Category: World

ELISE Hewitt is ready to bring Pete Davidson to court over child support and custody issues after their messy split, The U.S. Sun has learned.

While Pete, 32, is desperate to keep the breakup details private, his baby mama Elsie doesn’t have any qualms about dragging the drama into the public sphere if need be, insiders have claimed.

Last week, the U.S. Sun exclusively reported that the couple had parted ways just five months after welcoming their daughter, Scottie.

“He may want to keep things quiet, but Elise has no problem blowing things up and bringing this to court,” one source said of the looming fight over custody and child support.

Elsie, 30, gave birth to Pete’s daughter in December 2025, and their relationship deteriorated in the following months.

In a post about their breakup, the model seemed to suggest that she is on her own, not just emotionally, but also financially.

In one post to TikTok on Saturday, the influencer said she should have looked nicer when she left the house on Friday, because photos were taken of her and Scottie walking around their Brooklyn neighborhood.

But she explained her mind was on more pressing matters.

“That’s not what I’m thinking about right now, because I have a baby to take care of.

“I also have to work and make money, and I’m doing it on my own, which is hard,” she said of her new reality after her breakup from the Saturday Night Live alum.

She then took time to respond to followers under the post in now-deleted comments.

She liked a post from one user who said leaving your postpartum partner is “insanely loser behavior.”

Another follower wrote, “I hope you don’t mean you’re doing the financial part alone… that would be insane given the circumstances.”

In a since-deleted comment, she responded, “I am :)”

But an insider close to Pete told The U.S. Sun that he’s taking care of Elsie and Scottie financially, and there’s no reason for her to run to court.

“She’s gonna file something based on what? He’s already paying her more than he has to,” the insider insisted.

“He is already covering all of the costs relating to Scottie, and also paying for Elsie’s health insurance and her apartment.

“He has gone above and beyond what is required because he wants her to feel properly supported.

“He has also helped her secure hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional opportunities,” the insider concluded, referring to the couple’s ads for brands like Bumble and Sonic.

According to sources, Pete and Elsie’s relationship came to an end after the A-list comic’s intense work schedule put a severe strain on their relationship.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/16378338/elsie-hewitt-pete-davidson-court-child-support-custody/

Small increases in physical activity as part of our daily lives can bring long-term benefits to our health.

Some mornings, I really struggle to go out for a jog, but I force myself because I know it will be good for me. The protective effect that exercise can have not only the body, but our brain, memory and general wellbeing is something I’ve spoken to researchers a lot about recently.

But what has also become clear is that we don’t need to be doing intense workouts to see benefits.

New research shows that even small increases in activity can have a powerful impact on health and longevity. Just five minutes of moderate activity each day – such as brisk walking, cycling or climbing stairs – could prevent around one in ten premature deaths, which could help millions of individuals live longer.

While this doesn’t mean that just doing five minutes of exercise is enough to ensure you stay healthy, it is an indication that compared to doing nothing, this small increase in physical activity can bring improvements to overall health. For those who are already pretty active or relatively fit, doing five minutes more exercise will have a smaller effect.

But it shows the power of doing even just some very basic forms of exercise.

“Physical activity is something that is really beneficial for preventing high stress rates and high burnout rates,” says Nicole Logan, an assistant professor of kinesiology from the University of Rhode Island in the US. “We know that physical function, muscle strength, muscle quality, bone strength, these are really good predictors of later life mortality. So living longer and living healthier for longer.”

Increasing lifespan

The new research involved a large-scale analysis of data from 150,000 adults in the UK, US and Scandinavia.

“It was surprising that very small changes in physical activity of five minutes per day have such a large impact on reducing the risk for premature mortality,” says Ulf Ekelund, lead author of the research and a professor of physical activity and health at the Norwegian School of Sport. The findings reveal the health benefits of doing five minutes of exercise across the whole population rather than on an individual level, he says.

Adults should still strive for the World Health Organization’s recommendation of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise a week, Ekelund says. But the study shows that those who might struggle to go to the gym or join a sports club, can still benefit from adding more movement into their lives.

Reducing inactivity was also found to be beneficial. Cutting daily sitting time by 30 minutes was linked to a 7% reduction of early death across the population. This is especially important because physical inactivity is a leading cause of chronic disease and an earlier death.

Ekelund says that consistency is key. “Start slow and gradually build up the amount,” he says. The activity should be tailored to the individual’s preferences and ability.”

Exercise snacking

The study builds on many others that show how long-term health benefits from exercise do not require us to radically change our lifestyle. Simply adding movement into our daily life can have an outsized effect.

Muscle strengthening activities have also been shown to be beneficial. One US study found that individuals in their 60s and 70s who combined aerobic exercise with muscle-strengthening activities lived longer and had a lower risk of dying compared to those who did no exercise.

Other recent work shows that “exercise snacking” – which consists of short bursts of activity spread throughout the day – can improve heart health. A large authoritative analysis of existing research found that among older adults, it also helped with muscular endurance. Uptake was high too, with over 82% of participants continuing to take part, most likely because exercise snacking is easy to “integrate into daily routines”, the authors note.

Unlike a gym session, these “snacks” can be spread throughout the day as part of your normal routine. This can include anything that gets your heart rate up – be it vigorous hoovering, dancing to a song in your kitchen or running up and down your stairs faster than normal.

As Marie Murphy, professor of exercise and health at Ulster University in the UK, told the BBC’s Just One Thing podcast, smaller chunks of exercise increase how often we are stimulating our metabolism. “When we stop exercising, our metabolism keeps going a little bit quicker while we recover,” she said. “You still have that metabolic mill turning.”

Benefits of habit

Research shows that people respond positively when they are made more aware of the health benefits of exercise snacking, and that it could help address barriers to exercise.

Simple prompts can make a difference. Signs encouraging people to take the stairs instead of the lift or escalator, for example, can lead to more of them to do so.

According to Amanda Daley, professor of behavioural medicine at Loughborough University in the UK, it’s these small shifts that build meaningful change over time. “We just have these unconscious ways of doing things that mean that we’re more likely to do it,” she says. “You take the stairs because that’s you’ve learned. It’s a habit.”

Similarly, Daley suggests that a simple way to decrease sedentary behaviour is to park the car at least five minutes from your destination. She calls this type of approach “snacktivity” and in a small study, she and colleagues found that participants were receptive to the idea, finding it easier to implement than longer bouts of exercise.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260515-why-only-five-minutes-of-exercise-could-help-millions-of-people-live-longer

At least 131 deaths have been reported in an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with more than 513 cases suspected, local officials have said.

A spokesman for the DR Congo government said cases were now being reported over a wider area.

There are also two confirmed cases and one death in Uganda, says the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the outbreak of the current strain of Ebola, which is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, an international emergency.

As this deadly Ebola outbreak continues to spread, the Congolese government has sought to reassure people that its response teams are working hard to trace and investigate suspected infections – and that there is no need for panic.

However, with cases now identified in new areas including Nyakunde in Ituri Province, Butembo in North Kivu, and the city of Goma, concern is inevitably growing.

An American doctor in the DR Congo is among those with a confirmed case, the medical missionary group they were working with and the CDC has said.

The individual will now be taken to Germany for treatment, they told CBS News, the BBC’s US partner.

While the CDC did not name the American working in the country, medical missionary group Serge said one of its US doctors, Peter Stafford, had tested positive for Ebola.

Two others doctors from the group who were exposed while treating patients, including Stafford’s wife, Dr Rebekah Stafford, did not have symptoms and were following quarantine protocols, the group said in a statement.

CBS News also quoted sources as saying that at least six Americans have been exposed to the Ebola virus during the outbreak in the DR Congo.

The CDC said it was supporting the “safe withdrawal of a small number of Americans who are directly affected”, but did not confirm how many.

The US government is reportedly looking to arrange transport for the small group of Americans in DR Congo to a safe quarantine location, a source told health news site STAT.

Quoting a source, the site adds that the group could be taken to a US military base in Germany, though this has not been confirmed.

The CDC declined to answer direct questions about the US citizens reportedly affected during a press conference on Sunday.

In an update on Monday, the public health agency said the risk to the US was relatively low, but said it would introduce a range of measures to prevent the disease from entering the country.

This includes monitoring travellers arriving from affected areas and placing entry restrictions on non-US passport holders if they have been in Uganda, DR Congo or South Sudan in the last 21 days.

The CDC said it would work with airlines and other partners to carry out contact tracing of passengers, increase testing capacity and hospital readiness to respond to the outbreak.

The US has also issued a Level Four travel advisory – its most severe level – warning against travel to the DR Congo.

The WHO has said the outbreak in DR Congo’s eastern Ituri province is a public health emergency of international concern, but did not meet the criteria of a pandemic.

The agency has also warned it could potentially be “a much larger outbreak” than what is currently being detected and reported, with significant risk of local and regional spread.

More than 28,600 people were infected by Ebola during the 2014-2016 outbreak in West Africa, the largest outbreak of the virus since its discovery in 1976.

The disease spread to a number of countries within and outside of West Africa, including Guinea, Sierra Leone, the United States, the United Kingdom and Italy, killing 11,325 people.

Jean Kaseya, the head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, told the BBC earlier that the number of suspected cases had reached almost 400.

He said that in the absence of vaccines and effective medicines people should follow public health measures, including the guidance about handling the funerals of those who have died from the disease.

“We don’t want people infected because of funerals,” he told the BBC World Service’s Newsday programme.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cq6pz60p996o

 

Hours after meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing last week, Donald Trump issued a stern warning to Taiwan against pursuing independence.

“I’m not looking to have somebody go independent. And, you know, we’re supposed to travel 9,500 miles to fight a war. I’m not looking for that. I want them to cool down. I want China to cool down,” he told Fox News in an interview that aired on Friday.

Trump’s comments – some of the strongest a US president has made so far on the issue – immediately sparked a flurry of responses from Taiwan saying it does not see the need to formally declare independence.

Taiwanese independence is the reddest of red lines for Beijing, which claims Taiwan as its own and has accused its president Lai Ching-te of being a separatist.

But the issue is a lot more nuanced.

Why does China want Taiwan?

China’s desire to “reunify” with Taiwan is a long and historical one.

It dates back to the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949, when the Chinese Communist Party won control of China and the losing Kuomintang forces retreated to Taiwan, relocating its government to Taipei.

Beijing has since claimed the self-governed island. But after Xi came to power, the Chinese government has doubled down on its threats and sought ways to stamp out what it sees as separatism. Taiwan’s “reunification” with China has become a key goal – Xi himself has called it an “unstoppable” reality.

In recent years, China has stepped up various forms of pressure, through military drills that have simulated blockades; the diplomatic isolation of Taiwan; and greyzone warfare where it sends warships and fighter jets close to Taiwanese waters and airspace on a regular basis.

During last week’s summit, Xi had told Trump that the issue of Taiwan was the most important one in US-China relations, and that mishandling it could lead to conflict.

As the US is Taiwan’s closest ally – it is bound by law to provide the island with the means to defend itself – observers have long worried that any attack on Taiwan would draw the US into direct conflict with China.

China has made clear its stance on Taiwan in its Anti-Secession Law, introduced in 2005, in which it states that it wants “peaceful reunification” with the island.

But the Anti-Secession Law also states that should “Taiwan independence” forces cause secession from China, or the possibility of “peaceful reunification” has been exhausted, China can employ “non-peaceful means” to protect its territorial integrity.

What this means is that China does not rule out the use of military force to take Taiwan if it deems it necessary. Most people believe that a formal declaration of independence by Taiwan’s government would trigger this response.

Does Taiwan want independence?

Taiwan has close economic and cultural ties with China. But most people in Taiwan, which has a robust democratic system, see themselves as politically distinct from China, which has become increasingly authoritarian in recent years.

Most also want to maintain the status quo – which means neither formally declaring independence nor unifying with China.

The official position of the Taiwanese government under the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which has ruled Taiwan since 2016, caters to this view.

President Lai, and his predecessor Tsai Ing-wen, have insisted that since Taiwan considers itself an independent country, there is no need to formally declare independence.

This is essentially a way of asserting Taiwan’s sovereignty while also ensuring they do not cross China’s red line.

Even if they wanted to, neither the president nor the government can easily declare independence – it can only be done formally if Taiwan’s parliament-like Legislative Yuan passes a constitutional amendment and if a majority of citizens vote for it in a referendum.

But Beijing remains wary of the DPP, which in its early days advocated for sovereignty, and particularly reviles Lai who made strong comments against Beijing in the past before taking office. It often lambasts him and his party as “pro-independence” separatists.

Citing Taiwan’s military build-up in recent years, Beijing has also accused the DPP government of “hijacking” citizens “onboard its ‘Taiwan Independence’ war chariot”. Lai has stated he does not seek conflict and is only strengthening the island’s defences in the face of growing pressure from China.

Does the US support Taiwan independence?

While Trump’s recent comments about Taiwan have generated headlines, no US government has ever stated explicitly that Taiwan should be independent.

Following his summit with Xi, Trump said the Chinese leader “doesn’t want a movement for independence” in Taiwan and that Trump “heard him out” but “didn’t make a comment on it”.

The US, on the whole, tries to maintain a delicate balancing act when it comes to the hugely sensitive issue of Taiwan.

In 1979, the US severed formal ties with the island when Washington established diplomatic relations with Beijing. This means that the US acknowledges Beijing’s position that there is only one Chinese government – in Beijing.

But in the same year, the US passed the Taiwan Relations Act which states that the US can “provide Taiwan with arms of a defensive character” – which is why it continues to sell weapons to Taiwan to this day.

The act also states that peace in the area is in the US’s interests and that it maintains the capacity “to resist any resort to force or other forms of coercion that would jeopardise the security or the social or economic system” of Taiwan.

This is why Trump’s latest warning to Taiwan has surprised some observers, who see it as a sign that the US may be wavering in its commitment to the island – and suggest that Xi may have made inroads in influencing the US president.

Ryan Hass, an analyst with the US think tank Brookings Institution, said that Trump had “elevated the risk of confrontation” as his “visible sympathy for Xi’s framing on Taiwan will embolden Beijing to increase pressure on Taipei”.

But Trump also stressed that “nothing’s changed” when it comes to US policy on Taiwan and even expressed a desire to speak to Lai directly – something that would enrage Beijing, as it did the last time Trump spoke to a Taiwanese president.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyp9mk3mrgo

As dawn breaks, hundreds of men gather at a dusty square in Chaghcharan, the capital of Ghor province in Afghanistan.

They line the roadside hoping someone will come along offering any work. It will determine whether their families eat that day.

The likelihood of success, however, is low.

Juma Khan, 45, has found just three days of work in the past six weeks that paid between 150 to 200 Afghani ($2.35-$3.13; £1.76-£2.34) per day.

“My children went to bed hungry three nights in a row. My wife was crying, so were my children. So I begged a neighbour for some money to buy flour,” he says.

“I live in fear that my children will die of hunger.”

His story is in no way unique.

The death toll in the latest round of fighting between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon surpassed 3,000, Lebanon’s health ministry said Monday.

The ministry said the toll is now 3,020 killed in the Israeli strikes, including 292 women and 211 children. Fighting began on March 2 with the Hezbollah militant group firing at Israel, two days after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran. Attacks from both sides have not stopped despite a fragile ceasefire.

Israel has since invaded southern Lebanon and bombarded the capital, Beirut, and other areas, saying it is targeting Hezbollah efforts to rearm. Hezbollah, also a powerful political entity in Lebanon, has resisted pressure, including by the Lebanese government, to disarm.

More than a million people have been displaced in Lebanon by the fighting, with some sheltering in tents along roads and the sea in Beirut. Israel, meanwhile, has struggled to halt frequent Hezbollah drone attacks targeting both their troops on Lebanese soil and in northern Israeli border towns.

Israeli strikes on Lebanon have continued daily, even after groundbreaking ongoing talks between Lebanon and Israel in Washington produced a ceasefire that began on April 17 and has been extended into June. Israeli troops remain in large swaths of southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah, however, is not part of the talks and has opposed them. The group, instead, backs its key ally Iran in its own talks with the United States mediated by Pakistan.

The neighbors have been officially in a state of war since Israel was created in 1948.

Negotiations press on despite fighting

Israeli military Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adaree called on residents in several towns near the southern coastal city of Tyre on Monday to evacuate ahead of airstrikes. Meanwhile, the militant Palestinian Islamic Jihad group said one of its officials was killed in an Israeli strike on his house at midnight alongside his daughter in the city of Baalbek near the Syrian border.

Israeli officials have focused on disarming Hezbollah and described the negotiations as a precursor to a potential normalization of diplomatic relations.

Lebanese officials have said they seek a security agreement or armistice that would stop short of normalization, focusing on Israeli troop withdrawal from Lebanon, while maintaining their commitment to disarming the Iran-backed group.

Despite the ongoing attacks, the two sides agreed Friday to extend the ceasefire by 45 days and announced that military delegations will take part in direct talks of their own on May 29.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/lebanon-israel-death-toll-ceasefire-2d0737f122640d72b247bd9e6643b537

Deciding when to get routine mammograms is confusing. Some health groups recommend women begin at age 40 or 45 while another recently opted for age 50. They also differ on whether yearly or every other year is best.

The conflicting advice is at least partly because guidelines for breast cancer screening are designed for women at average risk and with no possible cancer symptoms. But breast cancer is so common that it is hard to know who is really “average” and how to balance the pros and cons of screening.

“Breast cancer is not one disease,” said Dr. Laura Esserman of the University of California, San Francisco. “So how in the world does it make sense to screen everybody the same when everyone doesn’t have the same risk?”

Esserman is leading research to better understand the nuances of who is at low or high risk or somewhere in between and eventually offer more tailored screening advice.

More than 320,000 women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, according to the American Cancer Society. Death rates have been dropping for decades, thanks largely to better treatments. But it is still the second-most common cause of cancer death in U.S. women — and diagnoses are inching up.

For now, here are some things to know.

When to get a mammogram

The newest guidance comes from the American College of Physicians, which recommends that average-risk women ages 50 to 74 get an every-other-year mammogram. For those 40 to 49, the guideline says to discuss pros and cons with a doctor and if they choose screening, to go every other year.

That advice, issued last month, was a surprise. Most other U.S. health groups have urged women to start earlier, in their 40s. The influential U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recently switched its guidance to start every-other-year mammograms at age 40 instead of 50.

The American Cancer Society has long recommended yearly mammograms for 45- to 54-year-olds -– but says they can choose to start at 40. For those age 55 and older, the cancer society says women can switch to every other year or choose to keep going for yearly checks.

The new American College of Physicians guidelines also say doctors can ask if women 75 or older wish to stop routine screening. In contrast, the cancer society says there is no reason to stop if they are still healthy.

Why don’t experts agree?

The higher a woman’s risk of eventually developing breast cancer, the more benefit she will derive from more frequent screenings. But beyond some well-known factors like the cancer-causing BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes, it is hard for women to know their true risk. Age has long been a proxy because the risk of breast cancer rises as women get older.

Mammograms aren’t perfect. Sometimes they miss cancer or an aggressive tumor pops up after a routine mammogram. But guidelines seek to balance the benefits of catching cancer early with possible harms, such as stress and pain from investigating suspicious spots that don’t turn out to be cancerous.

“We’re not saying there’s no benefit” from mammograms in the 40s, cautioned Dr. Carolyn Crandall of the University of California, Los Angeles, who chaired the American College of Physicians report. But “there’s a narrower balance between the benefits you could get and the harms in 40- to 49-year-olds.”

The American Cancer Society recommends starting yearly mammograms at 45 because it found breast cancer incidence in 45- to 49-year-olds was higher than in the early 40s – more like what 50- to 54-year-olds experience, said public health researcher Robert Smith, the society’s expert on early cancer detection.

What is missing is a way to tell if someone is more likely to develop an aggressive breast cancer or a slow-growing one, Smith noted.

How dense breasts affect mammogram advice

Nearly half of women over 40 have dense breast tissue, which can make it harder to spot a tumor on a mammogram and can slightly increase the risk of developing cancer.

After a mammogram, women are notified about their breast density. Many experts say it is not yet clear if women with dense breasts would benefit from adding ultrasounds or MRIs to their screening. But the new American College of Physicians guidance advises considering 3D mammography – what doctors call digital breast tomosynthesis or DBT.

What’s next for breast cancer screening

In the future, adding a gene test — one that looks at more than just those well-known BRCA genes — along with broader risk factors may help refine women’s optimal mammogram schedule.

A recent study of nearly 46,000 women, called the WISDOM trial, used age, genetic testing, lifestyle, health history and breast density to classify women as low, average, elevated or high risk. That risk level determined if they waited to start mammograms at 50, went every other year or every year – and the highest-risk group was told to screen twice a year, once with a mammogram and again with an MRI scan. Risk-based scans were compared to standard yearly mammograms.

Risk-based screening worked as well as yearly screening, Esserman’s team reported in the medical journal JAMA. One surprise: About 30% of women whose gene testing indicated increased risk didn’t report relatives with breast cancer. While more research is underway, Esserman hopes the early findings will start influencing guidelines soon.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/breast-cancer-mammogram-age-risk-advice-5319d9d12bc00c796e2f084d7ff1bd63

 

The Trump administration announced Monday the creation of a nearly $1.8 billion fund to compensate allies of the Republican president who believe they have been unjustly investigated and prosecuted, an arrangement that Democrats and government watchdogs derided as “corrupt” and unconstitutional.

The “Anti-Weaponization Fund” of $1.776 billion is part of a settlement that resolves President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the leak of his tax returns. It will allow people who believe they were targeted for prosecution for political purposes, including by the Biden administration Justice Department, to apply for payouts, creating what acting Attorney General Todd Blanche called “a lawful process for victims of lawfare and weaponization to be heard and seek redress.”

“The machinery of government should never be weaponized against any American, and it is this Department’s intention to make right the wrongs that were previously done while ensuring this never happens again,” Blanche said in a statement that made no mention of how investigations and prosecutions of Trump’s political opponents under his watch have exposed the Justice Department to the same claims of politicized law enforcement that he said he opposed.

Blanche is expected to be pressed on the fund when he testifies Tuesday on Capitol Hill about the Justice Department budget.

Nearly 100 Democrats in the House of Representatives signed onto a legal brief urging a judge to block what they described as an unprecedented resolution that they said would unjustly enrich people close to the president with taxpayer dollars and open the door to meritless claims of political persecution.

“This is one of the single most corrupt acts in American history,” Donald Sherman, the president of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said in a statement.

The fund would represent not only a highly unorthodox resolution but also a further demonstration of the administration’s eagerness to reward allies of Trump who have long insisted that they have been unjustly investigated and in some cases charged and convicted. Most notably, the president on his first day back in office pardoned or commuted the sentences of supporters who rioted at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His Justice Department since then has approved payouts to supporters entangled in the Trump-Russia investigation and investigated and prosecuted some of his perceived adversaries.

Trump’s attorneys suggested in their court filing seeking to dismiss the case that the resolution would not be reviewable by a judge. But a group of 93 members of Congress filed a brief teeing up a challenge.

“This case is nothing but a racket designed to take $1.7 billion of taxpayer dollars out of the Treasury and pour it into a huge slush fund for Trump at DOJ to hand out to his private militia of insurrectionists, rioters, and white supremacists, including those who brutally beat police officers on January 6, 2021, and sycophant accomplices to his election stealing schemes,” Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, said in a statement.

Trump has long raised ‘weaponization’ claims

The Justice Department did not name specific individuals who might stand to benefit from the fund, but said there were no “partisan requirements” for applicants and that anyone who believes they’ve been unfairly persecuted could seek a payout as well as an apology. A five-member commission appointed by Blanche will oversee the fund.

The creation of the fund is in keeping with Trump’s long-running claims that the Justice Department during the Biden administration was weaponized against him.

He has cited as proof the since-abandoned criminal charges he faced between his first and second terms of conspiring to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and of retaining classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. As a condition for resolving the lawsuit, Trump has agreed to resolve administrative claims in which he sought compensation over the Mar-a-Lago investigation and a separate probe into ties between his 2016 campaign and Russia, an inquiry that unfolded during his first term in office and that he has long railed against.

At the White House on Monday afternoon, Trump was asked if individuals who committed violence on January 6th should receive compensation from the fund. “It’ll all be dependent on a committee,” Trump said, adding, “I didn’t do this deal. It was told to me yesterday.” He said the fund was dedicated to “reimbursing people who were horribly treated.”

Merrick Garland, who served as attorney general during the Biden administration, has repeatedly denied allegations of politicization and has said his decisions followed facts, the evidence and the law. His Justice Department investigated prominent Democrats too, most significantly by appointing a special counsel who scrutinized President Joe Biden for his handling of classified information. Another special counsel brought tax and gun charges against Biden’s son Hunter.

Nonetheless, Trump’s current Justice Department has actively pursued the president’s retribution campaign, bringing criminal charges against some of his political opponents and initiating a wide-ranging investigation that aims to establish a yearslong conspiracy between law enforcement and intelligence officials against Trump.

In defending the deal, the Justice Department pointed to a fund established by the Obama administration to compensate Native American farmers who said they had experienced racial discrimination. But that fund was not created with a goal of benefiting allies of the president who had been previously investigated for potential criminal conduct.

Trump’s lawsuit followed the leak of tax returns

Trump alleged in a lawsuit filed in Florida earlier this year that a previous leak of his and the Trump Organization’s confidential tax records caused him reputational harm and unfairly tarnished his business reputation.

The president’s sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump also joined the suit.

In 2024, former IRS contractor Charles Edward Littlejohn, who worked for Booz Allen Hamilton, a defense and national security tech firm, was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to leaking tax information about Trump and others to two news outlets between 2018 and 2020.

The outlets were not named in the charging documents, but the description and time frame align with stories about Trump’s tax returns in The New York Times and reporting about wealthy Americans’ taxes in the nonprofit investigative journalism organization ProPublica. The 2020 New York Times report found Trump paid $750 in federal income tax the year he first entered the White House, and no income tax at all some years, thanks to reported colossal losses.

In the first sign that a settlement was coming, lawyers for the president asked a judge last month to pause the case for 90 days while the two sides work to reach a settlement or resolution.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/trump-lawsuit-irs-leak-3729de38770b558be01712a143437bf8

 

Israel’s cabinet on Sunday approved a plan to build a defence compound on the site of the recently demolished premises of ​the United Nations Relief and Works Agency in East Jerusalem.
Israel in January demolished ‌structures inside the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency’s East Jerusalem compound after seizing the site last year, in an act condemned by the agency as a violation of international law.

In a joint statement, the ​Defence Ministry and Jerusalem Municipality said the new compound would include the ​establishment of a military museum, a recruitment office and a defence minister’s ⁠office.

Defence Minister Israel Katz called the decision one of “sovereignty, Zionism, and security.”
UNRWA, which Israeli ​authorities accuse of bias, had not used the building since the start of last ​year after Israel ordered it to vacate all its premises and cease its operations.
A UNRWA spokesperson declined to comment on the Israeli plan.
The agency operates in East Jerusalem, which the U.N. and most ​countries consider territory occupied by Israel as it was captured from Jordan in the ​1967 Middle East war. Israel considers all Jerusalem to be its indivisible capital.
UNRWA also operates in ‌Gaza, ⁠the West Bank and elsewhere in the Middle East, providing schooling, healthcare, social services and shelter to millions of Palestinians.

“There is nothing more symbolic or justified than establishing the new IDF recruitment office and defence establishment institutions precisely on the ruins of the ​former UNRWA compound — an ​organization whose employees ⁠took part in the massacres, murders, and atrocities committed by Hamas terrorists on October 7,” Katz said.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-establish-defence-offices-former-unrwa-east-jerusalem-compound-2026-05-17/

A luxury ‌liner at the centre of an outbreak of hantavirus reached the Dutch port of Rotterdam on Monday, marine tracking sites said, where authorities prepared quarantine arrangements for the 23 crew and two medical staff remaining on board.
The ​Dutch-flagged MV Hondius had been carrying around 150 passengers and crew from 23 countries ​when a cluster of severe respiratory illnesses was first reported to the World ⁠Health Organization on May 2.

Three people – a Dutch couple and a German national – have died ​since the start of the outbreak.
The vessel, operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, had been stranded off Cape ​Verde, its intended final destination, earlier this month after authorities barred passengers from going ashore due to the outbreak.
The WHO and the EU asked Spain to manage the evacuation at the Canary Islands, after which the ship departed ​for Rotterdam with a skeleton crew and two additional medical staff.

Local port authorities said quarantine ​facilities had been set up for some of the non-Dutch crew, though it was unclear if they would ‌stay there ⁠for the full recommended 42-day quarantine period. The vessel itself was to undergo disinfection.

Hantavirus is primarily spread by rodents but can be transmitted between people in rare cases and after prolonged, close contact. Incubation can last about six weeks.
Crew, passengers who already left the ship and people ​in contact with them ​have been quarantined in ⁠several countries around the world.
The current outbreak involves the so-called Andes virus, which has circulated in Argentina and Chile for decades. Ship samples ​show no meaningful variation in the virus, the European Centre for Disease ​Prevention and ⁠Control has said.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/hantavirus-hit-cruise-ship-due-arrive-rotterdam-port-final-destination-2026-05-18/

 

President Donald Trump’s visit to Beijing this week may have produced modest results by the standards of U.S.-China summits but it highlighted a clear benefit for China: after the extremes of last year’s trade war, the countries ​have reverted to their familiar economic and strategic standoff.
Two days of talks between Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping underscored that even after Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs and the ensuing trade detente the ‌two sides reached late last year, Washington and Beijing are still locked in the contest that Trump inherited when he started his second term.

