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.
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.
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.
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.
An estimated 50,000 protesters flooded the streets of London on Saturday for the Unite the Kingdom rally organized by right-wing activist Tommy Robinson. REUTERS
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.
Humpback whale released after spectacular rescue effort found dead off Denmark
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.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One while returning to Washington, Trump said he wanted to avoid escalating tensions over Taiwan.
Chinese President Xi Jinping looks at US President Donald Trump as they attend a state banquet at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. (AFP photo)
US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he has not yet decided whether to approve a planned $14 billion weapons package for Taiwan after discussing the issue extensively with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One while returning to Washington, Trump said he wanted to avoid escalating tensions over Taiwan.
“The last thing we need right now is a war that’s 9,500 miles away,” Trump said while referring to the proposed arms package, which reportedly includes missiles and air defence interceptors and has been pending for months.
The issue of Taiwan was a major focus during Trump’s visit to China. The trip began with Xi warning about possible “conflicts” linked to Taiwan, while Trump repeatedly indicated that he did not want to provoke a confrontation.
Trump also acknowledged the US commitment under the 1982 “six assurances” policy not to consult China regarding arms sales to Taiwan, but suggested he did not consider the agreement binding in the current situation.
“What am I going to do, say I don’t want to talk to you about it because I have an agreement wrote in 1982? No, we discussed arms sales.”
“I’ll be making decisions,” Trump said, adding that his main priority remained preventing a war.
His remarks reportedly raised concerns in Taipei as well as among US allies including Japan and South Korea.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who has maintained a strong position on Taiwan, reportedly received a “detailed” briefing from Trump over a phone call from Air Force One regarding the talks with Xi.
Trump also said he may have to speak with “the person who… is running Taiwan” about the arms package, though such a move would likely anger Beijing if it involved Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te.
The weapons package has also faced political sensitivity within Taiwan. Parliament reportedly took months to approve funding worth $25 billion linked to the pending $14 billion package and an additional $11 billion tranche cleared by Trump last year.
The artefacts, widely referred to in Europe as the ‘Leiden Plates’, are among the most historically valuable surviving records from the Chola empire. India had been seeking their return since 2012.
In a major cultural restitution move, the Netherlands formally returned a set of 11th-century Chola-era copper plates to India on Saturday during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the European country.
The handover marked the culmination of years of diplomatic efforts by New Delhi and was presented as a symbol of deepening ties between the two nations.
The artefacts, widely referred to in Europe as the ‘Leiden Plates’, are among the most historically valuable surviving records from the Chola empire. India had been seeking their return since 2012.
PM Modi reached the Netherlands on Friday after a stop in the UAE as part of his ongoing five-country tour that also includes Sweden, Norway and Italy.
“Joyous Moment For Every Indian”: PM Modi
PM Modi, in a post on X, announced the repatriation of the Chola Copper Plates to India.
“A joyous moment for every Indian! Chola Copper Plates dating back to the 11th Century will be repatriated to India from the Netherlands. Took part in the ceremony for the same in the presence of Prime Minister Rob Jetten”, he wrote.
A joyous moment for every Indian!
Chola Copper Plates dating back to the 11th Century will be repatriated to India from the Netherlands. Took part in the ceremony for the same in the presence of Prime Minister Rob Jetten.
The copper plates date back to the reign of Emperor Rajaraja Chola I, who ruled between 985 and 1014 CE. Historians regard them as one of the most significant pieces of Tamil heritage preserved outside India.
The collection consists of 21 copper plates weighing nearly 30 kilograms. They are fastened together with a bronze ring carrying the royal Chola seal. One section of the inscriptions is written in Sanskrit, while the other is in Tamil.
The records document grants made for a Buddhist monastery in Nagapattinam, highlighting the religious and cultural exchanges that flourished during the Chola period. Scholars say the inscriptions offer valuable insight into maritime trade links between South India and Southeast Asia, as well as the era’s tradition of coexistence across faiths.
Historical accounts suggest Rajaraja Chola I initially issued the order verbally, which was first recorded on palm leaves. His son, Rajendra Chola I, later had the details engraved onto copper plates to preserve them permanently. The binding ring carries Rajendra Chola’s emblem.
From Dutch Custody To Diplomatic Return
The plates were taken to the Netherlands in the 18th century by Florentius Camper, who was associated with a Christian mission in India during the period when Nagapattinam was under Dutch control.
For decades, the artefacts remained stored in secure facilities in the Netherlands and were primarily accessible to academics and researchers upon request. Over time, they became well known among historians and Tamil epigraphists and also gained wider public recognition through references in Ponniyin Selvan, the iconic Tamil historical novel centred on the Chola empire.
The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, does not meet the criteria of a pandemic emergency, said the World Health Organization.
A man is carried from an ambulance as he arrives at Bunia General Referral Hospital following confirmation of an Ebola outbreak involving the Bundibugyo strain in Bunia, Ituri province, Democratic Republic of Congo, May 16, 2026. (Photo: Reuters/Victoire Mukenge)
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.
The FBI Director is facing fresh controversy after reports allege that Patel turned an official work trip into a luxury outing with his girlfriend. While the FBI has defended the visit as official business, critics have raised questions over the ethics and optics surrounding the travel.
The latest claims come days after Patel was criticised over a so-called “VIP snorkel” excursion near the USS Arizona memorial at Pearl Harbor, a site honouring US service members killed in the 1941 attack. (Photo: AlexisWilkins/X)
FBI Director Kash Patel is facing renewed scrutiny after reports alleged he turned an official work trip into a luxury outing involving his girlfriend, raising fresh questions over his use of bureau resources.
According to a New York Times report, the 46-year-old FBI Director allegedly flew with his 27-year-old girlfriend, Alexis Wilkins, on the FBI’s Gulfstream V jet from Washington to Philadelphia on May 10, 2025, to attend a country music concert before returning later the same night.
The report claims the couple watched George Strait and Chris Stapleton perform from a private suite costing between $35,000 and $50,000. FBI flight crew and security personnel reportedly remained on duty until after 11 pm, waiting for Patel and Wilkins to leave the venue, accruing overtime pay in the process.
The report also noted that Patel was contacted for a response through an FBI spokesperson, but he declined the request. Meanwhile, the bureau instead said that Wilkins had been “an invited guest” of the performers.
The allegations add to growing controversy over Patel’s travel and use of FBI resources, with reports highlighting concerns that his official trips have increasingly included personal or leisure elements involving his girlfriend.
The latest claims come days after Patel was criticised over a so-called “VIP snorkel” excursion near the USS Arizona memorial at Pearl Harbor, a site honouring US service members killed in the 1941 attack.
Responding to the report, FBI spokesman Ben Williamson pushed back in a post on X, saying the AP had mischaracterised the trip and emphasising that it was, in fact, an “official trip.”
“The AP is attempting to spin an invitation from the Commanding General of Indo Pacom [US Indo-Pacific Command] to a military base as a party or vacation, which is so stupid,” said FBI spokesman Ben Williamson in an X post.
“The DoW [Department of War] routinely does these engagements with inter-agency partners — to include this one — and when he was Chief of staff for [the Pentagon] in Trump 1, Patel offered the same event for many partners that came to visit,” he added.
Another earlier trip under media scrutiny is Patel’s Hawaii visit. He travelled to Hawaii in July 2025 to meet members of the Honolulu Field Office and other federal and local law enforcement partners, according to a previously issued agency press release.
The bureau has maintained that the Hawaii trip was official, with an FBI spokesperson previously stating it was part of a “historical tour to honor heroes who died on the USS Arizona – not a party.”
The bureau’s release highlighted that the meeting focused on “crime trends and threats to the homeland,” including discussions on “violent crime initiatives and casework.”
The bureau further informed that the August visit formed part of “the Director’s public national security engagements last August with counterparts in New Zealand, Australia, our Honolulu Field Office, and the Department of War.”
Critics, however, have questioned the optics of the visits.
Stacey Young, the founder of Justice Connection, a “support group” for Department of Justice personnel fired under the second Trump administration, criticised the August trip in comments to the Associated Press.
Young said that it “fits a pattern of Director Patel getting tangled up in unseemly distractions, this time at a site commemorating the second-deadliest attack in US history, instead of staying laser-focused on keeping Americans safe.”
Meanwhile, the report also noted that the US Navy and the National Park Service have permitted military and government officials to “swim at the [Arizona] site” dating back to the Obama administration.
“I have not heard of anyone who would object to these visits as they are very rare and there aren’t any survivors of the Arizona left alive,” wrote Deidre Kelley, national president of the Sons and Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors.
“Their children might have some objections but I haven’t heard any.”
Patel has also drawn scrutiny over a trip to Milan during the Winter Olympics, where video showed him celebrating with members of the US men’s hockey team and chugging a beer.
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.
Lara Trump’s rise to political stardom has been anything but plannedCredit: Getty
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.
A MALDIVIAN diver has died in the search for the bodies of four Italians who were killed in a fatal cave expedition.
Sergeant Major Mohammed Mahdi lost his life during the third day of recovery operations in Vaavu Atoll and was one of eight divers on the mission.
Sergeant Major Mohamed Mahudhee of the Maldivian Coast Guard died in the search for the missing diversCredit: X/@MNDF_Official
The Coast Guard member reportedly fell ill on the mission on Saturday and was rushed to hospital where died.
Announcing the news on X, the Maldivian military said: “His courage, sacrifice, and service to the nation will always be remembered. Our deepest condolences to his family and colleagues.”
Italy’s foreign minister Antonio Tajani said: “These painful days for itIaly are even worse after news that a courageous serviceman, Sergeant Mohammed Mahdi, died following an attempt to reach the bodies of our countrymen.
“This tragedy has united Italy and the Maldives in our sorrow and respect for the victims.”
The five Italian divers were exploring caves up to 200ft underwater in the Maldives on Thursday morning but failed to resurface.
It has since been announced that the Duke of York yacht, from which the diving group launched their expedition, has had its license suspended.
Concerned friends aboard the luxury vessel revealed that they alerted authorities around noon, but help did not arrive until nearly three hours later.
Four of the five divers were part of a University of Genoa research team – which included renowned marine biologist and professor Monica Montefalcone.
She was joined by her daughter Giorgia Sommacal, researcher Muriel Oddenino and marine biologist Federico Gualtieri.
The fifth member was boat captain and experienced diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti, whose body was found alongside an empty oxygen tank at 6.15pm on Thursday evening.
A desperate search for the bodies has resumed after bad weather forced authorities to call off yesterday’s mission.
Italy’s foreign ministry said today: “Eight Maldivian divers are currently taking turns in the search operations.
“The first two divers have already gone underwater to locate and precisely mark the entrance to the series of caves where the Italian divers went missing.
“Six more divers will subsequently dive, in various shifts, to try to locate the bodies and bring them to the surface.”
Around 20 other people remained on the Duke of York while the expedition was underway, including students researchers and professors from the university.
One said: “We didn’t see them resurfacing. No balloon opened. That’s when we realized something was wrong and immediately raised the alarm.”
But despite alerting authorities immediately, it reportedly took rescuers about two and half hours to arrive.
One witness said: “The Maldives are huge, the atolls are very distant from each other, and rescuers arrive here by sea. It can take hours.”
Several tragic theories have emerged about how the highly experienced team could have succumb to such a fate.
Monica’s husband Carlo Sommacal believes that finding her body could reveal what went wrong.
He explained: “Monica usually had a GoPro when she went diving.”
“I don’t know if she had one the other day. If they find it, maybe from there we can understand what happened.”
Carlo has fiercely defended his wife and her team amid questions over the safety of their expedition.
He said his Monica was an “expert” who had done over 5,000 dives and “knows what to do even in times of difficulty”.
Carlo told La Repubblica daily: “She would never have put her daughter’s life or the lives of the other children at risk out of recklessness.
A TWO-YEAR-OLD girl has been crushed to death by a chest of drawers in a horrifying accident at home.
Helena Cochrane from Dentons, Texas, had been climbing the open drawers to reach for a toy when the 80lb antique, more than double her weight, fell on top of her on January 8.
In the month where she should have turned three, Helena’s mom Taryn, 21, is sharing her devastation and warning parents to safeguard their home after her “worst nightmare” became reality.
“An antique dresser I’ve had in my home for years with no prior issue or cause of concern fell on her after she used the drawers as steps to get a toy I had put away on the top – resulting in immediate death,” she said on social media.
“It happened so quickly and so silently, and our lives changed forever.
“The unimaginable happened. The guilt and shame has all but consumed me, knowing that if I had taken the precautions of anchoring this dresser, my baby would still be here and her sister would still have her best friend.”
Taryn told NeedToKnow how she and the rest of her family now endure “intense and excruciating grief” on a daily basis.
“No parent should outlive their babies – especially not to preventable accidents,” she said.
“The heartbreaking truth is that furniture tip overs are far more common than most people realize.
“But it takes only a second for something heavy to fall, and the consequences can be devastating.
DONALD Trump has made clear his interest in expanding the United States, with Venezuela and Greenland pinpointed as contenders to become the 51st state.
Earlier this year, Trump sparked controversy after posting comments linking Venezuela to the idea of becoming part of the United States after its shock victory over the United States in the World Baseball Classic final in Miami.
President Trump has been vocal about creating a 51st state
Ahead of the match, Trump posted on Truth Social: “Good things are happening to Venezuela lately! I wonder what this magic is all about? STATEHOOD, #51, ANYONE?”
Following Venezuela’s victory over the United States, he posted again: “STATEHOOD!!! President DJT.”
The comments sparked fresh political tensions between the two countries, which were heightened in January following the American capture of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro from within his own country.
Days later, Trump said during a phone interview with Fox News that he was “seriously considering” the idea of making Venezuela a permanent part of the United States.
He pointed to their oil reserves, which some analysts estimate could be worth up to $40trillion, as a key component of his plan.
“Venezuela loves Trump,” he said, adding that closer alignment with the United States would benefit both countries economically and strategically.
World-renowned constitutional law expert Ilya Somin broke down all the issues for The U.S. Sun.
The Russian-born academic says the process would require multiple steps which could render the idea extremely difficult to pull off.
“So in order to make Venezuela a state, several things would have to happen that are extremely unlikely,” Somin said.
“First, he would have to get Congress to annex Venezuela and to make it a state. Very unlikely he could get congressional majorities for that in both houses.”
He added that even legislative approval would not be sufficient on its own.
“Second, and maybe even more difficult, he would have to actually take over the territory of Venezuela,” Somin said.
“And that could happen only by either the government of Venezuela agreeing to it or by the US conquering Venezuela.
“I suppose he could try to make some kind of agreement with the government of Venezuela. But that by itself would not be enough to make Venezuela a US territory, much less a state. You would need Congress to pass a law to do it.”
Even if those hurdles are overcome, fresh issues would arise.
“If you somehow get the Congress issues out of the way, there would be some questions about integrating the Venezuelan legal system into the United States, and dealing with the fact that we would now have something like 30 or 40 million new Spanish-speaking citizens,” Somin said.
“There would be some other practical difficulties as well.”
The removal of Maduro from power was welcomed by swathes of Venezuelans who had grown tired of the regime which had overseen dramatic economic decline, leading to food and medicine shortages among other myriad issues.
“I think it may well be that many Venezuelans might think that they’d be better off under US rule than under the regime that exists there now,” Somin, a Professor of Law at George Mason University, continued.
“But obviously we don’t know for sure. And regardless of that, the average Venezuelan is not in a position to make a decision on this right now. There is an authoritarian regime in power.”
Trump has also repeatedly raised the idea of acquiring Greenland from Denmark, reviving a proposal first discussed during his presidency.
He has argued that Greenland holds major strategic importance for the United States due to its position between North America and Europe and its proximity to Arctic and North Atlantic shipping routes.
He has pointed to increasing Russian and Chinese activity in the Arctic as a key reason for strengthening its presence in the region.
The United States already operates a military base in Greenland, but Trump has said full control would significantly expand American capabilities in Arctic surveillance, missile defense and naval operations.
Greenland has a population of about 56,000 people, with most residents living along the southwestern coast due to the island’s ice-covered interior.
Trump’s comments about Greenland have been firmly rejected by the territory’s government, which has stated that it is not for sale and will not accept any form of takeover.
NATO officials have warned that any attempt to seize Greenland by force would severely damage transatlantic relations.
Somin agrees, stressing “I do think there you would also have the issue that trying to seize Greenland would alienate all of our allies even more than before.
“It would break the NATO alliance. It would damage the US standing in the world. That kind of consideration may be why Trump has so far backed down on this and not actually pushed on it.”
Denmark has increased its military presence around Greenland in response to rising geopolitical attention in the Arctic.
Greenland has been part of the Kingdom of Denmark for more than 300 years but gained home rule in 1979 and expanded autonomy under the 2009 Self-Government Act.
Trump has continued to argue that Greenland’s strategic position makes it increasingly important as global competition in the Arctic intensifies.
Trump has used Truth Social to hammer home his message
Over the years, multiple US presidents have supported the idea of expanding statehood through existing territories, most commonly Puerto Rico and Washington DC.
Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George Bush, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and Joe Biden have expressed varying degrees of interest in pushing the issues forward.
Splitting California into two has also been mooted, while Trump has also suggested Canada would benefit from joining the United States for economic and security purposes.
Bulgaria has won the 70th Eurovision Song Contest. The kitsch pop music extravaganza, the world’s biggest live music contest, has again been overshadowed by protests and a boycott over Israel’s participation.
Dara was not one of the favorites heading into the final, but walked out with the ESC titleImage: Tobias Schwarz/AFP
Bulgaria won the Eurovision Song Contest final in Austria’s capital, Vienna, on Saturday night with the song “Bangaranga” amid a boycott by five countries over Israel’s participation.
The song’s infectious beats and tightly choreographed dance routine proved a hit with both national juries and viewers, whose votes together decide the winner.
Dara beat 24 other competitors during Saturday’s grand final in Vienna.
The Eurovision Song Contest described Dara as “one of the most well-known pop musicians in her country, shaping the image of contemporary Bulgarian pop with her unique voice, commanding stage presence and unrestrained genre-blending.”
It’s the first time Bulgaria has won the contest.
Israel finished second ahead of Romania, Australia and Italy to round out the top five. Germany placed 23rd, and the UK was last in the 25th spot.
Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Iceland and Slovenia have pulled out of the world’s biggest live music contest, now in its 70th year, in protest at Israel’s involvement.
“We will not be in Vienna, but we will do so with the conviction that we are on the right side of history,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on X on Friday.
Dispute over Israel’s Gaza campaign casts shadow over Eurovision final
The contest was the expected glitzy affair and featured a host of kitsch, upbeat pop acts. It has been marred in recent years by the dispute over Israel’s military offensive in Gaza.
That war, a response to the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, where around 1,200 people in Israel were killed, resulted in the deaths of more than 70,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
The boycott means this year’s contest had just 35 entries, the fewest since 2003. The final will only feature 25 acts.
Television viewing figures are expected to be lower than last year’s 166 million people, which was more than the 128 million people who watched the Super Bowl.
Israel has condemned the boycott, claiming it is the target of a global smear campaign.
“We’re going through some challenging times at the moment,” Eurovision Song Contest director Martin Green said before the final began.
Which countries were tipped to do well?
The overwhelming favorites going into the final were Finland’s duo of violinist Linda Lampenius and singer Pete Parkkonen, with their number “Liekinheitin,” or “Flamethrower.”
Australia’s Delta Goodrem was also expected to challenge for the trophy with her song “Eclipse.” Goodrem is a household name in Australia, having sold 9 million albums, racking up number-one singles and 17 top-ten hits in her home country.
The Nigerian military has increased co-operation with the US in efforts to combat extremist violence (file photo)
Nigeria and the United States say they have killed a senior Islamic State (IS) leader in a joint-operation.
Abu-Bilal al-Minuki was described by US President Donald Trump as the “second in command of ISIS globally” and “the most active terrorist in the world”.
IS has radically shifted in recent years, with around 90% of its attacks now taking place in sub-Saharan Africa. Its Nigeria-based branch is by far the most active.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu said the two countries had carried out a “daring joint operation that dealt a heavy blow” to IS.
Al‑Minuki was declared a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by Washington in 2023.
He was killed along with “several of his lieutenants” during a strike on his compound in the Lake Chad Basin, a huge region of waterways and swampland shared by Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Cameroon.
A military spokesman said intelligence had established Minuki had established a fortified base in the area – in Metele, Borno state.
The Lake Chad basin has long been a stronghold for Boko Haram and its rival faction, Islamic State West Africa Province (Iswap).
The Nigerian military said the operation began shortly after midnight on Saturday, after months of intelligence gathering and reconnaissance. It said “zero casualties or loss of assets” were recorded, describing the operation as evidence of growing co-operation between Nigerian and US forces.
It said that al-Minuki had been promoted to “Head of General Directorate of States”, making him one of the most senior figures within the global IS hierarchy.
He previously oversaw IS-linked operations across the Sahel and West Africa, including attacks targeting civilians and minority communities.
The military also linked al-Minuki to the 2018 Dapchi schoolgirls kidnapping when more than 100 girls from a boarding school in north-eastern Nigeria were taken by militant group Boko Haram.
Before pledging allegiance to IS in 2015, he was described as a senior Boko Haram commander.
Boko Haram began its military campaign to impose Islamic rule in northern Nigeria in 2009.
The group pledged its allegiance to IS after what was believed to be the then-leader Abubakar Shekau posted an audio statement on Boko Haram’s X account in 2015.
Its aim has been to establish a “caliphate”, a state ruled by a single political and religious leader according to Islamic law, or Sharia.
Abu-Bilal al-Manuki is believed to have hailed from Borno State in north-eastern Nigeria. Analysts say his nickname likely came from Mainok, a town in the state, following a common regional tradition where people are identified by their hometowns or family names.
The Nigerian military previously claimed they had killed him in 2024 – but backtracked on Saturday saying this was in fact a different fighter who was using the same alias. It has also made similar claims about other jihadists in the Lake Chad basin, including claiming on around five different occasions it had killed former Boko Haram leader Abu Bakar Shekau before his death was confirmed in May 2021.
Trump described al-Minuki’s death as a major blow to IS’s African and global networks, disrupting funding channels and command structures.
The US president thanked the Nigerian government for their “partnership”, adding that Minuki “will no longer terrorize the people of Africa or help plan operations to target Americans”.
Nigeria and the US have increased military co-operation as the country ramps up efforts to fight the extremist insurgency that has plagued Nigeria for more than a decade.
The move follows earlier comments by President Trump that Nigeria was not doing enough to protect vulnerable groups, including Christian communities – claims repeatedly denied by Nigerian authorities, who say violence in the country affects people regardless of religion or faith.
In April, IS claimed responsibility after gunmen killed at least 29 people at a football pitch in Nigeria’s north-eastern Adamawa state.
Hezbollah has increased its use of small first-person view (FPV) drones to attack Israel, including systems controlled by fibre-optic cables to evade sophisticated defences.
BBC Verify has geolocated 35 videos shared by the Lebanese armed group since 26 March which show strikes on Israeli soldiers, armoured vehicles and air defence systems in southern Lebanon and northern Israel.
Experts told BBC Verify the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has “so far been unable to develop any effective countermeasures”, as the small drones can easily bypass detection systems.
The drones can also be made from commercially available and 3D-printed components – and are cheap compared to the high-value targets they can destroy, experts also said.
The use of cheap FPV drones became widespread during the Russia-Ukraine war and has changed modern warfare.
While the Israeli military has not published all casualty details, Israeli media reports indicate four IDF soldiers and one civilian have been killed in FPV strikes, with dozens more injured.
The IDF told BBC Verify it recognises the threat from drones and is investing “significant resources” in improving defences, developing “more effective alert models” and training soldiers for “improving readiness and increasing awareness of the threat”.
According to the Institute for National Security Studies, the IDF has also been using FPV drones for several years, currently operating with them in southern Lebanon and against Hamas in Gaza.
Hisham Jaber, a military analyst and former Lebanese army general, told BBC Arabic the FPV drones can be “undetectable by radar” and the “hundreds” of them at Hezbollah’s disposal have been used to disable armoured vehicles – including tanks.
Hezbollah has been using several types of larger attack drones against targets in northern Israel for many years, Jaber added, but the use of FPVs represents an “entirely different category”.
BBC Verify has found videos of nearly 100 apparent FPV attacks shared on Hezbollah’s Telegram channel since 26 March, 35 of which have been verified. Hezbollah does not appear to have shared any footage of similar strikes from the conflict beginning on 2 March.
One verified video shared on Thursday shows at least four FPV drones attacking an Israeli border outpost near Kiryat Shmona, targeting a series of military vehicles in sequence. At least two of them can be seen heavily damaged or destroyed in the clips.
BBC Verify has also tracked similar drone strikes in south Lebanon, including documenting at least two strikes on 26 April in the town of Taybeh. The videos show soldiers being targeted, followed by a strike nearby to an IDF helicopter in the process of rescuing injured troops. Israeli media has reported one soldier was killed and six others injured.
Many of these drones are flown using fibre optic cable connections – rather than radio or other wireless signals – making them difficult to intercept with current Israeli electronic counter-measures.
Dr Andreas Krieg, a security expert from King’s College London, told BBC Verify the fibre-optics render Israel’s capacity to detect, jam and intercept drones “largely irrelevant” and makes finding the operator significantly more challenging.
The impact of this, he said, is Israeli troops “having to move more cautiously, harden positions, use physical protective measures such as nets and cages, and devote more attention to immediate local defence”.
Krieg added Hezbollah is most likely assembling the drones locally from commercially available components sourced from places like China, at a cost in the range of $300-$500 (£225-£375) each.
Leone Hadavi, a senior investigator and weapons expert for the Centre for Information Resilience, said these commercial parts are also supplemented with components made using 3D printers.
“Tracing components has proven very hard because of how easily accessible they are and non-military in nature. Mostly these FPV drones carry a RPG [rocket-propelled grenade] warhead, of which there is no shortage in southern Lebanon,” he added.
Hadavi told BBC Verify that the “psychological implication” of increasing FPV strikes appears to be significant on Israeli troops, given their capacity to threaten highly protected armoured vehicles.
This recent escalation in fighting between Israel and Hezbollah began on 2 March, two days after the US and Israel launched a wave of air strikes in Iran, killing supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Bulgarian pop star Dara has won the Eurovision Song Contest with her pneumatic dance anthem Bangaranga.
The 27-year-old topped both the public and the jury vote in a nail-biting conclusion, soaring ahead of Israel in second and Romania in third to score a massive 516 points.
Dara was far from a front-runner going into the contest, but her intricate choreography and naggingly catchy chorus helped her eclipse the competition – giving Bulgaria its first ever Eurovison title.
The UK, however, continued its run of disastrous results. Look Mum No Computer’s song Eins, Zwei, Drei took last place, with one solitary point from the Ukrainian jury.
Look Mum No Computer gave a quirky, if awkward, performance – failing to win the hearts of viewers
The musician predicted his downfall earlier in the week, admitting that his synth-driven track was “Marmite – you either love it or hate it”.
But he put a positive spin on the situation. “I always say to expect nothing,” he said, “because if you expect nothing, you lose nothing”.
“He gave it his all,” said Graham Norton as the results became clear. “It just clearly didn’t shine with the audiences across Europe.”
It is the third time since 2020 that the UK has placed last.
The top five of the leaderboard looked like this:
Bulgaria: Dara – Bangaranga (516 points)
Israel: Noam Bettan – Michelle (343 points)
Romania: Alexandra Căpitănescu – Choke Me (296 points)
Australia: Delta Goodrem – Eclipse (287 points)
Italy: Sal Da Vinci – Per Sempre (281 points)
Unlike Look Mum No Computer, who is best known for a YouTube channel where he builds eccentric contraptions, Dara is a major pop star in her home country.
Her songs and videos have amassed over 80 million listens and views, including the number one single Thunder, and she is a coach on the country’s version of the TV talent show The Voice.
To the uninitiated, Bangaranga seems cast in the mould of nonsensical Eurovision songs like Diggi-Loo, Diggi-Ley – but the title actually means “uproar” in Jamaican patois.
The lyrics address Dara’s commitment to overcoming anxiety and ADHD, which she was diagnosed with last year.
“Bangaranga is something that everyone’s got in themselves,” she explained.
“It’s the moment you choose to lead with love, not fear.”
Her performance came with whiplash-inducing choreography, based on the ancient Bulgarian tradition of Kukeri, in which masked performers chase away evil spirits.
Before the grand final, it also earned the singer an award for the year’s best staging, voted for by commentators, including the UK’s Graham Norton.
The UK was among the many countries who gave Bangaranga 12 points in the public vote.
Speaking backstage after lifting the crystal microphone trophy, Dara said: “I want to thank everybody who felt the Bangaranga and felt connected to the force.”
Bulgarian National Television also confirmed next year‘s contest will be held in the country’s capital, Sofia.
The run-up to this year’s contest was overshadowed by protests over Israel’s participation, due to the death toll of the war in Gaza.
Five countries boycotted the event, including Spain, Iceland and seven-time winners Ireland. In Vienna, there were protests in the city centre ahead of the grand final.
Protests were also anticipated during Israel’s performance, after singer Noam Bettan was heckled with anti-Israel chants during Tuesday’s semi-final.
However, there were no disturbances during his song, Michelle – a heartfelt Mediterranean love song, that took second place.
Czechia’s performance, meanwhile, was interrupted by a technical error, during which the video feed was interrupted and singer Daniel Žižka temporarily disappeared.
“That did not happen at any of the rehearsals, the distorted picture,” said Graham Norton on BBC One. “I think the camera[man] fell, I’m not quite sure.”
Žižka asked for a chance to reprise his performance, but organisers declined, saying his “performance and audio were not affected” by the “small camera issue”.
Surprisingly, the contest’s two presumed favourites were pushed out of the top three altogether.
Finnish duo Pete Parkkonen and Linda Lampenius topped bookmakers’ odds for weeks – but although their stormy duet was called Liekinheitin (flamethrower), it failed to catch fire, ending in sixth place.
Meanwhile, some commentators believed Delta Goodrem could become Australia’s first ever Eurovision winner, with her Celine Dion-adjacent power ballad Eclipse.
