.

Buffett then acquired businesses across a range of industries and built the conglomerate into the economic powerhouse known to investors and market observers today.

In doing so, Buffett also became known for his investing acumen and, at 94 years old, is one of the world’s most famous investors and had previously said he did not intend to retire.

Buffett taps Greg Abel to take over

Buffett said he would convene the board of directors to have 62-year-old Greg Abel, currently the vice chairman for non-insurance operations at Berkshire Hathaway, take over as chief executive officer of the conglomerate.

“The time has arrived where Greg should become the chief executive officer of the company at year end,” Buffett said.

“I would still hang around and could conceivably be useful in a few cases, but the final word would be what Greg said in operations, in capital deployment, whatever it might be,” he added.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/warren-buffett-to-step-down-as-ceo-of-berkshire-hathaway/a-72427949

Buckingham Palace has issued a rare statement after Prince Harry lost an appeal Friday to regain taxpayer-funded security in the UK and later told the BBC that he wanted to reconcile with his family.

“All of these issues have been examined repeatedly and meticulously by the courts, with the same conclusion reached on each occasion,” a Palace spokesperson said of the decision to strip Harry of his security detail.

The legal team behind the ruling said it would not be appropriate for Harry to have the publicly-paid-for security since shirking his royal duties.

Harry’s wife Meghan Markle, and their children, Archie and Lilibet, have not been to the UK since the Prince left the Royal Family for Los Angeles in 2020.

Harry admitted after the court loss he “can’t see a world in which I would bring my wife and children back to the UK at this point.”

He also said Charles “won’t speak to me because of this security stuff” and that he didn’t know how long his father, who was diagnosed with cancer last year, had left to live.

The palace normally tries to keep family matters under wraps, but it’s occasionally been known to issue statements when allegations emerge that could affect their reputation.

In 2021, the Royal Family issued a statement after Meghan and Harry’s jaw-dropping interview with Oprah, in which Harry claimed a family member had “concerns” about their then-unborn son Archie’s mixed race and how dark his skin might be.

The palace said it was “saddened” by what it heard in the interview, calling the race allegations “concerning.”

Source : https://nypost.com/2025/05/02/world-news/buckingham-palace-issues-rare-statement-after-prince-harry-loses-bid-for-uk-security-his-bombshell-bbc-interview/

THE US has announced it will no longer act as the mediator to negotiate a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine after Vladimir Putin refused to accept a full ceasefire.

The State Department said the country is changing “the methodology of how we contribute” to the talks and will no longer “fly around the world at the drop of a hat” for meetings.

The shift comes just hours after Trump’s deputy JD Vance said the war in Ukraine is unlikely to end “any time soon”.

He added: “It is going to be up to the Russians and Ukrainians now that each side knows what the other’s terms for peace are.

“It’s going to be up to them to come to an agreement and stop this brutal, brutal conflict.”

State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said that the US will still support efforts to bring peace in war-torn Ukraine, but will step back from its direct role as a mediator.

It added that Kyiv and Moscow must now present “concrete” proposals for ending the war and should meet directly to resolve the conflict.

Bruce said: “We are not going to fly around the world at the drop of a hat to mediate meetings; that is now between the two parties, and now is the time that they need to present and develop concrete ideas about how this conflict is going to end.

“[Trump] knows also that there is another part of the world, a whole globe that needs some attention.

“The Secretary has also made it very clear that while our style will change, the methodology of how we contribute to this will change in that we will not be the mediators,” Bruce added.

Trump previously said he would pull the plug on the peace negotiations if Moscow or Kyiv did not commit to a ceasefire.

He wrote on Truth Social: “If one of the two parties makes it very difficult, we’re just going to say: ‘you’re foolish, you’re fools, you’re horrible people,’ and we’re just going to take a pass.”

Last week, Marco Rubio warned that they would walk away unless there is a deal in days.

ONE FINAL PUSH?

The shift comes just two days after the US and Ukraine signed a historic minerals deal – and could be a final push by Washington to broker a peace plan between Moscow and Kyiv.

The US initially proposed a 30-day ceasefire deal, which was accepted by Kyiv.

Not only has Moscow rejected the ceasefire deal and other plans to end the bloody war, but the Russian forces have also intensified attacks in Ukraine that have killed civilians.

The US also drafted a seven-point plan, which it hoped would draw a path to peace between Ukraine and Russia.

However, the plan was rejected by Zelensky as it involved the US formally recognising Russian sovereignty over Crimea.

Trump is said to be growing “increasingly frustrated” with both Putin and Zelensky in his attempts to bring the Ukraine war to a close.

The president, who appeared to be cosying up with Putin since taking over the White House in January, ordered Putin to “sit down and sign a deal”.

He said he was both “surprised and very disappointed” that mad Vlad continued to bomb Ukraine, despite the dictator engaging in crunch talks with US peace envoy Steve Witkoff.

GRAND plans are being made for a massive military parade on Donald Trump’s birthday – with some 7,000 troops marching and 50 helicopters flying over Washington DC.

The president reportedly plans to splash a whopping $100 million on the full-blown military spectacle to show the US might.

A source in Washington DC has revealed that Trump is planning a massive military parade to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the US Army on June 14 – which also happens to be his birthday.

Plans are to start the procession at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, from where the contingents will snake through the streets of the capital to reach the White House.

The grandiose military parade will showcase soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines marching in their uniforms in front of thousands of spectators, the Washington City Paper reported.

As many as 6,600 troops and seven band contingents have reportedly been called to participate in the military parade.

They will be accompanied by at least 150 military vehicles and some 50 air force choppers.

Some 2,000 civilians could also take march alongside the US military.

Plans are also to roll down battle tanks, massive military equipment, and aircraft and missiles, just as he first envisioned the parade during his first term.

While US officials have yet to release the cost of the planned parade, the figure is expected to reach tens of millions of dollars.

This includes the cost of transporting all the military equipment across Washington and putting up safety measures for the public expected to gather at the parade.

Army spokesman Col. Dave Butler said that the Army is excited about the plans for its anniversary.

He added: “We want to make it into an event that the entire nation can celebrate with us.

“We want Americans to know their Army and their soldiers.

“A parade might become part of that, and we think that will be an excellent addition to what we already have planned.”

And Trump appeared to tease the grand plan in a post on Truth Social, where he wrote: “We are going to start celebrating our victories again!”

He also vowed to rename May 8, now known as Victory in Europe Day, as “Victory Day for World War II,” and to change November 11, Veterans Day, to “Victory Day for World War I”.

FIRST-TERM PARADE SCUTTLED

In 2017, Trump wanted the US military to throw a parade as a show of force after watching a French military spectacle the year before.

President Emmanuel Macron treated the president to an elaborate military display, which Trump is said to have become a big fan of.