For the United States, that means that the most troubling aspects of the relationship – from what it considers Beijing’s mercantilist trade policies to its efforts to increase its military clout in the Indo-Pacific – remain largely unaddressed.
But for Xi it offers some breathing room and a return to a more predictable set of challenges. He appeared to describe the change this week with a new framework for the countries’ relations ​he called “constructive strategic stability.”

TRADE WAR TRUCE

China came out ahead, given the retreat from the Trump administration’s brash approach on trade from early 2025, said Scott Kennedy, a China expert at Washington’s Center for Strategic and International ​Studies.

“Compared to where we were a year ago, with 145% tariffs and the U.S. really trying to push China and the rest of the world to fundamentally change, we’ve ⁠had a counterrevolution and we’re back at stability,” Kennedy said.
Trump brought to the Thursday-Friday summit some of America’s most powerful executives, from Tesla’s (TSLA.O), Elon Musk to Nvidia’s (NVDA.O), Jensen Huang, but most had little to show for their time, aside from ​a lavish banquet.
The meeting also did not secure any public commitment from China to help the U.S. end the war in Iran that has roiled global markets and dented Trump’s approval ratings.
“The summit projected stability but it left the stalemate intact,” said ​Craig Singleton, a China expert at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. It “produced modest, marketable and managed outcomes, which is about all the U.S.-China relationship can bear right now.”

Asked for comment, a White House official said, “President Trump leveraged his positive relationship with President Xi of China in order to bring home deliverables for the American people,” citing the sale of Boeing aircraft and agricultural agreements to expand American exports.
A spokesperson with the Chinese embassy in Washington called the meetings between Xi and Trump “candid, in-depth, constructive and strategic,” adding that they “explored the ​right way for two major countries to get along with each other.”
With last year’s trade war, Trump appears to have overestimated the power of tariffs to coerce China into unilateral concessions, analysts say. Beijing retaliated with its own tariff ​hikes and threatened to choke off supplies of critical minerals needed by U.S. industries, forcing an uneasy standoff.

Since then, the White House has shown itself unwilling to bear the economic consequences that would come with applying the other forms of U.S. financial and ‌technological leverage, such ⁠as sanctions on China’s major banks.
Reflecting the change in tone, there was no public mention this week of many long-standing U.S. demands, such as for China to address industrial overcapacity that its trade partners say unfairly floods their markets with low-cost goods.
China appears content with the fragile truce as it navigates a weak domestic economy and seeks to shore up technologies it hopes will turn the tide in long-term competition with the U.S.
Senior Trump administration officials had downplayed a desire for big outcomes even in the run-up to the meeting, saying there was no rush to extend a trade truce, expiring in five months, which the leaders reached after talks in South Korea in October.

‘BELOW EXPECTATIONS’

A person familiar with the trade ​negotiations said China wanted a longer extension of the ​truce than the Trump administration was willing to give, ⁠as well as reassurances over pending U.S. investigations likely to revive some tariffs on goods entering the U.S. that were struck down by the Supreme Court this year.
Overall, neither side put much on the table for the summit, the source told Reuters, adding that some commercial deals could be saved for the fall, when Xi is expected to make a ​reciprocal visit to the White House.
The source requested anonymity to speak candidly about the negotiations.
The summit’s thin commercial results contrast with Trump’s 2017 visit to China, when ​companies accompanying him signed deals and ⁠memorandums of understanding valued at $250 billion.
This week’s meeting produced no breakthrough on selling Nvidia’s advanced H200 artificial intelligence chips to China, likely to the relief of Republican and Democratic China hawks in Washington, who had warned the administration against feeding China’s AI development.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/china/trump-returns-china-with-stability-stalemate-2026-05-16/

A drone strike caused a fire at a nuclear power plant in the ​United Arab Emirates, officials there said on Sunday, while Saudi Arabia reported intercepting three drones, as U.S. President Donald Trump warned that Iran must act “fast” after efforts to ‌end the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran appeared to have stalled.
Emirati officials said they were investigating the source of the strike and that the UAE had the full right to respond to such “terrorist attacks.” A diplomatic adviser to the UAE president said it represented a dangerous escalation, whether carried out by “the principal perpetrator” or one of its proxies.

The UAE defense ministry said two other drones had been “successfully” dealt with, and that the drones had been launched from the “western ​border.” It did not elaborate.
Saudi Arabia said the three drones it intercepted entered from Iraqi airspace and warned that it would take the necessary operational measures to respond to ​any attempt to violate its sovereignty and security.
While hostilities during the Iran conflict have largely been scaled down since a ceasefire came into effect ⁠in April, drones have been launched from Iraq towards Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
The drone that got through the UAE’s defenses hit an electrical generator outside the inner perimeter of the Barakah ​Nuclear Power Plant, the Abu Dhabi Media Office said. Radiological safety levels were unaffected and there were no injuries, it said. UAE’s Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation later confirmed that the plant remained safe, ​with no radioactive material released from the strike.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said emergency diesel generators were providing power to the plant’s “unit 3,” and called for “maximum military restraint” near any nuclear power plant, adding that it was following the situation closely.
During the war that began with U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran on February 28, Iran has repeatedly targeted the UAE and other Gulf states that host U.S. military bases, hitting sites that include civilian ​and energy infrastructure.
Iran stepped up such attacks on the UAE earlier this month after Trump announced a naval mission to try to open the Strait of Hormuz, which Trump suspended after 48 hours.

DIPLOMATIC ​DEADLOCK

More than five weeks after a tenuous ceasefire in the conflict took effect, U.S. and Iranian demands remain far apart despite diplomatic efforts to end the war and reopen the strait, the world’s most important ‌shipping route for ⁠oil and gas.

Washington has called for Tehran to dismantle its nuclear program and lift its hold on the strait. Iran has demanded compensation for war damage, an end to a U.S. blockade of Iranian ports and a halt to fighting on all fronts, including in Lebanon, where Israel is battling Iran-backed Hezbollah.
Trump, whose harsh rhetoric has failed to break the stalemate, said in a post on Truth Social: “For Iran, the Clock is Ticking, and they better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!”
Trump is expected to meet top national security advisers ​on Tuesday to discuss options for military action ​regarding Iran, Axios reported.
Trump held talks with Chinese President ⁠Xi Jinping this week without securing an indication from China that it would help resolve the conflict and has previously threatened to resume attacks if Iran does not agree to a deal.

A senior spokesperson for the Iranian armed forces, Abolfazl Shekarchi, said on Sunday that if Trump’s threats were ​carried out, the U.S. would “face new, aggressive, and surprise scenarios, and sink into a self-made quagmire”.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said the ​U.S. and Israel had ⁠tried to shift the blame for destabilizing energy markets following their “unprovoked military aggression against Iran”.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/abu-dhabi-says-drone-strike-caused-fire-barakah-nuclear-power-plant-no-injuries-2026-05-17/

Trump advisers fear China could move on Taiwan within five years, threatening global chip supplies, as Trump delays a 14 billion Taiwan arms package.

Days after US President Donald Trump returned to Washington from China, concerns over a possible Chinese move against Taiwan have reportedly increased among some of his close advisers following his recent summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.

According to an Axios report, several advisers now fear that China could target Taiwan within the next five years, creating major risks for global semiconductor supplies and the American economy.

Advisers raise concerns after Beijing Summit

The concerns reportedly emerged despite the friendly atmosphere during Trump’s visit to China.

Trump was said to have enjoyed the ceremonial welcome and special access arranged by Xi Jinping during the Beijing trip. However, advisers reportedly believed Xi’s message during the talks carried a far stronger geopolitical signal.

One adviser quoted in the report said Xi was attempting to position China as an equal power to the United States rather than a rising one.

The adviser said Xi’s message was effectively, “We’re not a rising power. We’re your equal. And Taiwan is mine.”

The adviser further warned that the summit had increased the possibility that Taiwan could become a major flashpoint within the next five years.

Fears over global chip supply

Trump advisers are also reportedly worried about the impact any Taiwan conflict could have on the global semiconductor industry.

Taiwan remains one of the world’s most important producers of advanced semiconductor chips used in artificial intelligence systems, smartphones, vehicles and other technologies.

According to the Axios report, advisers fear the United States is still far from becoming self-sufficient in chip manufacturing.

“There’s no way we can be ready economically,” one adviser reportedly said while warning that the chip supply chain remains heavily dependent on Taiwan.

The concerns come as competition between the US and China increasingly focuses on technology, artificial intelligence and semiconductor manufacturing.

Trump yet to approve Taiwan arms package

The Taiwan issue remained a major topic during Trump’s visit to China.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday, Trump said he had not yet decided whether to approve a proposed $14 billion weapons package for Taiwan.

The package reportedly includes missiles and air defence interceptors and has been pending for several months.

Trump said he did not want to escalate tensions with China over Taiwan.

“The last thing we need right now is a war that’s 9,500 miles away,” Trump said.

During the Beijing talks, Xi reportedly warned Trump that mishandling the Taiwan issue could push US-China relations towards “clashes and even conflicts”.

Trump also referred to America’s 1982 “six assurances” policy regarding Taiwan arms sales, but suggested he did not view the agreement as fully binding under current circumstances.

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/china-may-attack-taiwan-soon-trump-advisers-warn-days-after-meeting-with-xi-in-beijing-ws-l-10096810.html

The current impasse in diplomatic exchange between Iran and the United States comes after Iran’s preconditions to resume negotiations for ending the war.

Amid a shaky ceasefire and exchange of warnings, the US has reportedly put forth a list of demands to resume negotiations for a peace deal. According to Iran’s Fars news agency, these demands include not paying any war reparations to Iran and also removing 400 kilograms of enriched uranium from there and be delivered to the US.

The report surfaces amid United States President Donald Trump’s “clock is ticking” warning for Iran as peace talks between the two nations, which are at war but currently under a temporary ceasefire, remain stalled.

These demands were made by the US after Tehran presented its peace proposal, the Iranian news agency reported on Sunday. It said that US’ other demands include keeping just one nuclear facility operational in Iran, not releasing even 25 per cent of Iran’s frozen assets, and agreeing to stop the fighting on all fronts only if talks or negotiations are held.

Another Iranian news agency, Mehr, said that the US offered “no tangible concessions, wants to obtain concessions that it failed to obtain during the war, which will lead to an impasse in the negotiations.”

What are Iran’s preconditions for negotiations

The current impasse in diplomatic exchange between Iran and the United States comes after Iran set some preconditions to resume negotiations for ending the war for good.

These preconditions, according to Fars, include ending hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon, lifting anti-Iran sanctions, unfreezing Iran’s assets, paying reparations to Iran for war damages and recognising Iran’s sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.

A ceasefire in Lebanon has emerged as a major point of contention between the two sides as Iran demands that aggression towards Lebanon, home to Tehran-backed Hezbollah fighters, should be stopped while Israel, which is backing the US in the war, refuses to accept the demand.

Source : https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/no-reparations-only-1-nuclear-facility-iranian-report-lists-us-demands-amid-shaky-ceasefire-101779067775735.html

The diplomat, citing the recently held assembly elections in several regions in the country, said India is a “vibrant democracy” where “peaceful transition of power” is a key feature.

New Delhi has rejected Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten’s reported remarks on India’s declining media freedom and erosion of religious and minority rights, asserting that the country is a “vibrant democracy” that guarantees free speech to all. Addressing the media during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Netherlands, a Ministry of External Affairs official stressed the so-called concerns stemmed from a “lack of understanding” of the country, stressing India’s civilisational depth and pluralism.

“We face these kinds of questions basically because of the lack of understanding of the person who asks the question,” said Sibi George, Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs.

George highlighted how India belongs to a civilisation that is five millennia old, stressing the country’s cultural, religious and linguistic diversity.

“India is a country of 1.4 billion people, the largest populated country in the world. A country of civilization of more than 5000 years old. It’s a diverse country. [There’s]…diversity in terms of culture, diversity in terms of languages, diversity in terms of food, diversity in terms of religion…There is no other country in the world which have four religions have originated. Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism. These religions originated in India and continue to flourish in India,” he said.

“Jewish religion was in India for more than 2500 years. Continuously coexisted. India is perhaps only one of those very few countries where the Jewish population never faced a persecution…Christianity came to India immediately after the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Continued to flourish in India… Islam came to India during the time of Prophet Muhammad himself and flourished in India,” he added.

The exchange took place when a Dutch journalist questioned the absence of a joint press interaction during PM Modi’s two-day trip to the Netherlands and raised concerns about press freedom and minority rights, including those of Muslim and smaller communities.

The diplomat, citing the recently held assembly elections in several regions in the country, said India is a “vibrant democracy” where “peaceful transition of power” is a key feature. “Recently, we had elections. You know, you need to know what the level of participation was. More than 90% of the electorate voted. This is the beauty of India,” he said.

George said India achieved economic success without “compromising” on democratic principles. “We did not go for violence to eliminate poverty. We went through the democratic process to eliminate poverty.” “We are one-sixth of the total population of the world, but not one-sixth of the problems of the world. This is the beauty of India, which makes us proud. So, every minority thrives,” he said.

“When we became independent, the minority population in India was 11 per cent. Now it is more than 20 per cent. Name a country where the population of minorities has gone up? You won’t find it (anywhere) other than India,” the diplomat said in his rebuttal.

“This is the beauty of India. So, I would request you to learn more about India so that you will have more appreciation of what India is, and how it is progressing,” he said.

What the Dutch PM Said 

It is not immediately clear whether Jetten has made the remarks. However, according to Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant, PM Jetten, before meeting PM Modi, told reporters at The Hague that “the Dutch government, too, has concerns regarding developments in India…It is not just about press freedom…but also about the rights of minorities, which are under severe pressure there.”

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/pm-modi-in-netherlands-india-dismisses-dutch-pms-remarks-on-press-freedom-minority-rights-lack-of-knowledge-11509841?pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

TYRANT Vladimir Putin has chosen UK as its number one enemy and is ready to attack, an exiled Russian oil tycoon has warned.

Russia has ramped up its campaign of hybrid warfare and targeted assassinations across Europe since its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Prominent Putin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky told The Sun the West must not underestimate the Kremlin leader who is “100 per cent likely” to strike Britain “with any available means”.

Khodorkovsky, an exiled Russian businessman who spent 10 years in a Siberian prison after clashes with Putin, has emerged as a leading figure in opposition circles operating outside of Russia.

In an interview from his London office, he told The Sun: “Putin is a gangster, and he perceives someone else’s weakness as an invitation to attack them.

“Today, for Putin, Europe is a weak opponent.”

And Russia has “chosen” the UK as its “main enemy” , marking it up as the “force that stands behind everything that opposes Russia“.

Putin’s war in Ukraine has ground down its armed forces – leaving a direct military attack on Europe almost impossible.

Khordokovsky said: “Putin doesn’t have the right force for a proper attack against the United Kingdom. He doesn’t actually have enough military might left to attack the West today.

“He [Putin] also knows that the European army is very weak.

“Without Americans it wouldn’t be able to defeat Russia. And he sees that the American army is not going to be waging campaigns against Putin on behalf of Europe.”

The UK’s defence spending is dwarfed in comparison to the cash that the Kremlin has pumped into its military machine.

Khordokovsky said: “From this point of view, today, Europe is a temptation for Putin. A temptation, of course, not for a brutal attack but for a hybrid attack. Europe is undoubtedly a target.”

Just this week Russia’s interior ministry announced a manhunt for former British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, flagging his picture on a wanted list.

Moscow’s Basmanny district court sentenced Sir Ben in absentia on charges of “justifying terrorism”, but the grounds of the charge remain unclear.

The UK foreign office told The Sun: “The accusations made today by Russia are completely unacceptable. The UK does not stand for intimidation of its citizens.”

While the reeling dictator’s actions are increasingly volatile, Khordokovsky says there are ways to predict how he will attack.

He said: “The standard way Putin operates is to find internal conflicts that he can inflate, and he will use any available means to do that.”

Khordokovsky set out Putin’s three options for an attack on the UK.

And he warned that covert activities are already underway within Britain’s borders.

He said: “The first tool is to use special forces called the GRU – an expensive and very dangerous force.

“In the UK, their operations have been 50 per cent successful – they managed to kill Litvinenko but they were not successful in Salisbury.”

Alexander Litvinenko, a former Russian FSB officer turned British intelligence agent, was murdered in London in November 2006 using rare radioactive polonium-210.

A 2016 UK inquiry concluded the poisoning was “probably approved” by Vladimir Putin, with the European Court of Human Rights later holding Russia responsible.

Two years later, three GRU agents applied novichok to the front door handle of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal in Salisbury, south-west England.

Skripal and his daughter, Yulia Skripal, were poisoned by the military grade nerve agent but survived the assassination attempt. An innocent British citizen, Dawn Sturgess, died.

Following an inquiry, former Supreme Court judge Lord Hughes concluded that the deadly plot “must have been authorised at the highest level, by President Putin”.

Despite Russia’s partial failure in the UK, their assassinations targets in other European countries like Germany “have all been successfully killed”, Khordokovsky said.

Putin’s second option for an attack in the UK is “already being prepared”.

Khordokovsky said: “It is the system of agents including foreign intelligence agents, the FSB. They will be used if there were an attack.”

This system has been seriously weakened after the UK extradited swathes of Kremlin agents following the Salisbury poisoning and Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

But there is a third option, using British criminals to outsource Russian attacks via social media, Khordokovsky said.

He said: “This is the cheapest and weakest option, but it can be quite successful.”

The method has been used in the UK and is “still in use”, Khordokovsky warned.

It comes after five British men were convicted for their roles in a firebomb attack on a warehouse in Leyton, east London in 2025, used to ship humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

The men acted on behalf of the Wagner Group – a proscribed terrorist organisation with links to Russian military intelligence.

About £1million worth of damage was caused in the March 2023 blaze, which was live-streamed by one of the attackers.

The plot also included plans to firebomb a Mayfair restaurant and kidnap its owner – Russian dissident Evgeny Chichvarkin – in a campaign orchestrated online through encrypted Telegram chats.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/16371775/putin-agents-uk-attack-russian-tycoon-warns/

SECURITY planning for Iran’s World Cup soccer team has been under way for nearly a year over fears of protests, visa disputes, and political unrest during this summer’s tournament, a top official has told The U.S. Sun.

World Cup Task Force leader Andrew Giuliani, the son of former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, will oversee ensuring maximum safety for the millions of fans expected to travel to the United States next month.

He told The U.S. Sun that the administration’s $625million security operation is designed to “keep a whole continent” safe as tensions in the Middle East — particularly involving Iran — escalate.

Iran, one of the first nations to qualify for the 48-team tournament when it secured its place earlier this year, is expected to face intense scrutiny ahead of its group-stage matches — two in Los Angeles and one in Seattle.

The final group game against Egypt will take place at Lumen Field, home of the Seattle Seahawks, during the city’s Pride weekend, adding another layer of logistical and security planning.

President Trump’s World Cup security chief said his team will “stop at nothing” to protect fans, players, and officials amid heightened political tensions between Iran and the United States.

Giuliani told The U.S. Sun he would do everything in his power to ensure the Iranian team were kept safe.

“I’ll just say that we’re going to do everything possible to make sure that our state, local, and federal law enforcement teams are able to protect the teams, the fans, and all those Americans in the cities hosting matches throughout the World Cup,” he said.

“And that’s not just with Iran — that’s with the United States and the other 47 teams that have qualified.”

The Iranian Football Federation’s (FFIRI) reported 10-point plan centers on protecting its delegation from legal, diplomatic, and political complications during the tournament.

One of the federation’s key demands is guaranteed entry visas for all players and staff, including individuals who completed mandatory military service with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The United States and Canada classify the IRGC as a terrorist organization.

But Iran is seeking assurances from Fifa and host governments that members of its delegation will not face entry bans, additional screening or detention by immigration authorities.

Tehran is also pushing for cultural and symbolic protections during the tournament.

Iran reportedly wants Fifa to strictly enforce the use of the Islamic Republic’s official flag and ensure the national anthem is played without interruption or protest.

The federation is also seeking restrictions on press conferences so players are only asked football-related questions, shielding them from discussions about Iran’s human rights record or broader geopolitical tensions.

Security concerns form another major part of the proposal, with the FFIRI wanting heightened security at airports, team hotels, and along transportation routes to stadiums.

The federation is reportedly requesting “enhanced security cordons” to limit contact between players and protesters, amid fears the World Cup could become a platform for anti-government demonstrations or political defections.

“I think from a security standpoint, everybody is very ready for this,” Giuliani continued.

“One of the first things I wanted to do when I came on board was get into all the host cities, walk through the stadiums, and see everything from the transportation side of it.

“My goal is to make sure we handle all the behind-the-scenes issues involving safety, security, visas, and logistics so people can move around the country safely and enjoy the legacy of this tournament.”

At previous tournaments — most notably in Qatar four years ago — Iranian fans used the global stage to protest against the regime.

Security officials in North America are now preparing for the possibility of major demonstrations inside stadiums and fan zones.

Earlier this year, several members of Iran’s women’s national team reportedly attempted to seek asylum in Australia.

Iranian authorities are believed to be closely monitoring the men’s squad to prevent similar incidents during this World Cup.

“Well, certainly anytime you’re dealing with any country where tensions or conflicts are ongoing, it changes the security picture,” Giuliani said.

“And obviously we’re in close contact with the president and his team to make sure we’re getting the latest information so we can plan properly — including how we receive the team and manage security concerns involving the Iranian-American diaspora in Los Angeles and Seattle.

“But this is something we’ve known about for close to a year now. Iran was one of the first teams to qualify for the World Cup, so none of this comes as a surprise.”

Fifa is also understood to be preparing contingency plans in the event Iran withdraws or faces last-minute travel restrictions before the tournament begins.

Concerns have also been raised over the possible presence of ICE officers at World Cup venues, though Miami host committee co-chair Rodney Barreto told The Athletic last week week that Secretary of State Marco Rubio played down those fears.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/16344448/fifa-world-cup-iran-donald-trump-giuliani/

Rafizi Ramli, who was formerly economy minister, said the “kamikaze mission” was worth it as he wants to offer a political platform to those who believe that political power belongs to the people.

Two former Malaysian Cabinet ministers from Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) are quitting the party and vacating their respective parliamentary seats.

Former Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli and former Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad made the announcement at an event on Sunday (May 17), adding that they would write officially to the Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat (Malaysia’s House of Representatives) on Monday to convey this decision.

With the current parliamentary term already more than three years in, the seats will simply remain vacant until the next general election, bypassing the need for by-elections.

Rafizi who is Pandan MP and Nik Nazmi who is Setiawangsa MP will be joining Parti Bersama Malaysia on Tuesday, a minor political party registered 10 years ago.

It took part in the 2018 elections, but lost in all five parliamentary and 20 state seats it had contested in Penang.

The party’s founder and president, Tan Gin Theam, officially handed over the registration certificate of the party to the duo at the event, which took place at the PJ Performing Arts Centre in Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Both Rafizi and Nik Nazmi also said they will formally convey their decisions to exit PKR to the party’s secretary-general Fuziah Salleh.

“Our aspiration is to offer a political platform to like-minded citizens who believe that political power belongs to the people, not to politicians,” said Rafizi during the event.

He added that the party would contest in the upcoming series of elections wherever there is a need to do so.

He also said that regardless of whichever party currently held those seats, Parti Bersama Malaysia intended to field capable, next-generation candidates, though he cautioned that there is no guarantee of success.

“We might lose our deposits across all seats and be laughed at. We might retire from politics as failures. But the nation and the younger generation require this leap of vision,” said Rafizi.

Rafizi likened their decision to a kamikaze mission that was worth undertaking, saying that it was “not about winning elections or becoming ministers,” but about presenting a fresh platform for ideas and visions “without compromise”.

The term kamikaze is a metaphor for a self-sacrificing action where self-destruction is highly probable.

Both Rafizi and Nik Nazmi resigned from their Cabinet positions last year after their defeat in internal party elections within PKR.

While Rafizi previously stated his next step would be announced this June, he moved the date forward, coinciding with the ruling Pakatan Harapan coalition’s convention in Johor Bahru on Sunday.

Since his resignation as minister, Rafizi has become one of the government’s most vocal critics, pulling no punches against PKR on his podcast, which began last June after he resigned.

Party insiders previously told CNA that this had caused tension and severe discomfort among the rank and file.

Among other things, Rafizi has accused Anwar of surrounding himself with “yes-men”, protecting vested interests, and failing to deliver on the reforms that once defined PKR.

Anwar himself has sidestepped Rafizi’s criticism and called it an internal party matter while Human Resources Minister and party vice-president R Ramanan has labelled Rafizi a “failed minister” and accused him of acting with an “unhealthy agenda to divide the party”.

Last month, Rafizi dared the party to sack him after he received his second show-cause letter on Apr 9 from its disciplinary board outlining four key allegations against him.

Among other things, Rafizi was accused of tarnishing PKR’s reputation by attacking Anwar’s leadership style, alleging that the premier had protected vested interests and “corporate mafias” and accusing Anwar of defending Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief Azam Baki, who is embroiled in a shareholding controversy.

Other MPs reported to have attended the event on Sunday included Subang MP Wong Chen, Ampang MP Rodziah Ismail, Wangsa Maju MP Zahir Hassan, Sungai Siput MP S Kesavan and Balik Pulau MP Bakhtiar Wan Chik.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/former-malaysian-ministers-rafizi-and-nik-nazmi-quit-pm-anwars-pkr-give-up-mp-seats-6126611

Thirteen buildings collapsed after the quake shook Guangxi’s Liuzhou city.

A magnitude-5.2 earthquake in China’s southwest region of Guangxi early on Monday (May 18) killed two and forced more than 7,000 in the city of Liuzhou to evacuate as search and rescue operations continue and authorities warn of transport disruptions.

There were two confirmed deaths with one still missing, and four people were sent to the hospital, although none of them had life-threatening injuries, CCTV and state news agency Xinhua said.

State broadcaster CCTV identified the deceased as a couple – a 63-year-old man and a 53-year-old woman – and said search and rescue efforts for the missing person were ongoing.

Thirteen buildings collapsed in the early hours of Monday, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

Videos published by CCTV showed people fleeing high-rise buildings and piles of rubble next to destroyed homes.

Rescue workers were seen trudging through the debris, while their dogs tried to sniff out signs of life.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/east-asia/china-earthquake-liuzhou-guangxi-southwest-region-6127481

The human rights group Amnesty International confirmed that at least 2,707 people were put to death in 2025 but said the actual number was much higher. Despite these figures, there are indications of possible progress.

The number of executions worldwide reached its highest level in more than four decades in 2025, driven largely by a sharp increase in Iran, Amnesty International said.

At least 2,707 people are known to have been put to death, according to the rights group’s annual review. That marks a 78% jump from 2024 and is the highest figure Amnesty has recorded since 1981, when 3,191 executions were logged.

The figures exclude China, which Amnesty believes executed thousands of people, making it the world’s top executioner. The country refuses to disclose data.

The group attributed the surge to governments using capital punishment to project authority, saying they had placed “this cruel punishment at the center of flawed public security and ‘tough on crime’ narratives to assert control, project state power and score political points.”

Key facts from Amnesty’s ‘Death sentences and execution report 2025’

Amnesty does not rely on a single data source. Instead, it collects information from official figures, court judgments, individuals sentenced to death, their families and representatives, media reports and other civil society organizations.

• 2,707 executions recorded in 2025, excluding China
• 2,159 executions in Iran alone
• 54 countries still have the death penalty
• 2,334 new death sentences were recorded in 2025
• 25,508 people were under sentence of death at the end of 2025
• Execution recorded in: China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, United States, Egypt, Somalia, Kuwait, Singapore, Afghanistan, United Arab Emirates, Japan, South Sudan, Taiwan, Iraq, North Korea, Vietnam
• Beheading, hanging, lethal injection, shooting and nitrogen gas asphyxiation were used as methods of execution in 2025

Data on executions is not published in many countries, leaving Amnesty to point out that its figures are the minimum recorded.

“The true overall figures are likely to be higher,” the group said.

Amnesty was able to confirm that executions were carried out in North Korea and Vietnam, but there was insufficient information to determine credible minimum figures.

China, Iran and Saudi Arabia dominate global executions

Iran accounted for the overwhelming majority of executions, with at least 2,159 carried out. That represented about 80% of the global total.

The figure more than doubled compared with the previous year and marked the country’s highest level of executions in decades.

“The Iranian authorities continued to weaponize the death penalty, often after grossly unfair trials, to instill fear among the population and punish those who challenged, or are perceived to have challenged, the Islamic Republic of Iran establishment,” Amnesty said.

Saudi Arabia also recorded a notable rise, carrying out at least 356 executions, many linked to drug-related offenses.

The global figures exclude the thousands of executions Amnesty believes were carried out in China.

Death penalty in the United States

According to Amnesty’s report, the United States recorded its highest execution figure since 2009, with 47 people put to death.

Florida alone accounted for nearly half of those executions, Amnesty said.

The number of people on death row in the United States fell below 2,000 for the first time since Amnesty began collecting the data, driven by commutations and natural deaths.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/executions-worldwide-hit-highest-level-since-1981-amnesty-says/a-77175005

US President Donald Trump has warned Iran the “clock is ticking” as talks to bring the war to an end have stalled.

“They better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform. “TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!”

The message came as the president spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, the Times of Israel reported, citing Netanyahu’s office.

Iranian media meanwhile reported the US had failed to make any concrete concessions in its response to Tehran’s latest proposals to end the conflict.

A lack of compromise from Washington would lead to an “impasse in the negotiations”, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported.

Trump’s message echoed his threat that a “whole civilisation” would die unless Iran agreed to a deal to end the war, shortly before the ceasefire was announced in early April.

The president warned earlier this week that truce was on “massive life support” after rejecting Tehran’s demands, labelling them “totally unacceptable”.