She delivered the night’s most jaw-dropping vocal, rising above the arena on a platform she allegdly borrowed from Beyoncé. But ultimately, the song proved too dated to top the leaderboard, coming fourth.
This year’s contest was held in Vienna, Austria, after 25-year-old JJ lifted last year’s trophy in Basel, Switzerland, with his song Wasted Love.
The show opened with a recap of that song – before the competition started in earnest with Denmark’s Søren Torpegaard Lund.
Writhing with dancers in a sweaty plastic box, his performance set the tone for a night dominated by stories of obsession and animal passion.
Germany’s Sarah Engels was “on fire”, Norway’s Jonas Lovv had “no self control” and Sweden’s Felicia gave us an image that’s hard to forget: “You’re in my head, my heart, my body parts”. TMI, Felicia.
As for Serbia, the lead singer of rock band Lavina was so tortured by someone who “trampled on his heart” that he ended his song with a blood-curdling scream.
Representing Romania, meanwhile, Alexandra Căpitănescu provoked controversy with the lyrics to her song Choke Me.
Campaigners criticised the track for glamourising sexual violence – but Căpitănescu said it was really about suffocating under the weight of self-doubt.
Performed second-to-last, her powerful performance – essentially Lady Gaga fronting the nu metal band Evansecence – proved tantalising enough to take third place.
More on the Eurovision Song Contest 2026:
Why Eurovision’s fallout over Israel may change the competition forever
Nine things to look out for at the Eurovision final
UK act: The BBC gave me a stress test to check I could cope under pressure
A guide to all 35 Eurovision songs
Israel’s Eurovision entry ‘shocked’ by protests during semi-final show
Eurovision boss: ‘We’re watching the voting very carefully’
Another year, another controversy for Eurovision – but fans are sticking by it
Everything you need to know about Eurovision
But it wasn’t all lust, lust, lust.
Italy’s Sal Da Vinci delivered a sweetly nostalgic slice of 70s disco, with a song dedicated to his wife, Per Sempre, which came fifth.
AI is coming for your job — but not in the way you think.
Karen says the real shock isn’t mass replacement (yet). It’s that AI is already reshaping work into something more precarious, more fragmented, and easier to squeeze. Data annotation and “AI training” are booming – but now the growth is in skilled labour. AI firms are hoovering up graduates and specialists to teach models the expertise they still can’t reliably produce. That’s the uncomfortable irony of “PhD‑capable” AI: to get there, it needs real PhDs (and near‑PhDs) feeding it knowledge, task by task. As Sam Altman once put it: “We see a future where intelligence is a utility, like electricity or water, and people buy it from us on a meter.” Meanwhile, the graduate job market is shrinking fast. Is this the “uberisation” of knowledge work – stable careers broken into gigs, paid by the piece, constantly monitored – with workers training the systems that may later deskill or replace them?
Nicky follows the dark logic of the online “health information ecosystem” – a system that profits from panic. A deadly hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship should be a contained public‑health story (serious for passengers, near‑zero risk for most people). Yet within hours it’s rebranded online as a “plandemic”: vaccines, bioweapons, “Covid 26”. The contradictions don’t slow it down, because the point isn’t truth; it’s engagement. In a world where more people get health advice from influencers and podcasts, fear becomes a business model: whip up anxiety, funnel it to “link in bio”, sell a cure, rinse and repeat. The real danger, Nicky argues, is what this does ahead of the next genuine crisis: an audience already primed to distrust guidance when it really matters.
And Thomas asks: is your car spying on you – and is it about to get worse? Modern cars aren’t just transport; they’re data machines. Connected vehicles can track where you go and how you drive, and that data can be shared or sold, often ending up with insurers and data brokers. The worrying bit: new US rules will push carmakers to add in‑car monitoring (including infrared and biometric systems) to spot tired or impaired drivers – creating an even bigger trove of sensitive data, with few clear limits on how it’s used.
The Interface is your weekly guide to the tech rewiring your week and our world. Hosted by journalists Thomas Germain, Karen Hao, and Nicky Woolf, each episode unpacks, week by week, how technology is shaping all our futures. No guests. No jargon. Just three sharp voices debating the stories that matter – whether they shook a government, broke the internet, or quietly tipped the balance of power.
Video of Donald Trump opening a folder at a China banquet sparks speculation he peeked at Xi Jinping’s notes, but further footage suggests the folder was Trump’s own.
Video of Donald Trump opening a folder at a China banquet sparks speculation he peeked at Xi Jinping’s notes, but further footage suggests the folder was Trump’s own. (Image: X)
A brief moment from US President Donald Trump’s recent visit to China has triggered a wave of speculation online, after social media users claimed he was seen looking through Chinese President Xi Jinping’s folder during a state banquet.
The clip, taken from footage of a banquet hosted by Xi following bilateral talks with Trump, shows the Chinese leader getting up from his seat. Seconds later, Trump appears to lean forward and open a folder placed on the table, prompting some viewers to suggest he was examining Xi’s notes.
The video quickly spread on social media, with users debating Trump’s actions and questioning whether the folder belonged to Xi Jinping. Some criticised the move as disrespectful, while others joked about whether Trump could read Mandarin.
However, several users later pointed out that the folder appeared to carry a United States seal and may have belonged to Trump himself. Additional footage reportedly showed Trump taking the same folder with him while leaving the table, suggesting it was his own document rather than Xi’s.
Despite the clarification, the clip continued to fuel debate online, with some social media users remaining sceptical.
A first responder holds a waterpipe at the site of an Israeli strike in the Rimal neighbourhood of Gaza City on May 15, 2026. AFP via Getty Images
Few could have predicted that blaming Israel and the Jews who support it would flare up in the early 21st century — and in America of all places.
After all, Israel is the only consensual society in the Middle East: It holds regular elections and maintains tripartite judicial, executive and legislative checks and balances.
Free speech is found in the Middle East only in Israel, where religious apostasy, criticism of one’s own country, gender equity and tolerance of gays are guaranteed, in marked contrast to all its neighbors.
True, the recent affluence of the Gulf states presents a thin veneer of Westernism that has fooled many in the new anti-Israel media.
But just because Qatar didn’t censor a celebrity newsman’s broadcast from Doha doesn’t make it a free society.
After all, no Western journalist would dare schedule a broadcast from Qatar with a Qatari who had condemned the regime for its intolerance.
So why and how did millions of Americans begin to express hatred for Israel and, albeit more subtly, the Jews who support it?
There are four converging fronts in this perfect storm.
First, demography: The US Muslim population is expanding exponentially, due almost entirely to recent immigration and substantially higher birth rates than the American norm.
There are now nearly 5 million Muslim Americans; by 2030, their numbers will likely surpass the Jewish American population.
And billions of dollars in the last few years have flowed into American universities from the Gulf states.
These enormous sums bankroll weaponized Middle East Studies programs and enrich left-wing NGOs.
An entire generation of young American elites has been groomed in universities to despise Israel and, by extension, to express hostility toward Jews.
After Oct. 7, the scab was torn away, revealing what had festered underneath for years.
Second, the DEI binary fuels both anti-Israel and anti-Jewish animus.
In this Marxist moral schema, the world is divided into “white oppressors” and “nonwhite victims.”
The dichotomy is reductive and often absurd, collapsing immense differences in class, wealth, power, culture and historical circumstance into a crude racial narrative.
Superficial appearance can brand one as a nonwhite victim — and once so identified, the supposedly oppressed are granted exemptions from censure.
DEI offers a pass from charges of antisemitism on the theory that the oppressed cannot themselves become oppressors.
Jews in America found themselves classified among the whitest and most privileged of the oppressor class, perhaps by virtue of their material success, while Israel abroad was deemed a white colonialist settler state.
Third, Israel itself is no longer the underdog of 1947, 1956, 1967 or 1973.
In this century, Benjamin Netanyahu helped open the Israeli economy and foster a meritocratic, free-market boom.
Only oil-rich Qatar and the UAE surpass Israel in regional per capita income.
Its military, honed over generations of warfare, has become more capable than those of France, Germany or the UK in key areas, especially combat aviation.
In short, tiny underdog Israel has been recast as the settler “overdog” bully.
Oct. 7 and its aftermath, counterintuitively, accelerated the anti-Israel, anti-Jewish hatred.
If Israel had not responded to the massacre, the new anti-Israel cohort would have claimed their inaction was a passive admission of prior guilt for which the attack was merely partial payment.
Yet once Israel moved to destroy Hamas, it was branded genocidal.
How could any army descend into a billion-dollar, booby-trapped labyrinth of tunnels, its exits and entries hidden beneath schools, private homes, mosques, and hospitals, to free hostages and kill terrorists while the media effectively shilled for Hamas?
From your weight and facial expressions to your destination, cars collect a startling amount of data about you. Some of it may even raise your insurance costs. But you can take some simple steps to limit what they know about you.
Cars used to mean freedom. When I first got the keys to the old family Toyota it was a rite of passage, a sign I was old enough to step away from the watchful eyes of my parents and enter a world where time and decisions were mine alone. Things change.
Modern cars are computers on wheels, and giant corporations are using them to suck up intimate details about your life and make more money. If you think driving today is a chance for solitude and independence, think again. And it looks like it’s about to get a lot worse.
Car companies will tell you themselves if you wade through their privacy policies. The information they harvest can include precise location data about everywhere you go, who’s in the car with you, what’s on the radio and whether you buckle your seatbelt, drive too fast or brake too hard. Some can gather details you might not expect like your weight, age, race and facial expressions. Do you pick your nose? Some cars have cameras on the inside pointed at the driver’s seat. And most come with internet connections that can ship off that data as you drive in blissful ignorance.
This is a privacy problem that can cost you money. Among the biggest customers for car data are insurance companies, and they’re using it to charge some people higher prices. But there’s no telling where your information is going. Some car companies admit they sell your data, but they don’t have to say who’s buying. That’s to say nothing of the fact that you might find it a little creepy. Most consumers, experts say, have no idea it’s even happening.
“People would be shocked at the number of data points that their car collects and transmits to other people, either the manufacturer or third-party applications,” says Darrell West, a senior fellow in the Center for Technology Innovation at the Brookings Institute in Washington DC. “It basically means your life can be recreated almost on a second-by-second basis.”
Feeling uncomfortable yet? A federal law is about to increase the amount of data your car can gather about you. It will soon require American car companies to install infrared biometric cameras and other systems to scan your body language, track your eyes or other aspects of your behavoiur to detect whether you’re too drunk or tired to drive. But it will also open up a whole new trove of data about your health and your habits. There are no rules limiting what the car companies can do with that information.
Of course, there are benefits too. Internet-connected cars can be more convenient. The sensors they bristle with can make driving safer and more comfortable. Insurance companies could decide to charge you less because you’re such a good driver.
But with automakers set to expand their data empires, this is a critical moment to understand what’s happening under the hood and how it affects you.
The data superhighway
If your car is even relatively new, it’s probably involved. The consulting firm McKinsey found 50% of cars on the road in 2021 had internet connections and predicted the number will rise to 95% by 2030. If your car is hooked up to the internet, privacy is almost certainly an issue you need to care about.
Car companies can also snoop when you hook your phone up to the infotainment system, or if you use certain apps made for driving. Some drivers also use insurance companies’ telemetrics system, which monitor you in exchange for potential discounts.
A 2023 analysis by Mozilla, the maker of the Firefox browser, examined the privacy policies of 25 car brands. Every one failed to meet the privacy and security standards that Mozilla uses to compare brands. Mozilla said cars were “the worst product category we have ever reviewed for privacy”.
According to the report, car companies reserve the right to collect details including your name, age, race, weight, financial details, facial expressions, psychological trends and more. Kia’s privacy policy, for example, suggests the company may even collect details about your “sex life” and general health.
Kia spokesperson James Bell says the company has never actually collected data on drivers’ sex lives or health. These details only appear in Kia’s privacy policy because the company is listing California’s definition of “sensitive data”, he says. Bell says Kia’s privacy practices are transparent and the company only shares data with insurance companies if drivers opt in. The company did not explain what kinds of “sensitive data” it does collect, however.
Some of that might be hard to picture, but cars are littered with sensors: in the seats, the dashboard, the engine, the steering wheel, you name it. Many cars, for example, have cameras inside and out. If you’re doing something in a modern car, chances are there’s a way for companies to learn about it.
Mozilla found 19 of the car companies said they might sell your data, and that’s exactly what’s happening. For example, both state and federal agencies in the US took action against General Motors (GM) for allegedly selling car location data without consent. US Senators have accused Honda and Hyundai of similar practices – and these are just the examples the public knows about.
“They’re taking all the information they collect on you, which is a lot, and using it to make inferences about who you are, how intelligent you are, what your psychological profile is, what your political beliefs are,” says Jen Caltrider, a privacy analyst who led Mozilla’s car research. “That’s the stuff people don’t necessarily think about.”
There are basically no rules about who can buy this data or what its used for, Caltrider says. It can be used to market things to you. Companies could used it in hiring decisions. Law enforcement can buy car data when they can’t get a search warrant. Once it leaves your dashboard, you have no control over where it ends up.
It may be getting worse
This is about more than companies snooping on your private life. For example, General Motors sold driver information to a company called LexisNexis, a data broker that buys and sells details about consumers. A driver who got a copy of that data reportedly found LexisNexis had 130 pages of information, detailing every trip he and his wife took over six months. He told the New York Times that after his insurance costs jumped 21%, an insurance agent told him the data was a factor. LexisNexis did not respond to a request for comment.
The US Federal Trade Commission took action, and GM is now barred from selling vehicle data for five years – but it’s free to resume the practice afterwards so long as it obtains express consent from drivers and follows other conditions. Meanwhile, LexisNexis and other companies are still selling vehicle data they get from other car manufactures and apps the people use while driving. GM and LexisNexis did not respond to requests for comment.
Deals between insurance companies, car makers and data brokers are widespread, and as long as the practices are spelled out in privacy policies you agree to, it’s all perfectly legal.
“Insurance companies have been collecting vast amounts of consumer data, especially on consumer driving data, and using it to try and charge people higher premiums, deny coverage or slice and dice consumers into various categories,” says Michael DeLong, a research and advocacy advocate who covers auto insurance for the Consumer Federation of America, a US-based non-profit.
Car companies say they get their permission before tracking you. In practice, that usually means agreeing to forms and privacy policies when you set up the infotainment system or apps connected to your car. In some vehicles they pop up every time you start the engine. Did you read them? Of course not.
In the US, there is no privacy law at the national level. Protections in individual states are piecemeal, and according to some privacy experts, they don’t go far enough. The picture is a little better in Europe, including the UK, where there are special protections for certain sensitive categories of information and consumers have some rights that let them access their data and tell companies to delete it. But it’s not a solved problem in Europe either.
“Europeans are still beholden to privacy policies,” Caltrider says. “And you have to count on the regulations to be followed and enforced, and that’s something that’s not always happening, with cars especially.”
The problem isn’t new, but there are reasons to think it’s accelerating. US law mandates that car manufactures will soon need to install “advanced impaired-driving prevention technology” in new passenger vehicles within the next few years. The technology is meant to stop people from driving if they’re drunk, tired or unfit to drive using infrared cameras or other systems.
The problem, Caltrider and others say, is the law includes zero provisions that address what happens to the data these systems create.
A spokesperson for the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) – which is charged with enforcing the rule – says “NHTSA is committed to reducing impaired driving fatalities using every tool at our disposal”, and it “continues to address critical and complex topics” such as privacy concerns. It’s likely the implantation of this law will be delayed because the technology isn’t ready, but privacy advocates are sounding the alarm.
“We need to keep drunk drivers off the road, and it would be great if there was a guarantee that the data won’t be used for other purposes, but that’s not what’s happening,” says Caltrider. “So many of the data collecting advances we see in cars are done under the guise of safety.” It could hand the auto industry a trove of what amounts to medical information with no safeguards in place.
In the past few weeks, flowers, messages and cuddly toys have grown like a creeper on the chain link fence at the entrance of Old Timers town camp in Australia’s Northern Territory.
A little girl gets out of a car with her brother and mother to add to the pile, laying a bright pink cuddly toy on the ground – a tribute to Kumanjayi Little Baby, the five-year-old who went missing in April from this Aboriginal community, and whose body was found five days later.
An Aboriginal man was subsequently charged with murdering her.
“The whole community is numb,” another mourner says. This is a sentiment felt by much of this small town of fewer than 30,000 people, many of whom joined the search for Kumanjayi Little Baby, as she’s now known for cultural reasons, in the days after she disappeared.
“In some ways you could say we’ve actually seen some of the best of the community in the absolute worst of times,” says Asta Hill, the mayor of Alice Springs.
As well as bringing the town together, Kumanjayi Little Baby’s death united Australians across the country in grief and outrage.
Condolence motions were passed in parliament, and even Prime Minister Anthony Albanese weighed in, saying “it breaks your heart”.
“For the very first time this story brought to the surface how deeply Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people love and care for their children,” says Catherine Liddle, CEO of SNAICC, a peak body that represents Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and their families.
But the circumstances of Kumanjayi Little Baby’s alleged murder also laid bare the deep inequalities that still exist in one of the world’s wealthiest countries with many asking how this could happen, and prompting authorities to promise a review into the territory’s child protection system.
Faced with a painful, often traumatic history of policies that have targeted generations of Aboriginal communities and their children, navigating the aftermath of this tragedy is fraught with sensitivities.
Vigils were held in Alice Springs and across Australia
A beloved little girl
Kumanjayi Little Baby was a Warlpiri girl whose traditional lands are in the northwest of Alice Springs, in the Tanami Desert.
Her mother described her as a “princess” in a statement read out at a vigil held for her at Alice Springs.
She painted a picture of a beloved little girl that felt relatable to parents everywhere. A five-year-old who loved cartoons and computer games. A little sister who liked hanging out with her brother. A young student excited about starting school.
“My heart is broken into a million pieces,” her mother wrote to those attending. “I want you to know that I am having trouble knowing how I can repair it and how I can live without my little baby.”
This part of Australia is remote – the nearest city is Darwin, a 15-hour drive north. All around it is arid desert.
Aboriginal people make up about 3% of Australia’s population. In Alice Springs, that number is closer to 20%. But since colonisation, communities have been kept apart.
The Old Timers town camp, also known as Ilyperenye, where Kumanjayi Little Baby was put to bed by her mother the night she went missing, is a few kilometres south of Alice Springs, one of 16 around the town.
They first sprang up in the 1880s when Aboriginal people were displaced from their traditional lands by European settlers, but were only formalised in the 1970s after their residents asked for proper homes and basic services like electricity and piped water.
For decades prior to 1960 Aboriginal people had also been barred from entering Alice Springs which was predominantly white. There are camps in the north, south, east and west of the town – each with people speaking distinct languages and connected to different remote communities.
The camps are classified as social housing, but are effectively tiny hamlets comprising several homes. They suffer from overcrowding and residents complain of underfunding, leading to poor facilities and bad infrastructure. There are no shops, residents are sometimes left with no electricity on hot days, there is little public transport, limited internet, and roads are often bad with poor street lighting.
Experts say the poverty of the camps is a key contributor to the cases of alcoholism and domestic violence that have been reported there, adding to the pressure on their residents.
“Heavy things happen in this town and as a non-Indigenous Australian I think the colonisation story is still really present,” said Nina Lansbury, who attended last week’s vigil at the ANZAC Oval in Alice Springs.
Lansbury is an associate professor at the University of Queensland who’s been working in Tennant Creek, 500km from Alice, on public health research and housing. She says it’s clear that Kumanjayi Little Baby was not living in a house that supported her family, health and safety.
“I have a report from 1978 that I use in my research that’s from the Northern Territory that was citing all these same things – coming up to 50 years. It’s a big issue, it’s 2026 and this is still happening. Let’s hope this is a turning point.”
Sorry business
Since Kumanjayi Little Baby was found dead, many in the community here have been in what’s known as “sorry business”. This is a period of grieving among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples that involves cultural practices and ceremonies and can last days, weeks or even months.
Her family has asked that her death is respected during sorry business – and that none of what has happened be politicised.
But already, politicians across the board have been reflecting on how this happened and why a vulnerable little girl and her family weren’t sufficiently protected.
Liberal Party Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price said Kumanjayi Little Baby was a relative of hers, and broke down in Parliament, pleading for an “honest conversation” about the failures of child protection.
But other leaders point to repeated policy failures – both at a federal level and in the Northern Territory – when it comes to addressing systemic issues facing their communities.
Indigenous Australians are three times as likely to be unemployed compared to their non-Indigenous counterparts; have significantly lower life expectancies; make up 37% of the prison population and are more likely to suffer or perpetrate family violence than non-Indigenous Australians.
“The simple truth is that all governments of all persuasions over generations have not done enough to deal with what are generational challenges,” Albanese told parliament this week.
Traumatic past
The Stolen Generation is perhaps the most infamous example of failure – a shameful, decades-long national chapter that lasted until the 1970s, in which tens of thousands of Indigenous children were forcibly removed from their families as part of policies aimed at assimilation.
In 1997, a landmark report called Bringing Them Home estimated that as many as one in three Indigenous children were taken and placed in institutions and foster care where many suffered abuse and neglect.
A decade later, a federal government initiative known as the Northern Territory Intervention was brought in, to address sexual abuse of Aboriginal children in communities. But after 15 years it was scrapped and the policy was widely seen as a failure.
The most damaging thing to come out of this Intervention was the trauma put upon Aboriginal men, says Liddle.
“Men stopped bathing babies, they stopped helping out because what they heard was if you do those things, you’re a paedophile and you’re going to get locked up and your children are going to get taken away,” she says.
“[There was] fear of even going to authorities for innocent reasons because you’re scared that you’re going to be told that you’ve done something wrong,” she says.
Last week the Northern Territory Child Protection Minister Robyn Cahill announced that there would be a review into the territory’s child protection system, as well as reforms.
“I will not be a minister who abandons yet another generation of Territory kids,” Cahill said when the details of the review were announced. “The reality is we have kids in really difficult situations and for a long time people have been paralysed by the fear that they will be accused of [creating another Stolen Generation]. Children deserve to be safe – every single child in our community has a right to expect that.”
But Aboriginal organisations have criticised this. In a joint statement from Aboriginal Peak Organisations Northern Territory (APONT) and SNAICC, they said that it would “deepen an already devastating crisis, with consequences for generations of Aboriginal Territorians”.
They are particularly concerned about weakening what is known as the Aboriginal Child Placement Principle – a framework designed to keep Indigenous children connected to family. If that happens, they said, it would be tantamount to “a race-based attempt to blame Aboriginal families for conditions created by government failure”.
Aboriginal leaders say there needs to be a holistic approach that will help solve the deep social inequalities in the territory.
“When you look at the prison system in the Northern Territory, it is nearly always 100% Aboriginal children and nearly every single one of those children came out of the child protection system,” says Liddle.
Children as young as 10 can be jailed in the Northern Territory after the government there lowered the age of criminal responsibility in 2024. Its justification is that it will ultimately protect children – despite doctors, human rights organisations and Indigenous groups disputing that.
“It’s like paving a road – it’s like putting down pavers and saying here you are this is going to be your journey and by the way we’re going to lock you up at the age of 10 when something goes wrong.”
She admits that difficult conversations need to be had – but these should also encompass failures in social policy, housing, the prison system and the justice system.
“Those conversations needed to be led from community because the answers to this sit with community, they don’t sit in parliament,” argues Liddle. “You have to find out what’s actually going on and that will change depending on which community you’re sitting in, what state you’re sitting in. You also need to ensure that you’re investing in the services that we need and investing in the services that were designed by us for us.”
There’s no denying there are complex social issues that need tackling.
Generations of disenfranchisement – Aboriginal people were, for example, not granted full voting rights until 1984 – have significantly contributed to the vicious cycle of poverty, crime and worse social outcomes for some. In Alice, many sports fields and homes are fenced off to prevent youth-related crime including burglary, assault and alcohol-fuelled anti-social behaviour.
Liddle says while delinquency happens, and is not okay, it means funding is not always targeted in the best way. “There have been a lot of fences go up instead of what we really, really need, and that is the investment into ensuring that people are safe.”
For some Alice residents, there needs to be a reframing of how Aboriginal communities are seen – and supported.
Trump’s tone towards President Xi has softened considerably.
When Donald Trump strode on to a stage at a campaign rally in Indiana in 2016, he made one thing clear: China was America’s chief economic antagonist.
“We can’t continue to allow China to rape our country,” he told a crowd in Fort Wayne. “We have the cards. Don’t forget it.”
The anti-China rhetoric didn’t let up – through a decade of rallies, his 2024 campaign and into his second term.
Trump arrived back at the White House alongside key allies who made China-bashing a calling card: Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vice-President JD Vance and senior economic counsellor Peter Navarro – all united in accusing Beijing of “ripping off” America, stealing technology at an industrial scale and flooding US streets with fentanyl.
Tariffs soon followed, climbing from 10% in February 2025 to 145% by mid-April’s “Liberation Day”, as Trump called his launch of import taxes on China and scores of other US trade partners. China struck back, slapping the US with 125% tariffs and blocking rare earth exports. A trade war was under way.
Then came this week’s visit to Beijing.
Trump stepped on to a red carpet at the Great Hall of the People to hundreds of flag-waving children and a military band belting out the Star-Spangled Banner.
“It’s an honour to be with you,” Trump told Chinese President Xi Jinping. “It’s an honour to be your friend, and the relationship between China and the US is going to be better than ever before.”
Trump soon hailed “fantastic trade deals”, although no major breakthrough was confirmed. Chipmaker Nvidia was reportedly given a go-ahead to sell semiconductors to 10 Chinese companies and Boeing secured an order for 200 aircraft. Citi was granted an approval to operate a securities business in China.
But amid the pleasantries and softened positions, hardline positions against China reflect the traditionally more hawkish stance of Trump’s Republican Party.
Less than a week before the summit, the US state department sanctioned three Chinese firms for providing satellite imagery to Iran to help strike US forces in the Middle East.
And outstanding issues remain – chiefly Taiwan, the self-ruled island viewed by Beijing as a renegade province. Trump delivered few details on the fate of a delayed $14bn arms sale viewed as essential by Democrats and Republican China “hawks” alike.
Ahead of the visit, a bipartisan group of senators sent a letter urging Trump to move ahead with the sale and “formally” notify his Chinese counterpart.
“On Taiwan, he [Xi] feels very strongly. I made no commitment either way,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One, adding that he would make a “determination over the next fairly short period” about the arms sale.
Notably, the Chinese read-out of the meeting made Taiwan its central point, arguing that a failure to address the issue could lead to “clashes and even conflicts, putting the entire relationship in great jeopardy”. The White House read-out made no mention of Taiwan.
The Chinese statement was seen as a threat by some within the broader Make America Great Again movement.
“I am shocked, given how much people wanted to make this into a positive spirit, he [Xi] started with a threat,” former Trump strategist Steve Bannon told Politico. “It was so brazen and so blatant, that they made this at the very top.”
However, even the most ardent China hawks on Capitol Hill and among Trump’s allies stayed largely silent after the trip, offering little reaction to Trump’s friendly tone and non-committal statements on Taiwan.
For China experts in the US, the lack of reaction came as no surprise.
“If you had 50 presidential summits in one month or one year, it still wouldn’t change the fact that there are some issues on which the US and China are simply never going to agree,” David Firestein, president and CEO of the George HW Bush Foundation for US-China Relations, told the BBC.
“That doesn’t mean it’s not going to be a successful summit,” he added.
Trump’s softening rhetoric and tone, Firestein added, could reflect an acknowledgement that the tactics used in the years after his last visit in 2017 have not worked.
“We still have the same problems today with market access, intellectual property rights, subsidies…the list goes on,” he said. “None of those problems have been solved after eight years of having these tariffs on the books.”
David Sacks, a fellow for Asia studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, said that the softening of Trump’s tone will likely trickle down to other officials, Republican lawmakers and Trump’s wider base.
“Unlike the first Trump administration, and frankly, any other US administration in recent memory, this is much more top down,” he said. “I think those in the administration are, mostly, in the role of implementation.”
Sacks’ comments were echoed by Stephen Orlins, president at the National Committee on US-China Relations.
REAL Housewives of Rhode Island star Dino Guilmette is facing life in prison after he was caught allegedly smuggling kilos of cocaine into the US from the Caribbean.
In court records obtained by The U.S. Sun, the RHORI star was hit with seven felony charges stemming from an incident on November 10, 2021.
Dino, best known as RHORI star and Cannabis Queen Liz McGraw’s close friend and confidant, was alleged to have been “selling large quantities of cocaine, believed to be in kilogram quantities, in the State of Rhode Island,” according to a Rhode Island State Police RISP affidavit published by GoLocalProvidence.
Dino, 48, and another individual whose identity was redacted, “were believed to be smuggling kilograms of cocaine into the State of Rhode Island from an unknown Caribbean island,” per the affidavit.
He has been charged with possessing a controlled substance with intent to distribute, drug conspiracy, perjury, conspiracy, obtaining property by false pretense, and giving a false document to an agent.
The drug conspiracy charge carries a possible sentence of life in prison.
The case against Dino is ongoing, and he has an upcoming hearing in June.
Liz, 55, scored a coveted cannabis dispensary license in the nation’s smallest state back in 2023.
The Real Housewives star and Dino have been plagued by allegations of an affair.
In the second episode of RHORI, the other women confronted Liz about a rumor that she was having an affair.
While she shut down the gossip, she did open up about how close she is with Dino Guilmette, a mutual friend of her and Gerry.
She laughed it off, saying “We can pretend [it’s true] because it makes a great story, but no.”
Meanwhile, Liz’s husband, Gerry, is often away for long stretches of time on fishing expeditions.
“When Gerry wasn’t here, I was always with Dino,” Liz said.
AN OUTBREAK of Ebola has been declared in the Democratic Republic of Congo following a new strain.
A total of 65 people have already been killed across the Ituri province in the northeast of the country, and another 246 suspected cases have been recorded.
So far, only four of the deaths are laboratory-confirmed cases – but the new outbreak was confirmed after many suspected cases.