After watching the grand spectacle, he said, “We’re going to have to try and top it.”

But Trump’s plans were cut short by district officials and other military leaders, and he was forced to cancel the plan, which reportedly cost $91 million.

THE US and Ukraine have finally signed the historic minerals deal, leaving Vladimir Putin furious.

The long-awaited agreement blames Putin for the three-year-long war, spares Ukraine from payback and will even allow Kyiv to join the EU.

The US and Ukraine signed the minerals deal two months after it was derailed by Trump and Zelensky’s Oval Office bust-up.

It comes as a humiliating blow for Vladimir Putin, who has unsuccessfully tried to break apart the two allies on a number of ocassions.

The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, celebrated the deal in a press conference on Thursday.

She said: “[The deal] is the first of its kind, economic partnership for the reconstruction and long-term economic success of Ukraine.”

Here are the five reasons the deal will drive Vlad mad.

No payback

Trump previously hinted that Ukraine would have to pay back the £264billion of aid that he claims the US has provided during the war.

The agreement acknowledges the US’ “significant financial and material support to Ukraine” since the beginning of the conflict.

But it seems the US President has made a U-turn – as there is no mention of “debt” anywhere.

Instead Don is banking on making his money back via his newly-agreed access to Ukrainian resources.

The deal also takes a tougher tone with Russian tyrant than we have come to expect from the Trump administration.

The agreement blames Russia for the war calling it “Russia’s full-scale invasion” – a term which is sure to make Putin squirm.

It also says: “No state or person who financed or supplied the Russian war machine will be allowed to benefit from the reconstruction of Ukraine”.

Oil and gas as well as minerals

The deal will give Washington priority access to invest in new projects to develop Ukraine’s natural resources.

Ukraine holds some five per cent of the world’s mineral resources and so-called “rare earth” metals, according to various estimates.

And the country has around 20 per cent of the world’s graphite, an essential material for electric batteries, according to France’s Bureau of Geological and Mining Research.

It is also a major producer of manganese and titanium, and says it possesses the largest lithium deposits in Europe.

But while most of the talk around the deal is about minerals, oil and natural gas are also included, as well as aluminium and graphite.

Oil and gas were not included in earlier drafts of the deal, which suggests that Zelensky has warmed towards the US President.

The resources will still technically belong to Ukraine but it’s still no doubt a blow to Vlad, as the US has gained joint access.

Kyiv can join EU

Zelensky has long expressed his desire to join the European Union.

Talks between Ukraine and the EU formally began last June but they were derailed by concerns surrounding a possible minerals deal with the US.

The EU was previously concerned that Ukraine may give preferential treatment to its US knight in shining armour – but these have now been squashed.

The agreement acknowledges Ukraine’s intention to join the EU as well as the importance of the deal not compromising this.

It also says if Ukraine needs to revisit the terms of the deal because of “additional obligations” then the US will be happy to oblige.

This will likely be salt in Vlad’s wound who has had a strained relationship with the EU since the beginning of the war.

Possible US military commitment

The deal also comes with the possibility of continued military support from the US.

Ukrainian First Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko – who flew to Washington DC to sign the deal – said it envisaged the US contributing new assistance in the future, such as air defence systems.

News of any military support for Zelensky is bad news for Putin who has already lost tens of thousands of troops in his meatgrinder war.

But the agreement does not include any concrete security guarantees from the US – despite a push from Ukraine to do so – meaning they could withdraw at anytime.

Since the signing, Trump has already authorised the sale of weapons to Ukraine for the first time since he took office.

Profits may be reinvested in Ukraine

For the first decade of the reconstruction investment fund profits will reportedly be “fully reinvested in Ukraine’s economy” – either in new projects or reconstruction.

Following the ten-year period Kyiv said the profits may be distributed between the two parties.

While this has not been officially inked it may be part of an additional deal down the line.

In contrast with how Chinese fishermen, maritime militia, and even civilian groups have planted flags on disputed reefs, rocks, and islands in the contentious waterway since the 1990s, observers say China’s latest move is a pointed show of control aimed at reflecting its readiness to confront potential escalation amid rising tensions with the United States.

They add that the move carried out on Sandy Cay – a string of three uninhabited sandbars near a Philippine military outpost in the disputed Spratly Islands – also aims to reassure domestic audiences that Beijing remains firm on core interests such as sovereignty – and to portray strength as external pressure mounts.

Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported on April 25 that its coast guard had landed on Sandy Cay “as part of maritime control operations to assert Beijing’s sovereignty”.

The broadcaster said the coast guard had “implemented control” over what it refers to as Tiexian Reef, part of the Sandy Cay feature. Footage showed four personnel in black combat gear holding the Chinese national flag after arriving on the reef aboard an inflatable dinghy.

On April 28, the Philippine Coast Guard released a photo of its personnel raising the national flag on the disputed reef. It said the mission was carried out pre-dawn the day before – a move seen as a direct rebuttal to China’s sovereignty claim.

The developments come amid the largest-ever joint military exercises between the US and the Philippines in nearby waters. They also follow a recent visit to Asia by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who pledged to strengthen defence ties with Manila and “restore deterrence” in the face of what Washington views as growing Chinese assertiveness in the region.

“For now, it’s mostly symbolic. It’s very low level, petty provocations, from (both sides) … It has not reached a stage where it is alarming, yet,” said Adib Zalkapli, Managing Director of Viewfinder Global Affairs and a geopolitical analyst specialising in the Indo-Pacific.

But it’s also a sign of China drawing a line in the sand to state its firm position over the territorial disputes and external pressures, said other analysts.

“It’s a warning for the Philippines (against) further developing closer defence relations with the US … It’s a signal to say, look, this is what we can do to counter you,” said Abdul Rahman Yaacob, a research fellow in the Southeast Asia programme at the Lowy Institute.

CALIBRATED CONFRONTATION

China claims nearly the entire South China Sea, a position that overlaps with those of several countries and territories, and goes against a 2016 international tribunal ruling, which rejected Beijing’s entitlements over the disputed islands and waters.

Sandy Cay lies near Thitu Island, the biggest and most strategically significant outpost held by the Philippines in the Spratly Islands. It is among the island chains, reefs and rocks in the South China Sea where China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan maintain overlapping territorial claims.

On April 29, Chinese state media Global Times released images of a coast guard operation at Tiexian Reef, claiming it was part of efforts to exercise “sovereign jurisdiction”.

The photos showed Chinese coast guard officers displaying the Chinese national flag, and clearing debris such as plastic bottles from the reef flat.

The report claimed that a group of Philippine personnel “illegally” landed on the reef despite repeated Chinese warnings, prompting Chinese officers to “conduct on-site verification and enforcement measures in line with the law”.

