Category: World

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in India on Saturday for a four-day visit amid geopolitical crosswinds and a global energy crisis triggered by the Iran war.

He arrived in the eastern city of Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) in the morning local time. His busy itinerary also includes visits to Delhi, Jaipur and Agra.

He is also due to meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with energy likely to be high on the agenda.

Energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz – a narrow waterway that has become a flashpoint since Israel and the US attacked Iran in February – have virtually ground to a halt.

Iran has used the closure of the strait as a pressure tactic in the fragile peace negotiations with the US.

India, which imports more than 80% of its energy needs, is one of the worst-affected countries as its vast population of more than 1.4 billion depends on overseas fuel supply, including cooking gas and petroleum products, to sustain daily life.

Rubio has already acknowledged the challenges facing Asia’s third-largest economy.

“We want to sell them [India] as much energy as they’ll buy. And obviously, you’ve seen, I think, we’re at historic levels of US production and US export,” he said.

There will be appetite in Delhi to boost its energy imports from the US as it will also help bridge the trade deficit that has been in India’s favour – something that has constantly irked US President Donald Trump.

The US goods trade deficit with India was $58.2bn (£43.3bn) in 2025, a 27.1% increase on 2024.

But it’s not a straightforward solution. It’s a much longer and expensive route for India to get energy shipments from the US.

And analysts say it is not logical for India to fill the current shortfall in its imports from the US.

“Energy security is going to be the key theme of this visit because the Iran situation is not going to be resolved anytime soon,” Vineet Prakash, associate professor of US studies at Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University, said.

“The US has already given a waiver to India on buying Russian oil, but Delhi is likely to push for more concessions.”

Rubio’s visit also comes under the shadow of prolonged tensions between Delhi and Washington over trade negotiations and conflicting claims on who settled the brief India-Pakistan conflict last year.

While Trump has repeatedly claimed that he brokered peace between the neighbours, Delhi has consistently denied this with its stated policy of not welcoming a third party to mediate between the nuclear-armed nations in South Asia.

What also appears to have displeased Delhi is Trump’s open affection for Pakistani army chief Asim Munir, whom the US president has called his “favourite field marshal”.

Pakistan’s peace mediation efforts between Iran and the US appear to have brought Islamabad and Washington even closer.

Prakash added that this wasn’t surprising, as Pakistan shares a long border with Iran and is strategically important for the US to keep the country close.

But Rubio is not likely to make statements around Pakistan on this trip.

“Any talks around Pakistan are likely to stay behind closed doors when Rubio meets leaders in Delhi,” Prakash added.

Meanwhile, the last few months have also seen Washington and Delhi offering an olive branch to each other.

Trump’s decision to lower reciprocal tariffs on India earlier this year from 50% to 18% after a 10-month impasse was met with a huge sense of relief in Delhi.

Following a US Supreme Court verdict against his sweeping duties, the levies were reduced to 10%, further easing pressure on Indian exporters.

The reduction in tariffs came after India committed to buy more American goods, including energy, aircrafts, technology and agricultural products worth $500bn, in an interim trade agreement in February.

The two sides are currently negotiating the final text of a broader bilateral deal, but further details of the negotiations remain sketchy.

Trade experts, meanwhile, are circumspect about the big numbers being thrown around because India’s current trade with the US is at a fraction of the $500bn figure and Trump’s announcements haven’t been met with tangible investment commitments from India yet.

For instance, Mukesh Ambani, one of India’s richest men, has been conspicuously silent on Trump’s pronouncement that his company Reliance Industries will back a $300bn oil refinery in Brownsville, Texas – the first in the US in 50 years.

But amid uncertainty around what the final text of the trade agreement with the US will entail, India’s exports to the US remained stable at $87.3bn in the year ended March 2026.

“Exports rose 0.9% year-on-year despite steep reciprocal tariffs between May 2025 and February 2026,” Ajay Srivastava of the Global Trade and Research Initiative think tank told the BBC.

And they have continued to rise further as the levies were brought down, with $8.5bn worth of Indian goods shipped to the US in April.

This reflected “continued positive impact of the lowered tariffs”, Crisil Research said, adding, though, that “given uncertainties around tariff levels, the trajectory of India’s exports to the US remains monitorable”.

Amid the uncertainties, India has also been forced to liberalise its notoriously protectionist trade policy. Delhi has expeditiously closed advanced free trade agreements (FTAs) with a range of other countries and blocs, including the UK, EU, Australia and Oman.

While Trump has said India will lower all tariff and non-tariff barriers on US goods to zero, these deals “provide a framework under which both parties could safeguard some sectors”, Pranjul Bhandari of HSBC said following the tariff withdrawal.

This shows that despite a broad opening up of the economy to US companies, sectors like agriculture and dairy could remain fiercely protected even once the final trade deal between India and the US is inked.

Beyond trade, what will be interesting to watch is what public statements the secretary of state makes on India’s role in the Iran war.

Rubio knows that India will always be reluctant to play any role beyond diplomacy in keeping the Strait open. Delhi is against Trump’s repeated exhortations to other countries to deploy military assets to ensure free shipping in the troubled waterway.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c87qrwyyrn2o

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has tried to reassure allies over US decisions on troop deployments in Europe.

Rubio’s intervention at the end of a Nato foreign ministers’ meeting in Sweden came after President Donald Trump said the US would send an extra 5,000 troops to Poland.

That decision was a week after a planned deployment of 4,000 troops to the country was cancelled and days after an announcement that US troops would be pulled out of Germany.

The announcements have caused confusion among the allies of the trans-Atlantic defence organisation. However, at a news conference after the Nato meeting on Friday, Rubio said the US was constantly reevaluating its troop presence in view of its global commitments.

Some US troops are currently involved in the Middle East, following the US and Israeli conflict with Iran.

Trump made the announcement about the new Polish deployment as Nato ministers were in Sweden for talks.

Writing on his Truth Social platform on Thursday, Trump said the decision was based on the US’s relationship with Polish President Karol Nawrocki, whom he backed during presidential elections last year and who is a long-time supporter of his.

The US leader did not elaborate on whether the additional troops were part of the previous planned deployment or a different operation.

The US defence department abruptly said last week it was cancelling the deployment of 4,000 troops to Poland.

Earlier this month, the US announced it would withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany after a row between Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the war with Iran.

It is unclear whether the additional troops for Poland were part of those withdrawing from Germany or a separate group.

The Nato foreign ministers’ meeting in Helsingborg was held in the aftermath of the seemingly contradictory US announcements.

“It is confusing indeed, and not always easy to navigate,” Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard said as she hosted her colleagues.

However, her US counterpart said it was “well understood in the alliance that the United States troop presence in Europe is going to be adjusted”.

“That work was already ongoing and it’s been done in co-ordination with our allies,” Rubio said.

Acknowledging the unease, he added: “I’m not saying they’re going to be thrilled about it, but they certainly are aware of it.”

The US is by far the biggest and most capable member of Nato – the Euro-Atlantic alliance that includes 30 European countries as well as Canada.

It has maintained troops in European countries for decades – as a deterrent force originally meant to face off to the Soviet Union.

Since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the US’s European allies have urged Washington to remain committed to their defence.

The largest US presence is in Germany, where there are more than 36,000 troops on active duty. There are some 12,000 troops in Italy and 10,000 in the UK – and an estimated 10,000 in Poland, too.

Trump has often been critical of Nato – at times threatening to pull the US out of the alliance because of the low financial contribution of European allies and Canada compared to the US.

As a result, many countries have now agreed to raise their defence spending.

However, the US president has further been angered by the refusal of Nato countries to help the US in its conflict with Iran.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cedpz9669deo

The public health risk from the current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been raised from “high” to “very high” by the World Health Organization (WHO).

In an update on Friday, WHO head Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also said the risk in the wider region in Africa was “high”, but it remained “low” globally.

The rare species of Ebola, known as Bundibugyo, has no proven vaccine and kills about a third of those infected. So far, the outbreak centred on DR Congo has resulted in 177 suspected deaths and 750 suspected cases.

It comes as scientists at Oxford University in the UK are developing a new vaccine that could be ready for clinical trials within two to three months.

Based on the same technology they developed for the AstraZeneca Covid vaccine, there are no guarantees it will prove effective and it will take animal research and trials on people to know if it will be.

The BBC understands animal testing is already under way in Oxford.

The Serum Institute of India is lined up to mass produce the Ebola vaccine once Oxford can supply medical-grade material.

A separate experimental Bundibugyo vaccine is also in development, but it is expected to take six to nine months for any dose to be ready for testing.

Dr Vasee Moorthy, WHO’s research and development adviser, described that vaccine as “the most promising” earlier this week.

He said it would be the equivalent of Ervebo, which is already in use for the more common Zaire species of Ebola.

Speaking at Friday’s news briefing in Geneva, Tedros said: “We are now revising our risk assessment to very high at the national level, high at the regional level, and low at the global level.”

He said that “so far, 82 cases have been confirmed in DRC, with seven confirmed deaths”.

Tedros added the situation in neighbouring Uganda – where there have been two confirmed cases of the Bundibugyo species and one death – was “stable”, with both cases from people who had travelled from neighbouring DR Congo.

Ebola is a rare but deadly disease caused by a virus. Although less deadly than other Ebola species, the rarity of Bundibugyo means there are fewer tools to stop it.

Ebola viruses normally infect animals, typically fruit bats, but outbreaks among humans can sometimes start when people eat or handle infected animals.

On Sunday, the WHO declared a public health emergency of international concern, but said it was not at pandemic level.

The WHO chief also said on Friday it was crucial to build trust, warning that violence and insecurity in the war-ravaged region were hampering the response to the Ebola outbreak.

Some Ebola cases have also been confirmed in rebel-held areas of the DR Congo.

Tedros was speaking after angry relatives set fire to a hospital in the eastern DR Congo after health workers had refused to release the body of a patient, because of the risk of contamination.

“They started throwing projectiles at the hospital,” local politician Luc Malembe Malembe told the BBC about the scene he witnessed at Rwampara General Hospital.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cr7p30m1dn1o

Pounding rain and strong winds did not stop more than 5,000 spectators from turning up at a football stadium in Suwon, just south of Seoul, on Wednesday night.

Wrapped in raincoats, they cheered and booed, their screams sweeping across the stands as a rare match unfolded on the pitch: North Korea vs South Korea.

But there was something more unusual. Hundreds of South Koreans appeared to be cheering with loud cries of “Naegohyang”, the name of the visiting North Korean club. They had been brought together by local NGOs who did wanted them to cheer both sides.

The North Koreans’ participation was initially met with scepticism: the relationship between the two sides has soured in recent years as Kim Jong Un tested a record number of ballistic missiles and continued pursuing nuclear ambitions. In 2023, he formally abandoned Pyongyang’s long-standing goal of reunification with the South and has since designated it a “hostile state”.

But the team arrived as expected, the first athletes to travel south of the border since 2018 – and the Naegohyang Women’s Football Club marked the return with a win in the semi-final of the Asian Women’s Champions League.

They beat South Korea’s Suwon FC Women 2-1, with second-half goals from Choe Kum Ok and Kim Kyong Yong. Tonight they will face Japan’s Tokyo Verdy Beleza in the final.

For football fans and those who have followed North Korea’s record, the result did not come as a surprise.

North Korea has long held a strong reputation in women’s football. It stands 11th in Fifa rankings, the second-highest ranked Asian side after Japan.

Founded in Pyongyang in 2012, Naegohyang won the North Korean league title in 2022. The squad includes several players from the national team and is currently managed by a former head coach of the women’s national team.

“North Korea is highly focused on discovering and training young football talent,” said Kim Yong-hyun, a professor of North Korean Studies at Dongguk University in Seoul.

Kim Jong Un, who like his father is known for his strong interest in sports, pledged to turn North Korea into a “sporting powerhouse” soon after taking power in 2011.

The Pyongyang International Football School, built in 2013 on Rungna Island in the capital, is regarded as a cradle for elite football players, training promising youth from across the country.

“Even in the 1990s, when I was training in North Korea, there was already a well-established system in schools to nurture young athletic talent,” said Kim Sang-yoon, a former North Korean national boxer who defected in the 2000s.

“At elite sports schools, talented students were usually selected and trained from elementary or middle school.”

The reclusive dictatorship’s footballing success often stands out given its economy has been hit hard by Western sanctions over its nuclear programme, which takes up a large portion of its national budget.

Although the families powering the regime lead wealthy lives, North Korea is still one of the poorest countries in the world. The average person struggles to earn much in a state-controlled economy, and leaving for a better life elsewhere is a dangerous choice. If caught, they could end up in prison or a labour camp.

And yet the top-down emphasis on women’s football has paid off, analysts say, even serving as propaganda for a regime that is always looking for wins on the world stage.

For the athletes, success offers a rare opportunity to improve their social status.

In some cases, star athletes have reportedly been rewarded with luxury cars, apartments and even membership in the ruling Workers’ Party. The last is a huge boost in status in North Korea’s deeply hierarchical society.

The women’s success has also brought them a lot of public attention in the country, making the game very popular, said North Korean defector and former athlete Han Seol-song.

North Korean women’s football has already built an impressive record, including victories at the 2024 Fifa U-20 Women’s World Cup, the 2025 Fifa U-17 Women’s World Cup and the 2026 AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup: achievements that far outshine those of the men’s side.

“The biggest weakness of North Korean male athletes is their smaller physique,” said Heo Jeong-pil, who studies North Korean sports.

“To compete with Western athletes in terms of physical condition, they would need comprehensive management, including a meat-heavy diet and sufficient nutrition, but in most cases that is not possible.”

North Korean women, on the other hand, “are very tough and resilient”, Han said, reflecting a widely-held perception of them as hardworking and resourceful breadwinners in a country where everyday life can be incredibly hard.

He added, cautiously, that he did not want to sound “sexist” but he believed North Korean female athletes had a better chance of achieving strong international results than men because women’s sports leagues have not always been as competitive globally – especially at the time when Pyongyang decided to focus on developing the sport.

Some observers believe this goes back to the late 1980s when Fifa agreed to start a World Cup for women. “Maybe someone came to Kim Jong-il and said to him that we could use this,” Brigitte Weich, a filmmaker who followed the North Korean team for five years to make a documentary, told BBC Sport in 2024.

“North Korea is not the best in economics, science, human rights and the rest, but in countries like this they can be good at some sports because, from the top down, they can focus on training and nothing else.”

It’s impossible to know what ordinary North Koreans make of this week’s win, or how many of them were even able to watch Wednesday’s match given they have limited access to the internet or media.

But South Koreans will be watching – and on Saturday again, there will be a cheering squad, courtesy the Unification Ministry, although their decision to fund it has drawn some criticism.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cewpz05k941o

NATO foreign ministers are meeting in Sweden after Washington apparently reversed its plans to reduce its troop deployments to Poland. Meanwhile, Germany says defense spending will cross 4% of GDP.

An explosion in a coal mine in northern China has killed at least 82 people, with some still unaccounted for, state media say. President Xi Jinping has demanded an “all-out” effort to search for and rescue those missing.

At least 82 people have died after a gas explosion at a coal mine in northern China, state media reported on Saturday.

Rescuers were still searching “intensively” for nine people who remained unaccounted for, according to state news agency Xinhua.

The blast took place at 7:29 pm (1129 GMT/UTC) on Friday at the Liushenyu coal mine in Qinyuan county in Shanxi, one of China’s poorer provinces, with 247 ⁠workers ​on duty ​underground, Xinhua said

Xinhua reported that most had been brought safely to ​the surface by early Saturday.

What else do we know about the Chinese coal mine accident?

Earlier, Xinhua said that levels of carbon monoxide had “exceeded limits” at the mine. Some of those trapped underground were in “critical condition,” it said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping urged authorities to “spare no ‌effort” in treating the injured and conducting ‌search ​and rescue operations, according to Xinhua.

Xi also ordered a thorough investigation into the cause of the accident and strict ​accountability in accordance with the law.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/china-dozens-dead-in-coal-mine-blast-state-media/a-77270811

SpaceX’s 12th Starship test flight took place just two days after Elon Musk announced that he was taking the company public.

SpaceX on Friday launched its latest edition of the Starship spacecraft as Elon Musk’s rocket company is nearing a record-breaking public listing.

The voyage experienced a few minor issues, but SpaceX employees erupted in cheers in a livestream.

The trial flight comes as SpaceX prepares for what could be the biggest initial public offering in history next month.

SpaceX launches its 12th Starship

The third-generation Starship, dubbed V3, blasted off from the southern tip of Texas at just after 5:30 pm local time (2230 GMT).

The test ended about an hour later when the mammoth rocket reached the Indian Ocean before erupting in flames upon impact.

“You scored a goal for humanity,” Musk wrote on X.

At just over 407 feet (124 meters) when fully stacked, the latest design is bigger than the older Starship lines.

It’s the 12th test flight of the rocket designed for future NASA missions to the moon and even Mars.

NASA’s new Moon mission

Ahead of the launch, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said during the pre-launch SpaceX program: “We’re looking forward to seeing this fly, because hopefully at some point in the not too distant future we’re going to join up in Earth orbit.”

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/spacex-launches-biggest-starship-rocket-yet-in-test-flight/a-77270730

 

Online service providers will need to include safeguards that limit account registration and ownership by those under the age of 16. They will also need to implement stronger content governance on their platforms.

From Jun 1, Malaysia will require digital platforms to include safeguards that limit account registration and ownership by those under the age of 16.

They will also need to implement stronger content governance on their platforms.

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) announced these new rules on Friday (May 22) that seek to reduce youths’ exposure to harmful content on digital platforms.

They are aimed at “providing age-appropriate protections and restrictions for high-risk features on online platforms”, the MCMC said.

It added that a reasonable grace period would be given to service providers to complete verification processes and comply with the new requirements.

“The implementation approach under the codes remains outcome-based, allowing service providers the flexibility to adopt appropriate solutions that meet safety, privacy and legal requirements,” the regulator said, as reported by NST.

Malaysia has in recent years stepped up scrutiny of social media companies after finding a sharp rise in harmful online content, Reuters reported. Malaysian authorities consider online gambling, scams, child pornography and grooming, cyberbullying and content related to race, religion and royalty as harmful.

The government plans age verification for users in 2026, following similar moves around the world to limit social media use among minors.

CNA previously reported that countries around the world have been mulling social media bans for those under 16, even as tech firms have touted their own child safety features and warned of unintended effects in their bid to push back against more regulation.

In March, Indonesia started enforcing a social media ban for under-16s in a bid to shield some 70 million children from the threats of online pornography, cyberbullying and internet addiction.

And just this week, the country said that it is mulling an e-commerce ban for those under 16.

Experts said that while tech firms can highlight how they are already protecting children on their respective platforms, the debate has moved beyond safety tools to whether they can demonstrate systemic and enforceable measures.

Just this week, MCMC ordered TikTok to take action against “offensive and defamatory” content about Malaysia’s monarchy.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/malaysia-minors-harmful-online-content-regulation-6136566

Analysts say Islamabad is seeking to strengthen ties with Beijing while navigating relations with the United States and Iran.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s upcoming visit to China is being closely watched as Islamabad seeks to balance relations with major global and regional powers at a time of growing geopolitical uncertainty.

The visit, which comes as Pakistan and China mark 75 years of diplomatic ties, is expected to focus on economic cooperation and progress on infrastructure projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Observers say the timing of the trip – scheduled from Saturday (May 23) to Tuesday – holds diplomatic significance beyond Pakistan-China relations as it comes shortly after visits to Beijing by United States President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month.

Sharif last visited China in September 2025, when both countries agreed to deepen cooperation across sectors including trade and infrastructure.

RAISING DIPLOMATIC PROFILE

Analysts say the upcoming visit reflects Islamabad’s broader foreign policy to strengthen relations with Beijing, while also raising Pakistan’s diplomatic profile on the global stage.

Pakistan and China have both called for de-escalation in the Middle East, where tensions have raised concerns over regional stability and energy security.

Islamabad has also increasingly positioned itself as a diplomatic intermediary between the US and Iran amid tensions involving the two countries, which escalated at the end of February.

“This is a very important year for (the) Pakistan-China relationship, and then in the context of the mediatory role which Pakistan is playing between (the) United States and Iran. So, we should expect something very important,” former Pakistani ambassador to Malaysia Shahid Kiani told CNA.

