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Norway’s prolific striker Erling Haaland bagged two goals in his maiden World Cup appearance ​on Tuesday to guide his team to an opening 4-1 Group I victory over Iraq, and put down a ‌marker for the tournament.
The 25-year-old, one of the most exciting forwards in world football, was in the spotlight long before the match, and he lived up to his big-name billing on his debut on the biggest of stages, as Norway returned to the World Cup after a 28-year absence.

After a cautious start, Haaland, who scored ​16 times in eight qualifying games, double the tally of anyone else in Europe, opened his World Cup goal account in ​the 29th minute, beating his markers and stabbing in a David Moller Wolfe low cross at the far ⁠post.
“It was not easy to be a debutant, you’re nervous, and to win on a not-so-good day is great,” Haaland told reporters. “To win ​4-1 on an average day is absolutely huge for all of us. It’s fantastic and I’m proud of all of us.”
“This is the most difficult ​thing you can do,” added the forward. “The next games will be much tougher than this. We have to play even better.”

It was always going to be an uphill struggle for Iraq, who returned to the World Cup for the first time in 40 years after grabbing the last available World Cup place with a 2-1 win ​over Bolivia in their intercontinental playoff in March.
But they had been battle-hardened by 21 qualifying matches and they kept their composure, snatching a stunning ​equaliser 10 minutes later, with Aymen Hussein, whose goal against Bolivia had sent them to the World Cup, rising higher than three Norwegians in the box ‌and heading ⁠in an Amir Al Ammari cross.
Their joy, however, was short-lived when Haaland pounced on a weak back pass to Iraq’s Jalal Hassan.
The keeper hesitated before trying to clear the ball but instead hit Haaland, with the ball bouncing off his knee into the net for his 57th goal in 51 international matches.

The forward, who looked to have benefited from some rest given by Manchester City at the end of the English Premier League season and by ​Norway in the run-up to the ​tournament, needed just 11 touches ⁠in the first half to score twice and give his team their first lead at halftime of a World Cup match.
Iraq refused to give up, repeatedly coming close in first-half stoppage time as both teams, with a combined ​World Cup absence of 68 years, delivered a scintillating opening 45 minutes.
The pace dropped somewhat after the ​break but Norway struck ⁠again in the 76th, sealing their win with substitute Leo Ostigard’s glancing header, before under-pressure Hussein scored an own goal deep into stoppage time.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/sports/soccer/haaland-scores-twice-norway-beat-iraq-4-1-world-cup-return-2026-06-17/

Eight people, including two Boeing employees, have been killed after a US Air Force B-52 bomber crashed immediately after takeoff from Edwards Air Force Base in southern California.

The incident occurred at 11:20 local time (19:20 GMT) on Monday while the aircraft had been on a routine test mission. The crash sent a huge plume of black smoke into the air that could be seen for miles.

“Today, Edwards Air Force Base experienced a terrible tragedy, and we lost eight great Americans,” Col James Hayes said, describing them as a “mixed crew of military, government civilians and government contractors”.

The base earlier said that initial indications were that the crash “was not survivable”.

The crew’s next of kin were being notified and will be named 24 hours after that, Hayes said in an afternoon briefing.

The crash was “totally contained” within the Edwards Air Force Base on the runway, Hayes said, and the base has temporarily grounded operations.

The B-52 had been supporting the base’s radar modernisation programme, he said, and crashed immediately after takeoff and burst into flames.

After reviewing initial footage, the incident had been deemed “an unrecoverable crash and unsurvivable”, Hayes said.

No cause has yet been determined and will not be until after a series of investigations, which could take up to 30 days. Further cause analysis investigations could take more than six months, Hayes said.

Boeing confirmed in a separate statement that two of its employees had been among those onboard and said the company was in contact with their families. The aerospace giant declined to comment further when contacted by the BBC.

California Governor Gavin Newsom called the crash “a tragic incident” and offered condolences to the victims’ families and Edwards Air Force Base community in a post on X.

Aerial footage showed a charred, smoking landscape where the crash occurred.

The base said in an earlier update that all inbound aircraft had been diverted and all non-commercial visitor passes suspended “until further notice to allow the installation to focus entirely on emergency response operations.”

The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress has been used by the US military since the 1950s. It is nicknamed “the Buff”, which is partly short for “Big Ugly Fat”.

The B-52 is a long-range strategic bomber that has been participating in bombing raids during the US and Israel’s war in Iran.

Capable of flying at up to 50,000ft – in comparison to commercial airliners, which fly at around 35,000ft – the colossal bomber’s 70,000lb (32,000kg) payload can include hundreds of conventional bombs and 32 nuclear cruise missiles.

The aircraft can refuel mid-flight, giving it a potentially unlimited strike range. This created a “nuclear umbrella” for the US during the Cold War, back in the era of mutually assured destruction in the mid-20th Century.

The planes typically carry a crew of five – an aircraft commander, pilot, radar navigator, navigator and electronic warfare officer.

Edwards Base is located around 100 miles (160km) north of Los Angeles in the Mojave Desert.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqx10yql319o

Riot police fired tear gas and water cannons in clashes with stone-throwing youths during a protest on Sunday in Geneva against the G7 group of wealthy nations, a day before its leaders including U.S. President Donald Trump hold a summit in nearby France.

A violent standoff extended into the evening after a series of incidents — including a car set ablaze and a bank’s windows smashed — along the route of an afternoon march that drew an estimated 20,000 people, including some 600 so-called “Black Bloc” militants, according to figures from Geneva police spokesman Alexandre Brahier.

The demonstration, which had been previously organized by a hodgepodge of activist groups after weeks of negotiations with local authorities, was otherwise peaceful — with environmentalists, women’s rights advocates, supporters of Palestinians and foes of imperialism, fascism and capitalism.

Early on during the march, firefighters extinguished a Tesla that was set ablaze next to the central bus stop and a phalanx of riot police cordoned off a secure area as a crowd congregated nearby.

A handful of demonstrators ripped down wooden barriers that were previously erected to protect a Banque du Leman and smashed its windows.

Several groups of dozens of youths wearing black hoodies, masks and goggles were mixed in among the other marchers — including behind an anti-Trump banner. Two with their faces totally covered refused to speak with The Associated Press and silently waved off questions before the protest began.

Some protesters fired flares toward officers or tore up chunks of asphalt and chucked them toward police in shields and riot gear.

The clashes continued even after police ordered the demonstrators to disperse.

The vast majority of marchers at the front were advocates of women’s rights, many wearing purple T-shirts and holding up banners and posters that decried the “patriarchy,” a lack of women in executive positions and inequality in pay and executive jobs in the workplace.

Other marchers held signs that showed sympathy for Palestinians in Gaza, carried slogans like “Antisemitic never; anti-Zionist always” and criticized Trump — often with expletives — among other sharply worded messages.

Organizers of the protest printed a handbook for demonstrators that included a map of the security perimeter, tips on how to gear up for the march, and advice on how to behave if detained by police.

Travel restrictions and limited border crossings during the summit

Swiss and French authorities have deployed thousands of police to provide security for the three-day summit starting Monday in the resort town of Evian-les-Bains, France. The leaders are set to discuss wars in Ukraine,Iran and the Middle East, and economic issues like global inequality and access to critical minerals.

Ahead of the gathering, authorities in Geneva blocked off roads, banned unauthorized gatherings and pledged financial support for businesses who could be hit by unrest.

Scores of businesses and shops in downtown Geneva boarded up their storefronts with wooden panels as a precaution, leery of upheaval that left a trail of damage in the city during a similar summit in Evian in 2003. Only seven of the 35 roadway border crossings will remain open.

The show of activism began a day earlier: a flotilla of around 20 boats appeared on Lake Geneva off the coast of Evian on Saturday, displaying anti-G7 and pro-Palestinian banners. Swiss media reports said some 20 protesters had been detained on Friday evening.

Resident Robin Hedz lamented the “mess” and expressed bafflement about the “wood-wall everywhere,” while acknowledging the memories of the trail of damaged property over 20 years ago.

The G7 brings together Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, though leaders of several other countries including India, Kenya and Ukraine were expected to join for discussions.

France has announced the deployment of more than 13,000 police and gendarmerie officers to ensure security in the summit area. Over 800 French border control officers will be active, up from about 60 normally.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/switzerland-france-g7-protests-trump-17a5c9c179914e58acecfdb791b824c4

The UK and Japan have agreed a multi-billion pound investment deal which UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said will build a “new era of co-operation” between the two nations.

Japanese firms will spend more than £9bn on UK infrastructure and financial services and up to £9bn on UK offshore wind, creating tens of thousands of jobs, Downing Street said as the PM met his Japanese counterpart Sanae Takaichi in London.

The deal comes as the UK’s economy struggles to grow, with experts predicting the US-Israel war with Iran will hit the UK particularly hard.

It is not clear how much of the investment listed by Downing Street represents new money or previously announced plans.

Sir Keir and Takaichi met Japanese business leaders at Downing Street on Sunday, with Starmer describing the talks as “very productive”.

Separately, Sir Keir said he was “really pleased” the two countries had reaffirmed their commitment to the Gcap fighter jet programme being developed alongside Italy.

Meanwhile, it was announced Rolls-Royce would work with Japan’s Atomic Energy Agency to develop next generation nuclear technologies and a technology agreement would link up UK research and development and software expertise with Japanese manufacturing.

Speaking through a translator, Japan’s prime minister said the UK is “an extremely important partner”.

Mitsubishi Estate, Mitsui Fudosan, Nomura Real Estate were some of the Japanese firms which Downing Street said had agreed to spend billions over the next five years on infrastructure and real estate projects.

The Conservative’s shadow business and trade secretary Andrew Griffith said his party welcomed “any deal that brings investment” to the UK.

However, he added that Labours “tax hikes and employer red tape are doing huge damage, destroying jobs and putting more and more people onto welfare”.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2kjwgwxwlo

WITH around 65,000 England fans expected to travel to the US for the World Cup, they could be caught out by a string of lesser-known rules.

As an army of Three Lions supporters prepares to descend on the biggest football tournament, they’ll have to navigate a country where the rulebook off the pitch can look very different to what they’re used to at home.

Across the 11 US host cities, as many as 10 million visitors are expected to descend for the 39-day tournament, which kicks off on June 11.

It will also be staged across Canada and Mexico in the first-ever three-nation World Cup.

Professor Steve Greenfield warned many supporters could make the mistake of treating the tournament as though it is being played under one set of rules.

He told The Sun: “I think it’s the expectation that it’s one culture.

“We’ve got three different countries, but within the USA, it’s a state-based system, with lots of different cultures and laws that may be applicable within different states.

“There’s always a danger that we assume that because it’s one country that everything will be the same.”

With England’s group stage games spread across Texas, Massachusetts and New Jersey, supporters could quickly discover that some of the most familiar matchday habits from Europe don’t translate.

For many fans, one of the earliest shocks will come simply trying to enjoy a beer on the move.

In Texas, Massachusetts and New Jersey, open-container laws mean it is illegal in most public spaces to carry an open alcoholic drink on the street.

That means no walking between bars with a pint, no casual street drinking near fan zones and no wandering back from the stadium with a drink in hand.

While enforcement can vary by district, fines can be issued on the spot, and “container zones” where alcohol is permitted outdoors are tightly controlled.

In all three of England’s group-stage locations, open containers are effectively illegal in public areas, meaning supporters used to continental-style street drinking could be caught out within minutes of arriving.

Even the idea of a beach beer – a staple of many fans’ summer holidays – could prove risky.

Across the US, many beaches ban alcohol outright, while others restrict it to specific areas or times of year, with beach patrols actively enforcing the rules.

In Massachusetts, many public beaches around Boston and Cape Cod are strictly alcohol-free.

In New Jersey – which carries a strong party reputation – alcohol rules are also far tighter than the image suggests.

Another major misconception for travelling fans is the law surrounding cannabis use.

While recreational cannabis is legal in some US states, it remains illegal in others and is still prohibited under federal law.

That creates a legal patchwork which could potentially land fans in hot water.

Recreational cannabis is illegal in Texas, where even small possession can lead to criminal charges.

Massachusetts has legal recreational cannabis, but it cannot be consumed in public – with the same applying in New Jersey.

Greenfield warned that differing cannabis laws across the country could easily catch fans out.

He said: “If you’re coming from here and you like to take dope, you’re in for a pleasant surprise.

“But then you run the risk of assuming it’s okay then. And then you go to a state where it isn’t legal. You don’t think about it. You think, ‘oh, it’s legal. It’s fine’. But it’s not in one nation.”

Supporters treating it like an Amsterdam trip risk finding themselves in legal grey areas very quickly.

Even something as simple as buying a drink will require more preparation than many England fans are used to.

The US drinking age is 21 nationwide, and enforcement is far stricter than in the UK, with ID checks carried out routinely regardless of age.

ID is required for buying alcohol in bars, shops and fan zones – even supporters in their 40s or 50s can be refused service if they fail to produce documentation.

Greenfield said many supporters are also likely to underestimate just how expensive drinking can be in the US once taxes and tipping are factored in.

He said: “I think the big shock for people is going to be the cost of alcohol.

“So let’s say you start with a beer that’s $10, which is easy over there. And then you get your local tax whacked on, which is probably around 8 per cent in Texas.

“So all of a sudden you may be up to around $11. And then there’s tipping expectation. And it’s more than an expectation. It’s almost a requirement.

“So, you know, you’re then looking at a beer going from $10 to somewhere between $13 and $14.”

Once inside stadiums, fans will also have to adjust to some of the strictest matchday security rules in world sport.

Across US venues, including those hosting England’s group games, clear bag policies are standard, with backpacks and large handbags typically banned outright.

Only transparent bags of a limited size are usually allowed, and entry involves airport-style security checks, including removal of belts, keys and sometimes shoes, with random secondary searches common.

There has also been confusion around what fans can bring into stadiums to drink.

FIFA has recently updated its Stadium Code of Conduct, reversing earlier guidance on reusable bottles.

While supporters were initially expected to be allowed to bring empty transparent bottles into venues, the updated rules now ban reusable water bottles entirely.

The change has raised concerns given expected summer temperatures of between 26C and 28C at some host cities, alongside questions over access to drinking water inside stadiums.

The rule shift means supporters will have to rely on water stations or purchase drinks inside venues, adding another layer of adjustment for fans travelling in heat unfamiliar to many European match-going routines.

Concerns around disorder are also front of mind for organisers.

Local authorities can introduce emergency restrictions – including temporary curfews in exceptional circumstances – during major security incidents, civil unrest or severe weather events.

This would effectively shut down parts of a host city, leaving supporters scrambling to get back to hotels.

In Mexico City, protesters have already toppled World Cup player statues with demonstrators — a group of teachers demanding higher wages — warning they will disrupt matches if the federal government does not engage with their demands.

If England top their group, they could face Mexico in Mexico City on July 6.

The way fans interact with police in the US can also carry far greater consequences than many will be used to back home.

While free speech protections are strong, confrontational behaviour towards law enforcement can escalate.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/sport/16503796/england-fans-world-cup-rules-us/

New York ​City Mayor Zohran Mamdani had three words, for his constituents early on Sunday after his beloved Knicks broke a ‌53-year-old NBA title drought: “PARADE THURSDAY MANHATTAN”.
The New York Knicks mounted yet another double-digit comeback to beat the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on the road on Saturday, ending an excruciating wait for the millions of fans in the five boroughs who regarded the ​win as nothing short of a miracle.

“To have the fans that we have in New York City and be ​able to bring home a championship after all these years is absolutely amazing. It’s a surreal ⁠feeling,” coach Mike Brown told reporters.
“I mean, I don’t know how long it’s been since that final buzzer went off ​but I still don’t believe it. I’m pinching myself.”
Dozens of New Yorkers lined up in front of Madison Square Garden on Sunday ​morning, as the self-styled “World’s Most Famous Arena” swung open its doors for fans eager to purchase championship merchandise.
Mia Smith, a playwright and actress raised in Queens, said the win was an historic moment for the city.

“It means hope, it means joy, excitement for the city,” said Smith, 37. “It’s ​so much joy, community.”

Amy Loria, an immigrant from the Philippines who lives in Brooklyn, said she adopted the team when she ​moved to New York 10 years ago.
“It was electric. We were so amazed with the game,” said Loria, a 50-year-old registered nurse. “If you ‌can do ⁠anything, it’s always in New York.”

PARADE PARTY

Plans will now ramp up for a celebration equal to the United States’ biggest sports market, as a collision of sports mega-events draws the eyes of the world to the Big Apple.
New York New Jersey stadium, an amalgam of two bitter geographic rivals brought together to host eight World Cup soccer matches, saw its first game on Saturday, with ​the 1-1 draw between up-and-comers ​Morocco and powerhouse Brazil wrapping ⁠up around the time that the Knicks and Spurs tipped off.

Hundreds of people swarmed a convoy of about 15 shuttle buses in Times Square after they dropped off fans from the ​match and one was set on fire during chaotic post-game celebrations that saw thousands of New ​Yorkers out in ⁠the city streets and a teenager suffering a gunshot wound.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/sports/soccer/chaos-confetti-settle-new-york-city-prepares-knicks-celebration-2026-06-14/

Oliver Tree, known for his popular songs “Life Goes On” and “Miss You,” has died at 32 years old.

The singer, born Oliver Tree Nickel, was identified as one of the six casualties involved in Sunday’s helicopter crash in Recreio dos Bandeirantes, in the Southwest zone of Rio de Janeiro, reports CNN.

The other victims include passengers Lucas Vignale, Gaspar Prim (also known as Argentinian YouTuber Gaspi), Lucas Brito Chaves, and pilots Alexandre Souza and Charles Marsillac.

According to the outlet, two helicopters collided in the air early Sunday morning while flying over an electric vehicle yard. At least 20 cars were set on fire from the collision after being hit at the crash site.

The local Civil Police informed CNN that the case is ongoing and a forensic examination of the scene has been requested.

Tree was onboard the flight with Vignale, Prim, Chaves, and Souza. Marsillac was flying solo in the other helicopter.

In addition to the police, the local Fire Department, CET (Traffic Engineering Company), Comlurb, and teams from 31st BPM (Recreio dos Bandeirantes) have been working to isolate the area.

In a statement, the Brazilian Air Force said: “The Brazilian Air Force (FAB), through the Center for Investigation and Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents (CENIPA), informs that, this Sunday (June 14th), investigators from the Third Regional Service for Investigation and Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents (SERIPA III), based in Rio de Janeiro (RJ), were called to carry out the Initial Action of the incident involving two aircraft, registration numbers PP-MAC and PR-DJJ, in Recreio dos Bandeirantes, in the Southwest Zone of Rio de Janeiro (RJ).”

“During the Initial Action, qualified and accredited professionals apply specific techniques for data collection and confirmation, preservation of evidence, initial verification of damage caused to or by the aircraft, and gathering other information necessary for the investigation,” the statement continued.

Tree was visiting South America as part of his “The World’s First World Tour.” He had just performed a show in São Paulo on June 6 and was scheduled to pick up his tour in Lisbon on July 13.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2026/06/14/celebrity-news/singer-oliver-tree-dead-at-32-following-tragic-helicopter-crash/

Comparing the deal to former US President Barack Obama’s deal, Trump said that his deal is the “exact opposite”. He said that Obama’s deal would have helped Iran reach its nuclear weapons goal faster.

US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the long-awaited deal to end the war in the Middle East is set to be signed on Sunday. Trump also claimed that the Strait of Hormuz will open to all “immediately after” the deal is signed.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said, “The Deal is scheduled to get signed tomorrow, and immediately after it is signed, the Hormuz Strait is open to all.”

Comparing the deal to former US President Barack Obama’s, Trump said that his deal is the “exact opposite”. He said that Obama’s deal would have helped Iran reach its nuclear weapons goal faster.

“Barack Hussein Obama’s Deal with Iran, the JCPOA, was an easy, beautiful, smooth road to a Nuclear Weapon, which Iran would have had six years ago, and would have used long before now. My Agreement with Iran is the exact opposite, a wall to no nuclear weapons!” he wrote.

Trump said that now Iran no longer wants a nuclear weapon and will not have one in the future either through purchase, development or procurement.

The Republican leader further claimed that the current administration enjoys a much different and better relationship than the previous ones.