Beijing’s latest move was likely timed for symbolic impact, coinciding with the ongoing Philippines-US Balikatan exercises and the approaching Philippine midterm elections, said Abdul Rahman of the Lowy Institute.

While raising a flag does not amount to a formal seizure or legal claim of sovereignty, he noted that the reef’s location remains strategically important due to its close proximity to Philippine-held territory.

“If the Chinese were to build certain military infrastructure there, they could closely monitor activity on nearby Philippine islands,” he said.

“It would also allow them to project their presence much closer to Philippine-held territory. From a military standpoint, the reef holds clear strategic value.”

Abdul Rahman said China’s latest move in the South China Sea presents an early test for US President Donald Trump’s administration, which has vowed to push back against Beijing’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific with a more assertive regional posture.

The observer pointed to Manila’s planned purchase of US-made Typhon missile launchers and ongoing talks to acquire F-16 fighter jets as “among the key factors” that prompted Beijing to respond with what he described as symbolic but calibrated actions.

“China, through flexing its muscle, is sending a message to both Manila and Washington,” he said. “It’s saying: despite your new defence deals and closer military cooperation, the reality on the ground remains unchanged – and that is, Beijing can still impose its will over disputed areas.”

China’s latest action at Sandy Cay may be part of a broader strategy to expand its footprint in the West Philippine Sea – the term the Philippines uses for parts of the South China Sea within its exclusive economic zone – through incremental moves, said Don McLain Gill, a Manila-based analyst and lecturer at the Department of International Studies, De La Salle University.

In an April 29 commentary on the Singapore-based platform ThinkChina, Gill described the act as part of Beijing’s “salami slicing” approach to maritime claims.

“Sandy Cay lies around ten nautical miles away from Subi or Zamora Reef, which China has illegally occupied and converted into a military base with an airstrip,” he wrote.

“Occupying the sand bar would allow Beijing to justify its claims over Subi Reef and eventually serve as a stepping stone to push further into Pag-asa Island, which houses Philippine military facilities and is home to about 250 Filipino residents.”

China’s “salami slicing” in the South China Sea, as described by some observers, refers to a strategy of advancing territorial claims through a succession of small, calibrated moves. Each action avoids triggering armed conflict, but together they steadily tip the balance of control toward Beijing and alter the status quo over time.

One example often cited by analysts is China’s development of artificial islands, which began around 2014. Initially framed by Beijing as serving civilian and public service functions, construction activities on features such as Fiery Cross Reef in the Spratlys later expanded to include airstrips, radar installations, and missile systems.

While China maintains these are defensive in nature, the steady build-up has raised concerns about the long-term militarisation of disputed areas.

Another example often cited by analysts as part of the “salami slicing” approach, is the use of coast guard vessels and maritime militia to reinforce claims in disputed waters without direct confrontation.

At Second Thomas Shoal, Chinese vessels have disrupted Philippine resupply missions with water cannons and close-range manoeuvres. While Beijing frames these as legitimate law enforcement within its claimed waters, analysts see them as calibrated efforts to constrain access and shift control – without provoking a direct military clash.

Gill noted that since 2017, Chinese Coast Guard vessels and maritime militia have stepped up their presence around Sandy Cay, including forming a de facto barrier to prevent Filipino fishing boats from accessing the area.

He added that in 2019, these same forces were involved in large-scale swarming operations near Pag-asa Island – actions he described as instruments of China’s gradual expansionism in the region.

In a move seen as a calculated demonstration of military strength, China’s aircraft carrier Shandong sailed through waters north of the Philippines twice within a week – a rare occurrence coinciding with ongoing joint military drills between the United States and the Philippines, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported on Tuesday (Apr 30).

The Shandong, accompanied by a flotilla of destroyers, frigates, and support vessels, was first detected last Tuesday about 185km northwest of Burgos in northern Luzon, the Philippines’ main island.

Its transit through the Luzon Strait – a critical waterway between Taiwan and the Philippines – has been widely interpreted by analysts as a signal of Beijing’s intent to assert freedom of movement and challenge US-aligned military activity in the region.

The timing, just as Manila and Washington kicked off their Balikatan exercise featuring complex combat simulations and the deployment of advanced weaponry such as anti-ship missile systems, appeared deliberate, said analysts.

They added that the deployment reflects China’s broader strategic objective of pressing beyond the so-called “first island chain” – a network of US-friendly territories such as Japan, Taiwan, and the Philippines – seen as central to its aim to contain Beijing.

“The deployment was certainly a show of force in light of Balikatan when they are conducting drills related to anti-ship techniques, and this was meant to signal that whatever the Filipinos and Americans are doing to conduct sea denial in these passageways, the (Chinese) navy will still force its way through in a conflict,” said Collin Koh, a senior fellow at Singapore’s S Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

FEAR OF FURTHER ESCALATION

Adib of Viewfinder Global Affairs noted that the prominent coverage on Chinese state media has given the incident greater symbolic weight and an air of official endorsement.

“The timing is also notable,” Adib noted.

“China is under growing pressure from the US, especially with fresh tariffs being imposed. By highlighting this act of sovereignty, Beijing is also addressing a domestic audience – reinforcing the message that, despite mounting external challenges, national interests and territorial claims remain a top priority.”

Abdul Rahman of Lowy Institute agreed that the move also plays to a domestic audience, particularly as China grapples with mounting economic headwinds.

However, he cautioned against drawing a direct link between developments in the South China Sea and Beijing’s escalating trade tensions with Washington.

“States generally separate economic issues from geostrategic competition,” he said.

“Rather than being a direct response to US tariffs, this is more about reassuring the Chinese public that Beijing remains proactive in asserting its position against the Philippines in contested waters.”

The dispute over Sandy Cay has added fresh strain to already tense relations between the Philippines and China, said analysts.

While China has not seized the disputed reef in any substantive way, further unilateral actions – such as deploying troops or constructing permanent facilities – could compel the Philippines to respond, potentially heightening the risk of conflict, said Adib.

“It’s important to note that China hasn’t taken such steps yet, the flag-raising remains symbolic for now,” he said.

“But the fact that it was able to land on the reef shows it has the capability to take more assertive actions if it chooses to. That in itself sends a message to the Philippines.”

Abdul Rahman echoed similar concerns, pointing to fears of a repeat of the 1995 Mischief Reef episode – when China’s construction of initial stilted structures triggered a sharp response from the Philippines, leading to a cycle of escalating actions between the two countries.

Asked whether the Philippines might be pushed by the US to adopt a more assertive posture in the South China Sea – potentially fuelling further escalation – Abdul Rahman said such a scenario remains unlikely.

“In my conversations with Philippine officials, it’s clear their approach to the South China Sea is largely self-directed. They’re cautious about appearing overly influenced by Washington,” he said.

“I don’t see this as an extension of US efforts to economically contain China.”