Fears are now mounting over the spread of the deadly virus in the area, which sits on the border with South Sudan and Uganda.
Officials at the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said the majority of the fatalities and suspected cases have been recorded in the Mongwalu and Rwampara health zones.
“Four deaths have been reported among laboratory-confirmed cases,” it added in a statement.
“Suspected cases have also been reported in Bunia, pending confirmation.”
Preliminary laboratory results have reportedly detected the Ebola virus in 13 of 20 samples tested.
So far, testing suggests a non-Zaire Ebola virus. Sequencing is ongoing to further characterise the strain, with results expected within the next 24 hours.
Dr Gabriel Nsakala, a professor of public health who has been involved in past Ebola outbreak responses in Congo, said that vaccine efforts would become clearer when the strain in the new outbreak is confirmed.
Africa CDC said there is also risk of spread due to the intense population movement and attacks by armed groups that have killed dozens and displaced thousands in parts of Ituri province in the past year.
There are also gaps in contact tracing, the agency said, as authorities race to find those who might have been exposed to the virus.
An urgent high-level coordination meeting with health authorities from Congo, Uganda and South Sudan is taking place today.
It will focus on immediate response priorities, cross-border coordination, surveillance, safe and dignified burials and resource mobilisation, among other areas.
The new outbreak comes about five months after the DRC’s last bout was declared to be over, leaving 43 people dead.
This also means that health workers on the ground have a high level of experience, in addition to existing infrastructure such as laboratories, said Nsakala.
“Now, the expertise and equipment need to be delivered quickly,” he added.
The Ebola outbreak follows the alarming spread of hantavirus, after cases were first identified on the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius.
Three people – a Dutch couple and a German national – have died since the outbreak on the Dutch luxury cruise ship, that departed Argentina on a polar expedition on April 1.
XI Jinping asked if the US would defend Taiwan in an invasion, says Donald Trump – amid fears the conflict could spark World War Three.
The US president said the pair talked a lot about the fate of the island during his high-stakes diplomatic summit in Beijing.
Donald Trump has said that Xi Jinping asked if the US would defend Taiwan in an invasion
Trump said he refused to comment on Washington’s loyalties to Taiwan after years of Xi vowing to reunify the island with mainland China by force.
As he made his way back to Washington, Trump said: “On Taiwan he [Xi] feels very strongly, I made no commitment either way.”
“There’s only one person that knows that, and it is me.”
He added that he would “make a determination over a fairly short period” on whether to continue US-sanctioned arms sales to Taiwan.
He claimed Xi even formally questioned him over how protective the US would be over Taiwan.
“That question was asked to me today by President Xi. I said, I don’t talk about that,” Trump explained.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, he added he doesn’t believe Xi would want to start a conflict over the issue.
China has been plotting an aggressive land grab by ramping up military exercises in the South China Sea surrounding Taiwan.
Beijing believes it holds genuine claims over the territory.
But the US remains Taiwan’s most important international backer and their weapons supplier, despite a lack of formal diplomatic ties.
Taipei has fired a stark warning to Beijing, vowing to ready itself for all-out war within two years amid China’s intimidation.
In November, President Lai Ching-te announced that he will be accelerating defence spending by £30.6billion to have a “high level” of joint combat readiness by 2027.
Lai accused Xi Jinping of “speeding up military preparations to take Taiwan by force” as tensions reached a boiling point.
Taiwan has escalated its military spending over the past decade, but Trump‘s administration have urged the island to do more to protect itself.
Ahead of the crunch summit Kerry Brown, former First Secretary at the British Embassy in Beijing told The Sun the issue of Taiwan will be one of the biggest issues between the two nations.
He said: “China will not take US meddling in Taiwan sitting down.
A LUXURY watch release has sparked chaotic lines with collectors and savvy resellers queuing up for days amid complaints of a foul stench and medical emergencies.
The atmosphere outside the Swatch flagship store in Times Square on Friday was akin to something out of The Hunger Games, with some having set up tents as early as last Sunday.
People wait in line outside the Swatch store in Times Square, New York City, to purchase the Swatch x Audemars Piguet Collaboration Royal Pop timepieceCredit: Spencer Clinton/The U.S. Sun
Dozens of people have been camping out at stores worldwide for a chance to buy the new mechanical pocket watch – a collaboration between Swatch and luxury giant Audemars Piguet.
The watch is expected to go on sale for $400–$500, with a projected resale value of up to $3,200.
Spot-holders are already being offered thousands of dollars to walk away from the high-stakes vigil, which is set to culminate when the watches finally go on sale at 10am Saturday.
While many were able to have friends and family save their spots for food and bathroom breaks, others complained of the smell, as some chose to relieve themselves in line rather than risk losing their place.
Bianca Colon, 31, was in line for her nephew, who had to grab his paycheck.
“I’m so mad at him, I can’t believe he’s been out here for four days doing this,” she told The U.S. Sun.
“But he wants the watch, he deserves it, he works hard for it, so I support him.
“I heard about it on Instagram, when my nephew told me, ‘I’m going on the line.’ I said, ‘You’re crazy.’
“He had a tent, but then they made him take it down.”
Although it had been calm during her few hours there, she admitted, “The stench is horrendous. And you see a lot of different characters here, you see the normals, you see the crazies.”
One woman suffered a suspected overdose on Thursday, with Bianca admitting, “I’ve never seen that before, I was kind of shocked.
“I hope everyone stays safe, and I hope everything goes as planned.”
Despite the horrors, many were upbeat about being in the situation and couldn’t wait to get their hands on the watch.
Kris Brews, 31, said she began lining up on Monday with friends, admitting, “I’m just here for the vibes, to be honest,” saying it felt like a vacation meeting different people from all walks of life.
“I’m probably just going to sell it. I’m looking to get like $4,000 from it. I already got offered $2,000 for my seat.”
Asked why she wouldn’t give up her spot, she said, “For the fun of it, just to see how this goes, and I believe I can do it.”
Kris said she’d been trying to stay as “chill” as possible, smoking weed and getting to know others in the line, but feared people were going to start to try to push in front of her as time went on.
“I think it’s going to get really hectic, people are going to try and skip (the line), it’s just gonna be nuts,” she said.
“But I have a pretty big team, so hopefully everything works out.”
She added, “Hopefully, there’ll be more cops here to help.”
Teacher Paris Underwood, 30, admitted he’d skipped lessons to get in line.
“I called out [sick] just to be in this line,” he laughed.
“I don’t normally call out of work but when I do it’s necessary and I felt it called for it now.
“A message to my kids, Mr. Underwood will be back on Monday.
What began as a disturbing opinion piece by Nicholas Kristof in The New York Times has now spiralled into a global debate. In his piece in the NYT, Kristof alleges the use of dogs to rape Palestinian prisoners by Israeli forces. Amid the repulsion it has triggered, experts are debating if human penetration by dogs is biologically feasible.
Since the Israel-Hamas war began, released Palestinian detainees have alleged torture, violence and sexual abuse inside Israeli prisons. (Image for representation: Getty)
Can dogs penetrate humans? This is not the kind of question that usually dominates public platforms or discussions. But an explosive and disturbing opinion piece in The New York Times (NYT) published on May 11 claiming that the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) used dogs to sexually assault Palestinian prisoners has sparked outrage and debate. The column by NYT’s op-ed columnist and CNN contributor Nicholas Kristof, was based on the accounts of 14 male and female Palestinian prisoners.
In the NYT opinion piece, which is also accompanied by a video, Kristof alleged that Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons were sexually abused “using dogs” by personnel linked to the IDF. This sparked outrage, disbelief, and an intense debate over the credibility and implications of such claims.
The Israeli government has rejected the allegations, and on Friday sued the NYT for publishing the article. “I instructed my legal advisers to consider the harshest legal action against The New York Times and Nicholas Kristof,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted on X on Thursday.
Netanyahu says that the NYT and Kristof defamed the soldiers of Israel and tried to blood libel with rape allegations rape.
“They defamed the soldiers of Israel and perpetuated a blood libel about rape, trying to create a false symmetry between the genocidal terrorists of Hamas and Israel’s valiant soldiers,” Israeli PM added.
He also asserted that Israel will not be silent and the truth will prevail.
“Under my leadership, Israel will not be silent. We will fight these lies in the court of public opinion and in the court of law. Truth will prevail,” Netanyahu said.
The use of rape as a weapon has been a disturbing constant in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Israel launched its war in the Gaza Strip following the October 7, 2023, attack by the Palestinian terrorist outfit Hamas, which Israeli authorities said involved killings, hostage-taking, and sexual violence against Israeli women. In the unprecedented assault, thousands of Hamas militants breached the border into southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people (mostly civilians) and taking more than 240 hostages back into Gaza. Blood on the trousers of Israeli women taken hostage indicated they had been subjected to rape during the attack.
According to reports, Israel has held nearly 9,000 Palestinian detainees in its prisons since the war broke out between Israel and Hamas. There have been multiple allegations by Palestinian prisoners who were released by the IDF that there was widespread violence, torture, and also rapes inside the Israeli prisons by defence personnel.
The NYT opinion has now gone to the extent of alleging that the “IDF uses dogs to rape prisoners inside the jails”.
WAS RAPED BY A DOG INSIDE ISRAELI PRISON, SAYS PALESTINIAN JOURNALIST
In the op-ed, Kristof says that he visited the “West Bank to talk with Palestinians” who experienced “sexual assault firsthand” by Israeli soldiers, settlers, and prison guards. He claims that the “harrowing accounts”, backed by lawyers, surveys, and international reports, suggest that sexual violence by “Israelis against Palestinians is widespread”.
One Palestinian journalist told Kristof that he had been “held down” and “raped by a dog”. The NYT opinion by Nicholas Kristof had more witnesses who backed this claim of dogs being used to rape prisoners.
“With encouragement from a handler in Hebrew (an Israeli prison), the Gaza-based journalist said, the dog mounted him. They (IDF soldiers) were using cameras to take photos, and he heard their laughs and giggles. He tried to dislodge the dog, but it penetrated him,” Kristof wrote in his NYT opinion piece.
Kristof also claimed that he spoke to some more detainees who have also testified to having gone through the same experience.
DOGS CANNOT BE USED TO PENETRATE, ARGUE SOME EXPERTS
After the op-ed was published by the NYT, a massive debate started on whether dogs can penetrate humans. People claimed online that they began researching whether this is actually possible.
“It’s impossible to train dogs for this; this is absurd propaganda,” posted Emily Schrader, an Israeli journalist, reacting to Kristof’s article in the NYT.
“Dogs cannot anatomically rape humans. As a physician, I thought I would just point that out. Why are antisemites such idiots?” a US-based physician, Dr Sheila Nazarian, wrote on X.
“Meanwhile, the ‘Jewish rape dogs’ hoax has been refuted not because it’s a slur against Jews, but because the American Kennel Club attests it’s an impossibility for dogs,” wrote David Frum, a writer for The Atlantic and host of The David Frum Show.
Frum’s post on X was, however, contested by a community note.
Eli Lake, writing for The Free Press, said Kristof’s dog rape story “doesn’t pass muster”. Lake quotes inputs from Brandon McMillan, a three-time Emmy-winning host of CBS’s Lucky Dog, who has decades in training animals, for argument.
“The story of trained rape dogs does not hold up. Let’s start with what is known about the biology of male dogs. Their penises are small and thin. They become erect only when they smell the pheromones of a female dog in heat,” wrote Lake. “Brandon McMillan told me he had never heard of a dog who was trained to rape a human being and doubted this was possible.”
CAN DOGS PENETRATE HUMANS? WHAT SCIENCE SAYS
Medical and forensic reports suggest that sexual penetration of humans by dogs is anatomically possible, and scientific experts describe it as extremely dangerous, abusive, and potentially life-threatening.
Several peer-reviewed case reports published in medical journals have documented severe anal and rectal injuries linked to dog-human sexual contact, including tearing, internal bleeding, infections, and cases where the animal’s genital “locking” mechanism caused additional trauma.
Veterinary forensic studies have also discussed evidence collection in cases involving alleged dog penetration of humans.
According to reports published in SAGE Journals, male dogs possess a penile structure known as the bulbus glandis, which swells after penetration and can temporarily “lock” during intercourse, a biological mechanism common in canine mating that can also increase the risk of injury in humans.
Medical experts warn that such acts can cause perforation, hemorrhage, infections, and transmission of zoonotic diseases. Researchers and veterinary experts also say that animals cannot consent, making such acts a form of animal abuse and bestiality.
“I draw the line at arguing over mechanics of dog rape,” wrote Megan K Stack, who also contributes to the New York Times’s Opinion section, on X.
“I share @megankstack’s exasperation, but to those who say that canine rape is impossible, despite the many Palestinians who have described it, I’d note that at least three different medical journal articles discuss rectal injuries in humans from anal penetration by dogs. Sigh,” wrote Kristof on X, sharing Stack’s post.
THE RECURRING ALLEGATIONS OF ISRAELI PRISON VIOLENCE
There is no evidence available that the Israeli leadership ordered rape inside prisons. But there have been allegations that the political leadership of the country has built a security apparatus where sexual violence is a major ill-treatment of Palestinians, the NYT opinion said.
Several news reports earlier alleged that Israel treats its Palestinian prisoners “very harshly”.
“The prison guards, three of them, took me into a bathroom and stripped me completely naked before forcing me to the ground. I was hoping to die and be done with that, as the pain was not only caused by the rape, but also from the severe and painful beating,” Ahmed, a Palestinian detainee in an Israeli prison, told the BBC in 2024. “The assault lasted 15 to 20 minutes, during which guards also squeezed my genitals,” Ahmed added.
B’Tselem, The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, has also cited some Palestinian detainees who recounted the horror in Israeli prisons.
“During the torture, one of the soldiers raped me,” Tamer Qarmut, a former detainee in the Israeli prison, was quoted by B’Tselem. Qarmut said the soldier used a stick to penetrate him even as he was screaming, and then shoved it into his mouth.
Ibrahim Fuda, another prisoner, said, “I’m still suffering from severe trauma. They held me naked, and soldiers set dogs on me that attacked me.” Fuda described to B’Tselem how his private parts were attacked as part of torture.
One prisoner whose name was disclosed told B’Tselem that he saw prisoners who were sexually assaulted. Some were attacked by dogs in sensitive areas, and after that, had urgent surgery carried out. Some prisoners bled from the rectum and urethra.
DOG RAPE A MODERN DAY “BLOOD LIBEL”, SAYS NIKKI HALEY
After the NYT article alleged that the IDF personnel used dogs to rape Palestinian prisoners, the former Governor of South Carolina, Nikki Haley, labelled the “dog rape” allegations as “modern-day blood libel”.
Blood libel is a centuries-old antisemitic conspiracy theory that falsely accused Jewish people of killing non-Jews for their blood to be used in Jewish rituals. It has no factual basis.
“Claiming Israel trains dogs to rape Palestinians is modern-day blood libel, propaganda pushed as more horrific details emerge about Hamas’ systematic torture on Oct. 7,” Haley posted on X on Thursday.
“For being Jewish, Hamas raped a woman and burnt half of her face off in front of her husband; shoved nails, metal, and sharp objects into Israeli women; forced family members to sexually assault each other so that if they survived, they would be traumatized by the sight of each other; raped corpses; the list goes on. Distracting from these atrocities and smearing Israel while victims still fight for acknowledgment is sickening,” she added.
American journalist Mehdi Hasan claimed that there is no denying the torture that goes on against Palestinian prisoners in Israel. “As much as people might want to dispute or challenge the claims of dog rape, there’s simply no denying the torture that goes on against Palestinians inside Israeli prisons,” Hasan posted on X Thursday.
“It’s been documented by the UN and every major human rights group, including Israeli human rights groups,” Hasan added.
There are also videos on social media of Israeli comedians and TV panelists talking about “dog rape” or rape of Palestinian men in general in a mocking way. These videos predate the NYT article.
On Christmas Eve 2024, Elianis Caridad Morejón Pérez, a young Cuban woman, told her mother by phone that she had put on a life jacket and was boarding a boat to travel from southern Mexico toward the United States. It was her final message from San José El Hueyate, a town in the state of Chiapas, before disappearing alongside 39 other migrants from Cuba, Honduras and Ecuador while traveling a maritime route known as one of the most dangerous paths used by smugglers.
Earlier this month her mother, Isis Pérez, arrived in that same village near the Guatemalan border to search for her, alongside other relatives of the disappeared. Together, they scoured the San José El Hueyate pier, navigated the Pacific coast by boat, and canvassed local merchants and residents for any information.
No one Pérez spoke with could provide concrete information, but many recalled that, before the start of the second Trump administration in January 2025, a steady flow of vehicles would arrive, carrying migrants who would then be transported by sea
That migratory flow plummeted last year as the U.S. ramped up deportations, either sending migrants to their home countries or to third-party nations willing to accept them.
“As family members, we live in constant torment and anguish, longing to find them,” said Óscar Hernández, a Honduran man who traveled to Chiapas in hopes of locating his brother, who is among the disappeared.
The International Organization for Migration’s Missing Migrants Project has recorded the disappearance or death of 11,475 migrants on the route from South America to the United States since 2014. More than half of them were in Mexico.
According to a recent IOM report, several smuggling seaports have been identified since 2021. Migrants typically board small, twin-engine boats in Puerto de Ocós, Guatemala, before stopping to refuel and resupply in the Chiapas ports of Puerto Madero, San José, Barra de Zacapulco, and Paredón. They eventually disembark in Salina Cruz or Huatulco, Oaxaca, to continue their journey northward by land.
The 40 migrants who vanished in late 2024 were racing to reach the U.S. before U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term, fearing he would dismantle the more flexible immigration policies of his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden, according to family members of some of the disappeared.
Cubans Meiling Álvarez Bravo, 41, and her 15-year-old son, Samei Armando Reyes Álvarez, were among those who vanished.
“On Dec. 21, 2024, at 8 a.m., she told me they were going to have breakfast because they were about to cross toward Mexico City by boat,” recounted Julia Margarita Bravo Díaz, Meiling’s mother and the boy’s grandmother.
Her daughter and grandson had flown from Cuba to Nicaragua before traveling overland through Honduras and Guatemala into Mexico. However, at the start of their journey, they were unaware that their path toward the U.S. border would eventually take them by sea, according to family members of four of those missing.
In a series of posts on X, the Republican senator from Missouri attacked the US employment-based visa system, alleging it suppresses local wages and creates a global “Visa Cartel” that displaces American workers.
He said programmes such as H-1B, L-1, F-1 and OPT are “hollowing” Americans
US Senator Eric Schmitt sparked an online controversy by targeting Hyderabad’s Chilkur Balaji Temple, popularly known as the “Visa Temple”, while he was criticising the US H-1B visa programme.
In a series of posts on X, the Republican senator from Missouri attacked the US employment-based visa system, alleging it suppresses local wages and creates a global “Visa Cartel” that displaces American workers.
He claimed that programmes such as H-1B, L-1, F-1 and Optional Practical Training (OPT) are “hollowing” the American middle class.
“Billions now flow to India for AI training instead, subsidised by Americans,” he wrote on X.
To illustrate his claims, Schmitt shared a photo of the Chilkur Balaji Temple, stating that it is a “Visa Temple” that Indians or the “Visa Cartel” pray at for getting their visas successfully granted.
“The “Visa Cartel” has its own “Visa Temple” in Hyderabad, which sees thousands of Indians circling altars and getting passports blessed for U.S. work visas. American workers shouldn’t have to compete against a system this gamed”, Schmitt wrote in a post on X.
In a separate tweet, he alleged that foreign students, of whom almost half are Indians, get taxpayer-subsidised work permits and corporations do not get any payroll taxes or wage rules.
“They flow into H-1B, then green cards, while U.S. grads with debt compete against cheaper labour,” he said.
Taking the argument further, Schmitt said that is not where the “cartel’s work is done”. He said Indian visa holders share confidential questions that are asked in interviews with other applicants from India.
“Big Tech quietly locks out Americans by routing jobs through these pipelines. Merit is now replaced by ethnic favoritism”, he wrote.
Rescuers carry the body of a person recovered from under the debris at the site of an apartment building damaged during Russian missile and drone strikes, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine in this handout picture released on May 14, 2026. (Photo: Reuters/Press service of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Kyiv)
KYIV: Russia carried out its largest aerial attack over a two-day period since the start of its war in Ukraine, pounding the capital Kyiv and other cities with hundreds of drones, Ukrainian officials said on Thursday (May 14).
Russia had launched 1,567 drones since the start of Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. At least 27 civilians have been killed over the two days, officials said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that the war, which has killed hundreds of thousands and ravaged swathes of Ukraine over more than four years, was “coming to an end”.
But, as Moscow launched what Ukraine said were more than 670 attack drones and 56 missiles overnight, Zelenskyy did not sound positive.
“These are definitely not the actions of those who believe the war is coming to an end,” Zelenskyy said.
“It’s important that partners do not remain silent about this strike. And it is equally important to continue supporting the protection of our skies.”
Kyiv was the main target of the overnight strikes, Zelenskyy said. Ukraine’s State Emergency Services said at least 21 people, including three children, were killed in the capital and Mayor Vitali Klitschko announced a day of mourning for Friday.
In a statement issued after midnight, the Emergency Services said rescue operations were continuing round the clock.
There was no immediate comment from Moscow on Thursday’s attacks.
Reuters TV footage from Kyiv showed emergency workers moving carefully across piles of rubble and cutting through concrete at the site of a strike on a nine-storey residential building where an entire section had been destroyed.
Speaking in his nightly video address, Zelenskyy said that, according to initial analysis, a recently manufactured Russian Kh-101 missile had struck the building. He called for renewed diplomatic efforts to keep such technology out of Russian hands.
“There were people there, children. What happened to them? You have to understand, an entire building collapsed,” Alla Komisarova, 74, a pensioner, told Reuters on the site of the strike, holding back tears.
“I heard something flying, it’s flying nearby … And then there was such a terrible sound, and our house, which is opposite (to the one hit) jumped and staggered.”
DAMAGE ACROSS UKRAINE
More than 1,500 rescue workers have been deployed across Ukraine to deal with the aftermath of the strikes, including nearly 600 in Kyiv.
Zelenskyy said that overall 180 facilities had been damaged in Ukraine, including more than 50 residential buildings.
He said a UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs vehicle had come under fire from drones during a humanitarian mission in the southern city of Kherson.
In Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, 28 people, including three children, were wounded and civilian infrastructure was targeted, regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said.
Ukraine’s energy ministry said electricity supplies in 11 regions had been disrupted. The strikes also targeted port infrastructure in the southern Odesa region and railways, officials said.
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said the attack – while US President Donald Trump is visiting China – showed Russia wanted to continue fighting despite Washington’s peace push, and that pressure was needed on Moscow to end the war.
“I am certain that the leaders of the United States and China have enough leverage over Moscow to tell Putin to finally end the war,” he wrote on X.
Andriy Yermak resigned in November 2025, after investigators raided his home in a sweeping corruption probe.
Yermak was broadly regarded as the second most powerful figure in Ukraine after Zelenskyy [FILE: February 3, 2023]Image: Ukrainian Presidency/ABACA/picture allianceUkraine’s anti-corruption court on Thursday ordered the pretrial detention of Andriy Yermak, a close ally of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on suspicion of money laundering, according to prosecutors.
The court set bail at 140 million hryvnias ($3.19 million, €2.72 million), allowing Yermak to be released pending a final ruling in his case. Yermak denies the allegations.
“I don’t have that kind of money, and my lawyer will now work with friends and acquaintances (to raise the money for bail),” Yermak told reporters after the court’s decision. “My legal team will file an appeal. We will use every legal avenue to seek justice and the truth.”
Yermak, Zelenskyy’s former chief of staff, had been Ukraine’s lead negotiator in talks with the United States. He stepped down in November last year amid a corruption probe.
Investigation widens to Zelenskyy inner circle
Prosecutors accuse Yermak of involvement in a 460-million-hryvnia money-laundering scheme linked to a housing development outside Kyiv. The case is being handled by Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office.
The investigation is part of a broader probe by Ukraine’s anti-graft agencies that investigators say involves officials and associates close to Zelenskyy in an alleged $100 million kickback scheme.
Investigators allege the officials pressured contractors to pay up to 15% in kickbacks in exchange for construction business with Energoatom, the state-owned nuclear energy company.
As Japanese society changes, many elderly people find themselves isolated and facing a “lonely death.” Government agencies and private groups are working hard to give them a new lease on life.
Nearly 77,000 people died in isolation in the 12 months preceding April 2025, according to the Japanese governmentImage: Behrouz Mehri/AFP
Japan is facing a rising number of “lonely deaths,” or people dying in isolation, despite government efforts to stem the tide. The issue has become such a part of modern society here that it even has its own term, “kodokushi” — making up close to 5% of Japan’s overall death rate.
Statistics released by the government and police in late April showed that 76,941 people died “lonely deaths” across Japan in the 2025 fiscal year, which ended on March 31. That is 921 cases more than the previous year.
Authorities estimate that 22,222 of the total “lonely deaths” were also “koritsushi,” meaning that the person’s body was not found for at least eight days. In 7,148 incidents, approximately 9% of the total, the body was not discovered for more than one month.
Elderly people accounted for the vast majority of “lonely deaths,” although the statistics included 57 teenagers and 753 people in their 20s. The rise has prompted a debate about loneliness and isolation in modern Japan.
“Japan’s society has changed a lot in a very short space of time,” said Izumi Tsuji, a professor of the sociology of culture at Tokyo’s Chuo University.
“There are many contributing factors, but I feel the biggest has been the end of the traditional nuclear family and the shift that we have seen towards individualization, or people living alone,” he told DW.
Isolation of urban tower blocks
For at least three decades, Japan has been experiencing a decline in its rural population as young people left villages and small towns for greater education opportunities and, subsequently, better job prospects. The communities they left behind now have few young residents. Elderly people are increasingly isolated and many of them are dying alone.
“When I was a child, I grew up in a house with my parents and two of my grandparents,” said Tsuji. “And it was perfectly normal to be in a home with multiple generations of the family. That was only a few decades ago, but that sort of living arrangement is rare now and virtually unheard of in the cities.”
Life in Japan’s big cities carries its own problems, Tsuji points out, as people typically move into apartments in tall accommodation complexes and are only on nodding terms with their neighbors, at best.
“Japanese people never used to live in tower blocks,” he said. “We lived in communities where houses were surrounded by open areas where all the children played together and you spoke with your neighbors every day. You knew these people and, if someone in the community was in need of something, there was always a support mechanism in place.”
Government pushing against isolation of the elderly
Tsuji says human connection is critical to mental health. “Now, anyone living in an apartment block is closed off and isolated,” he said. ” I do not think humans are meant to live like that. I think we need relationships with the people around us, to speak and interact with people.”
The professor has a radical solution — he calls for residential blocks to be knocked down and for the people to return to more close-knit community living. While that is likely to be a very tough sell for the Japanese government, the authorities also acknowledge that “kodokushi” is a problem that needs to be addressed, and quickly, as Japanese population continues to age.
In 2021, the government created the post of minister for loneliness and isolation, with the task of fighting the country’s relatively high suicide rate and mental health problems among both children and adults.
In April 2024, the government enacted the Loneliness and Isolation Countermeasures Act to encourage local authorities to establish specialist agencies with trained staff to reach out to people living alone and to make them feel part of their community. A key element of that is breaking the stigma surrounding the problem and encouraging seniors to accept help, even if they insist on living independently and not relying on others.
The BRICS bloc faces major challenges as foreign ministers meet in India, bringing Iran and the UAE face-to-face. The conflict in the Gulf and disruptions to oil supplies dominate the agenda.
India is the 2026 chair of the BRICS grouping of nationsImage: Arun Sankar/AFP
Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar called for “safe, unimpeded maritime flows” through international waters, including the Strait of Hormuz, as the politically divided BRICS nations gathered in New Delhi on Thursday.
“We meet at a time of considerable flux in international relations,” Jaishankar said in his opening remarks. “There is a growing expectation, particularly from emerging markets and developing countries, that BRICS will play a constructive and stabilizing role,” he said.
Jaishankar’s call for stability comes amid internal divisions within the grouping that has expanded over the course of the years.
BRICS now includes Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in addition to the original members, Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
Not all BRICS nations see eye to eye
BRICS members Iran and UAE were especially at odds ahead of the meeting because of the Iran war.
Experts now fear that the grouping may struggle to agree on a common formulation to even describe US-Isarel war on Iran and the broader conflict in the Middle East.
Jaishankar also called on leaders to “address the increasing resort to unilateral coercive measures and sanctions inconsistent with international law and the UN Charter.”
Why is BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting so important?
The BRICS bloc of emerging economies has long sought to present itself as a counterweight to Western dominance.
South Africa joined in 2010, and the group expanded again in January 2024 to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. Indonesia became a full member in 2025.
Thursday’s meeting also comes against the backdrop of the US-Israeli war with Iran that has disrupted critical global supplies of oil, gas, and raw materials.
Talks about energy security high on the table
India, the BRICS Chair for 2026, is also facing a shortage of foreign currency reserves. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged citizens to avoid buying gold for a year and conserve fuel to help manage the crisis.
Talks are expected to focus on energy security, the Strait of Hormuz, and trade in local currencies.
Iran calls for unequivocal condemnation of US, Isarel
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called on other BRICS members to unequivocally condemn the US and Israeli attacks against Iran — a demand likely to be rejected by several members, including the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Araghchi’s remarks came hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said that he had secretly visited the UAE during the US-Israel war with Iran to strengthen ties.
US Iran war highlights: Peace talks between Iran and the US remain stalled and tensions continue to flare up in the Strait of Hormuz, adding to the ongoing energy crisis
US-Iran war highlights: As the peace talks between the United States and Iran remain in limbo, former US President Barack Obama has defended the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. Speaking to CBS, Obama stated that the US managed to get 97 per cent of Iran’s enriched uranium out, without triggering a regional dispute and killing thousands.
“We pulled it off without firing a missile,” Obama said. “We got 97 per cent of their enriched uranium out. There’s no dispute that it worked. And we didn’t have to kill a whole bunch of people or shut down the Strait of Hormuz,” he added further.