In March, Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar travelled to Beijing, where both countries jointly proposed a five-point initiative aimed at restoring peace and stability in the Gulf and the wider Middle East region.

The visit also carries economic significance, as China and Pakistan depend heavily on oil and gas shipments passing through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global energy route affected by instability linked to the Iran conflict.

Analysts warn that prolonged disruption in the strait could place additional pressure on Pakistan’s economy, which remains reliant on an International Monetary Fund bailout programme after a severe financial crisis.

TALKS ON ECONOMIC CORRIDOR EXPECTED

Discussions are also expected to focus on the CPEC, a flagship project under China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

The multi-billion-dollar initiative connects China’s northwestern Xinjiang region to Pakistan’s Gwadar Port on the Arabian Sea through roads, railways and energy projects.

Analysts expect both countries to review the progress of ongoing projects.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/east-asia/pakistan-prime-minister-shehbaz-sharif-visit-china-6136246

Investigators said that Mohammad Al-Saadi had pledged to kill Ivanka Trump and even possessed a blueprint of her Florida residence where she lived with her husband Jared Kushner.

A recently arrested man accused of links with Iran-backed terror networks allegedly plotted to assassinate US President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump in an attempt to avenge the killing of Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani in the recent US-Israeli strikes, according to a report by the New York Post.

The suspect, identified as 32-year-old Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, was reportedly captured in Turkey and later extradited to the United States.

Investigators claimed that he had pledged to kill Ivanka Trump and even possessed a blueprint of her Florida residence where she lived with her husband Jared Kushner.

Revenge plot after Sasem Soleimani killing

According to the report, the Iraqi national targeted the Trump family following the 2020 US drone strike in Baghdad that killed Soleimani.

Entifadh Qanbar, a former deputy military attaché at the Iraqi embassy in Washington, told the publication that Al-Saadi had openly spoken about seeking revenge.

“After Qasem was killed, he went around telling people ‘we need to kill Ivanka to burn down the house of Trump the way he burned down our house,’” Qanbar said.

He also claimed that Al-Saadi had a plan of Ivanka Trump’s house in Florida.

Social media threats

Al-Saadi allegedly posted an image on X showing the Florida area where Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner own a 24-million-dollar home.

The post included a message in Arabic warning Americans that “neither your palaces nor the Secret Service will protect you” and claiming that surveillance and analysis were already underway.

US authorities say Al-Saadi is a senior figure within Iraq-Iran terror circles and an operative linked to both Kata’ib Hezbollah and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Al-Saadi charged of multiple international attacks

The US Department of Justice has charged Al-Saadi over 18 attacks and attempted attacks across Europe and the United States.

Authorities accused him of involvement in the firebombing of the Bank of New York Mellon in Amsterdam, the stabbing of two Jewish victims in London and a shooting at the US consulate building in Toronto.

He is also accused of planning and coordinating attacks against Jewish targets, including the bombing of a synagogue in Liège, Belgium, and the arson of a temple in Rotterdam.

Officials further alleged that he was connected to several failed attacks in the United States linked to the Middle East conflict.

Links to Soleimani and IRGC

According to Qanbar, Al-Saadi had a close relationship with Soleimani and viewed him as a father figure after the death of his own father, Iranian brigadier general Ahmad Kazemi, in 2006. He reportedly grew up in Baghdad with his Iraqi mother before being sent to Tehran for training with the Iranian army’s IRGC.

Qanbar said that Al-Saadi later ran a travel agency specialising in religious tours, which allowed him to travel internationally and connect with terror cells. When he was arrested in Turkey on May 15, he allegedly possessed an Iraqi service passport usually issued only to government employees and civil servants with approval from Iraq’s prime minister.

Despite being described as a major terror operative, Al-Saadi maintained a visible presence on social media. Posts showed him posing near landmarks including the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur.

Court documents also included photographs allegedly showing him with Soleimani at what appeared to be a military facility studying maps and equipment. In a 2020 social media post following Soleimani’s death, Al-Saadi reportedly declared that he would leave social media “until the American enemy is defeated”. However, prosecutors said he later returned online and continued posting messages praising Soleimani and other Iranian military figures killed in US strikes.

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/ivanka-trump-assassination-plot-iran-trained-terrorist-arrested-for-targeting-potus-daughter-ws-l-10107399.html

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte emphasised the need for Europe to assume greater responsibility for its defense as the US shifts its military focus globally.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said Europe must take “a bigger responsibility” for its own defence as the US gradually pivots focus to other global theatres. Rutte also acknowledged the reality of America’s global military commitments, saying the US “cannot be everywhere at the same time” as it balances Europe, the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific.

“We are not preparing” for a US exit from NATO, Rutte said, stressing that Washington remains “very strongly” committed to the alliance. But he added that Europe has become “overly reliant on one ally being the United States.”

“What you will see over the coming years is a gradual shift, where the Europeans take this bigger responsibility,” he said.

The remarks came amid discussions on ramping up NATO defence spending, military production and long-term support for Ukraine.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s election-security czar last year sought to ban voting machines used in more than half of U.S. states by asking whether the Commerce Department could declare their components national-security risks, according to two people ​with direct knowledge of the matter.
White House adviser Kurt Olsen, a lawyer Trump has tasked with proving widely debunked election-rigging conspiracy theories, pushed the plan to target Dominion Voting Systems machines.

The idea emerged, the sources said, as Olsen and other officials brainstormed about how ‌the federal government could take control over elections from U.S. states, an idea Trump publicly aired.
Olsen wanted a national system of hand-counted paper ballots, the sources said, a frequent Trump demand some election-security experts say would be less accurate and potentially riskier than the current system of machines with auditable paper trails that almost all cities and states use.
The plan to exclude the machines, reported here first, got far enough that in September, Commerce Department officials began exploring what grounds could be invoked to execute it, three additional sources said. It eventually collapsed, however, because Olsen and other administration staffers working with him failed to provide evidence to justify such a move, two of the sources said.

The episode is part of a far-reaching Trump ​administration push to encroach on state and local governments’ authority to run elections – which is granted to them in the U.S. Constitution to prevent the executive branch from seizing power.
Olsen is working with the nation’s top intelligence and law enforcement agencies to chase voting-rigging claims.
A Reuters investigation earlier ​this month found administration officials and investigators in at least eight states have sought confidential records, pressed for access to voting equipment and re-examined voter-fraud cases that courts and bipartisan reviews have rejected.
Trump and Republican allies are also ⁠pursuing unprecedented plans to redraw election districts earlier than usual to secure advantages in the November midterm congressional elections.

Olsen, who Democratic senators are seeking to remove from his post, aimed to invalidate Dominion voting machines before the midterms, the two sources said.
Others involved in the deliberations included Paul McNamara, a senior aide of Trump’s ​spy chief Tulsi Gabbard, who resigned on Friday, and Brian Sikma, a special assistant to Trump who works on his Domestic Policy Council, according to one of the two sources with direct knowledge of the matter. Olsen has worked closely with Gabbard’s Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI).
Early last summer, McNamara asked ​officials in the Commerce Department to consider the potential designation of Dominion chips and software as a national security risk, the two sources said.
At the time, McNamara headed an ODNI task force that worked with officials across the administration to investigate vulnerabilities in the nation’s voting machines. The two sources said McNamara spoke about the issue to senior officials at the U.S. Commerce Department, which is run by Secretary Howard Lutnick.

Reuters could not determine whether Lutnick was involved in or aware of those discussions.
A Commerce Department spokesperson said Lutnick never met or discussed election-integrity issues with McNamara and did not “engage in the topic at all.” The spokesperson declined to comment on whether Lutnick’s office or other officials were involved.
Olivia Coleman, a spokesperson ​for Gabbard’s agency, said ODNI, including McNamara, “did not brief on nor coordinate a plan with the Department of Commerce to take actions to ban Dominion voting machines.”
Olsen, McNamara and Sikma did not respond to requests for interviews. Responding to this story, Democratic U.S. Senator Alex Padilla said Olsen should be fired, calling ​him a threat to democracy in a post on X.

WORRIES ABOUT MORE ELECTION CHAOS

Democrats and election-integrity experts worry that, with Republicans expected to suffer losses in the midterms, the administration aims to suppress voting and pave the way to challenge losses with more baseless claims of election fraud.
More than 98% of U.S. election jurisdictions already produce a paper ‌record for every ⁠vote, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission said last year. Those votes are mostly cast on machines that print a paper record, or hand-marked but counted by electronic readers. Election-security experts broadly support the current combination of technology and paper ballots, which provides a voter-verified trail for post-election audits.
Proponents of hand-marked, hand-counted ballots argue they eliminate hacking concerns. But they pose different risks, said Alex Halderman, a University of Michigan computer-science professor, including counting mistakes and ballot-box stuffing.
“Changing to hand counting would be chaotic,” he said, “and it might facilitate cheating.”
White House spokesman Davis Ingle characterized the reporting for this story as selectively leaked and called it misinformation.

SCOURING VOTING MACHINES FOR TRACES OF ‘FOREIGN ADVERSARIES’

U.S. supply chain rules give the commerce secretary powers to restrict transactions with technology companies from nations designated “foreign adversaries,” including China, Russia, and, specifically, the government of Venezuela’s former President Nicolas Maduro, whom the U.S. military unseated from power in January.
A main focus of Olsen’s efforts to find evidence of foreign hacking ​is the debunked theory that Dominion machines were infected with code controlled ​by Venezuelans to steal the 2020 election from Trump, the two sources ⁠said.
Repeated investigations and lawsuits since 2020 have produced no evidence Dominion machines were hacked. In 2023, Fox News paid Dominion $787 million in a defamation case over false election-rigging claims.
In 2024, at least 27 states used Dominion machines, similar to the number in 2020. Denver-based Dominion was purchased last October by Liberty Vote USA of Colorado.
“Our total focus remains on working in partnership with our customers – the dedicated election officials across the nation who are utilizing our election systems to deliver ​secure, accessible and transparent elections,” Liberty Vote said in a statement.
Yet Trump continues to repeat the allegations, most recently on May 12 when he reposted a 6-year-old clip of a host on the far-right One America News ​network making the false claim that Dominion machines ⁠deleted millions of votes.
In May 2025, Olsen helped lead a federal mission that seized Dominion machines that Puerto Rico used in its 2024 gubernatorial election. An analysis of the machines by cyber contractor Mojave Research Inc. produced later that summer found some known vulnerabilities, but no Venezuelan-origin code or evidence of hacking.
Around the time McNamara’s conversation took place with Commerce Department officials, Olsen’s team took apart some of the Puerto Rico machines, believing that they would find components manufactured by countries designated as foreign adversaries, the two sources said.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/trump-officials-tried-ban-half-us-voting-machines-citing-conspiracy-theories-2026-05-22/

A Qatari negotiating team arrived in Tehran on Friday in coordination with United States to try to help ‌secure a deal to end the war with Iran and resolve outstanding issues, a source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Friday.
Doha, which has worked as a mediator in the Gaza war and other areas of international tension, had till now distanced itself from playing a mediation role in the Iran ​war after it came under attack from Iranian missiles and drones during the latest conflict.

“A Qatari negotiation team is in ​Tehran on Friday,” the source said, adding that the team had travelled in coordination with the United ⁠States and was there to help “reach a final deal that would end the war and address outstanding issues with Iran.”
The Qatari ​Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
While Pakistan has served as the official mediator since fighting began, ​Qatar’s re-engagement reflects its longstanding role as a U.S. ally in the region and trusted back-channel between Washington and Tehran.
A shaky ceasefire is in place in the war that began with U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, but there has been no major breakthrough, with a U.S. blockade of Iranian ​ports and Tehran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz complicating negotiations.

A senior Iranian source told Reuters on Thursday that no deal ​had been reached but gaps have been narrowed, with Iran’s uranium enrichment and its control over the strait among the remaining sticking points.
Secretary of State ‌Marco Rubio ⁠noted some progress on Thursday: “There’s some good signs,” he said. “I don’t want to be overly optimistic … So, let’s see what happens over the next few days.”
Asked on Friday about the Qatari team in Iran, Rubio told reporters on the sidelines of a gathering of NATO foreign ministers in Sweden that Pakistan was the primary interlocutor in the Iran talks and they had done an “admirable job”.
He added: “Obviously other countries ​have interests, because especially Gulf ​countries that are, you know, ⁠in the middle of all this – they have their own situation going. And we talk to all of them. I would just say that the primary country we’ve been working with on all of ​this, is Pakistan, and that remains the case.”

Doha’s re-engagement comes despite Iran having pounded Qatar with ​hundreds of missiles ⁠and drones, targeting civilian infrastructure and its vital liquefied natural gas (LNG) production facility at Ras Laffan. That attack wiped out roughly 17 percent of Qatar’s LNG export capacity. The country had already halted LNG production on March 2 following Iranian strikes.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/qatari-negotiating-team-tehran-help-secure-us-iran-deal-end-war-says-source-2026-05-22/

Foreigners seeking to adjust their immigration status in the United States to secure green cards will ​have to do so from outside the country via ‌the State Department, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said on Friday, in a move criticized by aid groups.
USCIS announced the move in a ​policy memo, which directed officers to consider relevant factors and ​information on a case-by-case basis when determining whether extraordinary ⁠relief is warranted.

“An alien who is in the U.S. temporarily ​and wants a Green Card must return to their home country ​to apply,” said the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which has oversight of USCIS.
“This policy allows our immigration system to function as the law intended ​instead of incentivizing loopholes.”
The USCIS said the new policy will ​free up agency resources to focus on processing other cases.
HIAS, an aid group ‌that ⁠provides services to refugees, among other groups of immigrants, said USCIS was forcing survivors of trafficking and abused and neglected children to return to the dangerous countries they fled in order to ​process their applications ​for green cards ⁠granting them permanent residency in the U.S.

Friday’s policy change is the latest in a series of ​steps taken by U.S. President Donald Trump over the ​last year ⁠to tighten migration to the United States.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/uscis-tells-foreigners-seeking-green-cards-return-your-countries-apply-2026-05-22/

Russian President Vladimir Putin on ​Friday ordered his military to prepare options to retaliate against Ukraine for what he described as a drone attack on a student ‌dorm that killed six people and wounded dozens, with 15 still unaccounted for.
Putin said the attack had struck the dorm in Starobilsk in Luhansk, a Russian-controlled region in eastern Ukraine. He said Kyiv’s military must have known what it was targeting.

Ukraine’s military denied the Russian accusations and said it had struck an elite drone command unit in the area. It said that ​Kyiv complied with international humanitarian law.
Putin said in his own statement, which was carried by state TV, that there were no military ​targets near the dorm.
“There are no military facilities, intelligence service facilities, or related services in the vicinity. Therefore, there ⁠is absolutely no basis for claiming that the munitions struck the building as a result of our air defence or electronic warfare systems. The ​strike was not accidental; it came in three waves, with 16 drones targeting the same location,” Putin told officials.

The Russian military had been ordered to draw ​up options for Moscow to retaliate, he added.
Reuters was not able to independently verify what happened. Both sides deny deliberately targeting civilians in the war. Ukraine wants to recapture Luhansk, one of four eastern regions that Moscow unilaterally claimed as its own in 2022 in what Kyiv denounced as an illegal land grab.
Yana Lantratova, Russia’s human rights commissioner, said that 86 ​teenagers aged 14 to 18 had been asleep inside the hostel belonging to Luhansk Pedagogical University’s Starobilsk college when Ukrainian drones had attacked it during ​the night.
Leonid Pasechnik, the top Russian-installed official in Luhansk, said two people had been pulled from the rubble. Maria Lvova-Belova, presidential commissioner for children’s rights, said up to ‌18 children ⁠could still be trapped.

Republicans struggled Thursday to find the votes to dismiss legislation that would compel President Donald Trump to withdraw from the war with Iran, delaying planned votes on the matter into June.

The House had scheduled a vote on a war powers resolution, brought by Democrats, that would rein in Trump’s military campaign. But as it became clear that Republicans would not have the numbers to defeat the bill, GOP leaders declined to hold a vote on it. It was the latest sign of the slipping support in Congress for a war that Trump launched more than two months ago without congressional approval.

“We had the votes without question and they knew it, and as a result they’re playing a political game,” said Democratic Rep. Gregory Meeks, who sponsored the bill.

Republicans in the Senate are also working to ensure they have the votes to dismiss another war powers resolution that advanced to a final vote earlier this week, when four GOP senators supported the resolution and three others were absent from the vote.

The actions by congressional leaders showed Republicans are struggling to maintain political backing for Trump’s handling of the war. Rank-and-file Republicans are increasingly willing to defy the president over the conflict.

House Republican Leader Steve Scalise told reporters that the vote was delayed to give lawmakers who were absent a chance to vote. House Speaker Mike Johnson did not answer questions from reporters as he exited the House chamber.

Frustration with Iran war grows on Capitol Hill

On Capitol Hill, patience with the war has worn thin as the stalemate in the Strait of Hormuz disrupts global shipping and elevates gas prices in the U.S. Another House war powers resolution nearly passed last week, falling on a tie vote as three Republicans voted in favor.

Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he had the votes “locked in” this time around.

“People are beginning to finally listen to the American people who don’t support the war in Iran, and I think there’s a growing number of Republicans who see how devastating the war has been for our country,” said Democratic Rep. Adam Smith of Washington state.

The lone Democrat who voted against the war powers resolution last week, Rep. Jared Golden of Maine, has said he will vote in favor of the legislation next time.

In a joint statement, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries and other caucus leaders said Republicans were “cowardly” to pull the vote.

“Even as we prepare to recognize our nation’s fallen heroes on Memorial Day, House Republicans refuse to show up and be accountable to the brave service members that have been recklessly put in harm’s way,” they added.

Republicans have been broadly supportive of Trump’s efforts to destroy Iran’s nuclear capabilities, but some are now saying the president’s legal timeline to wage a war without congressional approval has expired. Under the War Powers Resolution of 1973, presidents have 60 days to engage in a military conflict before Congress must either declare war or authorize the use of military force.

“We’re past 60 days so it’s got to be brought to us to vote on. We’re following the law,” said Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a Pennsylvania Republican, adding that he plans to vote for the war powers resolution.

The dispute over war powers

The White House argues that the requirements of the War Powers Resolution no longer apply because of the ceasefire with Iran. At the same time, Trump has said he was just an hour away from ordering another strike on Iran earlier this week, but held off because Gulf allies said they were engaged in negotiations to end the war.

Still, Trump said on social media that military leaders should “be prepared to go forward with a full, large scale assault of Iran, on a moment’s notice, in the event that an acceptable Deal is not reached.” Trump has repeatedly set deadlines for Tehran and then backed off.

Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican who has so far voted against the war powers resolutions, expressed frustration with the Trump administration’s stance, especially from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

“The current status quo, Pete Hegseth demonstrates how incompetent he is,” Tillis told reporters, adding that he would be willing to vote for an authorization for use of military force.

Earlier this week, Democratic senators rallied outside the Capitol Wednesday alongside VoteVets, a left-leaning veterans’ advocacy group. They placed signs on the Capitol lawn noting that the nationwide average price of gasoline had risen to $4.53.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth, an Illinois Democrat who served in the Iraq War with the Air National Guard, argued that the Iran war has amounted to a strategic blunder for Trump.

“Trump started a war, and he’s made things worse than before,” Duckworth said, pointing to Iran’s new leadership and the country’s willingness to put a chokehold on commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/iran-war-donald-trump-congress-vote-8038c7f9552186716d01f910d6a0d356

 

People set fire to an Ebola treatment center in a town at the heart of the outbreak in eastern Congo on Thursday after being stopped from retrieving the body of a local man, a witness and a senior police officer said, as fear and anger grow over a health crisis that doctors are struggling to contain.

The arson attack in Rwampara reflects the challenges of health workers trying to curb a rare Ebola virus by using stringent measures that might clash with local customs, such as burial rites. The disease has been spreading for weeks in a region lacking in adequate health facilities and where many people are on the move to escape armed conflicts.

The bodies of those who die from Ebola can be highly contagious and lead to further spread when people prepare bodies for burial and gather for funerals. The dangerous work of burying suspected victims is being managed wherever possible by authorities, which can be met by protests from victims’ families and friends.