Under the current President Ferdinand Marcos Jr administration, the Philippines has adopted a more assertive strategy to defend its territorial claims in the West Philippine Sea, according to Gill from De La Salle University.

He argued that while China has yet to establish full control over Sandy Cay, Manila must remain vigilant and sustain its presence in strategically important waters.

Coordinated and recurring joint patrols with defence partners, he added, are critical to pushing back against Beijing’s attempts to unilaterally shape the status quo.

Despite China’s assertive moves in the South China Sea, its broader relations with Southeast Asian countries remain largely cordial and grounded in mutual interests, noted Adib Zalkapli.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/china-philippines-flag-south-china-sea-sandy-cay-reef-5099936

The United States and Ukraine on Wednesday (Apr 30) signed a minerals deal after a two-month delay, in what President Donald Trump’s administration called a new form of US commitment to Kyiv after the end of military aid.

Ukraine said it secured key interests after protracted negotiations, including full sovereignty over its own rare earths, which are vital for new technologies and largely untapped.

Trump had initially demanded rights to Ukraine’s mineral wealth as compensation for the billions of dollars in US weapons sent under former president Joe Biden after Russia invaded just over three years ago.

After initial hesitation, Ukraine has accepted a minerals accord as a way to secure long-term investment by the United States, as Trump tries to drastically scale back US security commitments around the world.

Announcing the signing of the deal in Washington, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said it showed “both sides’ commitment to lasting peace and prosperity in Ukraine.”

“This agreement signals clearly to Russia that the Trump administration is committed to a peace process centered on a free, sovereign and prosperous Ukraine over the long term,” Bessent said.

“And to be clear, no state or person who financed or supplied the Russian war machine will be allowed to benefit from the reconstruction of Ukraine.”

In Kyiv, Prime Minister Denys Shmygal said on national television that the agreement was “good, equal and beneficial.”

In a post on Telegram, Shmygal said that the two countries would establish a Reconstruction Investment Fund with each side having 50 per cent voting rights.

“Ukraine retains full control over its subsoil, infrastructure and natural resources,” he said.

Meeting a key concern for Kyiv, he said Ukraine would not be asked to pay back any “debt” for the billions of dollars in US weapons and other support since Russia invaded in February 2022.

“The fund’s profits will be reinvested exclusively in Ukraine,” he said.

Trump had originally sought US$500 billion in mineral wealth – around four times what the United States has contributed to Ukraine since the war.

US PRESENCE AGAINST “BAD ACTORS”

Trump has balked at offering security guarantees to Ukraine and has rejected its aspiration to join NATO.

But Trump said on Wednesday that a US presence on the ground would benefit Ukraine.

“The American presence will, I think, keep a lot of bad actors out of the country or certainly out of the area where we’re doing the digging,” Trump said at the cabinet meeting.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday threatened that the Trump administration would give up on mediation on the conflict – which Trump had vowed during the campaign to end on his first day in office — unless the two sides come forward with “concrete proposals.”

Trump has pressed for a settlement in which Ukraine would give up some territory seized by Russia, which has rejected US-backed overtures for a ceasefire of at least 30 days.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has ruled out any formal concession to Russia of Crimea, the peninsula seized in 2014 and whose annexation by Moscow is roundly rejected internationally.

But Zelensky has taken care to voice support for Trump’s diplomacy after a disastrous February 28 White House meeting where Trump and Vice President JD Vance berated him for allegedly being ungrateful for US assistance.

Zelensky had been due to sign the minerals agreement at the White House but was abruptly shown the door after the stunning on-camera feud.

Ukraine holds some 5 per cent of the world’s mineral resources and rare earths, according to various estimates. But work has not yet started on tapping many of the resources and many sites are in territory now controlled by Russian forces.

Notably, Ukraine has around 20 per cent of the world’s graphite, an essential material for electric batteries, according to France’s Bureau of Geological and Mining Research.

Ukraine is also a major producer of manganese and titanium, and says it possesses the largest lithium deposits in Europe.

Russia controls about 20 per cent of Ukraine’s territory after more than three years of brutal fighting that has killed tens of thousands, including civilians.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/ukraine-us-sign-minerals-deal-tying-trump-kyiv-5100946

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday approved additional relief for domestic automakers from his 25% vehicle and auto parts tariffs set in motion less than a month ago, saying it would help the industry to move more production back to the U.S.
Trump’s latest orders mark the latest softening of his multi-layered tariff assault on trading partners as he seeks to negotiate deals aimed at lowering other countries’ trade barriers to U.S. exports.

ENDS AUTOS TARIFF ‘STACKING’

Spain and Portugal held emergency Cabinet meetings as evacuations from some public spaces took place. Spain’s Interior Ministry has declared a state of emergency for affected regions that need it. Follow DW.

A protracted rift between Malaysia’s national oil corporation Petronas and the Sarawak state government appears to be causing investor disquiet following a surprise withdrawal by United States oil firm ConocoPhillips from an oil project off the Borneo coast.

In a little-publicised surprise move this month, ConocoPhillips decided to withdraw from operating the Salam-Patawali deepwater oil and gas field that the company discovered in 2018 with Petronas in a 50-50 joint-venture that was expected to cost RM13.7 billion (US$3.13 billion).

The withdrawal was first reported by Upstream Online, a widely tracked industry news resource, on Apr 15 but has otherwise gone unreported in Malaysia media.

Two industry sources close to ConocoPhillips separately confirmed the pullout with CNA. They added that the move was part of a “country strategy review” which the company did not elaborate on.

Efforts by CNA to reach company executives in its Kuala Lumpur office were unsuccessful as telephone calls went unanswered.

Industry executives told CNA that ConocoPhillips’ move was in part driven by the uncertain regulatory environment arising from the spat between Petronas and the state government headed by Premier Abang Johari Openg.

The Sarawak government, which owns oil and gas firm Petroleum Sarawak or Petros, is demanding greater control over its resources.

The industry executives with close ties with ConocoPhillips said that the company would now be focusing on its activities in neighbouring Sabah, where it already has operations.

“The sentiment is that foreign companies are uncomfortable because they see that Petronas is under pressure in Sarawak and the oil company (Petronas) is often the joint-venture partner in many exploration projects,” said a senior executive of a Western oil contracting firm based in the capital Kuala Lumpur.

According to ConocoPhillips’ factsheet on its Asia Pacific operations dated April 2024, it has exploration, development and production activities across about 2.7 million net acres in Malaysia.

Net acres refer to the amount of leased real estate that a company holds, pertaining to its working interest.

It has working interests in six production sharing contracts in Malaysia, and Petronas is listed as a “co-venturer” in all six contracts.

The Salam-Patawali exploration block encompasses 300,000 net acres primarily in the Salam and Benum fields off southern Sarawak.