Chinese vessels allowed to pass Hormuz
Meanwhile, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on Thursday said around 30 vessels had transited through the Strait of Hormuz since Wednesday evening with Tehran’s permission, Reuters news agency reported citing state media.
Iran has also begun allowing some Chinese vessels to transit through the Strait of Hormuz after an understanding was reached over Iranian management protocols for the waterway, the semi-official Fars news agency reported Thursday citing an informed source.
This comes even as the White House stated that both US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping had agreed on the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and on Iran never having a nuclear weapon.
Trump visits China
Trump is in China and is meeting his Chinese counterpart President Xi Jinping. One of Trump’s key goals is to get China to join a nuclear arms agreement, and the Beijing trip could present an opportunity to negotiate on arms reduction.
In recent years, China has intensified efforts to expand its nuclear program – including flattening villages to construct buildings supporting nuclear weapons production facilities, a recent CNN investigation found. Traveling with Trump are top officials and more than a dozen business leaders, including Tim Cook and Elon Musk.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said that he made a “covert” visit to the United Arab Emirates and met with UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. However, the UAE has denied that the Israeli Prime Minister visited, or that it hosted a delegation from the Israeli military.
Twice this week, U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed interest in turning Venezuela into his country’s 51st state. The latest came via a Truth Social post Tuesday with a map showing the South American country filled with the U.S. flag.
Previous statements doubting Venezuela’s sovereignty over the past 25 years have been met with immediate derision from senior government officials, including the president. The ruling party even organized demonstrations in the capital, Caracas, as recently as Jan. 3, hours after then-President Nicolás Maduro was captured by the U.S., that included chants of “Gringo go home.” This time around, however, the government has mostly kept quiet, save for a brief statement to reporters Monday from acting President Delcy Rodríguez.
The approach demonstrates the balance Rodríguez must strike between external and internal politics following the January U.S. military attack in Caracas. The Trump administration has since implemented a phased plan to try to turn around the crisis-wrecked country and has forced Rodríguez’s political movement, Chavismo, to abandon the anti-U.S. sentiment that long accompanied its teachings.
“This is probably the most public and sharp manifestation of the government’s transactional, self-survival approach above everything else right now, above even that sort of basic tenet of Chavismo,” said Christopher Sabatini, senior fellow for Latin America at the London-based Chatham House think tank. “It’s better that they hold their tongue, not offend the U.S. right now. Why overreact to a ridiculous claim by Donald Trump?”
Rodríguez on Monday told journalists that Venezuela had no plans to become the 51st U.S. state, but her comments were much more reserved than past presidential addresses deriding these types of U.S remarks. They came after Trump said he was “seriously considering” the move. Trump has made similar comments about Canada.
“We will continue to defend our integrity, our sovereignty, our independence, our history,” Rodríguez said. Venezuela, she added, is “not a colony, but a free country.”
The Trump administration stunned Venezuelans by choosing to work with Rodríguez, instead of the country’s political opposition, following Maduro’s ouster. She has since led cooperation with the administration’s phased plan, pitching her oil-rich nation to international investors and opening its energy sector to private capital and international arbitration. Rodríguez has also replaced senior officials, including Maduro’s faithful defense minister and attorney general.
Trump has praised her work, and his administration has lifted economic sanctions against her personally and eased sanctions against the country, though some still remain in place. The U.S. now also recognizes her as the “sole” head of state of Venezuela.
The U.S. stopped recognizing Maduro as Venezuela’s legitimate leader in 2019, the year after he claimed reelection victory in a contest widely considered a sham as opposition parties and candidates were barred from participating.
Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were taken to New York to face drug trafficking charges after their Jan. 3 capture. Both have pleaded not guilty and remain jailed at a Brooklyn detention center.
In Caracas, some residents on Wednesday viewed the government’s response as submitting to Trump, but they also acknowledged that Rodríguez is not in a position to unleash Chavismo’s characteristic anti-U.S. propaganda.
“She knows that it’s wise not to engage in direct confrontation because she knows she’s bound to lose,” college student Adonai Osoria said. “Now, are there some who disagree, who don’t like it? Well, yes, of course. But I consider her reaction right now to be a common, understandable reaction.”
Government supporters last showed their inflammatory attitude against the U.S. in the days after Maduro was captured, burning U.S. flags and carrying signs that read “Gringo go home.”
Among the government’s strongest supporters across the country are the armed groups known as colectivos. The groups are a staple of pro-ruling party demonstrations. Local leader Jorge Navas characterized Trump’s comments as “irresponsible acts of provocation” and praised Rodríguez for her diplomatic response.
PETE Davidson and Elsie Hewitt have officially split just five months after welcoming their daughter, The U.S. Sun has exclusively learned.
Insiders close to the couple said the problems in their relationship began to escalate after the model, 30, gave birth to their first child, Scottie Rose, in December.
Pete Davidson and Elise Hewitt have split just months after welcoming their daughter, Scottie Rose, sources exclusively told The U.S. SunCredit: Getty
A source claimed Pete‘s busy work schedule formed a wedge between them, and ultimately led to the breakup.
“Pete has been traveling so much for work, but Elsie was craving more support from him at home after their daughter was born,” said the insider.
“It was very hard for him because, obviously, he has to work to make money.”
Another source said they pulled the plug very recently, adding: “They are just focusing 100% on Scottie.
“Working out the best co-parenting solution is their top priority.”
A rep for the couple declined to comment.
The Saturday Night Live alum, 32, has spent much of the past several weeks traveling, including attending his Netflix Is a Joke special in Los Angeles on May 9, and the Kevin Hart roast the next day – Mother’s Day.
Elsie seemingly spent the holiday alone at home in Brooklyn, New York, and did not post anything about Pete.
In an Instagram Story on Thursday, new mom Elsie shared a snap of herself getting overwhelmed with parenting demands.
“When you finally get screaming baby down for a nap and you exhale and sit with yourself for a sec and realize you haven’t breathed for an hour or peed all day,” she vented to her followers. “The silence is deafening.”
The insider claimed it became clear that the relationship was ending last month as Pete started to offload his properties.
“Pete is selling his properties, including his upstate home and his Staten Island apartment, to open up funds as they move forward and figure out their next steps,” the insider explained, referring to Pete’s possible child support payments to his ex.
Pete is selling his Staten Island condo at a $350,000 loss. (The sale is still in the contract stage.)
Last summer, sources told The U.S. Sun about the difficulties the couple were experiencing in their new relationship, as Elsie navigated the early stages of her pregnancy.
According to a source, their arguments were getting nasty.
“It’s getting out of control,” the source said. “They’ve even started secretly recording each other.”
It is legal to record someone without their knowledge in New York since it is a one-party consent state.
BEIJING — President Trump’s much-anticipated summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping has been marred by multiple physical altercations just offstage.
Among the incidents that took place Thursday:
A White House staffer was trampled by Chinese reporters.
A Secret Service agent was kept out of official events.
American journalists were prevented from joining the presidential motorcade.
The chaos was all captured by a cameraman accompanying “Rush Hour” director Brett Ratner as he prepares to shoot a fourth installment of the beloved feature film franchise.
The dust-ups with the Chinese caused frustrations to boil over on the American side, with one member of the US delegation overheard calling it a “s—tshow.”
As part of an effort by Chinese officials to keep a tight hold of their American guests and dictate coverage of a global news event, US reporters have been subject to strict controls — including limited access to bathrooms and the confiscation of water bottles.
No other hydration was provided to the American press despite bright sunshine and temperatures topping 80 degrees in the Chinese capital.
However, that proved a minor issue compared to three major flashpoints.
The first incident came when an aggressive Chinese press pack charged into Trump’s morning bilateral meeting with Xi, knocking down and then stepping on a White House advance team member.
The aide was bruised and shaken, though not seriously injured, and the incident caused her colleagues to loudly protest the Chinese media’s behavior.
The next confrontation came in the afternoon at the Temple of Heaven, when Chinese officials refused to admit a Secret Service agent accompanying the presidential press pool into the secure area because the agent was carrying a firearm — standard practice for the protective agency.
The Chinese version of a Mexican standoff ensued, with the press pool and American delegation refusing to move forward without the agent and Beijing officials determined to take his sidearm.
After a 30-minute delay and many arguments, another Secret Service agent who had already been cleared to proceed was summoned to escort reporters inside while the first agent stayed behind.
Trump and Xi arrived late for the temple visit after their bilateral meeting ran long.
After the two men posed for photos, they continued their tour while the American press were taken to a holding room and shut in.
When the time came for Trump to depart, Chinese officials refused to allow the reporters to rejoin the presidential motorcade, prompting another round of loud arguments.
At one point amid the repeated cries of “we have to go,” a White House official told the Chinese the Trump administration would never treat them this way if the roles were reversed.
Finally, with Trump in the motorcade and waiting for the press, a White House staffer announced: “We are going.” That was the cue for the American contingent to push their way past the Chinese and run out the door.
As the group crossed the temple grounds to catch the motorcade, another set of Chinese officials tried to stop them, running with their arms out toward the group. But the Americans pressed on and reached the line of cars that made up the presidential convoy.
“Our oversight of the Strait of Hormuz will generate significant economic revenues for our country – potentially even doubling our oil income,” said a spokesperson for Iran’s military.
Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, Musandam, Oman, on May 8, 2026. (File photo: Reuters/Stringer)
Iran’s military spokesman said on Wednesday (May 13) that Tehran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz could generate “significant” economic revenue and strengthen the country’s international position.
Iran has largely blocked shipping through the strait since the outbreak of war with the United States and Israel on Feb 28.
In peacetime, the route accounts for roughly a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments, along with other key commodities.
Iran’s grip over the waterway has rattled global markets and given Tehran significant leverage, while the United States has imposed its own naval blockade on Iranian ports despite a fragile ceasefire in place since Apr 8.
“Our oversight of the Strait of Hormuz will generate significant economic revenues for our country – potentially even doubling our oil income – and will strengthen our influence on the international stage,” military spokesman Mohammad Akraminia said, according to ISNA news agency.
He added that the western part of the strait was controlled by the naval forces of the Revolutionary Guards, while the eastern section was overseen by the Iranian navy.
Iran’s control over the strait remains one of the key sticking points in negotiations with the United States, which have so far failed to produce a breakthrough.
On Wednesday, Ebrahim Azizi, head of the Iranian parliament’s national security commission, said his committee had finalised a plan to manage the waterway.
Roza (right), was introduced to Epstein by his close associate, the modelling agent Jean-Luc Brunel
A survivor of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse has told how the late sex offender sexually abused her while he was under house arrest for soliciting prostitution from a minor.
Roza, who was recruited from Uzbekistan as a teenager by Epstein’s associate and modelling agent Jean-Luc Brunel, spoke publicly for the first time alongside a number of victims in a field hearing that was organised by House Democrats.
She told the session that she was introduced to Epstein by Brunel in July 2009, was offered work by Epstein “to help me with my financial troubles”, and he later subjected her to rape over a period of three years.
Democratic lawmaker Robert Garcia said the unofficial hearing was held in West Palm Beach, Florida, because it was where Epstein’s “crimes first came to light”.
The hearing, which Garcia pointed out was also held in close proximity to US President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence, was held by Democrats from the US House Oversight Committee and local Democratic members.
The committee, which has a Republican majority, is currently investigating the financier’s crimes. Democratic members of the committee have focused on scrutinising the Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein files.
The hearing carries no legal authority, but was planned with the intention of keeping the Epstein case in the spotlight.
Democratic lawmakers heard how Epstein and his accomplices evaded accountability for years, and how victims were repeatedly failed by the justice system.
Roza, whose first name was only given in the hearing, said she was 18 when she met the late Brunel in 2008 and “promised a modelling career beyond my dreams”.
“Coming from a financially unstable background I was a perfect target for coercion,” she added, during the tearful testimony.
By May 2009, she was in New York City on a visa, and in July she met Epstein at his house in West Palm Beach while he was under house arrest, Roza said.
Epstein then offered her a role at his Florida Science Foundation – where he had worked during an initial arrangement that allowed him to leave custody for up to 16 hours a day, six days a week, following his 2008 conviction.
“One day his masseuse called me into his room where I was molested for the first time by Jeffrey,” Roza told the hearing. “For the following three years I was subject to ongoing rape.”
Epstein died in a New York prison cell on 10 August 2019 as he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges.
His conviction in 2008 had been for soliciting prostitution from a minor – for which he was registered as a sex offender.
A report published by Democratic oversight committee members on Tuesday found that a controversial plea deal negotiated by Epstein’s lawyer in 2008 enabled him to “continue his abuse and trafficking activities for almost another decade”.
Roza said that the abuse perpetrated by Epstein while he was under house arrest “made justice feel impossible”, but she “eventually found the courage to reach out for help”.
However, she said she had been retraumatised after her name was accidentally published in the Epstein files released by the Department of Justice (DOJ), “while the rich and powerful remained protected by redaction”.
Hamas has said it is committed to handing over power but so far refused to disarm
A senior diplomat tasked with implementing Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza has said Hamas could survive as a political movement after handing over power, if it rejected armed conflict and gave up its weapons and military structures.
Nickolay Mladenov, high representative for Gaza to the US-led Board of Peace, speaking to journalists on a visit to Jerusalem, also warned that the current stalemate could lead to a permanent division of Gaza, along the so-called Yellow Line marking the area controlled by Israel.
“[Continuing] a status quo actually means at some point solidifying the Yellow Line, probably into a fence, probably into a wall, creating a permanent separation in Gaza,” he said.
“And if anyone wants to convince me that the Palestinian people in Gaza would like to see the Gaza Strip divided in that way, I don’t believe it. And if you tell me that this is security for Israel, I don’t see it as well.”
Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza is currently stalled in a fractured ceasefire. Hamas is so far refusing to disarm, while Israel is regularly carrying out strikes across Gaza, and firing at those who approach the territory it holds.
Patrick Griffiths, a spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Jerusalem, told me he had heard gunfire and explosions every day while visiting the organisation’s field hospital in the southern area of Rafah, close to the Israeli-held area.
“All my colleagues there had a story about going to the ground as stray bullets fly over the hospital,” he told me. “They have memories of staff and patients being hit as stray bullets fly through the canvas tents of our field hospital. That’s normal life for the Palestinians that live in that part of Gaza, only a few hundred metres from the Yellow Line.”
Israel has been extending the area of Gaza under its effective control since the ceasefire took effect last October. In March, it marked out new areas where international organisations must co-ordinate their activities with Israeli forces.
The daily newspaper, Israel Hayom, calculated that Israeli forces now controlled 64% of the Gaza Strip, including both the 53% of the territory occupied behind the Yellow Line and areas needing co-ordination.
“Regardless of whether there is a Yellow Line, or a line transmitted to humanitarian organisations to co-ordinate movements, we need to be very clear that Israel is the occupying power in control of the entirety of the Gaza Strip,” Patrick Griffiths told me.
“Its obligations under international law apply across the Gaza Strip – that means protection for civilians, regardless of how close or how far you might live as a Palestinian in Gaza.”
Hamas says Israel has killed 850 people in Gaza during the ceasefire, without distinguishing fighters from civilians, severely restricted the flow of aid, and “continuously moved the Yellow Line westward”.
Cogat, the Israeli defence body responsible for co-ordinating activity in Gaza, said 600 lorries of aid a day had entered since the ceasefire began. Hamas figures suggest only a third of that number entered Gaza on some days this month.
Mladenov said Israeli withdrawal from the territory depended on Hamas disarming and handing over power, but that the group could survive as a political party if it gave up its commitment to fighting Israel.
“We’re not asking Hamas to disappear as a political movement. A political party that disavows armed activity can compete in national Palestinian elections,” he said.
“What is not negotiable, however, is that armed factions or militias with their own military command and control systems, with their own arsenals or tunnel networks, can exist alongside a transitional Palestinian authority.”
In response, Israel’s government said the terms of the ceasefire deal state that Hamas and other factions “agree to not have any role in the governance of Gaza, directly, indirectly, or in any form”.
Kiai Ashari, 58, has faced a string of allegations over the years
Hundreds of people descended on a girls’ boarding school in the Indonesian village of Tlogosari, Central Java on 2 May, shouting chants and waving banners.
“Women are not sexual objects” read one. Another said, simply, “The Predator”.
The mob was there to accost and hurl insults at 58-year-old Kiai Ashari, the caretaker of the Ndholo Kusumo Islamic boarding school, as he was escorted away by police. He is suspected of sexually abusing dozens of female students – most of them orphans from poor families – over the course of several years.
The case has provoked outrage in Indonesia, and highlights a systemic issue of sexual abuse in Islamic boarding schools across the country.
While multiple witnesses who spoke out against Ashari have since withdrawn their testimonies, one victim has now filed an official complaint – and suggested that as many as 50 others fell prey to the caretaker’s sexual violence.
“[The number of victims] is 30 to 50 children based on the victim’s statement,” the victim’s attorney, Ali Yusron, told the BBC. “I handled one victim, but the legal process tells of many victims.
“One person reveals everything.”
Police said on 4 May that Ashari, who investigators named as a suspect on 28 April, had not yet been detained – but insisted that he would not flee. He proved them wrong later that day, fleeing Pati for the cities of Bogor, Jakarta and Solo before being caught by police on the night of 6 May at a mosque in Wonogiri, Central Java.
Pati police chief Jaka Wahyudi told reporters on 7 May that the victim was allegedly abused 10 times at different locations between February 2020 and January 2024.
The suspect is accused of entering the victim’s room under the pretext of asking for a massage, before telling the victim to remove their clothing and committing indecent acts including “touching, squeezing and kissing”.
After the incident occurred a tenth time the victim told their father, and a police report was filed.
A history of allegations
This is not the first time Ashari has faced allegations of sexual abuse against his students. The caretaker, who also founded the Ndholo Kusumo school, is thought to have a history of abuse dating back to 2022.
“The victims are female students, mostly MTs students,” Ali says. “Three years in a row, they change at will.”
In 2024, Pati Police’s Women and Children’s Services Unit (PPA) received reports of alleged sexual crimes targeting minors in their teens.
Some of those charges were later dropped.
Pati police chief Jaka told the BBC that authorities investigated the 2024 case and interviewed witnesses, but ran into “obstacles along the way” – including four victims who withdrew their statements.
“The victim and the victim’s parents expressed their intention to resolve the matter amicably,” he explained.
“Therefore, several witnesses withdrew their testimony at the time, citing concerns about their children’s future.”
The case against Ashari resurfaced last month when, after two years, police finally named him as a suspect.
Systemic issues
Authorities are still investigating the number of victims, Jaka said. But the allegations also point to a systemic trend of abuse in Indonesia’s Islamic boarding schools.
Ashari is said to have instilled misleading doctrines in his female students, several of whom said he claimed to be a saint with powers beyond human comprehension and, in other cases, the descendant of a prophet who should be honoured.
Imam Nahe’i, a member of the PBNU Anti-Sexual Violence Unit (SAKA) who is also a former commissioner of the National Commission on Violence Against Women, tells the BBC that cases of sexual violence in Islamic boarding schools usually follow a similar pattern.
Caretakers in these schools often teach things that “smell of shamanism or mysticism”, as opposed to “anything rational”, he says.
“Then there are also those who claim to be guardians,” he adds. “If you don’t obey them, you’ll go to hell.”
More explicitly, Imam Nahe’i says Islamic boarding schools often normalise, tolerate, and even allow actions such as touching, hugging and kissing students – which, he says, could lead to a tolerance of sexual violence.
He cites a case at a school in Sumenep, which “happened quite a long time ago, since 2017, until it was finally uncovered recently”.
“This means that all this time there has been some tolerance from those around them.”
Imam Nahe’i, who teaches at a large Islamic boarding school, says that when he asked he found his fellow teachers “didn’t understand what sexual violence was”.
“They said sexual violence is defined as penetration,” he explains. “If it hasn’t reached that point, it’s not considered sexual violence – it’s just a kind of sin.”
A broader issue relates to a lack of government supervision.
While Indonesia’s Ministry of Religious Affairs issued legislation in 2022 concerning the handling of sexual violence in educational contexts, Islamic boarding schools – which are typically founded by individuals rather than government institutions – are harder to regulate and often slip through the cracks.
This makes it difficult to report and protect against sexual violence in Islamic boarding schools. As Imam Nahe’i puts it, the legislation “cannot control” them.
“In order for Islamic boarding schools to have clear regulations and a task force, I think the Ministry of Religion really needs to push for this,” he says.
“In addition, supervision from the Ministry of Religion and the community regarding these newly emerging Islamic boarding schools must be stricter.”
School shutdown
The Ndholo Kusumo boarding school reportedly had a permit since 2021, and was home to at least 252 students.
In the wake of these latest allegations, the school has been closed down and students have been sent home.
The Ministry of Religious Affairs has revoked the school’s license permanently, and said that students’ educations would continue through online learning options or transfers to other institutions – especially for orphaned students.
The Director of Islamic Boarding Schools at the Ministry of Religion, Basnang Said, explained that the closure of the boarding school was to ensure that authorities could prioritise the investigation while maintaining order and protecting children.
A technician draws blood at a women’s clinic in Jackson, Miss., on Dec. 17, 2021. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
A hormonal condition affecting 1 in 8 women around the world just got a new name in hopes of improving care. It Is now called polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome instead of polycystic ovary syndrome.
Researchers and supporters of the change said the old name, often shortened to PCOS, is inaccurate. It reduced a complex hormonal or endocrine disorder to a misunderstanding about cysts and a focus on ovaries, contributing to missed diagnoses and inadequate treatment, said the Endocrine Society, a global group of physicians and scientists.
“The thought behind that is that one, there’s no cysts in the ovary, so it’s very confusing,” said Dr. Melanie Cree, one of the authors of the Lancet article and a pediatric endocrinology expert at the University of Colorado Anschutz. “The hope was that with a more comprehensive and accurate name change, that it would start to enable and push better care.”
The name change – made after 14 years of collaboration between experts and patients – was published in The Lancet on Tuesday.
Now PCOS is called PMOS
The condition is characterized by fluctuations in hormones that can affect weight, metabolic and mental health, the reproductive system and the skin.
It is associated with metabolic syndrome, a group of health conditions that increases your risk of Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke, Dr. Sarah Hutto with the University of Minnesota Medical School said in an online article put out by the university.
No one knows exactly what causes the condition, but there’s evidence that genetics and obesity play roles, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
What are the symptoms of PMOS?
Symptoms vary, which can make it tough for doctors to diagnose.
It is associated with irregular menstrual cycles and excess production of a group of hormones known as androgens, which can cause acne and hair growth or thinning. It may also cause follicles on the ovaries, although not abnormal cysts. But not all of these findings are required for the diagnosis.
To make the diagnosis in teens, Cree said, the patient has to have both irregular periods and signs of high androgens. This can include high blood levels of the hormones or symptoms such as severe acne or chest hair.
PMOS is associated with infertility problems
Cleveland Clinic experts say it is the most common cause of female infertility, because not ovulating frequently can result in not being able to conceive.
Having the condition may also increase your risk of certain pregnancy complications, such as gestational diabetes or preterm birth. Still, most people with the condition can successfully carry a pregnancy.
How PMOS can be treated
Cree says the No. 1 treatment is lifestyle changes, such as eating less processed food, exercising and getting a good night’s sleep.
“We’re not trying to be judgmental. There is science to back this up,” she said. “So in PMOS, there is too much of the hormone insulin in many women, and that insulin confuses the ovary to make too much testosterone. And it’s the high testosterone that is causing all the symptoms.”
Other treatments include insulin-sensitizing medicines such as Metformin, medications that block androgens and hormonal birth control.
But Hutto stresses that management of the condition should be individualized to address specific symptoms and concerns. For example, those who plan to get pregnant may want to focus on fertility treatments while others may be more interested in options like hormonal birth control.
At least six people died in Ukraine after Russia launched a daytime attack of 800 drones of drones as far as western regions bordering NATO. Zelenskyy said it was one of the longest and largest attacks of the war.
Zelenskyy accused Russia of targeting civiliansImage: State Emergency Service of Ukraine/REUTERS
A large-scale Russian drone attack against Ukraine took place Wednesday, killing six people and wounding dozens across the country, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
The attack represents one of the longest and largest attacks in Russia’s war in Ukraine, Zelenskyy said.
“Since midnight, at least 800 Russian drones have already been launched, and the attack is ongoing, with additional drones entering our country’s airspace,” he wrote on X.
Zelenskyy said the daytime attack was “deliberately targeting our railway infrastructure and civilian sites in our cities.”
On Telegram, Zelenskyy said an attack on Kyiv, the western city of Lviv, and the port of Odesa, began midmorning and lasted for hours.
The strikes also targeted Ukraine’s residential and railway infrastructure in the central Dnipro and northeastern Kharkiv regions, and energy facilities in the central Poltava region, Zelenskyy said.
The Polish army said it had scrambled fighter jets as a preventative measure due to the Russian air strikes in far western Ukraine.
Slovakia briefly closed its border Wednesday with Ukraine for security reasons as a nearby Ukrainian city came under Russian attack.
Attacks come as Trump and Xi meet
Zelenskyy condemned the attacks, saying it “cannot be called a coincidence” that the attack has taken place at the same time that US President Donald Trump arrived in China for a high-profile state visit.
“In this difficult geopolitical moment, Russia is clearly trying to disrupt the overall political atmosphere and draw attention to its evil — seeking to do so at the expense of Ukrainian lives and Ukrainian infrastructure,” he wrote on X.
“It is important to support Ukraine and not remain silent about Russia’s war. Every time the war disappears from the top of the news, it encourages Russia to become even more savage,” Zelenskyy said, a reference to the world’s attention being caught by the Iran war.
On Tuesday, prior to the attack, Trump said he believes Moscow and Kyiv will soon reach a deal to end fighting. “The end of the war in Ukraine I really think is getting very close,” Trump told reporters as he left for Beijing.
Russia’s use of drones ‘evolving’
Serhiy Beskrestnov, an adviser to Ukraine’s defense minister, said the attack involved large numbers of drones moving along between 5 kilometers and 10 kilometers (between 3 and 6 miles) from the Belarus border with the aim of overwhelming Ukraine’s air defenses and breaking through to the western regions.
Beskrestnov noted that the strike highlighted the evolving use of drones by Moscow, with tactics changing from attack to attack.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping hosts Donald Trump for discussions in BeijingImage: Maxim Shemetov/AP Photo/picture alliance
Taiwan downplays Xi-Trump talks
Taiwan said nothing surprising had emerged from the talks between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump.
“So at this point, all we can say is that there has been no surprising information so far and we will continue to maintain close communication with the American side,” Mainland Affairs Council Deputy Head and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh said.
China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, has long treated the island’s status as a core issue in its relations with Washington.
DW China analyst Clifford Connan said Beijing views the question of Taiwan’s legal status as “a red line” that must not be crossed in diplomatic relations with the United States.
This was underlined by Xi during his meeting with Trump.
“The Taiwan question is the most important issue in China-US relations,” Xi said, according to remarks published by Chinese state media.
In its summary of the meeting, which lasted more than two hours, the White House did not mention Taiwan.
WATCH: Power, optics and the battle for global influence as Trump meets Xi
US President Donald Trump is in China on a visit that could determine who gets to set the global agenda. Already, Chinese President Xi Jinping has warned that supposed mishandling of the Taiwan issue could put China-US ties in a ‘very dangerous situation.’ Trump has meanwhile said its an ‘honor’ to be Xi’s friend.
Join us live as we follow this historic meeting, from an awkward handshake to a state dinner. Ben Fajzullin chats with DW China analyst Clifford Connan and DW Taipei Correspondent Rik Glauert.
No mention of Taiwan in US readout of ‘good’ Trump-Xi meeting
The White House described the meeting between Presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump as “good.”
In a readout of the meeting, it said the two leaders agreed the Strait of Hormuz must remain open to support the free flow of energy. The White House said both leaders agreed Iran can never have a nuclear weapon.
Trump and Xi also discussed continuing efforts to stop fentanyl precursor chemicals from entering the US and increasing China’s purchases of US agricultural products, the statement said.
What to know if you’re joining us now
China’s Xi Jinping welcomed President Donald Trump with the same kind of pomp at the Great Hall of the People in Tiananmen Square as he did in 2017.
Trump shook hands with top Chinese officials, as did Xi with top American officials.
The leaders of the two superpowers then went back inside the Great Hall for bilateral talks behind closed doors.
A Chinese readout of the discussions said the pair discussed a range of thorny issues, including the Taiwan question and the situation in the Middle East, Ukraine and the Korean Peninsula.
Trump is accompanied by his son, Eric, and a host of business leaders, including Apple’s Tim Cook, Nvidia’s Jensen Huang and Tesla’s Elon Musk.
Trump concludes tour of Beijing’s Temple of Heaven
Donald Trump has posed for photos with Xi Jinping at Beijing’s Temple of Heaven during a high-profile meeting.
Trump did not speak publicly as the two leaders appeared together following their arrival at the historic site, after a pomp-filled red carpet ceremony at the Great Hall of the People.
The World Heritage site is the spot where China’s emperors once prayed for good harvests.
Trump and Xi were expected to return to the Great Hall of the People for an evening state banquet.
Trump-XI meeting ends
The meeting between President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping has ended, according to a White House pool report. It lasted 2 hours and 15 minutes.
Xi tells Trump US, China could ‘come into conflict’ if Taiwan issue mishandled: state media
China’s President Xi Jinping has told Donald Trump that their countries could come into conflict if the issue over Taiwan is mishandled, Chinese state media said.
“The Taiwan question is the most important issue in China-US relations,” Xi said, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
“If mishandled, the two nations could collide or even come into conflict, pushing the entire China-US relationship into a highly perilous situation.”
China also restated on Wednesday its opposition to a recent US weapons deal with Taiwan.
China claims self-governed Taiwan as part of its territory and says it must be “reunified” with the mainland.
It has intensified military activities and drills around Taiwan in recent years, most recently in December 2025 when China stimulated a blockade of Taiwan’s ports.
Over time, China’s rhetoric has changed from preventing Taiwan’s independence to actively promoting unification.