Fear and anger grow

The center in Rwampara was burned by local youths who became angry while trying to retrieve the body of a friend who had apparently died of Ebola, according to a witness who spoke to The Associated Press by telephone.

“The police intervened to try to calm the situation, but unfortunately they were unsuccessful,” said Alexis Burata, a local student who said he was in the area. “The young people ended up setting fire to the center. That’s the situation.”

An AP journalist saw people break into the center and set fire to objects inside and also to what appeared to be the body of at least one suspected Ebola victim that was being stored there. Aid workers fled the treatment center in vehicles.

Deputy Senior Commissioner Jean Claude Mukendi, head of the public security department in Ituri Province, said the youths had not understood the protocols for burying a suspected Ebola victim.

“His family, friends, and other young people wanted to take his body home for a funeral even though the instructions from the authorities during this Ebola virus outbreak are clear,” Mukendi said. “All bodies must be buried according to the regulations.”

Hama Amadou, field coordinator for the humanitarian organization ALIMA, which had teams working at the center, said later that calm had been restored and that aid teams were continuing their work at the center.

The flash of anger underlined the complications faced by both Congolese authorities and an array of aid agencies trying to stem an outbreak that the World Health Organization has declared a public health emergency of international concern.

The outbreak is bigger than official figures show, WHO says

There were 160 suspected deaths and 671 suspected cases in Congo’s two provinces, Congolese authorities said on Thursday. Earlier in the week, the U.N. said there were two cases including one death in neighboring Uganda.

But the WHO has said the outbreak is almost certainly much larger and has also expressed concern over the speed of the spread.

“We are still in the phase where we are intensifying the investigation, searching for cases,” said Jean Kaseya, Director-General of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “I expect the number of cases to increase as surveillance becomes more and more rigorous.”

The risk of the outbreak spreading globally is low, the WHO has said, but high regionally with the Ituri Province at the center of the outbreak bordering Uganda and South Sudan.

Early detection of the virus is key in saving lives, but the region’s already weak health infrastructure and surveillance capacity has been further weakened by international aid cuts, experts say. There are over 920,000 internally displaced people in Ituri Province, according to the U.N.

Armed conflict in the region further complicates efforts to handle the crisis. Local leaders said an attack by militants linked to the Islamic State group killed at least 17 people on Tuesday in Alima, a village in Ituri.

Health workers and aid groups have said they are in dire need of more supplies and staff to respond. Also, there is no available vaccine or medicine for the Bundibugyo strain responsible for the outbreak.

An expert said this week it would be at least six to nine months before one would be available.

“The priority now is to act quickly and work closely with communities, as the coming days are critical,” said Ariel Kestens, the head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies delegation in Congo.

Ebola is highly contagious and spreads in people through contact with bodily fluids such as vomit, blood, feces or semen. Symptoms include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain and at times internal and external bleeding.

It has spread to a new province

On Thursday, the M23 rebel group that controls parts of eastern Congo reported that a person had died of the disease near the city of Bukavu, some 500 kilometers (310 miles) south of the outbreak’s epicenter in Ituri Province.

It was the first case confirmed in South Kivu Province, and another case was reported there later in the day. Previously, cases had been reported only in Ituri and North Kivu provinces and in neighboring Uganda.

The virus spread undetected for weeks following the first known death in late April as Congolese health authorities tested for a different Ebola virus more commonly responsible for outbreaks in the country. Health officials have not yet found “patient zero,” according to the WHO.

The scale of the outbreak so far suggests it “started probably a couple of months ago,” said Anaïs Legand, a viral hemorrhagic fevers expert at the WHO.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/congo-ebola-outbreak-who-spread-response-18537353976a958687e55f95434c918c

Washington has demanded that Tehran hand over nearly 400 kilograms of highly enriched uranium and restrict nuclear operations to a single facility.

Even as signs of a possible diplomatic breakthrough emerged between the United States and Iran to end the ongoing conflict, the issue of Tehran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile has surfaced as a major sticking point in negotiations.

The fresh deadlock comes after Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei reportedly declared that the country’s near-weapons-grade uranium would not be sent abroad — directly clashing with one of Washington’s core demands in the talks.

Responding to the development, US President Donald Trump said the United States would not allow Iran to retain highly enriched uranium.

“No. We will get it. We don’t need it. We don’t want it. We’ll probably destroy it after we get it — but we’re not going to let them have it,” Trump said when asked whether Iran could keep its uranium stockpile.

See more

“Can they keep their highly enriched uranium?”@POTUS: “No. We will get it. We don’t need it. We don’t want it. We’ll probably destroy it after we get it — but we’re not going to let them have it.” pic.twitter.com/fHmF1UHXOe

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 21, 2026

The US president added that negotiations were continuing under the ongoing truce process, but reiterated that Tehran would never be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon.

“Right now, we’re negotiating, and we’ll see, but we’re going to get it one way or the other. They’re not going to have a nuclear weapon,” he said.

US President Donald Trump claimed that Iran is losing nearly USD 500 million every day due to restrictions around the Strait of Hormuz, while praising the role of the US Navy in enforcing the blockade around the strategic waterway.

Trump said Washington wants the Strait of Hormuz to remain open and free for international shipping, rejecting any possibility of Iran imposing tolls on vessels passing through the route.

“We want it open, we want it free, we don’t want tolls,” Trump said, describing the strait as an international waterway.

According to Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency, Washington has demanded that Tehran hand over nearly 400 kilograms of highly enriched uranium and restrict nuclear operations to a single facility.

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/will-destroy-uranium-but-wont-let-them-have-it-trump-reacts-to-mojtaba-khameneis-remark-ws-l-10104710.html

 

A SOUTH American beauty queen shared a shocking video showing her bloodied face after an alleged attack by her celebrity stylist.

Andrea del Val, 29, named Miss Venezuela in 2025, claimed Giovanni Laguna, 33, attacked her in their hotel room at the Cannes Film Festival.

Video said to be taken after the row shows model Andrea in the trashed room with blood pouring down her face.

Giovanni, a Venezuelan who was arrested over the attack, can be seen sitting on a chair behind her.

Andrea says: “Look, this is what Giovanni Laguna did. Congratulations, Giovanni, this is what I wanted, for you to show who you were.”

The model then pans the camera around the accommodation to show the room in disarray, with furniture scattered across the floor.

Guests at the luxury hotel reportedly called the cops after hearing shouting, blows and signs of a violent struggle coming from the room.

Andrea’s video shows severe wounds on her face as she directly accused Giovanni of causing her injuries.

Spanish journalist Jordi Martin later shared footage said to show the stylist being escorted away by officers in Cannes.

Andrea was reportedly given medical attention after the incident.

The exact cause of the row has not been confirmed, and French authorities have not yet released a detailed statement on the case.

It is also not yet clear what charges, if any, Giovanni may face following his arrest.

Giovanni, born in Churuguara, in Venezuela’s Falcon state, has worked for years in the beauty pageant and fashion world.

Since 2023, he has been creative director for Miss Universe Colombia.

He also has ties to Mexican Miss Universe 2025 winner Fatima Bosch, 25, although there is no suggestion she was involved in the incident.

He has been described in Latin American media as a stylist, designer and image adviser for beauty queens and celebrities.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/16394747/beauty-queen-blood-face-attacked-stylist/

 

Trump said the decision to deploy more troops to Poland was influenced by nationalist Karol Nawrocki winning the Polish presidency last year. His announcement comes as the US scales back its military presence in Europe.

The United States is set to deploy an additional 5,000 troops to Poland, US President Donald Trump said on Thursday, saying the decision was based on his relationship with nationalist Polish President Karol Nawrocki.

“Based on the successful Election of the now President of Poland, Karol Nawrocki, who I was proud to Endorse, and our relationship with him, I am pleased to announce that the United States will be sending an additional 5,000 Troops to Poland,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.

US troops in Europe: contradictory messages

Trump’s announcement comes just two days after the Pentagon said that it was reducing the number of US Army Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs) in Europe from four to three.

Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement that the US was stripping back its military presence on the continent as a result of a “comprehensive, multilayered process” which is “designed to advance President Trump’s America First agenda in Europe and other theaters, including by incentivizing and enabling our NATO allies to take primary responsibility for Europe’s conventional defense.”

Vice President JD Vance also told reporters earlier this week that a US troop deployment to Poland had been delayed, with Parnell confirming the “temporary delay” as a result of a reduction of brigade combat teams to Europe.

Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz had previously denied that the reduction of US troops in Europe would affect Poland, saying: “The number of American soldiers in Poland is not being reduced.”

His deputy, Cezary Tomczyk, also said that any repositioning or redeployment of US troops would affect Germany, not Poland, adding: “Poland is continuously working on strengthening the American troop presence.”

Earlier in May, the US announced withdrawing 5,000 troops from Germany, amid an open spat between Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Merz had said Iran was “humiliating” the US at the negotiating table, unleashing Trump’s wrath.

What is Trump’s relationship with Nawrocki?

Trump hosted Nawrocki at ​the White House in May last year and backed him at ​a crucial moment ahead of the Polish election in which the nationalist politician went on to defeat the candidate of Polish Prime ​Minister Donald Tusk’s ⁠centrist, pro-European party.

“President Trump said ‘you will win,'” Nawrocki told private broadcaster TV Republika at the time. “I read it as a wish for my success in the upcoming elections … and after this whole day I can say that the American administration is aware of what is happening in Poland.”

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/us-to-send-5000-additional-troops-to-poland-trump/a-77255103

New footage shows Britney Spears allegedly failing a sobriety test during her DUI arrest on March 4.

In dashcam footage obtained by TMZ Thursday, the Grammy winner was seen being questioned by police officers before she was placed in handcuffs.

Spears can be heard asking cops if they had her phone, which they claimed was still in her purse.

Page Six exclusively reported that several drivers reported the “Toxic” songstress, 44, to police when they saw her allegedly driving “erratically” and almost “sideswip[ing]” several vehicles while in Ventura County.

“I’m reporting an erratic driving person,” one person said in a 911 call.

The individual told the dispatch responder the location and told them how a BMW was allegedly moving “in and out of lanes” and “slamming on the brakes.”

“It almost sideswiped a couple of vehicles. It’s driving at high speeds. I’m worried they’re going to crash with somebody,” the caller said.

A second caller reported a “possible drunk driver” in a black BMW, saying how she allegedly “almost sideswiped three or four vehicles.”

Additionally, in a police report obtained by Us Weekly, officers smelled a “distinct odor of an alcoholic beverage” from inside Spears’ car.

The “Gimme More” singer allegedly told an officer that she had one mimosa several hours prior, before bragging about her tolerance level.

“I could probably drink four bottles of wine and take care of you. I’m an angel,” she said.

Spears also claimed to have taken prescription drugs, including the mood stabilizer Lamictal and anticonvulsant, antidepressant Prozac and Adderall.

“[An officer] located a brown purse that contained a bottle of pills labeled ‘Adderall,’ which were not prescribed to Spears,” the report read, adding that there was an empty wine glass in the car’s cup holder.

Spears also allegedly told officers that on the sobriety scale from zero to 10, she was a “zero.” Additionally, she didn’t want to complete field sobriety tests.

The hitmaker, however, passed several breathalyzer tests.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2026/05/21/celebrity-news/britney-spears-fails-sobriety-test-in-dui-arrest-video/

Cuba poses a “national security threat” to the US and the likelihood of a peaceful agreement is “not high”, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said.

His comments come just a day after the US charged Cuba’s former president Raúl Castro with murder over the 1996 downing of two planes resulting in the killing of US nationals.

Rubio said Washington’s preference was “a diplomatic solution” but warned that President Donald Trump had the right and obligation to protect his country against any threat.

Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez accused Rubio of “lies” and said the island had never posed a threat to the US.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Rubio said diplomacy “remains our preference with Cuba”, but added: “I’m just being honest with you, you know, the likelihood of that happening, given who we’re dealing with right now, is not high.”

He also accused Cuba of being “one of the leading sponsors of terrorism in the entire region”, which Rodríguez vehemently denied in a post on X.

The Cuban foreign minister criticised Rubio for trying to “instigate a military aggression” and accused the US government of “ruthlessly and systematically” attacking his country.

Cuba is suffering from a fuel crisis exacerbated by an effective US oil blockade, while under pressure from the Trump administration to make a deal.

Its citizens have experienced extended blackouts and food shortages over the last few months.

Rubio said the country had accepted a US offer of $100m (£74.4m) in humanitarian aid.

Trump has repeatedly sought to exert pressure on Cuba and has openly discussed toppling its communist regime.

The US has demanded political and economic reforms but the specifics are unclear beyond a leadership change. They could include a pledge to open up the economy to more foreign investment and a commitment to end the presence of Russian or Chinese intelligence agencies on the island.

Wednesday’s indictment of the former Cuban president is seen by some as reminiscent of Trump’s seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January.

Asked by reporters whether – and how – his government would get Castro to the US to face the charges, Rubio replied: “I’m not going to talk about how we’re going to get him here, if we were trying to get him here, why would I say to the media what our plans are about that?”

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, who announced the charges in Miami on Wednesday, said the US “expect he will show up here, by his own will or another way”.

On Thursday, Rubio also announced on X that the US had arrested Adys Lastres Morera, the sister of one of the top officials of a Cuban military-run conglomerate that controls most of the lucrative parts of the country’s economy.

Morera was living in Florida “while also aiding Havana’s communist regime”, Rubio alleged. She was arrested by immigration enforcement and will remain in custody pending deportation proceedings.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckgpzwkn5jko

 

LONDON – When Donald Trump warned Iran on April 7 that “a whole civilization will die tonight,” a European diplomat in Washington said his government wanted an urgent answer to a chilling question: Was the U.S. president contemplating the use of a nuclear weapon?
Across Europe and Asia, the concern went beyond whether Trump’s apocalyptic threat was real or bluster. One fear, the diplomat said, was that Russia could seize the moment to justify similar threats in Ukraine, triggering a nuclear crisis on two continents.
European governments immediately sought reassurance through a traditional channel: the U.S. State Department. But according to the diplomat, officials there gave an unsettling response: They didn’t know what Trump meant or what actions his words might portend.
The previously unreported episode points to a historic breakdown in American diplomacy. At a moment when a uniquely unpredictable U.S. president is rattling markets and capitals with dramatic pronouncements, governments around the world are scrambling for clarity, only to discover that their usual points of contact – at U.S. embassies or inside Washington – are missing, mute or out of the loop. At least half of America’s 195 ambassadorial posts worldwide are now vacant.

Margaret MacMillan, an Oxford University professor of international history, said the Trump administration is eroding America’s capacity to understand the world it operates in, raising the risk of global instability. “We’re not going to be able to use diplomacy as we have often done before: to build relationships, get agreements that benefit both sides, and avert and end wars.”
The Trump administration rejects the notion of a breakdown, saying the changes have strengthened U.S. diplomacy and streamlined decision-making. “The President has the right to determine who represents the American people and interests around the world,” said Tommy Pigott, a State Department spokesperson.
This account of America’s diplomatic upheaval is based on interviews with more than 50 senior diplomats, White House officials and recently retired ambassadors, as well as dozens of foreign officials, diplomats and lawmakers across Europe and Asia.
As America’s career diplomats are fired or sidelined, its allies are changing how they deal with Washington. Rather than rely on embassies or formal channels, foreign governments say they are rewiring their diplomacy around a small circle of people with direct access to the president, leaving many dependent on back channels to manage a superpower whose signals have grown erratic.

Some U.S. allies now believe the most effective response to a volatile president is to treat his rhetoric as background noise.
That calculus was evident after Trump’s threat to annihilate Iran stoked fears of nuclear war. In response, officials in Britain, France and Germany drafted what one European diplomat called a “harsh” joint statement later that day. But they chose not to release it, deciding Trump’s language was bluster and a public rebuke could prompt him to continue the bombing. By evening, Trump had announced a two-week ceasefire with Iran.
The British, French and German foreign ministries didn’t reply to requests for comment.
The episode, also previously unreported, illustrates an approach many allies now follow: restraint over confrontation. But diplomats said that repeatedly discounting Trump’s threats is also dangerous because it might leave them unprepared when another crisis looms.
More than a year into Trump’s second term, influence and information are increasingly flowing through a handful of envoys. Most prominent: Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and the president’s longtime friend, real estate developer Steve Witkoff. Kushner has no formal government title and Witkoff no prior diplomatic experience. But some foreign governments now prioritize communications with them over official channels, Reuters found.

Kushner and Witkoff did not respond to requests for comment.
Other countries have cultivated their own unconventional lines into the White House. South Korean officials bypassed U.S. trade negotiators to forge ties with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles – a person they felt could explain Trump’s true intentions as they fought back against his 25% tariffs. And Japan found an unlikely intermediary in SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son – one of Trump’s golfing partners.

The State Department was an early target in Trump’s second term. In April 2025, Secretary of State Marco Rubio called it a “bloated” bureaucracy gripped by “radical political ideology” and announced a “comprehensive reorganization plan.” The effort was foreshadowed in Project 2025, a policy blueprint published in 2023 by the Heritage Foundation, a right-wing think tank in Washington, D.C. The plan called for a leaner State Department with more political appointees and the removal of career ambassadors deemed hostile to the administration.
About 3,000 employees left the State Department last year, nearly half fired and the rest taking buyouts – a roughly 15% cut to its U.S.-based staff. Then, in December, Rubio ordered the unprecedented recall of about 30 ambassadors worldwide.

Rubio promised last year that his overhaul would “empower the Department from the ground up, from the bureaus to the embassies.” But today, 109 of the 195 U.S. ambassadorial posts worldwide are vacant, according to the American Foreign Service Association, the diplomats’ union.
A White House official said the changes “have made our government more efficient and less bloated and more able to effectively execute the president’s foreign policy.”
The new structure leaves Washington with fewer top diplomats on the ground in a major war zone. Five of the seven countries bordering Iran, and four of the six Gulf States, have no U.S. ambassador.
Many U.S. embassies are now run by chargés d’affaires – diplomats who serve as acting heads – rather than Senate-confirmed ambassadors, which some countries regard as a diplomatic downgrade. Former U.S. ambassadors and State Department officials said the reduced diplomatic presence contributed to a chaotic scramble to evacuate Americans from the region when Trump started the Iran war.
“Those missions should all have ambassadors when you’re fighting a war,” said Barbara Leaf, a retired career diplomat who served as U.S. ambassador to the United Arab Emirates under the first Trump administration and as assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs under President Joe Biden. “At a moment of crisis – and it’s an open-ended crisis – this administration has left these missions in a parlous state.”
Pigott said U.S. embassies have performed well during the Iran war and are “more than appropriately staffed.”

DIPLOMATIC PURGE

For Bridget Brink, the fracture between the Trump administration and its far-flung diplomats was potentially a matter of life and death.
Brink was the U.S. ambassador to Kyiv when Trump returned to office. In March 2025, just days after Trump’s explosive encounter with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at the White House, the U.S. cut off military aid and intelligence sharing to Ukraine. The weapons included air defense munitions that helped protect not just Ukrainians but also U.S. embassy personnel from Russian drones and missiles, Brink said.
“I had 1,000 people, all civilians, on the ground,” Brink said in an interview. “And we were protected by Ukrainians using U.S. and other equipment.”

The halting of military aid came without warning, she said. “When we tried to find out why it was stopped, we got no answer.” Brink reached out to the Pentagon, the State Department and the White House – “everywhere that we could, because we were very concerned about what this meant not only for Ukrainians but also for our own security.” The Pentagon did not respond to a Reuters request for comment on her account.
Brink said her staff worked behind the scenes to persuade the Trump administration to resume the aid, which it agreed to do on March 11. But she said she never received official confirmation of why the aid was halted in the first place.
Layoffs at the National Security Council, which traditionally coordinates foreign and defense policy at the White House, further frayed relations between the Trump administration and its embassies. In 2025, Trump slashed the NSC from hundreds of people to just a few dozen.
For months, NSC staff held no regular meetings and faced a de facto ban on holding interagency meetings on national security and foreign policy, according to three current and former U.S. officials in Washington. The White House official said the NSC did not stop regular or interagency meetings but they were smaller and focused on Trump’s priorities.
During that period, multiple officials said, staffers received little formal guidance about major topics such as the Ukraine war or NATO’s future. Instead, they scrutinized Trump’s Truth Social account for policy signals. Many NSC staffers kept Trump’s account open on a dedicated screen and responded quickly when he posted, the officials said.
Under Biden, Brink had regularly joined NSC meetings to develop and coordinate complex wartime policy between Washington and the Kyiv embassy. Under Trump, those meetings stopped, Brink said. She was told instead to “just call people” – an ad hoc approach she described as inefficient and unworkable in a conflict zone where Russian attacks were routine. “We’re seven hours ahead and in the bunker almost every night.”
The final straw, she said, was Trump’s policy of “appeasement” on Ukraine – seeking closer ties with President Vladimir Putin while blaming Ukraine for Russian aggression. She resigned in protest in April 2025. Two months later she announced she was running as a Democrat from Michigan for the U.S. House of Representatives.