Trump’s Claim About Iran’s Enriched Uranium

In his post, Trump also indicated the United States would take possession of and destroy Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium.

“At the appropriate time, when all is calm, we will go in and get the Nuclear Dust, buried deep under the powerful sunken granite mountains, thanks to our beautiful B-2 Bombers and their brilliant pilots, and downblend and destroy it, whether in Iran, or the United States,” Trump said. “We look forward to working with Iran, and the entire Middle East, long into the future.”

But Trump’s post also contained a warning to the Islamic Republic to fully implement the plan or face serious consequences.

“Hopefully, this process will all work out quickly, easily, and smoothly,” the US president wrote. “If it doesn’t, we have the ultimate alternative, hopefully never to be used again!”

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/deal-with-iran-tomorrow-strait-of-hormuz-to-be-open-to-all-trump-11632926?pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

 

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio conveyed to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar that all commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz should comply with orders from U.S.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday conveyed to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar that all commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz should comply with orders from Washington as the naval blockade of Iranian ports remains in force.

During the telephonic conversation, Rubio stressed the blockade sought to “uphold peace and security in the Strait.”

Tommy Pigott, Principal Deputy Spokesperson for the US Department of State, said: “U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke yesterday with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. The two officials discussed recent events in the Strait of Hormuz.”

“The Secretary stressed that all commercial vessels should immediately comply with orders from U.S. forces as they seek to uphold peace and security in the Strait. He underscored that violations of the U.S. blockade and the illicit transport of Iranian oil will not be tolerated”, he added.

Jaishankar, Rubio Spoke On Killing Of Indians In U.S. Strike

S Jaishankar, who is currently on a visit to Europe, held a telephonic conversation with Marco Rubio and condemned the killing of three Indian mariners in a U.S. strike on a merchant vessel in the Gulf of Oman.

In a post on ‘X’, EAM Jaishankar wrote: “Spoke to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio this evening. I reiterated India’s strong protest at the attacks by the US Navy in the Gulf that killed three Indian mariners.”

Spoke to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio this evening. I reiterated India’s strong protest at the attacks by the US Navy in the Gulf that killed three Indian mariners. Such lethal actions against commercial shipping are not justified.

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) June 12, 2026

“Such lethal actions against commercial shipping are not justified”, he added.

Three Indian-crewed vessels came under attack near Oman in the Strait of Hormuz as Washington launched strikes, killing three Indian crew members.

The vessel had 24 crew members on board, of whom, 21 had been rescued.

India had lodged “strong protest” of the U.S. and summoned the most senior American diplomat in New Delhi to condemn the killing. The United States, in response, said the vessel was targeted after it failed to comply with instructions issued by the American forces.

Earlier, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said that attacks on merchant vessels carrying Indian crew members must cease immediately as he stressed for dialogue and diplomacy to ensure an early return to peace in West Asia.

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/rubio-discusses-hormuz-with-jaishankar-says-commercial-vessels-must-follow-us-orders-ws-l-10147948.html

 

The arrests come amid a growing struggle for women in Afghanistan who’ve been practically barred from society under Taliban rule.

The Taliban arrested at least 30 women, accusing them of violating dress code requirements, the UN agency for women’s rights said.

The UN Women said Thursday it was “gravely concerned” by the arrests, which they said heightened fear and apprehension among women and girls.

The arrests come amid a growing struggle for women in Afghanistan, with dozens of people having joined a rare protest last weekend to denounce the actions of Taliban authorities in the western city of Herat.

The information on protests has been hard to verify, with local media having reported that the Taliban’s “morality police,” or the Department for the ⁠Promotion ​of Virtue and Prevention of ​Vice, had detained some women in the days before the protests for allegedly failing to comply with hijab regulations.

But local authorities have denied reports that women were arrested.

Since taking over Afghanistan in 2021, the Taliban have curtailed women’s roles in various areas of public life such as banning them from attending schools beyond sixth grade and severely limiting their employment opportunities.

Taliban allegedly opened fire on protesters

Local media said protests erupted last weekend after morality officials arrested women opposing the mandatory dress requirement, which requires women to be fully covered in public except for their eyes.

Video on social media, though unverified, showed armed officials breaking up the demonstration, which included fully veiled women among the protesters.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/taliban-arrest-30-women-for-violating-hijab-rules-un-says/a-77517764

President Donald Trump announced the elimination of Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, the leader of the Tren de Aragua gang, through a US military strike.

US President Donald Trump announced on Friday that a “swift and lethal kinetic” US strike had killed Niño Guerrero, “the infamous leader” of the “bloodthirsty” Tren de Aragua gang. In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote that the action was taken in close coordination with Venezuela, and terrorists will no longer have a safe haven there. He also shared a video of the precision strikes that took out the top boss.

“At my direction, the United States Southern Command delivered a swift and lethal kinetic strike to successfully execute Niño Guerrero, the infamous leader of Tren De Aragua, one of the most bloodthirsty Terrorist Organizations on Planet Earth,” he wrote.

The US President called this “retribution” for the families and loved ones of those “slaughtered” by the outfit.

“Early in my Administration, I delivered on my promise to designate Tren de Aragua as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, deport thousands of evil criminals, and wage war against the Cartels, who have long been waging war against our Citizens, while weak leaders left America helpless and defensive,” he wrote.

“This action was coordinated closely with our friends in Venezuela, with whom we are working very well. As a result, Tren de Aragua terrorists no longer have safe haven in Venezuela or anywhere else and, under my leadership, we will find these vicious murderers and drugs lords anytime, anyplace, and send them to the depths of hell where they belong,” he added.

Elon Musk has become the world’s first trillionaire after SpaceX’s market debut. His $1.1 trillion fortune exceeds most national economies and could buy 2.5 million homes or 243 billion gallons of fuel.

How do you measure a trillion dollars? Start with the zeroes. A trillion is written as $1,000,000,000,000 – a one followed by 12 zeroes. Yet even that struggles to convey its true scale.

Following the blockbuster stock market debut of SpaceX, Elon Musk became the world’s first trillionaire, with his net worth soaring to an estimated $1.1 trillion, according to Forbes. The milestone came after SpaceX shares began trading on the Nasdaq at $150, significantly above their IPO price of $135.

According to an analysis by the Associated Press, the trillion-dollar threshold has long been associated with the GDP of nations, government debt and the market value of the world’s largest corporations. Now, for the first time, it belongs to a single individual.

A confirmed tornado moved through Schererville, Indiana, on Thursday evening, prompting the National Weather Service to continue a Tornado Warning for northeastern Lake County.

A confirmed tornado was moving through northwestern Indiana on Thursday evening, prompting the National Weather Service (NWS) to maintain a Tornado Warning for northeastern Lake County. According to the NWS Chicago/Romeoville office, the tornado was located over Schererville, near Merrillville, at 7:25 PM CDT and was moving northeast at approximately 30 mph.

Forecasters warned that the tornado posed a significant threat to residents in its path, with the potential for damaging winds and flying debris. The agency said mobile homes could be damaged or destroyed, while roofs, windows and vehicles could also sustain damage. Tree damage was considered likely.

Communities in the projected path of the tornado included Merrillville, Hobart, Lake Station, and New Chicago, with Portage also expected to be impacted as the storm continued moving northeast.

The National Weather Service emphasized that the tornado had been confirmed by radar and urged residents to seek shelter immediately.

“To repeat, a tornado is on the ground. TAKE COVER NOW!” the weather agency said in its warning statement.

Source : https://www.timesnownews.com/world/us/us-news/indiana-tornado-warning-confirmed-tornado-near-merrillville-schererville-residents-urged-to-take-cover-article-154579095

A South Korean court sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to 30 years in prison on Friday for charges ​linked to his ordering an incursion of military drones over North Korea to ​help create a pretext for his failed December 2024 ⁠martial law declaration.
The Seoul Central District Court found Yoon guilty of aiding ​the enemy and abuse of power, saying he had conspired in the ​October 2024 drone incursion over Pyongyang from the outset, according to a court statement.

The ruling adds to a series of judgments against the ousted conservative leader, once South ​Korea’s top prosecutor, whose martial law order plunged Asia’s fourth-largest economy ​into its deepest political turmoil in decades.
Yoon had denied any wrongdoing over the drone incursion.
His ‌lawyers ⁠said he neither ordered nor later approved the operation, which they said was unrelated to martial law and instead a response to months of North Korean launches across the border of balloons stuffed with rubbish.
Prosecutors ​had sought a ​30-year prison term ⁠for Yoon in April.
In February, a South Korean court sentenced Yoon to life in prison after finding ​him guilty of leading an insurrection linked to the ​martial law ⁠attempt.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/south-korea-court-sentences-ex-president-yoon-30-year-jail-term-drone-case-2026-06-12/

The US military has disabled an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman that it accused of violating an American blockade by “attempting to transport oil from Iran”.

In a post on X, US Central Command said an aircraft fired “precision munitions” into the engine room of the Palau-flagged Settebello “after the crew repeatedly failed to comply with directions from American forces”.

India’s government said three Indian sailors were missing and 21 Indian crew members had been rescued after the attack on the Settebello off the coast of Oman.

It said the “targeting of commercial shipping and civilian infrastructure in the region must end”.

The US military blocked access to Iran’s ports after Tehran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which some 20% of the world’s oil and gas supplies are transported, during the ongoing conflict.

US forces have disabled eight vessels and redirected 134 others since initiating the blockade on 13 April, according to Centcom.

Following the latest incident, the Indian government summoned the deputy head of the US mission in Delhi, officials told the BBC.

Earlier this week, US forces hit another Palau-flagged oil tanker with an Indian crew. The Marivex was also fired on in the Gulf of Oman after it failed to comply with US instructions, Centcom said.

All 24 crew were rescued by the Omani military, Indian authorities said.

Meanwhile, tensions between Iran and the US show no sign of easing. On Wednesday President Donald Trump threatened to hit Iran “hard”.

Trump said Tehran was taking too long to sign a peace deal and was playing Americans “for suckers”.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0rygjw1kqxo

Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano will be the lead pilot for the Artemis III test flight. The NASA mission is expected to launch in 2027 to test technology for a future moon landing.

NASA has tapped Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano to pilot the Artemis III mission, making him the first European to be a part of the US space agency’s key human spaceflight campaign.

On Tuesday, NASA chief Jared Isaacman unveiled a four-member crew and a backup for the 2027 flight that will test new lunar landers — not on the moon as originally planned, but closer to home in Earth’s orbit.

The Artemis III crew

NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik has been picked as the mission commander, with Andre Douglas and Frank Rubio serving as mission specialists.

The three US astronauts and the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Parmitano will orbit Earth while practicing docking their Orion capsule with two moon landers.

NASA described the tests as challenging and essential for Artemis IV, which is its first planned crewed mission to the lunar South Pole in 2028.

NASA astronaut Bob Hines was named as a backup crew member to be on standby in case of an emergency.

NASA builds on Artemis II win

The Artemis III comes after thesuccess of the Artemis II mission two months ago, when humans flew around the moon for the first time in over five decades.

The April mission beat the distance record of the 1970 spaceflight Apollo 13.

“Today we take another bold step in humanity’s return to the Moon, building on the extraordinary foundation laid by the Artemis II astronauts,” said NASA administrator Isaacman.

“The Artemis III astronauts, alongside ESA and our international partners, and the tens of thousands of the best and brightest across the agency and industry, are ushering in a new Golden Age of exploration carrying forward the hopes and dreams of the next generation just as the Apollo astronauts did for so many of us,” he added.

Who is Luca Parmitano?

Parmitano will be the second non-US member involved in the Artemis program after the Canadian Space Agency’s Jeremy Hansen flew on Artemis II.

The 49-year-old was selected as an astronaut by the ESA in 2009. His track record includes two completed missions on board the International Space Station (ISS).

Parmitano, who trained at the Italian Air Force Academy and worked as a test pilot, also completed complex spacewalks.

In one such excursion in 2013, he met with a near-fatal mishap on a planned six-hour spacewalk, when his helmet began filling with water due to a failure in the suit’s cooling system.

He is also credited for performing the first-ever DJ set from space.

“I am honored to be part of this crew, and humbled at the same time: my crew mates bring a wealth of different experiences, and I am looking forward to working with them, eager to learn and to contribute as much as I can in my role,” Parmitano said in a statement after being named the Artemis III’s lead pilot.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/nasa-picks-first-european-astronaut-for-artemis-mission/a-77482632

ARCHAEOLOGISTS have been left baffled after uncovering a 7,000-year-old mass grave full of human bones.

The pit full of headless skeletons is thought to be a result of a “complex burial ritual”.

Experts excavating the ditch have explained that while cut marks on the remains suggest that decapitation took place, it’s believed that this was done after death.

The pit was discovered at the entrance to the Stone Age town of Vráble in western Slovakia.

The settlement is believed to have been occupied by the creators of the Linear Pottery culture. The ancient pottery known for its parallel line designs has been found across Europe.

Work to uncover the ditch first began in 2022 when the team of archaeologists found four pairs of headless skeletons along with a mass grave containing 77 more.

One skeleton, belonging to a child, was found with the head still connected.

The excavation is still underway, but the initial findings have no been published in the in the Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society.

Scientists and historians working on the project are unsure why the skeletons appear to have had their heads removed post-mortem and it is not known if violence played a role in their deaths.

Headless bodies have been found in other European burial sites. However the skulls belonging to the headless skeletons in Vráble have not been found, making it particularly unusual.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/tech/16479263/headless-skeletons-mass-grave-baffles-archaeologists/

In Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, escalating tensions have resulted in violent clashes between security forces and Joint Awami Action Committee supporters.

Tensions continue to escalate in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) as clashes between security forces and workers of the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) erupted in several parts of the region, leaving at least 30 dead and over 200 injured. The worst bloodshed was seen in Rawalakot, where firing on mourners at a funeral left 11 dead and over 70 injured. Amidst escalating violence, over 30 British MPs have sought diplomatic intervention over the massive human rights abuses in PoK.

In the videos emerging from PoK, a large crowd could be seen attacking a Pakistan Rangers convoy in Bhimbere. The convoy of the Pakistan Army and Rangers was moving to the Mirpur district of the PoK when they came under attack from locals. Visuals also surfaced from Muzaffarabad, in which forces could be seen firing tear gas shells at the mob pelting stones.

The protests erupted after the PoK government banned the JAAC, a grassroots movement that has gained support for raising issues such as rising inflation, electricity tariffs, taxation policies and what its supporters describe as the region’s long-standing political marginalisation.

The Palau-flagged tanker was hit by a missile after it tried to evade the US blockade of Iranian ports on Monday.

An audio clip has surfaced from a vessel that was attacked by the US Navy off the coast of Oman on Monday, with one of the 24 Indian crew members urging authorities to “please help,” saying the tanker, MT Marivex, was on fire and sinking.

The Palau-flagged tanker, which was black-listed and sanctioned by the US, was hit by a missile after it tried to evade the American blockade of Iranian ports. All 24 Indian crew members were later rescued by the Omani military.

“Sir, this is motor tanker Marivex… We have fire on board, and vessel is sinking,” a crew member said in a distress call to the authorities.

“US Navy attack, the missile on our engine room. We have hole at the bottom. We have fire onboard, please help… Please help, please help,” the member said.

“Total all crew Indian. 24 crew, all crew Indian. Please help quickly, we need immediate help,” he said.

A Helicopter Rescue

The Indian Coast Guard’s Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Mumbai received information regarding the missile attack on MT Marivex, anchored off Masirah, at about 2:20 pm (IST). It immediately established communication with the Oman Maritime Search and Rescue Centre (OMSC) to monitor the situation and ensure the safety of the crew.

A Royal Air Force of Oman helicopter then reportedly took off from an air base on Masirah Island at about 3:25 PM and reached Marivex’s location over 20 minutes later.

Visuals showed the chopper in action, flying over the vessel’s deck and evacuating those on the tanker.

“The successful rescue operation underscores the effectiveness of international maritime cooperation and the robust coordination mechanisms among maritime rescue authorities in the region,” India’s Ministry of Defence said in a statement.

“It also highlights the Indian Coast Guard’s commitment to safeguarding Indian seafarers and facilitating timely assistance during maritime emergencies,” the statement added.

US On Attacking Ship With Indian Crew

The US confirmed its forces disabled the unladen oil tanker after the vessel violated the ongoing blockade against Iran by attempting to sail to an Iranian port.

“An F/A-18 Super Hornet from USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) fired a precision munition into the ship’s engineering and steering spaces after the crew failed to comply with directions from U.S. forces. Marivex is no longer sailing to Iran,” the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement.

https://t.co/EwA0PPWagv

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) June 8, 2026

MT Marivex had reportedly made four attempts to evade the US blockade. On three occasions, it had turned away after warnings by the US Navy.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/us-iran-war-indian-crews-distress-call-after-us-missile-attack-near-oman-on-mt-marivex-help-ship-is-sinking-11615132?pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

 

The World Health Organization head is visiting Uganda, praising its “prompt and capable response” to the Ebola outbreak across the border in DRC’s Ituri province. Uganda has logged just a few cases, mainly imported.

On Monday, the director-general of the UN’s World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, visited Uganda, which borders the epicenter of the latest Ebola outbreak in Ituri province, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The WHO has declared a public health emergency over the current outbreak, which was announced on May 15 in the northeastern DRC.

Tedros was in the DRC last week, in the gold mining hub of Ituri province that has been at the center of the latest outbreak, involving more than 500 confirmed cases.

What did Tedros say during his visit to Uganda?

Tedros praised local authorities and their success in largely containing the handful of cases that have come across the border.

“I am in Uganda, where the government has mounted a prompt and capable response to the outbreak of Ebola,” he wrote.

“Screening at the borders helped detect cases arriving from neighboring DRC, and the country’s surveillance, testing and case management systems are doing steady work,” he said.

Tedros said there had been 19 confirmed cases in Uganda, 14 among people who entered from DRC and five Ugandan nationals. Two had died, he said, offering their loved ones his condolences. He pledged continued WHO support, in conjuction with the Africa CDC, in combating and controlling the outbreak.

Asked by a Reuters reporter about Uganda’s decision in late May to close its border to DRC, he said that blanket travel restrictions did not work, “so I hope they [Ugandan authorities] reconsider.”

Dr. Diana Atwine, a permanent secretary at the Ministry of Health in Uganda, also commented after the talks.

“[Tedros] is in the country to assess Uganda’s readiness to respond to the ongoing Ebola outbreak and to support efforts aimed at strengthening cross-border coordination to prevent further exportation of Ebola cases from Congo and to bring the outbreak to an end,” she said.

Africa CDC updates confirmed caseload, mostly for Ituri province

Also on Monday, the Africa Centres for Disease Control or Africa CDC issued updated lab-confirmed case numbers for the current outbreak.

Africa’s top public health agency said there had been a total of 544 confirmed Ebola cases, and 88 deaths. Of the cases, 515 were from the DRC’s Ituri province. These figures differ slightly from those offered a day earlier by the DRC.

The confirmed caseloads are sure to be smaller, largely because of difficulties testing and confirming in the remote wartorn region, than the actual and suspected totals.

The outbreak, the 17th in the DRC since 1976, involves the comparatively rare Bundibugyo species of ebolavirus for which there is no recognized vaccine.

While this complicates treatment, the current case and death numbers also suggest it is not among the most lethal forms of Ebola — with a fatality rate of less than 20% among confirmed cases, compared to rates often exceeding 50% in past outbreaks. Improved treatment, containment and detection methods may also play a role in these figures.

The WHO and the African CDC on Friday launched a $518-million (roughly €450-million) plan to battle the outbreak over the next six months.

US doctor and family discharged from Berlin hospital no longer showing symptoms

Meanwhile, in Berlin, a US doctor and his family were discharged from the specialist Charite Hospital over the weekend.

The doctor was working as a medical missionary in the DRC, along with his family, when he contracted the virus. At the request of the US government, he was flown to the specialist wing of the Berlin hospital for treatment.

Charite said no virus had been detected in the patient since May 30. He had been admitted on May 20.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/ebola-outbreak-whos-tedros-visits-uganda-bordering-the-drc-ituri-province-epicenter/a-77462569

The chief prosecutor denies any wrongdoing but is suspended pending a vote by ICC member states.