For its part, the US continues to support Taiwan politically and militarily.
Musk shouts ‘wonderful’ to reporters as US CEOs leave Great Hall of the People
Sighted leaving the Great Hall of the People as Trump was arriving were leaders of US businesses, including Apple CEO Tim Cook, Tesla founder Elon Musk and Jensen Huang from tech giant Nvidia.
When asked how meetings were going, Musk said “wonderful,” while Cook gave a thumbs up and Huang said, “the meetings went well.”
They then left on a waiting bus.
Also seen attending the welcome ceremony were Secretary of State Marco Rubioand Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Zheng Shanjie, head of the economic planning agency, were among the Chinese representatives present.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and his Chinese counterpart Dong Jun were later visible in video footage as the Trump and Xi delegations started their meeting.
US and China should be ‘partners not rivals’ — Xi
Before heading into their meeting on Thursday morning, Xi told Trump that their two countries should be “partners not rivals.”
“A stable China-US relationship is a boon for the world. Cooperation benefits both sides, while confrontation harms both. We should be partners and not rivals,” Xi said.
Xi added he was “happy” to receive Trump for the US leader’s first trip to China since 2017 as “the world has arrived at a new crossroads.”
For his part, Trump told Xi, “We’re going to have a fantastic future together.”
The foreign ministers meeting is taking place before the 2026 BRICS summit in India in September.
Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar (R) shakes hands with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi during the BRICS foreign ministers meeting at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, on May 14, 2026 [Rajat Gupta/EPA]A meeting of BRICS foreign ministers kicked off in the Indian capital New Delhi on Thursday, with the Iran war likely to cast a shadow on the two-day event, which coincides with United States President Donald Trump’s state visit to China.
In his opening remarks, India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar called for “safe, unimpeded maritime flows” through international waters, as the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of global oil and gas passes, remains under blockade.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi called on fellow BRICS member states to condemn the US and Israel over what he called their “unlawful aggression” against Tehran.
This meeting comes as the economic bloc of leading emerging economies has faced divisions over the war in Iran. Host India has to walk a diplomatic tightrope between Iran and fellow BRICS member UAE, as well as Israel.
Here is more about the foreign ministers’ meeting, who is attending and why it matters.
What is BRICS?
BRICS is a grouping of major emerging economies seeking to coordinate security and economic policies to amplify the demands of the Global South within international organisations and on issues where the West has traditionally dominated economically and politically.
The acronym stands for Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The organisation was called BRIC in its initial form – Brazil, Russia, India and China – when its foreign ministers began meeting in 2006, and when it held its first summit in 2009. It became BRICS when South Africa joined in 2010.
In 2023, BRICS extended invitations to Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates after these countries applied for membership. Saudi Arabia has yet to join formally, but the others have. An invitation was also extended to Argentina, but was turned down as President Javier Milei, elected in December 2023, had campaigned on the promise of bolstering ties with the West.
Indonesia joined the group in January 2025, after its membership was approved during the 2023 summit in Johannesburg.
The group sets priorities and holds discussions at an annual summit, which members take turns hosting. Last year, Brazil hosted the BRICS meeting and, in 2024, Russia hosted the annual meeting. This year, it is India’s turn to host.
This week’s meeting in New Delhi will bring together the foreign ministers of BRICS countries, who are expected to discuss economic cooperation and coordinate their positions on key global issues.
When and where is the BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting?
The BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting, held to prepare for the 18th BRICS summit in September, is taking place on Thursday, May 14, and Friday, May 15, in New Delhi, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said on Tuesday.
On Thursday, foreign ministers arrived at 10am (04:30 GMT), and sessions are expected to take place throughout the day, concluding with a dinner at 7pm (13:30 GMT).
On Friday, one session is expected to take place, starting at 10am (04:30 GMT).
All of the meetings except one will take place in Bharat Mandapam, an exhibition hall and convention centre close to the Supreme Court of India.
On Thursday at 1pm (07:30 GMT), Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will join the visiting leaders in a conference call from Seva Teerth, a new administrative complex that serves as the official headquarters of the prime minister’s office.
Who is attending the meeting?
Foreign ministers from within and outside the BRICS group are expected to attend the meeting.
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will attend the meeting. South Africa’s Ronald Lamola and Brazil’s Mauro Vieira are also both attending.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will not attend due to Trump’s visit to Beijing. Instead, China will be represented by its Ambassador to India Xu Feihong, Indian media have reported.
Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi has landed in New Delhi to participate. Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Sugiono also arrived in New Delhi on Wednesday.
It is not clear who will be representing the UAE at the BRICS meeting, even as the US-Israel war on Iran exacerbates tensions between the UAE and Iran.
What’s on the agenda?
The theme of this meeting is “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”, according to India’s External Affairs Ministry. This will focus on “people-centric and holistic healthcare, with an emphasis on collaboration on pressing health challenges, including communicable and non-communicable diseases”, it added.
However, the ongoing war on Iran is likely to dominate, and discussions will set the agenda for the annual BRICS summit in September, observers say.
“The Iran war is likely to cast a shadow over both the BRICS summit and the Trump-Xi meeting,” Rafael Loss, a policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), told Al Jazeera.
The war on Iran entered its 76th day on Thursday, with diplomatic efforts to end the conflict hanging in the balance.
Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported that, as well as taking part in the main BRICS sessions, Araghchi will hold separate meetings with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and other officials attending the meeting.
In April this year, India hosted a BRICS Deputy Foreign Ministers and Special Envoys for the Middle East and North Africa meeting in New Delhi. That gathering ended without a joint statement after Iran and the UAE clashed over how to address the US-Israel war on Iran, with the UAE also seeing itself as a victim of Iranian aggression.
Since then, tensions between Iran and the UAE have only risen, with Tehran’s war messaging increasingly targeting the UAE.
Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza is also another point of stress within the bloc. At the April meeting, India – recently an Israeli ally – attempted to soften criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza, leading to a failure within the bloc to arrive at a consensus on the subject.
“The meeting in India occurs at a difficult time in which the cohesion of the BRICS confronts challenges due to the closer relations of India with the US and Israel, and the conflict in West Asia between Iran and the UAE,” Michael Dunford, emeritus professor at the School of Global Studies at the University of Sussex, told Al Jazeera.
What about Trump’s meeting with Xi at the same time?
Trump landed in China on Wednesday evening and, after a ceremonial welcome, headed straight to his hotel. On Thursday, he will hold bilateral talks with the Chinese president, and will also join President Xi for a working lunch on Friday, before flying back to the US.
“A consequence of the coincidence of Trump’s visit to China with the BRICS foreign ministers’ summit in India is that Wang Yi will not attend, with China represented by its Indian ambassador Xu Feihong,” Dunford said.
ECFR’s Rafael Loss predicted that Trump is likely to try to persuade Xi to put pressure on Iran to accommodate US demands to end the naval standoff in the Gulf and open the Strait of Hormuz.
In the past, he said, China avoided getting involved in protracted international conflict management efforts and instead attempted to “swoop in” to seal deals during the final stages, such as in the Iran-Saudi Arabia normalisation agreement of 2023, which has since collapsed.
“But if the price is right, and with Trump’s short-termism and disregard of traditional US allies, Xi could be persuaded to take a more vocal line vis-a-vis Iran,” Loss said. “Taiwan might end up bearing the brunt.”
THE author of a children’s book about grief who was convicted of killing her husband has been handed a life sentence after addressing her sons in court who begged the judge to lock her up.
Kouri Richins, 35, became emotional as she admitted to making mistakes in the past, including during her marriage, as she spoke during her sentencing hearing on Wednesday.
Kouri Richins appeared emotional as her brother spoke during her hearing, hours before she was handed a life sentenceCredit: Getty
Richins stared off into the distance as she was handed a life sentence without parole on Wednesday after being found guilty of murdering her husband with a Moscow Mule filled with fentanyl in March.
Richins, a mother of three, arrived to court on Wednesday, which would have been her husband’s 44th birthday, dressed in a bright green prison outfit.
Two months before her arrest in 2023, she self-published a children’s book, about a child dealing with grief after losing his father, titled, Are You With Me?
Eric was fatally poisoned on March 4, 2022 and an autopsy report revealed that he had five times the lethal dose of fentanyl in his system when he died.
The judge overseeing the case said his sentencing decision came from a “place of genuine concern” for her and Eric’s three sons in the future as their view of the case may evolve as they grow up.
“Kouri Richins was convicted unanimously and beyond a reasonable doubt of attempting to murder Eric Richins, her husband and the father of their three children,” Judge Richard Mrazik said as he further explained his reasons behind Richins’ sentence.
“And then, having failed in her first effort, [she spent] the next 17 days, not changing course but doubling down, preparing to try again and ultimately completing the act through the administration of poison.
“And for what? Money. All for pecuniary gain.
“A person convicted of committing that sequence of acts, in that way, and for that reason, and who causes the absolutely tragedy that has befallen Eric Richins sons and family, a person convicted of those things is simply too dangerous to ever be free.”
Eric’s sister Amy appeared to sigh in relief behind Richins as the judge announced the sentence.
Richins has the right to file an appeal and must do so within 30 days.
Richins was given a chance to speak during her sentencing where she addressed her “sweet baby boys” saying she was taking the opportunity in her jail clothes to speak with them after contact was cut in 2024 once their father’s sister adopted them.
“The one thing I need you boys to know, I did not abandon you. I did not just walk out of your lives one day to never return, to nerve call, to never show up,” she said between tears, later apologizing that they have to go through this.
“I will never be angry at you for your feelings,” she said.
During the sentencing hearing, victim impact statements were read on behalf of the three sons by their social workers.
“You have never said sorry for anything you have done to me and my brothers,” her 11-year-old son, A.R., wrote in his victim impact statement.
Her eldest son, C.R. wrote, “I miss my dad, but I don’t miss Kouri.”
Each of the three children asked the judge to sentence their mother to life in prison without parole.
“I think Kouri should get a life sentence because what she did is very sick,” C.R., 13, wrote.
The youngest son, W.R., 9, wrote, “once she is gone I will feel happy and I will feel safer and relaxed.”
Richins wiped away tears with a tissue and sniffled as she repeatedly told her boys on Wednesday how she never would have taken their dad from them.
“I’m not perfect. I have succeeded, and I have failed – as a person, as a wife, as a parent,” Richins said.
“We all do. I have done plenty of things I’m not proud of. Some I regret, some I don’t. Some I’m ashamed of, and some I’m not.”
Richins admitted to marital problems and an affair during her statement, saying they both wanted to throw in the towel at times, but their love “never failed.”
“I fell in love with someone who wasn’t your dad. Your dad fell in love with someone who wasn’t me,” Richins revealed.
“I’m broken, broken without your dad, broken without you boys,” she cried. “God did not put me in this world to take a life. God put me in this world to give life, your lives.”
“I would have never taken him from you, from us,” she said as she called Eric the glue that held the family together.
She said she is “still in disbelief” at her conviction, and hearing the words murder and attempted murder out loud still makes her stomach turn.
Richins has been jailed since 2023 in Summit County, Utah, roughly 86 miles outside of Salt Lake City.
During her trial, the jury also found Richins guilty of attempting to poison her husband with a sandwich laced with fentanyl a month before his death.
Police bodycam footage was shown on the first day of her trial, where Richins was seen telling officers how she touched her husband’s cold body in bed after she woke up at 3am.
Before her husband’s death, Richins piled on $4.5million in debt across different failed business ventures.
Prosecutors said Richins mistakenly assumed she would collect a $4 million estate in the event her husband died.
The court was previously told that she planned to runaway with her handyman lover, Robert Josh Grossman, to start a new life after collecting the money.
Eric’s stepfather, Gene Richins called him “an incredible father to his three boys,” during victim impact statements.
“They didn’t just see him as a dad, they saw him as their best friend, their coach, their mentor, their protector.”
Eric’s sister, Katie Richins-Benson said during the hearing that her brother “knew that his sons did not like,” their mother.
“He knew that they would prefer to be far away from her.”
Richins was seen looking shocked as her sister-in-law, Katie, gave an impact statement.
Amy Richins, one of Eric’s sisters, said in court that she “begged” Eric to leave his wife.
“I begged Eric to divorce her. But Eric was determined to protect his boys,” she said.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Dr Kazem Gharibabadi, told CNN-News18 that the Hormuz Crisis and the resultant fuel price increase were because of USA
MEA Secretary (West) Ambassador Sibi George with Iran Legal and International Affairs Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi during a meeting. Image: @MEAIndia/X via PTI Photo
As US President Donald Trump touches down in Beijing, Iran expresses hope that Xi Jinping will push for a solution to the Hormuz crisis. Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Dr Kazem Gharibabadi, told CNN-News18 during a media interaction that since China too was suffering because of the Hormuz naval blockade by USA, a solution was in its interest too.
“All countries, including China, are suffering because of the aggression (of USA) and the situation in the Strait of Hormuz. We don’t need to tell China anything directly. There is a deep-rooted and long-standing relation that Iran has with China,” the Deputy Foreign Minister said when asked what Iran expected from the Xi-Trump summit.
Dr Kazem Gharibabadi reiterated that the Hormuz Crisis and the resultant fuel price increase were because of USA and not Iran. He, however, made it clear that Iran will continue to charge a toll in future for ships crossing Hormuz.
“Iran is only charging for services that are being provided (to ships crossing Hormuz). Iran does not have any international obligation since it is not a signatory to maritime conventions but still we will not go beyond international law. There will be more safety and security but only if peace is restored,” he said.
The Deputy Foreign Minister expressed hopes that the 11 Indian ships, which are waiting to transit Hormuz, will soon be able to do so, given the good relations between India and Iran. “Countries which sided with the aggressor will find it difficult to let their ships pass,” he said.
India’s leadership of BRICS – Mature
The Iranian Minister is visiting India to attend the BRICS Foreign Minister meet. The Deputy FM of Iran gave a huge thumbs up to India’s leadership of the bloc. “India as the chair is showing impartiality. It is supportive. If most members advocate an idea, even if India’s own view may be slightly different, it is not blocking,” Dr Gharibabadi said when asked if India wanted to tone down the anti-Israel language in the joint statement.
Israel claimed Benjamin Netanyahu secretly visited the UAE during the Iran war and held breakthrough talks with the Emirati president. The UAE publicly denied the visit, calling reports of secret meetings or Israeli military delegations “baseless.”
Israeli PM Netanyahu
Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the Israeli Prime Minister secretly visited the United Arab Emirates during the Israel-Iran war, but the UAE has publicly denied the claim, creating a rare disagreement between the two countries.
According to Netanyahu’s office, the Israeli prime minister met UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in talks that allegedly resulted in a “historic breakthrough” in relations between Israel and the Gulf nation.
“In the midst of Operation Roaring Lion, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secretly visited the United Arab Emirates, where he met with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed. This visit has led to a historic breakthrough in relations between Israel and the UAE,” an official statement on Israeli PM office read.
The statement came shortly after US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee revealed that Israel had deployed Iron Dome air-defense systems and personnel to the UAE during the conflict with Iran. The deployment highlighted the growing security ties between Israel and the Emirates following the 2020 Abraham Accords.
The UAE, however, strongly rejected the Israeli claims.
In a statement carried by state news agency WAM, the UAE said it “denies what is being circulated regarding a visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the country, or the reception of any Israeli military delegation on its territory.”
The statement added that relations between the UAE and Israel are public and based on the Abraham Accords, “not secrecy or clandestine arrangements.”
“Any claims regarding undisclosed visits or arrangements are baseless unless issued by the relevant official authorities in the UAE,” the statement said, while also urging media organizations not to spread undocumented information.
UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs later published a statement on X.
Israel UAE(Via:X/@mofauae)
Despite the denial, relations between Israel and the UAE have grown significantly since normalization in 2020. Israeli leaders have made occasional visits to the Emirates in recent years, while Iran has repeatedly accused Israel of maintaining military and intelligence operations inside the Gulf state.
The UAE has also faced Iranian missile and drone attacks during the recent conflict, even after a ceasefire was reached last month.
A confirmed Norovirus outbreak aboard the Ambition cruise ship sickened passengers, triggering temporary confinement and emergency health measures.
Norovirus Outbreak on Cruise Ship Leaves 1,700 Confined (Pics: iStock/AP)
More than 1,700 passengers and crew members aboard the cruise ship Ambition were temporarily confined on the vessel off the French coast after an outbreak of Norovirus caused dozens of people to fall ill. Around 50 people have so far been sickened with symptoms “consistent with an acute gastrointestinal infection” on the ship, news reports said, later confirming it was linked to norovirus, one of the world’s most common causes of acute gastroenteritis.
The ship, operated by Ambassador Cruise Line, had docked in Bordeaux when authorities ordered passengers and crew to remain onboard as a precautionary public health measure.
Officials said approximately 50 passengers and crew members experienced symptoms consistent with acute gastrointestinal infection, including:
Vomiting
Diarrhoea
Stomach cramps
Fever
Body aches
The outbreak reportedly began shortly after the ship departed from Belfast on May 8. Following a stop in Liverpool, medical staff noticed an increase in gastrointestinal illness cases among travellers on board. Affected passengers were isolated inside their cabins while medical teams monitored symptoms and implemented infection-control measures.
What is norovirus?
Norovirus is a highly contagious virus that causes gastroenteritis, an infection affecting the stomach and intestines. It spreads rapidly in crowded environments such as cruise ships, schools, nursing homes, and hotels. The virus is commonly transmitted through:
Contaminated food or water
Touching infected surfaces
Close contact with infected individuals
Symptoms usually appear within 12 to 48 hours after exposure and may last one to three days. Most people recover without complications, but dehydration can become dangerous, particularly for older adults and vulnerable individuals.
Norovirus causes severe case of vomiting, diarrhoea, stomach cramps and fever
Why are cruise ships vulnerable to outbreaks
Health experts say cruise ships can become ideal environments for viral outbreaks because thousands of people remain in close contact in enclosed shared spaces such as dining halls, cabins, elevators, and entertainment areas.
Even with strict sanitation measures, norovirus can spread quickly because it survives on surfaces and requires only a small amount of virus to infect others. According to public health data, cruise-related gastrointestinal outbreaks have increased globally in recent years. In 2025 alone, more than 2,200 people were affected across 18 reported cruise ship norovirus outbreaks.
French authorities imposed temporary restrictions
After Ambition docked in Bordeaux, French health officials dispatched medical teams on board to collect samples and evaluate passengers. Authorities restricted passengers and crew from leaving the vessel while investigations continued. Officials later allowed the cruise line to resume operations after determining isolation measures and health protocols were being followed appropriately. Any travellers still experiencing symptoms were instructed to remain isolated.
Health authorities also clarified there was no evidence linking the outbreak to the recent hantavirus-related concerns involving another cruise ship near the Canary Islands. French officials have also confirmed that a 92-year-old British passenger died on board due to cardiac arrest. Authorities stated the death was not connected to the gastrointestinal outbreak.
How to prevent gastrointestinal infections while travelling?
Doctors recommend that travellers take care of these things while travelling:
Wash your hands frequently with soap and water
Avoid sharing food or drinks
Stay hydrated
Disinfect high-touch surfaces
Report symptoms early to medical staff
As cruise tourism continues to rebound globally, health experts say rapid response and strict hygiene protocols remain essential for preventing large-scale outbreaks onboard.
Kevin Warsh, U.S. President Donald Trump’s nominee to be next chair of the Federal Reserve, testifies before a Senate Banking Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 21, 2026. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
Fifteen years after leaving the Federal Reserve in opposition to an expansive bond-buying program that has since saddled it with a $6.7 trillion portfolio, Kevin Warsh is returning to the U.S. central bank as its leader with an extensive reform agenda that may be tough to translate into quick changes.
The U.S. Senate on Wednesday confirmed Warsh to a four-year term as Fed Chair in a largely party-line vote, with a swearing in to follow in the days ahead.
His criticism of the central bank has spanned everything from how the Fed monitors inflation to its willingness to bail out markets to its communications strategy, and the possible changes could involve not just technical reform to the central bank’s economic analyses, but sensitive shifts in how the Fed speaks to financial markets and the public more broadly – issues previously hashed over and considered hard to meddle with quickly.
President Donald Trump clashed repeatedly with Fed Chair Jerome Powell, initially demanding interest rate cuts but expanding his pressure through an effort to fire Fed Governor Lisa Cook and a Justice Department criminal probe of Powell that many consider a broader assault on the central bank’s independence. The Cook case is pending before the U.S. Supreme Court and the Justice Department has closed its Powell investigation.
Powell’s eight-year tenure as Fed chief ends on Friday, but he has decided to keep his seat on the central bank’s Board of Governors while that investigation fully winds down, in part to buffer the Fed against further legal attacks by the administration.
The 56-year-old lawyer and financier Warsh could make fast changes in tone and at his discretion cut back on things like press conferences, a return to the more restrained, opaque form of central banking that existed before the 2007-2009 recession and financial crisis triggered a bias towards more public explanation and “forward guidance” for markets about where policy was heading.
Warsh is not a fan of that approach, but he also “doesn’t want to disrupt the markets. There are so many things that he wants to do and it is just going to take time to work through that,” said Randall Kroszner, a University of Chicago economics professor who served alongside Warsh as a Fed governor from 2006 to 2009. “It’s not just ‘off with their heads’ or suddenly tomorrow we’re going to have the balance sheet be $4 trillion.”
BEYOND INTEREST RATES
Warsh’s immediate challenge will be to navigate that same conflict between Trump’s rate-cut demands and economic data that leaves little room for them. The U.S. unemployment rate remains a relatively low 4.3%, while inflation, the other key issue the Fed manages, remains well above the central bank’s 2% target and is likely moving higher.
When Warsh chairs his first policy meeting in June, in fact, it may be a victory for him if he keeps colleagues on the rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee from saying a rate hike may actually be needed. Three Fed policymakers dissented at the April 28-29 meeting in favor of new language along those lines, and that trend may gain momentum based on inflation broadening beyond what can be attributed to tariffs or elevated oil prices.
Powell had about six months after Trump promoted him to the Fed chief job in 2018 before the president began berating him, and at this point investors do not expect rate cuts before 2028.
Warsh, in speeches, interviews and public hearings over the past year, has provided various arguments for why interest rates might still fall despite the current data: Productivity gains flowing from artificial intelligence may make everything cheaper; shrinking the Fed’s longer-dated bond holdings might justify lower short-term rates; and alternate and more accurate measures of inflation actually show prices rising more slowly than those currently emphasized by the Fed.
While he may have reasonable arguments about any of those items, buttressing them with compelling research and convincing fellow policymakers will take time, if it’s possible at all.
Former Fed staff and officials said the most likely first steps would be for Warsh to commission a range of internal reviews, followed by debates at the FOMC and, later, potential changes in things like rules for bank reserves – one possible path to a smaller balance sheet – or the incorporation of different inflation data in policy discussions.
Warsh has also indicated he would like to change some longstanding communication tools like the quarterly Summary of Economic Projections, which includes the “dot plot” chart of rate projections. There’s broad dissatisfaction about aspects of the SEP, for example, making that a possible area for faster reform.
But both the SEPs issued by the central bank and the press conferences held by the Fed chief have become powerful tools for shaping public expectations. In a recent Brookings Institution survey of academic and private-sector Fed experts, nearly all of the 29 respondents regarded the post-meeting press conference as “useful or extremely useful” and just over half said the same about the SEP and dot plot.
Press conferences in particular are “an international standard” for explaining policy decisions and the economic outlook, said former St. Louis Fed President James Bullard, the dean of Purdue University’s Mitch Daniels School of Business. “I think it would be hard to change that.”
COUNTERARGUMENTS ALREADY DEVELOPING
On other issues, former Fed officials and staff say Warsh’s proposals would need to be vetted like any other.
Ideas are already circulating about how to reduce the balance sheet, for example, but there is skepticism about Warsh’s notion that shrinking bond holdings would allow for rate cuts.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the press, ahead of departing the White House for Joint Base Andrews en route to Beijing, China, in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 12, 2026. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein Purchase Licensing Rights
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Americans’ financial struggles are not a factor in his decision-making as he seeks to negotiate an end to the Iran war, saying that preventing Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon is his top priority.
Asked by a reporter to what extent Americans’ financial situations were motivating him to strike a deal, Trump said: “Not even a little bit.”
“The only thing that matters, when I’m talking about Iran, they can’t have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said before departing the White House for a trip to China. “I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation. I don’t think about anybody. I think about one thing: We cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. That’s all. That’s the only thing that motivates me.”
Trump’s remarks are likely to draw scrutiny from critics who argue the administration should balance geopolitical objectives with the economic impact on Americans, particularly as cost-of-living concerns remain a top issue for voters ahead of the November midterm elections.
Asked to elaborate on the president’s comments, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said that Trump’s “ultimate responsibility is the safety and security of Americans. Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, and if action wasn’t taken, they’d have one, which threatens all Americans.”
Trump is under growing pressure from fellow Republicans who fear economic pain caused by the war could spark a backlash against the party and cost it control of the House of Representatives and possibly the Senate in November.
Rising energy costs linked to the Iran conflict have pushed up gasoline prices and contributed to inflation.
U.S. consumer inflation in April posted its largest gain in three years, according to data released on Tuesday.
Trump framed his approach as a matter of national and global security, suggesting economic concerns were secondary to preventing nuclear proliferation.
F-15SA fighter jets are seen at King Faisal Air College in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, January 25, 2017. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
Saudi fighter jets bombed targets linked to powerful Tehran-backed Shi’ite militias in Iraq during the Iran war, while retaliatory strikes were also launched from Kuwait into Iraq, multiple sources familiar with the matter said.
The strikes are part of a broader pattern of military responses around the Gulf that remained largely hidden during a conflict that began with U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran and has spread to the wider Middle East.
For this report, Reuters spoke to three Iraqi security and military officials, a Western official, and two people briefed on the matter, one of them in the U.S.
The Saudi strikes were carried out by Saudi air force fighter jets on Iran-linked militia targets near the kingdom’s northern border with Iraq, one Western official and the person briefed on the matter said. The Western official said some strikes took place around the time of the April 7 U.S.-Iran ceasefire.
They targeted sites from which drone and missile attacks were launched at Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states, the sources said.
Citing military assessments, the Iraqi sources said rocket attacks were launched on at least two occasions from Kuwaiti territory on Iraq. One set of strikes hit militia positions in southern Iraq in April, killing several fighters and destroying a facility used by Iran-backed militia Kataib Hezbollah for communications and drone operations, they said.
Reuters could not determine whether the rockets from Kuwait were fired by the Kuwaiti armed forces or the U.S. military, which has a large presence there. The U.S. military declined to comment. The Kuwaiti information ministry and the Iraqi government did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
SAUDI ARABIA ALSO HIT IRAN
A Saudi foreign ministry official said Saudi Arabia sought de-escalation, self-restraint and the “reduction of tensions in pursuit of the stability, security and prosperity of the region,” but did not address the issue of strikes on Iraq. A spokesperson for Iraq’s Kataib Hezbollah also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
On Tuesday, Reuters reported that Saudi Arabia launched strikes directly on Iran during the war in retaliation for attacks on the kingdom, the first time Riyadh is known to have hit Iranian soil. The UAE also carried out similar strikes on Iran, three people familiar with the matter said.
But hundreds of the drones that targeted the Gulf emanated from Iraq, all the sources said.
Militia-linked Telegram channels repeatedly posted statements during the war claiming attacks on targets in Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Reuters could not independently confirm their authenticity.
Sustained attacks from a second front in Iraq prompted Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to lose patience with the militias, which collectively command tens of thousands of fighters and arsenals including missiles and drones.
Kuwait summoned Iraq’s representative in the country three times during the war to protest cross-border attacks, as well as the storming of the Kuwaiti consulate in the city of Basra on April 7. Saudi Arabia also summoned Iraq’s ambassador on April 12 to protest attacks.
IRAQ-GULF TIES DEFINED BY SUSPICION
Gulf Arab relations with Iraq have long been defined by suspicion. Ties were severely damaged in 1990 when Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s forces invaded Kuwait and fired Scud missiles at Saudi Arabia, and they remained strained for decades.
The 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq deepened Gulf concerns by empowering Shi’ite political factions and armed groups closely tied to Tehran, turning Iraq into a key node in Iran’s regional network of proxies.
Gulf states have repeatedly accused Baghdad of failing to rein in those groups, which operate with significant autonomy and have launched attacks across borders.
A China-brokered détente between Iran and Saudi Arabia in 2023 had offered hope for broader regional stabilisation. But the outbreak of war has severely tested those gains, drawing Gulf states into a conflict they had sought to avoid and exposing the limits of diplomatic progress made in recent years.
The Trump administration will block new home healthcare and hospice providers from enrolling in Medicare for at least the next six months, according to a government, statement, opens new tab posted on Wednesday, citing concerns about widespread fraud.
The moratorium will temporarily bar new providers in those categories from signing up for reimbursement from Medicare, a U.S. government health insurance program for Americans aged 65 and older and those with disabilities. It will not impact providers already registered with Medicare, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which oversees the program.
It is the latest move by Vice President JD Vance’s anti-fraud task force that aims to crack down on healthcare scams.
The U.S. government has for years tried to tackle fraudulent payments from Medicare to hospice and home healthcare providers.
Scammers can bill Medicare for services that the patient doesn’t need or want, allowing them to rake in millions of dollars from the U.S. government. The national fraud prevention group Senior Medicare Patrol has repeatedly issued alerts on the issue.
It is unusual to pause registrations nationwide. CMS has paused enrollments in the past in specific counties when staff suspected fraud tied to those locations, including in 2013, when it barred new providers based in Florida’s Miami-Dade County and several counties in Illinois.
CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz did not provide specific evidence to reporters on Wednesday to explain why the Trump administration believes it is necessary to bar new enrollments across the U.S., as opposed to in specific areas.
Fraudsters that have been barred from collecting Medicare payments often try to get around the ban by starting a new company and registering for payments, said Stephen Lee, a former federal prosecutor who worked in Illinois at the time of the 2013 enrollment pause.
But pausing new enrollments doesn’t help alleviate theft by companies that are already enrolled in Medicare, he said. “It would be a mistake to think that this tool alone will work.”