Her successor, Julie Davis, who served as chargé d’affaires, will also step down and retire in June, the State Department said on April 28. Department spokesperson Pigott said Davis is retiring after a “distinguished 30-year tenure” in the foreign service.
Many other career diplomats have had their ambassadorships abruptly cut short. A week before Christmas, about 30 were told to vacate their posts by mid-January – a recall that came largely without warning or explanation. Some departing ambassadors privately dubbed it “the Saturday Night Massacre,” a Watergate-era phrase now used to describe mass firings of officials.
U.S. ambassadors fall into two categories: career diplomats and political appointees. Both are nominated by the president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Career diplomats traditionally pride themselves on being nonpartisan and often have decades of experience. Political appointees are usually major campaign donors, former lawmakers or close presidential allies, and may have little or no diplomatic background.
In U.S. administrations spanning nearly 50 years, career diplomats have typically made up between 57% and 74% of ambassadors, according to the American Foreign Service Association. In Trump’s second term, about 9% of his ambassadorial appointees are career diplomats – a dramatic decline in the institutional expertise that has historically guided U.S. diplomacy.
Most of the ambassadors recalled in December were career diplomats who were appointed to their current posts under Biden but had also served Republican administrations, including Trump’s. Ukraine envoy Brink, for instance, served five presidents, Democrat and Republican, including Trump in his first term.
The State Department said the mass recall was a “standard process” and that replacements would represent Trump and “advance the America First agenda,” which the White House says will “champion core American interests.”
More than 100 ambassadorships remain open worldwide. “We are conducting our diplomacy with one arm tied behind our back,” said Brian Nichols, an ambassador for Democratic and Republican presidents from 2014 to 2021, in Peru and Zimbabwe.
Against that backdrop, a new pipeline of diplomats aligned with Trump’s agenda is emerging.
The Ben Franklin Fellowship, founded in 2024, identifies and seeks to promote conservatives within the State Department and counters what its leaders describe as bias against them. “A lot of moderate officers come to us – men, white men – (and) they say, ‘I’m totally marginalized by DEI,’” said co-founder Phillip Linderman, referring to diversity, equity and inclusion programs under previous administrations.
The group now lists about 95 fellows on its website, including Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau. Another 250 members, mostly active diplomats, conceal their identities to avoid retaliation under future Democratic administrations, said Linderman, a former diplomat.
Among the fellowship’s largest financial backers is the Heritage Foundation, the architect of Project 2025. Last year Heritage gave the group a $100,000 grant, effectively helping to advance one of Project 2025’s main recommendations: to remake a workforce it views as hostile to conservative administrations. Heritage told Reuters it supported many U.S. organizations but exerted no “direct control” over them.

The fellowship aims to help Trump avoid appointing State Department staff who could obstruct his agenda, said Linderman and Matt Boyse, another ex-diplomat, fellowship co-founder and senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, a conservative think tank. The group convenes networking seminars, recruits on college campuses and advises the Trump administration on which career diplomats they see as ideological activists. “We’re helping them know – if they want to know – if a person is part of the resistance,” Boyse told Reuters.
Eighteen former ambassadors expressed concern that Ben Franklin Fellowship members were being fast-tracked into senior roles ahead of more experienced people. Pigott said the State Department “does not make personnel decisions based on participation in outside groups or demographic quotas.”

THE RISE OF THE ENVOY STATE

Trump has increasingly bypassed embassies, entrusting sensitive diplomacy to special envoys, most prominently Kushner and Witkoff, his principal negotiators on the wars in Ukraine, Gaza and Iran.
In the lead‑up to the Iran war, Kushner and Witkoff met Iranian officials in Geneva in late February but didn’t bring along U.S. nuclear specialists, according to European officials involved in the discussions. In the previous nine months, the Trump administration fired at least a half dozen Iran nuclear experts, including Nate Swanson, a career diplomat who worked on Iran issues across administrations.
Swanson helped implement the Obama administration’s 2015 nuclear accord with Iran. The highly technical document, in which Iran agreed to significantly limit its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of nuclear-related economic sanctions, was drafted by large teams of diplomats and experts. Trump withdrew from the deal in 2018. Swanson said Witkoff called in April last year to ask him to rejoin renewed talks with Tehran. At the time, Swanson was working at the State Department’s Office of Sanctions Coordination.
Weeks went by, however, without meetings on Iran, Swanson said. “He had a ton on his plate,” he said of Witkoff, who was also juggling talks over Ukraine and Gaza. “We just didn’t have any input.” Before long, Swanson said, the administration “just stopped asking for advice.”
Less than two months after joining Witkoff’s negotiating team, Swanson was dismissed after the right-wing influencer Laura Loomer derided him on social media as an “Obama holdover.” He has since joined the Atlantic Council think tank as a senior fellow. Loomer did not respond to a comment request from Reuters.

One senior European diplomat said that during last-ditch talks in Geneva, the U.S. team struggled to grasp the significance of different uranium‑enrichment thresholds and other elements of Iran’s nuclear program, forcing European officials to explain. “How can you negotiate when you don’t understand the fundamentals?” the diplomat said.
On February 28, after the Geneva talks failed, the U.S. and Israel started bombing Iran. On that day, and again on March 3, Witkoff briefed reporters on the talks. Those briefings suggested he had misread Iran’s proposal, exaggerating Iran’s nuclear threat by conflating limited enrichment of uranium with its near‑term weaponization, said Kelsey Davenport of the Arms Control Association, a Washington, D.C.-based group that advocates for effective arms control policies. She reviewed recordings and transcripts from participants in the briefings.
Davenport said Witkoff’s statements contained many errors suggesting “technical incompetence.” For example, he referred to Iran’s IR-6 uranium-enrichment centrifuge as “probably the most advanced centrifuge in the world,” when it’s not even the most advanced one in Iran. “Witkoff does not need to be a nuclear expert to negotiate a good deal. But if he’s not, he should be surrounded by people who are,” she said.
Trump’s top two envoys have also faced scrutiny of their potential conflicts of interest by Democrats in the U.S. Congress – Kushner for allegedly negotiating peace deals with countries with which he has billion-dollar business deals, and Witkoff for his family’s role in a Trump crypto firm seeking inroads in the Middle East. Both have denied any conflict of interest.
The White House official called such claims “a tired narrative” pushed by Democrats and said both men “fully understood” Iran’s proposals during negotiations.
More than 90% of ambassadors appointed by Trump this term have been political loyalists, not career diplomats, and wield unusual power due to their perceived connections with the president’s inner circle. Two European officials recalled how Kushner’s father, Charles, the U.S. ambassador to France, underscored his proximity to power by calling Jared directly in front of foreign counterparts at a meeting last year.

The U.S. embassy in Paris declined to comment.
As his ambassador in Beijing, Trump appointed another loyalist: David Perdue, a former Georgia senator and businessman who has echoed Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election was rigged. Three U.S. government officials who focus on China said Perdue has called Trump directly to hammer out decisions and address unresolved diplomatic questions, while even senior U.S. diplomats were cut out of the loop. In planning high-level visits, they said, embassy staff often waited until Perdue had phoned Trump before committing to final arrangements – a break from the past when such decisions were done at lower levels.

Wolfgang Ischinger, a former German ambassador to Washington, said America’s current approach reflects a dramatic concentration of power over U.S. foreign policy in one person: Trump. “That person will take decisions, sometimes overnight, sometimes in a formal meeting, sometimes not,” he said. “That’s very different, and I’m not sure the Trump way of taking decisions actually offers a guarantee for good decisions.”
Some countries are forging unconventional routes into the White House.
In April 2025, Trump announced a 25% tariff on South Korea, threatening its export‑driven economy. In subsequent trade talks, South Korean officials were struggling to determine whether their U.S. counterparts were accurately conveying Trump’s position, Kang Hoon-sik, the presidential chief of staff, told a South Korean podcast. South Korean officials instead adapted by engaging directly with Wiles, the White House chief of staff. The arrangement was atypical. Kang is not the usual Korean counterpart facing the U.S. on foreign policy, security or trade, and Wiles is not a trade negotiator.
The South Korean president’s office and foreign ministry didn’t reply to a request for comment.
Japan turned to SoftBank founder and Trump golfing buddy Masayoshi Son.
Shigeru Ishiba, who served as prime minister until October 2025, told Reuters that while he was leader, Japan used the tech tycoon as a back channel to reach Trump – the first time Son’s role has been publicly acknowledged. Ishiba said Son was acting largely in his own business interests, but confirmed that his government passed messages to Trump through Son.
Reaching Trump directly was vital because “the people around him are all yes-men,” said Ishiba.
SoftBank and Son declined to comment. Japan’s foreign ministry denied using Son as a back channel, but declined to comment on whether Ishiba had done so.

Pigott, the State spokesperson, said he “rejects the premise that key decisions were made without meaningful input from experienced professionals.” He described Trump’s use of envoys and direct lines to the White House by some countries as effective. “The sustained direct engagement from the highest levels of this administration around the world is an asset,” he said, “and anyone claiming otherwise doesn’t know what they are talking about.”

Source : https://www.reuters.com/investigations/inside-unraveling-us-diplomacy-under-trump-2026-05-21/

Iran’s Supreme Leader has issued a directive that the country’s near-weapons-grade uranium should not be sent abroad, two senior Iranian sources said, hardening Tehran’s stance on one of the main ​U.S. demands at peace talks.
Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei’s order could further frustrate U.S. President Donald Trump and complicate talks on ending the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.

Trump vowed on Thursday that the United States will not ‌allow Iran to have its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

“We will get it. We don’t need it, we don’t want it. We’ll probably destroy it after we get it, but we’re not going to let them have it,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
Israeli officials have told Reuters that Trump has assured Israel that Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, needed to make an atomic weapon, will be sent out of Iran and that any peace deal must include a clause on this.
Israel, the United States and other Western states have ​long accused Iran of seeking nuclear weapons, including pointing to its move to enrich uranium to 60%, far higher than needed for civilian uses and closer to the 90% needed for a weapon. Iran ​denies seeking nuclear weapons.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he will not consider the war over until enriched uranium is removed from Iran, Tehran ends its support for ⁠proxy militias, and its ballistic missile capabilities are eliminated.
“The Supreme Leader’s directive, and the consensus within the establishment, is that the stockpile of enriched uranium should not leave the country,” said one of the two Iranian sources, who ​spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.
Iran’s top officials, the sources said, believe that sending the material abroad would leave the country more vulnerable to future attacks by the United States and Israel. Khamenei ​has the last say on the most important state matters.
When asked for comment for this story, White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales said : “President Trump has been clear about the United States’ red lines and will only make a deal that puts the American people first.”

DEEP SUSPICION AMONG TOP IRANIAN OFFICIALS

A shaky ceasefire is in place in the war that began with U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, after which Iran fired at Gulf states hosting U.S. military bases and ​fighting broke out between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.
But there has been no big breakthrough in peace efforts, with a U.S. blockade of Iranian ports and Tehran’s grip on the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global oil supply ​route, complicating negotiations mediated by Pakistan.
The two senior Iranian sources said there was deep suspicion in Iran that the pause in hostilities was a tactical deception by Washington to create a sense of security before it renews airstrikes.
Iran’s top peace negotiator, Mohammad ‌Baqer Qalibaf, said ⁠on Wednesday that “obvious and hidden moves by the enemy” showed the Americans were preparing new attacks.

Trump said on Wednesday the U.S. was ready to proceed with further attacks on Tehran if Iran did not agree to a peace deal, but suggested Washington could wait a few days to “get the right answers.”
The two sides have started to narrow some gaps, the sources said, but deeper splits remain over Tehran’s nuclear programme — including the fate of its enriched uranium stockpiles and Tehran’s demand for recognition of its right to enrichment.

IRAN HARDENS STANCE ON ENRICHED URANIUM STOCKPILE

Iranian officials have repeatedly said Tehran’s priority is to secure a permanent end to the war and credible guarantees that the U.S. and Israel will ​not launch further attacks.
Only after such assurances are in place, ​they said, would Iran be prepared to engage ⁠in detailed negotiations over its nuclear program.
Israel is widely believed to have an atomic arsenal but has never confirmed or denied it has nuclear weapons, maintaining a so-called policy of ambiguity on the issue for decades.
Before the war, Iran signalled willingness to ship out half of its stockpile of uranium which has been enriched to 60%, a level ​far higher than what is needed for civilian uses.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/supreme-leader-says-enriched-uranium-must-stay-iran-iranian-sources-say-2026-05-21/

Since President Donald Trump’s administration announced the creation of a $1.776 billion fund for Americans deemed to be victims of political “weaponization,” ​January 6 Capitol riot defendants and other Trump allies have scrambled to figure out how to get their share.

Enrique Tarrio, the Proud Boys leader sentenced ‌to 22 years for seditious conspiracy over the January 6, 2021 riot, said he planned to apply to the fund, assuming he could get between $2 and $5 million.

“I’m not greedy,” Tarrio said. “But my life was all fucked up because of this.”
Trump pardoned more than 1,500 January 6 defendants last year. Some have now begun to calculate the cost of their prosecution, jail time and businesses lost in the hope of compensation for ​what they regard as abuses by the Justice Department under former President Joe Biden.
Peter Ticktin, an attorney representing more than 400 January 6 defendants, said the fund ​may not be enough.
“People lost multi-million dollar businesses while they were locked up,” he said. “I don’t think the DOJ is ready for us ⁠yet.”
Trump also suggested the fund may be too small. “You’re talking about peanuts,” he told reporters at Joint Base Andrews. “It destroyed the lives of many, many people.”

Democrats and some Republicans ​have questioned the legality of the fund, as well as a part of the settlement “forever barring” the IRS from auditing past tax claims by Trump, his relatives and his businesses.
Two police ​officers who defended the U.S. Capitol from Trump supporters on January 6, filed a lawsuit on Wednesday seeking to halt the compensation fund, which they described as a “taxpayer-funded slush fund” for Trump followers who engaged in violence.
U.S. acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told lawmakers on Tuesday that even people who assaulted police on January 6 would not be barred from receiving money.
Tarrio, for his part, thinks those who assaulted police should get their ​share.
“The Justice Department overprosecuted for political gain,” he said. “So everyone deserves to get money.”

In a Wednesday letter, Democratic Representatives Jamie Raskin and Richard E. Neal asked Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, ​Blanche and IRS CEO Frank Bisignano, who negotiated the settlement, whether individual awards would be capped and what reports would be made public.
“Never in American history has a President pursued corruption this brazenly or ‌on such ⁠a colossal scale,” they wrote.
Democratic Senator Chris Coons of Delaware said on Wednesday he would try to block the fund through spending-bill amendments, though he acknowledged the issue might have to be resolved separately.
Ticktin, the January 6 lawyer, said he plans to file hundreds of claims once the Justice Department creates the application process and the attorney general appoints the five-member commission overseeing the fund. He said he suggested the idea to Trump, his high school classmate, in a March email, but doesn’t know if that had any impact on the creation ​of the fund.

Some January 6 defendants praised the ​Justice Department for adopting terms they ⁠have long used — including “lawfare,” “weaponization” and “victims” — and cast the fund as payback for years of injustice.
“Now liberals wanna cry about righting the wrong, too bad,” wrote Jennie Carso-Heinl, who pleaded guilty to parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building, on X. “Justice is coming.”
At least one Trump ally ​has already made a formal request: Michael Caputo, a former administration official, asked Blanche for $2.7 million in “restitution” over investigations by the Biden ​administration and special counsel ⁠Robert Mueller.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/im-not-greedy-january-6-rioters-trump-allies-eye-18-billion-weaponization-fund-2026-05-20/

Kyle Busch, a generational talent ‌whose aggressive driving style earned him the nickname “Rowdy” and won him two NASCAR Cup Series championships, has died at the age of 41, his family announced on Thursday.
News of his death came just hours after ​Busch’s family released a statement saying he had been hospitalized with a severe ​illness.

“We are devastated to announce the sudden and tragic passing of ⁠Kyle Busch,” his family, Richard Childress Racing and NASCAR said in a joint statement.

“Our ​entire NASCAR family is heartbroken by the loss of Kyle Busch. A future Hall of ​Famer, Kyle was a rare talent, one who comes along once in a generation.
“He was fierce, he was passionate, he was immensely skilled and he cared deeply about the sport and fans.”
Busch was ​in his 22nd full-time season in NASCAR’s top division, where he won two Cup ​Series titles (2015, 2019) and 63 races – a figure that ranks ninth on the circuit’s all-time win ‌list.
“Absolutely cannot ⁠comprehend this news,” fellow driver and rival Denny Hamlin said on social media.
“We just need to think of his family during this time. We love you KB.”

Born in Las Vegas, Busch entered the sport as a brash teenager with the nickname “Shrub” as the younger brother ​to Hall of Fame ​driver Kurt Busch.
But ⁠the alias of “Rowdy” – a nod to one of the main characters in the film “Days of Thunder” due to his aggressive style – ​is what stuck with him.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/sports/nascar-driver-busch-hospitalized-with-severe-illness-will-miss-coca-cola-600-2026-05-21/

The U.S. opening of a larger diplomatic hub in Greenland on Thursday was met by demonstrators opposed to President Donald Trump’s ambition for greater ​influence in the Arctic island, while local government ministers shied away from ‌the event.
Moving from a wooden cabin on the outskirts of Nuuk to a much larger downtown office, the new United States consulate has become a focal point for Greenlanders unhappy with Trump’s stated ​desire to control the island, a semi-autonomous part of Denmark.

Greenland’s Prime Minister ​Jens-Frederik Nielsen and a series of other politicians said that they ⁠had declined invitations to attend the opening of the new diplomatic mission.
“We haven’t ​made a decision in principle, but I won’t participate,” Nielsen told local daily Sermitsiaq.
Several ​hundred people demonstrated outside the consulate, carrying the island’s red and white flag and posters that said “USA, stop it”, while chanting “No means no” and “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders”.

The new venue has greater ​capacity and offers an outstanding space for U.S. diplomatic engagement in Greenland, a ​State Department spokesperson said.

The White House in January said Trump was considering how to acquire Greenland, ‌including ⁠a potential use of the U.S. military, setting off alarm bells among NATO allies in Europe, although talks have since been moved to a diplomatic track.
Greenland’s government said on Monday that progress had been made in the high-stakes talks over the future of the territory amid ​U.S. threats of ​annexation, adding that the giant ⁠island belongs to its people and will never be for sale.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/greenlanders-demonstrate-against-trump-us-diplomats-open-new-consulate-2026-05-21/

The US military has been publicly broadcasting the location of military surveillance flights near Cuba on plane-tracking websites, as Washington continues to exert pressure on the island’s communist leadership.

Leaving flight transponders on “is likely deliberate”, said UK drone expert Dr Steve Wright, with the US intending to send “a clear message it has eyes in the sky to maintain the squeeze”.

BBC Verify analysis of data from flight-tracking website Flightradar24 shows at least five US Navy P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft and three MQ-4C Triton surveillance drones have been operating in the Caribbean near Cuba since 11 May. Some aircraft have flown as close as 50 miles (80km) from the island.

Flight-tracking data cannot give a complete picture of US activity off Cuba as military aircraft do not always broadcast their positions but share their location for portions of a flight.

The deployment of these aircraft comes as US-Cuba tensions have risen significantly in recent months, after Washington imposed an effective oil blockade on the Caribbean nation.

It has also been reported by news site Axios that Havana has acquired drones capable of attacking the US mainland, which Cuba’s foreign minister responded to by saying the country “neither threatens nor desires war” and accused Washington of building a “fraudulent case” for military intervention.