“The company continues to evaluate the block and information from prior well results. A 3D seismic survey was acquired in 2023, and processing and evaluation of this data is currently ongoing,” it stated.

Typically, under production sharing contracts signed with Petronas, private oil companies surrender rights to oil fields back to the Malaysian oil corporation should they decide to discontinue exploration and production plans.

CORPORATE ESPIONAGE?

Industry executives noted that the latest move by ConocoPhillips comes on the heels of another review by a foreign firm.

Upstream Online reported in February that Thailand’s PTTEP – the exploration arm of its national petrochemical firm PTT – is re-engineering the Lang Lebah gas project off Sarawak shore “to improve the economic viability of the project”.

PTTEP has a 42.5 per cent share in the Lang Lebah project, according to a factsheet on its website dated Dec 31, 2024.

The development cost of the project has been reported to be about US$6 billion.

Sources told CNA that PTTEP temporarily suspended the development of the project and has postponed the final decision until sometime next year.

The spat between Sarawak and Petronas isn’t only hurting foreign investor sentiment in Malaysia’s robust oil and gas sector. It has also attracted allegations of corporate espionage.

Former Petronas manager Khairul Akmal Jasni pleaded not guilty in a Sessions Court in Kuala Lumpur on Apr 18 to charges that he had attempted to leak highly confidential information in June last year on the national oil corporation’s inner workings to Petros.

Cases of corporate spying are extremely rare in Malaysia and the allegations that Khairul had sought to share a document titled “Q1 2024 Upstream Business Performance, Operational & Financial” underscore the rising stakes in Sarawak’s quest to break the national oil corporation’s monopoly.

The latest twists are also putting pressure on Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to press both Sarawak and Petronas to reach a solution at a time when the country is grappling with growing headwinds to the economy due to uncertainties from the US’ campaign on global tariffs.

A senior aide to Anwar, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the premier had been briefed by top Petronas officials on the status of the dispute with Sarawak.

“No change. Both parties are in a holding pattern with both holding firm to their positions,” said the aide.

A senior Petronas official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also confirmed that talks with the Sarawak government have not progressed.

Sarawak is challenging the decades-old monopoly Petronas has held since it was incorporated under a parliamentary statute in 1974 known as the Petroleum Development Act or PDA. The PDA, among other things, decrees that the national oil corporation is the sole guardian of the nation’s hydrocarbon reserves.

Sarawak, whose probable and proven reserves of petroleum represent 60.87 per cent of Malaysia’s total and which accounts for 90 per cent Malaysia’s liquified natural gas (LNG) exports, is insisting that PDA does not apply to the state.

Instead, it wants all the hydrocarbon reserves in Sarawak to be regulated under a colonial-era Oil Mining Ordinance 1958 that stipulates that oil and gas resources found within 200 nautical miles of its waters belong to the state.

Both parties have tried to reach a compromise in talks that began sometime in April last year, but talks have broken down twice, with Petronas suspending all negotiations in December, according to executives from the national oil corporation.

Requests to Premier Abang Johari’s office and Petros for comment were declined.

SERIOUS ECONOMIC SETBACK

ConocoPhillips is a major player in Malaysia’s oil and gas sector and its pullout from the Salam-Patawali discovery, which is currently at the feasibility stage, represents a serious setback for the Sarawak economy.

It is unclear how much money ConocoPhillips and Petronas have spent on the Salam-Patawali field, known as the WL4-00 block, at this stage.

Offshore Technology, a widely used resource for the oil and gas sectors, noted development costs for the Salam-Patawali oil fields were pegged at RM13.7 billion, with production set to peak in 2028.

ConocoPhillips and Petronas had also envisaged working the area until the field reaches its economic limit in 2067.

The other production sharing contract operated by ConocoPhillips in Sarawak is known as the SK304 block that encompasses 1.1 million net acres. Exploration there remains at the feasibility stage.

GROWING COMPLEXITIES, IMPACT ON INVESTOR SENTIMENT

ConocoPhillips’ move to withdraw from the Salam-Patawali project highlights the growing complexities facing the oil and gas sector in Sarawak.

The dispute between Petronas and Petros has already produced legal skirmishes in recent months.

The first legal challenge was filed by Petros against Petronas in mid-October at the Kuching High Court over the national corporation’s demand for payment of RM7.05 million tied to a bank guarantee under a gas sales agreement signed in end-December 2019.

In court documents reviewed by CNA, Petros is arguing that the 2019 gas sales agreement is “illegal and void” because Petronas failed to obtain the “necessary licence” under the Distribution and Gas Ordinance enacted by the state in 2016.

Petros added that honouring the RM7.05 million claim would be “endorsing and furthering an illegal agreement”.

In a separate dispute, a Malaysian unit of international oil giant Shell obtained an interim order in January from the Kuala Lumpur High Court to temporarily suspend payment on natural gas supplies from the Bintulu gas facility in Sarawak.

The High Court granted an interim injunction to Shell MDS Malaysia Sdn Bhd to continue its operations without any disruption in supply until the legal tussle between Petronas and Petros is resolved.

While ongoing petroleum projects in Sarawak, such as the Bintulu gas facility, remain operational, several industry executives noted that the ongoing faceoff between Abang Johari’s administration and Petronas could dampen investor sentiment on the oil and gas sector in the Borneo state.

They noted that Petros, which was formed in August 2017, lacks the technological expertise and international experience that Petronas’s exploration arm Carigali possesses.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/malaysia-sarawak-petronas-conocophillips-withdrawal-oil-project-investor-sentiment-5089371

Israel carried out an air strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs on Sunday, after ordering an evacuation of a building that it said was being used by the Iranian-backed group Hezbollah.

The attack occurred despite a ceasefire that came into force five months ago which put an end to the conflict between Israel and the military group.

Israel said that it had targeted a Hezbollah store of “precision-guided missiles” that “poses a threat to the State of Israel and its civilians”.

The Lebanese presidency condemned the strike and called on the US and France – who brokered the ceasefire in November – to press Israel to cease its attacks on the country.

The attack marks the first time in almost a month that Israel has struck Beirut’s southern suburbs – called Dahieh – where Hezbollah is based.

This will put further pressure on the ceasefire. Despite the deal, Israel has struck targets it says are linked to Hezbollah almost every day. The Israeli government has said that it will respond to any perceived threats from Hezbollah.

Western officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, have told the BBC that the militant group has been largely compliant with the truce, while accusing Israel of multiple violations that include air strikes and drone surveillance.

Live footage streamed by Reuters showed a giant plume of smoke billowing from the targeted building an hour after the Israeli army issued an evacuation order to residents of the Hadath neighbourhood.

Lebanon’s Civil Defence later said that no casualties had been recorded and rescue crews had extinguished the fire.