The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan, was suspended from duty with immediate effect the court’s governing body announced late Monday.

Khan’s suspensions comes after an 18-month probe into an aide’s accounts of sexual misconduct by the prosecutor.

In reaction Khan’s lawyers described the decision as, “unlawful, procedurally unfair and unsupported by evidence.”

What are the allegations?

The allegations against Khan were first reported to the court’s independent watchdog more than two years ago.

Khan is alleged to have repeatedly harassed a female ICC employee over an extended period.

He had “nonconsensual sexual contact with (the aide) in his office, at his private residence, and whilst on mission,” according to a copy of a report by the United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) seen by the Associated Press.

Sources earlier told the Reuters news agency that a report by United Nations investigators found a “factual basis” for the allegations of sexual misconduct. However, a second report by three judges that reviewed the UN findings said the evidence was insufficient to establish the truth of the allegations “beyond a reasonable doubt.”

Khan has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. He stepped down in May 2025 pending the outcome of the investigation.

No criminal charges have been filed against Khan.

What comes next?

The Assembly of State Parties (ASP) bureau, the executive committee of the ICC’s oversight body, which includes 21 members, decided to refer the case to the Assembly with representation from all of the ICC’s member countries.

The decision to suspend Khan was made “by qualified majority,” the bureau said. Its assessment was based on “the report of an investigation undertaken by the OIOS, the underlying evidence, the advice of an ad hoc Panel of judicial experts, and written submissions.”

A majority of the ICC’s 125 member states would have to vote in favor of removing Khan from his role in a secret ballot.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/iccs-karim-khan-suspended-over-claims-of-sexual-misconduct/a-77467013

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met King Charles III at Windsor Castle on Monday following talks with Ukraine’s European allies.

After their private meeting, Zelensky thanked the UK for its “ironclad” support and revealed he planned to invite the King for a state visit to Ukraine in the future.

It comes after the leaders of Ukraine, the UK, France and Germany published a joint statement calling for a “just and lasting” deal to end the war with Russia.

Following talks in London on Sunday, Zelensky, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said they would “stand firmly with Ukraine”.

Taking to social media after his meeting with the King, Zelensky thanked the monarch and the people of the UK for their ongoing support.

He also shared an image of himself alongside the King in the halls of Windsor Castle.

Speaking to the Guardian newspaper after his meeting with the King, Zelensky revealed he planned to invite Charles to Ukraine for an official state visit as early as this year.

He was also asked about several Reform UK councils making the decision to remove Ukrainian flags from outside town halls.

“I hope they will put it back,” Zelensky told the newspaper.

He added: “I don’t want to be involved in any political things, but you know, the world is so sensitive today. Sometimes little, small mistakes can break big friendships or huge contacts.”

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy8d9jdvvpyo

 

Nvidia on Monday (Jun 8) announced deals with South Korea’s SK Hynix, Naver and Doosan Group to build AI data centres and use the US chip firm’s technology, as it looks to continue driving the AI boom.

The agreements come during a high-profile trip by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang to South Korea that began on Friday and has seen him have fried chicken with the country’s top corporate bosses, throw a baseball pitch and meet with a well-known gamer so far.

Nvidia and its partners did not disclose the value of the deals.

SK Hynix and Nvidia said they had signed a multi-year technology partnership that would advance next-generation memory for global AI data centres.

The South Korean memory chipmaker said it would enter new AI fields via the partnership, such as personal AI and physical AI, and that the deal would help maintain a stable supply of memory chips despite the advanced memory semiconductors’ long development cycles.

Its sister company SK Telecom said it would build a gigawatt-scale AI cloud in South Korea using Nvidia technology, with the first AI data centre to come online in 2027.

Nvidia also said that it would cooperate with South Korean internet giant Naver and conglomerate Doosan, which would both use its technology to build AI data centres.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/business/nvidia-announces-deals-south-koreas-sk-hynix-naver-and-doosan-ai-data-centres-6167936

 

The Philippines and Indonesia both issued tsunami warnings after a powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck off Mindanao. At least three people were killed by collapsing buildings in the Philippines.

Tsunami warnings were issued after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Mindanao, the Philippines, on Monday morning.

The seismological agencies of the Philippines and Indonesia have issued tsunami warnings, while the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued an alert also for Palau, Taiwan and Papua New Guinea.

“We advise people to evacuate to higher grounds or go further inland,” said Teresito Bacolcol, director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).

Phivolcs warned that tsunami waves above one meter (yard) could ‌continue ​for several hours, while aftershocks could also be felt in the region.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ‌said authorities were moving fast to coordinate disaster response.

“The national government is moving and we will not ‌leave Mindanao ​behind,” Marcos said in a statement.

Indonesia lifted its tsunami warning later on Monday.

The Philippines lies on the edge of the Pacific’s so-called ‘Ring of Fire’ — an arc of seismic faults that makes the country unusually prone to volcanos, earthquakes and tsunamis.

At least 3 killed, several injured in earthquake

Police on Mindanao reported that at least three were killed and several others were injured by the earthquake as reports of damage began to emerge.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/philippines-tsunami-warning-78-earthquake-indonesia/a-77452381

 

US President Donald Trump abruptly ended an interview with NBC News journalist Kristen Welker after a heated exchange over his claims of fraud in the 2020 election. When repeatedly asked for evidence, Trump insisted there was “nothing but evidence” and accused major media networks of bias. He then removed his microphone and walked out before ending the discussion

US President Donald Trump walked out of an interview after a heated verbal exchange with a NBC News journalist over the 2020 presidential election fraud allegations. “Let’s call it quits. Because I’ve had enough. Thank you, darling,” he said before walking out.

The discussion turned increasingly fiery as Kristen Welker repeatedly asked the US President to provide evidence for his claims about the election and ongoing vote counting in California.

Welker asked Trump directly whether he had any evidence to support his claims. “All I have to do is look,” he responded.

WOW — Trump crashes out and cuts his interview with Welker short as she presses him on his lack of evidence for claiming elections are rigged

“You’re either crooked or you’re stupid. Let’s call it quits. Because I’ve had enough. Thank you darling,” he tells her.”

“I traveled… pic.twitter.com/qQaNIDnX4y

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 7, 2026

The heated discussion began after detailed remarks about the status of negotiations to end the war with Iran. Kristen then asked about his 1.8 billion proposed anti-weaponisation initiative, which was intended to compensate people who believed they had been unfairly targeted by the previous regime.

“Now I don’t know what’s going to happen with the weaponisation fund. I love the idea because people like you, the fake dirty press, the crooked press, people like stupid Biden, he’s not smart enough to know what’s going on, but people that surrounded him, surrounded his beautiful Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, what they did to the lives of people, they destroyed people. They sent people to jail who did nothing wrong,” he said.

Countering his remarks, Welker pointed out that there was no evidence supporting some of his allegations.

“Listen to me: There’s tremendous evidence,” Trump said. “There’s nothing but evidence. The election was rigged. It was a dirty election, and it’s happening again right now in California,” Trump said.

POTUS claimed that delays in counting ballots in California were evidence that something was wrong with the process. Several races in the state remained undecided days after voting concluded, reported India Today.

“They’re crooked, just like you’re crooked, your press is crooked. And ‘Meet the Press’ is crooked,” Trump said, adding that the United States was “like a third-world country” when it came to running elections.

Welker attempted to respond, saying, “To be fair, I’m not crooked, but let’s…”

“Really? Well, you play right into their hands then. You’re either crooked or you’re stupid,” he replied.

“Your elections are crooked and you’re crooked and Meet the Press is crooked, and so is ABC and CBS and CNN,” Trump said. “You’re one-sided crooked networks.”

Source : https://www.freepressjournal.in/world/ive-had-enough-thank-you-darling-us-president-donald-trump-walks-out-after-heated-exchange-with-journalist-video

 

The UN says it is seeking an additional $331.5 million to tackle a worsening humanitarian crisis in Lebanon. Meanwhile, Israel is carrying out fresh strikes on the south of the country.

Argentine and US scientists will test rodents in Mendoza as investigators try to trace the source of a hantavirus outbreak that killed three people.

Argentina is expanding its investigation into the source of a deadly hantavirus outbreak in April to the western province of Mendoza, the Health Ministry said on Friday.

Hantavirus is a rare rodent-borne illness that has multiple strains of varying severity.

The outbreak aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius is linked to the Andes hantavirus strain, endemic to parts of Argentina and Chile, though not in Mendoza.

It infected at least 11 people aboard the ship, killing three, after it departed from the southern Argentine city of Ushuaia in April.

Scientists reconstructing how the virus spread

Authorities said scientists from Argentina’s leading center for infectious diseases, the Malbran Institute, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would conduct field studies in the city of Malargue, Mendoza, from June 8-12.

Argentine scientists, along with experts from the CDC, will trap and test rodents to trace the origin.

Laboratory analysis is also continuing on more than 100 rodents captured in Ushuaia and Tierra del Fuego last month.

Investigators are trying to reconstruct how the virus spread, including tracing the movements of a Dutch couple believed to be among the first infected.

They had travelled through Argentina and Chile before boarding the cruise.

The MV Hondius was sailing from Ushuaia in Argentina to Cape Verde when its journey was disrupted following the outbreak.

Experts suspect exposure to infected rodent droppings or urine caused the outbreak.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/hantavirus-scientists-head-to-western-argentina-to-trace-outbreak-source/a-77442811

Russia says Ukraine has launched an “unprecedented attack” on and around St Petersburg, as the city hosted the final day of an economic forum.

More than 140 drones were shot down over the surrounding Leningrad region, governor Aleksandr Drozdenko said, while the city’s governor, Alexander Beglov, urged residents to stay indoors for the first time since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his forces had hit Russia’s arsenals and a naval base, calling it a just response to Russian attacks.

It comes a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin said there was no point in meeting Zelensky, who had called for direct talks to end the war.

Earlier on Saturday, Drozdenko said Ukraine’s attacks had caused a fire at an unspecified military facility, and that residents had been evacuated. He also said buildings had sustained “insignificant” damage.

Zelensky said his country’s drones had covered a distance of 1,000km (620 miles) to St Petersburg, Russia’s second largest city, targeting “the enemy navy’s arsenals and a base in Kronstadt”. The main outpost of the Russian Navy’s Baltic Fleet is located in Kronstadt.

According to Zelensky, an oil depot 500km (310 miles) away, in the southern Krasnodar region, was also hit as part of Ukraine’s “long-range sanctions” – a euphemism for strikes on Russia.

The commander of one of the Ukrainian units involved in the drone strikes told the BBC that it was very easy to hit targets inside Russia.

“We fly in Russia like it’s our own territory. Almost no resistance, not hard to reach a target,” Yevhen Karas, commander of the 413th regiment Raid of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, said.

Late on Saturday, the Russian defence ministry said the country’s air defence units had shot down or intercepted 339 Ukrainian drones over a number of Russian regions since 07:00 local time (04:00 GMT) on Saturday.

On the other side, Ukraine said Russia had attacked two civilian search-and-rescue vessels on a “humanitarian mission” in the Black Sea.

“Unfortunately, there are injured,” said Ukrainian Territorial Development Minister Oleksiy Kuleba.

Russia’s military has not publicly commented on the issue.

These latest attacks follow Ukrainian strikes on the outskirts of St Petersburg as Putin’s flagship economic forum in his hometown was getting under way just days earlier.

The major forum, designed to attract foreign investment into the country, drew thousands of guests from 130 countries, including a low-key US delegation – the first for many years.

In his open letter to Putin on Thursday, Zelensky called for a ceasefire and face-to-face negotiations with the Russian leader to end the war, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

He wrote that it would be “wrong to simply wait” for the conflict to once again become the focus of US attention. President Donald Trump has been involved in efforts to mediate an end to the conflict, but the war with Iran has recently taken precedence.

Speaking at the economic forum on Friday, Putin refused the request for a meeting with Zelensky and reiterated his position that a truce would only allow Ukraine to regroup.

He said he would only end the war when Russia’s goals had been met.

Russia’s long-standing position is that Ukraine should withdraw from the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions it has largely seized, as well as abandon efforts to join Nato.

Ukraine has refused to give up any territory, arguing that concessions to Moscow would embolden it to invade again in the future.

In his message on Saturday, the Ukrainian president said it was “time to end this war”, but accused Russia’s leader of wanting to “keep fighting”.

Zelensky is expected to visit the UK on Sunday, for talks with some of Ukraine’s staunchest European allies – Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron.

In the Russian-occupied Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine, the Moscow-installed authorities say they have suspended coach services on two motorways following a campaign of Ukrainian drone strikes targeting Russian logistics.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cg7498kz808o

Iran’s World Cup soccer players have been granted visas to enter the United States, a White House official told Reuters on Friday, just 10 days before their first match in Los Angeles amid a conflict between the two countries.
Iran’s ​ambassador to Mexico, Abolfazl Pasandideh, said late on Thursday the squad had still not received their U.S. visas but ​these were granted overnight, the White House official said.

A spokesman for Iran’s World Cup federation could ⁠not immediately be reached for comment.
The U.S. had not yet issued visas to some members of the Iran team’s technical and administrative staff, ​the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Friday.
“Visas for some members of the national team’s technical and executive staff have not ​yet been issued, and the U.S. embassy has so far refused to issue them,” it said, without citing a source.
The Iran war has turned the World Cup – the biggest global sporting event – into a geopolitical contest, with both sides appearing to use the tournament for political posturing.

It is the ​first World Cup, since its inception in 1930, in which a host nation is set to receive a country it is ​at war with.
Tehran negotiated a last-minute move of the team’s base from Arizona to Tijuana in Mexico due to the visa issues and a ‌growing feeling ⁠in Iran that the squad’s presence in the United States should be kept to a minimum.
They are scheduled to land in Tijuana early on Sunday.
Iran are due to play their first Group G match on June 15 against New Zealand in Los Angeles, where they will also face Belgium before taking on Egypt in Seattle.
The U.S. had never formally said it did not want the Iran ​team to stay on its territory, ​ambassador Pasandideh said.
However, Secretary ⁠of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers on Tuesday that the U.S. would not allow Iran to include in its World Cup delegation individuals linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards, a powerful branch of the Iranian armed ​forces.

Mehdi Taj, president of Iran’s soccer federation, was denied entry for the tournament draw in ​Washington in December. He ⁠is a former commander in the Revolutionary Guards.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iran-world-cup-players-granted-visas-enter-us-says-white-house-official-2026-06-05/

The number of Americans filing claims for unemployment benefits increased more than expected last week, touching their highest level in four months, but the underlying trend remained consistent with a stable labor market.
Economists shrugged off the rise in weekly jobless claims reported by the Labor Department on Thursday as volatility related to ​last Monday’s Memorial Day holiday. Claims tend to rise around public holidays. They said there were no signs yet the Middle East conflict was having a noticeable impact on the labor market, ‌though uncertainty was growing.

“The big picture remains that the trend in both initial and continuing claims still is very subdued,” said Oliver Allen, senior U.S. economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics. “It would be unwise, however, to conclude that all is fine and well with the labor market simply because claims are low. Low fire, low hire remains an apt description of labor market conditions, and only around one of four of those unemployed make a claim.”
Initial claims for state unemployment benefits rose 13,000 to a seasonally adjusted 225,000 for the week ended May 30, the ​highest level since the first week of February. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast 213,000 claims for the latest week. The four-week moving average of claims, which irons out week-to-week volatility, increased only 6,500 to 214,750.

Last ​week’s rise pushed claims to the upper end of their 190,000-230,000 range for this year. Applications could remain higher in the weeks ahead as the school year ends.
“Some states ⁠allow school workers who are off for the summer to claim unemployment benefits and that can lead to a rise in headline claims that isn’t always captured by the seasonal factors,” said Nancy Vanden Houten, lead U.S. economist at ​Oxford Economics.
Seasonal factors are the model used by the government to strip out seasonal fluctuations from the data.
Layoffs remain low by historical standards, despite high-profile job cuts by technology firms related to the adoption of artificial intelligence. U.S.-based employers announced 97,006 ​job cuts in May, about 39% of them in the technology sector, a separate report from global outplacement firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas showed on Thursday. That was up 16% from April.

Still, planned job cuts rose only 3% compared to the same period last year. Though employers have not responded with mass layoffs to rising shortages and inflation stemming from the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, now in its fourth month, economists said that could change, the longer the conflict drags on.
The Federal Reserve’s Beige Book report on Wednesday said employment showed “little to ​no change” in May, and that “most districts described a low-hire, low-fire environment.” It added that “hiring remained selective and primarily focused on critical roles or attrition replacement.”
For now, low layoffs are anchoring the labor market. The number of people receiving unemployment ​benefits after an initial week of aid, a proxy for hiring, fell 8,000 to a seasonally adjusted 1.777 million during the week ended May 23, the claims report showed.

LABOR MARKET REMAINS STABLE

The claims data have no bearing on the closely watched employment report ‌for May, due ⁠to be released on Friday, as they fall outside the survey period.
Nonfarm payrolls likely rose by 85,000 jobs in May after rising 115,000 in April, a Reuters survey of economists predicted. The unemployment rate is forecast unchanged at 4.3%.
The Labor Department’s Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, or JOLTS report, on Tuesday showed hiring decreased and layoffs fell in April, suggesting the increase in payrolls that month was due to lower layoffs. A stable labor market allows the Federal Reserve to focus on inflation. Financial markets expect the U.S. central bank to keep its benchmark overnight interest rate in the 3.50%-3.75% range into 2027.
U.S. stocks opened lower. The dollar slipped against a basket of currencies. U.S. Treasury yields fell.
A third report from the ​Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics showed worker productivity growth ​slowed faster than initially thought in the first ⁠quarter, but the underlying trend remained strong and a boost is expected from businesses adopting artificial intelligence for many roles.
Nonfarm productivity, which measures hourly output per worker, increased at a downwardly revised 0.3% annualized rate last quarter. That was the slowest since the first quarter of 2025. Productivity was previously estimated to have risen at a 0.8% pace last quarter. Economists ​had expected productivity growth would be revised down to a 0.5% pace.
Productivity grew at a 2.8% rate from a year ago, instead of the 2.9% pace estimated last ​month. It has grown at ⁠a 2.1% rate from the fourth quarter of 2019 through the first quarter of 2026. The softness in the first quarter was flagged by last week’s downgrade to gross domestic product growth to a 1.6% rate from the previously reported 2.0% pace. Productivity grew at an unrevised 1.6% rate in the October-December quarter.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/us-weekly-jobless-claims-increase-more-than-expected-labor-market-remains-stable-2026-06-04/

The U.S. Senate labored over a $70-billion immigration enforcement bill late into the night on Thursday, as Republicans rejected more than ‌a dozen Democratic amendments, including attempts to kill a $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund that President Donald Trump has sought.
The $70 billion would help pay for Trump’s controversial migrant deportation crackdown over the next three years and would augment about $100 billion in unspent Department of Homeland Security law enforcement money enacted last year by Republicans, who control Congress.

If the Senate manages to pass the new funding, the House ​of Representatives could debate it as soon as next week.

TRUMP SAYS FUND IS ‘SO IMPORTANT’

Lawmakers began voting on amendments to the immigration bill in a “vote-a-rama” ​session early on Thursday that was expected to end in a vote on the underlying measure by Friday.
An initial move by ⁠Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer to kill what Democrats call a “slush fund” for Trump’s allies brought the session to a largely procedural halt for hours after Republican ​Senator Susan Collins voted for the motion.
She was later joined by fellow Republicans Jon Husted and Dan Sullivan.

“It’s heinous and it won’t die until we permanently ban it ​by law,” Schumer said of the $1.776 billion fund in a Senate floor speech.
His measure failed in a 50-49 vote but exposed the political turmoil among rank-and-file Senate Republicans. Some of them sought their own amendments to eliminate the fund permanently, five months before the November midterm elections. Collins, Husted and Sullivan all face competitive races for reelection at a time when Trump’s approval ​rating is down, even among Republicans.
The fund, which critics say would allow Trump to use taxpayer dollars to compensate his political allies, has already been put on hold ​by the White House and Justice Department over fierce opposition from Senate Republicans.
But on Wednesday, Trump declined to say whether the fund had actually been terminated, telling reporters: “I love it. I ‌think it’s ⁠so important.”