Esmail Baghaei, an Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson, insisted they were “responsible” and “generous”.

According to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency, they included an immediate end to the war on all fronts – a reference to the continued Israeli attacks against Iran-supported Hezbollah in Lebanon – a halt to the US naval blockade of Iranian ports, and guarantees of no further attacks on Iran.

They also reportedly included a demand for compensation for war damage and an emphasis on Iranian sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency said on Sunday that Washington had set five conditions in response to Tehran’s proposal.

They reportedly included a demand that Iran keep only one nuclear site in operation and transfer its stockpile of highly enriched uranium to the US.

Trump suggested on Friday that he would accept a 20-year suspension by Iran of its nuclear programme – a major sticking point between the two countries – in what appeared to be confirmation of a shift in position away from a demand for a total end to it.

Israeli and US forces began massive air strikes on Iran on 28 February. The ceasefire meant to facilitate talks has largely been observed despite occasional exchanges of fire.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd0p4y9y48xo

 

One of Ukraine’s largest drone strikes on Russia killed at least four people, including three near Moscow, and wounded a dozen others, local authorities said Sunday. Debris fell on Russia’s largest airport without causing damage.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the drone strikes, saying that they were “entirely justified.” Russia has repeatedly launched similar attacks on Ukraine’s capital and other cities during the war, and an expert said that the strikes appeared to be retaliation for recent Russian attacks on Kyiv.

Russian drone strikes on Ukraine overnight wounded eight people, Ukrainian authorities said.

In Ukraine’s strikes on Russia, a woman was killed after a drone hit her home in Khimki, a Russian city just northwest of Moscow, and two men died in the village of Pogorelki, which is 10 kilometers (6 miles) north of the capital, according to local Gov. Andrei Vorobyev.

Ukrainian drones had also damaged unspecified “infrastructure” and several high-rise buildings, Vorobyev said on social media.

One man was also killed after a drone struck a truck in the Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, according to local authorities.

In Moscow itself, at least 12 people were wounded in the nighttime strike, mostly near the entrance to the city’s oil refinery, mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported. Sobyanin reported that the “technology” of the refinery hadn’t been damaged.

Hours later, the Indian Embassy in Moscow reported that an Indian worker died in a drone strike “in (the) Moscow region,” while three other Indian nationals were hospitalized with injuries. It wasn’t immediately clear whether the worker was one of the three people reported dead by Moscow region officials, or a further fatality.

Russia’s largest airport — Moscow’s Sheremetyevo — said that drone debris had fallen on its grounds without causing damage or affecting flights.

Russian defenses shot down 81 drones headed for Moscow overnight, state agency Tass reported, citing Sobyanin, marking one of the largest attacks on the city since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.

Russian air defenses overnight destroyed 556 drones over Russia, the occupied Crimean Peninsula and the Azov and Black Seas, the Russian Defense Ministry said Sunday morning. Shortly after midday local time, it reported that more than 1,000 drones had been shot down or jammed in the previous 24 hours.

Zelenskyy said that the drones had flown more than 500 kilometers (310 miles) from Ukrainian territory, and that Ukraine was “overcoming” Russian air defense systems concentrated in and around the capital.

“Our responses to Russia’s prolongation of the war and attacks on our cities and communities are entirely justified. This time, Ukrainian long-distance sanctions have reached the Moscow region, and we are clearly telling the Russians: their state must end its war,” Zelenskyy said.

Revenge for Russian attacks, expert says

Nigel Gould Davies, senior fellow for Russia and Eurasia at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a London-based think tank, said that Ukraine’s large-scale attack appeared to be “the retaliation or revenge that President Zelenskyy promised after the fierce attacks that Russia carried out on Kyiv.”

Those strikes came immediately after the end of a brief ceasefire that allowed Russia to hold its annual Victory Day parade on May 9 commemorating the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany during World War II.

Russia and Ukraine accused each other of repeatedly violating the pause in hostilities.

“It brings home the fact Ukraine has the capacity to strike at very significant scale at or around the Russian capital,” taking the war home to Russians in a way that would be “most unwelcome” to the Kremlin, Gould Davies told The Associated Press.

“There is no ongoing peace process to disrupt. What (the attack) is more likely to do is add to the darkening cloud of anxiety over Russia which has developed palpably over the last three or four months,” he said.

He cited a combination of factors, including Russia’s recent battlefield setbacks, a deteriorating economic situation at home, and the Kremlin’s intensifying crackdown on the internet, including in Moscow and Russia’s second-largest city, St. Petersburg.

“The fact that Ukraine is reminding the Moscow population that it is vulnerable to these attacks is likely to intensify the mix of concerns now,” Gould Davies said. “I see no prospect though, in the shorter term, that even these factors together will induce Russia to consider the compromises that will be necessary for peace negotiations.”

Ukrainian drones are also flying deep into Russia to strike oil facilities, sending up plumes of smoke that can be seen from space and bringing toxic rain to tourist destinations on the Black Sea. The attacks are aimed at slashing Moscow’s oil exports, a key source of funding for Russia’s grinding invasion of Ukraine.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-drones-moscow-strike-attack-killed-3164d723ca8331e5780ec7942245a2e6

 

Last weekend Jesse Derr and his wife, Jess Yeastadt, made the five-hour drive from their home in Phoenix to the Hard Rock Hotel in San Diego.

On the agenda for their weekend trip: learn how to move to Mexico.

Derr, 41, and Yeastadt, 45, were among the hundreds of Americans in San Diego last weekend who dream of starting a new life abroad.

A record number of Americans are leaving the U.S.: The country saw a net negative migration of between 10,000 and 295,000 people in 2025, according to research from The Brookings Institution. The widest estimated range was among people who left voluntarily, with Brookings estimating that between 210,000 to 405,000 people did so last year.

It’s the first time in at least 50 years that more people moved out of the country than moved in. Restrictive immigration policies and deportation efforts play a role, according to Brookings. Some U.S. citizens are emigrating for school, work, raising a family, retirement and everything in between.

Expatsi, a company that offers relocation tours for Americans, is becoming a sought-after resource for some.

The company, launched in 2022, held its second annual Move Abroad Con in San Diego on May 9 and 10. Some 600 Americans from around the country attended, double the number of people at the inaugural event held in May 2025, Expatsi co-founder Jen Barnett tells CNBC Make It.

A majority, 89%, said they want to leave the U.S. for political reasons, according to a sampling of 218 of the weekend’s attendees, per Barnett. Others say they hope to move for adventure and growth (73%), as well as to save money (57%). Roughly two-thirds of respondents hope to move within two years, they have an average monthly budget of $3,856 to work with, and hopeful movers are split among 44% individuals, 39% couples and 17% families with kids.

Like many of his fellow conference attendees, Derr says political reasons are a major reason for his family’s potential U.S. exit.

He points to recent policies affecting reproductive rights, like the Supreme Court’s decision to remove the federal constitutional right to abortion, as well as its rulings weakening the Voting Rights Act, which he considers signals that the country is “going backwards.” Meanwhile, he says, Mexico’s 2024 election of Claudia Sheinbaum, the country’s first female president, and federally mandated gender equality laws align with the values he and Yeastadt are seeking.

Derr says attending the weekend event and hearing from people who’ve emigrated before made his seemingly “insurmountable” plans feel more within reach.

Talking with a relocation expert to Mexico was helpful to cover things the couple will and won’t be able to bring abroad, their income requirements to secure a visa, and other “everyday livelihood” considerations, Derr says. “We really walked away from the weekend with zero unknowns.”

Derr says the couple’s timeline for moving will depend on the outcomes of the 2026 U.S. midterm elections. If the Democratic party gains control of the House and Senate and takes “immediate, measurable action to reverse the destructive decisions made by this administration, it will affect our timeline” and motivations to move, Derr says.

Conference guests paid between roughly $500 to $1,000 for tickets to the weekend’s events, which included two days of programming from over 50 experts. Guests filtered into dozens of breakout sessions to learn the ins and outs of different visas, taxes as a foreigner, immigrant health insurance, and specifics on how to move to hot spots like Portugal, Mexico, Canada and New Zealand.

Von Bradley, 45, is a government worker in San Diego. He’s been looking up ways to move and work abroad for the last year.

Southern Spain tops Bradley’s short list of places to move abroad given its warm, sunny climate. His main priorities for living abroad are to find a place with a lower cost of living, where his dollars can go further in his eventual retirement, and a place that promotes a healthy lifestyle, like access to nutritious foods in a walkable city, he says.

The cost of moving and living abroad varies greatly depending on the country of destination and desired lifestyle. The initial move generally includes visa and other paperwork processing fees of a few hundred dollars, plus up to tens of thousands for transportation and shipping costs. For example, Make It previously reported on a Chicago couple who spent 10 months saving more than $20,000 to move to Valencia, Spain, in the spring of 2025.

Source : https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/17/americans-are-leaving-the-united-states-in-record-numbers-spending-hundreds-to-learn-how.html

A group of protesters in London despicably called for a controversial rightwing figure to be killed, “like Charlie Kirk,” disturbing video shows.

The crowd was filmed chanting about Tommy Robinson, who organized a massive “Unite the Kingdom” rally in London Saturday which saw tens of thousands of demonstrators turn out.

“Shoot him in the neck like Charlie Kirk!” they can be heard chanting in the clip.

The group spewing the vile message was waving Palestinian flags, the video showed.

The heinous incident happened as two separate rallies consumed the streets of London.

In one organized by Robinson, a sea of flag-waving Brits marched down Kingsway before crossing London Bridge and rallying in Parliament Square with many protesters wearing “Make England Great Again” hats.

The estimated 50,000 protesters draped themselves in British flags — including the Union Jack and St. George’s Cross, alongside Scottish and Welsh flags.

A pro-Palestinian march also drew thousands for the commemoration of Nakba Day, memorializing the Palestinians who fled from their homes during the war surrounding Israel’s creation in 1948.

London Metropolitan Police arrested 31 people across the two rallies and had a massive force of 4,000 officers to control the crowds, according to SkyNews.

Robinson, an anti-Islam activist whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, slammed the Palestinian rally and UK’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

“We’re a Christian nation. Why do we keep seeing demonstrations from Palestine in our nation — there’s one today — when Christians are being butchered and massacred across every Middle Eastern nation,” Robinson said on stage during a speech.

“While our feckless PM Keir Starmer creates division and fake outrage, we will continue to #UnitedTheKingdom. He’s such a wanker,” Robinson wrote on X during the rally.

“We’re in a fight for the soul of this country, and the Unite the Kingdom march this weekend is a stark reminder of exactly what we are up against,” Starmer said Friday.

“Its organizers are peddling hatred and division, plain and simple. We will block those coming into the UK who seek to incite hatred and violence.”

Then the PM concluded with a warning: “For anyone who sets out to wreak havoc on our streets, to intimidate or threaten anyone, you can expect to face the full force of the law.”

Starmer revoked visas of 11 “far right agitators” from entering the country for the Unite The Kingdom rally, according to the BBC.

Those banned included Polish MEP Dominik Tarczynski and anti-Islam influencer, Valentina Gomez.

Source: https://nypost.com/2026/05/16/world-news/shoot-him-in-the-neck-like-charlie-kirk-vile-chant-erupts-during-massive-london-protests/

A humpback whale found dead this week off a Danish island has been identified as the animal released two weeks ago in a spectacular and contentious rescue effort, after repeatedly becoming stranded off Germany’s Baltic Sea coast, authorities said Saturday.

The dead whale was stranded on Thursday just off the small island of Anholt in the Kattegat, the broad strait between Denmark and Sweden that connects the Baltic Sea to the North Sea.

The site is south of the location about 70 kilometers (around 45 miles) from Skagen, on the northern tip of Denmark, where the whale that gained the nicknames “Timmy” and “Hope” was released on May 2 after being transported toward the North Sea in a barge.

A tracking device was recovered
“It can now be confirmed that the stranded humpback whale near Anholt is the same whale that was previously stranded in Germany and was the subject of rescue attempts,” Jane Hansen, head of division at the Danish Environmental Protection Agency, said in an emailed statement.

She added that conditions on Saturday made it possible for a Danish Nature Agency employee to locate and retrieve a tracking device that was still fastened to the whale’s back, and “the position and appearance of the device confirm that this is the same whale that had previously been observed and handled in German waters.”

The finding brought a sad end to weeks of efforts to guide the mammal back to its natural habitat in the Atlantic Ocean.

A lengthy drama

The whale was first spotted off the German coast on March 3. It’s not clear why it swam into the Baltic Sea, which is far from its habitat and it wasn’t suited to, although some experts said it may have lost its way while swimming after a shoal of herring or during migration.

In late March, it was rescued from shallow water in the German Baltic resort town of Timmendorfer Strand with the help of an excavator, but it soon ran into trouble again nearby. Local media produced dayslong livestreams, and news sites alerted readers to the smallest developments in the whale’s situation.

At the beginning of April, experts said that they had given up hope for the whale and expected it to die in the inlet where it was stranded at the time.

But the whale’s deteriorating condition prompted a controversy that drew in privately funded rescuers, regional authorities and the scientific community. Activists staged protests calling for the animal’s rescue, while influencers debated the best way to help it.

Some scientists said that further rescue efforts would in themselves cause the ailing and exhausted animal severe stress.

The regional government in Germany’s Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania state allowed a private rescue initiative to go ahead with the ambitious effort to pull the whale onto a flooded barge.

The initiative confirmed that the number tracking device found on the dead animal corresponded with the one that had been attached to the whale, German news agency dpa reported. It noted that it wasn’t possible to say conclusively what caused the whale’s death.

Source: https://apnews.com/article/germany-denmark-dead-whale-timmy-rescue-c6e3de9fd7dd4a03c2a676b6994d14d8

The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, does not meet the criteria of a pandemic emergency, said the World Health Organization.

The World Health Organization on Sunday (May 17) declared an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda a “public health emergency of international concern”.

The WHO said the outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, does not meet the criteria of a pandemic emergency but said countries sharing land borders with DRC are at high risk for further spread.

The UN health agency said in a statement that 80 suspected deaths, eight laboratory-confirmed cases and 246 suspected cases had been reported as of Saturday in DRC’s Ituri province across at least three health zones, including Bunia, Rwampara and Mongbwalu.

INTERNATIONAL SPREAD DOCUMENTED, WHO SAYS

The DRC health ministry had said on Friday that 80 people had died in the new outbreak in the eastern province.

There could potentially be a much larger outbreak than what is currently being detected and reported, the WHO said, given the high positivity rate of the initial samples and the increasing number of suspected cases being reported.

The outbreak is “extraordinary” as there are no approved Bundibugyo virus-specific therapeutics or vaccines, unlike for Ebola-zaire strains, it said.

The DRC-Uganda outbreak poses a public health risk to other countries, with some such cases of an international spread already documented, the agency said, advising countries to activate their national disaster and emergency-management mechanisms and undertake cross-border screening and screening at main internal roads.

In Uganda’s capital, Kampala, two apparently unrelated laboratory-confirmed cases, including one death, were reported on Friday and Saturday, from people travelling from the DRC, the WHO said.

A laboratory-confirmed case was also reported in the DRC capital, Kinshasa, from a person returning from Ituri, the WHO said.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/ebola-global-health-emergency-who-congo-uganda-6126246

LARA Trump’s journey to Republican darling and, at one time, Senate hopeful was anything but ordinary.

The former pastry chef has now become a top advisor to President Donald Trump, even joining him on his trip to China.

Thursday saw Lara join her father-in-law for dinner with Chinese President Xi Jinping, wearing a traditional Chinese qipao for the event.

But the GOP powerhouse personality wasn’t always looking for life in the political limelight.

Born Lara Yunaska, she studied communications at North Carolina State University before getting a degree in pastry arts from the French Culinary Institute in New York City according to according to Town & Country Magazine.

She also worked as a personal trainer, showing others how to hone their bodies to their full potential as she has her entire life.

But it was during her time in culinary school while living in NYC that she met Eric Trump, Donald’s son, for the first time in March 2008.

After making what Lara called a “unique” but memorable introduction, the two started dating and got married in 2014.

Around this time, she had been promoted to an associate producer on CBS’ Inside Edition after starting in 2012 as a story coordinator.

Yet despite her promotion, Lara decided to leave her multifaceted career behind and start fresh as an advisor to Trump.

Her devotion to her father-in-law’s political journey continued throughout his first term and into his first bid for re-election, which he lost to Joe Biden.

But her political journey didn’t stop there, with rumors swirling about a Senate run that she quickly squashed by endorsing the eventual winner, Republican Representative Ted Budd of North Carolina.

She returned to the political spotlight by joining Fox News as a contributor in March 2021, stepping down in 2022 when Trump announced his second bid for re-election.

During this campaign, she became the RNC’s co-chair on March 8, 2024 by unanimous vote, holding the position until December of that year.

Lara was rumored to be finishing out Marco Rubio’s unfinished Senate term at the time, but withdrew her name from contention later that month.

Then, in February 2025, she returned to Fox News to run her own talk show called My View with Lara Trump, still running today.

Her show is described as “the return of common sense to all corners of American life” and features a mix of “analysis and interviews with influential figures,” according to Fox News.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/16370934/lara-trump-background-life-story-china-summit-fox-news/

 

A MALDIVIAN diver has died in the search for the bodies of four Italians who were killed in a fatal cave expedition.

Sergeant Major Mohammed Mahdi lost his life during the third day of recovery operations in Vaavu Atoll and was one of eight divers on the mission.

The Coast Guard member reportedly fell ill on the mission on Saturday and was rushed to hospital where died.

Announcing the news on X, the Maldivian military said: “His courage, sacrifice, and service to the nation will always be remembered. Our deepest condolences to his family and colleagues.”

Italy’s foreign minister Antonio Tajani said: “These painful days for itIaly are even worse after news that a courageous serviceman, Sergeant Mohammed Mahdi, died following an attempt to reach the bodies of our countrymen.

“This tragedy has united Italy and the Maldives in our sorrow and respect for the victims.”

The five Italian divers were exploring caves up to 200ft underwater in the Maldives on Thursday morning but failed to resurface.

It has since been announced that the Duke of York yacht, from which the diving group launched their expedition, has had its license suspended.

Concerned friends aboard the luxury vessel revealed that they alerted authorities around noon, but help did not arrive until nearly three hours later.

Four of the five divers were part of a University of Genoa research team – which included renowned marine biologist and professor Monica Montefalcone.

She was joined by her daughter Giorgia Sommacal, researcher Muriel Oddenino and marine biologist Federico Gualtieri.

The fifth member was boat captain and experienced diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti, whose body was found alongside an empty oxygen tank at 6.15pm on Thursday evening.

A desperate search for the bodies has resumed after bad weather forced authorities to call off yesterday’s mission.

Italy’s foreign ministry said today: “Eight Maldivian divers are currently taking turns in the search operations.

“The first two divers have already gone underwater to locate and precisely mark the entrance to the series of caves where the Italian divers went missing.

“Six more divers will subsequently dive, in various shifts, to try to locate the bodies and bring them to the surface.”

Around 20 other people remained on the Duke of York while the expedition was underway, including students researchers and professors from the university.

One said: “We didn’t see them resurfacing. No balloon opened. That’s when we realized something was wrong and immediately raised the alarm.”

But despite alerting authorities immediately, it reportedly took rescuers about two and half hours to arrive.

One witness said: “The Maldives are huge, the atolls are very distant from each other, and rescuers arrive here by sea. It can take hours.”

Several tragic theories have emerged about how the highly experienced team could have succumb to such a fate.

Monica’s husband Carlo Sommacal believes that finding her body could reveal what went wrong.

He explained: “Monica usually had a GoPro when she went diving.”

“I don’t know if she had one the other day. If they find it, maybe from there we can understand what happened.”

Carlo has fiercely defended his wife and her team amid questions over the safety of their expedition.

He said his Monica was an “expert” who had done over 5,000 dives and “knows what to do even in times of difficulty”.

Carlo told La Repubblica daily: “She would never have put her daughter’s life or the lives of the other children at risk out of recklessness.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/16368974/divers-drown-maldives-cave-gopro-reveals-tragedy/

A TWO-YEAR-OLD girl has been crushed to death by a chest of drawers in a horrifying accident at home.

Helena Cochrane from Dentons, Texas, had been climbing the open drawers to reach for a toy when the 80lb antique, more than double her weight, fell on top of her on January 8.

In the month where she should have turned three, Helena’s mom Taryn, 21, is sharing her devastation and warning parents to safeguard their home after her “worst nightmare” became reality.

“An antique dresser I’ve had in my home for years with no prior issue or cause of concern fell on her after she used the drawers as steps to get a toy I had put away on the top – resulting in immediate death,” she said on social media.

“It happened so quickly and so silently, and our lives changed forever.

“The unimaginable happened. The guilt and shame has all but consumed me, knowing that if I had taken the precautions of anchoring this dresser, my baby would still be here and her sister would still have her best friend.”

Taryn told NeedToKnow how she and the rest of her family now endure “intense and excruciating grief” on a daily basis.

“No parent should outlive their babies – especially not to preventable accidents,” she said.

“The heartbreaking truth is that furniture tip overs are far more common than most people realize.

“But it takes only a second for something heavy to fall, and the consequences can be devastating.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/16369845/two-year-old-girl-crushed-to-death-drawers-texas/

DONALD Trump has made clear his interest in expanding the United States, with Venezuela and Greenland pinpointed as contenders to become the 51st state.

Earlier this year, Trump sparked controversy after posting comments linking Venezuela to the idea of becoming part of the United States after its shock victory over the United States in the World Baseball Classic final in Miami.

Ahead of the match, Trump posted on Truth Social: “Good things are happening to Venezuela lately! I wonder what this magic is all about? STATEHOOD, #51, ANYONE?”

Following Venezuela’s victory over the United States, he posted again: “STATEHOOD!!! President DJT.”

The comments sparked fresh political tensions between the two countries, which were heightened in January following the American capture of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro from within his own country.

Days later, Trump said during a phone interview with Fox News that he was “seriously considering” the idea of making Venezuela a permanent part of the United States.

He pointed to their oil reserves, which some analysts estimate could be worth up to $40trillion, as a key component of his plan.

“Venezuela loves Trump,” he said, adding that closer alignment with the United States would benefit both countries economically and strategically.

World-renowned constitutional law expert Ilya Somin broke down all the issues for The U.S. Sun.

The Russian-born academic says the process would require multiple steps which could render the idea extremely difficult to pull off.

“So in order to make Venezuela a state, several things would have to happen that are extremely unlikely,” Somin said.

“First, he would have to get Congress to annex Venezuela and to make it a state. Very unlikely he could get congressional majorities for that in both houses.”

He added that even legislative approval would not be sufficient on its own.

“Second, and maybe even more difficult, he would have to actually take over the territory of Venezuela,” Somin said.

“And that could happen only by either the government of Venezuela agreeing to it or by the US conquering Venezuela.

“I suppose he could try to make some kind of agreement with the government of Venezuela. But that by itself would not be enough to make Venezuela a US territory, much less a state. You would need Congress to pass a law to do it.”

Even if those hurdles are overcome, fresh issues would arise.

“If you somehow get the Congress issues out of the way, there would be some questions about integrating the Venezuelan legal system into the United States, and dealing with the fact that we would now have something like 30 or 40 million new Spanish-speaking citizens,” Somin said.

“There would be some other practical difficulties as well.”

The removal of Maduro from power was welcomed by swathes of Venezuelans who had grown tired of the regime which had overseen dramatic economic decline, leading to food and medicine shortages among other myriad issues.

“I think it may well be that many Venezuelans might think that they’d be better off under US rule than under the regime that exists there now,” Somin, a Professor of Law at George Mason University, continued.

“But obviously we don’t know for sure. And regardless of that, the average Venezuelan is not in a position to make a decision on this right now. There is an authoritarian regime in power.”

Trump has also repeatedly raised the idea of acquiring Greenland from Denmark, reviving a proposal first discussed during his presidency.

He has argued that Greenland holds major strategic importance for the United States due to its position between North America and Europe and its proximity to Arctic and North Atlantic shipping routes.

He has pointed to increasing Russian and Chinese activity in the Arctic as a key reason for strengthening its presence in the region.

The United States already operates a military base in Greenland, but Trump has said full control would significantly expand American capabilities in Arctic surveillance, missile defense and naval operations.

Greenland has a population of about 56,000 people, with most residents living along the southwestern coast due to the island’s ice-covered interior.

Trump’s comments about Greenland have been firmly rejected by the territory’s government, which has stated that it is not for sale and will not accept any form of takeover.

NATO officials have warned that any attempt to seize Greenland by force would severely damage transatlantic relations.

Somin agrees, stressing “I do think there you would also have the issue that trying to seize Greenland would alienate all of our allies even more than before.

“It would break the NATO alliance. It would damage the US standing in the world. That kind of consideration may be why Trump has so far backed down on this and not actually pushed on it.”

Denmark has increased its military presence around Greenland in response to rising geopolitical attention in the Arctic.

Greenland has been part of the Kingdom of Denmark for more than 300 years but gained home rule in 1979 and expanded autonomy under the 2009 Self-Government Act.

Trump has continued to argue that Greenland’s strategic position makes it increasingly important as global competition in the Arctic intensifies.

Trump has used Truth Social to hammer home his message

Over the years, multiple US presidents have supported the idea of expanding statehood through existing territories, most commonly Puerto Rico and Washington DC.

Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George Bush, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and Joe Biden have expressed varying degrees of interest in pushing the issues forward.

Splitting California into two has also been mooted, while Trump has also suggested Canada would benefit from joining the United States for economic and security purposes.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/16367706/trump-venezuela-greenland-united-states/

Bulgaria has won the 70th Eurovision Song Contest. The kitsch pop music extravaganza, the world’s biggest live music contest, has again been overshadowed by protests and a boycott over Israel’s participation.

Bulgaria won the Eurovision Song Contest final in Austria’s capital, Vienna, on Saturday night with the song “Bangaranga” amid a boycott by five countries over Israel’s participation.

The song’s infectious beats and tightly choreographed dance routine proved a hit with both national juries and viewers, whose votes together decide the winner.

Dara beat 24 other competitors during Saturday’s grand final in Vienna.

The Eurovision Song Contest described Dara as “one of the most well-known pop musicians in her country, shaping the image of contemporary Bulgarian pop with her unique voice, commanding stage presence and unrestrained genre-blending.”

It’s the first time Bulgaria has won the contest.

Israel finished second ahead of Romania, Australia and Italy to round out the top five. Germany placed 23rd, and the UK was last in the 25th spot.

Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Iceland and Slovenia have pulled out of the world’s biggest live music contest, now in its 70th year, in protest at Israel’s involvement.

“We will not be in Vienna, ​but we will do so with the conviction that we are on the right side of history,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on X on ​Friday.

Dispute over Israel’s Gaza campaign casts shadow over Eurovision final

The contest was the expected glitzy affair and featured a host of kitsch, upbeat pop acts. It has ‌been marred in recent years ⁠by ⁠the dispute over Israel’s military offensive in Gaza.

That war, a response to the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, where around 1,200 people in Israel were killed, resulted in the deaths of more than 70,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

The boycott means this year’s contest had just 35 entries, the fewest since 2003. The final will only feature 25 acts.

Television viewing figures are expected to be lower than last year’s 166 million people, which was more than the 128 million people who watched the Super Bowl.

Israel has condemned the boycott, claiming it is the target of a global smear campaign.

“We’re going through some challenging times at the moment,” Eurovision Song Contest director Martin Green said before the final began.

Which countries were tipped to do well?

The overwhelming favorites going into the final were Finland’s duo of violinist Linda Lampenius and singer Pete Parkkonen, with their number “Liekinheitin,” or “Flamethrower.”

Australia’s Delta Goodrem was also expected to challenge for the trophy with her song “Eclipse.” Goodrem is a household name in Australia, having sold 9 million albums, racking up number-one singles and 17 top-ten hits in her home country.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/eurovision-final-kicks-off-in-vienna-amid-israel-dispute-spain-ireland-the-netherlands-boycott/a-77182516

Nigeria and the United States say they have killed a senior Islamic State (IS) leader in a joint-operation.

Abu-Bilal al-Minuki was described by US President Donald Trump as the “second in command of ISIS globally” and “the most active terrorist in the world”.

IS has radically shifted in recent years, with around 90% of its attacks now taking place in sub-Saharan Africa. Its Nigeria-based branch is by far the most active.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu said the two countries had carried out a “daring joint operation that dealt a heavy blow” to IS.

Al‑Minuki was declared a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by Washington in 2023.

He was killed along with “several of his lieutenants” during a strike on his compound in the Lake Chad Basin, a huge region of waterways and swampland shared by Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Cameroon.

A military spokesman said intelligence had established Minuki had established a fortified base in the area – in Metele, Borno state.

The Lake Chad basin has long been a stronghold for Boko Haram and its rival faction, Islamic State West Africa Province (Iswap).

The Nigerian military said the operation began shortly after midnight on Saturday, after months of intelligence gathering and reconnaissance. It said “zero casualties or loss of assets” were recorded, describing the operation as evidence of growing co-operation between Nigerian and US forces.

It said that al-Minuki had been promoted to “Head of General Directorate of States”, making him one of the most senior figures within the global IS hierarchy.

He previously oversaw IS-linked operations across the Sahel and West Africa, including attacks targeting civilians and minority communities.

The military also linked al-Minuki to the 2018 Dapchi schoolgirls kidnapping when more than 100 girls from a boarding school in north-eastern Nigeria were taken by militant group Boko Haram.

Before pledging allegiance to IS in 2015, he was described as a senior Boko Haram commander.

Boko Haram began its military campaign to impose Islamic rule in northern Nigeria in 2009.