These accusations were followed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio offering a “new relationship” with the Cuban people on Wednesday.

Speaking in Spanish on the anniversary of Cuba’s independence from the US in a direct address to the island’s population, Rubio blamed the island’s “unimaginable hardships” on its communist leadership – and not the US fuel blockade.

Experts told BBC Verify the public nature of these surveillance flights indicates the US is seeking to enforce the blockade and apply pressure on the Cuban government as well as deterring its allies like Venezuela from attempting to get energy shipments to the island.

The resulting fuel crisis has led to major power blackouts and triggered protests in Cuba. President Donald Trump has also put Cuba under significant pressure to “make a deal” and threatened its communist regime that the US could intervene like it did in Venezuela earlier this year when it captured President Nicolás Maduro.

What the flight-tracking data shows

BBC Verify has tracked several flights by US Navy P-8 Poseidon surveillance jets including one on 11 May when the aircraft got within 50 miles (80km) of southern Cuba, according to Flightradar24 data. The P-8 continued to operate into the following day, when it was seen flying to the north of Cuba’s capital Havana before returning to its base in Jacksonville, Florida.

On 15 May, two US MQ-4C Triton surveillance drones also operated off the coast of southern Cuba, with tracking showing them operating along a route similar to one previously flown by a Poseidon.

Mark Cancian, a retired US Marine Corps colonel and senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), told BBC Verify the recurrent flight paths of the surveillance aircraft “indicate an intention to spot ship arrivals from the south, primarily, and secondarily from the north”.

“None of the flights are over land, so this is not some preparation for invasion,” he said. Cancian added he doubts these flights are “routine”, given the number of P-8s and MQ-4C Tritons the US has at its disposal are “limited”.

BBC Verify also examined US military aircraft activity near Cuba between 1 and 7 February, which saw only one P-8 fly in the vicinity of Cuba and no comparable MQ-4C Triton activity near the island. However, a US Air Force RC-135V Rivet Joint reconnaissance aircraft did conduct two passes of the island over the period.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjep1wx7w0ko

Two Russian warplanes “repeatedly and dangerously” intercepted an unarmed RAF spy plane over the Black Sea last month, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has said.

A Russian Su-35 fighter approached the Rivet Joint surveillance aircraft, getting close enough to trigger its emergency systems, disabling its autopilot.

And a Su-27 jet also carried out six passes in front of the RAF plane, getting as close as six metres (19ft) from its nose.

Defence Secretary John Healey praised the “outstanding professionalism” of the RAF crew during “unacceptable” Russian flybys, which the MoD says is the most dangerous Russian action since 2022, when a “rogue” pilot fired a missile at a Rivet Joint over the Black Sea.

The MoD said the Rivet Joint had been conducting a routine international flight to aid in securing Nato’s eastern flank.

Condemning the airborne interceptions, Healey said: “This incident is another example of dangerous and unacceptable behaviour by Russian pilots, towards an unarmed aircraft operating in international airspace.

“These actions create a serious risk of accidents and potential escalation.”

He added: “This incident will not deter the UK’s commitment to defend Nato, our allies and our interests from Russian aggression.”

The MoD and Foreign Office have called on the Russian embassy to condemn the incident.

These latest interceptions come amid increased Russian aggression in the region, the MoD added, pointing to recent submarine activity over critical underwater British infrastructure in the North Sea.

This incident follows a similar one which saw a “rogue” Russian pilot attempt to shoot down an RAF Rivet Joint plane over the Black Sea in September 2022.

The Russian pilot fired two missiles, the first of which missed rather than malfunctioned as claimed at the time.

Russia had claimed the incident last September was caused by a “technical malfunction”.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cq8p40e2zx1o

 

Two Munich residents have been arrested on suspicion of working for a Chinese intelligence service, seeking to obtain and pass on high-tech information with “military applications.”

Investigators on Wednesday arrested two Munich residents on suspicion of spying for China, the Office of the Federal Prosecutor (Generalbundesanwaltschaft) said.

The suspects are a married couple with German citizenship, identified as Xuejun C. and Hua S..

What are the couple accused of?

Prosecutors said the pair were suspected of working for a Chinese secret intelligence agency.

“In order to obtain access to scientific information about high-tech technologies with military applications, they built up contacts with numerous scientists at German universities and research institutes,” prosecutors wrote.

In particular, they focused on fostering contacts with “university professors in the areas of aerospace and space travel, IT and artificial intelligence.”

Among other roles, they are said to have posed as translators and employees of a German car parts supplier to gain access.

“Some scientists were lured to China on the premise of delivering lectures to the civilian audiences for remuneration,” prosecutors alleged. “In reality, these presentations then took place in front of associated of state-run weapons companies.”

What else happened in Wednesday’s operation?

The two individuals were arrested on Wednesday on the authority of a warrant issued a week earlier; federal prosecutors worked in conjunction with authorities in Bavaria.

The couple were taken to the Federal Court of Justice (Bundesgerichtshof) in Karlsruhe later on Wednesday for a decision on their being held in investigative detention.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/german-authorities-arrest-2-on-china-high-tech-espionage-allegations/a-77228979

What started as an internet joke is fast becoming young India’s newest symbol of resilience, survival and collective frustration. Meanwhile, PM Modi has reached Italy for the last leg of his tour.

Thank you for reading

And as it nears 10 p.m. local time in Delhi, we have decided to close out our India news blog for the day.

Thank you for reading and we hope to see you again soon for more India coverage!

India issues heatwave warning for next five days

India’s national weather agency warned residents in northwest and central India of severe heat wave conditions during the week and in eastern India during the next five days, on Wednesday.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) did not directly attribute the extreme heat to the El Nino phenomenon. However, it directed readers towards research on how the occurrence influences extreme temperature events and intensifies heat wave conditions.

“Heat waves in India are becoming longer, stronger, and more frequent,” it said, adding that “extreme temperatures can increase the risk of dehydration, heat exhaustion, and heatstroke, especially during outdoor activities and travel.”

The last El Nino helped make 2023 and 2024 the two hottest years on record.

India routinely experiences intense heatwaves between April and June.

The IMD declares a heatwave if the temperature reaches at least 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) or more for plains, and at least 30 degrees Celsius and more for hilly regions.

It categorizes a heat wave as a ‘severe’ one if the temperature is over 6.4 degrees Celsius higher than what’s normal for the region.

On Wednesday, temperatures in New Delhi were at about 43 degrees Celsius.

Lai Ching-te defended Taiwan’s sovereignty after US President Donald Trump suggested that arms sales to the island could be used as leverage in talks with China.

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said Wednesday the country’s future cannot be decided by “foreign forces” and vowed to boost defense spending to deter conflict with China.

“Taiwan’s future cannot be decided by foreign forces, nor can it be held hostage by fear, division, or short-term interests,” Lai said in a speech marking the second year of his presidency. “Taiwan must have the capability to protect itself and to uphold peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.”

Beijing claims the self-ruled island as its territory and has not ruled out using force to seize it.

‘No country has the right to annex Taiwan’

Recently, President Donald Trump suggested in an interview with Fox News that US arms sales to Taiwan could be used as leverage in negotiations with Beijing following talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Trump also suggested he ​might call Lai.

Lai said if given the opportunity to speak with Trump, he would stress that Beijing was undermining peace and raising tensions in the region.

“No country has the right to annex Taiwan. The people of Taiwan pursue a democratic and free way of life, and democracy and freedom should not be regarded as provocation,” Lai said.

No direct, public conversation between the leaders of the two countries has taken place since Washington switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/taiwans-lai-rejects-china-pressure-pledges-stronger-defense/a-77223363

Aston Villa beat Freiburg 3-0 to win the Europa League final and end a 30-year trophy drought.

Aston Villa ended their 30-year trophy drought in style as spectacular goals from Youri Tielemans and Emiliano Buendia inspired a 3-0 win against Freiburg in the Europa League final on Wednesday (May 20).

Unai Emery’s side took the lead late in the first half in Istanbul through Tielemans’ thunderous volley.

Buendia increased Villa’s advantage with a sublime curler seconds before the interval.

Morgan Rodgers’ second-half goal finished off the outclassed Germans, sealing Villa’s first silverware since the 1996 League Cup and their first major European prize for 44 years.

That famous European Cup final upset of Bayern Munich in 1982, secured by Peter Withe’s goal in Rotterdam, has stood as the most iconic moment in Villa’s 152-year history.

But Villa’s current stars were determined to follow in the footsteps of the club’s golden generation.

Now Tielemans, Buendia, John McGinn and company can share the rarified air previously reserved for Withe, Tony Morley, Dennis Mortimer, Nigel Spink and the rest of the Class of ’82.

Fittingly, with Withe and Mortimer watching from the stands, Villa crushed Freiburg while wearing white shirts instead of their traditional claret and blue kit – just as they did against Bayern.

Villa’s long-awaited continental conquest was the latest Europa League masterclass for Emery, who has now won the tournament five times after victories with Sevilla in 2014, 2015 and 2016 and Villarreal in 2021.

Emery said this week that he didn’t feel like the “king” of the Europa League, but his team’s coronation got the royal seal of approval from Villa fan Prince William, who was celebrating along with around 20,000 ecstatic supporters in the Besiktas Stadium.

Hollywood actor Tom Hanks, another famous Villa fan, joined the party, sending a good luck message to the team before kick-off.

It has been a memorable finish to the campaign for Villa, who sealed qualification for next season’s Champions League with a win against Liverpool last week.

Villa’s success over the last six days would have been impossible to imagine when they started the season with a run of six matches without a win, scoring just twice in that dismal streak.

UNFORGETTABLE NIGHT

Their maiden win this season came in the Europa League against Bologna, the first of 13 victories in 15 games in the competition that culminated in their ruthless demolition of first-time European finalists Freiburg.

Despite losing in the UEFA Conference League semi-finals in 2024, and the Champions League quarter-finals and FA Cup semi-finals last year, Emery was convinced Villa would eventually cast off their ‘nearly men’ tag.

The 54-year-old Spaniard’s unshakable faith has been rewarded.

The Europa League triumph underlined Villa’s impressive renaissance since Emery took charge in October 2022 with the club languishing just three points above the relegation zone.

Relegated to the second tier in 1987 and 2016 and beaten in their previous four domestic finals prior to arriving in Istanbul, Villa have endured some torrid times since winning the European Cup.

Those miserable memories were banished forever on an unforgettable night on the banks of the Bosphorus.

Villa dominated from the start and should have been ahead in the opening moments when Noah Atubolu denied Rogers.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/sport/europa-league-final-aston-villa-freiburg-unai-emery-6132031

The UAE urged Iraq to “prevent all hostile acts” from its territory after accusing Iran-backed groups of launching a drone attack near Abu Dhabi’s Barakah nuclear plant.

The UAE demanded on Wednesday (May 20) that Iraq “immediately” prevent further attacks from its territory, following an accusation by the Emirates that a drone targeting a nuclear plant was launched from there.

The foreign ministry in a statement called on “Iraq to prevent all hostile acts originating from its territory urgently and without conditions”, saying there was a “need to address those threats promptly, immediately and responsibly”.

On Sunday, an unclaimed drone attack struck an electrical generator near the Arab world’s only nuclear power plant in Barakah in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, triggering a fire but causing no injuries or radiation leak. Two other drones were intercepted.

Last month, several Gulf countries – including Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE – and Jordan demanded in a joint statement that Baghdad act immediately to stop attacks from its territory by pro-Iran armed groups.

Along with the Gulf states, Iraq was dragged into the war between the United States, Israel and Iran, with strikes repeatedly targeting both US interests – especially the embassy in Baghdad – and pro-Iran groups in the country.

During the fighting, pro-Iran armed groups claimed to have launched daily attacks on “enemy bases” in Iraq and the wider region, but said they were suspending their actions after a temporary ceasefire was announced in April.

An Iraqi security official told AFP that “Arab countries have not provided precise information, only accusations” and that Iraq demands “evidence and precise information so that Iraqi authorities can take the appropriate measures”.

Iraqi government spokesperson Bassem al-Awadi told state media on Tuesday that Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi had ordered the formation of military committees to contact Arab states for “accurate information for verification”.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/uae-iraq-nuclear-plant-strike-6131996

Sheryl Crow candidly shared how she learned that her ex-fiancé, Lance Armstrong, was dating a “real famous actress” while she was battling cancer in 2006.

“I was engaged, I had three beautiful stepchildren, I wanted to have kids with this person,” the “All I Wanna Do” songstress shared on Tuesday’s episode of Netflix’s “The Bobbycast” with host Bobby Bones.

“We split in the same week I got diagnosed with breast cancer, and I found out he was seeing a really famous actress,” she said.

“I went through about nine months of radiation and grieving and anger,” Crow, 64, who didn’t say Armstrong’s name, stated.

A rep for Armstrong, 54, wasn’t available to Page Six for comment.

The former road racing cyclist and the hitmaker started dating in 2003 and were engaged two years later.

However, they parted ways in February 2006 because of Crow’s desire to have kids when he wasn’t ready.

Armstrong detailed the breakup in his 2009 book “Lance: The Making of the World’s Greatest Champion,” writing, “She wanted marriage, she wanted children,” per Us Weekly.

“Not that I didn’t want that, but I didn’t want that at that time because I had just gotten out of a marriage, I’d just had kids,” he added, referring to his first marriage with Kristin Richard from 1998 to 2003, and their three kids, Luke, 17, and twins Grace and Isabelle, 15.

“Yet we’re up against her biological clock — that pressure is what cracked it,” Armstrong continued.

The former athlete tied the knot for the second time with Anna Hansen in 2022. They started dating in 2008.

The couple have two kids, Wyatt, 9, and Levi, 6.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2026/05/20/celebrity-news/sheryl-crow-found-out-ex-lance-armstrong-was-dating-real-famous-actress-in-wake-of-her-cancer-battle/

The tanker crew gathered their courage and carefully navigated along a route designated by Iran, hugging the coastline and maneuvering their hulking vessel between island checkpoints through the Strait of Hormuz.
The 330-metre-long Agios Fanourios I, laden with Iraqi crude oil and bound for Vietnam, had been bottled up off the coast of Dubai since late April. But on May 10 it set off for the strait after a direct deal with Iran overseen by Iraq’s prime minister.
Iran’s orders to the tanker were part of a complex, multi-tiered mechanism that the country has deployed for clearing vessels through the Strait of Hormuz. With Iran now in de facto control of the strait, the system can involve government-to-government arrangements, intense vetting by the Iranian government and sometimes fees in exchange for safe passage, Reuters has found.

In Vietnam, Iraq, Greece and beyond, the ship’s progress was monitored closely, including by two people interviewed by Reuters. Periodically, the transponder went dark but the Agios Fanourios I sailed on. Not far away that same day, another ship was hit with a projectile, causing a small fire, according to a British maritime safety agency.
Late on May 10, screens lit up with the icon for the Agios Fanourios I. But as the tanker passed Hormuz Island, it was stopped by Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps speedboats, according to an Iranian official.
The IRGC fighters patrolling the strait, who had initially let the vessel through, now ordered the ship to halt. The Iranian official said there was a suspicion of smuggled cargo and they wanted to inspect the ship.
Several hours later, the vessel received Iranian authorisation to continue, turning what is typically a five-hour transit through the strait into a two-day ordeal.
“Once we were informed Agios passed Hormuz, we breathed a sigh of relief,” said one of the people monitoring the journey.
No payments were made, said the ship’s manager, Eastern Mediterranean Shipping and six people with knowledge of the passage.
“We have reasons to believe that Iranians turned a blind eye to the transit of Agios Fanourios I, following pressure from Iraq and Vietnam,” Konstantinos Sakellaridis, operations manager for Eastern Mediterranean Shipping, wrote in a response to questions from Reuters.

Iran’s government did not respond to a request for comment about the new mechanism or the journey of the Agios Fanourios I.

Iran’s grip on the Strait of Hormuz, the conduit for about a fifth of the global oil supply, has thrown the world economy into turmoil. To reveal how Iran has been consolidating control over this strategic chokepoint in recent weeks, Reuters interviewed 20 people with knowledge of the evolving mechanism, including Asian and European shipping sources and Iranian and Iraqi officials, reviewed Iranian documents related to the vetting process, and analysed movements of ships. Taken together, they offer rare insight into how the Iranian scheme functions, with the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps playing a central role.
All the sources asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the subject. Some of the details of the journey of the Agios Fanourios I could not be independently verified, but they corresponded with accounts from multiple other maritime officials involved in managing and navigating the same route for both cargo ships and tankers.

Navigating the Strait

The Agios Fanourios I charted a contorted course with its cargo of Iraqi oil as it tried to leave the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz in April and May. The ship was halted by U.S. forces in the Gulf of Oman from May 11-16 before heading for its destination, Vietnam.

By early May, around 1,500 vessels with about 22,500 sailors aboard were trapped in the Gulf, according to the U.S. military. That maritime bottleneck stems from Iran’s ability to strike ships in the strait from along the coast. Its grip has transformed the conflict into what the head of the International Energy Agency described as the world’s worst ever energy crisis. The U.S. Navy has responded by imposing its own blockade of Iranian ships and cargo with a cordon outside the strait.

Only a trickle of vessels have passed through the waterway. Between April 18 and May 6, fewer than 60 ships made it through, according to unpublished analysis by U.S. firm SynMax Intelligence. Before the war, some 120 to 140 ships traversed the strait on a typical day, about half of them oil tankers.
American citizens are prohibited from engaging in transactions with the Iranian government under U.S. sanctions laws. Non-Americans may also face “secondary sanctions” for dealing with Iranian entities. In addition, many Western governments maintain their own sanctions and restrictions relating to Iran.
The U.S. Treasury Department issued a statement on May 1 warning “about the sanctions risks of making these payments to, or soliciting guarantees from, the Iranian regime for safe passage.”

The new Iranian mechanism includes a tiered system giving preference to ships linked to its allies Russia and China, followed by countries such as India and Pakistan with close ties to Tehran, and then government-to-government agreements that let vessels like the Agios Fanourios I pass, Reuters found.

“The department is prepared to take action against any foreign company supporting illicit Iranian commerce,” the U.S. Treasury Department said in response to questions from Reuters about the system.
Reuters could not independently determine how many vessels have used the scheme so far. Iran has said ships linked to the United States or Israel, which launched aerial attacks on Iran in late February, may not cross the strait.
Two European shipping sources said some vessels that aren’t covered by government-to-government deals are paying Iranian authorities upwards of $150,000 to secure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
Ships are sometimes charged security and navigation fees, which vary according to cargo, two senior Iranian officials told Reuters. Neither official provided specific figures, but one said “not all countries are subject to these charges.”
Reuters could not independently confirm the sums being levied on vessels or the total amount that has flowed into Iranian coffers.

‘THE NEW NORM’

Under international maritime law, governments cannot charge for safe passage through a strait. But there can be fees associated with security or services as long as ships of all countries are treated equally.
These payments and the names of ship owners who have paid Iranian authorities to extract their vessels are closely guarded secrets, as such payments would violate U.S. economic sanctions on Iran’s government. Reuters could not determine how the money was transferred or to which Iranian entity.
In addition to possible charges, violators would also lose their insurance coverage for making payments that could benefit the IRGC, because it is an internationally designated terrorist organisation, according to two maritime insurance experts.

“Some will get through because of political alliances, others will have to pay, others will be turned back. This is the new norm.”

Ship owners’ willingness to deal directly with Iran despite the risks shows the degree to which the strait is under the Islamic Republic’s control, said Danny Citrinowicz, a former Israeli intelligence officer who specialises in Iran research and analysis.
“The straits will be blocked or opened up only by the approval of the Iranian regime,” said Citrinowicz, who is now at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies think tank. “Some will get through because of political alliances, others will have to pay, others will be turned back. This is the new norm.”
In a response to the Reuters findings about Iran’s new control mechanism, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called for Hormuz to be opened and said it was concerned about “future arrangements for the strait.”
“Such arrangements should comply with international law and practice, and take into account the legitimate security concerns of coastal states and the legitimate demands of regional countries and the international community,” the ministry’s statement said.