Republican Senator Thom Tillis, who opposed Schumer’s motion, told reporters he would not support passage of the funding bill without a Republican amendment vote to codify acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s congressional testimony that the administration was abandoning the fund.
Tillis argued that failing to do so would place a burden on congressional Republicans up for re-election in November who are worried about a voter backlash to the fund.

OPPONENTS CALL FUND ‘IMMEDIATE AND DIRE THREAT’

Nearly all of the bill’s $70 billion would go to DHS’s Immigration ​and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol agencies ​that are carrying out the Trump ⁠administration’s vigorous deportations throughout the United States.
Tillis later offered his own amendment to reallocate the Trump fund’s resources to fraud-enforcement operations. It failed in an 84-15 vote while garnering support from 12 Republicans.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/senate-republicans-grapple-with-trumps-anti-weaponization-fund-ice-funding-vote-2026-06-04/

Artificial intelligence has been used to develop a “fundamentally new” type of vaccine that could protect against large swathes of viruses and prevent pandemics, say researchers.

The team at the University of Cambridge say it is the first time a vaccine’s key component has been designed entirely by AI and then trialled in people.

The vaccine was engineered to work on all coronaviruses which would include all Covid variants and viruses that infect animals, but could start the next pandemic.

The work is still in the early stages, but the team is already developing separate vaccines that could tackle flu and Ebola.

Vaccines teach our bodies how to spot an infection to increase our chances of fighting it off.

But some viruses are adept at changing their appearance – or mutating – so vaccines can quickly go out of date. It’s why Covid and winter flu vaccines need to be regularly updated.

“We’re always behind,” said Prof Jonathan Heeney, from the University of Cambridge, adding “what we’re trying to do is get ahead of the curve” and so far ahead they could protect against new outbreaks or pandemics.

How does it work?

Normally vaccines are designed using a current strain of a virus.

The Cambridge researchers took known genetic codes – the instruction manuals of life – from a range of coronaviruses that had been recorded by surveillance programmes hunting for potential viral threats.

These genetic codes were analysed by an artificial intelligence. It then designed a “super-antigen” that could train the immune system in such a way it gave protection against the whole family of viruses – even if they mutated or a new infection jumped from animals to people.

Antigens are the critical components of vaccines as this is what the immune system learns to attack.

Heeney said this was the first time an antigen designed by AI had been trialled in people. He said the technology was “surprising all of us” and it was “amazing what we can do with it for the good of humanity”.

Heeney told BBC News: “This is about making vaccines that protect us, not just from today’s viruses, but protect us from what can cause the next outbreak or disease.

“This is a fundamental shift in how we prepare for pandemics.”

The trials, in 39 people, were designed to assess if such vaccines were safe. A second study – involving around 200 people – will give a greater understanding of how well it is training the immune system.

The findings detailed in the Journal of Infection said the impact on the immune system was “modest”, but they are still generating excitement.

Prof Saul Faust, who performed some of the trials at the University of Southampton, said the AI design “definitely has potential” and was “really exciting”.

He told the BBC: “What’s really interesting is the technology is an awful lot better at designing vaccines for potential pandemics when viruses are changing.”

The Cambridge team are already performing animal research on universal seasonal flu vaccines that would not need to be adapted every year and an H5N1-bird flu vaccine, in case the virus that is currently devastating bird populations became a human pandemic.

They are also looking at a vaccine for viral haemorrhagic fevers, which would include Ebola species. The current outbreak in the Democratic Republic Congo is being caused by a species that does not have a vaccine developed for it yet.

Prof Andy Pollard, the director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, was not involved in the study, but said this approach was generating compelling evidence in animal research.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crrpggegwe0o

A new wave of Trump tariffs could unsettle US trade partners which have already signed new trade deals or have been negotiating them for months.

US President Donald Trump’s administration is proposing additional tariffs of 10% or more to be imposed on its trading partners following a probe into countries importing goods allegedly made with forced labor.

In a report released Wednesday, the US Trade Representative (USTR) said it had found that 60 economies had failed to “impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labor,” calling it a “burden” to US commerce.

“This creates a dynamic where American workers are forced to compete globally on an unlevel playing field. We will no longer tolerate this disparity,” USTR Ambassador Jamieson Greer said in the document.

The tariff proposal is currently open to public comment and review and is therefore not in immediate effect.

The new tariffs under US trade law could help Trump bypass the Supreme Court ruling in February which stated that his tariffs werelargely illegal.

Which countries will face extra US tariffs?

An additional 10% tariff will be imposed on imports from Canada, Mexico, Taiwan, Pakistan, the UK and EU nations. These are countries which, according to Washington’s investigation, impose a forced labor import prohibition, that have undertaken commitments on forced labor or have partially prevented the import of forced labor goods.

An additional 12.5% tariff will be imposed on 45 others, including China, India, Japan, South Korea, Brazil and Switzerland. These are countries that have failed to impose and effectively enforce the prohibition of imports made with forced labor, the statement said.

“Each of our trading partners must do more to ensure that trade does not perversely encourage and entrench forced labor globally,” Greer said.

The USTR said it had initiated 60 investigations into forced labor in March.

The alleged failure to prohibit imports made with forced labor was “subjecting US producers to unfair competition” in both export markets and the US market, the USTR said.

The trade regulation body will hold hearings about the proposed tariffs on July 7.

More negotiations to ensue?

This latest wave of tariffs is likely to unsettle several US trade partners, who have been negotiating lower levies for over a year.

Just two weeks ago, the EU approved a trade deal with Washington to cap tariffs on most EU exports at 15%. That consensus was hard fought, with some member nations initially threatening to block the deal.

Meanwhile, a US delegation is currently in New Delhi to finalize a trade deal after Washington imposed one of the highest tariffs on India last year. India’s Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday told local media that key details of the deal were already settled.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/us-plans-extra-tariffs-for-60-countries-over-forced-labor/a-77400171

 

A Kenyan court blocked on ​Tuesday for another three weeks a proposed U.S. Ebola quarantine facility that has triggered protests in which two people were killed, and ordered the ‌government to disclose its agreement with Washington.
The proposed 50-bed unit on an air force base in central Kenya for Americans exposed to the virus in Democratic Republic of Congo or Uganda has angered many Kenyans. They accuse the U.S. of offloading the health risk of caring for patients.

A Kenyan court last week temporarily suspended the plan in response to a lawsuit from a legal advocacy group. ​However, U.S. military aircraft have continued to fly in staff and equipment in recent days, according to a U.S. official and diplomatic sources.
Kenyan High Court ​Judge Patricia Nyaundi on Tuesday issued an order barring the Kenyan government from taking any steps to build or begin operations ⁠at the facility in the town of Nanyuki before the case is resolved.
The judge also ordered the government to disclose all agreements and operational protocols related to ​the facility within seven days and scheduled the next hearing for June 23.

Senior U.S. health official Mehmet Oz told reporters in a White House briefing on Tuesday that ​President Donald Trump’s administration is confident the State Department will be able to work with Kenya to establish the facility.
“I think we’re going to work out … a very favourable arrangement with Kenya,” Oz said. “They’re going to do the right thing for everybody, and I think it’s a perfect solution.”
Hundreds protested against the plan in Nanyuki on Monday. Protest organiser Patrick Wahome said two people were ​killed by gunshot wounds after police opened fire. A security source also said two people had died but did not specify the cause of death.
Police spokesperson Michael ​Muchiri said he was not aware of the deaths.

KENYAN PRESIDENT RUTO DEFENDS US AGREEMENT

On Monday, Kenyan President William Ruto said the facility was part of a wider national preparedness plan and ‌long-running health ⁠partnership with Washington.

The U.S. said last week it would provide $13.5 million for Kenya’s Ebola preparedness effort. Ruto said the site would serve Kenyans and foreign nationals too.
“We are a responsible government. We know what we are doing,” Ruto said.
A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters the facility would only be treating U.S. citizens.
“American officials, doctors, and clinicians will be at this facility, treating American citizens at the facility. Our highest priority is containing the spread of Ebola and offering the highest clinical ​care to Americans,” the official said.
Kenyan courts ​are known for their independence, especially ⁠by regional standards, although activists often accuse the government of ignoring or circumventing orders.
The outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola is centred in eastern Congo and several cases have spilled over into neighbouring Uganda.
There have been 321 confirmed cases and ​116 suspected cases of Ebola in Congo, including 48 deaths, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday. Uganda has confirmed 15 ​cases.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/kenyas-president-defends-planned-us-backed-ebola-quarantine-facility-2026-06-02/

British MP Rupert Lowe highlighted survivor testimonies and alleged institutional failures, reigniting scrutiny of the UK’s grooming gangs scandal.

A recent speech by British MP Rupert Lowe in Parliament has renewed discussion on the UK’s long-running grooming gangs scandal. During his speech he presented disturbing survivor accounts and findings from his independent investigation into organised child sexual exploitation.

The testimonies, which detailed allegations of serious abuse, police failings, and institutional shortcomings, were cited as part of Lowe’s push for stronger accountability and justice for victims. As per the investigations by the UK government, most of the accused were “taxi drivers and market traders” of Pakistani origin.

Lowe also read out survivors’ statements who alleged that they were targeted by ‘grooming gang’ members when they were younger. One of the survivors revealed that she was raped by “600 or 700 different men”. One of the testimonies claimed that ‘grooming gang’ members put a cigarette out on the baby’s face, revealing the violence against children.

Meanwhile, as per Lowe, another survivor revealed, “He picked up the bottle of Jack Daniels which was now empty, and he forced it up inside me. He broke the glass while he was there. At that point I was about 12, nearly 13.”

One of the survivors revealed, as cited by the British MP, “I was held down by the men as they each took turns to orally and vaginally rape me, taking it in turns to pin down my arms and my legs. When the assault ended, the men hit me repeatedly, threatened to find me, kill me and harmed my loved ones, if I ever told anybody what had happened.”

“I was bleeding from both my vagina and my back passage and was so swollen I could not sit down. I told hospital staff my drink had been spiked, and I did not know what had happened because I was too afraid to tell the truth. They did not ask any questions. They gave me tablets and discharged me. I was 15 years old,” said another survivor, as cited by the British MP.

PLANS for the world’s first floating city have been revealed to include schools and a research hospital.

The £12 billion ‘Freedom Ship’ has a capacity of 80,000 and would provide homes for 50,000 permanent residents.

The mile-long vessel would also have capacity for 10,000 day visitors, as well as 20,000 crew members.

These plans have devised a 15,000-seat sports stadium, a water park and two museums.

Further amenities include a convention centre, a symphony hall, shops and restaurants.

The proposal would also see children on board educated from primary to college level.

Four decks would be utilised for financial branches, commercial services, retail and banks.

Passengers will also have access to a two-storey food hall, a night club and an expansive aquarium.

At 800ft wide and boasting 30 decks, the ship is too big to dock in any port.

It will likely be powered by nuclear fuel and remain in international waters, transferring passengers to and from land via a fleet of ferries.

Visitors would ride a tram system upon arrival to a series of districts to board the ship.

Alternatively, 15 miles of walkways and three acres of parks would be available for passengers preferring to explore on foot.

It is intended for the Freedom Ship to circumnavigate the globe every couple of years, at seven knots.

American engineer Norman Nixon first proposed the idea for The Freedom Ship in the 1990s.

The plans publicly resurfaced a year following Nixon’s death in 2012, but were soon put back on the shelf.

Freedom Cruise Line International’s chief executive, Roger Gooch, has highlighted demand for the vessel.

He told The Telegraph: “We could almost justify building three ships!”

He has enlisted a naval architect, a designer and a project manager among a 12-person leadership team.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/16442011/floating-city-freedom-ship-schools-hospital-cruise/

Trump and Netanyahu share a complex, decades-long relationship, which has been marked by periods of strong public alignment and deep private tension. In the past, both leaders have had several tense calls but have still coordinated closely on Iran and other issues.

US President Donald Trump reportedly fumed over Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a heated phone call over Israel’s escalation in Lebanon, which threatens to jeopardise the ongoing peace talks with Iran to end the Middle East conflict. On the call, the US leader called Netanyahu “f***ing crazy” and accused him of ingratitude, according to a report by Axios.

Citing US officials and a third source briefed on the call, the American publication reported that Trump has also put the brakes on Israel’s plan to strike Beirut. He reportedly told the Israeli leader that the Israeli threats to bomb the Lebanese capital would further isolate Israel around the world.

Inside Trump-Netanyahu Call

Trump also claimed he had helped keep Netanyahu out of jail — a reference to his support during the Israeli leader’s corruption trial.

“You’re fucking crazy. You’d be in prison if it weren’t for me. I’m saving your ass. Everybody hates you now. Everybody hates Israel because of this,” Trump told Netanyahu, according to the Axios report.

At one point, a source said Trump got “pissed” with Netanyahu and asked him, “What the fuck are you doing?”

Before the call, Trump reportedly knew Hezbollah, the Iranian proxy militia operating from Lebanon, had been shooting at Israel and that Tel Aviv needed to defend itself. But sources said that Trump felt, in recent days, Netanyahu was escalating in a disproportionate way.

Israel’s Military Ops In Lebanon

In addition to the threats on Beirut, Israel has been expanding its ground operation in southern Lebanon. Trump was reportedly angry over the fact that Netanyahu’s decision to escalate in Lebanon was threatening to implode his negotiations with Iran.

US sources told Axios that the president had been concerned about too many Lebanese civilians and had objected to the Israeli plan of knocking down buildings to take out a single Hezbollah commander.

After the call, an Israeli official told Axios that the Jewish state no longer plans to strike Hezbollah targets in Beirut.

This is not the first disagreement between the US and the Israeli leaders. Trump and Netanyahu share a complex, decades-long relationship, which has been marked by periods of strong public alignment and deep private tension. In the past, both leaders have had several tense calls but have still coordinated closely on Iran and other issues.

However, according to the Axios report, this was one of Trump’s worst calls with Netanyahu since he returned to office last year in January.

What Happened After The Call

After the phone call with Netanyahu, which he touted as “productive”, Trump said that no Israeli troops will head to Beirut.

“I had a conversation with Bibi Netanyahu today, asking him not to go into a major raid of Beirut, Lebanon. He turned his troops around. Thank you, Bibi!” he wrote on his Truth Social platform.

The US leader added, “I also had a conversation with representatives of the leaders of Hezbollah, and they agreed to stop shooting at Israel and its soldiers. Likewise, Israel agreed to stop shooting at them. Let’s see how long that lasts — Hopefully it will be for ETERNITY!”

Later, Netanyahu also confirmed the conversation but cast it less as a restraint and more as a warning, saying he told Trump that Tel Aviv would strike targets in Beirut if Hezbollah’s attacks did not stop. The Israeli military will continue “to operate as planned” in southern Lebanon, Netanyahu added.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/us-iran-war-latest-news-youre-f-ing-crazy-would-be-in-prison-if-it-werent-for-me-trump-lashes-out-at-netanyahu-over-lebanon-11578150?pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

 

More than 1,100 people were suspected of having contracted Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighbouring Uganda, the head of the African Union’s health agency said on Sunday in a commentary for the Financial Times.

Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention director general Jean Kaseya said there were 263 confirmed cases in both countries as of Saturday, with 43 confirmed deaths.

More than 1,100 suspected cases were still being investigated, he wrote in the editorial. On Thursday, the Africa CDC said there had been 246 suspected deaths from the virus.

“We must move at the speed of the epidemic,” added Kaseya, criticising Africa’s dependence on outside financial support.

The health ministers of the DR Congo, Uganda and South Sudan recently adopted a $319-million response plan to the outbreak.

“That momentum must now expand across the continent,” Kaseya said, calling the latest Ebola outbreak a “serious test” for the Africa CDC and the African Union.

“This outbreak will not be the last,” he added.

The outbreak was declared on May 15 in Ituri, in the northeast DR Congo, which is home to more than 100 million people and is one of the poorest countries in the world.

The virus, which can cause a deadly haemorrhagic fever, has been detected in three Congolese provinces as well as in Uganda.

No vaccine or approved treatment is available against the Bundibugyo strain of the virus and efforts to contain its spread rely mainly on preventative measures.

The World Health Organization has triggered an international health alert but the true scale of the outbreak is not yet known.

International health authorities believe that current figures are likely an underestimation.

Source : https://www.barrons.com/news/africa-cdc-says-over-1-100-suspected-ebola-cases-in-dr-congo-and-uganda-373233af

Nepal PM Balen Shah’s remark that Nepal also encroached Indian territory sparked controversy, drawing opposition criticism, demands for proof or apology, while government clarified comments referred to border irregularities, not claims.

Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah on Sunday said he has learnt about his country “encroaching” territories in India, as he sought to answer questions in Parliament on a long-running border dispute and instead triggered a controversy. Hours later, Nepal Foreign Ministry said PM Shah’s comments were related to “no-man’s land encroachments” and “cross-border occupation” between the two countries, rather than any territorial claims.

A blast on Sunday at a building in northeastern Myanmar said to have been storing explosives for mining has killed more than 45 people, according to rescue workers and independent media reports.

About 70 other people were injured in the explosion that took place around noon in the village of Kaungtup, in Namhkam township.

The area, located about 3 kilometers (2 miles) south of the Chinese border, is under the control of the Ta’ang National Liberation Army, an ethnic armed group which has engaged in sporadic fighting against Myanmar’s central government.

A rescue worker who rushed to the site of the blast told The Associated Press that 46 bodies, including six children, had been recovered by Sunday evening and taken for cremation.

The rescuer, who spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons, said 74 injured people had been transported to the township hospital and rescue operations were continuing.

Another rescuer in Namhkam, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said about 40 people were killed and more than 100 houses near the blast site were damaged.

Myanmar media outlets, including Shan State’s online Shwe Phee Myay news agency, reported death tolls ranging from 50 to 55. They published photos and videos showing smoke from the explosion and damaged buildings and debris in its aftermath.

Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported the explosion caused multiple deaths and injuries, with many residential houses being severely damaged, but did not give figures.

It said that according to preliminary investigations, the blast occurred at a site where large quantities of explosives used for mining operations were stored.

Local authorities are currently providing relief, medical care and resettlement assistance to affected residents, said the report.

The Ta’ang National Liberation Army, or TNLA, said in a statement released on its Telegram channel that gelignite had been stored by the group’s economic department for use in mining and stone quarrying sites, and that an investigation into the cause of the explosion is underway.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/myanmar-deadly-explosion-5946c95f92ca91472fb30a57438234ec

U.S. President Donald Trump will headline an event commemorating the nation’s 250th anniversary on the National Mall next ​month, organizers said on Saturday, after several musical performers scheduled to appear in ‌the celebration canceled, citing concerns about its association with him.
The concerts were planned as the opening ceremony of the Great American State Fair, a 16-day event running from June 25 to July ​10, 2026. Organizers said the fair, organized by the Freedom 250 group, would ​stretch on the National Mall from the U.S. Capitol to the ⁠Washington Monument, with concert stages, state pavilions, exhibits, rides, and other attractions.

But the musical ​lineup has been hit by a series of cancellations. On Friday, Bret Michaels, the lead ​singer of the rock band Poison, became the fifth performer to withdraw from the concerts, saying that the event was not the nonpartisan celebration that he thought it would be.
Trump is now scheduled ​to “personally kick off this historic celebration,” Freedom 250 posted on social media.
Organizers have ​not publicly detailed the reasons for the departures, though the exits have raised questions about the viability ‌of ⁠the event as originally envisioned.
The group did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.

In a post on Truth Social earlier on Saturday, Trump suggested the concert series may no longer be necessary if performers continue to back out. He floated the ​possibility of giving a ​speech on the ⁠National Mall instead, portraying himself as a more powerful draw than any musical act.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-considers-dropping-concerts-us-capital-after-artists-drop-out-2026-05-30/

The rapid spread of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo has created a “deeply alarming” situation, the medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has warned.

Speaking two weeks on from the outbreak being declared, MSF deputy director Dr Alan Gonzales said never before had “so many cases” been recorded so soon.

His comments came as the head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, visited the eastern Congolese province of Ituri – the worst-hit area – to oversee virus containment efforts.