The group pledged its allegiance to IS after what was believed to be the then-leader Abubakar Shekau posted an audio statement on Boko Haram’s X account in 2015.

Its aim has been to establish a “caliphate”, a state ruled by a single political and religious leader according to Islamic law, or Sharia.

Abu-Bilal al-Manuki is believed to have hailed from Borno State in north-eastern Nigeria. Analysts say his nickname likely came from Mainok, a town in the state, following a common regional tradition where people are identified by their hometowns or family names.

The Nigerian military previously claimed they had killed him in 2024 – but backtracked on Saturday saying this was in fact a different fighter who was using the same alias. It has also made similar claims about other jihadists in the Lake Chad basin, including claiming on around five different occasions it had killed former Boko Haram leader Abu Bakar Shekau before his death was confirmed in May 2021.

Trump described al-Minuki’s death as a major blow to IS’s African and global networks, disrupting funding channels and command structures.

The US president thanked the Nigerian government for their “partnership”, adding that Minuki “will no longer terrorize the people of Africa or help plan operations to target Americans”.

Nigeria and the US have increased military co-operation as the country ramps up efforts to fight the extremist insurgency that has plagued Nigeria for more than a decade.

The move follows earlier comments by President Trump that Nigeria was not doing enough to protect vulnerable groups, including Christian communities – claims repeatedly denied by Nigerian authorities, who say violence in the country affects people regardless of religion or faith.

In April, IS claimed responsibility after gunmen killed at least 29 people at a football pitch in Nigeria’s north-eastern Adamawa state.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy72p2kpd03o

Hezbollah has increased its use of small first-person view (FPV) drones to attack Israel, including systems controlled by fibre-optic cables to evade sophisticated defences.

BBC Verify has geolocated 35 videos shared by the Lebanese armed group since 26 March which show strikes on Israeli soldiers, armoured vehicles and air defence systems in southern Lebanon and northern Israel.

Experts told BBC Verify the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has “so far been unable to develop any effective countermeasures”, as the small drones can easily bypass detection systems.

The drones can also be made from commercially available and 3D-printed components – and are cheap compared to the high-value targets they can destroy, experts also said.

The use of cheap FPV drones became widespread during the Russia-Ukraine war and has changed modern warfare.

While the Israeli military has not published all casualty details, Israeli media reports indicate four IDF soldiers and one civilian have been killed in FPV strikes, with dozens more injured.

The IDF told BBC Verify it recognises the threat from drones and is investing “significant resources” in improving defences, developing “more effective alert models” and training soldiers for “improving readiness and increasing awareness of the threat”.

According to the Institute for National Security Studies, the IDF has also been using FPV drones for several years, currently operating with them in southern Lebanon and against Hamas in Gaza.

Hisham Jaber, a military analyst and former Lebanese army general, told BBC Arabic the FPV drones can be “undetectable by radar” and the “hundreds” of them at Hezbollah’s disposal have been used to disable armoured vehicles – including tanks.

Hezbollah has been using several types of larger attack drones against targets in northern Israel for many years, Jaber added, but the use of FPVs represents an “entirely different category”.

BBC Verify has found videos of nearly 100 apparent FPV attacks shared on Hezbollah’s Telegram channel since 26 March, 35 of which have been verified. Hezbollah does not appear to have shared any footage of similar strikes from the conflict beginning on 2 March.

One verified video shared on Thursday shows at least four FPV drones attacking an Israeli border outpost near Kiryat Shmona, targeting a series of military vehicles in sequence. At least two of them can be seen heavily damaged or destroyed in the clips.

BBC Verify has also tracked similar drone strikes in south Lebanon, including documenting at least two strikes on 26 April in the town of Taybeh. The videos show soldiers being targeted, followed by a strike nearby to an IDF helicopter in the process of rescuing injured troops. Israeli media has reported one soldier was killed and six others injured.

Many of these drones are flown using fibre optic cable connections – rather than radio or other wireless signals – making them difficult to intercept with current Israeli electronic counter-measures.

Dr Andreas Krieg, a security expert from King’s College London, told BBC Verify the fibre-optics render Israel’s capacity to detect, jam and intercept drones “largely irrelevant” and makes finding the operator significantly more challenging.

The impact of this, he said, is Israeli troops “having to move more cautiously, harden positions, use physical protective measures such as nets and cages, and devote more attention to immediate local defence”.

Krieg added Hezbollah is most likely assembling the drones locally from commercially available components sourced from places like China, at a cost in the range of $300-$500 (£225-£375) each.

Leone Hadavi, a senior investigator and weapons expert for the Centre for Information Resilience, said these commercial parts are also supplemented with components made using 3D printers.

“Tracing components has proven very hard because of how easily accessible they are and non-military in nature. Mostly these FPV drones carry a RPG [rocket-propelled grenade] warhead, of which there is no shortage in southern Lebanon,” he added.

Hadavi told BBC Verify that the “psychological implication” of increasing FPV strikes appears to be significant on Israeli troops, given their capacity to threaten highly protected armoured vehicles.

This recent escalation in fighting between Israel and Hezbollah began on 2 March, two days after the US and Israel launched a wave of air strikes in Iran, killing supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1j2zwe9g5no

 

Bulgarian pop star Dara has won the Eurovision Song Contest with her pneumatic dance anthem Bangaranga.

The 27-year-old topped both the public and the jury vote in a nail-biting conclusion, soaring ahead of Israel in second and Romania in third to score a massive 516 points.

Dara was far from a front-runner going into the contest, but her intricate choreography and naggingly catchy chorus helped her eclipse the competition – giving Bulgaria its first ever Eurovison title.

The UK, however, continued its run of disastrous results. Look Mum No Computer’s song Eins, Zwei, Drei took last place, with one solitary point from the Ukrainian jury.

The musician predicted his downfall earlier in the week, admitting that his synth-driven track was “Marmite – you either love it or hate it”.

But he put a positive spin on the situation. “I always say to expect nothing,” he said, “because if you expect nothing, you lose nothing”.

“He gave it his all,” said Graham Norton as the results became clear. “It just clearly didn’t shine with the audiences across Europe.”

It is the third time since 2020 that the UK has placed last.

The top five of the leaderboard looked like this:

1. Bulgaria: Dara – Bangaranga (516 points)
2. Israel: Noam Bettan – Michelle (343 points)
3. Romania: Alexandra Căpitănescu – Choke Me (296 points)
4. Australia: Delta Goodrem – Eclipse (287 points)
5. Italy: Sal Da Vinci – Per Sempre (281 points)

Unlike Look Mum No Computer, who is best known for a YouTube channel where he builds eccentric contraptions, Dara is a major pop star in her home country.

Her songs and videos have amassed over 80 million listens and views, including the number one single Thunder, and she is a coach on the country’s version of the TV talent show The Voice.

To the uninitiated, Bangaranga seems cast in the mould of nonsensical Eurovision songs like Diggi-Loo, Diggi-Ley – but the title actually means “uproar” in Jamaican patois.

The lyrics address Dara’s commitment to overcoming anxiety and ADHD, which she was diagnosed with last year.

“Bangaranga is something that everyone’s got in themselves,” she explained.

“It’s the moment you choose to lead with love, not fear.”

Her performance came with whiplash-inducing choreography, based on the ancient Bulgarian tradition of Kukeri, in which masked performers chase away evil spirits.

Before the grand final, it also earned the singer an award for the year’s best staging, voted for by commentators, including the UK’s Graham Norton.

The UK was among the many countries who gave Bangaranga 12 points in the public vote.

Speaking backstage after lifting the crystal microphone trophy, Dara said: “I want to thank everybody who felt the Bangaranga and felt connected to the force.”

Bulgarian National Television also confirmed next year‘s contest will be held in the country’s capital, Sofia.

The run-up to this year’s contest was overshadowed by protests over Israel’s participation, due to the death toll of the war in Gaza.

Five countries boycotted the event, including Spain, Iceland and seven-time winners Ireland. In Vienna, there were protests in the city centre ahead of the grand final.

Protests were also anticipated during Israel’s performance, after singer Noam Bettan was heckled with anti-Israel chants during Tuesday’s semi-final.

However, there were no disturbances during his song, Michelle – a heartfelt Mediterranean love song, that took second place.

Czechia’s performance, meanwhile, was interrupted by a technical error, during which the video feed was interrupted and singer Daniel Žižka temporarily disappeared.

“That did not happen at any of the rehearsals, the distorted picture,” said Graham Norton on BBC One. “I think the camera[man] fell, I’m not quite sure.”

Žižka asked for a chance to reprise his performance, but organisers declined, saying his “performance and audio were not affected” by the “small camera issue”.

Surprisingly, the contest’s two presumed favourites were pushed out of the top three altogether.

Finnish duo Pete Parkkonen and Linda Lampenius topped bookmakers’ odds for weeks – but although their stormy duet was called Liekinheitin (flamethrower), it failed to catch fire, ending in sixth place.

Meanwhile, some commentators believed Delta Goodrem could become Australia’s first ever Eurovision winner, with her Celine Dion-adjacent power ballad Eclipse.

She delivered the night’s most jaw-dropping vocal, rising above the arena on a platform she allegdly borrowed from Beyoncé. But ultimately, the song proved too dated to top the leaderboard, coming fourth.

This year’s contest was held in Vienna, Austria, after 25-year-old JJ lifted last year’s trophy in Basel, Switzerland, with his song Wasted Love.

The show opened with a recap of that song – before the competition started in earnest with Denmark’s Søren Torpegaard Lund.

Writhing with dancers in a sweaty plastic box, his performance set the tone for a night dominated by stories of obsession and animal passion.

Germany’s Sarah Engels was “on fire”, Norway’s Jonas Lovv had “no self control” and Sweden’s Felicia gave us an image that’s hard to forget: “You’re in my head, my heart, my body parts”. TMI, Felicia.

As for Serbia, the lead singer of rock band Lavina was so tortured by someone who “trampled on his heart” that he ended his song with a blood-curdling scream.

Representing Romania, meanwhile, Alexandra Căpitănescu provoked controversy with the lyrics to her song Choke Me.

Campaigners criticised the track for glamourising sexual violence – but Căpitănescu said it was really about suffocating under the weight of self-doubt.

Performed second-to-last, her powerful performance – essentially Lady Gaga fronting the nu metal band Evansecence – proved tantalising enough to take third place.

More on the Eurovision Song Contest 2026:

• Why Eurovision’s fallout over Israel may change the competition forever
• Nine things to look out for at the Eurovision final
• UK act: The BBC gave me a stress test to check I could cope under pressure
• A guide to all 35 Eurovision songs
• Israel’s Eurovision entry ‘shocked’ by protests during semi-final show
• Eurovision boss: ‘We’re watching the voting very carefully’
• Another year, another controversy for Eurovision – but fans are sticking by it
• Everything you need to know about Eurovision

But it wasn’t all lust, lust, lust.

Italy’s Sal Da Vinci delivered a sweetly nostalgic slice of 70s disco, with a song dedicated to his wife, Per Sempre, which came fifth.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8d87v9v660o

 

AI is coming for your job — but not in the way you think.

Karen says the real shock isn’t mass replacement (yet). It’s that AI is already reshaping work into something more precarious, more fragmented, and easier to squeeze. Data annotation and “AI training” are booming – but now the growth is in skilled labour. AI firms are hoovering up graduates and specialists to teach models the expertise they still can’t reliably produce. That’s the uncomfortable irony of “PhD‑capable” AI: to get there, it needs real PhDs (and near‑PhDs) feeding it knowledge, task by task. As Sam Altman once put it: “We see a future where intelligence is a utility, like electricity or water, and people buy it from us on a meter.” Meanwhile, the graduate job market is shrinking fast. Is this the “uberisation” of knowledge work – stable careers broken into gigs, paid by the piece, constantly monitored – with workers training the systems that may later deskill or replace them?

Nicky follows the dark logic of the online “health information ecosystem” – a system that profits from panic. A deadly hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship should be a contained public‑health story (serious for passengers, near‑zero risk for most people). Yet within hours it’s rebranded online as a “plandemic”: vaccines, bioweapons, “Covid 26”. The contradictions don’t slow it down, because the point isn’t truth; it’s engagement. In a world where more people get health advice from influencers and podcasts, fear becomes a business model: whip up anxiety, funnel it to “link in bio”, sell a cure, rinse and repeat. The real danger, Nicky argues, is what this does ahead of the next genuine crisis: an audience already primed to distrust guidance when it really matters.

And Thomas asks: is your car spying on you – and is it about to get worse? Modern cars aren’t just transport; they’re data machines. Connected vehicles can track where you go and how you drive, and that data can be shared or sold, often ending up with insurers and data brokers. The worrying bit: new US rules will push carmakers to add in‑car monitoring (including infrared and biometric systems) to spot tired or impaired drivers – creating an even bigger trove of sensitive data, with few clear limits on how it’s used.

The Interface is your weekly guide to the tech rewiring your week and our world. Hosted by journalists Thomas Germain, Karen Hao, and Nicky Woolf, each episode unpacks, week by week, how technology is shaping all our futures. No guests. No jargon. Just three sharp voices debating the stories that matter – whether they shook a government, broke the internet, or quietly tipped the balance of power.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/audio/play/p0nds1sc

Video of Donald Trump opening a folder at a China banquet sparks speculation he peeked at Xi Jinping’s notes, but further footage suggests the folder was Trump’s own.

A brief moment from US President Donald Trump’s recent visit to China has triggered a wave of speculation online, after social media users claimed he was seen looking through Chinese President Xi Jinping’s folder during a state banquet.

The clip, taken from footage of a banquet hosted by Xi following bilateral talks with Trump, shows the Chinese leader getting up from his seat. Seconds later, Trump appears to lean forward and open a folder placed on the table, prompting some viewers to suggest he was examining Xi’s notes.

The video quickly spread on social media, with users debating Trump’s actions and questioning whether the folder belonged to Xi Jinping. Some criticised the move as disrespectful, while others joked about whether Trump could read Mandarin.

Few could have predicted that blaming Israel and the Jews who support it would flare up in the early 21st century — and in America of all places.

After all, Israel is the only consensual society in the Middle East: It holds regular elections and maintains tripartite judicial, executive and legislative checks and balances.

Free speech is found in the Middle East only in Israel, where religious apostasy, criticism of one’s own country, gender equity and tolerance of gays are guaranteed, in marked contrast to all its neighbors.

True, the recent affluence of the Gulf states presents a thin veneer of Westernism that has fooled many in the new anti-Israel media.

But just because Qatar didn’t censor a celebrity newsman’s broadcast from Doha doesn’t make it a free society.

After all, no Western journalist would dare schedule a broadcast from Qatar with a Qatari who had condemned the regime for its intolerance.

So why and how did millions of Americans begin to express hatred for Israel and, albeit more subtly, the Jews who support it?

There are four converging fronts in this perfect storm.

First, demography: The US Muslim population is expanding exponentially, due almost entirely to recent immigration and substantially higher birth rates than the American norm.

There are now nearly 5 million Muslim Americans; by 2030, their numbers will likely surpass the Jewish American population.

And billions of dollars in the last few years have flowed into American universities from the Gulf states.

These enormous sums bankroll weaponized Middle East Studies programs and enrich left-wing NGOs.

An entire generation of young American elites has been groomed in universities to despise Israel and, by extension, to express hostility toward Jews.

After Oct. 7, the scab was torn away, revealing what had festered underneath for years.

Second, the DEI binary fuels both anti-Israel and anti-Jewish animus.

In this Marxist moral schema, the world is divided into “white oppressors” and “nonwhite victims.”

The dichotomy is reductive and often absurd, collapsing immense differences in class, wealth, power, culture and historical circumstance into a crude racial narrative.

Superficial appearance can brand one as a nonwhite victim — and once so identified, the supposedly oppressed are granted exemptions from censure.

DEI offers a pass from charges of antisemitism on the theory that the oppressed cannot themselves become oppressors.

Jews in America found themselves classified among the whitest and most privileged of the oppressor class, perhaps by virtue of their material success, while Israel abroad was deemed a white colonialist settler state.

Third, Israel itself is no longer the underdog of 1947, 1956, 1967 or 1973.

In this century, Benjamin Netanyahu helped open the Israeli economy and foster a meritocratic, free-market boom.

Only oil-rich Qatar and the UAE surpass Israel in regional per capita income.

Its military, honed over generations of warfare, has become more capable than those of France, Germany or the UK in key areas, especially combat aviation.

In short, tiny underdog Israel has been recast as the settler “overdog” bully.

Oct. 7 and its aftermath, counterintuitively, accelerated the anti-Israel, anti-Jewish hatred.

If Israel had not responded to the massacre, the new anti-Israel cohort would have claimed their inaction was a passive admission of prior guilt for which the attack was merely partial payment.

Yet once Israel moved to destroy Hamas, it was branded genocidal.

How could any army descend into a billion-dollar, booby-trapped labyrinth of tunnels, its exits and entries hidden beneath schools, private homes, mosques, and hospitals, to free hostages and kill terrorists while the media effectively shilled for Hamas?

Source : https://nypost.com/2026/05/15/opinion/how-the-lefts-perfect-storm-infected-the-us-with-jew-hate/

From your weight and facial expressions to your destination, cars collect a startling amount of data about you. Some of it may even raise your insurance costs. But you can take some simple steps to limit what they know about you.

In the past few weeks, flowers, messages and cuddly toys have grown like a creeper on the chain link fence at the entrance of Old Timers town camp in Australia’s Northern Territory.

A little girl gets out of a car with her brother and mother to add to the pile, laying a bright pink cuddly toy on the ground – a tribute to Kumanjayi Little Baby, the five-year-old who went missing in April from this Aboriginal community, and whose body was found five days later.

An Aboriginal man was subsequently charged with murdering her.

“The whole community is numb,” another mourner says. This is a sentiment felt by much of this small town of fewer than 30,000 people, many of whom joined the search for Kumanjayi Little Baby, as she’s now known for cultural reasons, in the days after she disappeared.

“In some ways you could say we’ve actually seen some of the best of the community in the absolute worst of times,” says Asta Hill, the mayor of Alice Springs.

As well as bringing the town together, Kumanjayi Little Baby’s death united Australians across the country in grief and outrage.

Condolence motions were passed in parliament, and even Prime Minister Anthony Albanese weighed in, saying “it breaks your heart”.

“For the very first time this story brought to the surface how deeply Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people love and care for their children,” says Catherine Liddle, CEO of SNAICC, a peak body that represents Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and their families.

But the circumstances of Kumanjayi Little Baby’s alleged murder also laid bare the deep inequalities that still exist in one of the world’s wealthiest countries with many asking how this could happen, and prompting authorities to promise a review into the territory’s child protection system.

Faced with a painful, often traumatic history of policies that have targeted generations of Aboriginal communities and their children, navigating the aftermath of this tragedy is fraught with sensitivities.

A beloved little girl

Kumanjayi Little Baby was a Warlpiri girl whose traditional lands are in the northwest of Alice Springs, in the Tanami Desert.

Her mother described her as a “princess” in a statement read out at a vigil held for her at Alice Springs.

She painted a picture of a beloved little girl that felt relatable to parents everywhere. A five-year-old who loved cartoons and computer games. A little sister who liked hanging out with her brother. A young student excited about starting school.

“My heart is broken into a million pieces,” her mother wrote to those attending. “I want you to know that I am having trouble knowing how I can repair it and how I can live without my little baby.”

This part of Australia is remote – the nearest city is Darwin, a 15-hour drive north. All around it is arid desert.

Aboriginal people make up about 3% of Australia’s population. In Alice Springs, that number is closer to 20%. But since colonisation, communities have been kept apart.

The Old Timers town camp, also known as Ilyperenye, where Kumanjayi Little Baby was put to bed by her mother the night she went missing, is a few kilometres south of Alice Springs, one of 16 around the town.

They first sprang up in the 1880s when Aboriginal people were displaced from their traditional lands by European settlers, but were only formalised in the 1970s after their residents asked for proper homes and basic services like electricity and piped water.

For decades prior to 1960 Aboriginal people had also been barred from entering Alice Springs which was predominantly white. There are camps in the north, south, east and west of the town – each with people speaking distinct languages and connected to different remote communities.

The camps are classified as social housing, but are effectively tiny hamlets comprising several homes. They suffer from overcrowding and residents complain of underfunding, leading to poor facilities and bad infrastructure. There are no shops, residents are sometimes left with no electricity on hot days, there is little public transport, limited internet, and roads are often bad with poor street lighting.

Experts say the poverty of the camps is a key contributor to the cases of alcoholism and domestic violence that have been reported there, adding to the pressure on their residents.

“Heavy things happen in this town and as a non-Indigenous Australian I think the colonisation story is still really present,” said Nina Lansbury, who attended last week’s vigil at the ANZAC Oval in Alice Springs.

Lansbury is an associate professor at the University of Queensland who’s been working in Tennant Creek, 500km from Alice, on public health research and housing. She says it’s clear that Kumanjayi Little Baby was not living in a house that supported her family, health and safety.

“I have a report from 1978 that I use in my research that’s from the Northern Territory that was citing all these same things – coming up to 50 years. It’s a big issue, it’s 2026 and this is still happening. Let’s hope this is a turning point.”

Sorry business

Since Kumanjayi Little Baby was found dead, many in the community here have been in what’s known as “sorry business”. This is a period of grieving among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples that involves cultural practices and ceremonies and can last days, weeks or even months.

Her family has asked that her death is respected during sorry business – and that none of what has happened be politicised.

But already, politicians across the board have been reflecting on how this happened and why a vulnerable little girl and her family weren’t sufficiently protected.

Liberal Party Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price said Kumanjayi Little Baby was a relative of hers, and broke down in Parliament, pleading for an “honest conversation” about the failures of child protection.

But other leaders point to repeated policy failures – both at a federal level and in the Northern Territory – when it comes to addressing systemic issues facing their communities.

Indigenous Australians are three times as likely to be unemployed compared to their non-Indigenous counterparts; have significantly lower life expectancies; make up 37% of the prison population and are more likely to suffer or perpetrate family violence than non-Indigenous Australians.

“The simple truth is that all governments of all persuasions over generations have not done enough to deal with what are generational challenges,” Albanese told parliament this week.

Traumatic past

The Stolen Generation is perhaps the most infamous example of failure – a shameful, decades-long national chapter that lasted until the 1970s, in which tens of thousands of Indigenous children were forcibly removed from their families as part of policies aimed at assimilation.

In 1997, a landmark report called Bringing Them Home estimated that as many as one in three Indigenous children were taken and placed in institutions and foster care where many suffered abuse and neglect.

A decade later, a federal government initiative known as the Northern Territory Intervention was brought in, to address sexual abuse of Aboriginal children in communities. But after 15 years it was scrapped and the policy was widely seen as a failure.

The most damaging thing to come out of this Intervention was the trauma put upon Aboriginal men, says Liddle.

“Men stopped bathing babies, they stopped helping out because what they heard was if you do those things, you’re a paedophile and you’re going to get locked up and your children are going to get taken away,” she says.

“[There was] fear of even going to authorities for innocent reasons because you’re scared that you’re going to be told that you’ve done something wrong,” she says.

Last week the Northern Territory Child Protection Minister Robyn Cahill announced that there would be a review into the territory’s child protection system, as well as reforms.

“I will not be a minister who abandons yet another generation of Territory kids,” Cahill said when the details of the review were announced. “The reality is we have kids in really difficult situations and for a long time people have been paralysed by the fear that they will be accused of [creating another Stolen Generation]. Children deserve to be safe – every single child in our community has a right to expect that.”

But Aboriginal organisations have criticised this. In a joint statement from Aboriginal Peak Organisations Northern Territory (APONT) and SNAICC, they said that it would “deepen an already devastating crisis, with consequences for generations of Aboriginal Territorians”.

They are particularly concerned about weakening what is known as the Aboriginal Child Placement Principle – a framework designed to keep Indigenous children connected to family. If that happens, they said, it would be tantamount to “a race-based attempt to blame Aboriginal families for conditions created by government failure”.

Aboriginal leaders say there needs to be a holistic approach that will help solve the deep social inequalities in the territory.

“When you look at the prison system in the Northern Territory, it is nearly always 100% Aboriginal children and nearly every single one of those children came out of the child protection system,” says Liddle.

Children as young as 10 can be jailed in the Northern Territory after the government there lowered the age of criminal responsibility in 2024. Its justification is that it will ultimately protect children – despite doctors, human rights organisations and Indigenous groups disputing that.

“It’s like paving a road – it’s like putting down pavers and saying here you are this is going to be your journey and by the way we’re going to lock you up at the age of 10 when something goes wrong.”

She admits that difficult conversations need to be had – but these should also encompass failures in social policy, housing, the prison system and the justice system.

“Those conversations needed to be led from community because the answers to this sit with community, they don’t sit in parliament,” argues Liddle. “You have to find out what’s actually going on and that will change depending on which community you’re sitting in, what state you’re sitting in. You also need to ensure that you’re investing in the services that we need and investing in the services that were designed by us for us.”

There’s no denying there are complex social issues that need tackling.

Generations of disenfranchisement – Aboriginal people were, for example, not granted full voting rights until 1984 – have significantly contributed to the vicious cycle of poverty, crime and worse social outcomes for some. In Alice, many sports fields and homes are fenced off to prevent youth-related crime including burglary, assault and alcohol-fuelled anti-social behaviour.

Liddle says while delinquency happens, and is not okay, it means funding is not always targeted in the best way. “There have been a lot of fences go up instead of what we really, really need, and that is the investment into ensuring that people are safe.”

For some Alice residents, there needs to be a reframing of how Aboriginal communities are seen – and supported.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cq6p57mnz9lo

When Donald Trump strode on to a stage at a campaign rally in Indiana in 2016, he made one thing clear: China was America’s chief economic antagonist.

“We can’t continue to allow China to rape our country,” he told a crowd in Fort Wayne. “We have the cards. Don’t forget it.”

The anti-China rhetoric didn’t let up – through a decade of rallies, his 2024 campaign and into his second term.

Trump arrived back at the White House alongside key allies who made China-bashing a calling card: Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vice-President JD Vance and senior economic counsellor Peter Navarro – all united in accusing Beijing of “ripping off” America, stealing technology at an industrial scale and flooding US streets with fentanyl.

Tariffs soon followed, climbing from 10% in February 2025 to 145% by mid-April’s “Liberation Day”, as Trump called his launch of import taxes on China and scores of other US trade partners. China struck back, slapping the US with 125% tariffs and blocking rare earth exports. A trade war was under way.

Then came this week’s visit to Beijing.

Trump stepped on to a red carpet at the Great Hall of the People to hundreds of flag-waving children and a military band belting out the Star-Spangled Banner.

“It’s an honour to be with you,” Trump told Chinese President Xi Jinping. “It’s an honour to be your friend, and the relationship between China and the US is going to be better than ever before.”

Trump soon hailed “fantastic trade deals”, although no major breakthrough was confirmed. Chipmaker Nvidia was reportedly given a go-ahead to sell semiconductors to 10 Chinese companies and Boeing secured an order for 200 aircraft. Citi was granted an approval to operate a securities business in China.

But amid the pleasantries and softened positions, hardline positions against China reflect the traditionally more hawkish stance of Trump’s Republican Party.

Less than a week before the summit, the US state department sanctioned three Chinese firms for providing satellite imagery to Iran to help strike US forces in the Middle East.

And outstanding issues remain – chiefly Taiwan, the self-ruled island viewed by Beijing as a renegade province. Trump delivered few details on the fate of a delayed $14bn arms sale viewed as essential by Democrats and Republican China “hawks” alike.

Ahead of the visit, a bipartisan group of senators sent a letter urging Trump to move ahead with the sale and “formally” notify his Chinese counterpart.

“On Taiwan, he [Xi] feels very strongly. I made no commitment either way,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One, adding that he would make a “determination over the next fairly short period” about the arms sale.

Notably, the Chinese read-out of the meeting made Taiwan its central point, arguing that a failure to address the issue could lead to “clashes and even conflicts, putting the entire relationship in great jeopardy”. The White House read-out made no mention of Taiwan.

The Chinese statement was seen as a threat by some within the broader Make America Great Again movement.

“I am shocked, given how much people wanted to make this into a positive spirit, he [Xi] started with a threat,” former Trump strategist Steve Bannon told Politico. “It was so brazen and so blatant, that they made this at the very top.”

However, even the most ardent China hawks on Capitol Hill and among Trump’s allies stayed largely silent after the trip, offering little reaction to Trump’s friendly tone and non-committal statements on Taiwan.

For China experts in the US, the lack of reaction came as no surprise.

“If you had 50 presidential summits in one month or one year, it still wouldn’t change the fact that there are some issues on which the US and China are simply never going to agree,” David Firestein, president and CEO of the George HW Bush Foundation for US-China Relations, told the BBC.

“That doesn’t mean it’s not going to be a successful summit,” he added.

Trump’s softening rhetoric and tone, Firestein added, could reflect an acknowledgement that the tactics used in the years after his last visit in 2017 have not worked.

“We still have the same problems today with market access, intellectual property rights, subsidies…the list goes on,” he said. “None of those problems have been solved after eight years of having these tariffs on the books.”

David Sacks, a fellow for Asia studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, said that the softening of Trump’s tone will likely trickle down to other officials, Republican lawmakers and Trump’s wider base.

“Unlike the first Trump administration, and frankly, any other US administration in recent memory, this is much more top down,” he said. “I think those in the administration are, mostly, in the role of implementation.”

Sacks’ comments were echoed by Stephen Orlins, president at the National Committee on US-China Relations.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgz902mqe5o

REAL Housewives of Rhode Island star Dino Guilmette is facing life in prison after he was caught allegedly smuggling kilos of cocaine into the US from the Caribbean.