AFFILIATION CHECKS

Outside of government agreements, the process to secure Iranian permission to transit involves a detailed vetting procedure conducted by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iran’s elite fighting force, according to three Iranian sources and a European shipping source. The IRGC reviews a so-called affiliation document supplied by a ship owner or operator and submitted through an intermediary, the sources said.
“The affiliation check is to identify if the vessel has any connection to the U.S. or Israel,” said the European shipping source. It takes about a week for the Guards to review documentation, and during the process they may want to physically inspect the ship, the source said.
The IRGC requires ship owners to disclose details including the value of the ship’s cargo, the flag, its origin and destination, the registered owner and manager, and nationalities of the crew, according to documents reviewed by Reuters that were sent to shipping industry sources by Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority. The authority was set up in recent weeks to approve and tax vessel transits.
The vetting is carried out by Iranian state institutions including the Ports and Maritime Organization, the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade, the national shipping organisation, and the security overseer of the Supreme National Security Council, according to the three senior Iranian officials. The IRGC, which has broad oversight over Iranian security, is also involved in evaluating the ships, the officials said.
Bilateral arrangements for passage include an additional step: Countries contact Iran’s foreign minister to request permission. The minister forwards these to the Supreme National Security Council, which includes the IRGC and representatives of Supreme ‌Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, one of the officials said.
“A decision is then made and communicated to the relevant bodies, including the IRGC,” the official said. He added that the IRGC provides the coordinates and instructions needed for safe passage.
For the Agios Fanourios I, Iraq’s government worked alongside its state owned oil marketer, SOMO, to hammer out a deal with Iran under the supervision of then-Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, according to two sources with knowledge of the arrangement.

Three Iraqi oil ministry officials said they transmitted the manifest and crew information of the Agios Fanourios I to the Iranians before passage.
The Iraqi government did not respond to a request for comment about its arrangements with Iranian authorities or specifics about the Agios Fanourios.
Other countries have worked out different arrangements. Among them is India, which imports about 90% of its oil needs and about 50% of its gas, much of which passes through Hormuz.
New Delhi uses its embassy in Tehran to liaise with Iranian authorities, including the IRGC and the Iranian navy, which vets ships India wants to sail out of the Gulf, according to an Indian shipping ministry official.
“Once everything is verified, the ship captain is given a route to follow, and the ship sails out of the area with guidance from the Iran navy. The captains are strictly told to follow the given route,” the official said. Ships are told to turn off their location transponders and not use satellite communications, he added.
After Iran grants permission, the Indian Navy directly contacts shipmasters of Indian-flagged vessels in the Gulf and gives them waypoints, said an Indian shipping industry source with direct knowledge of the process.
“The Indian navy also told us that if the Iranians ask you to stop, then you should stop. If they ask you to move, you should move,” the source said, “And we’ve been following those instructions.”
So far, 13 Indian-flagged vessels have cleared the Strait of Hormuz, while 13 remain stranded west of the waterway, India’s Shipping Ministry said on May 14.
India, Russia, Pakistan and Vietnam did not respond to requests for comment about Iran’s controls of the strait.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/investigations/iran-is-consolidating-control-hormuz-with-island-checkpoints-diplomatic-deals-2026-05-20/

The United States announced murder charges against former Cuban President Raúl Castro on Wednesday, a major escalation in ​Washington’s pressure campaign against the island’s communist government.
The indictment marks a new low in relations between the longtime Cold War rivals and comes as U.S. President Donald Trump is pushing for regime change in Cuba, where Castro’s communists ‌have been in charge since his late brother Fidel Castro led a revolution in 1959.

The charges against Castro and five fighter pilots in the Cuban military stem from a 1996 incident in which Cuban jets shot down planes operated by a group of Cuban exiles.
Raúl Castro, 94, was charged with one count of conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals, four counts of murder, and two counts of destruction of aircraft. He appeared in public in Cuba earlier this month and there is no evidence he has left the island or that he ​will be extradited.
It is rare for the U.S. to file criminal charges against foreign leaders. The indictment was the latest example of the Trump administration’s aggressive efforts to expand U.S. influence in the ​Western Hemisphere.

“From the shores of Havana to the banks of the Panama Canal, we will drive out the forces of lawlessness and crime and foreign encroachment,” Trump said ⁠at a Coast Guard Academy event in New London, Connecticut, earlier on Wednesday.
Speaking at a ceremony in Miami to honor the victims of the 1996 incident, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche did not directly answer questions about ​whether the U.S. military would arrest Castro.
Blanche said he expected Castro to one day face the charges.
“There was a warrant issued for his arrest, so we expect that he will show up here by his own will or ​by another way,” Blanche said to applause in a packed auditorium of government officials and Cuban Americans.
In a post on X, President Miguel Diaz-Canel said Cuba had acted legitimately to defend its territory in shooting down the planes. He said the indictment appeared to be intended to justify military action against Cuba, which he said would be a mistake.

“It is a political maneuver, devoid of any legal foundation,” Diaz-Canel said.
Diaz-Canel said on Monday that the island does not represent a threat.
The charges come months after the U.S. ​capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on January 3 to face drug trafficking charges in New York.
Maduro, a socialist aligned with Havana, pleaded not guilty.

TRUMP ASSERTS US INFLUENCE IN LATIN AMERICA

Washington’s more assertive role in Latin America, ​epitomized by the capture of Maduro, is shaping up to be a significant part of the legacy of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants who is seen as a possible contender for the 2028 Republican nomination for president.
His chief ‌Republican rival to ⁠succeed Trump, Vice President JD Vance, is a former Marine who has long argued against U.S. entanglements in foreign wars.
Under Trump, the U.S. has effectively imposed a blockade on Cuba by threatening sanctions on countries supplying it with fuel, triggering power outages and exacerbating its worst crisis in decades.
Rubio earlier on Wednesday offered Cuba $100 million in aid, and blamed Cuba’s leaders for shortages of electricity, food and fuel. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez called that offer cynical, citing the “devastating effect” of the economic blockade.

CUBA DEFENDS DOWNING OF PLANES

Born in 1931, Raúl Castro was a key figure alongside his older brother in the guerrilla war that toppled U.S.-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista.
After taking power, Fidel Castro struck an ​alliance with the Soviet Union, then seized U.S.-owned businesses ​and properties. The U.S. has since maintained an ⁠economic embargo on the nation of about 10 million.
Raúl Castro helped defeat the U.S.-organized Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961, and served as defense minister for decades. He succeeded his brother as president in 2008 and stepped down in 2018, but remains a powerful behind-the-scenes figure in Cuban politics.
He was defense minister at the time of the ​1996 incident, in which two small planes operated by Miami-based Cuban exile group Brothers to the Rescue were shot down, killing those aboard.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/us-expected-unveil-criminal-charges-against-cubas-raul-castro-2026-05-20/

First responders fighting Democratic Republic of Congo’s 17th Ebola outbreak say even basic supplies are scarce – from pain medicine, to motorbikes for contact tracing and face masks – complicating efforts to turn the tide on the ​disease.
The rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola circulated for weeks undetected in Congo’s remote northeast before the first samples tested positive last week. Aid groups are now scrambling ‌to rush in supplies to Ituri, the conflict-hit province where the outbreak originated.

Underinvestment in public health infrastructure is the norm for Ituri, although some aid agencies are blaming the current shortages partly on cuts to foreign assistance, notably the dismantling of USAID last year.
“Funding cuts have left the region dangerously exposed,” said Heather Reoch Kerr, Congo country director for the International Rescue Committee.
“Certain activities previously supported by donor funding, including the provision of PPE ​kits to health facilities, have been significantly reduced, and today many facilities in affected areas are operating without basic protective supplies.”

AID WORKERS TAP CONTINGENCY STOCKS

The World Health ​Organization declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern on May 16. As of Wednesday, there were 600 suspected cases and 139 ⁠suspected deaths in Congo.
The State Department announced on Tuesday that it would fund up to 50 “rapidly deployed” treatment clinics to fight Ebola in affected areas of Congo and Uganda, where cases have ​also been reported.
The decision, it said in a statement, highlights Washington’s “ironclad commitment to ensuring this response is fully resourced, rapid, and cooperative between key global health and humanitarian partners.”
Meanwhile, the WHO said ​it had airlifted 12 tons of medical supplies, with another six expected.
The aid can’t come soon enough, said Mamadou Kaba Barry, head of mission in Congo for ALIMA, an NGO that was already working in Ituri before the outbreak and was one of the first to mobilise supplies.

“We tapped into our contingency stocks, which include tents, protective equipment, medicines and laboratory equipment. These are not huge stocks, but they allow us to be ​agile and quick,” Barry said.
“The resources are far below what is needed today.”

LOCAL HOSPITALS ‘OVERWHELMED’

Congo’s health minister has announced plans to build treatment centres in three locations. As of Tuesday, 69 patients ​were under active treatment in existing health facilities that the government acknowledges are under-resourced.
There are no approved virus-specific therapeutics for the Bundibugyo strain, and treatment is palliative, centred on isolation, rehydration and pain management.
“We are ‌overwhelmed, we ⁠were not prepared to deal with an outbreak,” said Sandrine Lusamba, coordinator of SOFEPADI, a local NGO that runs a small hospital outside Bunia, the Ituri capital. The hospital has received several suspected cases since the outbreak was declared, and three have died, she said. Two nurses have fallen ill.

China and Russia condemned U.S. President Donald Trump’s Golden Dome missile defence shield plans and Washington’s “irresponsible” nuclear policy at a summit on Wednesday, a week after President ​Xi Jinping hosted Trump in Beijing.
A joint statement issued after Xi’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin served to underline that, while the Chinese leader seeks stable and constructive relations with ‌Trump, he differs fundamentally with him on key issues where China’s position is closely aligned with Russia’s.

The statement said Trump’s plan for a ground- and space-based missile interceptor system threatened global strategic stability and criticised Washington for allowing a treaty restricting the U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals to expire.
The treaty lapsed in February and Trump did not respond to Moscow’s proposal to extend its missile and warhead limits by a year – something that some U.S. politicians argued would have hindered the U.S. from responding to a nuclear build-up by China.
Yet while ​speaking in unison on global security issues, the two leaders failed to reach a breakthrough that Moscow has long been seeking – a contract for a new pipeline that would enable it to more than ​double the amount of natural gas it sells to China.

XI’S BACK-TO-BACK SUMMITS

Xi was wrapping up a remarkable week of diplomacy in which he met the leaders of China’s ⁠most powerful strategic rival and one of its closest partners.
With Trump seeking an exit from a war with Iran and Putin’s forces largely bogged down in Ukraine, the summits provided China’s leader with a chance to showcase Beijing ​as a pillar of global stability and an indispensable diplomatic player.
“Xi does appear to hold the stronger position relative to both Putin and Trump. Both leaders are grappling with conflicts of their own making that have proven far more ​difficult to resolve than initially anticipated,” said Patricia Kim, a foreign policy fellow at the Washington-based Brookings Institution.
“Xi, meanwhile, has been able to focus more squarely on strengthening China internally while projecting an image of a stable and confident great power on the global stage.”

While the summit with Trump was largely about managing tensions, the encounter with Putin posed a different challenge – how to demonstrate progress in a relationship that the two sides have already proclaimed is “without limits”.
Xi and Putin, who have met more than 40 times, both ​stressed the closeness of the Russia-China ties that they sealed in 2022 with the signing of a strategic partnership treaty, less than three weeks before Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Moscow had signalled ahead of the visit that it was ​seeking further energy agreements with China, the largest buyer of Russian oil, including pipeline supplies and sea-borne shipments.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said China was interested in long-term Russian oil supplies and increasing volumes, which he said were up 10% in ‌four months.

ELUSIVE ⁠GAS DEAL

During Putin’s last visit in September 2025, Russian gas giant Gazprom said both sides had agreed to move forward with Power of Siberia 2, a prospective 2,600-km (1,616-mile) pipeline to carry 50 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas per year from Russia to China via Mongolia.
China has said very little publicly about the project. While Xi said on Wednesday that cooperation in energy and resource connectivity should be the “ballast stone” in China-Russia relations, he did not mention the pipeline.
Key issues such as gas pricing remain unresolved, and analysts expect negotiations could take years.
The Kremlin said both sides had reached a “general understanding on the parameters” of the project, although no details or clear timeline were agreed. Novak said Russia and China ​were finalising contracts for supplies via the pipeline.
“The core disagreements ​on pricing, financing and contract terms do not ⁠appear to have been resolved,” said Daniel Sleat, senior policy advisor at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change.
“Russia needs this deal more urgently than China does after losing much of its European gas market, while Beijing still appears content to move slowly and preserve flexibility over future energy supply options.”

HONOUR GUARD AND GUN SALUTE

Xi welcomed Putin with ​an honour guard and a gun salute at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, as children waved Chinese and Russian flags. They later dined on ​Peking duck and Jinhua cured ⁠ham at a banquet, and drank tea together with a small number of close aides, before Putin’s plane departed.
Xi said the countries should focus on long-term strategy and promote a “more just and reasonable” global governance system, according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua.
“China-Russia relations have reached this level because we have been able to deepen political mutual trust and strategic cooperation,” Xi said.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/china/xi-putin-meet-beijing-tea-diplomacy-after-trump-visit-2026-05-19/

The U.S. ​is pursuing a second criminal investigation into ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, ‌raising the possibility that he could face additional charges, according to a Justice Department official and another source familiar with the matter.
The second investigation, run out of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Miami, ​has been ongoing for months, according to the two sources, who spoke on ​the condition of anonymity to discuss a pending investigation.

The Florida probe ⁠was active at the time that President Donald Trump ordered the U.S. military raid that ​captured Maduro, 63, and his wife, Cilia Flores, 69, in January, according to the DOJ ​official. It has examined potential money laundering allegations, according to the other source.
A lawyer for Maduro and a Justice Department spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
CBS News was first ​to report on the second investigation run out of Florida. It is not clear ​if that probe will lead to additional charges.
Maduro has already been charged in federal court in Manhattan ‌with narcoterrorism ⁠conspiracy and other offenses tied to alleged drug trafficking. He has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial in a Brooklyn jail.

The New York indictment, originally filed in 2020, was cited as legal justification for the U.S. special forces raid in Caracas that deposed ​Maduro as Venezuela’s leader.
The ​Florida investigation could ⁠give the Justice Department a fallback option if it faces legal complications in Maduro’s New York case. Trump in March suggested that ​Maduro will face additional charges in the U.S.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/us-pursuing-second-criminal-investigation-into-maduro-sources-say-2026-05-20/

The South Korean and Japanese leaders, whose nations have not always had good relations, have vowed deeper ties at talks. They reaffirmed stronger security coordination and energy cooperation in challenging times.

South ​Korean President ​Lee ‌Jae Myung and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi held a fourth meeting in about six months on Tuesday, with both leaders pledging to continue deepening bilateral ties.

The two countries have long had a turbulent relationship over issues related to Japan’s 35-year colonization of the Korean Peninsula before the end of World War II, but ties have recently been on the mend.

Both Lee and Takaichi are relatively new to their jobs, having taken office last year.

What did Lee and Takaichi agree?

Following the talks in Andong, Lee’s hometown, the two leaders said they would step up coordination to stabilize energy supply lines and expand cooperation with other Asian partners.

“Recent instability ‌in supply chains and energy markets stemming from the situation in the Middle East has further underscored the need for close cooperation between our two countries,” Lee said in a ‌joint press statement.

Takaichi said they also launched a bilateral initiative that aims to strengthen the resilience of ​the energy supply.

She said that included enlarging reserves in the Indo-Pacific region and “assessing energy, security through measures such as mutual swap transactions for crude oil, petroleum products and LNG.”

The two also reaffirmed their desire for stronger security coordination, including cooperation ​with the United States, in the face of several shared challenges.

Among other things, both Japan and South Korea feel themselves highly exposed to the threat posed by North Korea’s growing nuclear arsenal and by the strategic competition between the US and China.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/south-korea-japan-agree-to-boost-energy-cooperation/a-77209237

The EU reached a provisional agreement to remove import duties on US goods, keeping the bloc on track to meet Trump’s deadline to avoid higher tariffs on European exports.

The European Union reached a late-night provisional deal on Tuesday to remove import duties on US goods, a key part of the bloc’s trade pact with the United States.

This kept the EU on track to meet President Donald Trump’s July 4 deadline and avoid higher US tariffs on European goods.

“I am proud to announce that Europe has avoided a ‌damaging escalation of transatlantic trade tensions and protected European companies, investments and millions of jobs on ‌both sides ​of the Atlantic,” Zeljana Zovko, the lead trade negotiator in the European People’s Party group on the US deal, posted on X.

“I welcome the agreement reached by the European Parliament and the Council on reducing tariffs for US industrial exports to the EU. This means we ‌will soon deliver on our part of the EU-US Joint Statement, as promised,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen psoted on X.

“Together, we can ensure stable, predictable, balanced, and mutually beneficial transatlantic trade.”

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said an agreement showed the bloc was “delivering on its commitments.”

In a post on X, Merz said the deal meant “more security and stability for our businesses.”

What do we know about the US-EU trade deal?

The US-EU trade deal was agreed upon in July last year, after months of tariff uncertainty. Here are some of the most important things to know about it:

• The agreement imposes a 15% US tariff on most EU exports
• The EU pledged €514 billion ($596.3 billion) in investment into the United States, its largest trading partner
• The deal reduced the 25% tariff imposed on European automakers in April 2025
• Before President Donald Trump’s second term, the tariff on European autos stood at 2.5%
• The agreement helps the EU avoid a broader trade war that could  hurt business confidence and consumer spending on both sides of the Atlantic
• Several European political and business leaders criticized the deal as harmful to the 27-member bloc
• The EU had initially pushed for a lower 10% tariff rate
• In February, EU lawmakers delayed approval of the deal amid uncertainty over Trump’s tariff policies
• The delay followed a US Supreme Court ruling that struck down many of Trump’s earlier global tariffs
• Trump later imposed a new blanket 15% tariff in response to the court ruling

What concessions did the EU make?

EU lawmakers softened several demands during negotiations, including a proposal to suspend favorable tariffs for US exporters if Washington breached the terms of the deal.

The final text also gives the US until the end of the year to remove steel surtaxes above 15%, instead of making it a precondition for the agreement.

Lawmakers of the bloc had also pushed for stronger so-called “sunrise” and “sunset” clauses under which the EU would only cut duties when the ⁠US fulfilled its side of the deal and to end EU tariff concessions on March 31, 2028.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/eu-strikes-deal-on-us-trade-pact-ahead-of-trump-tariff-deadline/a-77222972

On May 10, 2025, the Pakistani military also used the Fatah-1 guided artillery rocket during the cross-border offensive. However, that was successfully intercepted and destroyed mid-air by India’s air defence network over Sirsa, Haryana.

In the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack last year, tensions between India and Pakistan escalated sharply, with Islamabad launching a series of drone and missile attacks aimed at Indian cities and defence infrastructure in response to Operation Sindoor.

As part of Pakistan’s Operation Bunyan Ul Marsoos, multiple incursions into Indian airspace were reported across Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat. On May 10, 2025, the Pakistani military also used the Fatah-1 guided artillery rocket during the cross-border offensive. However, that was successfully intercepted and destroyed mid-air by India’s air defence network over Sirsa, Haryana.

A video of a Pakistani military officer is making rounds online where he confidently boasts that their missile strikes on May 10 successfully hit two Indian airbases. But the airbases he mentioned simply don’t exist.

“We were assigned two targets, Rajouri Airbase and Mamun Airbase, and we successfully engaged them,” he said in the interview.

While Rajouri is indeed a district in Jammu and Kashmir, it has no operational Air Force base. Mamun, on the other hand, is actually a military cantonment located in Pathankot, Punjab, and not an airbase at all.

The military officer, identified as Captain Muneeb Zamal, said that the presence of civilians during missile launch preparation acted as a “confidence building” element during the operation.

The clip has since been widely shared and ridiculed on the internet.

One user took to X to write, “Archaeologists, cartographers, Google maps, and the Indian air force have launched a joint mission to locate legendary “Rajouri airbase and Mamun airbase”.

“Fateh-1 hits Rajouri and Mamun airbases so hard that they cease to even exist! Next Target: Atlantis?” read another sarcastic post.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/pakistani-officer-claims-2-indian-airbases-were-hit-they-dont-exist-11519523?pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

Hayden Panettiere revealed that the “very famous” and “undressed” man she was forced into bed with at just 18 years old was a “famous thirty-something British singer-songwriter.”