There are now more than 1,000 suspected Ebola cases in the DR Congo, and at least 246 deaths. Neighbouring Uganda has reported nine confirmed cases and one death.

“Two weeks after the declaration of the Ebola disease outbreak in Ituri Province, the situation is deeply alarming,” Gonzalez said in a statement on Saturday.

“Never before has an Ebola outbreak recorded so many cases so soon after its declaration,” he said, stressing his teams on the ground were “witnessing a response that has not yet caught up to the rapid spread of the epidemic”.

“The reality today is that nobody knows the true scale and severity of this outbreak. New suspected cases are being reported daily, yet hundreds of samples remain untested.”

Gonzalez added that containment efforts and humanitarian aid deliveries were being delayed by “major constraints”, including border and airport closures.

The WHO has repeatedly warned that ongoing conflict in the DR Congo was also significantly hampering the Ebola outbreak response.

After arriving in Ituri’s provincial capital of Bunia on Saturday, Tedros said he and his team were in the DR Congo “to see how the response is running and if there are challenges to help”.

He urged communities in the centre of the outbreak to play a bigger role in fighting the disease, saying they “understand the problems better and they know the solution as well”.

Tedros also said he understood how important it was for people to honour their dead at funerals – but warned that right now this was dangerous.

“Certain practices including touching of bodies of those who have died from Ebola, can spread the virus further. While we grieve for those we’ve lost, we must do everything we can so that we don’t lose another, and get into a cycle of grief,” he said.

In Bunia, daily life appears largely unchanged. People continue to move around, trade and go about their normal activities.

On arrival at the city’s airport, passengers are directed to handwashing stations where they are required to clean their hands with soap and water.

Public health advisories are displayed in parts of the airport, while information is also being broadcast on radio and television. These messages are being delivered in local languages as well as in French, the DR Congo’s official language.

One of the WHO head’s first stops was the National Institute for Biomedical Research laboratory in Bunia, where samples from suspected Ebola patients are tested.

Local health officials say the facility is now able to return results within 24 hours, helping doctors quickly identify infections and begin treatment.

Until recently, samples had to be transported more than 1,500km (932 miles) to the DR Congo’s capital, Kinshasa, causing delays that health workers feared could cost lives and allow the virus to spread further.

In a separate development, health officials in Brazil said on Saturday that they were investigating a suspected Ebola case in São Paulo state.

Brazilian media report that a 37-year-old man – who had recently returned from the DR Congo – was now in isolation in an infectious diseases institute.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c99ldxykz4zo

Iran Strike on Kuwait Injures Americans, Hits Reaper Drones Amid Peace Deal Deadlock

Several Americans were among those injured after the debris from an Iranian missile hit a military air base in Kuwait on Friday, according to a report by Bloomberg. This came on the day when US President Donald Trump met senior officials at the White House Situation Room aiming to reach a deal to end the war in Iran.

According to sources quoted in the report, the the Americans injured included contractors and active duty personnel, with minor injuries suffered after Kuwaiti air defenses struck an incoming Fategh-110 missile. The attack also seriously damaged a pair of MQ-9 Reaper drones, which cost about $30 million as debris fell on the Ali Al Salem air base.

Located about 20 miles from the Iraqi border, the base hosted US troops during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Less than two months after he completed a carefully engineered transition from Myanmar’s ​junta chief to become president, Min Aung Hlaing will fly to India on an official visit on Saturday, his first overseas visit ‌since taking the civilian role.
The five-day trip, during which the former general will hold talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, underscores the gradual return of regional re-engagement for Myanmar, five years after many of its neighbours shunned the Southeast Asian nation’s military leadership following a coup.

For India, the visit is an opportunity to dilute China’s outsized influence ​on Myanmar while working to secure access to the country’s deposits of critical rare earths, and bolster security along its northeastern borders, analysts ​said.

SEARCH FOR IMPROVED REGIONAL RELATIONS

“After changing into civilian clothes as president, Min Aung Hlaing is looking to boost diplomatic ⁠engagement across the region,” said Richard Horsey, senior Myanmar adviser at Crisis Group.
“He expects more normal ties with ASEAN,” Horsey added, referring to the grouping ​of 11 southeast Asian countries, “with support from Thailand and some other member states. He is also likely to visit Beijing soon to meet Xi Jinping. India ​is Myanmar’s other key neighbour.”

An official from Myanmar’s presidential office, reached via phone, declined to comment on the visit.
Indian foreign ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal told reporters on Friday: “All issues that form part of the gamut of relations between Myanmar and India will come up for discussion.”

JUNTA WAS DIPLOMATICALLY ISOLATED

In a dawn takeover on February 1, 2021, Min Aung ​Hlaing ousted the elected civilian government led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking a protest movement that transformed into a nationwide ​armed uprising against the military.
The coup drew widespread condemnation, including from the ASEAN bloc that barred Myanmar’s generals from its summits, and the new military-led administration found itself ‌increasingly isolated.
A devastating ⁠earthquake last year provided a diplomatic opening for Min Aung Hlaing, who made a rare visit to a regional summit in Bangkok, which he is seeking to build on following a widely criticised election that paved the way for his presidency.

“He is seeking more and more regional and international respectability post-election,” said Gautam Mukhopadhaya, a former Indian ambassador to Myanmar.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/china/myanmars-junta-chief-turned-president-heads-india-with-an-eye-china-2026-05-30/

Satellite images show Beijing is building launch pads, bunkers and communications nodes near the isolated nuclear silos that hold the Chinese military’s longest-range missiles.

In a remote Chinese desert, a vast military complex is taking shape that some security scholars say appears built to ensure no American first strike on China’s nuclear arsenal could reliably knock out Beijing’s ability to hit back.

China’s nuclear missiles can already reach any city in the United States. Now, satellite images reviewed by Reuters show Beijing is building a sprawling web of launch pads, bunkers and communications nodes near the isolated nuclear silos that hold the Chinese military’s longest-range missiles.

The images reveal more than 80 pads for possible use by China’s expanding fleet of mobile missile launchers and air-defense batteries. They also show facilities that may serve electronic warfare, satellite communications and command operations, according to three security analysts, who assessed the imagery for Reuters.

The scale of the construction, which hasn’t been previously reported, points to a sweeping expansion of hardened infrastructure designed to protect and operate China’s land-based nuclear forces. Taken together, the network signals a significant upgrade in Beijing’s efforts to ensure second-strike capability, underscoring intensifying nuclear competition with the United States as tensions rise over issues such as Taiwan’s sovereignty.

“We can see this infrastructure is being built on a grand scale, covering thousands of square kilometers of desert beyond the silo fields,” said Alexander Neill, an adjunct fellow at Hawaii’s Pacific Forum think tank. Depending on the precise capabilities, he said, “we’re looking at a very considerable enhancement and diversification of China’s strategic nuclear deterrent.”

The ability to protect its desert silos is key to China’s stated goal of forging a minimal but credible nuclear deterrent – a policy grounded in the capacity to retaliate if it is struck first. While the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) can fire nuclear weapons from submarines and aircraft, the silo fields in the northwestern Xinjiang region and Gansu province are the core of its nuclear forces.

China’s nuclear build-up is among the most scrutinized facets of President Xi Jinping’s military modernization because of what some foreign diplomats describe as Beijing’s lack of transparency and failed efforts by the United States to engage the Chinese leadership on its evolving nuclear capabilities and intentions.

A cornerstone of China’s doctrine is its “no first use” policy, meaning its forces wouldn’t initiate a nuclear exchange. But some senior Western diplomats and analysts say China would possibly resort to nuclear coercion to limit outside involvement in a conflict over Taiwan.

Xi this month warned U.S. President Donald Trump that mishandling of their countries’ disagreements over Taiwan, which China claims as its territory, could lead them to a “dangerous place.” Taiwan’s government rejects China’s sovereignty claim.

China’s defense ministry didn’t respond to questions about its nuclear program and the developments revealed in the satellite imagery. The Pentagon said it wouldn’t comment on intelligence-related matters.

OCTAGONS IN THE DESERT

The new desert infrastructure is centered on two octagon-shaped installations built over the past six years in eastern Xinjiang. Both are southwest of the Hami nuclear silo fields – one is about 140 kilometers away, the other some 230 kilometers.

Satellite images show the octagon structures contain housing for personnel and large military vehicles. They are flanked by armored bunkers and fortified weapons-storage areas, as well as airfields and railheads that link the octagons to the Hami silos.

Exercises involving large military vehicles occurred around the northern octagon this month and during April, the images show. Also evident in recent images are large tents and what two analysts said appear to be camouflaged launch sites cut into the desert, some with air-defense missile batteries.

The existence of the octagons has been documented previously. But Reuters is the first to report the extent of the launch-pad network linked to the octagons; recent military activity around one of the facilities; and analysts’ assessments that the pads could field mobile missile launchers and electronic-warfare operations.

Five security scholars interviewed by Reuters agreed the infrastructure broadly could support China’s nuclear program, as well as other military purposes. But they cautioned that key details remain unknown – including the weapons China might deploy at the launch pads and whether the octagon structures house truck-mounted ballistic missiles or facilities for fitting nuclear warheads.

The PLA displayed nuclear-capable weapons during a parade in Beijing last September to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. These included silo-based and truck-mounted intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).

U.S. officials and arms-control analysts say China is expanding and improving its nuclear weapons capabilities faster than any other nation. The latest Pentagon report on China’s military modernization says the country’s warhead production has slowed but it is on track to field 1,000 warheads by 2030. The December report estimated China is likely to have loaded 100 ICBMs across its three main silo fields.

China has also been strengthening its early-warning system, underpinned by its Huoyan-1 satellites, according to U.S. officials. The system can detect an incoming ICBM within 90 seconds of launch and alert a command center within three to four minutes, according to the Pentagon – sufficient time for China to fire its own silo-based weapons before they are hit.

‘AN EXTRAORDINARY EFFORT’

Significantly, each octagon sits at the core of a network of dirt roads and conduits that stretch far into the desert. These routes connect to the concrete pads, which are nestled among rocky outcrops and dry creekbeds.

The pads could be used to deploy mobile air-defense missiles, electronic warfare nodes or, from some of the larger ones, road-mobile ICBM launchers, three security scholars said.

Hans Kristensen, director of the Federation of American Scientists’ Nuclear Information Project, said while it was difficult to conclude how the various installations would be used, “it is hard to rule anything out” given the scale of the infrastructure in such a hostile environment.

The conduits that link the pads to the octagon structures may contain fiber-optic cables for communications, Kristensen and Neill said.

At the northernmost octagon, a possible space or microwave communications facility is also under construction, three analysts said, pointing to satellite dishes and two large towers.

“Taken together, I think there is a real possibility that the octagonal structures and the strange towers are linked to C3 – command, control, and communications – as well as maintenance and storage activities related to China’s nuclear operations at the Hami ICBM silo site,” said Tong Zhao, a senior fellow in nuclear policy at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

A third octagon-shaped installation south of the Lop Nur nuclear test facilities is less developed. It appears to be used as a target range: Images show pock-marked earth, damaged buildings and what analysts at Vantor, a commercial provider of satellite imagery, said are mock-ups of Western jet fighters.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/satellite-pics-show-china-is-building-launch-pads-bunkers-near-nuclear-missile-silos-11566929?pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

Recently, Emily in Paris fans are saddened by the untimely passing of actor Pierre Deny.

French actor Pierre Deny has passed away at the age of 69 following a battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Deny was best known internationally for his role in the web series Emily in Paris. His daughters confirmed the same in a statement obtained by the Daily Mail on May 27, 2026.

Emily in Paris actor Pierre Deny passes away

“It is with deep emotion that we announce the passing of Pierre Deny, which occurred this Monday following a sudden and severe case of ALS,” they shared. The veteran actor was widely respected in the French entertainment industry and had built a career spanning decades across television and film.

Memorable role in Emily in Paris

Deny joined Emily in Paris during the show’s third and fourth seasons, portraying Louis de Léon, the CEO of the fictional luxury fashion company JVMA. His performance introduced viewers to a powerful and charismatic business figure within the series’ glamorous Parisian setting. The news of his passing comes shortly after series star Lily Collins announced production for the show’s sixth and final season.

Before gaining global recognition through OTT, Deny was already a beloved face in French television. He appeared in more than 500 episodes of the long-running soap opera Demain Nous Appartient, earning admiration for his consistent and compelling performances.

He also starred in several acclaimed productions, including Fabio Montale, Une femme d’honneur, and Cinq soeurs, establishing himself as a familiar and respected presence on screen.

Source : https://www.pinkvilla.com/entertainment/hollywood/emily-in-paris-actor-pierre-deny-passes-away-at-69-following-battle-with-als-1403353

A new UN report accuses Israeli forces of abuses against Palestinian detainees. The report also documents hundreds of sexual violence cases linked to Russian forces in Ukraine. Both countries deny the allegations.

The United Nations has added Israeli and Russian security forces to its blacklist for conflict-related sexual violence for the first time, according to an annual report to be released on Friday.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had warned both Israel and Russia last year of possible inclusion on the blacklist. Both countries rejected the allegations.

The report, which blacklists 77 state and non-state actors across a dozen countries over alleged conflict-related sexual violence, said cases rose sharply in 2025 compared with 2024.

UN reports sexual violence against Palestinian detainees

According to the report, Israeli forces engaged in documented patterns of sexual violence against Palestinian detainees in the occupied territories of Gaza and the West Bank.

“Violations consisted of rape, including with objects, gang rape, attempted rape, physical violence to the genitals, instances of targeted shooting of the genitals, touching of breasts and genitals, strip and cavity searches conducted without apparent security justification, forced nudity and threats of rape,” the report said.

The UN report identified the perpetrators as members of the Israeli military, security forces and prison services.

Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon called the report “shameful and absurd.”

“We are done with this UN Secretary-General,” Danon said in a statement on social media. “Guterres has put Israel on the same blacklist along with Hamas, ISIS and the most depraved terrorist organizations in the world.”

The blacklist also includes Hamas — classified as a terrorist organization by the US, the EU, and Israel, among other countries — which was previously added following the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

The report said many claims against Hamas could not be independently verified because Israel has continued to deny UN investigators the access needed for investigations.

The report comes just days after The New York Times published an investigation into widespread alleged sexual abuse against Palestinian detainees.

Moscow decries attempt to ‘portray Russia as a villain’

The UN also cited 310 verified cases of sexual violence by Russian forces against prisoners of military and civilian detainees in Ukraine.

Russian envoy Vassily Nebenzia said the “unsubstantiated lies…again portray Russia as a villain, like they do all the time.”

He said Russia is preparing a report on how Ukrainians treat Russian prisoners of war.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/israel-russia-included-in-un-sexual-violence-blacklist-for-first-time/a-77338549

In an Ebola outbreak, hours matter.
Yet the response to the deadly and fast-spreading epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo is weeks if not months behind – and missing thousands of people who may be at risk.

Interviews with global health officials and documents ​from a meeting led by the World Health Organization and Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention show how behind the curve authorities are in fighting the latest outbreak.

Caused by a ‌strain of the virus known as Bundibugyo for which there is no vaccine or treatment, the outbreak has already caused a suspected 220 deaths and 900 cases, according to the WHO. It has spread to Uganda, where there are seven cases.
Health teams are racing to find thousands of people who may have been exposed to the virus while also grappling with myriad challenges that make it difficult to contain.
Problems at a local level include lack of basic supplies as well as mistrust from a community scarred by previous outbreaks. ​Globally, the response is hampered by the withdrawal of the U.S. from the WHO and wider funding cuts, many health sources said.

Documents from Friday’s virtual coordination meeting show that, as of last week, only ​7% of the 1,261 people identified as contacts of suspected Ebola patients had been found and followed up. The WHO put the number at more than 2,000 on ⁠Wednesday.

‘OUTPACING THE RESPONSE’

The outbreak is “outpacing the response”, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus posted on Wednesday.
“Attacks on health facilities make tracking cases and their contacts nearly impossible.”
In eastern Congo, the worst-hit area, hospitals have been attacked and isolation tents ​burned by angry mobs reclaiming bodies of loved ones, apparently unaware of risks from infectious corpses.
That is hindering the operation to stop the spread of the virus and track those at risk in an area already wracked with conflict ​and with poor health infrastructure, three experts said.

In a document summary of the meeting on Friday, the partners agreed that reaching more contacts is now the key priority as funding and emergency response personnel trickle in.
“Bottom line: No vaccine exists. No therapy exists. The virus circulated undetected for six weeks. Cross-border spread is confirmed. Healthcare workers are dying. Every day without a fully resourced response is a day the outbreak gains ground,” a presentation by the WHO Africa team from the meeting reads.
Professor Salim Abdool Karim, a leading South ​African epidemiologist and one of the key figures advising Africa CDC, said the outbreak was moving at “breakneck speed”.
“If you had to choose a bad place for this to happen, it would be Ituri,” he added of the province ​at its epicentre.
While Congolese officials are well-versed in fighting Ebola – this is the 17th outbreak since 1976 – shortages remain a problem, including of the right tests to detect Bundibugyo rather than other Ebola viruses.

This was also a factor delaying initial detection.
“There are ‌very few ⁠people on the ground – and there are other problems as well, like getting fuel for the vehicles. It goes on and on,” Karim said.

U.S. MISSING

Several sources, including one U.S. official briefed on the Ebola response and another working with WHO, said problems would have been solved more easily and quickly in the past, when the U.S. worked with WHO and often co-led the international response to outbreaks.
The U.S. left the organization in January and has cut international aid funding more broadly, alongside a number of other wealthy countries.
“The organisations that would have been able to do this work are not there anymore,” said one U.S. official briefed on the response.
Amadou Bocoum, CARE’s country director, said his emergency ​response team had been cut by a third.
With the scale ​and origins of the outbreak unclear, it was ⁠a “hell of a job” to find all potential cases and contacts, said Marion Koopmans, a Dutch virologist on the WHO’s emergency committee.
Ebola spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people once they have symptoms, contaminated materials, and bodies of those who have died with the illness. The contacts of Ebola patients need to be found ​and then watched over for 21 days, the incubation period of the virus. If they get symptoms, they can isolate, stopping further spread.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/breakneck-ebola-epidemic-congo-outpaces-worlds-response-2026-05-27/

A Google employee has been arrested for $1.2 million (Rs 11.5 crore) fraud after he bet on Polymarket using internal search data.

A Google techie has been arrested and charged with fraud and money laundering after he allegedly earned $1.2 million (Rs 11.5 crore) by illegally trading contracts on Polymarket, a cryptocurrency-based prediction market. The accused Googler, identified as Michele Spagnuolo, 36, bet on who would be revealed as the most searched person of 2025, according to a federal criminal complaint unsealed on Wednesday (May 27).

Spagnuolo, an Italian citizen, worked at Google since 2014 and was based out of the company’s Zurich, Switzerland, offices. He placed the trades on Polymarket from around October 2025 to December 2025 using internal Google data that tracked user searches, as per a report in the Wall Street Journal.

The complaint highlighted that Spagnuolo “misappropriated confidential and valuable nonpublic information from his employee” and used the said information to place a series of Google-related bets.

“Unlike the counterparties to his trades, Spagnuolo knew the outcome of these wagers before the trading public did because he had accessed Google’s confidential, commercially valuable internal data,” the complaint stated.

Spagnuolo correctly predicted that the winner of Google’s most-searched person of the year 2025 would be D4vd, an American singer, who has been accused of murdering 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. At the time of his bet, Polymarket had assigned a near-zero probability to D4vd being the top search, but Spagnuolo’s account under the name, AlphaRaccoon, managed to get it right.

Responding to the charges, a Google spokesperson said: “We’re working with law enforcement on their investigation. The employee accessed our marketing material using a tool available to all employees, but using such confidential information to place bets is a serious breach of our policies. We’ve placed the employee on leave and will take the appropriate action.”

US Soldier’s Polymarket Bet

In April, a US special forces soldier was accused of betting on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s capture before the information was publicly available. On the basis of classified information, Gannon Ken Van Dyke, 38, allegedly made trades on Polymarket, winning more than $400,000.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/how-a-google-techie-made-rs-11-5-crore-betting-on-d4vd-accused-murderer-who-topped-2025-searches-11557428?pfrom=home-ndtv_lateststories

Israel announced that the IDF killed Muhammad Odeh, Hamas’s new military wing chief and a key planner of the October 7 attack, in a Gaza strike ordered by PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz. Netanyahu vowed to target all involved in the massacre. Meanwhile, Israel intensified airstrikes in southern Lebanon against Hezbollah, with reports of heavy casualties.