In court records obtained by The U.S. Sun, the RHORI star was hit with seven felony charges stemming from an incident on November 10, 2021.

Dino, best known as RHORI star and Cannabis Queen Liz McGraw’s close friend and confidant, was alleged to have been “selling large quantities of cocaine, believed to be in kilogram quantities, in the State of Rhode Island,” according to a Rhode Island State Police RISP affidavit published by GoLocalProvidence.

Dino, 48, and another individual whose identity was redacted, “were believed to be smuggling kilograms of cocaine into the State of Rhode Island from an unknown Caribbean island,” per the affidavit.

He has been charged with possessing a controlled substance with intent to distribute, drug conspiracy, perjury, conspiracy, obtaining property by false pretense, and giving a false document to an agent.

The drug conspiracy charge carries a possible sentence of life in prison.

The case against Dino is ongoing, and he has an upcoming hearing in June.

Liz, 55, scored a coveted cannabis dispensary license in the nation’s smallest state back in 2023.

The Real Housewives star and Dino have been plagued by allegations of an affair.

In the second episode of RHORI, the other women confronted Liz about a rumor that she was having an affair.

While she shut down the gossip, she did open up about how close she is with Dino Guilmette, a mutual friend of her and Gerry.

She laughed it off, saying “We can pretend [it’s true] because it makes a great story, but no.”

Meanwhile, Liz’s husband, Gerry, is often away for long stretches of time on fishing expeditions.

“When Gerry wasn’t here, I was always with Dino,” Liz said.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/tv/16368212/rhori-star-dino-guilmette-cocaine-charge-faces-life-prison/

XI Jinping asked if the US would defend Taiwan in an invasion, says Donald Trump – amid fears the conflict could spark World War Three.

The US president said the pair talked a lot about the fate of the island during his high-stakes diplomatic summit in Beijing.

Trump said he refused to comment on Washington’s loyalties to Taiwan after years of Xi vowing to reunify the island with mainland China by force.

As he made his way back to Washington, Trump said: “On Taiwan he [Xi] feels very strongly, I made no commitment either way.”

“There’s only one person that knows that, and it is me.”

He added that he would “make a determination over a fairly short period” on whether to continue US-sanctioned arms sales to Taiwan.

He claimed Xi even formally questioned him over how protective the US would be over Taiwan.

“That question was asked to me today by President Xi. I said, I don’t talk about that,” Trump explained.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, he added he doesn’t believe Xi would want to start a conflict over the issue.

China has been plotting an aggressive land grab by ramping up military exercises in the South China Sea surrounding Taiwan.

Beijing believes it holds genuine claims over the territory.

But the US remains Taiwan’s most important international backer and their weapons supplier, despite a lack of formal diplomatic ties.

Taipei has fired a stark warning to Beijing, vowing to ready itself for all-out war within two years amid China’s intimidation.

In November, President Lai Ching-te announced that he will be accelerating defence spending by £30.6billion to have a “high level” of joint combat readiness by 2027.

Lai accused Xi Jinping of “speeding up military preparations to take Taiwan by force” as tensions reached a boiling point.

Taiwan has escalated its military spending over the past decade, but Trump‘s administration have urged the island to do more to protect itself.

Ahead of the crunch summit Kerry Brown, former First Secretary at the British Embassy in Beijing told The Sun the issue of Taiwan will be one of the biggest issues between the two nations.

He said: “China will not take US meddling in Taiwan sitting down.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/16365481/xi-terrifying-taiwan-question-revealed-trump/

A LUXURY watch release has sparked chaotic lines with collectors and savvy resellers queuing up for days amid complaints of a foul stench and medical emergencies.

The atmosphere outside the Swatch flagship store in Times Square on Friday was akin to something out of The Hunger Games, with some having set up tents as early as last Sunday.

Dozens of people have been camping out at stores worldwide for a chance to buy the new mechanical pocket watch – a collaboration between Swatch and luxury giant Audemars Piguet.

The watch is expected to go on sale for $400–$500, with a projected resale value of up to $3,200.

Spot-holders are already being offered thousands of dollars to walk away from the high-stakes vigil, which is set to culminate when the watches finally go on sale at 10am Saturday.

While many were able to have friends and family save their spots for food and bathroom breaks, others complained of the smell, as some chose to relieve themselves in line rather than risk losing their place.

Bianca Colon, 31, was in line for her nephew, who had to grab his paycheck.

“I’m so mad at him, I can’t believe he’s been out here for four days doing this,” she told The U.S. Sun.

“But he wants the watch, he deserves it, he works hard for it, so I support him.

“I heard about it on Instagram, when my nephew told me, ‘I’m going on the line.’ I said, ‘You’re crazy.’

“He had a tent, but then they made him take it down.”

Although it had been calm during her few hours there, she admitted, “The stench is horrendous. And you see a lot of different characters here, you see the normals, you see the crazies.”

One woman suffered a suspected overdose on Thursday, with Bianca admitting, “I’ve never seen that before, I was kind of shocked.

“I hope everyone stays safe, and I hope everything goes as planned.”

Despite the horrors, many were upbeat about being in the situation and couldn’t wait to get their hands on the watch.

Kris Brews, 31, said she began lining up on Monday with friends, admitting, “I’m just here for the vibes, to be honest,” saying it felt like a vacation meeting different people from all walks of life.

“I’m probably just going to sell it. I’m looking to get like $4,000 from it. I already got offered $2,000 for my seat.”

Asked why she wouldn’t give up her spot, she said, “For the fun of it, just to see how this goes, and I believe I can do it.”

Kris said she’d been trying to stay as “chill” as possible, smoking weed and getting to know others in the line, but feared people were going to start to try to push in front of her as time went on.

“I think it’s going to get really hectic, people are going to try and skip (the line), it’s just gonna be nuts,” she said.

“But I have a pretty big team, so hopefully everything works out.”

She added, “Hopefully, there’ll be more cops here to help.”

Teacher Paris Underwood, 30, admitted he’d skipped lessons to get in line.

“I called out [sick] just to be in this line,” he laughed.

“I don’t normally call out of work but when I do it’s necessary and I felt it called for it now.

“A message to my kids, Mr. Underwood will be back on Monday.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/16367541/chaos-swatch-queue-foul-stench-people-collapsing/

What began as a disturbing opinion piece by Nicholas Kristof in The New York Times has now spiralled into a global debate. In his piece in the NYT, Kristof alleges the use of dogs to rape Palestinian prisoners by Israeli forces. Amid the repulsion it has triggered, experts are debating if human penetration by dogs is biologically feasible.

Can dogs penetrate humans? This is not the kind of question that usually dominates public platforms or discussions. But an explosive and disturbing opinion piece in The New York Times (NYT) published on May 11 claiming that the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) used dogs to sexually assault Palestinian prisoners has sparked outrage and debate. The column by NYT’s op-ed columnist and CNN contributor Nicholas Kristof, was based on the accounts of 14 male and female Palestinian prisoners.

In the NYT opinion piece, which is also accompanied by a video, Kristof alleged that Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons were sexually abused “using dogs” by personnel linked to the IDF. This sparked outrage, disbelief, and an intense debate over the credibility and implications of such claims.

The Israeli government has rejected the allegations, and on Friday sued the NYT for publishing the article. “I instructed my legal advisers to consider the harshest legal action against The New York Times and Nicholas Kristof,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted on X on Thursday.

Netanyahu says that the NYT and Kristof defamed the soldiers of Israel and tried to blood libel with rape allegations rape.

“They defamed the soldiers of Israel and perpetuated a blood libel about rape, trying to create a false symmetry between the genocidal terrorists of Hamas and Israel’s valiant soldiers,” Israeli PM added.

He also asserted that Israel will not be silent and the truth will prevail.

“Under my leadership, Israel will not be silent. We will fight these lies in the court of public opinion and in the court of law. Truth will prevail,” Netanyahu said.

The use of rape as a weapon has been a disturbing constant in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israel launched its war in the Gaza Strip following the October 7, 2023, attack by the Palestinian terrorist outfit Hamas, which Israeli authorities said involved killings, hostage-taking, and sexual violence against Israeli women. In the unprecedented assault, thousands of Hamas militants breached the border into southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people (mostly civilians) and taking more than 240 hostages back into Gaza. Blood on the trousers of Israeli women taken hostage indicated they had been subjected to rape during the attack.

According to reports, Israel has held nearly 9,000 Palestinian detainees in its prisons since the war broke out between Israel and Hamas. There have been multiple allegations by Palestinian prisoners who were released by the IDF that there was widespread violence, torture, and also rapes inside the Israeli prisons by defence personnel.

The NYT opinion has now gone to the extent of alleging that the “IDF uses dogs to rape prisoners inside the jails”.

WAS RAPED BY A DOG INSIDE ISRAELI PRISON, SAYS PALESTINIAN JOURNALIST

On Christmas Eve 2024, Elianis Caridad Morejón Pérez, a young Cuban woman, told her mother by phone that she had put on a life jacket and was boarding a boat to travel from southern Mexico toward the United States. It was her final message from San José El Hueyate, a town in the state of Chiapas, before disappearing alongside 39 other migrants from Cuba, Honduras and Ecuador while traveling a maritime route known as one of the most dangerous paths used by smugglers.

Earlier this month her mother, Isis Pérez, arrived in that same village near the Guatemalan border to search for her, alongside other relatives of the disappeared. Together, they scoured the San José El Hueyate pier, navigated the Pacific coast by boat, and canvassed local merchants and residents for any information.

No one Pérez spoke with could provide concrete information, but many recalled that, before the start of the second Trump administration in January 2025, a steady flow of vehicles would arrive, carrying migrants who would then be transported by sea

That migratory flow plummeted last year as the U.S. ramped up deportations, either sending migrants to their home countries or to third-party nations willing to accept them.

“As family members, we live in constant torment and anguish, longing to find them,” said Óscar Hernández, a Honduran man who traveled to Chiapas in hopes of locating his brother, who is among the disappeared.

The International Organization for Migration’s Missing Migrants Project has recorded the disappearance or death of 11,475 migrants on the route from South America to the United States since 2014. More than half of them were in Mexico.

According to a recent IOM report, several smuggling seaports have been identified since 2021. Migrants typically board small, twin-engine boats in Puerto de Ocós, Guatemala, before stopping to refuel and resupply in the Chiapas ports of Puerto Madero, San José, Barra de Zacapulco, and Paredón. They eventually disembark in Salina Cruz or Huatulco, Oaxaca, to continue their journey northward by land.

The 40 migrants who vanished in late 2024 were racing to reach the U.S. before U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term, fearing he would dismantle the more flexible immigration policies of his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden, according to family members of some of the disappeared.

Cubans Meiling Álvarez Bravo, 41, and her 15-year-old son, Samei Armando Reyes Álvarez, were among those who vanished.

“On Dec. 21, 2024, at 8 a.m., she told me they were going to have breakfast because they were about to cross toward Mexico City by boat,” recounted Julia Margarita Bravo Díaz, Meiling’s mother and the boy’s grandmother.

Her daughter and grandson had flown from Cuba to Nicaragua before traveling overland through Honduras and Guatemala into Mexico. However, at the start of their journey, they were unaware that their path toward the U.S. border would eventually take them by sea, according to family members of four of those missing.

Source: https://apnews.com/article/mexico-migrants-deaths-cuba-trump-chiapas-guatemala-4f4eccda891e7daf3337b3d9012d5819

KYIV: Russia carried out its largest aerial attack over a two-day period since the start of its war in Ukraine, pounding the capital Kyiv and other cities with hundreds of drones, Ukrainian officials said on Thursday (May 14).

Russia had launched 1,567 drones since the start of Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. At least 27 civilians have been killed over the two days, officials said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that the war, which has killed hundreds of thousands and ravaged swathes of Ukraine over more than four years, was “coming to an end”.

But, as Moscow launched what Ukraine said were more than 670 attack drones and 56 missiles overnight, Zelenskyy did not sound positive.

“These are definitely not the actions of those who believe the war is coming to an end,” Zelenskyy said.

“It’s important that partners do not remain silent about this strike. And it is equally important to continue supporting the protection of our skies.”

Kyiv was the main target of the overnight strikes, Zelenskyy said. Ukraine’s State Emergency Services said at least 21 people, including three children, were killed in the capital and Mayor Vitali Klitschko announced a day of mourning for Friday.

In a statement issued after midnight, the Emergency Services said rescue operations were continuing round the clock.

There was no immediate comment from Moscow on Thursday’s attacks.

Reuters TV footage from Kyiv showed emergency workers moving carefully across piles of rubble and cutting through concrete at the site of a strike on a nine-storey residential building where an entire section had been destroyed.

Speaking in his nightly video address, Zelenskyy said that, according to initial analysis, a recently manufactured Russian Kh-101 missile had struck the building. He called for renewed diplomatic efforts to keep such technology out of Russian hands.

“There were people there, children. What happened to them? You have to understand, an entire building collapsed,” Alla Komisarova, 74, a pensioner, told Reuters on the site of the strike, holding back tears.

“I heard something flying, it’s flying nearby … And then there was such a terrible sound, and our house, which is opposite (to the one hit) jumped and staggered.”

DAMAGE ACROSS UKRAINE
More than 1,500 rescue workers have been deployed across Ukraine to deal with the aftermath of the strikes, including nearly 600 in Kyiv.

Andriy Yermak resigned in November 2025, after investigators raided his home in a sweeping corruption probe.

Ukraine’s anti-corruption court on Thursday ordered the pretrial detention of Andriy Yermak, a close ally of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on suspicion of money laundering, according to prosecutors.

The court set bail at 140 million hryvnias ($3.19 million, €2.72 million), allowing Yermak to be released pending a final ruling in his case. Yermak denies the allegations.

“I don’t have that kind of money, and my lawyer will now work with friends and acquaintances (to raise the money for bail),” Yermak told reporters after the court’s decision. “My legal team will file an appeal. We will use every legal avenue to seek justice and the truth.”

Yermak, Zelenskyy’s former chief of staff, had been Ukraine’s lead negotiator in talks with the United States. He stepped down in November last year amid a corruption probe.

Investigation widens to Zelenskyy inner circle

Prosecutors accuse Yermak of involvement in a 460-million-hryvnia money-laundering scheme linked to a housing development outside Kyiv. The case is being handled by Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office.

The investigation is part of a broader probe by Ukraine’s anti-graft agencies that investigators say involves officials and associates close to Zelenskyy in an alleged $100 million kickback scheme.

As Japanese society changes, many elderly people find themselves isolated and facing a “lonely death.” Government agencies and private groups are working hard to give them a new lease on life.

Japan is facing a rising number of “lonely deaths,” or people dying in isolation, despite government efforts to stem the tide. The issue has become such a part of modern society here that it even has its own term, “kodokushi” — making up close to 5% of Japan’s overall death rate.

Statistics released by the government and police in late April showed that 76,941 people died “lonely deaths” across Japan in the 2025 fiscal year, which ended on March 31. That is 921 cases more than the previous year.

Authorities estimate that 22,222 of the total “lonely deaths” were also “koritsushi,” meaning that the person’s body was not found for at least eight days. In 7,148 incidents, approximately 9% of the total, the body was not discovered for more than one month.

Elderly people accounted for the vast majority of “lonely deaths,” although the statistics included 57 teenagers and 753 people in their 20s. The rise has prompted a debate about loneliness and isolation in modern Japan.

“Japan’s society has changed a lot in a very short space of time,” said Izumi Tsuji, a professor of the sociology of culture at Tokyo’s Chuo University.

“There are many contributing factors, but I feel the biggest has been the end of the traditional nuclear family and the shift that we have seen towards individualization, or people living alone,” he told DW.

Isolation of urban tower blocks
For at least three decades, Japan has been experiencing a decline in its rural population as young people left villages and small towns for greater education opportunities and, subsequently, better job prospects. The communities they left behind now have few young residents. Elderly people are increasingly isolated and many of them are dying alone.

“When I was a child, I grew up in a house with my parents and two of my grandparents,” said Tsuji. “And it was perfectly normal to be in a home with multiple generations of the family. That was only a few decades ago, but that sort of living arrangement is rare now and virtually unheard of in the cities.”

Life in Japan’s big cities carries its own problems, Tsuji points out, as people typically move into apartments in tall accommodation complexes and are only on nodding terms with their neighbors, at best.

“Japanese people never used to live in tower blocks,” he said. “We lived in communities where houses were surrounded by open areas where all the children played together and you spoke with your neighbors every day. You knew these people and, if someone in the community was in need of something, there was always a support mechanism in place.”

Government pushing against isolation of the elderly
Tsuji says human connection is critical to mental health. “Now, anyone living in an apartment block is closed off and isolated,” he said. ” I do not think humans are meant to live like that. I think we need relationships with the people around us, to speak and interact with people.”

The professor has a radical solution — he calls for residential blocks to be knocked down and for the people to return to more close-knit community living. While that is likely to be a very tough sell for the Japanese government, the authorities also acknowledge that “kodokushi” is a problem that needs to be addressed, and quickly, as Japanese population continues to age.

In 2021, the government created the post of minister for loneliness and isolation, with the task of fighting the country’s relatively high suicide rate and mental health problems among both children and adults.

In April 2024, the government enacted the Loneliness and Isolation Countermeasures Act to encourage local authorities to establish specialist agencies with trained staff to reach out to people living alone and to make them feel part of their community. A key element of that is breaking the stigma surrounding the problem and encouraging seniors to accept help, even if they insist on living independently and not relying on others.

 

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/japan-saving-elderly-people-from-lonely-deaths/a-77160864

US-Iran war highlights: As the peace talks between the United States and Iran remain in limbo, former US President Barack Obama has defended the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. Speaking to CBS, Obama stated that the US managed to get 97 per cent of Iran’s enriched uranium out, without triggering a regional dispute and killing thousands.

Twice this week, U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed interest in turning Venezuela into his country’s 51st state. The latest came via a Truth Social post Tuesday with a map showing the South American country filled with the U.S. flag.

Previous statements doubting Venezuela’s sovereignty over the past 25 years have been met with immediate derision from senior government officials, including the president. The ruling party even organized demonstrations in the capital, Caracas, as recently as Jan. 3, hours after then-President Nicolás Maduro was captured by the U.S., that included chants of “Gringo go home.” This time around, however, the government has mostly kept quiet, save for a brief statement to reporters Monday from acting President Delcy Rodríguez.

The approach demonstrates the balance Rodríguez must strike between external and internal politics following the January U.S. military attack in Caracas. The Trump administration has since implemented a phased plan to try to turn around the crisis-wrecked country and has forced Rodríguez’s political movement, Chavismo, to abandon the anti-U.S. sentiment that long accompanied its teachings.

“This is probably the most public and sharp manifestation of the government’s transactional, self-survival approach above everything else right now, above even that sort of basic tenet of Chavismo,” said Christopher Sabatini, senior fellow for Latin America at the London-based Chatham House think tank. “It’s better that they hold their tongue, not offend the U.S. right now. Why overreact to a ridiculous claim by Donald Trump?”

Rodríguez on Monday told journalists that Venezuela had no plans to become the 51st U.S. state, but her comments were much more reserved than past presidential addresses deriding these types of U.S remarks. They came after Trump said he was “seriously considering” the move. Trump has made similar comments about Canada.

“We will continue to defend our integrity, our sovereignty, our independence, our history,” Rodríguez said. Venezuela, she added, is “not a colony, but a free country.”

The Trump administration stunned Venezuelans by choosing to work with Rodríguez, instead of the country’s political opposition, following Maduro’s ouster. She has since led cooperation with the administration’s phased plan, pitching her oil-rich nation to international investors and opening its energy sector to private capital and international arbitration. Rodríguez has also replaced senior officials, including Maduro’s faithful defense minister and attorney general.

Trump has praised her work, and his administration has lifted economic sanctions against her personally and eased sanctions against the country, though some still remain in place. The U.S. now also recognizes her as the “sole” head of state of Venezuela.

The U.S. stopped recognizing Maduro as Venezuela’s legitimate leader in 2019, the year after he claimed reelection victory in a contest widely considered a sham as opposition parties and candidates were barred from participating.

Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were taken to New York to face drug trafficking charges after their Jan. 3 capture. Both have pleaded not guilty and remain jailed at a Brooklyn detention center.

In Caracas, some residents on Wednesday viewed the government’s response as submitting to Trump, but they also acknowledged that Rodríguez is not in a position to unleash Chavismo’s characteristic anti-U.S. propaganda.

“She knows that it’s wise not to engage in direct confrontation because she knows she’s bound to lose,” college student Adonai Osoria said. “Now, are there some who disagree, who don’t like it? Well, yes, of course. But I consider her reaction right now to be a common, understandable reaction.”

Government supporters last showed their inflammatory attitude against the U.S. in the days after Maduro was captured, burning U.S. flags and carrying signs that read “Gringo go home.”

Among the government’s strongest supporters across the country are the armed groups known as colectivos. The groups are a staple of pro-ruling party demonstrations. Local leader Jorge Navas characterized Trump’s comments as “irresponsible acts of provocation” and praised Rodríguez for her diplomatic response.

Source: https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/16362989/pete-davidson-elsie-hewitt-split-breakup-baby/

PETE Davidson and Elsie Hewitt have officially split just five months after welcoming their daughter, The U.S. Sun has exclusively learned.

Insiders close to the couple said the problems in their relationship began to escalate after the model, 30, gave birth to their first child, Scottie Rose, in December.

A source claimed Pete‘s busy work schedule formed a wedge between them, and ultimately led to the breakup.

“Pete has been traveling so much for work, but Elsie was craving more support from him at home after their daughter was born,” said the insider.

“It was very hard for him because, obviously, he has to work to make money.”

Another source said they pulled the plug very recently, adding: “They are just focusing 100% on Scottie.

“Working out the best co-parenting solution is their top priority.”

A rep for the couple declined to comment.

The Saturday Night Live alum, 32, has spent much of the past several weeks traveling, including attending his Netflix Is a Joke special in Los Angeles on May 9, and the Kevin Hart roast the next day – Mother’s Day.

Elsie seemingly spent the holiday alone at home in Brooklyn, New York, and did not post anything about Pete.

In an Instagram Story on Thursday, new mom Elsie shared a snap of herself getting overwhelmed with parenting demands.

“When you finally get screaming baby down for a nap and you exhale and sit with yourself for a sec and realize you haven’t breathed for an hour or peed all day,” she vented to her followers. “The silence is deafening.”

The insider claimed it became clear that the relationship was ending last month as Pete started to offload his properties.

“Pete is selling his properties, including his upstate home and his Staten Island apartment, to open up funds as they move forward and figure out their next steps,” the insider explained, referring to Pete’s possible child support payments to his ex.

Pete is selling his Staten Island condo at a $350,000 loss. (The sale is still in the contract stage.)

Last summer, sources told The U.S. Sun about the difficulties the couple were experiencing in their new relationship, as Elsie navigated the early stages of her pregnancy.

According to a source, their arguments were getting nasty.

“It’s getting out of control,” the source said. “They’ve even started secretly recording each other.”

It is legal to record someone without their knowledge in New York since it is a one-party consent state.

 

Source: https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/16362989/pete-davidson-elsie-hewitt-split-breakup-baby/

BEIJING — President Trump’s much-anticipated summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping has been marred by multiple physical altercations just offstage.

Among the incidents that took place Thursday:

• A White House staffer was trampled by Chinese reporters.
• A Secret Service agent was kept out of official events.
• American journalists were prevented from joining the presidential motorcade.

The chaos was all captured by a cameraman accompanying “Rush Hour” director Brett Ratner as he prepares to shoot a fourth installment of the beloved feature film franchise.

The dust-ups with the Chinese caused frustrations to boil over on the American side, with one member of the US delegation overheard calling it a “s—tshow.”

“Our oversight of the Strait of Hormuz will generate significant economic revenues for our country – potentially even doubling our oil income,” said a spokesperson for Iran’s military.

Iran’s military spokesman said on Wednesday (May 13) that Tehran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz could generate “significant” economic revenue and strengthen the country’s international position.

Iran has largely blocked shipping through the strait since the outbreak of war with the United States and Israel on Feb 28.

In peacetime, the route accounts for roughly a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments, along with other key commodities.

Iran’s grip over the waterway has rattled global markets and given Tehran significant leverage, while the United States has imposed its own naval blockade on Iranian ports despite a fragile ceasefire in place since Apr 8.

“Our oversight of the Strait of Hormuz will generate significant economic revenues for our country – potentially even doubling our oil income – and will strengthen our influence on the international stage,” military spokesman Mohammad Akraminia said, according to ISNA news agency.

He added that the western part of the strait was controlled by the naval forces of the Revolutionary Guards, while the eastern section was overseen by the Iranian navy.

Iran’s control over the strait remains one of the key sticking points in negotiations with the United States, which have so far failed to produce a breakthrough.

On Wednesday, Ebrahim Azizi, head of the Iranian parliament’s national security commission, said his committee had finalised a plan to manage the waterway.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/iran-military-strait-hormuz-economic-revenues-oil-income-6119291

A survivor of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse has told how the late sex offender sexually abused her while he was under house arrest for soliciting prostitution from a minor.

Roza, who was recruited from Uzbekistan as a teenager by Epstein’s associate and modelling agent Jean-Luc Brunel, spoke publicly for the first time alongside a number of victims in a field hearing that was organised by House Democrats.

She told the session that she was introduced to Epstein by Brunel in July 2009, was offered work by Epstein “to help me with my financial troubles”, and he later subjected her to rape over a period of three years.

Democratic lawmaker Robert Garcia said the unofficial hearing was held in West Palm Beach, Florida, because it was where Epstein’s “crimes first came to light”.

The hearing, which Garcia pointed out was also held in close proximity to US President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence, was held by Democrats from the US House Oversight Committee and local Democratic members.

The committee, which has a Republican majority, is currently investigating the financier’s crimes. Democratic members of the committee have focused on scrutinising the Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein files.

The hearing carries no legal authority, but was planned with the intention of keeping the Epstein case in the spotlight.

Democratic lawmakers heard how Epstein and his accomplices evaded accountability for years, and how victims were repeatedly failed by the justice system.

Roza, whose first name was only given in the hearing, said she was 18 when she met the late Brunel in 2008 and “promised a modelling career beyond my dreams”.

“Coming from a financially unstable background I was a perfect target for coercion,” she added, during the tearful testimony.

By May 2009, she was in New York City on a visa, and in July she met Epstein at his house in West Palm Beach while he was under house arrest, Roza said.

Epstein then offered her a role at his Florida Science Foundation – where he had worked during an initial arrangement that allowed him to leave custody for up to 16 hours a day, six days a week, following his 2008 conviction.

“One day his masseuse called me into his room where I was molested for the first time by Jeffrey,” Roza told the hearing. “For the following three years I was subject to ongoing rape.”

Epstein died in a New York prison cell on 10 August 2019 as he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges.

His conviction in 2008 had been for soliciting prostitution from a minor – for which he was registered as a sex offender.

A report published by Democratic oversight committee members on Tuesday found that a controversial plea deal negotiated by Epstein’s lawyer in 2008 enabled him to “continue his abuse and trafficking activities for almost another decade”.

Roza said that the abuse perpetrated by Epstein while he was under house arrest “made justice feel impossible”, but she “eventually found the courage to reach out for help”.

However, she said she had been retraumatised after her name was accidentally published in the Epstein files released by the Department of Justice (DOJ), “while the rich and powerful remained protected by redaction”.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clypr378l2wo

A senior diplomat tasked with implementing Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza has said Hamas could survive as a political movement after handing over power, if it rejected armed conflict and gave up its weapons and military structures.

Nickolay Mladenov, high representative for Gaza to the US-led Board of Peace, speaking to journalists on a visit to Jerusalem, also warned that the current stalemate could lead to a permanent division of Gaza, along the so-called Yellow Line marking the area controlled by Israel.

“[Continuing] a status quo actually means at some point solidifying the Yellow Line, probably into a fence, probably into a wall, creating a permanent separation in Gaza,” he said.

“And if anyone wants to convince me that the Palestinian people in Gaza would like to see the Gaza Strip divided in that way, I don’t believe it. And if you tell me that this is security for Israel, I don’t see it as well.”

Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza is currently stalled in a fractured ceasefire. Hamas is so far refusing to disarm, while Israel is regularly carrying out strikes across Gaza, and firing at those who approach the territory it holds.

Patrick Griffiths, a spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Jerusalem, told me he had heard gunfire and explosions every day while visiting the organisation’s field hospital in the southern area of Rafah, close to the Israeli-held area.

“All my colleagues there had a story about going to the ground as stray bullets fly over the hospital,” he told me. “They have memories of staff and patients being hit as stray bullets fly through the canvas tents of our field hospital. That’s normal life for the Palestinians that live in that part of Gaza, only a few hundred metres from the Yellow Line.”

Israel has been extending the area of Gaza under its effective control since the ceasefire took effect last October. In March, it marked out new areas where international organisations must co-ordinate their activities with Israeli forces.

The daily newspaper, Israel Hayom, calculated that Israeli forces now controlled 64% of the Gaza Strip, including both the 53% of the territory occupied behind the Yellow Line and areas needing co-ordination.

“Regardless of whether there is a Yellow Line, or a line transmitted to humanitarian organisations to co-ordinate movements, we need to be very clear that Israel is the occupying power in control of the entirety of the Gaza Strip,” Patrick Griffiths told me.

“Its obligations under international law apply across the Gaza Strip – that means protection for civilians, regardless of how close or how far you might live as a Palestinian in Gaza.”

Hamas says Israel has killed 850 people in Gaza during the ceasefire, without distinguishing fighters from civilians, severely restricted the flow of aid, and “continuously moved the Yellow Line westward”.