Reuters was first to report on the pause. The moratorium will give CMS time to account for hospice and home health expenditures under the Medicare program and create additional guidance, an administration official said.
The Trump administration has been criticized for mixing the president’s political preferences with agency efforts to eliminate fraud in government payments. The administration singled out some Democratic-led states, including California and Minnesota, as not doing enough to combat fraud.
Vance on Wednesday said the Trump administration would defer $1.3 billion in funding for California to detect and prevent Medicaid fraud. Medicaid is the federal- and state-run health program for low-income Americans.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance speaks with U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during the inaugural Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) summit in Washington, D.C., U.S., November 12, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
DIFFERENT APPROACHES FROM INDUSTRY
In 2024, 1.8 million Medicare beneficiaries received hospice care at a cost of $28.3 billion, according to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission. The same year, 2.7 million patients on Medicare received home healthcare at a cost of $16 billion, according to the agency that advises Congress on healthcare spending.
Vance’s task force has recently taken action against hospice services, particularly in California, where the state auditor said in 2022 that lax oversight had enabled large-scale fraud.
Industry groups had urged different approaches as the Trump administration weighed potential action.
The National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation said in March it supported temporarily pausing hospice provider enrollments. The National Alliance for Care at Home warned against overly broad action that could deter doctors and patients from recommending or seeking care.
Major home health operators in the U.S. include BrightSpring Health Services (BTSG.O), private equity-backed Matrix Medical Network, and UnitedHealth Group (UNH.N). Chemed Corporation (CHE.N), subsidiary VITAS Healthcare is among the top hospice care providers.
BROADER CRACKDOWN
Tens of billions of dollars are estimated to be lost in the United States through healthcare fraud each year, translating into higher costs for patients and employers, according to the National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association.
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has also sought to tackle other healthcare sectors it has deemed a fraud risk. The administration in February paused Medicare enrollments by suppliers of durable medical equipment, such as prostheses.
The fraud crackdown started in Minnesota, where the Trump administration said in February it would withhold $259 million in funds for Medicaid.
Russia unleashed a massive daytime drone attack on Ukraine on Wednesday, targeting critical infrastructure in the west, killing at least six people and prompting NATO-member Poland to scramble fighter jets, officials said.
Hungary, now led by a government more in line with the European mainstream, condemned the strikes on areas of Ukraine with ethnic Hungarian communities and summoned the Russian ambassador. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy praised the Hungarian action as an “important message”.
Zelenskiy, writing on Telegram while attending a security conference in Romania, said the Russian attack was continuing through the evening, with Moscow now deploying missiles.
Zelenskiy had earlier said that since midnight Moscow had launched at least 800 drones, with the attack deliberately targeting regions closest to the borders of NATO countries.
“It certainly cannot be called a coincidence that one of the longest massive Russian attacks against Ukraine takes place precisely at the time when the President of the United States arrived for a visit to China,” Zelenskiy said on Telegram.
Zelenskiy said six people were killed and dozens injured in the attack, which spanned other regions. Ukraine’s railway infrastructure was struck 23 times during the barrage, a presidential advisor said, though traffic was maintained.
A late evening statement issued by Ukraine’s military said 187 combat clashes had been recorded over 24 hours along the 1,200-km (750-mile) front line, with 55 air strikes and 178 guided bombs deployed by Russian forces.
The heaviest fighting occurred near Pokrovsk in the east, under Russian attack for many months, with 24 clashes recorded and near Huliaipole further south, with 22 Russian attacks.
Wednesday’s drone strikes were the first such major attack after a three-day U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia, which ended on Monday.
Poland scrambled fighter jets as a preventative measure due to the Russian air strikes on Ukraine, the Polish army said.
Rescuers search for people under the debris at the site of an apartment building damaged during Russian missile and drone strikes, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine May 14, 2026. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko Purchase Licensing Rights
Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar, speaking after the new government’s first cabinet meeting, said the Russian ambassador had been summoned to the foreign ministry on Thursday morning to meet foreign minister Anita Orban.
Orban will condemn the attack at the meeting and ask the ambassador when Russia plans to end the more than four-year-old war, he added. Under the outgoing government voted out of office this month, Hungary blocked aid for Ukraine and tried to slow its efforts to join the EU.
Slovakia closed border crossings with Ukraine for security reasons.
The defence ministry in Moldova, which has repeatedly denounced Russia’s invasion of its eastern neighbour, said a drone had crossed into its airspace and flown for about 300 km before disappearing from radar screens. The foreign ministry said the intrusion “posed a threat to our citizens.”
Ukraine’s HUR military intelligence said the drone assault was designed to overwhelm Ukrainian air defences, warning of subsequent missile strikes. It said that Moscow targeted critical infrastructure and essential services in major cities.
ATTACKS IN WESTERN UKRAINE
Ukraine’s air force said Russia had used the territory of Belarus and Moldova to fly the drones towards Ukraine.
State-owned oil and gas company Naftogaz said that Russian strikes had damaged two of its facilities in the northeastern region of Kharkiv and in Zhytomyr region, west of Kyiv. Governors and mayors reported strikes across western Ukraine.
The posts came as Trump travelled to China for high-stakes talks with Xi Jinping and days after he floated the idea of Venezuela becoming a US state.
Trump’s Truth Social post and Rubio’s outfit triggered a fresh wave of online discussion around Venezuela. (IMAGE: X)
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday shared a graphic depicting Venezuela as the “51st State” of the United States, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio was spotted aboard Air Force One wearing a Nike tracksuit similar to the one former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro wore during his capture earlier this year.
Trump posted the image on his Truth Social platform while en route to China for high-stakes talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The graphic showed a map of Venezuela overlaid with the American flag and labelled “51st State”. The White House reshared the same image on its official X account later.
The post came a day after Trump told Fox News he was considering making Venezuela a new US state, months after US forces captured Maduro in a military operation in Caracas.
Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodríguez had earlier rejected the idea, saying the country had “never” considered becoming America’s 51st state.
At nearly the same time, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung shared a photograph of Rubio aboard Air Force One wearing a grey Nike Tech tracksuit that social media users linked to the outfit Maduro wore when he was taken into US custody in January.
Trump’s comms director just shared this photo of Sec. Rubio on Air Force One wearing the same track suit that Maduro was captured in. pic.twitter.com/DLD5YtQFHG
“Secretary Rubio rocking the Nike Tech ‘Venezuela’ on Air Force One!” Cheung wrote on X. Journalist Kellie Meyer also posted the image, saying Rubio was wearing a tracksuit similar to the one Maduro wore during his capture.
President Trump reiterated his strong stance on Iran while en route to a summit with China’s Xi Jinping, asserting that Iran is under control and emphasizing the US’s commitment to preventing its nuclear armament.
US President Donald Trump addresses reports at the White House on Tuesday. Photo : AP
US President Donald Trump issued a fresh warning to Iran as he heads to China for a two-day summit with President Xi Jinping. Addressing reporters at the White House on Tuesday, Trump said that the conflict in the Middle East was under control. “We have Iran very much under control. We’re either going to make a deal or they’re going to be decimated,” the US President added.
Asked if Xi needs to intervene in Iran, Trump said, “I don’t think we need any help with Iran. We’ll win it one way or the other. We’ll win it peacefully or otherwise. Their Navy is gone. Their Air Force is gone. Every single element of their war machine is gone.”
“It’s very simple: Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon… We don’t play games. They’re not going to have a nuclear weapon,” he added
Meanwhile, Iran’s government showed no sign of backing down from its hard-line stance. Kazem Gharibabadi, a deputy foreign minister, posted on X that Iran’s position was that any peace deal must include reparations for Iran, Iranian sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, and an end to US sanctions.
The comments come as the month-old ceasefire looked increasingly fragile with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth telling Congress on Tuesday that the “United States had a plan to escalate, if necessary.”
Trump has said that he wants a swift end to the war and a reopening of the strait. The President has also brushed aside economic concerns, saying: “As soon as this war is over, which will not be long, you’re going to see oil prices drop.” He added that the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz will bring a “gusher of oil.” What matters more than oil prices, he said, is that “Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. They will not have a nuclear weapon.”
The war in Iran has led to higher prices for Americans, and data released on Tuesday morning says that inflation rose to 3.8% last month.
Trump also laid out his plan to discuss the Iran war with Chinese President Xi Jinping. “We’re going to have a long talk about it. I think he’s been relatively good, to be honest with you. You look at the blockade, no problem. They get a lot of their oil from that area. We’ve had no problem,” Trump said.
The new image appears to back a report by CBS News that Iran had been sending aircraft, including reconnaissance and intelligence aircraft to Pakistan’s Nur Khan airbase
Iranian aircraft parked at Pakistan’s Nur Khan airbase High-res here
High-resolution satellite imagery sourced from Vantor appears to confirm reports that Pakistan has been harbouring at least one Iran Air Force military aircraft while projecting itself as an independent mediator in the talks between Tehran and Washington which have been held in Islamabad.
The April 25, 2026 image in this report shows an Iran Air Force C-130 aircraft parked near a hangar at Pakistan’s Nur Khan airbase. Nur Khan Airbase (also known as the Pakistan Air Force’s Chaklala Airbase) is located in Chaklala, Rawalpindi which lies within the Islamabad-Rawalpindi metropolitan area. This is approximately 10 km from central Islamabad.
The new image appears to back a report by CBS News that Iran had been sending aircraft, including reconnaissance and intelligence aircraft to Pakistan’s Nur Khan airbase soon after US President Donald Trump announced the ceasefire in April.
Reacting to the CBS News report, US Senator Lindsey Graham has now directly told US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine that he doesn’t trust Pakistan.
Speaking at a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, Senator Graham, who serves as the senior US senator from South Carolina said, “If they actually do have Iranian aircraft parked in Pakistan bases to protect Iranian military assets, that tells me we should be looking maybe for somebody else to mediate. No wonder this damn thing [talks between the US and Iran] is going nowhere.”
Earlier, in a statement, Pakistan referred to the CBS News report as being “misleading and sensationalised. Such speculative narratives appear aimed at undermining ongoing efforts for regional stability and peace.”
Iran first received its C-130s during the reign of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in the seventies. The fleet was inherited intact by the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force after the 1979 Revolution. No new C-130s have been acquired since due to US sanctions. Iran has sustained the fleet through domestic overhauls and creative maintenance.
Iran’s C-130s wear a sandy yellow/tan (desert sand) camouflage scheme, markedly different from Pakistan Air Force C-130s also deployed at the Nur Khan airbase. These wear a light grey paint scheme.
A Saudi fighter jet accompanies Air Force One, carrying U.S. President Donald Trump, on approach to the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 13, 2025. REUTERS/Brian Snyder/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
Saudi Arabia launched numerous, unpublicized strikes on Iran in retaliation for attacks carried out in the kingdom during the Middle East war, two Western officials briefed on the matter and two Iranian officials said.
The Saudi attacks, not previously reported, mark the first time that the kingdom is known to have directly carried out military action on Iranian soil and show it is becoming much bolder in defending itself against its main regional rival.
The attacks, launched by the Saudi Air Force, were assessed to have been carried out in late March, the two Western officials said. One said only that they were “tit-for-tat strikes in retaliation for when Saudi (Arabia) was hit.”
Reuters was unable to confirm what the specific targets were.
In response to a request for comment, a senior Saudi foreign ministry official did not address directly whether strikes had been carried out.
The Iranian foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment.
Saudi Arabia, which has a deep military relationship with the United States, has traditionally relied on U.S. military for protection, but the 10-week war has left the kingdom vulnerable to attacks that have pierced the U.S. military umbrella.
GULF ARAB STATES BEGAN HITTING BACK
The Saudi strikes underscore the widening of the conflict — and the extent to which a war that began when the U.S. and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran on February 28 has drawn in the broader Middle East in ways that have not been publicly acknowledged.
Since the U.S. and Israeli strikes, Iran has hit all six Gulf Cooperation Council states with missiles and drones, attacking not only U.S. military bases but civilian sites, airports and oil infrastructure, and closed the Strait of Hormuz, disrupting global trade.
The United Arab Emirates also carried out military strikes on Iran, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday. Together, the Saudi and Emirati actions reveal a conflict whose true shape has remained largely hidden — one in which Gulf monarchies battered by Iranian attacks began hitting back.
But their approach has not been identical. The UAE has taken a more hawkish stance, seeking to extract a cost from Iran and engaging only rarely in public diplomacy with Tehran.
Saudi Arabia has meanwhile sought to prevent the conflict from escalating and has stayed in regular contact with Iran, including via Tehran’s ambassador in Riyadh. He did not respond to a request for comment.
The senior Saudi foreign ministry official did not directly address whether a de-escalation agreement had been struck with Iran, but said: “We reaffirm Saudi Arabia’s consistent position advocating de-escalation, self-restraint and the reduction of tensions in pursuit of the stability, security and prosperity of the region and its people.”
STRIKES, THEN DE-ESCALATION
The Iranian and Western officials said Saudi Arabia made Iran aware of the strikes and this was followed by intensive diplomatic engagement and Saudi threats to retaliate further, which led to an understanding between the two countries to de-escalate.
Ali Vaez, the Iran Project Director at the International Crisis Group, said retaliatory Saudi strikes on Iran, followed by an understanding to de-escalate, would “show pragmatic recognition on both sides that uncontrolled escalation carries unacceptable costs.”
Such a sequence of events would show “not trust, but a shared interest in imposing limits on confrontation before it spiraled into a wider regional conflict.”
The informal de-escalation took effect in the week before Washington and Tehran agreed to a ceasefire in their broader conflict on April 7. The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
One of the Iranian officials confirmed that Tehran and Riyadh had agreed to de-escalate, saying the move aimed to “cease hostilities, safeguard mutual interests, and prevent the escalation of tensions.”
Long at odds, Iran and Saudi Arabia — the two leading Shi’ite and Sunni Muslim powers in the Middle East — have backed opposing groups in conflicts across the region.
A China-brokered détente in 2023 saw them resume ties, including a ceasefire between the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen and Saudi Arabia that has since held.
With the Red Sea remaining open to shipping, Saudi Arabia has been able to continue exporting oil throughout the conflict, unlike most Gulf states, and so has managed to remain relatively insulated.
KINGDOM AVOIDED ‘FURNACE OF DESTRUCTION’, SAYS PRINCE
In an op-ed in Saudi-owned Arab News over the weekend, former Saudi intelligence chief Prince Turki al-Faisal captured the kingdom’s calculus, writing that “when Iran and others tried to drag the kingdom into the furnace of destruction, our leadership chose to endure the pains caused by a neighbor in order to protect the lives and property of its citizens.”
Saudi Arabia’s strikes followed weeks of mounting tension.
At a press conference in Riyadh on March 19, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said the kingdom “reserved the right to take military actions if deemed necessary.”
Three days later, Saudi Arabia declared Iran’s military attaché and four embassy staff members personae non gratae.
February 23, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Brooklyn Nets center Jason Collins (46) waits to enter the game against the Los Angeles Lakers during the second half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports Purchase Licensing Rights
Jason Collins, the first openly gay active player in the NBA, has died at the age of 47 after battling cancer, his family said on Tuesday.
Collins revealed in September that he was undergoing treatment for a brain tumour and later disclosed he had stage four glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.
“We are heartbroken to share that Jason Collins, our beloved husband, son, brother and uncle, has died after a valiant fight with glioblastoma,” the family said in a statement.
Collins made headlines in 2013 when he became the first active male athlete in one of North America’s four major professional sports leagues to publicly come out as gay.
The center played 13 seasons in the NBA. He was selected 18th overall by the Houston Rockets in the 2001 draft then was traded to the then-New Jersey Nets on draft night. He also had stints with the Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards.
Collins helped the Nets reach back-to-back NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003 alongside teammates Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson.
After a first-person essay in Sports Illustrated disclosing he was gay, Collins received widespread support across the sports world, including from then-U.S. President Barack Obama.
The Galaxy Globe bulk carrier and the Luojiashan tanker sit anchored as Iran vows to close the Strait of Hormuz, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Muscat, Oman, March 9, 2026. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
Both Iraq and Pakistan have cut deals with Iran to ship oil and liquefied natural gas from the Gulf, according to five sources with knowledge of the matter, in a demonstration of Tehran’s ability to control energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz.
The U.S.-Israeli war with Iran has slashed energy exports from a region that normally supplies 20% of the world’s crude oil and LNG. The U.S. has blockaded Iranian ports in recent weeks. And though Iran initially sought to halt traffic through the strait, that stance is now changing, said Claudio Steuer of the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies.
“Iran has shifted from blocking Hormuz to controlling access to it … Hormuz is no longer a neutral transit route, it is a controlled corridor,” he said.
With most of its crude exports typically shipped through the strait, Iraq was among the producers worst-affected by its closure, while Pakistan, which has sought to mediate in the conflict, depends heavily on Gulf energy imports and has faced surging fuel costs.
In a deal between Baghdad and Tehran that has not been previously reported, Iraq secured safe passage for two very large crude carriers, each carrying about 2 million barrels of crude, that passed through the strait on Sunday.
Iraq is now working to secure Iran’s approval for more transits, an Iraqi oil ministry official familiar with the initial deal and current talks told Reuters, as the government seeks to safeguard the oil revenues that make up 95% of its budget.
“Iraq is a close ally of Iran, and any deterioration in Iraq’s economy would also damage Iran’s economic interests in the country,” the official said.
A second Iraqi oil ministry official and a shipping industry source also confirmed the talks with Tehran. All of the sources asked not to be named as they were not authorised to speak on the matter.
An Iraqi government spokesperson did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
QATARI LNG FOR PAKISTAN
Similarly, two tankers loaded with Qatari LNG are headed to Pakistan following a separate bilateral agreement between Islamabad and Tehran, two industry sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters, also asking not to be named as they were not permitted to speak with media.
Pakistan received roughly 10 LNG cargoes a month before the war and now must meet high summer electricity demand for cooling.
Neither Iraq nor Pakistan has made direct payments to Iran or its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in relation to the transits, the sources said.
Qatar was not directly involved in the bilateral deals, the two industry sources said, but it informed the United States ahead of the shipments to Pakistan.
Pakistan’s petroleum and information ministries did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Neither did Qatar’s foreign ministry.
IRAN TIGHTENS ITS GRIP
Other countries are exploring similar deals, according to sources familiar with the discussions, as rising energy costs and supply disruptions weigh heavily, particularly on Asian economies.
“As more governments become willing to cut deals with Iran for passage, it risks normalising the idea that Iran will control the Strait of Hormuz on a more permanent basis,” said Saul Kavonic, head of research at consultancy MST Marquee.
Extensive testing, contact tracing, and quarantine procedures are still needed to contain the outbreak, WHO says. However, it has stressed that the current outbreak is vastly different to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dutch evacuees from the Hondius cruise ship are received in EindhovenImage: Rob Engelaar/ANP/picture alliance
The push to contain the recent hantavirus outbreak “is not over” yet, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Tuesday.
Tedros’ comments came soon after it was announced that everyone aboard the virus-struck cruise ship MV Hondius had been evacuated from Spain’s Canary Islands.
In a joint press conference with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Tedros said that there is “no sign that we are seeing the start of a larger outbreak…but of course the situation could change, and given the long incubation period of the virus, it’s possible we might see more cases in the coming weeks.”
What is the state of the hantavirus outbreak?
This strain of hantavirus can likely be traced to rodents in South America.
On April 1, 2026, the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius left Argentina. Ten days later, a passenger died of hantavirus while on the ship and his wife died several days later in a hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa.
A third passenger, a German woman, perished and it was decided that the Hondius would dock at Tenerife while passengers were tested for the virus and those who were sick could be evacuated.
On Sunday and Monday, the remaining 120 passengers still aboard the Hondius were evacuated.
So far there have been eleven confirmed cases of hantavirus. The patients are in Spain, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the UK, and the US.
The ShinyHunters hacking group stole student data from the popular education platform Canvas last week. Parent company Instructure apologized for the hack and said Canvas “remains safe to use.”
Canvas is a learning management system used worldwideImage: CFOTO/IMAGO
The US parent company of online learning system Canvas said Monday that it has reached a deal with a hacking group which stole student and school data on the educational platform.
What’s the latest?
Instructure said in a statement posted online that it “reached an agreement with the unauthorized actor involved in this incident.”
The company said “the data was returned to us” and “we received digital confirmation of data destruction (shred logs).”
“No Instructure customers will be extorted as a result of this incident, publicly or otherwise,” the statement read. “This agreement covers all impacted Instructure customers, and there is no need for individual customers to attempt to engage with the unauthorized actor.”
Instructure first said it was probing a cybersecurity incident in regards to Canvas on May 1.
Hacking group ShinyHunters claimed responsibility for the breach in a May 3 post on its website. ShinyHunters said it seized roughly 6.65 terabytes of Canvas data in the hack.
The group said it would release data tied to nearly 9,000 schools worldwide if the educational institutions did not pay a ransom by May 6. ShinyHunters then pushed back the deadline as it said negotiations were underway with some schools.
ShinyHunters is reportedly made of young adults and teenagers in the US and UK and has earlier been accused of carrying out a hack on online sales platform Ticketmaster.
Canvas ‘fully operational and remains safe to use’
Instructure CEO Steve Daly apologized for the hack and said Canvas “is fully operational and remains safe to use.”
“Over the past few days, many of you dealt with real disruption. Stress on your teams. Missed moments in the classroom. Questions you couldn’t get answered. You deserved more consistent communication from us, and we didn’t deliver it. I’m sorry for that,” Daly said.
Amnesty International is calling for an investigation, saying the strike was the latest deadly attack to kill civilians. The military denies that civilians were harmed.
The Nigerian military denied its strikes killed civiliansImage: Mosa’ab Elshamy/AP Photo/picture alliance
According to Amnesty International, at least 100 civilians have been killed in a Nigerian military airstrike on a crowded market in the country’s northwest.
The rights group’s Nigerian office said the attack hit Tumfa market in Zamfara State on Sunday and is calling for an immediate investigation.
“The authorities must investigate these deadly strikes, and put an end to reckless attacks on civilians,” Amnesty said on social media.
The Red Cross also confirmed the strike.
A spokesman for Nigeria’s military, Major General Michael Onoja, told the AFP news agency reports of civilian deaths in Zamfara were “not true.”
In a separate statement to the Associated Press, the military said, there was “no verifiable evidence of civilian casualties as being suggested in the media has been established.”
Rights group cites repeated civilian deaths in Nigerian air operations
Dozens of injured people are being treated in nearby hospitals, and many of the dead are reported to be women and girls, according to community leaders in the area.
“Everybody, residents and bandits, goes to the market,”Garba Ibrahim Mashema said. “People are at the mercy of the bandits. There is nothing they can do.”
A Red Cross official in the state, Ibrahim Bello Garba, told the Associated Press “multiple civilians” were killed.
Sunday’s strike follows another deadly market airstrike last month in Jilli, in northeastern Nigeria, in which around 200 civilians were killed.
“In parts of the north facing conflicts, civilians have borne the brunt of suffering far too often,” Amnesty said. “These horrific deaths must not be overlooked.”
On a visit to Indonesia, Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan also thanked the search and rescue personnel who retrieved the bodies of victims, including two Singaporeans, who died on Mount Dukono on May 8.
Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan (left) and Indonesia Foreign Minister Sugiono in Jakarta on May 12, 2026. (Photo: CNA/Ridhwan Siregar)
Indonesia and Singapore want to deepen ties and collaboration as they commemorate 60 years of bilateral relations next year, said the foreign ministers of both countries on Tuesday (May 12).
Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, who began a three-day visit to Jakarta on Monday, met his Indonesian counterpart Sugiono on Tuesday morning.
Singapore and Indonesia’s bilateral projects, like the Nongsa Digital Park in Batam and the Kendal Industrial Park in Central Java, have continued to flourish, and they see good prospects for further growth, especially in the digital and green economies, Dr Balakrishnan said at a joint press conference with Mr Sugiono after their meeting.
“That is why we are looking for more opportunities to enhance our engagements with the large number of provinces in Indonesia,” he said.
Both sides are also looking for opportunities to work more closely with Malaysia, he said, citing the renewal of the Singapore-Johor-Riau Islands partnership, or SIJORI.
“This is a partnership which I believe can deliver tremendous benefits to all three countries. Within our region, we also hope to see more investments in transport connectivity and digital projects, and to also bring to reality the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Power Grid.”
Mr Sugiono, who goes by one name, said: “These past six decades, I think Indonesia and Singapore have built a very strong partnership defined by strategic trust, mutual benefit, and shared purpose.”
He said they also spoke about the preparation for the upcoming Leaders’ Retreat and reviewed concrete progress across various sectors, such as energy, cross-border activity, trade, energy development, and investment.
“We are hoping to have the largest electricity project, especially (from) sustainable (energy),” Mr Sugiono added.
Dr Balakrishnan also noted Indonesia’s vast energy potential, including in solar, geothermal, and hydroelectric power.
“I see Indonesia as a superpower in energy; it is a matter of getting the investments to flow and getting these projects to fruition,” he said.
Indonesia’s energy potential and economic development complements Singapore’s role as a regional hub for technology and infrastructure financing, he said, adding that Singapore is Indonesia’s largest foreign investor and both are among each other’s biggest trading partners.
Both countries’ relations are in an “excellent state”, said Dr Balakrishnan. “Singapore and Indonesia have stood by each other in both good times and tough times, whether it was the COVID-19 pandemic, or now with the crisis in the Middle East. We have stood by each other, we have supported each other, and we will get through this crisis together.”
Both countries’ Expanded Framework Agreements came into force in March 2024, covering their collaboration in defence, airspace management, and law enforcement, Dr Balakrishnan noted.
“The fact that we were able to settle these longstanding issues constructively and implement these agreements well is a very good sign of the strength of our bilateral relations,” he added.
GEOPOLITICS AND WAR IN IRAN
The two ministers also spoke about the geopolitical situation, including the war in the Middle East and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which has affected energy supplies to Asia, including Southeast Asia.
Dr Balakrishnan said he spoke with the Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi on Monday night.
“I took the opportunity to invite him to our region to see – in the midst of great diversity and great potential for development – the importance of regional peace, the importance of a rules-based world order, the importance of abiding by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS),” he said.
That Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore have been able to maintain the Straits of Malacca and Singapore as an “open, safe, and vital waterway”, including through the Co-operative Mechanism on Safety of Navigation and Environmental Protection in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore formulated pursuant to UNCLOS, could be a “positive model that could apply to other areas in the world”, he said.
“The point here is that the success of Indonesia and the effective cooperation that we have in our region has a major impact on the prospects for ASEAN, but can also serve as a positive example for the rest of the world.”
The Russian leader had said, without elaborating, that he believed the war was “heading to an end”.
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a press conference in Moscow, Russia, on May 9, 2026. (Photo: REUTERS/Ramil Sitdikov/Pool)
The Kremlin said Tuesday (May 12) there was no concrete plan to end the Ukraine war, days after Russian leader Vladimir Putin suggested Europe’s worst conflict since WWII could be winding down.
Moscow and Kyiv resumed attacks overnight after the end of a three-day ceasefire proclaimed by US President Donald Trump, which each side accused the other of violating.
After slamming NATO and wishing his forces a swift advance, Putin at the weekend said that he believed the war was “heading to an end”, without elaborating.
Trump echoed this on Tuesday, saying the end of the war was “getting closer” and that he could potentially visit Russia this year.
Putin’s words spurred confusion, with talks to end Moscow’s offensive so far leading nowhere and the Russian leader showing no sign of backing down over his maximalist demands in Ukraine.
The Kremlin clarified there were “no specifics” about Putin’s statement.
“The president said that Russia remains open to contact and that work has been done in a trilateral format,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
“The accumulated groundwork in terms of the peace process allows us to say that the end is drawing near … But in this context, it is not possible at the moment to speak about any specifics,” Peskov said.
Putin would only agree to meet Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy outside of Russia if it were to sign a final peace deal, Peskov added.
The Russian leader made the remarks after a scaled-back Victory Day in Moscow – where nerves were high over the risk of a Ukrainian drone attack – and with Russians increasingly showing signs of war fatigue, hitting Putin’s domestic approval ratings.
US CEASEFIRE ENDS
Ukraine said Russia ended the three-day ceasefire by launching more than 200 attack drones that damaged energy facilities and apartment buildings, killing at least four people across the country.
One Russian strike on a residential building killed two people and seriously wounded a baby, who lost a leg, in Kryvyi Rig, Zelenskyy’s home city, local authorities said.
“After the end of the three-day partial ceasefire, Russia continues to kill and maim Ukrainians,” said Zelenskyy, calling the strike on Kryvyi Rig “cynical.”
Moscow’s army announced Kyiv had also restarted its retaliatory strikes on Russia, saying its air defence units had downed 71 Ukrainian drones after the ceasefire expired.
Ukrainian drones hit a train station in Russia’s western Bryansk region, wounding two railway workers, regional governor Alexander Bogomaz said.
Local officials in the Ukrainian region of Dnipropetrovsk ordered the partial evacuation of families with children from parts of the frontline city of Nikopol.
“Russia must end this war, and it is Russia that must take the step toward a real, lasting ceasefire,” Zelenskyy added.
The Kremlin, meanwhile, said it was Kyiv that must give in.
As is usual during the short-term truces throughout the four-year war, both sides accused each other of mass violations.
The Democratic primary for a key U.S. House seat in Nebraska was too early to call late Tuesday, as two candidates were separated by a narrow margin in a contest that could decide the fate of the state’s “blue dot” — a small, but significant factor in presidential politics.
Political activist Denise Powell had a lead of about 2 percentage points over state Sen. John Cavanaugh, out of more than 51,000 votes counted.
Douglas County, which accounts for more than 90% of the district, has a history of counting a significant number of votes after election day, and county officials were unable to provide an estimate of the number of outstanding ballots late Tuesday. The county expects to provide additional information about outstanding ballots on Wednesday afternoon.
The winner of the Democratic primary will face Republican Brinkner Harding, who was endorsed by President Donald Trump, in what will be one of the Democrats’ top targets in the November general election. The seat has been held for much of the last decade by U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, a Republican who is retiring.