Israel Defence Forces eliminated Muhammad Odeh in Gaza, the new leader of the military wing of the terrorist organisation Hamas and one of the architects of the October 7 massacre.

The operation was carried out on the instructions of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz. Israel PMO said in a post on X.

See more

At the direction of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz, the IDF has just struck at Mohammed Odeh in Gaza, the new leader of the military wing of the Hamas terrorist organization and one of the architects of the October 7 massacre.

Odeh served as…

— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) May 26, 2026

Odeh served as the head of Hamas’s intelligence staff during the October 7 massacre and was appointed – about a week ago – to replace Ezzedine al-Haddad, who was eliminated in an IDF strike in the Gaza Strip two weeks ago.

Odeh was also responsible for the murder, abduction, and wounding of many Israeli citizens and IDF soldiers.

Benjamin Netanyahu also shared the confirmation in an X post, vowing to eliminate all involved in the October 7, 2023, massacre.

“We have now struck Muhammad Odeh- the leader of Hamas’s military wing and one of the architects of the October 7 massacre. We will get to all of them,” he said.

See more

Netanyahu says Israel attacked ⁠Hamas ​new ⁠armed wing ⁠chief ​in ⁠Gaza

Netanyahu says Israel has carried out an attack against Mohammed Odeh, who, according to media reports, was appointed commander of Hamas’ military wing in Gaza in May.

“We will reach everyone,” the… pic.twitter.com/02CPcLRZxr

— INDEPENDENT PRESS (@IpIndependent) May 26, 2026

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Appears that Mohammed Odeh has been killed after being selected to replace Izz al-Din al-Haddad as the terror group’s leader in the Gaza Strip and chief of its military wing.

Odeh, who was the head of military intelligence in Hamas’s al-Qassam Brigades during the October 7,… pic.twitter.com/PNr1Lp1Qih

— Ari Ingel (@OGAride) May 27, 2026

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🇮🇱🇱🇧 Israeli warplanes struck Nabatieh in southern Lebanon a short while ago.

Scale, targets, and casualties are still unconfirmed.

Nabatieh has recently become one of the most active flashpoints in the Israel-Hezbollah conflict.

Source: TABZ https://t.co/H4OJHIkvnb pic.twitter.com/fwE9DyWQK3

— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) May 26, 2026

Meanwhile, Israel continued its strikes in southern Lebanon after ramping up its operations yesterday, Al Jazeera reported.

“Two air strikes hit Burj Rahal, and a powerful strike was reported in Kawthariyat al-Ruz, in the Tyre district. The Israeli military also launched two air strikes on the town of Srifa, and one on Burj Rahal, in the Tyre district. Three raids were reported in the town of as-Sawana and one in Qabrikha, in the Marjayoun district, Al Jazeera reported.

Al Jazeera Arabic reported that Israeli air strikes across southern Lebanon had killed 31 people and left 40 others injured on Tuesday.

Source : https://www.freepressjournal.in/world/we-will-get-to-all-of-them-idf-eliminates-hamass-new-military-chief-muhammad-odeh-key-architect-of-october-7-massacre-video

 

Apple (AAPL.O), and Alphabet’s (GOOGL.O), Google on Tuesday pushed to amend an online safety bill working its way through Canada’s parliament to add judicial oversight to ​what the firms described as a potential for secret orders to break the ‌encryption of their software and devices.
Bill C-22 was proposed by Canada’s ruling Liberal Party and is being debated in the House of Commons.

The bill is similar to measures enacted in Britain and Australia ​that aim to give law enforcement officials access to encrypted data. Canadian authorities ​have said the bill would help them investigate security threats earlier and ⁠act more quickly.

When data is encrypted “end to end” it means that no one – including ​law enforcement and tech firms – can access the data without the key.
The Canadian bill does ​not explicitly require technology companies to break the encryption of their devices, but Apple, Google and Meta Platforms (META.O), have all come out in opposition. The tech firms argue it sets up a regulatory landscape ​where they could be issued secret orders to build a backdoor into their services or ​devices without disclosing that backdoor to users or the public.
In testimony before the House of Commons’ Standing ‌Committee ⁠on Public Safety and National Security on Tuesday, representatives from Apple and Google both pushed to add explicit protections for encryption and judicial oversight to the bill.

“Secret orders are out of step with other democratic countries and would severely restrict companies’ ability to be ​transparent with users about ​how their data is ⁠protected,” said Jeanette Patell, director for government affairs and public policy in Canada for Google.
Apple last year received a secret order to ​break encryption in the UK, which prompted it to withdraw encrypted ​cloud backup features ⁠from the country.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/apple-google-push-judicial-oversight-canada-online-safety-bill-2026-05-26/

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton ousted four-term U.S. Senator John Cornyn on Tuesday, riding President Donald Trump’s endorsement to a runoff victory for the Republican Senate nomination, U.S. media ​projected.
The race was called shortly after polls closed in Texas’ westernmost counties, which are in a separate time zone from most of the state.

“Without a shadow of ‌a doubt, I will be the Democrats’ No. 1 target in November,” Paxton said in his victory speech. “Texas will be the radical left’s No. 1 priority, but … we’re not going to let them take it.”

Paxton’s win will force Cornyn into retirement early next year – and the Republican political establishment in Washington into embracing a candidate it has long opposed.
Cornyn, 74, was backed by Republican leadership in the fight of his political life against Paxton, a 63-year-old, scandal-plagued attorney general ​who won Trump’s endorsement last week.
Paxton will face Democratic state Representative James Talarico in a high-profile race that could help decide control of the Senate and may become one of the ​most expensive in U.S. history.
The 37-year-old Democrat is a Presbyterian seminarian and leading fundraiser whose campaign has appealed to independent and moderate voters. Paxton’s supporters ⁠quickly attacked his past comments about a nonbinary God and six biological sexes, with Paxton and the Republican National Committee chairman calling him “Tala-freak-o.”

Senate Republicans’ campaign arm warned in an internal memo last year ​that a Paxton nomination “would hand Democrats an opening to flip Texas and cause Republicans to divert hundreds of millions of dollars that would otherwise be spent winning key battlegrounds.”
Cornyn told supporters he will back ​the Republican ticket in November.
“I’ve said throughout this race that I trust the voters of Texas, and they made their decision, and I must respect it,” he said in his concession speech.
Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate over Democrats, who would need to net four seats in November’s election to take control of the chamber. Democrats are on defense in two states Trump won in 2024 – Georgia and Michigan – but could win the chamber by holding ​those two seats and flipping North Carolina, Maine, Ohio and Alaska.

A competitive race in Texas, where no Democrat has won statewide since 1994, would expand the party’s path to a majority and potentially ​force Republicans to redirect investments from more competitive battlegrounds to protect their nominee in a state that Trump carried by nearly 14 percentage points in 2024.
In backing Paxton, Trump chose loyalty over electability as he continues to ‌flex his ⁠iron grip over Republican voters. This month, Trump’s endorsement of Republican primary challengers ousted incumbents including Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy and Kentucky Representative Thomas Massie.
Paxton was impeached by the Texas House, indicted for felony fraud, reported to the FBI by his top aides and is being divorced by his wife on biblical grounds, though he has denied any wrongdoing.

In a joint statement, Democratic Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand said, “Republicans are facing their nightmare scenario” while Democrats move closer to winning the majority.
Lauren French, a spokesperson for the Democratic Senate Majority PAC, said Paxton’s win was a loss for Washington Republicans, who spent nearly $100 million on Cornyn’s ​behalf.
“Even members of his own party call Paxton too ​corrupt and too damaged for Texas. Now ⁠he’s the GOP standard-bearer,” she said. “Good luck with that.”

LOYALTY TRUMPS ELECTABILITY

Talarico starts the general election with a three-month head start after defeating U.S. Representative Jasmine Crockett on March 3.
In a new campaign video released Tuesday night, Talarico said, “The most corrupt politician in America just became the Republican nominee for United States ​Senate.”
Talarico’s initial lead in the opinion polls has evaporated, with the most recent survey showing the race in a dead heat against Paxton, with ​8% of likely voters ⁠undecided.
Cornyn’s campaign attacked Paxton’s character from the beginning, including calling him “Crooked Ken” and launching a dating game that allows users to swipe on Paxton’s alleged mistresses.
Paxton challenged Cornyn to stop the negative ads “for the good of our party.”
“We have already changed our TV ad traffic … to ensure our campaign ends on a positive note (so) that we can focus on beating the leftist lunatic in the fall,” Paxton wrote on X last week.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us/cornyn-fights-political-life-against-trump-endorsed-paxton-texas-2026-05-26/

“If you don’t engage the technology of your time, you’ll just simply be left behind,” Mr Huang told CNA’s Victoria Jen in a wide-ranging interview.

The narrative that some chief executives use to tie artificial intelligence to job cuts is a “lazy” one which “doesn’t make any sense”, said Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang on Monday (May 25).

Speaking to CNA’s Victoria Jen in a wide-ranging interview, Mr Huang said that he sees an “optimistic future” with AI and that facts support his imagination of that future.

“The narrative that connects AI to job loss, for many of the CEOs that are doing it – it is just too lazy. AI has just arrived, how is it possible they’re already losing jobs?” said Mr Huang.

“How is it possible that AI became productive and useful only six months ago, and they were somehow laying people off two years ago because of AI? It doesn’t make any sense.

“It was just a way for them to sound smart and I really hate that. I think we’re scaring people and that’s irresponsible.”

Mr Huang was not asked about, nor did he reference any specific company.

AI-linked layoffs have been reported extensively in recent times. Last week, Standard Chartered CEO Bill Winters drew flak for saying the bank was replacing “lower-value human capital” with technology, as it announced plans to cut more than 7,000 jobs over the next four years. He later apologised for his comments.

Earlier this month, Reuters reported that social media giant Meta plans to lay off 20 per cent or more of its workforce to offset heavy spending on AI and bet on productivity gains from the technology.

CREATING JOBS

When asked what he would say to people who are worried about losing their jobs, Mr Huang said: “I would say to the people who are worried about losing their jobs to AI to learn AI.

“You’re not going to lose your jobs to AI, you’re going to lose your job to somebody who learnt AI better than you.

“When the PC came along, the PC didn’t take people’s jobs. The people who didn’t learn how to use PCs were left behind.”

Just as technologies of the past were transformative, so too is AI, said Mr Huang. He added that it is “very likely” there will be more jobs in five years than there are today.

Conversely, as companies become more productive and profitable, this will lead them to hire more people, he told CNA.

“It’s more likely that the companies with ambition will be more productive, they will do things faster, their company will increase in velocity. As a result, they become larger, more profitable. When they become larger, more profitable, they’ll end up hiring more people,” he said.

“Of course, they’ll use more AI, but they will also hire more people.”

Using Nvidia as an example, Mr Huang pointed out how it is hiring more people, moving faster and becoming increasingly ambitious.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/business/ceo-job-cuts-lazy-ai-nvidia-jensen-huang-6140246

The United States on Friday temporarily banned the entry of lawful permanent residents ​who have been in the Democratic Republic of ‌Congo, Uganda or South Sudan in the previous 21 days, citing concerns over Ebola.
U.S. citizens, nationals and green card holders had ​been exempt from a 30-day Ebola ban, ​but the U.S. CDC said on Friday that ⁠extending the ban to green card holders was necessary ​to stop the virus from entering the country.

“Applying this ​authority to lawful permanent residents for a limited period of time provides a balance between protecting public health and managing emergency ​response resources,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ​said in a statement.
The World Health Organization on Friday raised to “very ‌high” ⁠the risk of the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola turning into a national outbreak in the DRC and has declared the outbreak there and in Uganda an emergency ​of international ​concern.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-extends-ebola-travel-ban-green-card-holders-2026-05-23/

US intelligence reports indicate that Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is in seclusion at an undisclosed location, limiting his contact with the outside world.

US intelligence suggests Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is living in seclusion at an undisclosed location with severely limited contact with the outside world, according to US officials familiar with the matter quoted by CBS News. The officials, quoted in the report, said communication difficulties inside Iran’s leadership structure have complicated negotiations with the Trump administration and contributed to delays in talks over a possible agreement between Washington and Tehran.

According to the officials, messages sent by the United States can take significant time to reach the supreme leader because of the complex process required to contact him. Responses are often delayed for the same reason.

A senior US administration official said on Sunday that the supreme leader had approved the broad outline of the current draft agreement. US President Donald Trump later wrote on Truth Social that he expected a final decision within days. US officials said Khamenei, who was reportedly injured during US and Israeli strikes in what they described as Operation Epic Fury, has adopted extensive security precautions following the death of his father, Ali Khamenei.

Ali Khamenei ruled Iran from 1989 until February 28 and was killed in the conflict, according to the officials. Mojtaba Khamenei has not appeared publicly since before the war began.

One US official said intelligence gathered from within the Iranian government had enabled the US and Israel to identify and target large parts of Iran’s senior leadership during the conflict.

Officials described senior Iranian figures as spending extended periods inside fortified underground bunkers and limiting communication with one another except when absolutely necessary. “Watching them try to figure out how to talk to each other is almost like watching a sitcom. They are completely exasperated,” one US official said.

The most stringent measures, officials said, are being applied to protect the supreme leader himself. Even senior members of the Iranian government reportedly do not know his location or have any direct means of contacting him.

Source : https://www.timesnownews.com/world/middle-east/iran-supreme-leader-mojtaba-khamenei-hidden-bunker-us-iran-peace-deal-updates-article-154391237

U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on Saturday ​that a memorandum of understanding on a peace deal with Iran is “largely negotiated,” as both countries and mediators in Pakistan reported progress.
Trump posted on social media that the emerging agreement ‌would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the vital shipping passage whose closure upended global energy markets after the conflict started in February when the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran.

Trump did not say what else would be included in an agreement. “Final aspects and details of the Deal are currently being discussed, and will be announced shortly,” Trump said.
Iran’s Fars news agency reported early on Sunday that the agreement would allow Iran to manage the Strait of Hormuz. It said Trump’s assertion that ​an agreement was nearly final was “inconsistent with reality.”
Iran had said earlier on Saturday that it was working toward a memorandum of understanding laying out an approach to ending the war after its top officials ​met with Asim Munir, the army chief of Pakistan.
The Pakistani army said the negotiations had resulted in “encouraging” progress towards a final understanding. Two Pakistani sources involved in ⁠negotiations said the deal being negotiated is “fairly comprehensive to terminate the war.”

Sources have told Reuters the proposed framework would unfold in three stages: formally ending the war, resolving the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz and ​launching a 30-day window for negotiations on a broader agreement, which can be extended.
Earlier on Saturday, Trump told Axios that he expected to decide on Sunday whether to resume attacks on Iran. “Either we reach a good ​deal or I’ll blow them to a thousand hells,” Axios quoted him as saying.
One of the Pakistani sources said there was no guarantee the U.S. would accept the memorandum; if it does it would lead to further talks after the Eid holiday ends on Friday.

TRUMP TO SPEAK WITH MIDDLE EAST LEADERS

Trump, whose approval ratings have been hit by the war’s impact on energy prices for U.S. consumers, said on Friday he would not attend his son’s wedding this weekend, citing Iran among the reasons he ​planned to stay in Washington.

Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that he had a phone call on Saturday with leaders from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey and Pakistan. Axios ​reported that the leaders encouraged Trump to agree to the emerging framework.
Pakistan has aimed to narrow differences between Iran and the U.S. after weeks of war have left the vital Hormuz waterway closed to most shipping despite a nervous ceasefire.
U.S. ‌Secretary of ⁠State Marco Rubio earlier on Saturday reiterated Trump’s terms for ending the fighting. “Iran can never have a nuclear weapon. The straits need to be open without tolls. They need to turn over their enriched uranium.”
Rubio, who is visiting India, said some progress had been made and work was continuing.
“Even as I speak to you now, there’s some work being done. There is a chance that, whether it’s later today, tomorrow, in a couple days, we may have something to say,” Rubio told reporters in New Delhi.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance returned to the White House on Saturday afternoon, cutting short a trip to Ohio.
Iran denies it is pursuing nuclear weapons ​and says it has a right to enrich uranium ​for civilian purposes. It has demanded supervision of ⁠the strait, an end to the U.S. blockade on its ports and the lifting of sanctions on Iranian oil sales.
“The trend this week has been towards a reduction in disputes, but there are still issues that need to be discussed through mediators. We will have to wait and see where the situation ends in ​the next three or four days,” said Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei.
Baghaei said the issue of the U.S. blockade on Iran’s shipping was important, but ​that its priority was ending ⁠the threat of new U.S. attacks and the ongoing conflict in Lebanon, where Iran-allied Hezbollah militants are fighting Israeli troops who have moved into the south.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/us-iran-report-progress-talks-ending-war-looking-next-few-days-2026-05-23/

Ukraine’s capital Kyiv was hit by a massive strike of missiles and drones early on ​Sunday, shortly after its air force warned Russia ‌might launch a hypersonic Oreshnik ballistic missile.
Explosions reverberated through the city shortly after 1 a.m. local time after the air ​force announced a threat of an Oreshnik launch ​on its Telegram channel. At least three people ⁠were injured and several residential buildings were damaged across ​the city, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram.Debris ​was on fire on the premises of a school in the city centre, he added on Telegram.On Saturday, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy ​warned Russia was preparing a strike against Ukraine ​using the Oreshnik missile, citing intelligence from Ukraine, the U.S. and ‌Europe. ⁠Ukraine’s air force did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether an Oreshnik missile hit any target.

Russia has Ukraine twice with the Oreshnik, ​a missile President ​Vladimir Putin ⁠has boasted is impossible to intercept because of its reported velocity of more ​than 10 times the speed of sound.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraines-capital-kyiv-hit-by-massive-missile-drone-attack-2026-05-23/

Her husband Abraham was recently diagnosed with extremely rare form of bone cancer, she wrote in resignation letter

Tulsi Gabbard is resigning from her post as Director of National Intelligence to support her husband through his battle with “an extremely rare form of bone cancer,” Fox News Digital learned.

Gabbard notified President Donald Trump during a meeting in the Oval Office Friday. Her last day at ODNI is expected to be June 30.

Fox News Digital exclusively obtained her formal resignation letter, in which Gabbard says she is “deeply grateful for the trust you placed in me and for the opportunity to lead the Office of the Director of National Intelligence for the last year and a half.”

“Unfortunately, I must submit my resignation, effective June 30, 2026,” she wrote. “My husband, Abraham, has recently been diagnosed with an extremely rare form of bone cancer.”

Gabbard said her husband “faces major challenges in the coming weeks and months.”

“At this time, I must step away from public service to be by his side and fully support him through this battle,” she said.

Gabbard added: “Abraham has been my rock throughout our eleven years of marriage — standing steadfast through my deployment to East Africa on a Joint Special Operations mission, multiple political campaigns and now my service in this role.”

“His strength and love have sustained me through every challenge,” she continued. “I cannot in good conscience ask him to face this fight alone while I continue in this demanding and time-consuming position.”

Trump reacted to the resignation later on Friday, writing on Truth Social, “Unfortunately, after having done a great job, Tulsi Gabbard will be leaving the Administration on June 30th.”

“Her wonderful husband, Abraham, has been recently diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer, and she, rightfully, wants to be with him, bringing him back to good health as they currently fight a tough battle together,” he continued. “I have no doubt he will soon be better than ever. Tulsi has done an incredible job, and we will miss her. Her highly respected Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence, Aaron Lukas, will serve as Acting Director of National Intelligence.”

Gabbard said she has “made significant progress at the ODNI — advancing unprecedented transparency and restoring integrity to the intelligence community,” but said she recognizes “there is still important work to be done.”

“I am fully committed to ensuring a smooth and thorough transition over the coming weeks so that you and your team experience no disruption in leadership or momentum,” she said.

“Thank you for your understanding during this deeply personal and difficult time for our family.”