The actress divulged the information on his identity in her new memoir, “This Is Me: A Reckoning,” which was released on Tuesday, after she initially opened up about the incident on Jay Shetty’s “On Purpose” podcast.

Panettiere, 36, writes that the horrifying experience occurred during a trip to the South of France aboard what she describes as a “super yacht” filled with celebrities.

At the time, she was traveling with a close friend, whom she refers to only with the pseudonym Stella McAmis.

The trip took a dark turn towards the end when Panettiere says McAmis approached her during dinner and asked her to come downstairs to meet someone.

McAmis led the “Nashville” alum through a narrow hallway and into a private cabin where Panettiere discovered the “famous thirty-something British singer-songwriter” shirtless in bed under sheets.

“‘Oh my God,’ I thought. ‘Is he naked under there?’” she writes, claiming her trusted friend whispered to her, “I want you to get in bed with him. He has a huge dick,” before leaving them alone in the room.

Though Panettiere writes that her heart was “pounding” with fear, her “thoughts were a blur” and she initially followed the friend’s orders since she was so used to being “managed” by others as a child star.

However, once she was alone with the man, she realized she couldn’t let the situation go any further.

“Look,” she recalls saying, “I don’t know what she said to you, but this is not going to happen. Shen then hurried out of the room and made arrangements to leave the yacht as soon as possible.

“I wasn’t scared, but I felt like I’d been kicked in the face,” she writes of her former friend’s actions. “She’d confided in me, pampered me, and treated me like her best friend — then turned around and treated me like a call girl. I deserved better than that, by a lot.”

The “Heroes” alum has been keeping her friend’s true identity a secret, which initially led fans to speculate it was “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” alum Diana Jenkins.

But the former Bravo star shut down the rumors with a statement via her rep on May 13.

“Diana has had to deal with false online rumors before, and sadly this is just another example of that,” Jenkins’ spokesperson told TMZ. “So let me be 100 percent clear about this: It most certainly is not Diana, and anyone who claims it is her will be sued.”

When asked why she continues to keep the musician’s identity a secret, Panettiere admitted it is due to the fear of being sued.

Source: https://pagesix.com/2026/05/19/celebrity-news/hayden-panettiere-hints-at-identity-of-very-famous-naked-man-she-was-put-in-bed-with-at-18/

UK citizens are among dozens of nationalities who will soon have to apply for a visa if they wish to stay in Thailand for more than 30 days.

Tourists from 93 countries have been able to visit without needing a visa for 60 days since July 2024, as part of a government effort to boost the economy following the Covid pandemic.

But it approved plans on Tuesday to revoke this exemption, with how long travellers can stay to now be decided on a country-by-country basis. It cited security and a confusing visa scheme among reasons for the change.

There have been a series of high-profile arrests of foreigners in the south-east Asian nation, including cases linked to drugs and sex trafficking.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said the government found the policy needed revising “to be more suitable for the current situation, both in terms of the economy and national security”.

Nationals who have enjoyed the 60-day exemption include those from Australia, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Spain and the US.

Many of those countries’ citizens will have to apply for a visa for stays longer than 30 days, the Thai foreign ministry said, though some will have exemption periods shorter or longer than this based on reciprocal agreements with individual countries.

The new visa system will come into effect 15 days after it appears in the Royal Gazette, where legal and regulatory notifications are published.

The foreign ministry said it aimed to reduce instances of multiple visa exemptions applying to the same country “that confuse foreigners”.

Thailand is one of Asia’s top holiday destinations, with tourism a key component of the nation’s economy.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c78q3qjqnn5o

Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel this week to a NATO foreign ministers meeting in Sweden, where U.S. plans to reduce troop levels in Europe coupled with President Donald Trump’s often inconsistent stance on the alliance have created concern while the world grapples with the fallout from the Iran war and rising energy prices.

The State Department said Tuesday that Rubio would attend the NATO meeting in Helsingborg on Friday, one of the last senior-level NATO gatherings before alliance leaders meet at a summit in Ankara, Turkey, in July.

Rubio will then travel on to India and plans to visit four cities, including Kolkata, Agra, Jaipur and New Delhi, where he will see Indian officials and is expected to meet with his Indian, Australian and Japanese counterparts, the other three members of the so-called “Quad” grouping of Indo-Pacific democracies.

In Sweden, Rubio will echo previous U.S. demands “for increased defense investment and greater burden sharing in the alliance,” the State Department said in a statement.

It added that he would also focus on Arctic issues and meet with NATO’s Arctic members “to discuss our shared economic and security interests in the Arctic and our strengthened posture in the High North.”

The statement did not mention Greenland by name, but Trump has rankled Europeans with persistent talk about wanting to take over the Danish territory. Trump’s special envoy for Greenland, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, visited the island this week.

Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said Monday that he had a respectful and positive meeting with Landry, but that he made it clear that the Greenlandic people insist on self-determination.

“The Greenlandic people are not for sale. Greenlandic self-determination is not something that can be negotiated,” Nielsen was quoted by Danish TV 2 as saying after meeting Landry.

For Europeans nervous about Trump, Rubio’s presence at transatlantic meetings has often been welcomed because of his less antagonistic nature and calm demeanor.

He has been dispatched on several such missions this year, including to the Munich Security Conference in February, and more recently to Italy, where he met with Italian officials and the pope after Trump criticized the pontiff for his stances on crime and the Iran war.

Ahead of the NATO foreign ministers meeting, the alliance’s top military officer said Tuesday that he doesn’t expect any more drawdowns of American troops from Europe — at least not anytime soon — beyond the 5,000 that Trump announced would leave the continent.

The remarks by U.S. Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich follow Trump’s surprise announcement of the move early this month. The U.S. leader has bickered with allies over the Iran war and called for changes.

The Pentagon later said it would draw down thousands of troops in Europe by canceling deployments to Poland and Germany as opposed to yanking out forces already stationed there.

Asked Tuesday about Trump’s plans regarding troop levels in Poland, Vice President JD Vance said the administration’s focus is on promoting “European independence and sovereignty.” He also disputed that the U.S. is reducing troop levels in Poland.

Source: https://apnews.com/article/nato-rubio-sweden-india-abd19ad20d6966f6b94fd15aa25d9027

Israeli forces on Tuesday intercepted all remaining vessels from an activist flotilla attempting to challenge Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza, the latest effort to highlight the grim conditions for nearly 2 million Palestinians with severe shortages of housing, food and medicine.

A live feed on the Global Sumud Flotilla website showed armed Israeli soldiers boarding the vessels as activists in life vests put their hands up. Soldiers then destroyed cameras mounted on the vessels.

Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani called for an urgent review of Israel’s use of force after Italian activists said soldiers fired rubber bullets at vessels. Flotilla organizers claimed Israeli soldiers fired on five boats during the interdictions, with some damage.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry said that no live ammunition was fired. In a statement late Tuesday, it added that “non-lethal means” were aimed toward the vessels as a warning, but without targeting or injuring protesters.

Israeli forces had begun stopping the flotilla around 167 miles (268 kilometers) from the Gaza coastline, according to the flotilla’s website. The vessels departed last week from Turkey.

Israel has called the flotilla “a provocation for the sake of provocation” with no real intent to deliver aid to Gaza. The boats carry a symbolic amount of aid.

Detained activists being ‘forcibly transported,’ group says
On Monday, the Israeli navy stopped some 41 boats from the flotilla in international waters off Cyprus and detained those on board.

The flotilla said late Tuesday that 428 detained activists from over 40 nations remain “unaccounted for” as they have had neither contact with lawyers nor access to consular help and their families haven’t been informed of their whereabouts.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry Office said Tuesday night that “all 430 activists” had been transferred to Israeli vessels. The post on X, which called the flotilla “a PR stunt at the service of Hamas,” added that they were “making their way to Israel, where they will be able to meet with their consular representatives.”

More than a dozen Irish nationals were aboard the flotilla, including the sister of Irish President Catherine Connolly. Ireland’s Prime Minister Micheál Martin has called Israel’s interception of the boats in international waters “absolutely unacceptable.”

The flotilla urged governments and world leaders to demand the activists “immediate and unconditional release” and to ensure they get legal and consular help without delay.

Earlier Tuesday, the activist group said that the detainees were “being forcibly transported” by an Israeli ship to an unnamed port. It also warned of “grave and immediate concerns” about the activists’ physical safety after others detained during an April 30 interdiction detailed “patterns of torture, severe physical abuse and invasive sexual violence” by Israeli forces. Israel denies the allegations.

Turkey and the Palestinian militant group Hamas have called the interdictions an act of “piracy.” Italy, Spain and Indonesia called on Israel to release activists and ensure their safety.

The U.S. Treasury, however, imposed sanctions against European activists Saif Abu Keshek, Jaldia Abubakra Aueda, Hisham Abdallah Sulayman Abu Mahfuz and Mohammed Khatib, who were aboard the flotilla, which Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called “pro-terror.”

The Israeli defense body overseeing humanitarian aid to Gaza claims that sufficient aid is entering the territory, with around 600 trucks delivering assistance daily, similar to prewar levels.

But according a U.N. World Food Program report, the number of humanitarian and commercial trucks entering Gaza declined sharply in March compared with previous months following the start of the Iran war. A daily average of 112 trucks entered in March.

 

Source: https://apnews.com/article/gaza-israel-flotilla-intercepted-andros-40ef5c9b668c381448b871c384d2927e

As part of the Justice Department’s compensation fund deal, officials vowed not to pursue any matters, including those involving President Trump’s tax returns, that are pending.

The Justice Department has granted President Trump, his family and businesses immunity from ongoing inquiries into their taxes, a potentially lucrative arrangement that could shield the president from significant financial liability.

The provision, quietly inserted on Tuesday as a supplement to a remarkable deal that also created a $1.8 billion compensation fund aimed at benefiting Mr. Trump’s allies, protects the president, his relatives and his businesses from pending audits and tax prosecutions.

The one-page document, signed by the acting attorney general, Todd Blanche, said that the government would be “FOREVER BARRED and PRECLUDED from prosecuting or pursuing” pending tax claims against Mr. Trump, his family members and businesses.

The provision invited immediate criticism as tax experts raised the possibility that it was illegal.

That the addendum to the deal was posted, without fanfare, on the department’s website belied its bare-knuckled audacity. It revealed the determination of Mr. Trump and his appointees to ram through maximalist measures with minimum outside scrutiny at a moment when they still have uncontested control of government.

The provision was the latest in a series of maneuvers this week that blurred the all-but-vanished boundary between official department business and the private interests of a president intent on using his power to extract financial gain from the federal government for himself and his allies.

A day earlier, Mr. Trump agreed to drop his $10 billion lawsuit against the I.R.S. in exchange for the establishment of a fund for people he believes were wronged by federal investigations or prosecutions.

Justice Department officials had in part defended the creation of the fund by pointing to the fact that Mr. Trump and his family members would not be paid by it.

But protection from audit could be quite financially beneficial for Mr. Trump, who has always said that there was no wrongdoing in his tax filings. In 2024, The New York Times reported that a loss in an I.R.S. audit could cost Mr. Trump more than $100 million.

It is unclear if that examination has concluded or if Mr. Trump, his family members or affiliated entities are under other audits. I.R.S. procedures call for the mandatory audit of the president’s tax returns annually.

Neither the Justice Department nor the I.R.S. responded to requests seeking comment. The top lawyer at the Treasury, Brian Morrissey, resigned on Monday after the Justice Department announced the settlement with Mr. Trump.

Federal law prohibits the president, vice president and other executive officers from instructing the I.R.S. to start or stop specific audits. But that broad prohibition appears to include a carve out for the attorney general.

Brandon DeBot, a senior attorney adviser at New York University’s Tax Law Center, said in a statement that the audit protection may still be illegal.

“The I.R.S. would need to act to make the release of claims effective, which could raise additional questions about whether there has been unlawful political interference in the audit process,” he said. “The settlement and general release of claims is a breathtaking abuse of the tax and legal system.”

The disclosure of the provision came as blowback appeared to be mounting over the creation of the fund, including from a few Republican lawmakers typically wary of incurring Mr. Trump’s wrath.

Senator John Thune, Republican of South Dakota and the majority leader, offered rare criticism of the president, saying he “was not a big fan” of the fund and adding that he did not see a “purpose” to it.

The Times reported last week that Mr. Trump’s talks with the Justice Department and the I.R.S. had included a measure calling on the I.R.S. to drop any audits of the president, his relatives or businesses. But that provision did not appear in the nine-page agreement laying out the terms to dismiss the lawsuit, which the department released on Monday.

In January, Mr. Trump, along with two of his sons and the Trump family business, sued the Internal Revenue Service for at least $10 billion over the leak of their tax returns during the president’s first term. The Trumps argued that the I.R.S. should have done more to prevent a former contractor from disclosing tax information to The New York Times and ProPublica.

Even as the original nine-page agreement offered scant details of how disbursement would work or who would be eligible, it said that claimants could seek money from the government for having faced reprisals for “personal, political and/or ideological reasons.” It stated that a five-person commission would consider claims based on criteria like damages a person had incurred or any time they spent in federal custody.

The main agreement also indicated that claims would largely be handed out in secrecy, requiring the fund managers to provide the attorney general on a quarterly basis with a “confidential written report” of those who received any money. The fund would stop processing claims no later than Dec. 1, 2028, just weeks before Mr. Trump is scheduled to leave office.

Frank Bisignano, the chief executive of the I.R.S., signed the original, nine-page settlement. The provisions granting Mr. Trump immunity from existing audits, though, was signed only by Mr. Blanche, who has stepped up carrying out Mr. Trump’s campaign of retribution against his enemies.

During an appearance before a Senate appropriations subcommittee on Tuesday, Mr. Blanche defended the fund.

At one point, Senator Chris Van Hollen, Democrat of Maryland, repeatedly accused Mr. Blanche of behaving more like a Trump defense lawyer than an independent guardian of the public interest.

 

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/19/us/politics/trump-irs-doj-lawsuit-audit.html?unlocked_article_code=1.jlA.8rF_.f2PERJ-lWivq

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday revealed previously undisclosed details about his new bunker-like White House ballroom, saying it would have a drone base on ​the roof and a military hospital as part of a six-story subterranean complex.
Amid ‌the bang and clang of construction, Trump took a group of reporters on a tour of the project to try to bolster his argument that the U.S. Congress should allocate $1 billion to pay for security enhancements to the building.

Democrats ​and some Republicans are balking at the request, calling it extravagant as Americans grapple with ​spiraling gasoline prices and other fallout from Trump’s war on Iran ahead of November ⁠midterm elections.
Trump, a billionaire real estate developer, did not hold back in describing previously unknown ​details about the project, which at 90,000 square feet stands to dwarf the adjacent White House built ​in the late 18th century.
Trump has argued the ballroom is needed for large events of 1,000 people, far more capacity than the White House entertainment spaces can accommodate. He pressed his case for the ballroom after an apparent ​assassination attempt at a Washington hotel where he was attending a media gala, arguing that it would ​be a much more secure venue.

Trump detailed the ballroom’s security features, describing a bunker-like structure with a hardened roof ‌able ⁠to withstand a direct attack.
He said titanium fencing recently installed around the ballroom was so strong that “a bulldozer cannot knock it over.” The roof, he said, would be constructed of “impenetrable steel.”
Beneath the ballroom, there will be a complex extending six stories deep, he said, pointing to two that were already ​under construction.
The underground complex ​would include a military ⁠hospital and research facilities, although Trump did not explain the focus of the research. The White House declined to provide further details.
He spoke excitedly about ​installation of a drone base on the roof “set up for unlimited numbers ​of drones.”
“The ⁠entire roof is built for military,” he said. “They have a massive drone capacity. Not only is it drone-proof, if a drone hits it, it bounces off, it won’t have any impact. But it’s also meant ⁠as a ​drone port that would protect all of Washington.”

Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-reveals-new-details-bunker-like-ballroom-with-drone-base-2026-05-19/

U.S. President Donald Trump scored another victory in his campaign to punish disloyal Republicans on Tuesday as Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky lost his primary race, underscoring ​the risks for lawmakers who defy Trump.
Massie, who angered Trump by leading a push to release Justice Department files tied to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and emerged as ‌an outspoken critic of the war with Iran, was defeated by Ed Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL backed by the president and bolstered by heavy spending by pro-Israel groups.

With 99% of the votes counted, Gallrein had won 54.9% of the total to Massie’s 45.1%, according to CNN.
The contest – the most expensive House of Representatives primary in history, with $32 million in ad spending – offered the latest evidence of Trump’s hold over Republicans. It followed the ouster in a primary on Saturday of another Trump critic, Senator Bill ​Cassidy of Louisiana, and losses for dissenting state lawmakers in Indiana primaries on May 5.
“Massie got Trumped. Donald Trump is the sun and the moon and the stars in the Republican Party ​in Kentucky,” said T.J. Litafik, a Kentucky-based Republican strategist.

But rather than signal wider appeal for the president, Massie’s defeat underscored Trump’s dominance among party activists who shape ⁠primary outcomes, even as his sagging approval ratings and high gas prices raise questions about the party’s chances with the broader electorate in November’s midterm elections.
Massie’s clashes with Trump began to build in 2025 when he was ​one of only two House Republicans to vote against the “Big Beautiful Bill,” the president’s signature tax and spending package, and when he successfully led a bipartisan push to force a public release of the so-called Epstein files.
His ​stance against the Iran war and aid to Israel further drew Trump’s ire and a surge of money from pro‑Israel groups, with the Republican Jewish Coalition, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, and a Trump‑aligned super PAC funded by pro-Israel donors spending more than $15 million to oust him.

At a White House event, Trump called Massie a “bad guy” who deserved to lose.
In his concession speech, Massie joked that he had to call Tel Aviv to reach Gallrein, drawing laughs from his supporters, who interrupted his ​remarks with chants of “No more wars!” “America First” and “2028!” urging him to run for president.
“We weren’t really running against Ed Gallrein. We weren’t running against Donald Trump. We were running for what we believe in,” Massie said. “What ​happened today was God’s will.”
Other primaries unfolded on Tuesday across Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Oregon and Pennsylvania, helping to shape the battlefield for November’s elections, when Democrats aim to take control of the House and potentially the Senate despite ‌Republican gains in ⁠a national redistricting fight.
In one of the night’s key races, Representative Andy Barr won the Republican nomination for the Senate seat in Kentucky held by Mitch McConnell for four decades. Bolstered by Trump’s endorsement, Barr defeated former Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron.

In the Georgia Republican primary for governor, Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones and healthcare billionaire Rick Jackson advanced to a June 16 runoff. Trump endorsed Jones last year.
The winner of the runoff will face former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who was declared winner of the Democratic primary by multiple U.S. media outlets.
Also in Georgia, Representative Mike Collins and former college football coach Derek Dooley advanced to the runoff in the Republican ​primary for U.S. Senate, with the winner to face ​Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff.
OUTSIDE GROUPS MAKE IMPACT
Combined spending ⁠in the Massie-Gallrein race topped $32 million, surpassing the $25 million spent in a 2024 race that ousted Democratic Representative Jamaal Bowman in New York, according to AdImpact.
The ads targeting Massie, whose fundraising relied more on grassroots donors, sought to portray him as disloyal to Trump and the party. One pro‑Gallrein ad used AI‑generated images to show ​Massie checking into a hotel with progressive Democratic lawmakers Ilhan Omar and Alexandria Ocasio‑Cortez, with a narrator claiming he had been “caught in a throuple.”
Gallrein had ​cast himself as a team ⁠player who would reliably back Trump, a strategy that proved successful in a state the president won in 2024 with 64.5% of the vote.
In a victory speech, Gallrein said he would bring the same audacity that caused him to become a Navy SEAL officer in 1983 to Washington.
“Now my focus is on advancing the president’s and the party’s agenda to put America first and Kentucky always,” Gallrein told his supporters.
Tim Hafer, a constituent in the district spanning Louisville’s ⁠suburbs, on the ​Kentucky side of the Cincinnati metro area, and rural counties to the east, said he once backed Massie but chose to ​follow Trump’s lead and vote for Gallrein.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/trump-targets-massie-tuesday-primary-purge-republican-critics-intensifies-2026-05-19/

The Iranian parliament is scheduled to vote on a bill offering rewards for the assassination of Trump and Netanyahu for the February 28 strikes on Tehran that killed the then-supreme leader Ali Khamenei.