“Hopefully, we wake up tomorrow morning to some good news,” Powell said at her election night party. “I think people are ready for that fired up mom. I think that they’re looking for change, and hopefully they see me as the person to help Nebraska to bring it.”
The district draws national attention because Nebraska is one of just two states that splits its electoral votes in presidential elections. The 2nd District has gone to Democratic presidential candidates three out of five times since 2008 — a “blue dot” in an otherwise sea of red.
Some Democrats contended that the very survival of the “blue dot,” a point of intense local pride, was at stake on Tuesday.
Powell’s supporters argued that a Cavanaugh primary victory would jeopardize the district’s special status because he’d be leaving his valuable state legislative seat, making it easier for Republicans in the Nebraska Legislature to change the law that allows the state to split its electoral votes.
The issue has defined the primary contest, where the leading candidates have much in common ideologically, perhaps more than any other.
Outside an Omaha polling place, Beth Pepitone said she voted for Powell because she wanted someone who would stand up to Trump.
“I just think we’re going in the wrong direction and it’s very sad,” said Pepitone. “I want to preserve the ‘blue dot.’”
Clarity for key Senate contest
A key Senate contest also got clarity on Tuesday night, as U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts easily won the GOP primary in his bid to seek his first full term. Ricketts was appointed to replace former Sen. Ben Sasse in 2023 and then won a 2024 special election.
Ricketts’ real test will come in the November general election against independent candidate Dan Osborn, an industrial mechanic and military veteran who came within 7 points of defeating Republican U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer in her 2024 reelection bid.
Democrats are not expected to promote their own competitor in the general election, even after Cindy Burbank won the party’s primary. Burbank has said she plans to drop out of the race and rally behind Osborn as part of her party’s broader strategy to defeat Ricketts this fall. On her website, Burbank says Osborn “deserves a fair shot against Ricketts.”
The Nebraska Democratic Party said it would support the independent Osborn for the general election as well.
Meanwhile, in the race for governor, incumbent Republican Gov. Jim Pillen won his party’s primary, while former state Sen. Lynne Walz won the Democratic nomination.
Opponents say the ‘blue dot’ is in danger
In the 2nd District, the Democratic argument against Cavanaugh has little to do with his politics or policies.
His opponents and groups backing them have flooded mailboxes, airwaves and social media warning that if he wins the congressional primary, Nebraska’s Republican governor would appoint a conservative Republican to replace him in the Legislature.
That move, they say, could give state Republicans enough votes to enact a conservative wish list that includes stricter limitations on abortion and transgender rights.
It could also empower Republicans to enact midcycle redistricting or change the state’s unusual system of splitting presidential electoral votes, some Democrats argue. Republicans failed in 2024 to pass a bill that would have made Nebraska the 49th state to award its Electoral College votes on a winner-take-all basis.
“Our Blue Dot. We fought hard for it. But if John Cavanaugh goes to Congress, it could all fall down,” cautions one TV ad by the super PAC New Democrat Majority.
EMILY’s List, a national group that supports women running for office, has put its reach and money behind Powell, calling Cavanaugh’s candidacy “a gift to MAGA Republicans.”
A contentious primary
While all the Democratic contenders cite affordability and opposition to Trump administration policies — from immigration and healthcare to military actions — the top contenders began attacking one another more aggressively in the days leading up to the primary.
Powell, who is Latina, co-founded Women Who Run Nebraska, a political action committee that supports progressive female candidates, and she has a decade of Democratic political activism. She’s never held office but said her deep connections have helped her with independents and third-party voters who make up nearly 30% of the district’s electorate.
Cavanaugh talked up his support for labor unions, specifically the Teamsters, as he addressed supporters Tuesday night.
“This campaign is fueled by working people,” he said. “We stand in solidarity with those working people.”
Kuwait said on Tuesday that Iran launched a failed attack earlier this month on an island where China is helping build a port in the Gulf Arab country. The accusation came just hours before U.S. President Donald Trump was to depart for Beijing on a high-stakes visit over the Iran war and other issues.
Trump said he would have a “long talk” about Iran with Chinese President Xi Jinping but said trade would be a bigger focus. As he left for the summit, Trump again threatened Iran if its leaders don’t reach an agreement on its nuclear program.
“We have Iran very much under control,” Trump said. “We’re either going to make a deal or they’re going to be decimated. One way or the other, we win.”
Iranian state media quoted the country’s foreign ministry as calling “baseless” the allegation by Kuwait, which came under attack by Iran in the war and during the shaky ceasefire that is still holding. But the allegation and ongoing attacks in the region have threatened to reignite open warfare.
The narrow Strait of Hormuz remains in Iran’s chokehold, the U.S. is maintaining a blockade against Iran and negotiations between the two countries appear at a standstill.
“True peace cannot be built with a literature of humiliation, threats, and coercive score-settling,” Kazem Gharibabadi, an Iranian diplomat, said Tuesday on X.
With the risk of the conflict breaking out again, Israel has sent Iron Dome air-defense weapons and personnel to operate them to the United Arab Emirates, the U.S. ambassador to Israel said.
It was the first publicly acknowledged deployment of Israel’s military to the Emirates — home to Abu Dhabi and Dubai — and underlined the growing relationship between Israel and the UAE.
Also very late on Tuesday night, a magnitude 4.6 earthquake shook parts of Iran, followed by several aftershocks, according to Iranian state media. Witnesses felt the temblor in the capital of Tehran, where some people sought refuge in the streets. Iranian state TV said there were no reports of casualties.
Kuwait alleges Iran planned attack
Kuwait said a paramilitary Revolutionary Guard team tried to infiltrate Bubiyan Island in the northwest corner of the Persian Gulf near Iraq and Iran on May 1.
Four men were detained and two escaped when Kuwait’s forces disrupted the attack, it said.
A statement that Iranian media attributed to the foreign ministry in Tehran said four officers on a “conventional maritime patrol mission” had entered Kuwait’s waters because of “a disruption in the navigation system.” It denied any hostile intent and called for the men’s release.
Bubiyan Island is home to Mubarak Al Kabeer Port, which is under construction as part of a Chinese plan to build infrastructure across the world. It also came under Iranian attack during the war.
Kuwait provided no reason for why it delayed linking the attack to Iran after initially announcing it on May 3 without any details. Trump is traveling this week to China for a summit where Iran will likely be a main topic. Beijing long has been a buyer of sanctioned Iranian crude oil and has been hurt by the strait’s closure, which has sparked a global energy crisis.
Huckabee says Israel deployed to UAE
U.S. ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee revealed at a conference in Tel Aviv, Israel, that Israel has sent Iron Dome air-defense to the UAE.
The United Arab Emirates diplomatically recognized Israel in 2020. That drew criticism from Iran, long Israel’s main regional enemy. Iran didn’t immediately respond to Huckabee’s remarks, though it has repeatedly suggested over the years that Israel maintained a military and intelligence presence in the Emirates.
The Israeli military declined to comment on Huckabee’s statement about the Iron Dome while the UAE didn’t immediately respond.
The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, was quoted as making comments similar to Huckabee’s during an event at the Israeli mission — suggesting the release of the information was intentional, likely with the Emiratis’ and Israelis’ blessing.
The UAE has faced Iranian missile and drone fire even after the ceasefire was reached last month. It has been trying to signal to nervous investors and the public that it remains open for business and safe.
Hegseth tells Congress: ‘We control the strait’
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told members of Congress Tuesday that the military has plenty of bombs and missiles despite concerns about its stockpiles.
He also maintained that the U.S. is in control of the Strait of Hormuz, even as Iranian attacks — and threats — have disrupted the shipment of oil and other products through the vital waterway.
“Ultimately we control the strait, because nothing’s going in that we don’t allow to go in,” said Hegseth, who faced tough questions from Republican and Democratic lawmakers who oversee defense spending.
Sen. Chris Coons, a Delaware Democrat, asked what the Trump administration’s strategy is for reopening the waterway. “Your average American is seeing this at the gas pump every single day as the cost of gas continues to rise,” Coons said.
Hegseth avoided specifics about the next steps in Iran. The Pentagon’s top budget official told Congress that the cost of the war is close to $29 billion so far — that’s up from an estimate of $25 billion just two weeks ago.
On a rainy, cold morning Masooda makes her way to a hillside cemetery in north-west Kabul to visit the grave of her younger brother Mirwais.
But she doesn’t know exactly where he was buried after he was killed in a Pakistani airstrike two months ago.
Instead, she stands at the edge of a mass grave, neatly covered with tiny white stones and roughly marked with grey granite slabs, which is the final resting place of some of the at least 269 people killed in the attack on a drug rehabilitation centre.
Exactly how many are in the grave is impossible to say: like Mirwais, who was 24, many were barely identifiable – reduced to body parts or burned beyond recognition.
“My brother’s body was in pieces. There was barely anything left of him to give us,” says Masooda, 27, breaking down as she speaks. “They just found his torso. I identified it through a birthmark he had.”
The attack on the Omid Drug Rehabilitation Hospital is the deadliest attack in Afghanistan, possibly ever, but certainly in recent history, including 20 years of war between the Taliban, and Nato and Afghan republic forces.
A report released on Tuesday by the United Nations puts the number they can confirm at 269, but acknowledges the real figure is likely to be significantly higher.
There are calls for the attack to be investigated as a war crime.
Fighting between Pakistan and Afghanistan has been going on for months, leaving hundreds dead, most of them from Pakistani airstrikes. Islamabad accuses the Taliban government of sheltering militants who attack Pakistan. Kabul denies doing so.
The carnage at the drug rehab centre accounts for most of those killed in the fighting this year. The scale of the death toll is so staggering it has shocked Afghanistan, despite its long familiarity with violent conflict.
The UN, which was given access to the site, as well as the BBC’s Afghan service teams who were on the ground in the immediate aftermath, confirm the strike hit civilians undergoing treatment. Human Rights Watch called it “an unlawful attack and a possible war crime”.
But Pakistan disputes it hit a civilian target. In a statement to the BBC it said that “no hospital, no drug rehabilitation centre, and no civilian facility was targeted”, adding: “The targets were military and terrorist infrastructure.”
Masooda is angered by the claim.
“Pakistan is lying. I have seen it and it wasn’t a military camp. There were men admitted there who had come to get healed and return to their families,” says Masooda.
She is not alone. The BBC has spoken to the families of more than 30 victims – including those of recovering addicts, and employees of the centre – who reject Pakistan’s claims.
Omid centre may be located in a former military training compound called Camp Phoenix, which used to be used by the US and Nato forces, but it is far from new.
Opened in 2016, after the Americans abandoned the base and five years before the Taliban seized power in 2021, Omid was well-known and had been widely covered by domestic and international news outlets.
The BBC had been given access inside the facility in 2023 to speak to recovering addicts.
“It’s literally about a kilometre away from the main UN offices. We have UN agencies, support to the patients of that hospital. So the site was well known to us,” said Fiona Frazer, the representative of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Afghanistan.
Mirwais – one of an estimated three million Afghans struggling with drug addiction – was one of the newest inpatients.
Masooda, who had raised him like a son after the death of their parents, revealed he had been studying to be a pharmacist when he got addicted to ‘Tablet-K’, the street name of a synthetic drug which, depending on its type, can contain methamphetamine, opioids or MDMA.
“He was a simple boy who got into a bad habit. He had only been at Omid for 10 days when this happened,” Masooda says.
The three bombs fell on the facility located on the Kabul-Jalalabad highway at about 20:50 local time on 16 March, one of the doctors on duty at the time told the BBC. He didn’t want to be identified because he hadn’t been authorised to speak by the Taliban government.
“One of them hit a hangar-like structure where newly-admitted patients are normally housed,” he said.
“The other two bombs hit containers and wooden blocks that housed patients, as well as food storage units, and offices of the administrative, security and support staff.”
The UN’s Fiona Frazer points out that it also struck “the vocational training areas within the hospital, which were buildings that were mostly made of wood, which then resulted in this very, very large fire”.
The UN’s report into the attack noted that the “leading cause of harm to those killed and injured was shrapnel wounds and burns”. It added that “several bodies were unable to be identified because of the nature of their injuries or because they were reduced to dismembered body parts”.
“I have never seen such a horrific scene in my life,” the doctor continued. “I walked amid dead bodies looking for anyone who was alive, looking for people who were screaming for help. The smell of burning flesh was everywhere.”
In eastern Kabul, Sediq Walizada’s phone rang in his home – a relative called to tell him the centre had been bombed. It was the start of an excruciating search for Sediq’s brother, 35-year-old Mohammad Anwar Walizada, who had been admitted to Omid just four days before the attack. Like Mirwais, he was struggling with an addiction to Tablet-K, which is increasingly being used in Afghanistan’s cities.
“We moved from one hospital to another. There were so many dead. Their bodies were in pieces and unrecognisable. We were hoping our brother might have escaped,” says Sediq, trauma visible on his face.
The list of patients admitted to the hospital was destroyed in the fire, according to the UN, making the search for their loved ones extremely difficult for people like Sediq.
Every day, Sediq and his other brothers sifted through horrific photos of charred bodies trying to see if they could identify Mohammad Anwar. Four days later, as the world was celebrating Eid, they found one photo of a body that had pieces of clothing and other identifying marks which made them believe it could be their brother.
“Not knowing whether he was dead or alive was so painful. And then the agony of finding his body severed in half. Still, it is a relief we found our brother. Some families never found their loved ones because the bodies were so burnt,” says Sediq, his voice trembling.
In a corner of their home is the tricycle cart that Mohammad Anwar sold bottled water from. The father of six children, he was struggling to earn enough to run his home, and had become an addict.
“He didn’t turn to drugs for fun. He turned to it because of helplessness, poverty and hardship,” says Sediq.
Mohammad Anwar’s story mirrors many of those the BBC has been told by grieving families, including Mirwais’s.
“My nephew couldn’t find work and poverty forced him into addiction,” his uncle, Abdul Wahid, said.
The families are also left grappling with why the centre was attacked.
“Why did Pakistan do such a thing?” Wahid Sailani, whose brother Ajmal was killed in the strike, asks. “Why did they bomb innocent people?”
Pakistan has repeatedly denied those in the centre were innocent. In response to the BBC’s questions, the Pakistani military sent a transcript of an interview on Pakistani television channel Geo News TV, in which spokesman Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry claimed “they use these drug addicts as suicide bombers”, adding that the centre was “most likely a suicide bomber training facility”.
Each family we spoke to disputed the allegation.
“[My late brother] Melad was sick and we took him there for treatment. Everyone knows it was a hospital, not a terrorist centre,” Miraj Ali Mohammad told the BBC.
“I saw the hospital,” said Zahidullah Khan, whose brother Rahimullah was killed. “There was nothing there that was military. I even have videos. The people there were addicts.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is to meet Health Secretary Wes Streeting, one of his potential leadership challengers, this morning, as his government faces an attempt by Labour MPs to oust him from the top job.
The meeting comes after four ministers resigned, including prominent MP Jess Phillips who quit as safeguarding minister, and Streeting ally Zubir Ahmed.
More than 80 Labour MPs also urged Sir Keir to stand down, exposing deep divisions over the prime minister’s future.
Sir Keir vowed to get on with governing on Tuesday, while his cabinet allies and more than 100 MPs rallied behind the prime minister, warning against a leadership contest.
But the prime minister’s authority has been weakened by the Labour revolt, which came after a dire set of election results last week.
The resignations and turmoil in Downing Street come as Sir Keir’s government is due to set out its legislative agenda in the King’s Speech.
Streeting is due to meet Sir Keir in Number 10 Downing Street ahead of the event, which marks the start of a new parliamentary session.
The BBC has been told Streeting will not be saying anything that might distract from the King’s Speech following the meeting.
The prime minister earlier defied calls to depart No 10, telling his cabinet the country “expects us to get on with governing” and pointing out that a formal leadership challenge had not been triggered.
A leadership election can only be triggered if the leader resigns or if Labour MPs launch a challenge when there is no vacancy.
A challenger wishing to oust an incumbent leader must be supported by 20% of Labour MPs, meaning 81 would need to support a challenger to formally start the process.
Streeting has previously been open about his leadership ambitions and has plenty of support from Labour MPs, particularly those on the centre and the right of the party.
The BBC has been told the prime minister’s allies are convinced the health secretary will not be able to produce a list of 81 supporters in his meeting on Wednesday.
Some of Streeting’s backers had written letters suggesting Sir Keir had lost the support of the country, and ministers seen as sympathetic to the health secretary have resigned.
But Sir Keir has defied the pressure to go and some MPs on the party’s right, who would have been assumed to be Streeting supporters, have signed the statement that says now is not the time for a leadership contest.
Even if Streeting does lack sufficient support, other challenges remain.
The prime minister has pulled out of a meeting with the unions which help fund the Labour Party.
Those unions are expected to issue a statement declaring that Sir Keir should not lead the party into the next general election.
The uncertainty over Sir Keir’s job security is an awkward backdrop to the King’s Speech.
The King’s Speech is expected to include more than 35 bills and draft bills, including immigration, NHS and police reforms, along with a route to potentially nationalising British Steel.
But whether Sir Keir remains prime minister long enough to deliver the legislation promised is an open question in Westminster.
A day of political drama on Tuesday started with the cabinet meeting at which Sir Keir pushed aside calls for him to resign.
A government source told the BBC that at the cabinet meeting Sir Keir had informed colleagues he would not discuss the election results or his leadership, and would only speak to cabinet ministers about those topics “individually”.
The BBC understands several cabinet ministers tried to talk to Sir Keir about his leadership after the cabinet meeting but he declined to speak to them.
In a speech aimed at steadying his tottering premiership on Monday, Sir Keir said “incremental change won’t cut it” as he promised to “face up to the big challenges” the country faced.
But it was not enough to win over Phillips, who resigned as safeguarding minister.
In her letter, Phillips said “real change” in her role “usually came from threats made by me in light of catastrophic mistakes”.
“I think you are a good man fundamentally, who cares about the right things however I have seen first-hand how that is not enough,” Phillips said.
“The desire not to have an argument means we rarely make an argument, leaving opportunities for progress stalled and delayed.”
Signing off her letter, Phillips added: “I want a Labour government to work and I will strive as I always have for its success and popularity, but I’m not seeing the change I think I, and the country expect, and so cannot continue to serve as a minister under the current leadership.”
Phillips’ departure followed Miatta Fahnbulleh’s resignation as minister for devolution, faith and communities.
She told the prime minister “to do the right thing for the country and the party and set a timetable for an orderly transition”.
Alex Davies-Jones also resigned as minister for victims and violence against women and girls.
James Van Der Beek’s wife, Kimberly, shared a heartbreaking life update three months after the actor tragically died from cancer.
“To say I’m heartbroken is a severe understatement,” the film producer wrote via Instagram Tuesday alongside photos of Van Der Beek and their kids.
“Words just don’t capture what grief is. The comforts of shock have worn off. The reality is settling in … and I miss him. We all miss him.”
James Van Der Beek’s wife, Kimberly (seen here with the late actor) took to Instagram Tuesday to share a life update three months after his death. Instagram/Kimberly Van Der Beek
Kimberly, 44, went on to explain that “there is a different kind of magic in the air,” adding, “I feel him. I know him more deeply. My conscious connection to God has deepened.”
“The veils of the universe have thinned. And I trust that this is the path me and my family have always been intended to walk.”
She expressed her gratitude for the “outpouring of support” she and her family have received that has been “beyond anything [she] could have ever expected.”
Kimberly, 44, went on to explain that “there is a different kind of magic in the air,” adding, “I feel him. I know him more deeply. My conscious connection to God has deepened.”
“The veils of the universe have thinned. And I trust that this is the path me and my family have always been intended to walk.”
She expressed her gratitude for the “outpouring of support” she and her family have received that has been “beyond anything [she] could have ever expected.”
“He met his final days with courage, faith and grace. There is much to share regarding his wishes, love for humanity and the sacredness of time. Those days will come,” Kimberly shared via an Instagram statement.
Van Der Beek was diagnosed with cancer in 2023 and announced it the following year via a statement to People.
“I’ve been privately dealing with this diagnosis and have been taking steps to resolve it, with the support of my incredible family,” he wrote.
Mal Anderson, the first unseeded player to win the US Open men’s singles title, has died aged 91, Tennis Australia said on Monday. Anderson’s career started on a dirt court on a farm and he went on to become an Australian tennis great, winning the US crown in 1957 and three major doubles titles. Although unseeded at what was then the United States Championships, Anderson beat three seeds and dropped only two sets on his way to the title. He also won the Davis Cup twice.
After retirement Anderson mentored young Australian players including Pat Rafter, who went on to become world number one.
“I was really sad to hear of Mal’s passing. He was one of those people who helped shape my tennis from very early on,” said Rafter, who twice won the US Open.
Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz as seen from Khor Fakkan, United Arab Emirates, on Mar 11, 2026. (File photo: AP/Altaf Qadri)
The United States government on Monday (May 11) announced sanctions against three people and nine companies, including four based in Hong Kong and four in the United Arab Emirates, for aiding Iran’s shipment of oil to China.
The ninth company is based in Oman.
The Treasury move follows sanctions announced on Friday on individuals and companies aiding Iranian purchases of weapons and components used to make drones and ballistic missiles.
It comes days before US President Donald Trump’s planned meeting with Xi Jinping, where he is expected to press the Chinese leader to help resolve the standoff with Iran and reopen the critical Strait of Hormuz.
Treasury said the new designations by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) were aimed at individuals and entities that helped Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps sell and ship its allotment of Iranian oil to China using a series of front companies.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the Trump administration would continue to ratchet up pressure on Tehran to deprive the Iranian government and military of funding for weapons, its nuclear program or support for proxies in the region.
“Treasury will continue to cut the Iranian regime off from the financial networks it uses to carry out terrorist acts and to destabilise the global economy,” Bessent said.
The IRGC, which is designated by Washington as a terrorist organisation, relies on shell companies to arrange and receive payment for its allotment of Iranian oil shipments, Treasury said.
Passengers on the ill-fated cruise from several European countries, including Germany, are returning home and will be screened by health authorities. One French woman developed symptoms on the return flight.
Passengers from the MV Hondius cruise ship are being flown home under health security measuresImage: Antonio Sempere/AFP
Thanks for joining us
We’re going to bring these updates to a halt now, after several days keeping an eye on the MV Hondius and its passengers.
Most passengers have disembarked and are being flown home or to suitable locations for monitoring or if necessary treatment.
Although the ship is bound for the Netherlands, it will dock briefly once more in the Canary Islands on Monday evening because of adverse weather.
The ship’s captain, Jan Dobrogowski, issued a video message on Monday praising passengers and crew alike for their courage and perserverance. He also urged others to respect their privacy after a very public ordeal.
“I could not imagine sailing through these circumstances with a better group of people, guests and crew alike,” he said.
Given the hantavirus’ potentially long incubation time, the monitoring process for passengers and crew could well take some time yet. We will revisit the story of the outbreak as and when it merits it of course, but for now we’ll halt these updates on the process of bringing the ship and its passengers back towards dry land.
IN DEPTH — How is the outbreak being contained?
Passengers evacuated from the MV Hondius cruise ship are returning to their home countries, some with symptoms and many without.
What happens to these people and what is being done to contain the spread?
Final evacuees to fly out of Tenerife later Monday
The final 22 evacuees from the hantavirus-stricken MV Hondius are due to fly from Tenerife to the Netherlands on Monday afternoon, capping off a complex repatriation operation from the Canary Islands carried out by Spanish authorities.
“From the start, all the measures adopted have aimed at cutting the possible chains of transmission … all measures for prevention and control of transmission have been applied,” the Spanish Health Ministry said in a statement, after French and US authorities have reported positive tests from one each of their evacuees.
Medical teams escorted the passengers to an airport on Tenerife under close supervision and following thorough sanitary checks, Spanish health authorities said.
The US case was asymptomatic, and a French patient began showing symptoms on the flight home.
The ministry said the test of the US patient for them was “not conclusive,” adding that US officials considered the result taken in an earlier test from Cape Verde where the ship stopped before reaching Spain to be a “weak positive.”
It added that the French patient “started to feel unwell during the flight and not while she was on the ship.”
French Health Minister Stephanie Rist said Monday that the woman’s health had worsened overnight while in the hospital.
The Dutch-flagged MV Hondius is due to set sail for the Netherlands later Monday evening carrying a skeleton crew.
The captain of the vessel hailed the crew and passengers for their “patience, discipline and friendliness” during the ordeal in the Atlantic.
“These past few weeks have been extremely challenging to us all,” Captain Jan Dobrogowski said in a video message published by the cruise operator Oceanwide Expeditions.
Four Germans return home from hantavirus cruise ship
Four German passengers who were aboard the Hondius arrived at a hospital in Frankfurt on Monday for further examination and observation before being moved into quarantine in their home states, a spokesperson said.
So far, there were “no indications of illness,” Timo Wolf, head of the special isolation ward for highly pathogenic infections in Frankfurt, said in a statement.
After examination, the passengers will be moved to their respective home states to quarantine for 45 days.
The German passengers were transferred by ground to Frankfurt from Eindhoven airport in the Netherlands after arriving on an evacuation flight from Tenerife on Sunday.
Other passengers on Sunday’s flight included Dutch, Belgian and Greek nationals, all of who were asymptomatic before departure, according to the Spanish Health Ministry.
Berlin’s health authorities said one, asymptomatic, German passenger is due to be taken to Berlin’s Charite hospital. Another person with no symptoms is due to into home quarantine in the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg, officials there said.
According to the latest figures from the World Health Organization (WHO), there are six confirmed cases of hantavirus and two suspected cases from the Hondius cruise ship. Three people died from the virus — an elderly couple from the Netherlands and a German woman
The WHO believes that the chain of infection began with the Dutch couple, who may have been infected in Argentina before boarding the ship.
French woman tests positive for hantavirus after returning home
A French woman who returned to Paris on Sunday after being evacuated from the MV Hondius has tested positive for hantavirus after developing symptoms on the flight home, French Health Minister Stephanie Rist said Monday.
Rist added the woman’s condition had worsened in the hospital overnight.
The woman was among five French passengers repatriated on Sunday after the vessel anchored off the Spanish island of Tenerife in the Atlantic. Personnel wearing protective gear and breathing masks had escorted the passengers from the vessel to shore.
Passengers from 20 countries are being repatriated, in an effort that was continuing on Monday.
The World Health Organization has the health risk to the broader public remains low, but has recommended close monitoring of the those who were evacuated from the ship.
Many countries have quarantined the returnees.
American cruise ship passenger on route to US tests positive for hantavirus
One of the 17 US passengers evacuated from the MV Hondius cruise ship has tested positive for hantavirus.
That’s according to a spokesperson from Nebraska Medicine.
Passengers are expected to arrive in Nebraska on Monday morning after being evacuated on a reparation flight from Spain’s Canary Islands.
“One passenger will be transported to the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit upon arrival,” Kayla Thomas said.
This person had “tested positive for the virus but [does] not have symptoms,” she said.
The other passengers will go to the National Quarantine Unit, managed by Nebraska Medicine and the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
The 20-bed facility is the only federally-funded quarantine unit in the United States.
According to the unit’s website, the rooms have “individual negative air pressure systems, are single occupancy with en suite bathroom facilities, and contain exercise equipment and Wifi connectivity for patients requiring longer stays.”
Other US passengers won’t necessarily be quarantined
Earlier, a top US health official said that passengers won’t necessarily be quarantined.
After being taken to the specialized center in Nebraska, “we’re going to interview them and assess them for risk … if they have been in close contact with somebody who was symptomatic,” Jay Bhattacharya, acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) told CNN on Sunday.
Following this assessment, passengers will be allowed “to stay in Nebraska if they’d like, or if they want to go back home, and their home situation allows it, to safely drive them home without exposing other people on the way,” Bhattacharya said.
In either case, passengers will remain under observation for several weeks by health authorities, he said.
Bhattacharya said the same protocol was followed during a 2018 outbreak “of this exact strain of the hantavirus,” which was successfully contained.
WATCH: ‘Full maritime exclusion zone’ as Hondius cruise evacuated
Passengers exposed to a deadly hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship have been evacuated to receive medical attention. DW’s Nicole Ris and molecular biologist Kai Kupferschmidt have more.
94 people from 19 countries evacuated so far
A total of 94 passengers and crew members have been evacuated from the Hondius cruise ship affected by a deadly hantavirus outbreak.
Individuals from 19 countries left the Canary island on eight special aircraft, Spanish Health Minister Monica Garcia told journalists in Tenerife on Sunday.
According to Garcia, 34 people, most of them crew members, will remain on board and head to the Netherlands aboard the Hondius, which sails under a Dutch flag, on Monday.
The ship is to travel to the port of Rotterdam, where it will undergo disinfection. The body of a German passenger, who died on the ship, will be removed upon arrival there.
Here’s an overview of what we know about some of the evacuations flights:
France: French passengers have landed in Paris, where they were met by emergency vehicles. One of the French passengers developed symptoms during the evacuation flight. All are to be put into strict isolation.
United Kingdom: Authorities have said passengers will be hospitalized for 72 hours of quarantine, followed by six weeks of self-isolation.
Netherlands: 26 people were evacuated to the Dutch city of Eindhoven. These included eight Dutch citizens, as well as people from India, Germany, Argentina, Belgium, Greece, Portugal, Ukraine, Guatemala, the Philippines and Montenegro, according to the Dutch Foreign Ministry. The Dutch citizens were being taken home by medical transport and will self-quarantine for six weeks. Local health services were arranging quarantine locations for others.
Norway: Norway sent an ambulance plane to the island with personnel trained to transport patients with high-risk infections, its Directorate for Civil Protection told public broadcaster NRK.
United States: Americans will first be flown to the University of Nebraska, which has a quarantine facility, to assess whether they have been in close contact with any symptomatic people and their risk levels for spreading the virus, the acting director of the Centers for Disease Control, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, told US broadcaster CNN.
Australia: Australia is sending a plane to evacuate its citizens and others from nearby countries, such as New Zealand. This is expected to arrive in Tenerife on Monday.