Gabbard added: “I will remain forever grateful to you and to the American people for the profound honor of serving our nation as DNI.”

Gabbard posted her resignation letter to X later Friday afternoon, noting that, “It has been a profound honor to serve the American people as DNI.”

Gabbard, as DNI, began a transformational effort to reshape the Intelligence Community— reducing the agency in size and saving taxpayers more than $700 million per year, dismantling DEI programs in the IC and more.

Gabbard, as of this month, declassified more than half a million pages of government records, including those related to the Trump-Russia investigation, the JFK and RFK assassinations and more.

Gabbard also declassified documents tied to the origins of the Trump-Russia “Crossfire Hurricane” probe, arguing they showed Obama administration officials politicized intelligence related to Russia’s 2016 election interference and used it to undermine Trump’s first presidential victory.

Source : https://www.foxnews.com/politics/exclusive-tulsi-gabbard-resigns-from-trump-cabinet

Iran and Oman are actively discussing a permanent security mechanism for the Strait of Hormuz. Iran is pushing to institutionalize and normalize a transit fee or toll on commercial shipping vessels navigating the narrow waterway. According to an Iranian diplomatic envoy, the proposed system is designed to secure the long-term positioning of Iran and Oman as the primary regulators of the strait, effectively transforming a temporary leverage point from the recent military conflict into a permanent sovereign right.

To formalize its grip, Iran’s newly established Persian Gulf Straits Authority began applying conditional rules and hefty transit tolls, in some cases exceeding one million dollars per vessel, while granting selective exemptions to friendly nations like Russia or China. By engaging Oman, which shares territorial jurisdiction over the Strait, Iran is seeking to build a coalition that validates these tolls under the guise of funding localized maritime security.

The US maintains an opposing view on the matter, viewing the permanent toll as a non-negotiable barrier to reaching a sustainable peace deal. Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, international straits are governed by transit passage protocols that guarantee the uninterrupted flow of global commercial shipping, a principle the US insists must be restored without conditions.

The US has treated the removal of these tolls as a core prerequisite for reaching a peace deal. President Trump has warned international maritime firms that paying Iran’s transit fees could trigger severe economic sanctions. The US military has also enforced its own counter-blockade on Iranian ports and continues to intercept or redirect vessels to challenge Tehran’s claims of total sovereignty.

Source : https://investinglive.com/news/iran-and-oman-are-discussing-a-permanent-strait-of-hormuz-toll-20260521/

SpaceX took the wraps off its IPO filing on Wednesday, laying bare for investors just how much Elon Musk is losing on artificial intelligence while betting the company’s future on transforming the rocket maker into an ​AI powerhouse.
Much of its outlook relies on SpaceX dominating technologies and markets that do not yet exist – from Mars missions to AI data centers in space.

For many, Musk’s record turning Tesla (TSLA.O), into the most ‌valuable auto company in the world and developing the world’s first fully reusable rocket and largest satellite network is enough to justify investment.

The filing cements Musk’s tight control of SpaceX while giving shareholders little say over his decisions. It shows just how central AI has become following the February purchase of xAI, which drove most of the company’s spending and a majority of its losses in the first quarter.
The listing could become the first U.S. market debut above $1 trillion and would immediately make SpaceX one of the world’s most valuable publicly traded companies.
Of SpaceX’s three divisions, only the connectivity ​segment powered by satellite internet unit Starlink was profitable in the first three months of the year.

While Starlink generated an operating profit of $1.19 billion, it wasn’t enough to prevent the company from booking a total operating loss of $1.94 billion ​in the first quarter on $4.69 billion in revenue. Its AI division, alone, accounted for $2.47 billion in losses on $818 million in revenue.
Musk’s purchase of his social media and AI company xAI gave ⁠SpaceX new capabilities and opportunities but a staggering amount of spending, accounting for 76% of its $10.1 billion in capital spending in the first quarter, as well as fresh losses.
The company’s plans rely on technology that’s not yet been built for much ​of its future revenue stream, including operating data centers powered by solar power in space, to reach a potential market of $28.5 trillion, according to the filing.
The filing confirmed a series of recent Reuters reports about the IPO.

SpaceX has grown into the world’s largest space business ​since its founding in 2002 by launching thousands of Starlink internet satellites. Its pioneering use of reusable rockets has transformed the economics of space, forcing competitors like Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin to play catch-up.
A successful share sale could value the company at a record-setting $1.75 trillion, which would put its founder on track to become the first trillionaire in history. Musk will also retain 85.1% of the combined voting power of the company, the filing showed.

The company’s regulatory disclosure comes during a critical week for the rocket maker, which is preparing to launch a test flight ​of its next-generation Starship rocket on Thursday.
The board has given Musk control over the company, but has tied much of his compensation to audacious targets of establishing a permanent human colony on Mars and building space data centers with compute capacity powered ​by the equivalent of 100 terawatts, or 100,000 one-gigawatt nuclear reactors, Reuters previously reported.
SpaceX is aiming to list its shares as early as June 12, with a roadshow launch targeted for June 4 and the share sale expected as early as June 11, Reuters reported last week.

‘HALO ‌EFFECT’

Musk’s CEO celebrity ⁠persona may matter more to some investors than SpaceX’s underlying business fundamentals, analysts and academics said, because there are no other comparable companies against which to benchmark its valuation.
“There is somewhat of a halo effect around Musk and his unconventional vision,” said Reena Aggarwal, a finance professor at Georgetown University. “It is difficult to value companies like this because there is no peer group for comparison.”
The $1.75 trillion valuation target, if achieved, would eclipse Saudi Aramco’s 2019 offering, which set a record for the world’s biggest IPO when it debuted on Riyadh’s exchange at a value of $1.7 trillion. SpaceX had planned to try to raise more than $75 billion in the offering, Reuters previously reported.

SpaceX will use a dual-class share structure that gives Class B shareholders 10 votes each, concentrating control with Musk and a handful of ​other insiders, while Class A shares sold to public investors ​will carry one vote each, the prospectus showed.
The ⁠company has adopted numerous provisions that, taken together, severely limit shareholder rights, forcing legal claims through arbitration, restricting where cases can be filed and protecting Musk from being fired by anyone other than Musk.
The scale of the offering has drawn attention to the increasingly interconnected structure of Musk’s business empire, often dubbed the “Muskonomy,” which includes leading electric vehicle company Tesla, as well as his businesses ​in AI and brain-chip implants.
SpaceX merged with Musk’s AI startup xAI in a deal that valued the rocket company at $1 trillion and the developer of the Grok chatbot at $250 billion.
Through its ​AI infrastructure platform, SpaceX inked deals for ⁠Anthropic to pay it $1.25 billion a month to use compute capacity from its Colossus and Colossus II data center clusters in Memphis, Tennessee through May 2029, the filing shows.
The company disclosed that it had been named as a defendant in multiple lawsuits arising from its AI chatbot Grok’s image-generation and editing features.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/legal/transactional/bound-mars-elon-musks-spacex-unveils-filing-blockbuster-ipo-2026-05-20/

President Donald Trump blurted out a stunning dismissal of pain at the pump as his approval rating sinks, telling reporters, “This is peanuts,” and he doesn’t “even think about that.”

The president spoke to reporters on Tuesday morning against the backdrop of the massive and cacophonous East Wing construction project and took questions for about 45 minutes.

In one exchange, he praised CNN’s Harry Enten not long after Enten delivered a breathless report on a new round of sinking approval polls — all in the 30s.

Source : https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/trump-blurts-stunning-gas-price-rant-amid-sinking-polls-this-is-peanuts/

Elon Musk’s lawyer said after the verdict that “this one is not over” and that the billionaire planned to appeal.

A US jury on Monday (May 18) ruled against Elon Musk in his lawsuit against OpenAI, finding the artificial intelligence company not liable to the world’s richest person for having allegedly strayed from its original mission to benefit humanity.

In a unanimous verdict, the jury in Oakland, California, federal court said Musk had brought his case too late. The jury deliberated less than two hours.

The trial had widely been seen as a critical moment for the future of OpenAI and artificial intelligence generally, both in how it should be used and who should benefit from it.

The decision simplifies the path for OpenAI to proceed with a possible initial public offering that could value the business at US$1 trillion. But the public face of the company, Chief Executive Sam Altman, must also deal with any challenges to his reputation from some extremely personal testimony, including multiple witnesses describing him as a liar.

Following the verdict, Musk’s lawyers said in court that he reserved the right to appeal. Addressing reporters after the verdict, Musk lawyer Marc Toberoff said Musk would have a strong basis for an appeal.

“This one is not over,” he said. “The ruling, based on the statute of limitations, has factual components but it has major legal components as well.”

US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who oversaw the trial, said in court that Musk may face an uphill battle for a potential appeal because whether the statute of limitations ran out before Musk sued was a factual issue.

“There’s a substantial amount of evidence to support the jury’s finding, which is why I was prepared to dismiss on the spot,” the judge said.

MUSK INVESTED EARLY IN OPENAI

In his 2024 lawsuit, Musk accused OpenAI, its Chief Executive Sam Altman and its President Greg Brockman of manipulating him into giving US$38 million, then going behind his back by attaching a for-profit business to its original nonprofit and accepting tens of billions of dollars from Microsoft and other investors.

Musk called the OpenAI defendants’ conduct “stealing a charity”.

Toberoff said the verdict could encourage other startups that begin as non-profits but have greater ambitions to raise money, create for-profit entities to scale, and make their officers and directors rich.

“It’s a brand new formula for Silicon Valley,” he told reporters.

OpenAI was founded by Altman, Musk and several others in 2015. Musk left its board in 2018, and OpenAI set up a for-profit business the next year.

Musk has since founded his own artificial intelligence startup, xAI, which is now part of his space and rocket company SpaceX.

OpenAI countered that it was Musk who saw dollar signs, and that he waited too long to claim OpenAI breached its founding agreement to build safe artificial intelligence to benefit humanity.

Musk had a three-year statute of limitations to sue, and OpenAI’s lawyers said his August 2024 lawsuit came too late because he knew several years earlier about OpenAI’s growth plans.

Bill Savitt, a lawyer for OpenAI, told reporters after the verdict that Musk’s lawsuit was an “after-the-fact contrivance that bears no relationship to reality,” and jurors “kicked it exactly where it belongs, which is to the side”.

“The finding of the jury confirms that what this lawsuit was, was a hypocritical attempt to sabotage a competitor, and to overcome a long history of very bad predictions about what OpenAI has been and will become,” Savitt said.

The verdict followed 11 days of testimony and arguments where Musk’s and Altman’s credibility came under repeated attack.

Microsoft faced an aiding and abetting claim. In a statement, a Microsoft spokesperson said: “The facts and the timeline in this case have long been clear and we welcome the jury’s decision to dismiss these claims as untimely.”

Microsoft has spent more than US$100 billion on its partnership with OpenAI, a Microsoft executive testified.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/openai-defeats-elon-musks-lawsuit-removing-obstacle-ipo-6128206

A NATO military jet has shot down a suspected Ukrainian drone in Estonian airspace. As Ukraine targets Russia’s Baltic oil facilities more often and more intensely, more such drones are straying into allies’ territory.

NATO confirmed on Tuesday that one of its F16 jets from the Baltic air policing mission based in Lithuania had shot down a drone over Estonian airspace.

Estonia and Latvia both issued air alert threats reporting a drone in their airspace. It was not immediately clear whether they were referring to the same or different aircraft.

What happened?

Estonia’s military said that a drone entered its airspace at around noon local time (0900 GMT/UTC) on Tuesday, entering from Russia into the southeastern part of the country.

It was shot down by a Romanian NATO fighter jet on a training flight with a single missile at 12:14 local time.

“The incident occurred under the conditions of heavy electronic warfare, including GPS spoofing and jamming, by Russia,” the military said.

The military said it had been monitoring the drone before it entry into its airspace, and that the decision to shoot it down had been taken to “minimmize the impact on the civilian population and infrastructure.”

NATO later confirmed that it had shot down a drone over Estonian airspace, it said an investigation was ongoing and NATO was “ready and able to react to any potential air threats.”

Why are drones often crashing in Baltic NATO member states of late?

Tuesday’s incident was the latest of a series of airspace violations in the region in recent weeks, amid intensifying attacks on Russian sites in the Baltic, not least the major oil facilities at Primorsk and Ust-Luga.

The flight path from Ukraine to these sites runs close to the borders to NATO members on the Baltic Sea like Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Finland — and drone defense systems can interfere with the aircrafts’ navigation.

The Baltic countries have broadly blamed Russia in their public responses, saying that Ukraine has a legitimate reason to attack sites in Russia as part of its defensive war.

“These incidents ‌are the direct result of Russia’s war and provocations. Estonia is strengthening cooperation with Ukraine to enhance our air defence and counter-drone capabilities,” Estonia’s Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said in a post online.

Nevertheless, the incursions have started to take a political toll recently.

The issue came to a head in Latvia in particular this month, with the coalition government collapsing amid internal arguments over the country’s handling of stray drones landing in its territory.

Prime Minister Evika Silina sacked her defense minister then soon had to resign herself after losing a coalition partner and therefore her majority.

On May 15 in Finland, warnings of drone activity led to disruptions at Helsinki International Airport and in other areas near the coastal capital.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/nato-planes-down-suspected-ukrainian-drone-over-estonia/a-77215424

A court in Pakistan has sentenced a man to death over the murder of a teen social media influencer that sparked uproar across the country.

Umar Hayat broke into the home of 17-year-old TikTok star Sana Yousaf in June last year after she rejected his repeated advances, and shot her dead.

Hayat, now 23, admitted his crime in July, saying he had developed a one-sided obsession with Yousaf after some interactions online.

Yousaf’s father Syed Yousaf Hassan said the verdict handed down by the Islamabad court was “a lesson for all such criminals in society”, local media reported.

The court also ordered Hayat to pay 2.5 million rupees ($9,000; £6,700) as compensation to Yousaf’s family.

During investigations, Hayat said he had travelled to Islamabad days before the killing to wish Yousaf well on her birthday. Despite Yousaf’s refusal to meet him, he managed to make his way to her home – where the two had an argument which escalated into the killing, according to Pakistani media.

Yousaf had more than a million followers on TikTok and half a million more on Instagram before her death. She was well-loved by fans for her light-hearted content, including that of her trying out fashion trends, lip-syncing to songs, and just hanging out with friends.

Activists said Yousaf’s murder was part of a larger pattern of violence against women in Pakistan.

Police raided locations across the capital, where Yousaf lived with her family, and the province of Punjab, scanning footage from 113 CCTV cameras in all.

While many have shared their outrage over Yousaf’s death, there has also been backlash towards her work as an influencer.

Usama Khilji, director of digital rights advocacy group Bolo Bhi, told the BBC in an earlier interview that such criticism had been coming from a small portion of mostly male internet users, some of whom have cited religious grounds.

“They’re asking why she was putting up all this content, and even suggesting the family should take down her Instagram and TikTok accounts because they add to her ‘sins’,” Khilji said.

 

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgzrgm0rgvo

U.S. President Donald Trump ​said on Monday he had paused a planned attack against Iran after Tehran sent a peace proposal to Washington, and that there was now a “very good chance” of ‌reaching a deal limiting Iran’s nuclear program.
After Iran sent the U.S. a new peace proposal, Trump said he had instructed the U.S. military that “we will NOT be doing the scheduled attack of Iran tomorrow, but have further instructed them to be prepared to go forward with a full, large scale assault of Iran, on a moment’s notice, in the event that an acceptable Deal is not reached.”

No such attack had previously been announced, and Reuters could not determine whether preparations had ​been made for strikes that would mark a renewal of the war Trump started in late February.
Under pressure to reach an accord that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Trump has ​previously expressed hope that a deal was close on ending the war, and similarly threatened heavy strikes on Iran if Tehran does not reach a deal.
In ⁠his post, he said the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates had requested that he hold off on the attack because “a Deal will be made, which will be very ​acceptable to the United States of America, as well as all Countries in the Middle East, and beyond.” He did not offer details of the agreement being discussed.

Speaking to reporters later, he said the United ​States would be satisfied if it could reach an agreement with Iran that prevents Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
“There seems to be a very good chance that they can work something out. If we can do that without bombing the hell out of them, I would be very happy,” Trump told reporters gathered for an unrelated announcement.
Trump’s post on calling off an attack came after Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei confirmed that Tehran’s views had been “conveyed to ​the American side through Pakistan” but gave no details.
A Pakistani source confirmed that Islamabad, which has conveyed messages between the sides in the war in the Middle East since hosting the only round of peace ​talks last month, had shared the latest proposal with Washington. But the source suggested progress had been difficult.

The joint strikes come shortly after the US and Nigeria announced killing a high-profile IS leader. Meanwhile, residents reported a gunmen attack which killed at least 10 in the northwestern Katsina State.

The United States and Nigeria conducted fresh strikes on Sunday against so-called Islamic State jihadists in northeast Nigeria’s Borno State, the US military said Monday.

At least 20 jihadists were killed in the weekend strikes, according to the Nigerian military.

The strikes came shortly after another joint operation between the two militaries that killed Abu Bakr al-Mainuki, the deputy leader of the group’s local West African “province.”

Nigeria’s military described Mainuki as the world’s “most active terrorist.”

His assassination marked the first successful targeting of a senior militant leader by Nigeria’s security forces after more than a decade of insurgency by a number of armed groups in the north, including Boko Haram.

What do we know about the weekend strikes on jihadists?

The US Africa Command (AFRICOM) said in a statement that “no US or Nigerian forces were harmed” in the weekend strikes, adding that intelligence confirmed the targets were Islamic State militants.

“The removal of these terrorists diminishes the group’s capacity to plan attacks that threaten the safety and security of the US and our partners,” AFRICOM added.

The raid was the “continuation of coordinated operations against ISIS militants,” across Nigeria’s restive northeast region, Nigeria’s military said, using another name for the jihadist group.

What is the security situation in Nigeria’s north?

Nigeria’s Muslim and Christian communities are more or less equally split in size among its population.

The country’s Muslim-majority north faces double threats from Islamist jihadists as well as criminal gangs which have increasingly become active in the past decade. Victims are often targeted regardless of their faith, according to analysts.

Last year, US President Donald Trump accused Nigerian authorities of not doing enough to protect the country’s Christian community.

The comments led to a row with authorities in the West African country, who denied Trump’s accusations.

Shortly afterward, the two countries’ militaries coordinated an attack on jihadists on Christmas Day and have since worked more closely together.

The US in February sent troops to Nigeria in what was at the time deemed a mostly advisory and training role. But speculation has grown following the weekend strikes and Mainuki’s killing over whether cooperation has advanced to active US involvement in the west African country.

Gunmen kill at least 10 in northwestern Nigeria

In a separate incident in northwestern Katsina State, residents said at least 10 people were killed in an attack by gunmen, including women and children.

Gunmen attacked the rural Guga farming community in Bakori Local Government Area on Sunday, burning homes and looting livestock, the Reuters news agency reported.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/us-and-nigerian-forces-kill-20-jihadists-in-northern-region/a-77201201

A DEFIANT Elon Musk has said that he will appeal a judge’s ruling to dismiss his high-stakes lawsuit against OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman.

A jury in Oakland unanimously ruled against the Tesla and SpaceX CEO, 54, determining that he missed his three-year window to file his lawsuit against the powerhouse tech company.

Musk appeared adamant about Monday’s outcome, saying the judge and jury only ruled on a “calendar technicality” and not the merits of the case.

“There is a no question to anyone following the case in detail that Altman & [Greg] Brockman did in fact enrich themselves by stealing a charity,” Musk wrote on X hours after the judge’s ruling.

“The only question is WHEN they did! I will be filing an appeal with the Ninth Circuit, because creating a precedent to loot charities is incredibly destructive to charitable giving in America.

“OpenAI was founded to benefit all of humanity.”

Jurors deliberated for less than two hours before determining Musk waited too long to file his lawsuit against Altman, 41.

Musk sued Altman and OpenAI in August 2024, alleging the artificial intelligence company strayed from its founding agreement when leaders prioritized profit after promising to keep the tech firm a non-profit dedicated to benefiting humanity.

Musk, who helped create OpenAI in 2015, claimed he had been assured by Altman that the company would remain a non-profit business.