Cogat, the Israeli defence body responsible for co-ordinating activity in Gaza, said 600 lorries of aid a day had entered since the ceasefire began. Hamas figures suggest only a third of that number entered Gaza on some days this month.

Mladenov said Israeli withdrawal from the territory depended on Hamas disarming and handing over power, but that the group could survive as a political party if it gave up its commitment to fighting Israel.

“We’re not asking Hamas to disappear as a political movement. A political party that disavows armed activity can compete in national Palestinian elections,” he said.

“What is not negotiable, however, is that armed factions or militias with their own military command and control systems, with their own arsenals or tunnel networks, can exist alongside a transitional Palestinian authority.”

In response, Israel’s government said the terms of the ceasefire deal state that Hamas and other factions “agree to not have any role in the governance of Gaza, directly, indirectly, or in any form”.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3r248e977eo

Hundreds of people descended on a girls’ boarding school in the Indonesian village of Tlogosari, Central Java on 2 May, shouting chants and waving banners.

“Women are not sexual objects” read one. Another said, simply, “The Predator”.

The mob was there to accost and hurl insults at 58-year-old Kiai Ashari, the caretaker of the Ndholo Kusumo Islamic boarding school, as he was escorted away by police. He is suspected of sexually abusing dozens of female students – most of them orphans from poor families – over the course of several years.

The case has provoked outrage in Indonesia, and highlights a systemic issue of sexual abuse in Islamic boarding schools across the country.

While multiple witnesses who spoke out against Ashari have since withdrawn their testimonies, one victim has now filed an official complaint – and suggested that as many as 50 others fell prey to the caretaker’s sexual violence.

“[The number of victims] is 30 to 50 children based on the victim’s statement,” the victim’s attorney, Ali Yusron, told the BBC. “I handled one victim, but the legal process tells of many victims.

“One person reveals everything.”

Police said on 4 May that Ashari, who investigators named as a suspect on 28 April, had not yet been detained – but insisted that he would not flee. He proved them wrong later that day, fleeing Pati for the cities of Bogor, Jakarta and Solo before being caught by police on the night of 6 May at a mosque in Wonogiri, Central Java.

Pati police chief Jaka Wahyudi told reporters on 7 May that the victim was allegedly abused 10 times at different locations between February 2020 and January 2024.

The suspect is accused of entering the victim’s room under the pretext of asking for a massage, before telling the victim to remove their clothing and committing indecent acts including “touching, squeezing and kissing”.

After the incident occurred a tenth time the victim told their father, and a police report was filed.

A history of allegations

This is not the first time Ashari has faced allegations of sexual abuse against his students. The caretaker, who also founded the Ndholo Kusumo school, is thought to have a history of abuse dating back to 2022.

“The victims are female students, mostly MTs students,” Ali says. “Three years in a row, they change at will.”

In 2024, Pati Police’s Women and Children’s Services Unit (PPA) received reports of alleged sexual crimes targeting minors in their teens.

Some of those charges were later dropped.

Pati police chief Jaka told the BBC that authorities investigated the 2024 case and interviewed witnesses, but ran into “obstacles along the way” – including four victims who withdrew their statements.

“The victim and the victim’s parents expressed their intention to resolve the matter amicably,” he explained.

“Therefore, several witnesses withdrew their testimony at the time, citing concerns about their children’s future.”

The case against Ashari resurfaced last month when, after two years, police finally named him as a suspect.

Systemic issues

Authorities are still investigating the number of victims, Jaka said. But the allegations also point to a systemic trend of abuse in Indonesia’s Islamic boarding schools.

Ashari is said to have instilled misleading doctrines in his female students, several of whom said he claimed to be a saint with powers beyond human comprehension and, in other cases, the descendant of a prophet who should be honoured.

Imam Nahe’i, a member of the PBNU Anti-Sexual Violence Unit (SAKA) who is also a former commissioner of the National Commission on Violence Against Women, tells the BBC that cases of sexual violence in Islamic boarding schools usually follow a similar pattern.

Caretakers in these schools often teach things that “smell of shamanism or mysticism”, as opposed to “anything rational”, he says.

“Then there are also those who claim to be guardians,” he adds. “If you don’t obey them, you’ll go to hell.”

More explicitly, Imam Nahe’i says Islamic boarding schools often normalise, tolerate, and even allow actions such as touching, hugging and kissing students – which, he says, could lead to a tolerance of sexual violence.

He cites a case at a school in Sumenep, which “happened quite a long time ago, since 2017, until it was finally uncovered recently”.

“This means that all this time there has been some tolerance from those around them.”

Imam Nahe’i, who teaches at a large Islamic boarding school, says that when he asked he found his fellow teachers “didn’t understand what sexual violence was”.

“They said sexual violence is defined as penetration,” he explains. “If it hasn’t reached that point, it’s not considered sexual violence – it’s just a kind of sin.”

A broader issue relates to a lack of government supervision.

While Indonesia’s Ministry of Religious Affairs issued legislation in 2022 concerning the handling of sexual violence in educational contexts, Islamic boarding schools – which are typically founded by individuals rather than government institutions – are harder to regulate and often slip through the cracks.

This makes it difficult to report and protect against sexual violence in Islamic boarding schools. As Imam Nahe’i puts it, the legislation “cannot control” them.

“In order for Islamic boarding schools to have clear regulations and a task force, I think the Ministry of Religion really needs to push for this,” he says.

“In addition, supervision from the Ministry of Religion and the community regarding these newly emerging Islamic boarding schools must be stricter.”

School shutdown

The Ndholo Kusumo boarding school reportedly had a permit since 2021, and was home to at least 252 students.

In the wake of these latest allegations, the school has been closed down and students have been sent home.

The Ministry of Religious Affairs has revoked the school’s license permanently, and said that students’ educations would continue through online learning options or transfers to other institutions – especially for orphaned students.

The Director of Islamic Boarding Schools at the Ministry of Religion, Basnang Said, explained that the closure of the boarding school was to ensure that authorities could prioritise the investigation while maintaining order and protecting children.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyp82x2g0qo

A hormonal condition affecting 1 in 8 women around the world just got a new name in hopes of improving care. It Is now called polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome instead of polycystic ovary syndrome.

Researchers and supporters of the change said the old name, often shortened to PCOS, is inaccurate. It reduced a complex hormonal or endocrine disorder to a misunderstanding about cysts and a focus on ovaries, contributing to missed diagnoses and inadequate treatment, said the Endocrine Society, a global group of physicians and scientists.

“The thought behind that is that one, there’s no cysts in the ovary, so it’s very confusing,” said Dr. Melanie Cree, one of the authors of the Lancet article and a pediatric endocrinology expert at the University of Colorado Anschutz. “The hope was that with a more comprehensive and accurate name change, that it would start to enable and push better care.”

The name change – made after 14 years of collaboration between experts and patients – was published in The Lancet on Tuesday.

Now PCOS is called PMOS

The condition is characterized by fluctuations in hormones that can affect weight, metabolic and mental health, the reproductive system and the skin.

It is associated with metabolic syndrome, a group of health conditions that increases your risk of Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke, Dr. Sarah Hutto with the University of Minnesota Medical School said in an online article put out by the university.

No one knows exactly what causes the condition, but there’s evidence that genetics and obesity play roles, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

What are the symptoms of PMOS?

Symptoms vary, which can make it tough for doctors to diagnose.

It is associated with irregular menstrual cycles and excess production of a group of hormones known as androgens, which can cause acne and hair growth or thinning. It may also cause follicles on the ovaries, although not abnormal cysts. But not all of these findings are required for the diagnosis.

To make the diagnosis in teens, Cree said, the patient has to have both irregular periods and signs of high androgens. This can include high blood levels of the hormones or symptoms such as severe acne or chest hair.

PMOS is associated with infertility problems

Cleveland Clinic experts say it is the most common cause of female infertility, because not ovulating frequently can result in not being able to conceive.

Having the condition may also increase your risk of certain pregnancy complications, such as gestational diabetes or preterm birth. Still, most people with the condition can successfully carry a pregnancy.

How PMOS can be treated

Cree says the No. 1 treatment is lifestyle changes, such as eating less processed food, exercising and getting a good night’s sleep.

“We’re not trying to be judgmental. There is science to back this up,” she said. “So in PMOS, there is too much of the hormone insulin in many women, and that insulin confuses the ovary to make too much testosterone. And it’s the high testosterone that is causing all the symptoms.”

Other treatments include insulin-sensitizing medicines such as Metformin, medications that block androgens and hormonal birth control.

But Hutto stresses that management of the condition should be individualized to address specific symptoms and concerns. For example, those who plan to get pregnant may want to focus on fertility treatments while others may be more interested in options like hormonal birth control.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/pcos-pmos-name-endocrine-society-women-9e8d83f2a7866eb1a16d6dd45ef1ec07

The foreign ministers meeting is taking place before the 2026 BRICS summit in India in September.

A meeting of BRICS foreign ministers kicked off in the Indian capital New Delhi on Thursday, with the Iran war likely to cast a shadow on the two-day event, which coincides with United States President Donald Trump’s state visit to China.

In his opening remarks, India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar called for “safe, ⁠unimpeded maritime flows” through international waters, as the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of global oil and gas passes, remains under blockade.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas ‌Aragchi called on fellow BRICS member states to condemn the US and Israel over what he called their “unlawful aggression” against Tehran.

This meeting comes as the economic bloc of leading emerging economies has faced divisions over the war in Iran. Host India has to walk a diplomatic tightrope between Iran and fellow BRICS member UAE, as well as Israel.

Here is more about the foreign ministers’ meeting, who is attending and why it matters.

What is BRICS?

BRICS is a grouping of major emerging economies seeking to coordinate security and economic policies to amplify the demands of the Global South within international organisations and on issues where the West has traditionally dominated economically and politically.

The acronym stands for Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The organisation was called BRIC in its initial form – Brazil, Russia, India and China – when its foreign ministers began meeting in 2006, and when it held its first summit in 2009. It became BRICS when South Africa joined in 2010.

In 2023, BRICS extended invitations to Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates after these countries applied for membership. Saudi Arabia has yet to join formally, but the others have. An invitation was also extended to Argentina, but was turned down as President Javier Milei, elected in December 2023, had campaigned on the promise of bolstering ties with the West.

Indonesia joined the group in January 2025, after its membership was approved during the 2023 summit in Johannesburg.

The group sets priorities and holds discussions at an annual summit, which members take turns hosting. Last year, Brazil hosted the BRICS meeting and, in 2024, Russia hosted the annual meeting. This year, it is India’s turn to host.

This week’s meeting in New Delhi will bring together the foreign ministers of BRICS countries, who are expected to discuss economic cooperation and coordinate their positions on key global issues.

When and where is the BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting?

The BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting, held to prepare for the 18th BRICS summit in September, is taking place on Thursday, May 14, and Friday, May 15, in New Delhi, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said on Tuesday.

On Thursday, foreign ministers arrived at 10am (04:30 GMT), and sessions are expected to take place throughout the day, concluding with a dinner at 7pm (13:30 GMT).

On Friday, one session is expected to take place, starting at 10am (04:30 GMT).

All of the meetings except one will take place in Bharat Mandapam, an exhibition hall and convention centre close to the Supreme Court of India.

On Thursday at 1pm (07:30 GMT), Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will join the visiting leaders in a conference call from Seva Teerth, a new administrative complex that serves as the official headquarters of the prime minister’s office.

Who is attending the meeting?

Foreign ministers from within and outside the BRICS group are expected to attend the meeting.

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will attend the meeting. South Africa’s Ronald Lamola and Brazil’s Mauro Vieira are also both attending.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will not attend due to Trump’s visit to Beijing. Instead, China will be represented by its Ambassador to India Xu Feihong, Indian media have reported.

Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi has landed in New Delhi to participate. Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Sugiono also arrived in New Delhi on Wednesday.

It is not clear who will be representing the UAE at the BRICS meeting, even as the US-Israel war on Iran exacerbates tensions between the UAE and Iran.

What’s on the agenda?

The theme of this meeting is “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”, according to India’s External Affairs Ministry. This will focus on “people-centric and holistic healthcare, with an emphasis on collaboration on pressing health challenges, including communicable and non-communicable diseases”, it added.

However, the ongoing war on Iran is likely to dominate, and discussions will set the agenda for the annual BRICS summit in September, observers say.

“The Iran war is likely to cast a shadow over both the BRICS summit and the Trump-Xi meeting,” Rafael Loss, a policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), told Al Jazeera.

The war on Iran entered its 76th day on Thursday, with diplomatic efforts to end the conflict hanging in the balance.

Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported that, as well as taking part in the main BRICS sessions, Araghchi will hold separate meetings with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and other officials attending the meeting.

In April this year, India hosted a BRICS Deputy Foreign Ministers and Special Envoys for the Middle East and North Africa meeting in New Delhi. That gathering ended without a joint statement after Iran and the UAE clashed over how to address the US-Israel war on Iran, with the UAE also seeing itself as a victim of Iranian aggression.

Since then, tensions between Iran and the UAE have only risen, with Tehran’s war messaging increasingly targeting the UAE.

Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza is also another point of stress within the bloc. At the April meeting, India – recently an Israeli ally – attempted to soften criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza, leading to a failure within the bloc to arrive at a consensus on the subject.

“The meeting in India occurs at a difficult time in which the cohesion of the BRICS confronts challenges due to the closer relations of India with the US and Israel, and the conflict in West Asia between Iran and the UAE,” Michael Dunford, emeritus professor at the School of Global Studies at the University of Sussex, told Al Jazeera.

What about Trump’s meeting with Xi at the same time?

Trump landed in China on Wednesday evening and, after a ceremonial welcome, headed straight to his hotel. On Thursday, he will hold bilateral talks with the Chinese president, and will also join President Xi for a working lunch on Friday, before flying back to the US.

“A consequence of the coincidence of Trump’s visit to China with the BRICS foreign ministers’ summit in India is that Wang Yi will not attend, with China represented by its Indian ambassador Xu Feihong,” Dunford said.

ECFR’s Rafael Loss predicted that Trump is likely to try to persuade Xi to put pressure on Iran to accommodate US demands to end the naval standoff in the Gulf and open the Strait of Hormuz.

In the past, he said, China avoided getting involved in protracted international conflict management efforts and instead attempted to “swoop in” to seal deals during the final stages, such as in the Iran-Saudi Arabia normalisation agreement of 2023, which has since collapsed.

“But if the price is right, and with Trump’s short-termism and disregard of traditional US allies, Xi could be persuaded to take a more vocal line vis-a-vis Iran,” Loss said. “Taiwan might end up bearing the brunt.”

Source : https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/5/14/iran-war-why-the-brics-foreign-ministers-meeting-in-india-matters

THE author of a children’s book about grief who was convicted of killing her husband has been handed a life sentence after addressing her sons in court who begged the judge to lock her up.

Kouri Richins, 35, became emotional as she admitted to making mistakes in the past, including during her marriage, as she spoke during her sentencing hearing on Wednesday.

Richins stared off into the distance as she was handed a life sentence without parole on Wednesday after being found guilty of murdering her husband with a Moscow Mule filled with fentanyl in March.

Richins, a mother of three, arrived to court on Wednesday, which would have been her husband’s 44th birthday, dressed in a bright green prison outfit.

Two months before her arrest in 2023, she self-published a children’s book, about a child dealing with grief after losing his father, titled, Are You With Me?

Eric was fatally poisoned on March 4, 2022 and an autopsy report revealed that he had five times the lethal dose of fentanyl in his system when he died.

The judge overseeing the case said his sentencing decision came from a “place of genuine concern” for her and Eric’s three sons in the future as their view of the case may evolve as they grow up.

“Kouri Richins was convicted unanimously and beyond a reasonable doubt of attempting to murder Eric Richins, her husband and the father of their three children,” Judge Richard Mrazik said as he further explained his reasons behind Richins’ sentence.

“And then, having failed in her first effort, [she spent] the next 17 days, not changing course but doubling down, preparing to try again and ultimately completing the act through the administration of poison.

“And for what? Money. All for pecuniary gain.

“A person convicted of committing that sequence of acts, in that way, and for that reason, and who causes the absolutely tragedy that has befallen Eric Richins sons and family, a person convicted of those things is simply too dangerous to ever be free.”

Eric’s sister Amy appeared to sigh in relief behind Richins as the judge announced the sentence.

Richins has the right to file an appeal and must do so within 30 days.

Richins was given a chance to speak during her sentencing where she addressed her “sweet baby boys” saying she was taking the opportunity in her jail clothes to speak with them after contact was cut in 2024 once their father’s sister adopted them.

“The one thing I need you boys to know, I did not abandon you. I did not just walk out of your lives one day to never return, to nerve call, to never show up,” she said between tears, later apologizing that they have to go through this.

“I will never be angry at you for your feelings,” she said.

During the sentencing hearing, victim impact statements were read on behalf of the three sons by their social workers.

“You have never said sorry for anything you have done to me and my brothers,” her 11-year-old son, A.R., wrote in his victim impact statement.

Her eldest son, C.R. wrote, “I miss my dad, but I don’t miss Kouri.”

Each of the three children asked the judge to sentence their mother to life in prison without parole.

“I think Kouri should get a life sentence because what she did is very sick,” C.R., 13, wrote.

The youngest son, W.R., 9, wrote, “once she is gone I will feel happy and I will feel safer and relaxed.”

Richins wiped away tears with a tissue and sniffled as she repeatedly told her boys on Wednesday how she never would have taken their dad from them.

“I’m not perfect. I have succeeded, and I have failed – as a person, as a wife, as a parent,” Richins said.

“We all do. I have done plenty of things I’m not proud of. Some I regret, some I don’t. Some I’m ashamed of, and some I’m not.”

Richins admitted to marital problems and an affair during her statement, saying they both wanted to throw in the towel at times, but their love “never failed.”

“I fell in love with someone who wasn’t your dad. Your dad fell in love with someone who wasn’t me,” Richins revealed.

“I’m broken, broken without your dad, broken without you boys,” she cried. “God did not put me in this world to take a life. God put me in this world to give life, your lives.”

“I would have never taken him from you, from us,” she said as she called Eric the glue that held the family together.

She said she is “still in disbelief” at her conviction, and hearing the words murder and attempted murder out loud still makes her stomach turn.

Richins has been jailed since 2023 in Summit County, Utah, roughly 86 miles outside of Salt Lake City.

During her trial, the jury also found Richins guilty of attempting to poison her husband with a sandwich laced with fentanyl a month before his death.

Police bodycam footage was shown on the first day of her trial, where Richins was seen telling officers how she touched her husband’s cold body in bed after she woke up at 3am.

Before her husband’s death, Richins piled on $4.5million in debt across different failed business ventures.

Prosecutors said Richins mistakenly assumed she would collect a $4 million estate in the event her husband died.

The court was previously told that she planned to runaway with her handyman lover, Robert Josh Grossman, to start a new life after collecting the money.

Eric’s stepfather, Gene Richins called him “an incredible father to his three boys,” during victim impact statements.

“They didn’t just see him as a dad, they saw him as their best friend, their coach, their mentor, their protector.”

Eric’s sister, Katie Richins-Benson said during the hearing that her brother “knew that his sons did not like,” their mother.

“He knew that they would prefer to be far away from her.”

Richins was seen looking shocked as her sister-in-law, Katie, gave an impact statement.

Amy Richins, one of Eric’s sisters, said in court that she “begged” Eric to leave his wife.

“I begged Eric to divorce her. But Eric was determined to protect his boys,” she said.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/16355585/kouri-richins-life-sentence-killing-husband/

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Dr Kazem Gharibabadi, told CNN-News18 that the Hormuz Crisis and the resultant fuel price increase were because of USA

As US President Donald Trump touches down in Beijing, Iran expresses hope that Xi Jinping will push for a solution to the Hormuz crisis. Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Dr Kazem Gharibabadi, told CNN-News18 during a media interaction that since China too was suffering because of the Hormuz naval blockade by USA, a solution was in its interest too.

“All countries, including China, are suffering because of the aggression (of USA) and the situation in the Strait of Hormuz. We don’t need to tell China anything directly. There is a deep-rooted and long-standing relation that Iran has with China,” the Deputy Foreign Minister said when asked what Iran expected from the Xi-Trump summit.

Dr Kazem Gharibabadi reiterated that the Hormuz Crisis and the resultant fuel price increase were because of USA and not Iran. He, however, made it clear that Iran will continue to charge a toll in future for ships crossing Hormuz.

Israel claimed Benjamin Netanyahu secretly visited the UAE during the Iran war and held breakthrough talks with the Emirati president. The UAE publicly denied the visit, calling reports of secret meetings or Israeli military delegations “baseless.”

Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the Israeli Prime Minister secretly visited the United Arab Emirates during the Israel-Iran war, but the UAE has publicly denied the claim, creating a rare disagreement between the two countries.

According to Netanyahu’s office, the Israeli prime minister met UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in talks that allegedly resulted in a “historic breakthrough” in relations between Israel and the Gulf nation.

“In the midst of Operation Roaring Lion, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secretly visited the United Arab Emirates, where he met with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed. This visit has led to a historic breakthrough in relations between Israel and the UAE,” an official statement on Israeli PM office read.

The statement came shortly after US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee revealed that Israel had deployed Iron Dome air-defense systems and personnel to the UAE during the conflict with Iran. The deployment highlighted the growing security ties between Israel and the Emirates following the 2020 Abraham Accords.

The UAE, however, strongly rejected the Israeli claims.

In a statement carried by state news agency WAM, the UAE said it “denies what is being circulated regarding a visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the country, or the reception of any Israeli military delegation on its territory.”

The statement added that relations between the UAE and Israel are public and based on the Abraham Accords, “not secrecy or clandestine arrangements.”

“Any claims regarding undisclosed visits or arrangements are baseless unless issued by the relevant official authorities in the UAE,” the statement said, while also urging media organizations not to spread undocumented information.

UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs later published a statement on X.

Israel UAE(Via:X/@mofauae)

Despite the denial, relations between Israel and the UAE have grown significantly since normalization in 2020. Israeli leaders have made occasional visits to the Emirates in recent years, while Iran has repeatedly accused Israel of maintaining military and intelligence operations inside the Gulf state.

The UAE has also faced Iranian missile and drone attacks during the recent conflict, even after a ceasefire was reached last month.

Source: https://www.timesnownews.com/world/middle-east/did-benjamin-netanyahu-secretly-visit-uae-during-iran-war-emirates-publicly-denies-israel-claim-article-154314128

Fifteen years after leaving the Federal Reserve in opposition to an expansive bond-buying program that has since saddled it with a $6.7 trillion portfolio, Kevin Warsh is returning to the U.S. central bank as its leader with an extensive reform agenda that may be tough to translate into quick changes.
The U.S. Senate on ​Wednesday confirmed Warsh to a four-year term as Fed Chair in a largely party-line vote, with a swearing in to follow in the days ahead.

His criticism of the central bank has spanned everything from how the Fed monitors ‌inflation to its willingness to bail out markets to its communications strategy, and the possible changes could involve not just technical reform to the central bank’s economic analyses, but sensitive shifts in how the Fed speaks to financial markets and the public more broadly – issues previously hashed over and considered hard to meddle with quickly.
President Donald Trump clashed repeatedly with Fed Chair Jerome Powell, initially demanding interest rate cuts but expanding his pressure through an effort to fire Fed Governor Lisa Cook and a Justice Department criminal probe of Powell that many consider a broader assault on the central bank’s independence. The Cook case is pending before the ​U.S. Supreme Court and the Justice Department has closed its Powell investigation.

Powell’s eight-year tenure as Fed chief ends on Friday, but he has decided to keep his seat on the central bank’s Board of Governors while that investigation fully winds down, ​in part to buffer the Fed against further legal attacks by the administration.
The 56-year-old lawyer and financier Warsh could make fast changes in tone and at his discretion cut back on things like ⁠press conferences, a return to the more restrained, opaque form of central banking that existed before the 2007-2009 recession and financial crisis triggered a bias towards more public explanation and “forward guidance” for markets about where policy was heading.
Warsh is not a fan of that approach, but ​he also “doesn’t want to disrupt the markets. There are so many things that he wants to do and it is just going to take time to work through that,” said Randall Kroszner, a University of Chicago economics professor who served alongside Warsh as a Fed governor ​from 2006 to 2009. “It’s not just ‘off with their heads’ or suddenly tomorrow we’re going to have the balance sheet be $4 trillion.”

BEYOND INTEREST RATES

Warsh’s immediate challenge will be to navigate that same conflict between Trump’s rate-cut demands and economic data that leaves little room for them. The U.S. unemployment rate remains a relatively low 4.3%, while inflation, the other key issue the Fed manages, remains well above the central bank’s 2% target and is likely moving higher.
When Warsh chairs his first policy meeting in June, in fact, it may be a victory for him if he keeps colleagues on the rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee from saying a rate ​hike may actually be needed. Three Fed policymakers dissented at the April 28-29 meeting in favor of new language along those lines, and that trend may gain momentum based on inflation broadening beyond what can be attributed to tariffs or elevated oil prices.
Powell had about six months ​after Trump promoted him to the Fed chief job in 2018 before the president began berating him, and at this point investors do not expect rate cuts before 2028.

Warsh, in speeches, interviews and public hearings over the past year, has provided various arguments for why interest rates might still fall ‌despite the current ⁠data: Productivity gains flowing from artificial intelligence may make everything cheaper; shrinking the Fed’s longer-dated bond holdings might justify lower short-term rates; and alternate and more accurate measures of inflation actually show prices rising more slowly than those currently emphasized by the Fed.
While he may have reasonable arguments about any of those items, buttressing them with compelling research and convincing fellow policymakers will take time, if it’s possible at all.
Former Fed staff and officials said the most likely first steps would be for Warsh to commission a range of internal reviews, followed by debates at the FOMC and, later, potential changes in things like rules for bank reserves – one possible path to a smaller balance sheet – or the incorporation of different inflation data in policy discussions.
Warsh has also indicated he would like to change some longstanding communication tools like the quarterly ​Summary of Economic Projections, which includes the “dot plot” chart of rate ​projections. There’s broad dissatisfaction about aspects of the SEP, for ⁠example, making that a possible area for faster reform.
But both the SEPs issued by the central bank and the press conferences held by the Fed chief have become powerful tools for shaping public expectations. In a recent Brookings Institution survey of academic and private-sector Fed experts, nearly all of the 29 respondents regarded the post-meeting press conference as “useful or extremely useful” and just over half said the same about the ​SEP and dot plot.
Press conferences in particular are “an international standard” for explaining policy decisions and the economic outlook, said former St. Louis Fed President James Bullard, the dean of Purdue University’s Mitch ​Daniels School of Business. “I think it would ⁠be hard to change that.”

COUNTERARGUMENTS ALREADY DEVELOPING

On other issues, former Fed officials and staff say Warsh’s proposals would need to be vetted like any other.
Ideas are already circulating about how to reduce the balance sheet, for example, but there is skepticism about Warsh’s notion that shrinking bond holdings would allow for rate cuts.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/warsh-has-big-plans-fed-results-may-take-time-2026-05-13/

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Americans’ financial struggles are not a factor in his decision-making as he seeks to negotiate an end to the Iran war, saying ​that preventing Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon is his top priority.
Asked by a reporter ‌to what extent Americans’ financial situations were motivating him to strike a deal, Trump said: “Not even a little bit.”

“The only thing that matters, when I’m talking about Iran, they can’t have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said before departing the White ​House for a trip to China. “I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation. I don’t think about ​anybody. I think about one thing: We cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. ⁠That’s all. That’s the only thing that motivates me.”

Trump’s remarks are likely to draw scrutiny from critics ​who argue the administration should balance geopolitical objectives with the economic impact on Americans, particularly as cost-of-living ​concerns remain a top issue for voters ahead of the November midterm elections.
Asked to elaborate on the president’s comments, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said that Trump’s “ultimate responsibility is the safety and security of Americans. Iran cannot have a ​nuclear weapon, and if action wasn’t taken, they’d have one, which threatens all Americans.”
Trump is under growing ​pressure from fellow Republicans who fear economic pain caused by the war could spark a backlash against the party and ‌cost ⁠it control of the House of Representatives and possibly the Senate in November.

Rising energy costs linked to the Iran conflict have pushed up gasoline prices and contributed to inflation.
U.S. consumer inflation in April posted its largest gain in three years, according to data released on Tuesday.
Trump framed his approach as a matter of ​national and global security, ​suggesting economic concerns were ⁠secondary to preventing nuclear proliferation.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-says-stopping-irans-nuclear-program-outweighs-americans-economic-pain-2026-05-13/

Saudi fighter jets bombed targets linked to powerful Tehran-backed Shi’ite militias in Iraq during the Iran war, while retaliatory strikes were also launched from Kuwait into ​Iraq, multiple sources familiar with the matter said.
The strikes are part of a broader pattern of military responses around the Gulf that remained largely hidden during a conflict ‌that began with U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran and has spread to the wider Middle East.

For this report, Reuters spoke to three Iraqi security and military officials, a Western official, and two people briefed on the matter, one of them in the U.S.
The Saudi strikes were carried out by Saudi air force fighter jets on Iran-linked militia targets near the kingdom’s northern border with Iraq, one Western official and the person briefed on the matter said. The Western ​official said some strikes took place around the time of the April 7 U.S.-Iran ceasefire.
They targeted sites from which drone and missile attacks were launched at Saudi Arabia and other ​Gulf states, the sources said.
Citing military assessments, the Iraqi sources said rocket attacks were launched on at least two occasions from Kuwaiti territory on ⁠Iraq. One set of strikes hit militia positions in southern Iraq in April, killing several fighters and destroying a facility used by Iran-backed militia Kataib Hezbollah for communications and drone operations, they said.