In a statement on X following the strike, the Lebanese Presidency said that President Joseph Aoun condemned the attack.

“The United States and France, as guarantors of the cessation of hostilities agreement, must assume their responsibilities and compel Israel to immediately cease its attacks,” it wrote.

“Israel’s continued undermining of stability will exacerbate tensions and expose the region to real threats to its security and stability.”

Israel’s government said that it had targeted a Hezbollah store of “precision-guided missiles”.

“The storage of missiles in this infrastructure site constitutes a blatant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon, and poses a threat to the State of Israel and its civilians,” the Israeli military said in a statement.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said that Israel “will not allow Hezbollah to grow stronger”.

“The Dahiyeh neighbourhood in Beirut will not serve as a safe haven for the terrorist organisation Hezbollah,” it added.

UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, wrote on X that the strike “generated panic and fear of renewed violence among those desperate for a return to normalcy”.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9qw3z5xplro

A LIP reader has revealed Trump’s five-word warning to Emmanuel Macron moments before speaking with Volodymyr Zelensky at the Pope’s funeral.

Trump and Zelensky were pictured meeting for the first time since their historic White House spat just before the late pontiff’s final farewell.

The impromptu meeting took place inside the holy St Peter’s Basilica with the pair both pulling up chairs to have an intense one-on-one conversation.

The pair were spotted with French President Emmanuel Macron and Sir Keir Starmer while the chairs were being set up for the meeting.

Pictures show Macron embracing the Ukrainian President, before Trump pulls the French President aside and issues a frosty warning.

Professional lip reader Nicola Hickling analysed the interaction between the world leaders and told The Sun: “Donald reaches his hands out to both of them and brings them towards him.”

“He says to Macron ‘you are not in the right here, I need you to do me a favour, you should not be here.’

“Zelensky nods in agreement and the vicar who is in front of the camera turns his head to the side looking worried at what he has heard between them.”

Hickling also analysed video footage from Zelensky and Trump’s mini peace summit.

According to Hickling, the Ukrainian president said: “I would like you to do that, but no this way.”

Trump replies: “It’s a very interesting strategy. You have reassurance.”

Following the funeral, Zelensky said: “We discussed a lot one on one. Hoping for results on everything we covered. Protecting lives of our people.

“Full and unconditional ceasefire. Reliable and lasting peace that will prevent another war from breaking out.

“Very symbolic meeting that has potential to become historic, if we achieve joint results.”

The White House also described it a “very productive discussion”.

Later, Trump posted on Truth Social and blasted Putin for “tapping him along”.

He said: “There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days.

“It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through ‘Banking’ or ‘Secondary Sanctions?’ Too many people are dying!!!”

This comes after Putin’s barbaric missile strikes on Kyiv earlier this week that left at least 12 dead.

The US president has gone back and forth on his attitude towards Zelensky and previously labelled him a key obstacle to a Ukraine peace deal.

The pair’s meeting marks the first time the two leaders have spoken since their infamous Oval Office spat in February.

Trump blasted Zelensky for “gambling with World War Three” before he booted him out of the White House.

But at Francis’ funeral the presidential pair seemed to put the past behind them for the greater good.

The two were sat alongside hundreds of foreign dignitaries, presidents, prime ministers and even royals in Rome.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14115132/trump-macron-zelensky-warning-pope-funeral/

A unique letter written by Titanic passenger Archibald Gracie from aboard the doomed ship has sold for hundreds of thousands of pounds at auction in the United Kingdom.

A letter written on board the Titanic by one of the most famous survivors from the ill-fated ship’s maiden voyage sold at auction in the United Kingdom for £300,000 ($399,390) on Saturday.

The lettercard was penned by first-class passenger Archibald Gracie IV to the seller’s great-uncle on April 10, 1912, the day the Titanic set sail from Southampton to New York.

“It is a fine ship but I shall await my journey’s end before I pass judgment on her,” wrote Gracie, before the vessel struck an iceberg off Newfoundland four days later and sank with loss of around 1,500 lives.

Gracie’s letter, believed to be the only one he wrote aboard the Titanic, was purchased by a private collector from the United States for five times the initial estimate price of £60,000 after going under the hammer at Henry Aldridge & Son auction house in the southern English county of Wiltshire.

Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge described it as an “exceptional museum-grade piece.”

Titanic: who was Archibald Gracie?

Gracie, whose father had been a Confederate officer during the American Civil War and whose great-grandfather had built Gracie Mansion, the current official residence of the mayor of New York City, in 1799, was returning to New York after traveling to Europe earlier in 1912.

The 54-year-old was a keen amateur historian and had published a book about the 1863 Battle of Chickamauga, in which his father had fought, a year earlier.

When the Titanic struck the iceberg and began to sink, Gracie had jumped into the ocean and scrambled onto an overturned lifeboat, before being rescued by other passengers and being taken to the RMS Carpathia, which picked up the survivors the next morning.

Source :https://www.dw.com/en/titanic-letter-auctioned-for-almost-400000/a-72364998

Several containers at a key Iranian port in the south of the country blew up in a huge explosion on Saturday, authorities said, with reports now speaking of hundreds of injured and at least 14 dead.

State media said the explosion took place at the port of Shahid Rajaei, more than 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) south of the capital, Tehran.

Authorities have offered no cause for the explosion. The Interior Ministry said it had launched an investigation into the incident.

The disaster came as Iran was holding a third round of talks on its nuclear program with the US in Oman.

What do we know about the explosion?

Iranian state media have issued frequent updates on the number of injured people, with the latest reports speaking of 750 wounded and 14 dead.

“The cause of this incident was the explosion of several containers stored in the Shahid Rajaei Port wharf area. We are currently evacuating and transferring the injured to medical centers,” a local crisis management official told state TV.

The head of the Red Crescent Society in Hormozgan province, where the port is situated, said four rapid response teams had been sent to the scene after the explosion.

Iranian media said the blast shattered windows within a radius of several kilometers.

State media reported that all the city’s schools and offices were ordered closed on Sunday.

The intensity increased late Saturday after burning for 10 hours, with warnings that the fire could spread to other areas and containers.

What do we know about the port?

Shahid Rajaei is the most advanced container port in Iran, according to the official IRNA news agency, and is located 23 kilometers west of Bandar Abbas, the capital of Hormozgan province.

The port handles some 80 million tons (72.5 million metric tons) of goods a year, according to The Associated Press.

State TV carried a statement from the customs office at the port saying that the explosion likely resulted from a fire in the hazmat and chemical materials storage depot.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/iran-port-explosion-number-of-casualties-on-the-rise/a-72361709

Hours after Pope Francis’ death was announced, Israel’s Foreign Ministry posted a short message on X: “Rest in peace, Pope Francis. May his memory be a blessing.” Several hours later, it was deleted without explanation.