The Tesla founder said he began to have doubts about the direction the company was heading, and felt betrayed.

Jurors deliberated for less than two hours before determining Musk waited too long to file his lawsuit against Altman, 41.

Musk sued Altman and OpenAI in August 2024, alleging the artificial intelligence company strayed from its founding agreement when leaders prioritized profit after promising to keep the tech firm a non-profit dedicated to benefiting humanity.

Musk, who helped create OpenAI in 2015, claimed he had been assured by Altman that the company would remain a non-profit business.

The Tesla founder said he began to have doubts about the direction the company was heading, and felt betrayed.

However, OpenAI argued that Musk waited to file the lawsuit until he founded his own competing artificial intelligence company.

Musk stepped down from OpenAI’s board in 2018 and launched his own artificial intelligence company, xAI, in 2023.

He then proceeded to sue Altman, OpenAI, and its president Greg Brockman the following year.

The time limits were essential to the case as the jury ruled Musk had exceeded the three-year limit for breach of charitable trust and the two-year threshold for claims of unjust enrichment.

The jury determined that Musk was aware of OpenAI’s shift toward a for-profit business as early as 2021, three years before he filed his lawsuit in August 2024.

Under California law, a breach of charitable trust must be filed within three years of the moment the plaintiff knew about the alleged breach.

The nine-person jury found that Musk did not file his lawsuit until after the expiration of the three-year statute of limitation, invalidating his claim.

Musk’s defense team needed to prove that he had no way of knowing that OpenAI had breached its founding agreement before August 5, 2021.

For his claims that OpenAI unjustly enriched themselves, the statute expired after two years, which means Musk needed to prove his claims before August 5, 2022.

Neither Musk, Altman, nor Brockman were present in the courtroom for the verdict.

Marc Toberoff, one of Musk’s attorneys, told The New York Times they plan to appeal the decision.

OpenAI established OpenAI LP, a for-profit subsidiary company in March 2019 under the control of the nonprofit, with an obligation to “humanity as a whole,” TIME reported.

The move came after Musk left the company’s board in 2018.

Musk alleged that his donations were used for commercial purposes without authorization.

He sued OpenAI for $150billion in damages and asked the court to remove Altman and Brockman from their leadership positions.

Musk also wanted to unwind the company’s conversion to a for-profit entity.

“It’s not OK to steal a charity,” Musk said in a testimony at the end of April.

Musk blasted himself as a “fool” who “provided them free funding to create a start-up.””

“I gave them $38 million of essentially free funding to create what would become an $800 billion company.”

“I came up with the idea, the name, recruited the key people, taught them everything I know, provided all the initial funding,” Musk said on the stand.

Altman had testified that he “was extremely uncomfortable” with Musk’s desire for power within OpenAI, arguing that Musk felt strongly about having total control over the company in the early days.

OpenAI had denied Musk’s allegations throughout the case, claiming Musk was aware of the plans and supported them.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/16360597/elon-musk-sam-altman-lawsuit-verdict-open-ai/

Tehran is seeking to levy fees on firms including Google, Microsoft, Meta and Amazon for use of the submarine cables that pass beneath the Strait of Hormuz.

A slowdown in your bank transfer. A lag in financial markets. A region-wide internet blackout. After the Middle East war put the world through an oil and energy shock, Iran has set its eyes on another Achilles’ heel: the subsea cables running beneath the Strait of Hormuz.

Tehran is seeking to levy fees on firms including Google, Microsoft, Meta and Amazon for use of the submarine cables that pass beneath the strait, according to reports from state-linked Iranian media. The same outlets have warned that traffic could face disruption should companies refuse to cooperate.

Iranian military spokesperson Ebrahim Zolfaghari said on X last week, “We will impose fees on internet cables.”

Media outlets linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards reported that the plan would require major technology firms to comply with Iranian law and ask submarine cable operators to pay licensing fees. Repair and maintenance rights would also be handed exclusively to Iranian companies.

How Iran would enforce this remains unclear, since US sanctions currently prohibit American firms from making payments to Tehran.

Why Subsea Cables Matter

Subsea cables form the foundation of global digital connectivity, carrying the majority of the world’s internet and data traffic. Any serious damage to them would cause more disruptions than just slower internet speeds, potentially affecting banking systems, military communications, artificial intelligence, financial trading and cross-border transactions.

Several major intercontinental subsea cables pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Given long-standing security concerns around Iran, international operators have historically routed most cables through a narrow corridor on the Omani side of the waterway. However, two cables, Falcon and Gulf Bridge International, do pass through Iranian territorial waters, Alan Mauldin, research director at TeleGeography, a telecoms research firm, told CNN.

The consequences of any disruption would be felt widely. Iran’s neighbours could face severe internet outages. India could also see a large share of its internet traffic affected.

The strait also serves as a critical digital link between major Asian data hubs such as Singapore and cable landing stations in Europe. Parts of East Africa could face internet blackouts, while financial trading and cross-border transactions between Europe and Asia could also slow considerably.

While most modern cable damage can be managed through rerouting across alternative networks, a large-scale disruption would carry far greater consequences, given how much the world depends on data flowing through these cables. The maintenance will be another challenge as repair vessels must remain stationary for extended periods when fixing faults, which won’t be possible if Iran actively attacks them.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/us-iran-war-tehran-iran-has-found-another-achilles-heel-lurking-beneath-strait-of-hormuz-11508894?pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

France is pursuing its own investigation into the Epstein affair, looking at potential crimes committed in the EU country or involving French nationals tied to the US sex offender.

Around 10 new suspected victims have come forward since France launched a probe into late child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his network, Paris’ top public prosecutor said Sunday.

France set up a special task force of magistrates in February to probe potential crimes committed in the country or involving French nationals who might be implicated in Epstein’s crimes.

The move was triggered by the US Justice Department releasing the latest trove of documents — known as the “Epstein files” — relating to its investigation into the disgraced financier.

Epstein was found hanging in his Manhattan jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial for trafficking underage girls for sex.

What did the prosecutor say about the new victims?

In remarks to RTL Radio, Laure Beccuau said around 20 people had come forward since she urged potential suspected victims to contact authorities in February.

Some of the alleged victims were already known to investigators, Beccuau said, “but we also had new victims come forward, ones we didn’t know at all. There are around 10 of them.”

“A certain number of them are abroad so the investigators are trying to set up meetings to suit when they are able to come to Paris,” she told RTL.

The other victims, known to investigators, included people assaulted by Jean-Luc Brunel, a modeling agent indicted for the rape of minors, who committed suicide while in custody in 2022. Brunel was also suspected of having transported and hosted young women for Epstein.

Gerald Marie, a former executive at the prestigious Elite modeling agency, is also facing similar charges, which he denies.

What do we know about the Epstein probe in France?

A possible recruiter for Epstein, Daniel Siad, is under investigation in Paris, following complaints from potential victims, according to French broadcaster BFM.

Beccuau also said the investigating task force was searching through the Epstein files for any names of alleged perpetrators that suspected victims have mentioned.

The names of many high-profile figures, including celebrities, senior politicians and industry leaders, have been referenced in the documents released by the US. Being mentioned in the Epstein files does not necessarily mean an offense has been committed.

“We have also got back out Mr. Epstein’s computer, his telephone records, his address books,” the prosecutor said. The investigators will also be “making requests for international assistance,” she added.

But Beccuau added that “none of the people who could potentially be implicated have been questioned” yet.

“It is only once we have a fully understood Epstein’s (relationships) with the other key figures” in his network in France “that we will hear from the defendants,” she said.

French ex-culture minister Jack Lang is the highest-profile French national implicated in the Epstein files.

The 86-year-old stepped down from his role at the helm of a prestigious cultural center in Paris, the Arab World Institute (IMA), in February, after his name appeared in the Epstein files more than 670 times.

Lang denies any wrongdoing.

Global scandal

The Epstein affair has had repercussions in several other countries, including the US, the United Kingdom and Norway, among others.

While US President Donald Trump campaigned on releasing the files, he then resisted intense, months-long pressure to publish the documents. The US Justice Department eventually released millions of files, although they were heavily redacted.

Trump and Epstein were friends for years, but the US president insists their relationship ended long before the allegations against Epstein came to light. No evidence implicating Trump in any crimes linked to Epstein has been made public.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/new-epstein-victims-turn-up-in-french-probe-prosecutor/a-77190062

The United Arab Emirates said a drone strike had triggered a fire near its nuclear power station on Sunday, calling the incident a “dangerous escalation”.

Officials are investigating the source of the strike. The country’s defence ministry said three drones had entered the UAE from the “western border direction”.

While two were intercepted, the third drone struck an electrical generator “outside the inner perimeter” of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in Abu Dhabi, sparking a fire.

No injuries were reported and there was no impact on radiological safety levels, local authorities said.

The UAE’s foreign ministry called the strike an “unacceptable act of aggression” and said it had the right to respond to any hostilities.

It added that “the targeting of peaceful nuclear energy facilities is a flagrant violation of international law, the UN charter, and the principles of humanitarian law”.

The country’s defence ministry meanwhile said it would “firmly confront any attempts to undermine the country’s security”.

Officials have not said from where the drone was launched. The UAE has previously accused Iran of being behind attacks on its energy and economic infrastructure since war broke out in the region in February.

The Abu Dhabi Media Office said the fire “broke out in an electric generator” and confirmed precautionary measures had been taken at the plant, which is operating as normal.

The UN’s nuclear watchdog said it was monitoring the situation closely and that its director general Rafael Grossi expressed “grave concern” about the incident.

Grossi said “military activity that threatens nuclear safety is unacceptable”, according to a statement shared by the International Atomic Energy Agency on X, and called for “maximum military restraint”.

Also on Sunday, Saudi Arabia’s defence ministry said it had intercepted and destroyed three drones which had entered its airspace from Iraq.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwy27pkj1l1o

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One while returning to Washington, Trump said he wanted to avoid escalating tensions over Taiwan.

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he has not yet decided whether to approve a planned $14 billion weapons package for Taiwan after discussing the issue extensively with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One while returning to Washington, Trump said he wanted to avoid escalating tensions over Taiwan.

“The last thing we need right now is a war that’s 9,500 miles away,” Trump said while referring to the proposed arms package, which reportedly includes missiles and air defence interceptors and has been pending for months.

The issue of Taiwan was a major focus during Trump’s visit to China. The trip began with Xi warning about possible “conflicts” linked to Taiwan, while Trump repeatedly indicated that he did not want to provoke a confrontation.

Trump also acknowledged the US commitment under the 1982 “six assurances” policy not to consult China regarding arms sales to Taiwan, but suggested he did not consider the agreement binding in the current situation.

“What am I going to do, say I don’t want to talk to you about it because I have an agreement wrote in 1982? No, we discussed arms sales.”

“I’ll be making decisions,” Trump said, adding that his main priority remained preventing a war.

His remarks reportedly raised concerns in Taipei as well as among US allies including Japan and South Korea.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who has maintained a strong position on Taiwan, reportedly received a “detailed” briefing from Trump over a phone call from Air Force One regarding the talks with Xi.

Trump also said he may have to speak with “the person who… is running Taiwan” about the arms package, though such a move would likely anger Beijing if it involved Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te.

The weapons package has also faced political sensitivity within Taiwan. Parliament reportedly took months to approve funding worth $25 billion linked to the pending $14 billion package and an additional $11 billion tranche cleared by Trump last year.

Source: https://www.news18.com/world/trump-softens-tone-on-14-billion-taiwan-arms-deal-after-talks-with-xi-jinping-want-to-avoid-war-ws-l-10095699.html

The artefacts, widely referred to in Europe as the ‘Leiden Plates’, are among the most historically valuable surviving records from the Chola empire. India had been seeking their return since 2012.

In a major cultural restitution move, the Netherlands formally returned a set of 11th-century Chola-era copper plates to India on Saturday during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the European country.

The handover marked the culmination of years of diplomatic efforts by New Delhi and was presented as a symbol of deepening ties between the two nations.

The artefacts, widely referred to in Europe as the ‘Leiden Plates’, are among the most historically valuable surviving records from the Chola empire. India had been seeking their return since 2012.

PM Modi reached the Netherlands on Friday after a stop in the UAE as part of his ongoing five-country tour that also includes Sweden, Norway and Italy.

“Joyous Moment For Every Indian”: PM Modi 

PM Modi, in a post on X, announced the repatriation of the Chola Copper Plates to India.

“A joyous moment for every Indian! Chola Copper Plates dating back to the 11th Century will be repatriated to India from the Netherlands. Took part in the ceremony for the same in the presence of Prime Minister Rob Jetten”, he wrote.

See more

A joyous moment for every Indian!

Chola Copper Plates dating back to the 11th Century will be repatriated to India from the Netherlands. Took part in the ceremony for the same in the presence of Prime Minister Rob Jetten.

The Chola Copper Plates are a set of 21 large plates… pic.twitter.com/Zwu0QFc2ZJ

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 16, 2026

Rare Record Of Chola Rule And Religious Patronage

The copper plates date back to the reign of Emperor Rajaraja Chola I, who ruled between 985 and 1014 CE. Historians regard them as one of the most significant pieces of Tamil heritage preserved outside India.

The collection consists of 21 copper plates weighing nearly 30 kilograms. They are fastened together with a bronze ring carrying the royal Chola seal. One section of the inscriptions is written in Sanskrit, while the other is in Tamil.

The records document grants made for a Buddhist monastery in Nagapattinam, highlighting the religious and cultural exchanges that flourished during the Chola period. Scholars say the inscriptions offer valuable insight into maritime trade links between South India and Southeast Asia, as well as the era’s tradition of coexistence across faiths.

Historical accounts suggest Rajaraja Chola I initially issued the order verbally, which was first recorded on palm leaves. His son, Rajendra Chola I, later had the details engraved onto copper plates to preserve them permanently. The binding ring carries Rajendra Chola’s emblem.

From Dutch Custody To Diplomatic Return

The plates were taken to the Netherlands in the 18th century by Florentius Camper, who was associated with a Christian mission in India during the period when Nagapattinam was under Dutch control.

For decades, the artefacts remained stored in secure facilities in the Netherlands and were primarily accessible to academics and researchers upon request. Over time, they became well known among historians and Tamil epigraphists and also gained wider public recognition through references in Ponniyin Selvan, the iconic Tamil historical novel centred on the Chola empire.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/netherlands-returns-1-000-year-old-chola-dynasty-copper-plates-to-india-11505629?pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

 

The FBI Director is facing fresh controversy after reports allege that Patel turned an official work trip into a luxury outing with his girlfriend. While the FBI has defended the visit as official business, critics have raised questions over the ethics and optics surrounding the travel.

FBI Director Kash Patel is facing renewed scrutiny after reports alleged he turned an official work trip into a luxury outing involving his girlfriend, raising fresh questions over his use of bureau resources.

According to a New York Times report, the 46-year-old FBI Director allegedly flew with his 27-year-old girlfriend, Alexis Wilkins, on the FBI’s Gulfstream V jet from Washington to Philadelphia on May 10, 2025, to attend a country music concert before returning later the same night.

The report claims the couple watched George Strait and Chris Stapleton perform from a private suite costing between $35,000 and $50,000. FBI flight crew and security personnel reportedly remained on duty until after 11 pm, waiting for Patel and Wilkins to leave the venue, accruing overtime pay in the process.

The report also noted that Patel was contacted for a response through an FBI spokesperson, but he declined the request. Meanwhile, the bureau instead said that Wilkins had been “an invited guest” of the performers.

The allegations add to growing controversy over Patel’s travel and use of FBI resources, with reports highlighting concerns that his official trips have increasingly included personal or leisure elements involving his girlfriend.

The latest claims come days after Patel was criticised over a so-called “VIP snorkel” excursion near the USS Arizona memorial at Pearl Harbor, a site honouring US service members killed in the 1941 attack.

Responding to the report, FBI spokesman Ben Williamson pushed back in a post on X, saying the AP had mischaracterised the trip and emphasising that it was, in fact, an “official trip.”

“The AP is attempting to spin an invitation from the Commanding General of Indo Pacom [US Indo-Pacific Command] to a military base as a party or vacation, which is so stupid,” said FBI spokesman Ben Williamson in an X post.

“The DoW [Department of War] routinely does these engagements with inter-agency partners — to include this one — and when he was Chief of staff for [the Pentagon] in Trump 1, Patel offered the same event for many partners that came to visit,” he added.

Another earlier trip under media scrutiny is Patel’s Hawaii visit. He travelled to Hawaii in July 2025 to meet members of the Honolulu Field Office and other federal and local law enforcement partners, according to a previously issued agency press release.

The bureau has maintained that the Hawaii trip was official, with an FBI spokesperson previously stating it was part of a “historical tour to honor heroes who died on the USS Arizona – not a party.”

The bureau’s release highlighted that the meeting focused on “crime trends and threats to the homeland,” including discussions on “violent crime initiatives and casework.”

The bureau further informed that the August visit formed part of “the Director’s public national security engagements last August with counterparts in New Zealand, Australia, our Honolulu Field Office, and the Department of War.”

Critics, however, have questioned the optics of the visits.

Stacey Young, the founder of Justice Connection, a “support group” for Department of Justice personnel fired under the second Trump administration, criticised the August trip in comments to the Associated Press.

Young said that it “fits a pattern of Director Patel getting tangled up in unseemly distractions, this time at a site commemorating the second-deadliest attack in US history, instead of staying laser-focused on keeping Americans safe.”

Meanwhile, the report also noted that the US Navy and the National Park Service have permitted military and government officials to “swim at the [Arizona] site” dating back to the Obama administration.

“I have not heard of anyone who would object to these visits as they are very rare and there aren’t any survivors of the Arizona left alive,” wrote Deidre Kelley, national president of the Sons and Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors.

“Their children might have some objections but I haven’t heard any.”

Patel has also drawn scrutiny over a trip to Milan during the Winter Olympics, where video showed him celebrating with members of the US men’s hockey team and chugging a beer.

Source : https://www.indiatoday.in/world/us-news/story/kash-patel-work-trip-controversy-fbi-jet-luxury-trip-girlfriend-concert-philadelphia-private-suite-2912890-2026-05-17

AN OUTBREAK of Ebola has been declared in the Democratic Republic of Congo following a new strain.

A total of 65 people have already been killed across the Ituri province in the northeast of the country, and another 246 suspected cases have been recorded.

So far, only four of the deaths are laboratory-confirmed cases – but the new outbreak was confirmed after many suspected cases.

Fears are now mounting over the spread of the deadly virus in the area, which sits on the border with South Sudan and Uganda.

Officials at the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said the majority of the fatalities and suspected cases have been recorded in the Mongwalu and Rwampara health zones.

“Four deaths have been reported among laboratory-confirmed cases,” it added in a statement.

“Suspected cases have also been reported in Bunia, pending confirmation.”

Preliminary laboratory results have reportedly detected the Ebola virus in 13 of 20 samples tested.

So far, testing suggests a non-Zaire Ebola virus. Sequencing is ongoing to further characterise the strain, with results expected within the next 24 hours.

Dr Gabriel Nsakala, a professor of public health who has been involved in past Ebola outbreak responses in Congo, said that vaccine efforts would become clearer when the strain in the new outbreak is confirmed.

Africa CDC said there is also risk of spread due to the intense population movement and attacks by armed groups that have killed dozens and displaced thousands in parts of Ituri province in the past year.

There are also gaps in contact tracing, the agency said, as authorities race to find those who might have been exposed to the virus.

An urgent high-level coordination meeting with health authorities from Congo, Uganda and South Sudan is taking place today.

It will focus on immediate response priorities, cross-border coordination, surveillance, safe and dignified burials and resource mobilisation, among other areas.

The new outbreak comes about five months after the DRC’s last bout was declared to be over, leaving 43 people dead.

This also means that health workers on the ground have a high level of experience, in addition to existing infrastructure such as laboratories, said Nsakala.

“Now, the expertise and equipment need to be delivered quickly,” he added.

The Ebola outbreak follows the alarming spread of hantavirus, after cases were first identified on the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius.

Three ⁠people – a Dutch couple and a German national – have died since the outbreak on the Dutch luxury cruise ship, ⁠that departed Argentina on a polar expedition on April 1.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/health/16367069/ebola-outbreak-congo-kills-dozens/