Reuters ​could not determine whether the rockets from Kuwait were fired by the Kuwaiti armed forces or the U.S. military, which has a large presence there. The U.S. military declined to comment. The Kuwaiti ​information ministry and the Iraqi government did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

SAUDI ARABIA ALSO HIT IRAN

A Saudi foreign ministry official said Saudi Arabia sought de-escalation, self-restraint and the “reduction of tensions in pursuit of the stability, security and prosperity of the region,” but did not address the issue of strikes on Iraq. A spokesperson for Iraq’s Kataib Hezbollah also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
On Tuesday, Reuters reported that Saudi Arabia launched strikes ​directly on Iran during the war in retaliation for attacks on the kingdom, the first time Riyadh is known to have hit Iranian soil. The UAE also carried out similar strikes on ​Iran, three people familiar with the matter said.

But hundreds of the drones that targeted the Gulf emanated from Iraq, all the sources said.
Militia-linked Telegram channels repeatedly posted statements during the war claiming attacks on targets in Gulf ‌states, including ⁠Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Reuters could not independently confirm their authenticity.
Sustained attacks from a second front in Iraq prompted Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to lose patience with the militias, which collectively command tens of thousands of fighters and arsenals including missiles and drones.
Kuwait summoned Iraq’s representative in the country three times during the war to protest cross-border attacks, as well as the storming of the Kuwaiti consulate in the city of Basra on April 7. Saudi Arabia also summoned Iraq’s ambassador on April 12 to protest attacks.

IRAQ-GULF TIES DEFINED BY SUSPICION

Gulf Arab relations with Iraq have long been defined by suspicion. Ties were ​severely damaged in 1990 when Iraqi President Saddam ​Hussein’s forces invaded Kuwait and fired Scud ⁠missiles at Saudi Arabia, and they remained strained for decades.

The 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq deepened Gulf concerns by empowering Shi’ite political factions and armed groups closely tied to Tehran, turning Iraq into a key node in Iran’s regional network of proxies.
Gulf states have repeatedly accused Baghdad of failing to ​rein in those groups, which operate with significant autonomy and have launched attacks across borders.
A China-brokered détente between Iran and Saudi Arabia in ​2023 had offered hope for ⁠broader regional stabilisation. But the outbreak of war has severely tested those gains, drawing Gulf states into a conflict they had sought to avoid and exposing the limits of diplomatic progress made in recent years.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/saudi-warplanes-struck-militias-iraq-during-war-sources-say-2026-05-13/

The Trump administration will block new home healthcare and hospice providers from enrolling in Medicare for at least the next six months, according ​to a government, statement, opens new tab posted on Wednesday, citing concerns about widespread fraud.
The moratorium will temporarily bar new providers in those categories from signing up for reimbursement from Medicare, a U.S. ‌government health insurance program for Americans aged 65 and older and those with disabilities. It will not impact providers already registered with Medicare, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which oversees the program.

It is the latest move by Vice President JD Vance’s anti-fraud task force that aims to crack down on healthcare scams.
The U.S. government has for years tried to tackle fraudulent payments from Medicare to hospice and home healthcare providers.
Scammers can bill Medicare for services that ​the patient doesn’t need or want, allowing them to rake in millions of dollars from the U.S. government. The national fraud prevention group Senior Medicare Patrol has repeatedly issued alerts on ​the issue.
It is unusual to pause registrations nationwide. CMS has paused enrollments in the past in specific counties when staff suspected fraud tied to those ⁠locations, including in 2013, when it barred new providers based in Florida’s Miami-Dade County and several counties in Illinois.

CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz did not provide specific evidence to reporters on Wednesday to explain ​why the Trump administration believes it is necessary to bar new enrollments across the U.S., as opposed to in specific areas.
Fraudsters that have been barred from collecting Medicare payments often try to get around ​the ban by starting a new company and registering for payments, said Stephen Lee, a former federal prosecutor who worked in Illinois at the time of the 2013 enrollment pause.
But pausing new enrollments doesn’t help alleviate theft by companies that are already enrolled in Medicare, he said. “It would be a mistake to think that this tool alone will work.”
Reuters was first to report on the pause. The moratorium will give CMS time to account for hospice and home ​health expenditures under the Medicare program and create additional guidance, an administration official said.

The Trump administration has been criticized for mixing the president’s political preferences with agency efforts to eliminate fraud in government ​payments. The administration singled out some Democratic-led states, including California and Minnesota, as not doing enough to combat fraud.
Vance on Wednesday said the Trump administration would defer $1.3 billion in funding for California to detect and prevent Medicaid ‌fraud. Medicaid is ⁠the federal- and state-run health program for low-income Americans.

DIFFERENT APPROACHES FROM INDUSTRY

In 2024, 1.8 million Medicare beneficiaries received hospice care at a cost of $28.3 billion, according to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission. The same year, 2.7 million patients on Medicare received home healthcare at a cost of $16 billion, according to the agency that advises Congress on healthcare spending.
Vance’s task force has recently taken action against hospice services, particularly in California, where the state auditor said in 2022 that lax oversight had enabled large-scale fraud.
Industry groups had urged different approaches as the Trump administration weighed potential action.
The National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation said ​in March it supported temporarily pausing hospice provider enrollments. ​The National Alliance for Care at Home ⁠warned against overly broad action that could deter doctors and patients from recommending or seeking care.
Major home health operators in the U.S. include BrightSpring Health Services (BTSG.O), private equity-backed Matrix Medical Network, and UnitedHealth Group (UNH.N). Chemed Corporation (CHE.N), subsidiary VITAS Healthcare is among the top hospice care providers.

BROADER CRACKDOWN

Tens of billions of dollars ​are estimated to be lost in the United States through healthcare fraud each year, translating into higher costs for patients and employers, according to ​the National Health Care Anti-Fraud ⁠Association.
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has also sought to tackle other healthcare sectors it has deemed a fraud risk. The administration in February paused Medicare enrollments by suppliers of durable medical equipment, such as prostheses.
The fraud crackdown started in Minnesota, where the Trump administration said in February it would withhold $259 million in funds for Medicaid.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/us-halting-medicare-enrollments-new-home-healthcare-hospice-providers-2026-05-13/

Russia unleashed a massive daytime drone attack on Ukraine on Wednesday, targeting critical infrastructure in the west, killing at ​least six people and prompting NATO-member Poland to scramble fighter jets, officials said.
Hungary, now led by a government more in line with the ‌European mainstream, condemned the strikes on areas of Ukraine with ethnic Hungarian communities and summoned the Russian ambassador. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy praised the Hungarian action as an “important message”.

Zelenskiy, writing on Telegram while attending a security conference in Romania, said the Russian attack was continuing through the evening, with Moscow now deploying missiles.
Zelenskiy had earlier said that since midnight Moscow had launched at least 800 drones, with the ​attack deliberately targeting regions closest to the borders of NATO countries.
“It certainly cannot be called a coincidence that one of the longest massive Russian attacks ​against Ukraine takes place precisely at the time when the President of the United States arrived for a visit to China,” Zelenskiy ⁠said on Telegram.
Zelenskiy said six people were killed and dozens injured in the attack, which spanned other regions. Ukraine’s railway infrastructure was struck 23 times during the barrage, a ​presidential advisor said, though traffic was maintained.

A late evening statement issued by Ukraine’s military said 187 combat clashes had been recorded over 24 hours along the 1,200-km (750-mile) front line, with ​55 air strikes and 178 guided bombs deployed by Russian forces.
The heaviest fighting occurred near Pokrovsk in the east, under Russian attack for many months, with 24 clashes recorded and near Huliaipole further south, with 22 Russian attacks.
Wednesday’s drone strikes were the first such major attack after a three-day U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia, which ended on Monday.
Poland scrambled fighter jets as a preventative measure due ​to the Russian air strikes on Ukraine, the Polish army said.

Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar, speaking after the new government’s first cabinet meeting, said the Russian ambassador had been summoned ​to the foreign ministry on Thursday morning to meet foreign minister Anita Orban.

Orban will condemn the attack at the meeting and ask the ambassador when Russia plans to end the more than ‌four-year-old war, ⁠he added. Under the outgoing government voted out of office this month, Hungary blocked aid for Ukraine and tried to slow its efforts to join the EU.
Slovakia closed border crossings with Ukraine for security reasons.
The defence ministry in Moldova, which has repeatedly denounced Russia’s invasion of its eastern neighbour, said a drone had crossed into its airspace and flown for about 300 km before disappearing from radar screens. The foreign ministry said the intrusion “posed a threat to our citizens.”
Ukraine’s HUR military intelligence said the drone assault was designed ​to overwhelm Ukrainian air defences, warning of subsequent ​missile strikes. It said that Moscow ⁠targeted critical infrastructure and essential services in major cities.

ATTACKS IN WESTERN UKRAINE

Ukraine’s air force said Russia had used the territory of Belarus and Moldova to fly the drones towards Ukraine.
State-owned oil and gas company Naftogaz said that Russian strikes had damaged two of its ​facilities in the northeastern region of Kharkiv and in Zhytomyr region, west of Kyiv. Governors and mayors reported strikes across ​western Ukraine.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/ukraines-zelenskiy-warns-incoming-russian-drone-attacks-during-daylight-2026-05-13/

The posts came as Trump travelled to China for high-stakes talks with Xi Jinping and days after he floated the idea of Venezuela becoming a US state.

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday shared a graphic depicting Venezuela as the “51st State” of the United States, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio was spotted aboard Air Force One wearing a Nike tracksuit similar to the one former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro wore during his capture earlier this year.

Trump posted the image on his Truth Social platform while en route to China for high-stakes talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The graphic showed a map of Venezuela overlaid with the American flag and labelled “51st State”. The White House reshared the same image on its official X account later.

The post came a day after Trump told Fox News he was considering making Venezuela a new US state, months after US forces captured Maduro in a military operation in Caracas.

Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodríguez had earlier rejected the idea, saying the country had “never” considered becoming America’s 51st state.

See more

pic.twitter.com/IBzjpZgXUc

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 12, 2026

At nearly the same time, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung shared a photograph of Rubio aboard Air Force One wearing a grey Nike Tech tracksuit that social media users linked to the outfit Maduro wore when he was taken into US custody in January.

See more

Trump’s comms director just shared this photo of Sec. Rubio on Air Force One wearing the same track suit that Maduro was captured in. pic.twitter.com/DLD5YtQFHG

— Kellie Meyer (@KellieMeyerNews) May 12, 2026

“Secretary Rubio rocking the Nike Tech ‘Venezuela’ on Air Force One!” Cheung wrote on X. Journalist Kellie Meyer also posted the image, saying Rubio was wearing a tracksuit similar to the one Maduro wore during his capture.

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/trump-posts-venezuela-as-51st-state-rubio-spotted-in-nike-tracksuit-similar-to-one-worn-by-maduro-ws-kl-10087967.html

 

President Trump reiterated his strong stance on Iran while en route to a summit with China’s Xi Jinping, asserting that Iran is under control and emphasizing the US’s commitment to preventing its nuclear armament.

US President Donald Trump issued a fresh warning to Iran as he heads to China for a two-day summit with President Xi Jinping. Addressing reporters at the White House on Tuesday, Trump said that the conflict in the Middle East was under control. “We have Iran very much under control. We’re either going to make a deal or they’re going to be decimated,” the US President added.

Asked if Xi needs to intervene in Iran, Trump said, “I don’t think we need any help with Iran. We’ll win it one way or the other. We’ll win it peacefully or otherwise. Their Navy is gone. Their Air Force is gone. Every single element of their war machine is gone.”

“It’s very simple: Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon… We don’t play games. They’re not going to have a nuclear weapon,” he added

Meanwhile, Iran’s government showed no sign of backing down from its hard-line stance. Kazem Gharibabadi, a deputy foreign minister, posted on X that Iran’s position was that any peace deal must include reparations for Iran, Iranian sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, and an end to US sanctions.

The comments come as the month-old ceasefire looked increasingly fragile with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth telling Congress on Tuesday that the “United States had a plan to escalate, if necessary.”

Trump has said that he wants a swift end to the war and a reopening of the strait. The President has also brushed aside economic concerns, saying: “As soon as this war is over, which will not be long, you’re going to see oil prices drop.” He added that the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz will bring a “gusher of oil.” What matters more than oil prices, he said, is that “Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. They will not have a nuclear weapon.”

The war in Iran has led to higher prices for Americans, and data released on Tuesday morning says that inflation rose to 3.8% last month.

Trump also laid out his plan to discuss the Iran war with Chinese President Xi Jinping. “We’re going to have a long talk about it. I think he’s been relatively good, to be honest with you. You look at the blockade, no problem. They get a lot of their oil from that area. We’ve had no problem,” Trump said.

Source : https://www.timesnownews.com/world/us/us-news/us-president-donald-trump-iran-war-warning-china-summit-xi-jinping-article-154305438

 

Saudi Arabia launched numerous, unpublicized strikes on Iran in retaliation for attacks carried out in the kingdom during the Middle East war, two Western officials briefed on the matter and two Iranian officials said.
The Saudi attacks, not previously reported, mark the first time that the ​kingdom is known to have directly carried out military action on Iranian soil and show it is becoming much bolder in defending itself against its main regional rival.

The attacks, launched by the Saudi Air ‌Force, were assessed to have been carried out in late March, the two Western officials said. One said only that they were “tit-for-tat strikes in retaliation for when Saudi (Arabia) was hit.”
Reuters was unable to confirm what the specific targets were.
In response to a request for comment, a senior Saudi foreign ministry official did not address directly whether strikes had been carried out.
The Iranian foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment.
Saudi Arabia, which has a deep military relationship with the United States, has traditionally relied on U.S. military for protection, but the 10-week war has left the kingdom vulnerable to ​attacks that have pierced the U.S. military umbrella.

GULF ARAB STATES BEGAN HITTING BACK

The Saudi strikes underscore the widening of the conflict — and the extent to which a war that began when the U.S. and Israel launched airstrikes on ​Iran on February 28 has drawn in the broader Middle East in ways that have not been publicly acknowledged.
Since the U.S. and Israeli strikes, Iran has hit all six Gulf Cooperation Council ⁠states with missiles and drones, attacking not only U.S. military bases but civilian sites, airports and oil infrastructure, and closed the Strait of Hormuz, disrupting global trade.
The United Arab Emirates also carried out military strikes on Iran, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday. ​Together, the Saudi and Emirati actions reveal a conflict whose true shape has remained largely hidden — one in which Gulf monarchies battered by Iranian attacks began hitting back.

But their approach has not been identical. The UAE has taken a more hawkish stance, seeking ​to extract a cost from Iran and engaging only rarely in public diplomacy with Tehran.
Saudi Arabia has meanwhile sought to prevent the conflict from escalating and has stayed in regular contact with Iran, including via Tehran’s ambassador in Riyadh. He did not respond to a request for comment.
The senior Saudi foreign ministry official did not directly address whether a de-escalation agreement had been struck with Iran, but said: “We reaffirm Saudi Arabia’s consistent position advocating de-escalation, self-restraint and the reduction of tensions in pursuit of the stability, security and prosperity of the region and its people.”

STRIKES, THEN DE-ESCALATION

The Iranian and ​Western officials said Saudi Arabia made Iran aware of the strikes and this was followed by intensive diplomatic engagement and Saudi threats to retaliate further, which led to an understanding between the two countries to de-escalate.

Ali Vaez, the Iran Project Director at ​the International Crisis Group, said retaliatory Saudi strikes on Iran, followed by an understanding to de-escalate, would “show pragmatic recognition on both sides that uncontrolled escalation carries unacceptable costs.”
Such a sequence of events would show “not trust, but a shared interest in imposing limits on confrontation before it ‌spiraled into a ⁠wider regional conflict.”
The informal de-escalation took effect in the week before Washington and Tehran agreed to a ceasefire in their broader conflict on April 7. The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
One of the Iranian officials confirmed that Tehran and Riyadh had agreed to de-escalate, saying the move aimed to “cease hostilities, safeguard mutual interests, and prevent the escalation of tensions.”
Long at odds, Iran and Saudi Arabia — the two leading Shi’ite and Sunni Muslim powers in the Middle East — have backed opposing groups in conflicts across the region.
A China-brokered détente in 2023 saw them resume ties, including a ceasefire between the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen and Saudi Arabia that has since held.
With the Red Sea remaining open to shipping, Saudi Arabia has been able to continue exporting oil ​throughout the conflict, unlike most Gulf states, and so has ​managed to remain relatively insulated.

KINGDOM AVOIDED ‘FURNACE OF DESTRUCTION’, SAYS ⁠PRINCE

In an op-ed in Saudi-owned Arab News over the weekend, former Saudi intelligence chief Prince Turki al-Faisal captured the kingdom’s calculus, writing that “when Iran and others tried to drag the kingdom into the furnace of destruction, our leadership chose to endure the pains caused by a neighbor in order to protect the lives and property of its citizens.”
Saudi Arabia’s strikes followed weeks of mounting tension.
At ​a press conference in Riyadh on March 19, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said the kingdom “reserved the right to take military actions if deemed necessary.”
Three days later, Saudi ​Arabia declared Iran’s military attaché and ⁠four embassy staff members personae non gratae.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/saudi-arabia-launched-covert-attacks-iran-regional-war-widened-sources-2026-05-12/

Both Iraq and Pakistan have cut deals with Iran to ship oil and liquefied natural gas from the Gulf, according to five sources with knowledge of the matter, in a demonstration of ​Tehran’s ability to control energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz.
The U.S.-Israeli war with Iran has slashed energy exports from a region that normally supplies 20% of the ‌world’s crude oil and LNG. The U.S. has blockaded Iranian ports in recent weeks. And though Iran initially sought to halt traffic through the strait, that stance is now changing, said Claudio Steuer of the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies.

“Iran has shifted from blocking Hormuz to controlling access to it … Hormuz is no longer a neutral transit route, it is a controlled corridor,” he said.
With most of its crude exports typically shipped through the strait, Iraq ​was among the producers worst-affected by its closure, while Pakistan, which has sought to mediate in the conflict, depends heavily on Gulf energy imports and has faced surging fuel costs.
In ​a deal between Baghdad and Tehran that has not been previously reported, Iraq secured safe passage for two very large crude carriers, each carrying ⁠about 2 million barrels of crude, that passed through the strait on Sunday.

Iraq is now working to secure Iran’s approval for more transits, an Iraqi oil ministry official familiar with the initial deal and ​current talks told Reuters, as the government seeks to safeguard the oil revenues that make up 95% of its budget.
“Iraq is a close ally of Iran, and any deterioration in Iraq’s economy would ​also damage Iran’s economic interests in the country,” the official said.
A second Iraqi oil ministry official and a shipping industry source also confirmed the talks with Tehran. All of the sources asked not to be named as they were not authorised to speak on the matter.
An Iraqi government spokesperson did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

QATARI LNG FOR PAKISTAN

Similarly, two tankers loaded with Qatari LNG are headed to Pakistan following a separate bilateral ​agreement between Islamabad and Tehran, two industry sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters, also asking not to be named as they were not permitted to speak with media.

Pakistan received roughly 10 ​LNG cargoes a month before the war and now must meet high summer electricity demand for cooling.
Neither Iraq nor Pakistan has made direct payments to Iran or its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in relation to the ‌transits, the ⁠sources said.
Qatar was not directly involved in the bilateral deals, the two industry sources said, but it informed the United States ahead of the shipments to Pakistan.
Pakistan’s petroleum and information ministries did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Neither did Qatar’s foreign ministry.

IRAN TIGHTENS ITS GRIP

Other countries are exploring similar deals, according to sources familiar with the discussions, as rising energy costs and supply disruptions weigh heavily, particularly on Asian economies.
“As more governments become willing to cut deals with Iran for passage, it risks normalising the idea that Iran will control the Strait of Hormuz on a more permanent basis,” ​said Saul Kavonic, head of research at consultancy ​MST Marquee.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/iraq-pakistan-strike-energy-deals-with-iran-tehran-flexes-hormuz-control-2026-05-12/

Extensive testing, contact tracing, and quarantine procedures are still needed to contain the outbreak, WHO says. However, it has stressed that the current outbreak is vastly different to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The push to contain the recent hantavirus outbreak “is not over” yet, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Tuesday.

Tedros’ comments came soon after it was announced that everyone aboard the virus-struck cruise ship MV Hondius had been evacuated from Spain’s Canary Islands.

In a joint press conference with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Tedros said that there is “no sign that we are seeing the start of a larger outbreak…but of course the situation could change, and given the long incubation period of the virus, it’s possible we might see more cases in the coming weeks.”

What is the state of the hantavirus outbreak?

This strain of hantavirus can likely be traced to rodents in South America.

On April 1, 2026, the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius left Argentina. Ten days later, a passenger died of hantavirus while on the ship and his wife died several days later in a hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa.

A third passenger, a German woman, perished and it was decided that the Hondius would dock at Tenerife while passengers were tested for the virus and those who were sick could be evacuated.

On Sunday and Monday, the remaining 120 passengers still aboard the Hondius were evacuated.

So far there have been eleven confirmed cases of hantavirus. The patients are in Spain, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the UK, and the US.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/work-not-over-says-who-after-hantavirus-evacuation/a-77130594

 

The ShinyHunters hacking group stole student data from the popular education platform Canvas last week. Parent company Instructure apologized for the hack and said Canvas “remains safe to use.”

The US parent company of online learning system Canvas said Monday that it has reached a deal with a hacking group which stole student and school data on the educational platform.

What’s the latest?

Instructure said in a statement posted online that it “reached an agreement with the unauthorized actor involved in this incident.”

The company said “the data was returned to us” and “we received digital confirmation of data destruction (shred logs).”

“No Instructure customers will be extorted as a result of this incident, publicly or otherwise,” the statement read. “This agreement covers all impacted Instructure customers, and there is no need for individual customers to attempt to engage with the unauthorized actor.”

Instructure first said it was probing a cybersecurity incident in regards to Canvas on May 1.

Hacking group ShinyHunters claimed responsibility for the breach in a May 3 post on its website. ShinyHunters said it seized roughly 6.65 terabytes of Canvas data in the hack.

The group said it would release data tied to nearly 9,000 schools worldwide if the educational institutions did not pay a ransom by May 6. ShinyHunters then pushed back the deadline as it said negotiations were underway with some schools.

ShinyHunters is reportedly made of young adults and teenagers in the US and UK and has earlier been accused of carrying out a hack on online sales platform Ticketmaster.

Canvas ‘fully operational and remains safe to use’

Instructure CEO Steve Daly apologized for the hack and said Canvas “is fully operational and remains safe to use.”

“Over the past few days, many of you dealt with real disruption. Stress on your teams. Missed moments in the classroom. Questions you couldn’t get answered. You deserved more consistent communication from us, and we didn’t deliver it. I’m sorry for that,” Daly said.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/canvas-owner-secures-student-data-in-deal-with-hacking-group/a-77138028

On a visit to Indonesia, Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan also thanked the search and rescue personnel who retrieved the bodies of victims, including two Singaporeans, who died on Mount Dukono on May 8.

Indonesia and Singapore want to deepen ties and collaboration as they commemorate 60 years of bilateral relations next year, said the foreign ministers of both countries on Tuesday (May 12).

Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, who began a three-day visit to Jakarta on Monday, met his Indonesian counterpart Sugiono on Tuesday morning.

Singapore and Indonesia’s bilateral projects, like the Nongsa Digital Park in Batam and the Kendal Industrial Park in Central Java, have continued to flourish, and they see good prospects for further growth, especially in the digital and green economies, Dr Balakrishnan said at a joint press conference with Mr Sugiono after their meeting.

“That is why we are looking for more opportunities to enhance our engagements with the large number of provinces in Indonesia,” he said.

Both sides are also looking for opportunities to work more closely with Malaysia, he said, citing the renewal of the Singapore-Johor-Riau Islands partnership, or SIJORI.

“This is a partnership which I believe can deliver tremendous benefits to all three countries. Within our region, we also hope to see more investments in transport connectivity and digital projects, and to also bring to reality the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Power Grid.”

Mr Sugiono, who goes by one name, said: “These past six decades, I think Indonesia and Singapore have built a very strong partnership defined by strategic trust, mutual benefit, and shared purpose.”

He said they also spoke about the preparation for the upcoming Leaders’ Retreat and reviewed concrete progress across various sectors, such as energy, cross-border activity, trade, energy development, and investment.

“We are hoping to have the largest electricity project, especially (from) sustainable (energy),” Mr Sugiono added.

Dr Balakrishnan also noted Indonesia’s vast energy potential, including in solar, geothermal, and hydroelectric power.

“I see Indonesia as a superpower in energy; it is a matter of getting the investments to flow and getting these projects to fruition,” he said.

Indonesia’s energy potential and economic development complements Singapore’s role as a regional hub for technology and infrastructure financing, he said, adding that Singapore is Indonesia’s largest foreign investor and both are among each other’s biggest trading partners.

Both countries’ relations are in an “excellent state”, said Dr Balakrishnan. “Singapore and Indonesia have stood by each other in both good times and tough times, whether it was the COVID-19 pandemic, or now with the crisis in the Middle East. We have stood by each other, we have supported each other, and we will get through this crisis together.”

Both countries’ Expanded Framework Agreements came into force in March 2024, covering their collaboration in defence, airspace management, and law enforcement, Dr Balakrishnan noted.

“The fact that we were able to settle these longstanding issues constructively and implement these agreements well is a very good sign of the strength of our bilateral relations,” he added.

GEOPOLITICS AND WAR IN IRAN

The two ministers also spoke about the geopolitical situation, including the war in the Middle East and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which has affected energy supplies to Asia, including Southeast Asia.

Dr Balakrishnan said he spoke with the Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi on Monday night.

“I took the opportunity to invite him to our region to see – in the midst of great diversity and great potential for development – the importance of regional peace, the importance of a rules-based world order, the importance of abiding by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS),” he said.

That Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore have been able to maintain the Straits of Malacca and Singapore as an “open, safe, and vital waterway”, including through the Co-operative Mechanism on Safety of Navigation and Environmental Protection in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore formulated pursuant to UNCLOS, could be a “positive model that could apply to other areas in the world”, he said.

“The point here is that the success of Indonesia and the effective cooperation that we have in our region has a major impact on the prospects for ASEAN, but can also serve as a positive example for the rest of the world.”

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/indonesia-singapore-sugiono-vivian-balakrishnan-6115796

The Russian leader had said, without elaborating, that he believed the war was “heading to an end”.

The Kremlin said Tuesday (May 12) there was no concrete plan to end the Ukraine war, days after Russian leader Vladimir Putin suggested Europe’s worst conflict since WWII could be winding down.

Moscow and Kyiv resumed attacks overnight after the end of a three-day ceasefire proclaimed by US President Donald Trump, which each side accused the other of violating.

After slamming NATO and wishing his forces a swift advance, Putin at the weekend said that he believed the war was “heading to an end”, without elaborating.

Trump echoed this on Tuesday, saying the end of the war was “getting closer” and that he could potentially visit Russia this year.

Putin’s words spurred confusion, with talks to end Moscow’s offensive so far leading nowhere and the Russian leader showing no sign of backing down over his maximalist demands in Ukraine.

The Kremlin clarified there were “no specifics” about Putin’s statement.

“The president said that Russia remains open to contact and that work has been done in a trilateral format,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

“The accumulated groundwork in terms of the peace process allows us to say that the end is drawing near … But in this context, it is not possible at the moment to speak about any specifics,” Peskov said.

Putin would only agree to meet Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy outside of Russia if it were to sign a final peace deal, Peskov added.

The Russian leader made the remarks after a scaled-back Victory Day in Moscow – where nerves were high over the risk of a Ukrainian drone attack – and with Russians increasingly showing signs of war fatigue, hitting Putin’s domestic approval ratings.

US CEASEFIRE ENDS

Ukraine said Russia ended the three-day ceasefire by launching more than 200 attack drones that damaged energy facilities and apartment buildings, killing at least four people across the country.

One Russian strike on a residential building killed two people and seriously wounded a baby, who lost a leg, in Kryvyi Rig, Zelenskyy’s home city, local authorities said.

“After the end of the three-day partial ceasefire, Russia continues to kill and maim Ukrainians,” said Zelenskyy, calling the strike on Kryvyi Rig “cynical.”

Moscow’s army announced Kyiv had also restarted its retaliatory strikes on Russia, saying its air defence units had downed 71 Ukrainian drones after the ceasefire expired.

Ukrainian drones hit a train station in Russia’s western Bryansk region, wounding two railway workers, regional governor Alexander Bogomaz said.

Local officials in the Ukrainian region of Dnipropetrovsk ordered the partial evacuation of families with children from parts of the frontline city of Nikopol.

“Russia must end this war, and it is Russia that must take the step toward a real, lasting ceasefire,” Zelenskyy added.

The Kremlin, meanwhile, said it was Kyiv that must give in.

As is usual during the short-term truces throughout the four-year war, both sides accused each other of mass violations.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/russia-ukraine-zelenskyy-putin-war-heading-end-kremlin-6115926

The Democratic primary for a key U.S. House seat in Nebraska was too early to call late Tuesday, as two candidates were separated by a narrow margin in a contest that could decide the fate of the state’s “blue dot” — a small, but significant factor in presidential politics.

Political activist Denise Powell had a lead of about 2 percentage points over state Sen. John Cavanaugh, out of more than 51,000 votes counted.

Douglas County, which accounts for more than 90% of the district, has a history of counting a significant number of votes after election day, and county officials were unable to provide an estimate of the number of outstanding ballots late Tuesday. The county expects to provide additional information about outstanding ballots on Wednesday afternoon.

The winner of the Democratic primary will face Republican Brinkner Harding, who was endorsed by President Donald Trump, in what will be one of the Democrats’ top targets in the November general election. The seat has been held for much of the last decade by U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, a Republican who is retiring.