Coming at a time of effusive global mourning over Francis’ death, the decision to delete the post appeared to reflect the tensions that have emerged between Israel and the Vatican over Francis’ frequent criticism of Israel’s conduct during the war in Gaza. The Foreign Ministry declined to comment on the deletion.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is usually quick to issue statements on the passing of major international figures. It took him four days to issue a terse, 28-word statement on the official Prime Minister account, and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has been silent. The only immediate official condolences came from Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, who holds a largely ceremonial role and who praised Francis for being “a man of deep faith and boundless compassion.”

For most of Francis’ papacy, ties between Israel and the Vatican steadily improved — highlighted by a visit to the Holy Land in 2014.

But everything changed after the war in Gaza erupted with Hamas’ deadly attack in southern Israel on Oct 7, 2023.

While expressing sympathy for Israeli victims and hostages, Francis has suggested Israel’s subsequent attacks in Gaza and Lebanon were “immoral” and disproportionate. He also called for an investigation to determine if Israel’s attacks in Gaza constitute genocide, a charge Israel denies while investigations at the U.N.’s top courts proceed.

“Pope Francis condemned what happened on Oct. 7, but he was clear also that what happened on Oct. 7 does not justify what has been happening since Oct. 7,” said Wadie Abunassar, who heads a group that represents Christians in Israel and the Palestinian territories.

Pope Francis was like a friend who tells the truth, even if that’s not exactly what you want to hear, Abunassar said.

Throughout the war, Francis walked a delicate balance between his close ties with Israel and condemning the devastating losses in Gaza, according to Amnon Ramon, an expert on Christianity in Israel and a senior researcher at the Jerusalem Institute for Policy Research. Francis was exceptionally close to Gaza’s local parish priest, who, like the former pontiff, is from Argentina.

A history of tension
Israel has historically had a fragile relationship with the Vatican. It stems from anger over the Vatican’s perceived lack of action during World War II, when critics argue Pope Pius XII kept silent during the Holocaust despite possible knowledge of the Nazi plan to exterminate the Jews. Supporters insist he used quiet diplomacy to save Jewish lives.

In the 1960s, the Vatican underwent a series of dramatic transformations, including, among other things, changing the Church’s attitude towards Jews over what was long seen as their collective culpability for the crucifixion of Jesus, Ramon explained. The Holy See formally launched diplomatic relations with Israel in 1993.

Christians make up less than 2% of the Holy Land’s population. There are about 182,000 in Israel, 50,000 in the West Bank and 1,300 in Gaza, according to the U.S. State Department.

At the start of Francis’ papacy, the relationship with Israel warmed significantly. Francis visited the Holy Land in 2014 as one of his first international trips, when he met with Netanyahu, who was prime minister at the time. Then-President Shimon Peres visited the Vatican multiple times, including with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to plant a peace tree in the Vatican Gardens.

But the Israeli government’s rightward shift, and the ongoing war with Gaza, strained the ties.

Source: https://apnews.com/article/pope-francis-jerusalem-israel-funeral-vatican-netanyahu-5e6fd6caa4850b0ee5b4fc8720043e1e

An Israeli airstrike hit a police station in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on Thursday, killing at least 10 people, local health authorities said, and Israel’s military said it had struck a command centre of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad groups.
Medics said two Israeli missiles hit the police station, located near a market, which led to the wounding of dozens of people in addition to the 10 deaths. The identities of those killed were not immediately clear.

The Israeli military said in a statement apparently referring to the same incident, that it attacked a command and control centre operated by Hamas and the allied Islamic Jihad groups in Jabalia, which militants used to plan and execute attacks against Israeli forces.
It accused Palestinian militant groups of exploiting civilians and civil properties for military purposes, an allegation Hamas and other factions deny.
Local health authorities said Israeli strikes have killed at least 34 other people in separate airstrikes across the enclave, bringing Thursday’s death toll to 44.
The Gaza Health Ministry said the Durra Children’s Hospital in Gaza City had become non-operational, a day after an Israeli strike hit the upper part of the building, damaging the intensive care unit and destroying the facility’s solar power panel system.

No one was killed. There was no Israeli comment on the incident.
Israel’s military said on Thursday that one soldier was killed during combat in the northern Gaza Strip, while an officer and a reservist were severely injured.
Gaza’s health system has been devastated by Israel’s 18-month-old military campaign, launched in response to the October 7 attack by Hamas in 2023, putting many of the territory’s hospitals out of action, killing medics, and reducing crucial supplies.
Since a January ceasefire collapsed on March 18, Israeli attacks have killed more than 1,900 Palestinians, many of them civilians, according to the Gaza health authorities, and hundreds of thousands have been displaced as Israel seized what it calls a buffer zone of Gaza’s land.
Efforts by Arab mediators Qatar and Egypt, backed by the United States, have so far failed to reconcile disputes between the two warring parties, Israel and Hamas.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israeli-fire-kills-least-26-people-gaza-hits-police-station-2025-04-24/

The tension between Department of Government Efficiency lead Elon Musk and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent came to a head last week when the two had a heated argument in the halls of the White House, two sources familiar with the tiff told The Post.

The conversation — about the IRS — got so tense, Axios first reported, the two men got in each other’s faces in earshot of President Trump.

“Elon was shouting and rambling and Scott just wasn’t putting up with it,” one source close to the White House said.

A second source close to the White House said that the fight was fundamentally about the different visions the two men have for reform, with Musk taking a more aggressive approach.

Elon Musk has been called a Moonshot Master, the Edison of Our Age and the Architect of the Future, but he’s got a big problem at his car company and it’s not clear he can fix it: damage to its brand.

Sales have plunged for Tesla amid protests and boycotts over Musk’s embrace of far right-wing views. Profits have been sliced by two-thirds so far this year, and rivals from China, Europe and the U.S. are pouncing.

On Tuesday came some relief as Musk announced in an earnings call with investors that he would be scaling back his government cost-cutting job in Washington to a “day or two per week” to focus more on his old job as Tesla’s boss.

Investors pushed up Tesla’s stock 5% Wednesday, though there are plenty of challenges ahead.

Who wants a Tesla?
Musk seemed to downplay the role that brand damage played in the drop in first-quarter sales on the investor call. Instead, he emphasized something more fleeting — an upgrade to Tesla’s best-selling Model Y that forced a shutdown of factories and pinched both supply and demand.

While financial analysts following the company have noted that potential buyers probably held back while waiting for the upgrade, hurting results, even the most bullish among them say the brand damage is real, and more worrisome.

“This is a full blown crisis,” said Wedbush Securities’ normally upbeat Dan Ives earlier this month. In a note to its clients, JP Morgan warned of “unprecedented brand damage.”