Iran is reportedly discussing placing a $58 million bounty on US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Ebrahim Azizi, the Chairman of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of the Iranian Parliament, has announced that the body was preparing a bill titled “Counter-Action by the Military and Security Forces of the Islamic Republic” that would formalise payment of 50 million euros (approximately $58.23 million) to any individual or entity who would assassinate the United States and Israeli leaders, according to reports by Iran Wire and The Telegraph UK.

The Iranian parliament is scheduled to vote on a bill offering rewards for the assassination of Trump and Netanyahu for the February 28 strikes on Tehran that killed the then-supreme leader Ali Khamenei.

Azizi, according to Iran Wire, said that Trump, Netanyahu, and the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander Admiral Brad Cooper must be targeted for “counter-action” for their alleged “role in the assassination of Khamenei”.

Another member of the national security commission, Mahmoud Nabavian, also announced that the country’s parliament would soon vote on setting rewards for whoever “sends Trump and Netanyahu to hell”.

The reports of the bounty plan came days after a pro-regime media outlet, Masaf, claimed that the Islamic regime had secured $50 million in financial resources for a campaign dubbed “Kill Trump”.

Earlier, Iran’s state-sponsored cyberwarfare group “Handala” also issued a statement claiming it has allocated $50 million for the “elimination of the primary architects of oppression and corruption”– namely, Trump and Netanyahu– in response to the US Department of Justice offering a $10 million reward for its members. The hacking group claimed the money would be paid to any individual or group that takes “actual action” against the two state leaders.

Sign Of Iran’s Escalation

Tehran’s proposed bounty legislation marks a significant escalation from previous threats, including assassination calls from religious fatwas and propaganda campaigns, threatening the ongoing ceasefire between the US, Israel and Iran. Last year, the US president claimed that if Tehran attempted to kill him, the US would issue “very strict orders” to “wipe them off the face of the Earth”.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/iran-war-news-iran-plans-58-million-bounty-for-whoever-sends-trump-netanyahu-to-hell-reports-11515040?pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

U.S. Treasury Secretary ​Scott Bessent on Monday announced another 30-day extension of a sanctions waiver allowing purchases of Russian seaborne oil to aid “energy-vulnerable” countries hit by the Iran war, reversing plans ‌not to grant an extension.
Bessent said in a posting on X that the Treasury was issuing the 30-day general license after a previous waiver lapsed on Saturday. This will allow temporary access to Russian oil and petroleum products stranded on tankers without violating severe U.S. sanctions on Russian oil majors, he said.

A source familiar with the decision had told Reuters that the second waiver extension was requested by poor and vulnerable countries that cannot get Gulf oil shipments due to ​the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
“This extension will provide additional flexibility, and we will work with these nations to provide specific licenses as needed,” Bessent ​said. “This general license will help stabilize the physical crude market and ensure oil reaches the most energy-vulnerable countries.”
Bessent, who last month told the Associated Press ⁠that no further extension of the Russian oil sanctions waiver was planned, on Monday argued that the measure would help reroute existing supply to countries most in need, allowing them to compete with China for ​previously sanctioned oil.

The action marks the second time the Treasury has allowed the sanctions waiver to lapse and subsequently extended it.
Two senior Democratic senators, Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, ​blasted the move as an “indefensible gift” to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Every additional dollar the Kremlin earns from this license helps Putin finance his illegal war against Ukraine and kill innocent Ukrainians,” they said in a statement. They said the U.S. sanctions relief was also not driving down gasoline prices at home or stabilizing global energy markets.
The Trump administration last year slapped sanctions on Russian oil majors Rosneft and Lukoil to pressure Russia to end its war in Ukraine by depriving ​vital oil revenues to Moscow.
But after U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran drove up global oil prices, the Treasury first issued the temporary license in March in an attempt to ease oil supply shortages and mitigate price spikes ​by releasing sanctioned Russian oil and petroleum products stranded in tankers. The waivers do not apply to oil now being pumped by Russia.

LIMITED IMPACT

Analysts said the short-term waivers may help some individual countries dependent on Gulf oil supplies, ‌but would do ⁠little to drive down U.S. gasoline prices, a key goal of the Trump administration.
“It is not yet clear whether these short-term authorizations have had any meaningful impact on U.S. gasoline prices,” said Stephanie Connor, a former policy director at the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control and now a partner with Holland & Knight. She noted that British and European sanctions on Russian oil purchases remain in place.
As in the previous waiver, the license allowed purchases of Russian crude and petroleum products loaded on vessels as of April 17, limiting the volume of the sales and not allowing access to Russian oil that had ​been more recently loaded.
Charles Lichfield, deputy director of ​the Atlantic Council’s GeoEconomics Center, said that ⁠the waivers would boost Russia’s oil revenues, already bolstered by higher oil prices, while offsetting the impact of increased Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries and other infrastructure.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/us-treasury-extend-sanction-waiver-russian-seaborne-oil-source-says-2026-05-18/

Three months after the United States and Israel staged an attack on Iran, a U.S. blockade and Tehran’s grip on the Strait of Hormuz have created a deadlock, with neither side bending, economic pain deepening and the risk of ​renewed war rising.
A growing concern among policymakers is not whether a deal is near, but how long tensions can persist before a miscalculation by Washington or Tehran triggers renewed conflict.

Calls for a fresh strike are growing louder in the U.S. ‌and Israel, with some officials arguing that increased pressure could weaken Tehran’s leverage and force Iran back to the negotiating table.
“There is one major problem with this theory: We have already tested it, repeatedly, and Iran did not capitulate,” said Danny Citrinowicz, a senior researcher on Iran at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies and former head of the Iran branch in Israeli Defense Intelligence.
“We’re in a war of attrition with the prospect of a new U.S.-Israeli attack growing by the day,” said one regional official.

Iranian officials told Reuters concessions on their missile programme, nuclear capabilities or control of the Strait are not policy tools but ideological pillars ​of the Islamic Republic’s survival — giving them up is not compromise, it is surrender.
That explains, Citrinowicz said, why even prolonged military confrontation has failed to shift Tehran from its red lines, and why further escalation is unlikely to succeed.
Rounds of indirect talks mediated ​by Pakistan have produced no breakthrough. The gaps remain vast.

BOTH SIDES SEE TIME AS LEVERAGE, IMPEDING COMPROMISE

The United States wants Iran to halt uranium enrichment for 20 years and ship out its stockpiles ⁠to the U.S.
Iran wants an end to strikes, security guarantees, war reparations and recognition of its sovereignty over Hormuz — terms Washington has rejected.
Iran’s foreign ministry did not reply to a request for comment. The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment ​on the issues raised in this article.

President Donald Trump has warned Tehran that the “clock is ticking,” saying they “better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them.” He threatened that if Tehran fails to reach a deal with Washington, it will face “a very bad ​time.”
Ali Vaez of the International Crisis Group said neither side has shown willingness to make “the painful concessions” needed for a deal. “Both believe time is on their side and they have the upper hand, and that perception is precisely what is making a deal impossible.”
The result is a war of endurance centred on one of the world’s most critical waterways. Before the war, the Strait carried roughly 25% of global oil trade and 20% of liquefied natural gas. Now, with the strait near-closed, the economic fallout is growing, disrupting supplies.
Former State Department Iran official Alan Eyre, who took part in past U.S.-Iran talks, said an agreement may be ​out of reach. “These two sides will never reach a deal. Trump doesn’t want to just win, he wants to humiliate Iran and be seen as having crushed Iran.”

Tehran sees its stockpile of enriched uranium and control of Hormuz as core strategic assets essential to survival. “Iran is therefore ​determined to use these assets to guarantee its interests,” a senior Iranian official said, adding capitulation is not an option.
“We fight, we die, but we don’t accept humiliation. Surrender is fundamentally incompatible with Iran’s identity.”

BEHIND DEFIANCE, RISING PRESSURE ON IRAN’S ECONOMY

A second Iranian official argued Tehran has already won — not ‌by defeating Washington ⁠militarily, but by refusing to submit. Weeks of U.S. and Israeli strikes failed to break Iran’s will, reinforcing its view that its nuclear stockpile and control of Hormuz remain the core of its deterrence.
Surrendering them would dismantle that balance. “Trump wants to declare victory but Iran won’t give it to him. Can the world economy withstand the pressure? That’s the question Trump owes the world an answer to,” he added.
More strikes would not change Iran’s calculus, only accelerate escalation, he said, adding that Iran will not abandon enrichment or bow to ultimatums without compromise from Washington.
Yet behind the defiant posture, Iranian sources close to the establishment describe a more conflicted reality: Tehran does not want a prolonged “no war, no peace” scenario as inflation rises, unemployment worsens and strikes on key industries bleed an already battered economy.
Instead, they said, Iran is seeking a ​preliminary deal to end the war — reopening Hormuz under Iranian oversight ​in exchange for lifting the U.S. blockade, before tackling harder ⁠issues such as sanctions relief and nuclear restrictions. The U.S. says ending the war must be deferred to later talks.
On the nuclear issue, Iranian sources say Tehran could dilute its stockpile of 440 kg of highly enriched uranium or send part of it abroad, preferably to Russia, arguing it could reclaim it if Washington violates any agreement. Washington has refused.
Iran is also pushing for a shorter halt to enrichment ​than Washington’s 20-year demand and full access to $30 billion in frozen assets, but Washington has only agreed to free a quarter of those assets under a timetable, the sources added.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/no-deal-no-exit-how-us-iran-standoff-risks-fresh-conflict-2026-05-18/

Meta (META.O), detailed its layoff plans for this ​week in a memo shared with employees on Monday, saying cuts to its workforce globally would be accompanied by ‌a fresh round of organizational changes aimed at improving the company’s AI workflows.
The Facebook owner is planning to lay off 10% of its employees on Wednesday, with additional deep cuts slated to come later this year, Reuters reported previously.

In the memo, which was seen by Reuters, Meta Chief People Officer Janelle Gale told employees the company ​plans to move 7,000 employees to new initiatives related to AI workflows and to eliminate managerial roles.
In addition, “many leaders will announce ​org changes,” she said.
“As org leaders worked on the changes, many of them incorporated AI native design principles ⁠into their new org structures. We’re now at the stage where many orgs can operate with a flatter structure with smaller teams of ​pods/cohorts that can move faster and with more ownership.”
A Meta spokesperson declined to comment on the plan.

AI OVERHAUL DRIVES RESTRUCTURING

The changes are part of a ​far-reaching overhaul planned at Meta this year, as the company surges its AI investments in a bid to center AI agents in both its product offerings and its approach to work internally.
They reflect a broader pattern of AI-linked job cuts among major U.S. companies this year, particularly in the tech sector.
In total, the layoffs and transfers ​will hit about 20% of the company’s workforce. Some of the transfers have already happened, while in other cases employees will be notified on Wednesday, ​Gale said in her memo. Employees in North America were told to work from home on Wednesday.
Meta has also closed an additional 6,000 open roles as ‌part of ⁠the process, she told employees in an earlier memo.
Headcount at the social media giant was 77,986 employees at the end of March, according to company filings.

EMPLOYEE TRANSFERS TO AI UNITS

New initiatives where Gale said employees were being transferred — or “drafted,” as many staffers refer to it — include Applied AI Engineering (AAI) and Agent Transformation Accelerator (ATA) XFN, two teams previously announced by CTO Andrew Bosworth as part of Meta’s “AI for Work” efforts.
Both are aimed at developing ​AI agents that can autonomously carry ​out tasks currently performed by ⁠human staffers.
Central Analytics, also a destination for transfer, was likewise mentioned in Bosworth’s earlier announcement and would aim to measure productivity and analytics for agent development.
Details on another new initiative called Enterprise Solutions would be shared ​soon, Gale said.
The changes have prompted a revolt from Meta employees, who have been protesting the moves with ​flyers at the company’s ⁠offices and in angry posts on its internal communications platform, Workplace.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/meta-lays-out-plans-may-20-layoffs-restructuring-internal-document-says-2026-05-18/

Pakistan has deployed 8,000 troops, a ​squadron of fighter jets and an air defence system to Saudi Arabia under a mutual defence pact, ramping up military cooperation with ‌Riyadh even as Islamabad serves as the main mediator in the Iran war.
The deployment, the full scale of which is reported here for the first time, was confirmed by three security officials and two government sources, all of whom described it as a substantial, combat-capable force intended to support Saudi Arabia’s military if the kingdom comes under further attack.

Pakistan’s military ​and foreign office and Saudi Arabia’s government media office did not respond to requests for comment on the deployment.
The full terms of ​the defence agreement, signed last year, are confidential, but both sides have said it requires Pakistan and Saudi Arabia ⁠to come to each other’s defence in the event of an attack. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has previously implied that it places Saudi Arabia ​under Pakistan’s nuclear umbrella.
According to the sources, Pakistan has deployed a full squadron of around 16 aircraft, mostly JF-17 fighters made jointly with China, which were ​sent to Saudi Arabia in early April. Two of the security officials said Pakistan had also sent two squadrons of drones.

All five sources said the deployment includes around 8,000 troops, with a pledge to send more if needed, as well as a Chinese HQ-9 air defence system.
The equipment is operated by Pakistani personnel and financed by Saudi Arabia, ​they said.

THOUSANDS OF TROOPS

The military and air force personnel deployed during the Iran conflict will primarily have an advisory and training role, according to ​two of the security officials, who said they had seen exchanges between the two countries and documents on the military assets’ deployment.
The deployment adds to thousands of ‌Pakistani troops ⁠with a combat role that were already stationed in the kingdom under previous agreements, all three security officials said.
One of the government sources, who has seen the text of the confidential defence pact, said it provides for the possibility of up to 80,000 Pakistani troops being deployed to Saudi Arabia, to help secure the kingdom’s borders alongside Saudi forces.

Two of the security officials said the agreement also involved the deployment of Pakistani warships. Reuters was not ​able to determine whether any had ​reached Saudi Arabia.
The scale and composition ⁠of the deployment — combat aircraft, air defences and thousands of troops — mean Pakistan has sent far more than a symbolic or advisory mission, the sources said.
Reuters previously reported that Pakistan had sent jets to Saudi Arabia after ​Iranian strikes hit key energy infrastructure and killed a Saudi national, raising concerns that the Gulf kingdom might ​retaliate heavily and ⁠widen the conflict.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/pakistan-deploys-jet-squadron-thousands-troops-saudi-arabia-during-iran-war-2026-05-18/

Hot on the heels of Donald Trump’s visit, Russian President Vladimir Putin travels to Beijing for talks with Xi Jinping. DW explores how China has been Russia’s financial lifeline since the Ukraine war.

Russia may celebrate its “no-limits” partnership with China — a phrase coined when President Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping met just before the Ukraine war — yet those relations are increasingly one-sided.

Although bilateral trade softened last year as a result of lower oil prices, Russia’s goods exports to China have nearly doubled since February 2022, when Moscow’s full-scale invasion began.

In 2024, Russia shipped roughly $129 billion (€111 billion) worth of goods to China — the overwhelming majority in crude oil, coal and natural gas sold at steep discounts.

The Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air calculated that China has bought more than €319 billion ($372 billion) of Russian fossil fuels since the conflict began, giving Moscow vital hard currency to fund its military amid Western sanctions.

In return, China exported nearly $116 billion worth of goods to Russia in 2024, supplying machinery, electronics and vehicles that replaced Western suppliers who exited the Russian market.

Although Beijing has stopped short of direct exports to Russia of finished military hardware, China has supplied billions of dollars’ worth of dual-use goods — civilian products and technologies that also have military applications. These have also helped sustain Russia’s defense industry.

As Putin and Xi prepare to meet in Beijing this week for high-level talks — timed to mark the 25th anniversary of the two countries’ cooperation treaty— this growing imbalance leaves Moscow increasingly vulnerable to Beijing’s priorities.

Why is Russia increasingly reliant on Chinese technology?

Western sanctions, imposed since 2022 and repeatedly tightened, have severed Russia’s access to advanced Western technology.

The United States, European Union, United Kingdom and allies banned exports of semiconductors, microelectronics, precision machine tools and other dual-use goods critical for weapons production. These moves created acute shortages in Russia.

In response, Moscow turned to China, which, according to Bloomberg, supplied roughly 90% of Russia’s sanctioned technology imports in 2025 — up from 80% the previous year.

Obtaining goods like machine tools for missile and drone assembly is far more difficult and expensive than before the war. Russia must utilize complex evasion networks through third countries and often ends up paying premiums of nearly 90% above pre-war prices.

Beijing has also provided Russia with earth observation intelligence, satellite imagery for military purposes and drones, Bloomberg reported last year.

Chinese technology has enabled Russia to sustain and even expand its production of missiles, drones and other weapons, keeping the war economy running.

Why are Russia, China conducting more trade in yuan?

As the Ukraine war unfolded, the US, EU, and allies expelled major Russian banks from the SWIFT payment system and froze approximately $300 billion of Russia’s central bank reserves held abroad.

This effectively weaponized the dollar-dominated financial system against the Kremlin, making dollar or euro transactions risky or impossible. The move also exposed foreign banks, individuals and entities worldwide to secondary sanctions if they continued to work with sanctioned Russian entities.

In response, Moscow and Beijing accelerated so-called de-dollarization, the shift away from using the US dollar toward their own national currencies. According to Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, by late last year, the two countries were settling over 99% of their bilateral trade in rubles and yuan.

This trend has been reinforced by the BRICS group of emerging economies, which promotes local-currency settlements between its nearly dozen members and has even floated plans for a single BRICS currency.

Yuanization, as it’s known, has created new dependencies, however. Russia now faces occasional yuan shortages, higher borrowing costs and must tolerate Beijing’s upper hand in all bilateral negotiations.

China isn’t trying to replace the dollar overnight, but a more widely used yuan increases Beijing’s global economic influence. Countries that hold or borrow in yuan become more tied to China’s economy and policies.

Is China likely to increase its economic dominance over Russia?

Many top Russia-China analysts believe that Beijing’s leverage over Moscow is likely to grow further in the coming years.

During his visit this week, Putin is expected to push for progress on new and expanded pipelines that will further strengthen Russia’s export revenues and China’s energy security.

Boosting Russian pipeline capacity to China “would significantly enhance Beijing’s oil security in a Taiwan contingency,” Joseph Webster, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, wrote in a post on Substack on Sunday.

Webster was referring to China’s repeated threats to invade Taiwan, a move that could draw Western sanctions on Beijing or even a US naval blockade that disrupts China’s sea-borne oil imports.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/how-china-became-the-new-master-of-russias-economy/a-77193402

 

Authorities seek to vaccinate 19 million children against polio, in the latest effort to eradicate a disease that is endemic in Pakistan.

Two police officers died in Pakistan’s northwestern Bajaur tribal district while protecting health workers who were administering the polio vaccine to children on Monday, a security official said.

The two separate attacks took place in Bajaur, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan.

The killings came on the first day of Pakistan’s nationwide campaign to counter rising cases of polio.

“During the polio campaign in the tribal district of Bajaur District, two police officials assigned to protect vaccination teams were shot dead by motorcycle-riding militants in two separate attacks,” a senior security official based in Peshawar told the AFP news agency.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned Monday’s attacks and offered condolences to the families of the officers who were killed.

Vaccine misinformation rife in rural areas

Polio is a highly infectious virus that mainly affects children under five. If caught, the virus can result in lifelong paralysis.

The disease is easily prevented by a vaccine, which can be administered orally with a few drops.

Prior to the development of the first vaccine in 1955, the poliomyelitis virus paralyzed and killed up to half a million people every year.

But misinformation about the vaccine has circulated in rural Pakistan and been spread by militants, who falsely claim the vaccination drives are part of a Western conspiracy to sterilize Muslim children.

More than 200 polio workers and police officers who have protected them have been killed in Pakistan since the 1990s.

Polio still endemic in Pakistan

The killings in Bajaur came as Pakistan kicked off a week-long vaccination campaign in 79 high-risk districts, where authorities hope to administer polio drops to more than 19 million children.

Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan are the only countries in the world where polio remains endemic, but militants have targeted hundreds of police officers and health workers over the past decade as part of a campaign against the Pakistani state.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/pakistan-2-killed-protecting-polio-workers-in-tribal-area/a-77202253

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/