“Hopefully, we wake up tomorrow morning to some good news,” Powell said at her election night party. “I think people are ready for that fired up mom. I think that they’re looking for change, and hopefully they see me as the person to help Nebraska to bring it.”

The district draws national attention because Nebraska is one of just two states that splits its electoral votes in presidential elections. The 2nd District has gone to Democratic presidential candidates three out of five times since 2008 — a “blue dot” in an otherwise sea of red.

Some Democrats contended that the very survival of the “blue dot,” a point of intense local pride, was at stake on Tuesday.

Powell’s supporters argued that a Cavanaugh primary victory would jeopardize the district’s special status because he’d be leaving his valuable state legislative seat, making it easier for Republicans in the Nebraska Legislature to change the law that allows the state to split its electoral votes.

The issue has defined the primary contest, where the leading candidates have much in common ideologically, perhaps more than any other.

Outside an Omaha polling place, Beth Pepitone said she voted for Powell because she wanted someone who would stand up to Trump.

“I just think we’re going in the wrong direction and it’s very sad,” said Pepitone. “I want to preserve the ‘blue dot.’”

Clarity for key Senate contest

A key Senate contest also got clarity on Tuesday night, as U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts easily won the GOP primary in his bid to seek his first full term. Ricketts was appointed to replace former Sen. Ben Sasse in 2023 and then won a 2024 special election.

Ricketts’ real test will come in the November general election against independent candidate Dan Osborn, an industrial mechanic and military veteran who came within 7 points of defeating Republican U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer in her 2024 reelection bid.

Democrats are not expected to promote their own competitor in the general election, even after Cindy Burbank won the party’s primary. Burbank has said she plans to drop out of the race and rally behind Osborn as part of her party’s broader strategy to defeat Ricketts this fall. On her website, Burbank says Osborn “deserves a fair shot against Ricketts.”

The Nebraska Democratic Party said it would support the independent Osborn for the general election as well.

Meanwhile, in the race for governor, incumbent Republican Gov. Jim Pillen won his party’s primary, while former state Sen. Lynne Walz won the Democratic nomination.

Opponents say the ‘blue dot’ is in danger

In the 2nd District, the Democratic argument against Cavanaugh has little to do with his politics or policies.

His opponents and groups backing them have flooded mailboxes, airwaves and social media warning that if he wins the congressional primary, Nebraska’s Republican governor would appoint a conservative Republican to replace him in the Legislature.

That move, they say, could give state Republicans enough votes to enact a conservative wish list that includes stricter limitations on abortion and transgender rights.

It could also empower Republicans to enact midcycle redistricting or change the state’s unusual system of splitting presidential electoral votes, some Democrats argue. Republicans failed in 2024 to pass a bill that would have made Nebraska the 49th state to award its Electoral College votes on a winner-take-all basis.

“Our Blue Dot. We fought hard for it. But if John Cavanaugh goes to Congress, it could all fall down,” cautions one TV ad by the super PAC New Democrat Majority.

EMILY’s List, a national group that supports women running for office, has put its reach and money behind Powell, calling Cavanaugh’s candidacy “a gift to MAGA Republicans.”

A contentious primary

While all the Democratic contenders cite affordability and opposition to Trump administration policies — from immigration and healthcare to military actions — the top contenders began attacking one another more aggressively in the days leading up to the primary.

Powell, who is Latina, co-founded Women Who Run Nebraska, a political action committee that supports progressive female candidates, and she has a decade of Democratic political activism. She’s never held office but said her deep connections have helped her with independents and third-party voters who make up nearly 30% of the district’s electorate.

Cavanaugh talked up his support for labor unions, specifically the Teamsters, as he addressed supporters Tuesday night.

“This campaign is fueled by working people,” he said. “We stand in solidarity with those working people.”

Source : https://apnews.com/article/nebraska-election-house-cavanaugh-powell-bacon-5d7502c2eb7c807b2a7b72e48eae2905

Kuwait said on Tuesday that Iran launched a failed attack earlier this month on an island where China is helping build a port in the Gulf Arab country. The accusation came just hours before U.S. President Donald Trump was to depart for Beijing on a high-stakes visit over the Iran war and other issues.

Trump said he would have a “long talk” about Iran with Chinese President Xi Jinping but said trade would be a bigger focus. As he left for the summit, Trump again threatened Iran if its leaders don’t reach an agreement on its nuclear program.

“We have Iran very much under control,” Trump said. “We’re either going to make a deal or they’re going to be decimated. One way or the other, we win.”

Iranian state media quoted the country’s foreign ministry as calling “baseless” the allegation by Kuwait, which came under attack by Iran in the war and during the shaky ceasefire that is still holding. But the allegation and ongoing attacks in the region have threatened to reignite open warfare.

The narrow Strait of Hormuz remains in Iran’s chokehold, the U.S. is maintaining a blockade against Iran and negotiations between the two countries appear at a standstill.

“True peace cannot be built with a literature of humiliation, threats, and coercive score-settling,” Kazem Gharibabadi, an Iranian diplomat, said Tuesday on X.

With the risk of the conflict breaking out again, Israel has sent Iron Dome air-defense weapons and personnel to operate them to the United Arab Emirates, the U.S. ambassador to Israel said.

It was the first publicly acknowledged deployment of Israel’s military to the Emirates — home to Abu Dhabi and Dubai — and underlined the growing relationship between Israel and the UAE.

Also very late on Tuesday night, a magnitude 4.6 earthquake shook parts of Iran, followed by several aftershocks, according to Iranian state media. Witnesses felt the temblor in the capital of Tehran, where some people sought refuge in the streets. Iranian state TV said there were no reports of casualties.

Kuwait alleges Iran planned attack

Kuwait said a paramilitary Revolutionary Guard team tried to infiltrate Bubiyan Island in the northwest corner of the Persian Gulf near Iraq and Iran on May 1.

Four men were detained and two escaped when Kuwait’s forces disrupted the attack, it said.

A statement that Iranian media attributed to the foreign ministry in Tehran said four officers on a “conventional maritime patrol mission” had entered Kuwait’s waters because of “a disruption in the navigation system.” It denied any hostile intent and called for the men’s release.

Bubiyan Island is home to Mubarak Al Kabeer Port, which is under construction as part of a Chinese plan to build infrastructure across the world. It also came under Iranian attack during the war.

Kuwait provided no reason for why it delayed linking the attack to Iran after initially announcing it on May 3 without any details. Trump is traveling this week to China for a summit where Iran will likely be a main topic. Beijing long has been a buyer of sanctioned Iranian crude oil and has been hurt by the strait’s closure, which has sparked a global energy crisis.

Huckabee says Israel deployed to UAE

U.S. ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee revealed at a conference in Tel Aviv, Israel, that Israel has sent Iron Dome air-defense to the UAE.

The United Arab Emirates diplomatically recognized Israel in 2020. That drew criticism from Iran, long Israel’s main regional enemy. Iran didn’t immediately respond to Huckabee’s remarks, though it has repeatedly suggested over the years that Israel maintained a military and intelligence presence in the Emirates.

The Israeli military declined to comment on Huckabee’s statement about the Iron Dome while the UAE didn’t immediately respond.

The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, was quoted as making comments similar to Huckabee’s during an event at the Israeli mission — suggesting the release of the information was intentional, likely with the Emiratis’ and Israelis’ blessing.

The UAE has faced Iranian missile and drone fire even after the ceasefire was reached last month. It has been trying to signal to nervous investors and the public that it remains open for business and safe.

Hegseth tells Congress: ‘We control the strait’

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told members of Congress Tuesday that the military has plenty of bombs and missiles despite concerns about its stockpiles.

He also maintained that the U.S. is in control of the Strait of Hormuz, even as Iranian attacks — and threats — have disrupted the shipment of oil and other products through the vital waterway.

“Ultimately we control the strait, because nothing’s going in that we don’t allow to go in,” said Hegseth, who faced tough questions from Republican and Democratic lawmakers who oversee defense spending.

Sen. Chris Coons, a Delaware Democrat, asked what the Trump administration’s strategy is for reopening the waterway. “Your average American is seeing this at the gas pump every single day as the cost of gas continues to rise,” Coons said.

Hegseth avoided specifics about the next steps in Iran. The Pentagon’s top budget official told Congress that the cost of the war is close to $29 billion so far — that’s up from an estimate of $25 billion just two weeks ago.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-israel-uae-iron-dome-f3d5738853111cfc80985c157edab7c3

 

On a rainy, cold morning Masooda makes her way to a hillside cemetery in north-west Kabul to visit the grave of her younger brother Mirwais.

But she doesn’t know exactly where he was buried after he was killed in a Pakistani airstrike two months ago.

Instead, she stands at the edge of a mass grave, neatly covered with tiny white stones and roughly marked with grey granite slabs, which is the final resting place of some of the at least 269 people killed in the attack on a drug rehabilitation centre.

Exactly how many are in the grave is impossible to say: like Mirwais, who was 24, many were barely identifiable – reduced to body parts or burned beyond recognition.

“My brother’s body was in pieces. There was barely anything left of him to give us,” says Masooda, 27, breaking down as she speaks. “They just found his torso. I identified it through a birthmark he had.”

The attack on the Omid Drug Rehabilitation Hospital is the deadliest attack in Afghanistan, possibly ever, but certainly in recent history, including 20 years of war between the Taliban, and Nato and Afghan republic forces.

A report released on Tuesday by the United Nations puts the number they can confirm at 269, but acknowledges the real figure is likely to be significantly higher.

There are calls for the attack to be investigated as a war crime.

Fighting between Pakistan and Afghanistan has been going on for months, leaving hundreds dead, most of them from Pakistani airstrikes. Islamabad accuses the Taliban government of sheltering militants who attack Pakistan. Kabul denies doing so.

The carnage at the drug rehab centre accounts for most of those killed in the fighting this year. The scale of the death toll is so staggering it has shocked Afghanistan, despite its long familiarity with violent conflict.

The UN, which was given access to the site, as well as the BBC’s Afghan service teams who were on the ground in the immediate aftermath, confirm the strike hit civilians undergoing treatment. Human Rights Watch called it “an unlawful attack and a possible war crime”.

But Pakistan disputes it hit a civilian target. In a statement to the BBC it said that “no hospital, no drug rehabilitation centre, and no civilian facility was targeted”, adding: “The targets were military and terrorist infrastructure.”

Masooda is angered by the claim.

“Pakistan is lying. I have seen it and it wasn’t a military camp. There were men admitted there who had come to get healed and return to their families,” says Masooda.

She is not alone. The BBC has spoken to the families of more than 30 victims – including those of recovering addicts, and employees of the centre – who reject Pakistan’s claims.

Omid centre may be located in a former military training compound called Camp Phoenix, which used to be used by the US and Nato forces, but it is far from new.

Opened in 2016, after the Americans abandoned the base and five years before the Taliban seized power in 2021, Omid was well-known and had been widely covered by domestic and international news outlets.

The BBC had been given access inside the facility in 2023 to speak to recovering addicts.

“It’s literally about a kilometre away from the main UN offices. We have UN agencies, support to the patients of that hospital. So the site was well known to us,” said Fiona Frazer, the representative of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Afghanistan.

Mirwais – one of an estimated three million Afghans struggling with drug addiction – was one of the newest inpatients.

Masooda, who had raised him like a son after the death of their parents, revealed he had been studying to be a pharmacist when he got addicted to ‘Tablet-K’, the street name of a synthetic drug which, depending on its type, can contain methamphetamine, opioids or MDMA.

“He was a simple boy who got into a bad habit. He had only been at Omid for 10 days when this happened,” Masooda says.

The three bombs fell on the facility located on the Kabul-Jalalabad highway at about 20:50 local time on 16 March, one of the doctors on duty at the time told the BBC. He didn’t want to be identified because he hadn’t been authorised to speak by the Taliban government.

“One of them hit a hangar-like structure where newly-admitted patients are normally housed,” he said.

“The other two bombs hit containers and wooden blocks that housed patients, as well as food storage units, and offices of the administrative, security and support staff.”

The UN’s Fiona Frazer points out that it also struck “the vocational training areas within the hospital, which were buildings that were mostly made of wood, which then resulted in this very, very large fire”.

The UN’s report into the attack noted that the “leading cause of harm to those killed and injured was shrapnel wounds and burns”. It added that “several bodies were unable to be identified because of the nature of their injuries or because they were reduced to dismembered body parts”.

“I have never seen such a horrific scene in my life,” the doctor continued. “I walked amid dead bodies looking for anyone who was alive, looking for people who were screaming for help. The smell of burning flesh was everywhere.”

In eastern Kabul, Sediq Walizada’s phone rang in his home – a relative called to tell him the centre had been bombed. It was the start of an excruciating search for Sediq’s brother, 35-year-old Mohammad Anwar Walizada, who had been admitted to Omid just four days before the attack. Like Mirwais, he was struggling with an addiction to Tablet-K, which is increasingly being used in Afghanistan’s cities.

“We moved from one hospital to another. There were so many dead. Their bodies were in pieces and unrecognisable. We were hoping our brother might have escaped,” says Sediq, trauma visible on his face.

The list of patients admitted to the hospital was destroyed in the fire, according to the UN, making the search for their loved ones extremely difficult for people like Sediq.

Every day, Sediq and his other brothers sifted through horrific photos of charred bodies trying to see if they could identify Mohammad Anwar. Four days later, as the world was celebrating Eid, they found one photo of a body that had pieces of clothing and other identifying marks which made them believe it could be their brother.

“Not knowing whether he was dead or alive was so painful. And then the agony of finding his body severed in half. Still, it is a relief we found our brother. Some families never found their loved ones because the bodies were so burnt,” says Sediq, his voice trembling.

In a corner of their home is the tricycle cart that Mohammad Anwar sold bottled water from. The father of six children, he was struggling to earn enough to run his home, and had become an addict.

“He didn’t turn to drugs for fun. He turned to it because of helplessness, poverty and hardship,” says Sediq.

Mohammad Anwar’s story mirrors many of those the BBC has been told by grieving families, including Mirwais’s.

“My nephew couldn’t find work and poverty forced him into addiction,” his uncle, Abdul Wahid, said.

The families are also left grappling with why the centre was attacked.

“Why did Pakistan do such a thing?” Wahid Sailani, whose brother Ajmal was killed in the strike, asks. “Why did they bomb innocent people?”

Pakistan has repeatedly denied those in the centre were innocent. In response to the BBC’s questions, the Pakistani military sent a transcript of an interview on Pakistani television channel Geo News TV, in which spokesman Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry claimed “they use these drug addicts as suicide bombers”, adding that the centre was “most likely a suicide bomber training facility”.

Each family we spoke to disputed the allegation.

“[My late brother] Melad was sick and we took him there for treatment. Everyone knows it was a hospital, not a terrorist centre,” Miraj Ali Mohammad told the BBC.

“I saw the hospital,” said Zahidullah Khan, whose brother Rahimullah was killed. “There was nothing there that was military. I even have videos. The people there were addicts.”

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c202xrd9gn7o

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is to meet Health Secretary Wes Streeting, one of his potential leadership challengers, this morning, as his government faces an attempt by Labour MPs to oust him from the top job.

The meeting comes after four ministers resigned, including prominent MP Jess Phillips who quit as safeguarding minister, and Streeting ally Zubir Ahmed.

More than 80 Labour MPs also urged Sir Keir to stand down, exposing deep divisions over the prime minister’s future.

Sir Keir vowed to get on with governing on Tuesday, while his cabinet allies and more than 100 MPs rallied behind the prime minister, warning against a leadership contest.

But the prime minister’s authority has been weakened by the Labour revolt, which came after a dire set of election results last week.

The resignations and turmoil in Downing Street come as Sir Keir’s government is due to set out its legislative agenda in the King’s Speech.

Streeting is due to meet Sir Keir in Number 10 Downing Street ahead of the event, which marks the start of a new parliamentary session.

The BBC has been told Streeting will not be saying anything that might distract from the King’s Speech following the meeting.

The prime minister earlier defied calls to depart No 10, telling his cabinet the country “expects us to get on with governing” and pointing out that a formal leadership challenge had not been triggered.

A leadership election can only be triggered if the leader resigns or if Labour MPs launch a challenge when there is no vacancy.

A challenger wishing to oust an incumbent leader must be supported by 20% of Labour MPs, meaning 81 would need to support a challenger to formally start the process.

Streeting has previously been open about his leadership ambitions and has plenty of support from Labour MPs, particularly those on the centre and the right of the party.

The BBC has been told the prime minister’s allies are convinced the health secretary will not be able to produce a list of 81 supporters in his meeting on Wednesday.

Some of Streeting’s backers had written letters suggesting Sir Keir had lost the support of the country, and ministers seen as sympathetic to the health secretary have resigned.

But Sir Keir has defied the pressure to go and some MPs on the party’s right, who would have been assumed to be Streeting supporters, have signed the statement that says now is not the time for a leadership contest.

Even if Streeting does lack sufficient support, other challenges remain.

The prime minister has pulled out of a meeting with the unions which help fund the Labour Party.

Those unions are expected to issue a statement declaring that Sir Keir should not lead the party into the next general election.

The uncertainty over Sir Keir’s job security is an awkward backdrop to the King’s Speech.

The King’s Speech is expected to include more than 35 bills and draft bills, including immigration, NHS and police reforms, along with a route to potentially nationalising British Steel.

But whether Sir Keir remains prime minister long enough to deliver the legislation promised is an open question in Westminster.

A day of political drama on Tuesday started with the cabinet meeting at which Sir Keir pushed aside calls for him to resign.

A government source told the BBC that at the cabinet meeting Sir Keir had informed colleagues he would not discuss the election results or his leadership, and would only speak to cabinet ministers about those topics “individually”.

The BBC understands several cabinet ministers tried to talk to Sir Keir about his leadership after the cabinet meeting but he declined to speak to them.

In a speech aimed at steadying his tottering premiership on Monday, Sir Keir said “incremental change won’t cut it” as he promised to “face up to the big challenges” the country faced.

But it was not enough to win over Phillips, who resigned as safeguarding minister.

In her letter, Phillips said “real change” in her role “usually came from threats made by me in light of catastrophic mistakes”.

“I think you are a good man fundamentally, who cares about the right things however I have seen first-hand how that is not enough,” Phillips said.

“The desire not to have an argument means we rarely make an argument, leaving opportunities for progress stalled and delayed.”

Signing off her letter, Phillips added: “I want a Labour government to work and I will strive as I always have for its success and popularity, but I’m not seeing the change I think I, and the country expect, and so cannot continue to serve as a minister under the current leadership.”

Phillips’ departure followed Miatta Fahnbulleh’s resignation as minister for devolution, faith and communities.

She told the prime minister “to do the right thing for the country and the party and set a timetable for an orderly transition”.

Alex Davies-Jones also resigned as minister for victims and violence against women and girls.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx21jkmxd42o

James Van Der Beek’s wife, Kimberly, shared a heartbreaking life update three months after the actor tragically died from cancer.

“To say I’m heartbroken is a severe understatement,” the film producer wrote via Instagram Tuesday alongside photos of Van Der Beek and their kids.

“Words just don’t capture what grief is. The comforts of shock have worn off. The reality is settling in … and I miss him. We all miss him.”

Kimberly, 44, went on to explain that “there is a different kind of magic in the air,” adding, “I feel him. I know him more deeply. My conscious connection to God has deepened.”

“The veils of the universe have thinned. And I trust that this is the path me and my family have always been intended to walk.”

She expressed her gratitude for the “outpouring of support” she and her family have received that has been “beyond anything [she] could have ever expected.”

Kimberly, 44, went on to explain that “there is a different kind of magic in the air,” adding, “I feel him. I know him more deeply. My conscious connection to God has deepened.”

“The veils of the universe have thinned. And I trust that this is the path me and my family have always been intended to walk.”

She expressed her gratitude for the “outpouring of support” she and her family have received that has been “beyond anything [she] could have ever expected.”

“He met his final days with courage, faith and grace. There is much to share regarding his wishes, love for humanity and the sacredness of time. Those days will come,” Kimberly shared via an Instagram statement.

Van Der Beek was diagnosed with cancer in 2023 and announced it the following year via a statement to People.

“I’ve been privately dealing with this diagnosis and have been taking steps to resolve it, with the support of my incredible family,” he wrote.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2026/05/12/celebrity-news/james-van-der-beeks-widow-shares-heartbreaking-life-update-3-months-after-actors-death/

 

Mal Anderson, the first unseeded player to win the US Open men’s singles title, has died aged 91, Tennis Australia said on Monday.

Mal Anderson, the first unseeded player to win the US Open men’s singles title, has died aged 91, Tennis Australia said on Monday. Anderson’s career started on a dirt court on a farm and he went on to become an Australian tennis great, winning the US crown in 1957 and three major doubles titles. Although unseeded at what was then the United States Championships, Anderson beat three seeds and dropped only two sets on his way to the title. He also won the Davis Cup twice.

After retirement Anderson mentored young Australian players including Pat Rafter, who went on to become world number one.

“I was really sad to hear of Mal’s passing. He was one of those people who helped shape my tennis from very early on,” said Rafter, who twice won the US Open.

Source : https://sports.ndtv.com/tennis/australian-tennis-true-legend-anderson-dies-aged-91-11477161

The United States government on Monday (May 11) announced sanctions against three people and nine companies, including four based in Hong Kong and four in the United Arab Emirates, for aiding Iran’s shipment of oil to China.

The ninth company is based in Oman.

The Treasury move follows sanctions announced on Friday on individuals and companies aiding Iranian purchases of weapons and components used to make drones and ballistic missiles.

It comes days before US President Donald Trump’s planned meeting with Xi Jinping, where he is expected to press the Chinese leader to help resolve the standoff with Iran and reopen the critical Strait of Hormuz.

Treasury said the new designations by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) were aimed at individuals and entities that helped Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps sell and ship its allotment of Iranian oil to China using a series of front companies.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the Trump administration would continue to ratchet up pressure on Tehran to deprive the Iranian government and military of funding for weapons, its nuclear program or support for proxies in the region.

“Treasury will continue to cut the Iranian regime off from the financial networks it uses to carry out terrorist acts and to destabilise the global economy,” Bessent said.

The IRGC, which is designated by Washington as a terrorist organisation, relies on shell companies to arrange and receive payment for its allotment of Iranian oil shipments, Treasury said.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/us-new-sanctions-iran-oil-china-6114486

Passengers on the ill-fated cruise from several European countries, including Germany, are returning home and will be screened by health authorities. One French woman developed symptoms on the return flight.

A Ukrainian initiative to repatriate abducted Ukrainian children reports that at least 20,000 girls and boys are being held by Russian families and authorities. Can these children ever find their way home?

In March, the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine of the UN Human Rights Council found that Russia had systematically deported and forcibly transferred Ukrainian children. These activities violate international human rights laws provisions and are classified as war crimes as well as crimes against humanity.

It also found that Russian authorities had “unjustifiably delayed” the repatriation of Ukrainian children, which counts as a separate war crime.

How many Ukrainian children remain in Russia?

Bring Kids Back UA, an initiative by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, says it has records on about 20,570 abducted Ukrainian children.

“And those are just the cases we have more or less sufficient data on,” project leader Maksym Maksymov told DW. “The true number is likely much higher.”

Statements by Russian authorities appear to back this claim. In 2023, for example, Russia disclosed that it had “received” 744,000 children. That same year, Maksymov told DW, Russia reported to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child that 46,000 Ukrainian children had received Russian passports.

The numbers are difficult to verify, and media reports vary widely. Children who have been successfully repatriated to Ukraine will sometimes speak of other missing children not recorded in Ukraine’s database.

Identifying children and determining their whereabouts is additionally complicated by the lack of access to Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory.

“Russian authorities are arranging for children to be placed in the long-term care of Russian families and facilities,” the office of Ukraine’s prosecutor general told DW. “In doing so, they are violating international law which recognizes the right to reunification of families who have been separated in an armed conflict.”

How many children have been repatriated so far?

So far, Ukraine has managed to track down and bring back 2,126 children that had either been deported to Russia, forcibly transferred within occupied territory, or subjected to Russian “reeducation.”

Maksymov described two mechanisms for repatriating abducted Ukrainian children. One is through mediation, in which case Russian authorities receive lists with names of Ukrainian children and a human rights commissioner then negotiates their return to Ukraine.

However, Maksymov says, “each mediation only helps us return no more than ten children at once.”

A second avenue is “organized repatriation.” Civil society groups play a large role in this, Maksymov says.

“Sometimes this method makes it possible to bring back more children at once, but I’m not allowed to talk about how that works,” he tells DW.

From deportation to ‘reeducation’

“The children who are rescued are completely disoriented when they arrive,” he adds. “They mistrust adults.”

He says one could clearly sense that Ukrainian children who had been deported to Russia had undergone ideological indoctrination. Without subjecting them to further “reeducation,” these children receive reintegration and rehabilitation support upon their return.

Throughout the course of the war, Russia’s goal to seize Ukrainian children has remained unchanged, the Ukrainian initiative says. What has changed, however, are the methods employed. In 2022 and 2023, for example, there were more instances of mass resettlements, in which groups of children were removed from children’s homes and transferred to the occupied Crimean peninsula or Russia.

After the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and his commissioner for children’s rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, on charges of participating in the unlawful deportation and transfer of children, Russian authorities changed tack, Maksymov says.

“They have created a multi-layered process in the occupied territories,” he explains. “It spans all the way from militarization to indoctrination and brain-washing to ‘Russification’ and issuing Russian passports, ensuring that children grow up with a Russian mindset.”

An estimated 1.6 million Ukrainian children live in Russian-occupied territory. There, Russian schools and paramilitary organizations abound. Classes are visited by “war heroes” fighting Ukraine, and students cannot access Ukrainian information sources.

Militarizing children and youth

Ukraine’s prosecutor general’s office says it is filing separate charges for Russia promoting military service to children, and for exposing children to military and “patriotic” education. Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko has said schools and universities in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory had been switched to Russian curricula.

“That means Ukraine’s language, history and culture are being suppressed,” he tells DW. “We’re observing education being systematically instrumentalized to assimilate and militarize children in the occupied territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson. Children are being ideologically indoctrinated in these so-called ‘reeducation camps.'”

He lists the Yunarmiya [the Young Army Cadets National Movement], Dvizheniye pervykh [the Movement of the First] and Voin [the Center for Military-sports Training and Patriotic Upbringing] as paramilitary youth movements that train children to use weapons, and force them to swear allegiance to Russia.

“This isn’t about education, it’s about preparing them for war,” Kravchenko says.

He suspects that Russia plans to increase the number of youth enrolled in such movements to 250,000 by 2030, and particularly targets children in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory to do so.

Between 2019 and 2025 at least 6,000 Ukrainian children were recruited into the young cadets movement. Kravchenko says there have been cases of Ukrainian children coming of legal age and then fighting against Ukraine.

These are classified as war crimes. Charges were being pressed against 18 individuals, and a total of 30 were under suspicion. Two have been sentenced so far, DW is told.

Andriy Pasternak heads the Security Service of Ukraine’s joint center for the search and release of prisoners of war. He says children in Russian-occupied territories are becoming increasingly militarized, and adds that Ukrainian authorities were already holding prisoners between the ages of 19 to 20 who had been fighting for Russia.

He explains these prisoners had been born in the Donbas region, reeducated to fight for Russia, and then conscripted into the Russian army. “They are sending Ukrainians to fight Ukrainians,” Pasternak said in April at a civil society conference for the Bring Kids Back UA initiative.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/ukrainian-children-held-in-russia-militarized-reeducated/a-77124356

A Palestinian family has described how Israeli settlers in the northern West Bank forced them to exhume the newly buried grave of an older relative, claiming it was too close to a settlement recently authorized by Israel’s government.

Mohammed Asasa said his family had coordinated the burial of his 80-year-old father, Hussein, with the Israeli military. He said the burial took place in a cemetery belonging to his village, also called Asasa, where the family said generations have been buried in clearly marked graves.

The incident last Friday illustrates the influence extremist settlers have gained during the past four years of Israel’s current government and the military’s inability or unwillingness to halt settler violence and land seizures.

Asasa said after the funeral, armed men from the nearby settlement of Sa-Nur arrived and ordered the family to exhume the body, claiming the land belonged to the settlement, less than half a kilometer away.

“While we were receiving condolences at home, some young men from the village came running and told us that the settlers were digging at the grave we had just buried at the cemetery.” he said. “When we reached the cemetery we found it filled with settlers and the army surrounded by them.”

He said the villagers decided to exhume the remains themselves after settlers threatened to dig up the grave with a bulldozer. Video showed them carrying the body from the cemetery with military escorts, with men who appeared to be settlers further uphill.

“This had never happened before,” he said. “You have no other choice.”

The Israeli military said forces responded to reports of clashes at the site and confiscated settlers’ digging tools. It said the army did not force the family to move the remains, but protected them as they relocated the body to a nearby cemetery. It did not say whether anyone was arrested.

Israel evacuated Sa-Nur in 2005, but settlers opposed to that withdrawal have spent years trying to reestablish it as an outpost. Israel reauthorized it in 2025 and reestablished it last month with a ceremonial ribbon-cutting attended by multiple government ministers. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ’s government is dominated by settler leaders and their allies.

The Palestinians and most of the international community consider all settlements in the occupied West Bank to be illegal and obstacles to peace, categorizations Israel disputes.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has developed strong ties with settler representatives, in contrast to his predecessors.

Asasa said the sequence of events left him confused about what will happen with funerals in the future. “Are we going to go around the neighboring villages asking for a place to bury them?” he asked.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/west-bank-funeral-settlers-israel-military-bc747d4ab40fa04678332e8824c91452