Musk’s take on the protests
Musk dismissed the protests against Tesla on the call as the work of people angry at his leadership of the Department of Government Efficiency because “those who are receiving the waste and fraud wish it to continue.”

But the protests in Europe, thousands of miles from Washington, came after Musk supported far-right politicians there. Angry Europeans hung Musk in effigy in Milan, projected an image of him doing a straight-arm salute on a Tesla factory in Berlin and put up posters in London urging people not to buy “Swasticars” from him.

Sales in Europe have gone into a free fall in the first three months of this year — down 39%. In Germany, sales plunged 62%.

Another worrying sign: On Tuesday, Tesla backed off its earlier promise that sales would recover this year after dropping in 2024 for the first time a dozen years. Tesla said the global trade situation was too uncertain and declined to repeat the forecast.

Here come the rivals
Meanwhile, Tesla’s competition is stealing its customers.

Among its fiercest rivals now is Chinese giant BYD. Earlier this year, the EV maker announced it had developed an electric battery that can charge within minutes. And Tesla’s European rivals have begun offering new models with advanced technology that is making them real Tesla alternatives just as popular opinion has turned against Musk.

Tesla’s share of the EV market in the U.S. has dropped from two-thirds to less than half, according to Cox Automotive.

Pinning hopes on cybercabs
Another rival, Google parent Alphabet, is already ahead of Tesla in an area that Musk has promised will help remake his company: Cybercabs.

One of the highlights of Tesla’s call Tuesday was Musk sticking with his previous prediction that it will l aunch driverless cabs without steering wheels and pedals in Austin, Texas, in June, and in other cities soon after.

But Google’s service, called Waymo, already has logged millions of driverless cybercab trips in San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles, and Austin as part of a partnership with ride-hailing leader Uber.

Source: https://apnews.com/article/tesla-trump-musk-evs-doge-cybercab-brand-b9c9151c7852b8f1c10aaacb8fe6c8b8

The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), a trade agreement at the core of US economic policy on Africa, is soon set to expire.

The US Congress enacted the AGOA Trade Act in May 2000. The pact has been renewed several times, most recently in 2015, when Congress extended it to September 2025.

Since its implementation, AGOA has provided eligible sub-Saharan African countries with duty-free access to the US market for over 1,800 products.

However, trade decisions by the Trump administration, including the imposition of a universal 10% tariff on all countries, threaten the future of AGOA.

Tsonam Akpeloo, President of the Association of Ghana Industries, told DW that Trump’s move could result in people losing their jobs.

“One of our member companies producing fabrics and supplying them to the US market is employing over 5,000 people here in Ghana because of the AGOA, which has a ready market in the US,” Akpeloo said.

“If AGOA is no longer in place, that company will have to pay more taxes and it would mean that the people employed will be affected,” he added.

Trump has imposed steep tariffs on some member countries under AGOA, including Lesotho, with a 50% tariff slapped on the mountainous nation.

Although the tariff imposition is enjoying a 90-day freeze from Trump, experts across the continent are unsure about what lies ahead.

US-Africa trade relations

Between 2017 and 2020, the US was the third-largest destination for Africa’s industrial products after the European Union and intra-African trade, according to the London School of Economics.

Data from the World Economic Forum also suggests that sales from apparel in Kenya under AGOA grew from $55 million (€48 million) in 2001 to $603 million in 2022, accounting for nearly 68% of the country’s total exports to the US.

For these reasons, many fear that an end to AGOA may have a dire impact on the 32 countries trading under the agreement.

If Trump does not renew the pact, economists warn that short-term job losses, hikes in commodity prices and higher costs of doing business will harm African economies.

Is Africa prepared to negotiate with Trump?

“It’s like a big brother is doing you a favor and you have no room to negotiate,” Jane Nalunga, a Ugandan economist, told DW.

For many observers, Africa’s ability to hold a bargaining chip in trade negotiations with the United States is limited.

A area of possible agreement now, experts believe, is the continent’s rare earth minerals, which are of interest to Trump.

For Akpeloo, the continent must refocus on luxury products, such as ornaments and artifacts, which are currently not part of the products with preferential access to the US market.

He also strongly suggests that the continent negotiate an extension to the agreement and prepare measures to mitigate any fallout from its discontinuation.

Strategizing for the future

Economists believe it is better for Africa to negotiate as a collective rather than as individual countries, thereby strengthening the regional value chain.

Ghana’s Tsonam Akpeloo suggests leveraging platforms like the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as a key strategy for the continent’s economic future.

The AfCFTA is the world’s largest free trade area, both in terms of its geographical scope and the number of participating countries. It comprises 54 countries with a combined population of 1.3 billion and a GDP of about $3.4 trillion.

The World Bank projects that by 2025, the framework will lift nearly 30 million Africans out of extreme poverty and increase intra-African trade by 81% if it is implemented effectively.

Boosting intra-African trade

“What needs to be done in Africa now is for the leaders of Africa to begin to analyze and take major steps in favor of securing the continent. The first thing that readily comes to mind is intra-African trade,” Akpeloo said.

Jane Nalunga, Executive Director of the Southern and Eastern Africa Trade Information and Negotiations Institute (SEATINI), called on Africa’s trade policymakers to return to the drawing board.

“Africa should put its house in order. The failure to do so will continuously shortchange the continent,” Nalunga told DW.

“If we don’t put our house in order, we are going to continue exporting raw commodities, raw materials in the same way so it comes back to us. Whether we get AGOA back or not, it doesn’t matter,” Jane added.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/what-happens-if-trump-trashes-the-agoa-pact/a-72274345

Pope Francis died early Monday after suffering a stroke and heart failure, according to a death certificate released by Vatican doctor Andrea Arcangeli.

The document, made public by the Vatican, stated that the 88-year-old pontiff had slipped into a coma before his death, which occurred early Monday morning.

Francis, the first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church, suffered double pneumonia this year. Earlier on Easter Sunday, he appeared in an open-air popemobile to welcome cheering crowds in St. Peter’s Square, indicating his convalescence was progressing well.

“Dear brothers and sisters, it is with profound sadness I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis,” Cardinal Kevin Farrell announced on the Vatican’s TV channel.

“At 7:35 (0535 GMT) this morning the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father.”

POPE FRANCIS PREFERRED UNDECORATED GRAVE

No date has been announced yet for the funeral, but the Vatican said it would traditionally be expected to occur at some point between Friday and Sunday. A gathering of cardinals is scheduled to take place on Tuesday and could establish the schedule for the funeral then.

The text specified that Francis wanted to be buried “in the ground, without particular decoration” but with the inscription of his papal name in Latin: Franciscus.

Source : https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/pope-francis-died-of-stroke-irreversible-heart-failure-vatican-doctor-says-glbs-2712496-2025-04-21