WATCH: How the MV Hondius hantavirus outbreak is tracked worldwide
Dozens of passengers left the MV Hondius before the deaths of two people were linked to the hantavirus’s Andes strain. Epidemiologist, Professor Anne Rimoin, discusses how individuals who may have been exposed are being traced.
WATCH: Spain flies passengers home from hantavirus-hit ship
Nearly four weeks after a deadly hantavirus outbreak on a luxury cruise ship, an international evacuation operation is under way. Authorities from 23 countries are coordinating the evacuation as health agencies enforce strict precautions.
Netherlands plane returns with 26 on board, including 4 German passengers
A transport plane from Tenerife to Eindhoven military airport landed late on Sunday.
It was carrying 26 passengers or crew from the MV Hondius, including eight Dutch nationals and four Germans.
Specialists, including from the Red Cross, were awaiting the plane’s arrvial. The four Germans were set to be transported to Frankfurt.
“Relieved that they are safely on their way after a period of uncertainty and that the other passengers are travelling home via other routes,” Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen had said soon after the plane took off, thanking Spain and other partners for their cooperation.
According to authorities in the Netherlands all the passengers will be quarantined for around six weeks.
Netherlands residents would be transported home for isolation while citizens of other countries without alternative options would be taken to a “quarantine location,” the Foreign Ministry said.
Hantavirus can have a rather long incubation period, extending to or even beyond six weeks in exceptional cases, though typically symptoms will present faster than that.
Spanish civil protection chief Virginia Barcones told local radio that citizens of Belgium, Greece, Guatemala and Argentina were on board, as well as the four Germans.
A Ukrainian initiative to repatriate abducted Ukrainian children reports that at least 20,000 girls and boys are being held by Russian families and authorities. Can these children ever find their way home?
This family was reunited in April 2023, after the children had been forcibly taken to RussiaImage: Valentyn Ogirenko/REUTERS
In March, the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine of the UN Human Rights Council found that Russia had systematically deported and forcibly transferred Ukrainian children. These activities violate international human rights laws provisions and are classified as war crimes as well as crimes against humanity.
It also found that Russian authorities had “unjustifiably delayed” the repatriation of Ukrainian children, which counts as a separate war crime.
How many Ukrainian children remain in Russia?
Bring Kids Back UA, an initiative by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, says it has records on about 20,570 abducted Ukrainian children.
“And those are just the cases we have more or less sufficient data on,” project leader Maksym Maksymov told DW. “The true number is likely much higher.”
Statements by Russian authorities appear to back this claim. In 2023, for example, Russia disclosed that it had “received” 744,000 children. That same year, Maksymov told DW, Russia reported to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child that 46,000 Ukrainian children had received Russian passports.
The numbers are difficult to verify, and media reports vary widely. Children who have been successfully repatriated to Ukraine will sometimes speak of other missing children not recorded in Ukraine’s database.
Identifying children and determining their whereabouts is additionally complicated by the lack of access to Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory.
“Russian authorities are arranging for children to be placed in the long-term care of Russian families and facilities,” the office of Ukraine’s prosecutor general told DW. “In doing so, they are violating international law which recognizes the right to reunification of families who have been separated in an armed conflict.”
How many children have been repatriated so far?
So far, Ukraine has managed to track down and bring back 2,126 children that had either been deported to Russia, forcibly transferred within occupied territory, or subjected to Russian “reeducation.”
Maksymov described two mechanisms for repatriating abducted Ukrainian children. One is through mediation, in which case Russian authorities receive lists with names of Ukrainian children and a human rights commissioner then negotiates their return to Ukraine.
However, Maksymov says, “each mediation only helps us return no more than ten children at once.”
A second avenue is “organized repatriation.” Civil society groups play a large role in this, Maksymov says.
“Sometimes this method makes it possible to bring back more children at once, but I’m not allowed to talk about how that works,” he tells DW.
From deportation to ‘reeducation’
“The children who are rescued are completely disoriented when they arrive,” he adds. “They mistrust adults.”
He says one could clearly sense that Ukrainian children who had been deported to Russia had undergone ideological indoctrination. Without subjecting them to further “reeducation,” these children receive reintegration and rehabilitation support upon their return.
Throughout the course of the war, Russia’s goal to seize Ukrainian children has remained unchanged, the Ukrainian initiative says. What has changed, however, are the methods employed. In 2022 and 2023, for example, there were more instances of mass resettlements, in which groups of children were removed from children’s homes and transferred to the occupied Crimean peninsula or Russia.
After the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and his commissioner for children’s rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, on charges of participating in the unlawful deportation and transfer of children, Russian authorities changed tack, Maksymov says.
“They have created a multi-layered process in the occupied territories,” he explains. “It spans all the way from militarization to indoctrination and brain-washing to ‘Russification’ and issuing Russian passports, ensuring that children grow up with a Russian mindset.”
An estimated 1.6 million Ukrainian children live in Russian-occupied territory. There, Russian schools and paramilitary organizations abound. Classes are visited by “war heroes” fighting Ukraine, and students cannot access Ukrainian information sources.
Militarizing children and youth
Ukraine’s prosecutor general’s office says it is filing separate charges for Russia promoting military service to children, and for exposing children to military and “patriotic” education. Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko has said schools and universities in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory had been switched to Russian curricula.
“That means Ukraine’s language, history and culture are being suppressed,” he tells DW. “We’re observing education being systematically instrumentalized to assimilate and militarize children in the occupied territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson. Children are being ideologically indoctrinated in these so-called ‘reeducation camps.'”
He lists the Yunarmiya [the Young Army Cadets National Movement], Dvizheniye pervykh [the Movement of the First] and Voin [the Center for Military-sports Training and Patriotic Upbringing] as paramilitary youth movements that train children to use weapons, and force them to swear allegiance to Russia.
“This isn’t about education, it’s about preparing them for war,” Kravchenko says.
He suspects that Russia plans to increase the number of youth enrolled in such movements to 250,000 by 2030, and particularly targets children in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory to do so.
Between 2019 and 2025 at least 6,000 Ukrainian children were recruited into the young cadets movement. Kravchenko says there have been cases of Ukrainian children coming of legal age and then fighting against Ukraine.
These are classified as war crimes. Charges were being pressed against 18 individuals, and a total of 30 were under suspicion. Two have been sentenced so far, DW is told.
Andriy Pasternak heads the Security Service of Ukraine’s joint center for the search and release of prisoners of war. He says children in Russian-occupied territories are becoming increasingly militarized, and adds that Ukrainian authorities were already holding prisoners between the ages of 19 to 20 who had been fighting for Russia.
He explains these prisoners had been born in the Donbas region, reeducated to fight for Russia, and then conscripted into the Russian army. “They are sending Ukrainians to fight Ukrainians,” Pasternak said in April at a civil society conference for the Bring Kids Back UA initiative.
A Palestinian family has described how Israeli settlers in the northern West Bank forced them to exhume the newly buried grave of an older relative, claiming it was too close to a settlement recently authorized by Israel’s government.
Mohammed Asasa said his family had coordinated the burial of his 80-year-old father, Hussein, with the Israeli military. He said the burial took place in a cemetery belonging to his village, also called Asasa, where the family said generations have been buried in clearly marked graves.
The incident last Friday illustrates the influence extremist settlers have gained during the past four years of Israel’s current government and the military’s inability or unwillingness to halt settler violence and land seizures.
Asasa said after the funeral, armed men from the nearby settlement of Sa-Nur arrived and ordered the family to exhume the body, claiming the land belonged to the settlement, less than half a kilometer away.
“While we were receiving condolences at home, some young men from the village came running and told us that the settlers were digging at the grave we had just buried at the cemetery.” he said. “When we reached the cemetery we found it filled with settlers and the army surrounded by them.”
He said the villagers decided to exhume the remains themselves after settlers threatened to dig up the grave with a bulldozer. Video showed them carrying the body from the cemetery with military escorts, with men who appeared to be settlers further uphill.
“This had never happened before,” he said. “You have no other choice.”
The Israeli military said forces responded to reports of clashes at the site and confiscated settlers’ digging tools. It said the army did not force the family to move the remains, but protected them as they relocated the body to a nearby cemetery. It did not say whether anyone was arrested.
Israel evacuated Sa-Nur in 2005, but settlers opposed to that withdrawal have spent years trying to reestablish it as an outpost. Israel reauthorized it in 2025 and reestablished it last month with a ceremonial ribbon-cutting attended by multiple government ministers. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ’s government is dominated by settler leaders and their allies.
The Palestinians and most of the international community consider all settlements in the occupied West Bank to be illegal and obstacles to peace, categorizations Israel disputes.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has developed strong ties with settler representatives, in contrast to his predecessors.
Asasa said the sequence of events left him confused about what will happen with funerals in the future. “Are we going to go around the neighboring villages asking for a place to bury them?” he asked.
His head, chest and hands strapped with body cameras, David Park deftly folded a banquet napkin the way he has thousands of times during his nine years at the five-star Lotte Hotel Seoul. Each of his motions is fed into a database that will one day teach a robot to do the same.
The hotel chain is one of many companies South Korean artificial-intelligence startup RLWRLD (pronounced “real world”) is working with to create an extensive library of human expertise, harvested from skilled workers across industries, to develop AI brains for robots that could be coming to industrial sites and homes.
It collects similar data from logistics workers at CJ, capturing how they grip, lift and handle goods in warehouses, and from staff at a Japanese convenience store chain Lawson, tracking how they organize food displays.
The goal is to build an AI software layer that can work in robots across a range of factories and other work sites in coming years, before potentially expanding into homes. RLWRLD’s engineers say replicating the dexterity of human hands is a key priority, reflecting their views that humanlike machines, or humanoids, will drive the field.
“I’ve been doing this about once a month,” said Park, one of about 10 members of Lotte Hotel’s food and beverages team being wired up to capture their techniques.
After folding the napkin into a tight, layered square, Park wiped wine glasses, knives and forks in a corner of a banquet hall as colleagues prepared for real services nearby. He complained lightly to an engineer that the cameras on his hands felt too tight.
South Korea focuses on physical AI
RLWRLD is among a wave of South Korean high-tech firms and manufacturers competing in the unproven yet fiercely contested global market for “physical AI.” The term refers to machines equipped with AI and sensors that can perceive, decide and act in real-world environments with some degree of autonomy, moving beyond conventional factory robots designed for repetitive tasks.
While it remains unclear whether these machines will fully meet expectations of transforming industries, they are central to South Korea’s ambitions to leverage its semiconductor and manufacturing strengths to become an AI powerhouse. The competition is tough, with U.S. tech giants like Tesla and a flood of Chinese firms pouring billions into humanoids and other AI robots.
Just as chatbots such as ChatGPT and Gemini train on vast troves of internet text, AI robots likewise require extensive data on human action to handle advanced physical tasks. South Koreans may struggle to compete in chatbots, where English language proficiency gives U.S. firms major advantages, but they see a better chance in physical AI, given their deep base of skilled workers in manufacturing and other sectors that could help train robot systems.
Robots are central to South Korea’s AI ambitions
The government last month announced a $33 million project to capture the “instinctive know-how and skills” of “master technicians” into a database for AI-powered manufacturing, hoping robots will boost productivity and offset an aging, shrinking workforce.
RLWRLD, which last week unveiled its robotics foundation model, an AI system for robots, expects industrial AI robots to be deployed at scale sometime around 2028, a timeline shared by major businesses.
Hyundai Motor plans to introduce humanoids built by its robotics unit, Boston Dynamics, at its global factories in coming years, starting with its Georgia plant in 2028. Chip giant Samsung Electronics plans to convert all manufacturing sites into “AI-driven factories” by 2030, with humanoids and task-specific robots across production lines.
“South Korea has a highly developed manufacturing sector and the focus is squarely on humanoids tailored specifically for those industries,” said Billy Choi, a professor at Korea University’s center for Human-Inspired AI Research.
South Korea’s AI push has unsettled labor groups, who fear robots could possibly take jobs and hollow out the skilled workforce long seen as the nation’s competitive edge, the very asset it’s now counting on for its AI transition.
After Hyundai’s union warned in January that robots could trigger an “employment shock,” President Lee Jae Myung issued a rare rebuke, describing AI as an unstoppable “massive cart” and calling for unionists to adapt to changes “coming faster than expected.”
“Mastery of skills is ultimately a human achievement — even if AI can replicate existing abilities, the continuous development of craft will remain fundamentally human,” said Kim Seok, policy director at the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions. He said widespread robot deployments would risk “severing the pipeline” for skilled labor and urged the government and employers to engage with workers over AI to win their buy-in and ease job concerns.
Robots are trained on human behavior
Humanoids developed by U.S. and Chinese companies have displayed impressive physical feats, even long-distance running. But Hyemin Cho, who handles business strategies at RLWRLD, said the ability to perform delicate tasks with hands will determine whether humanoids can be used in diverse industrial settings and homes.
“Capturing motion data in real-world settings is extremely important and the quality of that data matters greatly,” she said.
After converting worker footage into machine-readable data, RLWRLD’s engineers add another layer by repeating those tasks wearing cameras, VR headsets and motion-tracking gloves. That data is used to train test robots, often guided by RLWRLD “pilots” using wearable devices. The process captures fine details such as joint angles and the amount of force applied, said Song Hyun-ji of the company’s robotics team.
One of RLWRLD’s labs occupies a cluttered, 34th-floor suite at Lotte Hotel. Scratched carpets are buried under tangles of wires and computing gear. Poles fitted with infrared laser readers stand in the corners. Beneath a chandelier, a rare trace of the room’s former luxury, a wheeled robot with black, humanlike metal hands moves back and forth with a low mechanical whir.
During a recent demonstration, the robot, guided by engineers, gingerly lifted and placed cups at a minibar, at one point knocking over a dish. The company’s latest test footage shows a more advanced system: a humanoid carefully opening a box, placing a computer mouse inside, closing it and setting it on a conveyor belt.
Most robots, including Boston Dynamics’ Atlas, use task-specific hands, like two or three-fingered “grippers.” RLWRLD is among a smaller group of companies developing AI for five-fingered hands that mimic human touch.
A THIRD rat virus cruise passenger has tested positive for hantavirus with the ship leaving Tenerife with just crew on board.
A Spanish guest tested positive for the deadly virus and is said to be asymptomatic as medics quickly took them to quarantine in Madrid.
Evacuees after disembarking from the cruise ship MV HondiusCredit: Reuters
Three cruise passengers have already died, with two of them confirmed to have had the virus.
There are now seven positive cases confirmed among guests with an eighth listed as “probable” by the World Health Organisation.
The Spaniard was the latest evacuee to test positive for hantavirus with them now isolating at Gomaz Ulla hospital.
It comes as two more rat plague ship evacuees tested positive for the killer disease on Monday just hours after health officials gave them the all-clear to leave the ship.
Passengers were given a questionnaire and assessed for symptoms of the deadly disease before disembarking, but were not tested before leaving the vessel.
A French woman was confirmed to have the deadly hantavirus after falling ill on her repatriation flight to Paris.
She was allegedly told her early symptoms were “just anxiety” by doctors while onboard the virus-hit vessel.
She later tested positive for the virus with her condition deteriorating as the plane landed in the French capital, according to French Health Minister Stephanie Rist.
The woman is now fighting for her life in a specialised infectious diseases unit at a hospital in the French capital.
A US citizen on the cruise also tested positive as he flew back to the States on Sunday night.
The passenger had already tested mildly positive in Cape Verde before the evacuation in Tenerife, but European authorities didn’t consider it a strong enough positive to separate them from the wider group.
A second American passenger also started showing mild symptoms after leaving the MV Hondius.
It brings the numbers of overall confirmed cases to seven, with several more suspected infectious passengers travelling across the world.
A dozen staff at a Dutch hospital treating a hantavirus-positive evacuee have also been quarantined after procedural errors were made.
The Radboud University Hospital said errors were made in taking blood and disposing of the patient’s urine, and that the affected staff will be placed into a six week preventative quarantine.
All cruise guests have now been officially evacuated from the MV Hondius with the last 27 passengers were evacuated overnight.
The evacuees, including one Brit, left for the Netherlands on evacuation flights.
The Brit lives in Australia so left with an Aussie-organised repatriation flight, which also carried one New Zealander.
A Dutch flight left for Eindhoven Airport, followed by an Australian flight, also bound for the Netherlands.
The evacuated Aussie, Kiwi and Brit passengers will then be transferred to another plane which will fly them back to Australia.
MV Hondius set off four loud foghorn blasts and left the port at 7pm after all passengers were safely evacuated.
Twenty-five crew members and two medics remained onboard as the hantavirus-stricken ship steamed towards the Netherlands.
The rat virus cruise ship is expected to arrive in Rotterdam on Sunday evening.
The WHO Director-General said of the evacuation: “Spain did it in style and as planned.”
Bad weather forced the MV Hondius to moor at the Port of Granadilla to disembark the final evacuees.
It had originally only anchored 600 yards from land to appease furious locals who fumed that docking would be a health risk.
The regional leader of the Canary Islands had said he “cannot allow” rat virus ship the MV Hondius to enter his territory.
And dock workers launched a fiery protest, even threatening to blockade the port if the ship tried to dock.
The cabinet is to meet formally this morning amid splits at the top of government over the future of the prime minister, with Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood among a number of ministers calling for Sir Keir Starmer to set out a timetable for his resignation.
It is understood Mahmood is in the minority in the cabinet over whether Sir Keir should set out a timetable.
Six ministerial aides – the lowest rung of government – have been replaced by No 10, after they either quit or called for Sir Keir to set out a timetable for his replacement.
And the tally of Labour MPs calling for Sir Keir to resign or set out a timetable for resignation has reached 72.
The list of ministerial aides who quit on Monday included Joe Morris, Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to Health Secretary Wes Streeting, a potential leadership contender.
Morris said the prime minister “no longer has the trust or confidence of the public”.
Melanie Ward, PPS to Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy, Naushabah Khan, PPS to Cabinet Office Minister Darren Jones, and Tom Rutland, PPS to Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds, also resigned.
Another two joined calls for Sir Keir to set out a timetable for his departure: Gordon McKee, PPS to Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden, and Sally Jameson, PPS to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood.
In a speech earlier, the PM insisted he would prove the “doubters” wrong and would not be quitting.
He admitted the government had made mistakes but said it he had “got the big political choices right”.
But pressure for him to go intensified through the day, building on calls for a timetable for his resignation from supporters of the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham.
Calls have also come from the right of the party, including those close to Streeting, for a swifter departure, which would exclude the chance of Burnham standing for the leadership.
Pressure has been mounting on Sir Keir after Labour lost almost 1,500 councillors in local elections across England, with a surge in support for Reform UK, and the Greens also eating into Labour’s support in London and other urban areas.
The party was also kicked out of power in Wales, where it had enjoyed political dominance for a century, and returned just 17 of the 129 seats in the Scottish Parliament, its worst ever result at a Holyrood election.
In a statement, Morris said Labour councillors and candidates had “ended up taking the blame for decisions that were not theirs”.
“Despite the prime minister’s best efforts, voters simply do not accept that he can lead the change they voted for,” the MP for Hexham said.
“It is in the best interests of the country and the party that the prime minister sets out a swift timetable to ensure that a new leader is in place to regain the confidence of the public and to ensure that the government can deliver on the commitments it has made.”
Rutland, the MP for East Worthing and Shoreham, said: “It is clear to me that the prime minister has lost authority not just within the Parliamentary Labour Party but across the country and that he will not be able to regain it.”
Khan, the MP for Gillingham and Rainham, said the PM had “lost the confidence of the public”.
“I did not enter politics to stand by while we fail. We need a clear change of direction now and no game playing,” she said.
“I am calling for new leadership, so that we can rebuild trust and deliver the better future that the British people voted for.”
A PPS, which is an unpaid role, is appointed by a minister to act as their assistant.
Jameson, a PPS to Mahmood, said Sir Keir should “set out a clear timetable for his departure in September or shortly after”.
The MP for Doncaster Central added that Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC) “should ensure that all potential candidates have the opportunity to stand and any timetable, I hope, would reflect this”.
Earlier this year, the NEC blocked Burnham from standing as a candidate in the Gorton and Denton by-election.
Burnham has the support of many Labour MPs but any leadership contender must be a member of Parliament, so he would need time for another MP to trigger a by-election for him to stand.
Jonathan Hinder, Labour MP for Pendle and Clitheroe, also joined the call for Sir Keir to resign, telling BBC Newsnight that “no prime minister can survive this”.
“The blunt reality is, and every single Labour MP will tell you this, he has never been an electoral asset,” he said.
Hindler, who co-leads the Blue Labour caucus, added that Sir Keir’s speech on Monday had been “tone deaf” and “at its worst, downright insulting”.
He went on: “We’re being swept away in our heartlands… and to come out in response to that and start talking about Brexit and having free movement again… those people are more bothered about what’s going on here.”
In an attempt to reset his premiership after Friday’s election results, Sir Keir gave a speech promising to “face up to the big challenges”.
The mayor of Arcadia admitted to acting as an illegal foreign agent of China, resigning from her position in a shocking federal plea deal unsealed on Monday.
Eileen Wang agreed with prosecutors that she worked with the People’s Republic of China to boost propaganda with a fake news website on US soil between 2020 and 2022. She was elected to Arcadia City Council in November 2022 — the city is located in the San Gabriel Valley within LA County.
Wang, 58, worked with her then fiancé, Yaoning “Mike” Sun, on a web site called “U.S. News Center,” which claimed to be news source for Chinese Americans, according to court documents.
But in reality the pair were carrying out Beijing’s orders through the site.
Wang and Sun “executed directives” from the Chinese government, posting propaganda designed to boost China, all while reporting back to their masters with screenshots showing how many people viewed the stories, according to the plea agreement.
Eileen Wang agreed with prosecutors that she worked with the People’s Republic of China to boost propaganda with a fake news website on US soil between 2020 and 2022. X/Eileen1282
In one case, Wang’s spymaster ordered her to post pre-written news articles, including a PRC official-written essay in the Los Angeles Times, the plea deal states.
“There is no genocide in Xinjiang; there is no such thing as ‘forced labor’ in any production activity, including cotton production. Spreading such rumor is to defame China, destroy Xinjiang’s safety and stability,” wrote Wang’s master, according to the plea agreement.
Wang complied and her handler wrote back, “So fast, thank you everyone.”
In another case, Wang’s PRC boss commended her on page views received by a certain piece of propaganda. Wang wrote back, “Thank you leader.”
Wang pled guilty to the federal charge at her arraignment in downtown Los Angeles on Monday afternoon. She faces a maximum of 10 years in prison.
LA’s top federal prosecutor, Bill Essayli, said this is not the first time China has been caught trying to exert its influence in the United States.
“Ms. Wang is just the latest to act as an agent for the PRC and it should terrify Americans that she was able to rise to the highest levels of local office in her city,” Essayli said.
Under the terms of the plea agreement, Wang admitted that that she acted under the control of Chinese officials to promote propaganda in the U.S.
Prosecutors in 2024 charged Sun with conspiracy and acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government.
Wang said her relationship with Sun ended that year. Her ex-lover also served as campaign manager for her City Council run. The mayor of Arcadia is drawn from the Council on a rotating basis.
Wang tried to distance herself from Sun in 2025, saying she “not responsible for the action of others,” and would not resign from the post she then held on the City Council.
Sun in February was sentenced to four years in federal prison for acting as a covert agent of the PRC.
“For years, Sun received and executed taskings from Chinese government officials, distorted our public discourse by disseminating Chinese propaganda, and surveilled groups in the United States that China viewed as threatening,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg.
Prosecutors say Sun and his PRC bosses sought to turn Wang into a political star in the hopes that she would achieve high office and further China’s goals in California.
Wang in 2024 told the Los Angeles Times that she had relocated to Southern California from China three decades earlier.
She said mother was a doctor of Chinese medicine and acupuncture and her father was a physician in Sichuan province before he got a job working at the University of Southern California.
The PRC has attempted for years to influence U.S. policy and governance through propaganda and espionage, prompting counterintelligence officials in 2022 to warn about China’s increasing use of overt and covert means to influence policymaking.
The United Arab Emirates quietly carried out military counter-strikes against a key Iranian oil refinery just as President Trump declared a cease-fire last month, according to a new report.
After suffering repeated bombardments from Iran, the UAE fired a series of retaliatory attacks against the Islamic republic, with one of the known strikes hitting the Lavan Island oil refinery in the Persian Gulf, sources told the Wall Street Journal.
United Arab Emirates secretly hit an Iranian oil refinery during a Trump-declared cease-fire. X/Clash Report
The attack, which came just as the US was solidifying a cease-fire on April 8, sparked a large fire in the facility and is expected to leave its output crippled for months, the outlet added.
At the time, Iran had said that the refinery was struck by enemy fire. While the Islamic Republic did not name the source, it launched an attack against the UAE and Kuwait in response, similar to what it had been doing throughout the height of the war.
Strikes hit an Iranian oil refinery on Lavan Island today.
Iran is now retaliating with strikes on targets in Kuwait, Bahrain, and the UAE. pic.twitter.com/xOptoGRjbB
While the UAE has not commented on the strikes, the country has repeatedly asserted its right to defend itself against Iran’s mass retaliation campaign in the Gulf.
During the daily airstrikes of the war, Abu Dhabi found itself suffering a disproportionate brunt of Iran’s wrath — with more than 2,800 missiles and drones fired at it, much more than any other country in the region, including Israel.
The UAE has been a prime target for the Islamic republic given its close ties with Israel and the US, with Abu Dhabi also housing alternative oil trade routes that helped undermine Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. President Donald Trump meets with China’s President Xi Jinping at the start of their bilateral meeting at the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan, June 29, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
A year ago, U.S. President Donald Trump predicted that towering trade tariffs would bring America’s main economic rival to heel.
He heads to China this week with that ambition blunted by court rulings, narrowing his goals to a few deals on beans, beef and Boeing (BA.N), jets, and enlisting China’s help to resolve his unpopular Iran war, political analysts say.
The modest expectations for Trump’s May 14-15 meetings with Xi Jinping – the first since they paused a bruising trade war in October – underscore how Trump’s bombastic approach has failed to deliver an advantage ahead of the talks, according to analysts.
Trump “kind of needs China more than China needs him,” said Alejandro Reyes, a professor specialising in Chinese foreign policy at the University of Hong Kong.
“He needs a kind of foreign policy victory: a victory that shows that he is looking to ensure stability in the world and that he’s not just disrupting global politics,” Reyes added.
Since their last brief meeting at an airbase in South Korea where Trump suspended triple-digit tariffs on Chinese goods and Xi backed away from choking global supplies of rare earths, China has quietly sharpened its economic pressure toolkit aimed at Washington.
Trump, meanwhile, has been preoccupied fighting U.S. court rulings against his tariffs and a war with Iran that has sapped his approval ratings ahead of November’s midterm elections.
This week’s meeting in the Chinese capital will be a grander occasion, with the leaders set to hold a summit at the Great Hall of the People, tour UNESCO-heritage site Temple of Heaven, dine at a state banquet and take tea and lunch together.
But the anticipated economic deliverables amount to a handful of deals and mechanisms to manage future trade, while it remains unclear whether the leaders will even agree to extend their trade truce, officials involved in the planning said.
Trump will be joined by CEOs including Tesla’s (TSLA.O), Elon Musk and Apple’s (AAPL.O), Tim Cook, though the business delegation is smaller than when he last visited Beijing in 2017.
Aside from trade, Trump said on Monday he will discuss arms sales to Taiwan and the case of jailed media tycoon Jimmy Lai with Xi. Families of two Americans imprisoned in China for more than a decade are also urging Trump to seek their release.
“We used to be taken advantage of for years with our previous presidents, and now we’re doing great with China,” Trump said. “I respect him (Xi) a lot, and hopefully he respects me.”
ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
The mood music has changed dramatically since Trump declared in a Truth Social post in April 2025 that his tariffs would make China realise that the “days of ripping off” the United States were over.
Those levies prompted Beijing to restrict exports of rare earths, brutally exposing the West’s dependency on elements vital to the manufacturing of everything from electric cars to weapons, and eventually led to Trump and Xi’s fragile truce.
Since then, Trump has faced countless other battles: capturing Venezuela’s leader, threatening to annex fellow NATO member Greenland and waging a war on Iran that has plunged the Middle East into chaos and stoked a global energy crisis.
More than 60% of Americans disapprove of his Iran war, according to a Reuters/Ipsos survey last month.
Now, Trump wants China to convince Tehran to make a deal with Washington to end the conflict. China maintains ties with Iran and remains a major consumer of its oil exports.
Matt Pottinger, who served as deputy national security advisor during Trump’s first term, told a forum in Taipei last week that while China would like to see an outcome that weakens American power it is not immune to the economic cost of a protracted conflict.
But Beijing will want something in return, and top of Xi’s agenda is Taiwan, the democratically governed island claimed by China.
While some fear a bargain that could embolden China to take Taiwan by force, even a nuanced change in Washington’s wording would raise anxiety about the commitment of Taipei’s most important backer that would reverberate across other U.S. allies in Asia.
Wu Xinbo, a professor at Fudan University in Shanghai who serves on the policy advisory board of China’s foreign ministry, said Trump should make clear that he “won’t support independence or take actions that encourage a separatist political agenda”.
A person stands next to the logo of ChatGPT, an AI-powered chatbot by OpenAI at Bharat Mandapam, one of the venues for AI Impact Summit, in New Delhi, India, February 17, 2026. REUTERS/Bhawika Chhabra/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
The family of a man killed in a 2025 mass shooting at Florida State University has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in a U.S. court, claiming the shooter was aided by ChatGPT in planning the attack.
The family of Tiru Chabba filed the lawsuit on Sunday in Florida federal court against the company and the man charged in the shooting, Phoenix Ikner. It is at least the second lawsuit filed in the U.S. accusing OpenAI of facilitating a mass shooting.
The lawsuit claims ChatGPT served as a co-conspirator in the shooting, because Ikner planned and carried it out using information provided by ChatGPT in conversations in the preceding months. Despite conversations about mass shootings, the lethality of Ikner’s weapons and when the FSU student union was busiest, the chatbot did not flag or escalate the conversations, the lawsuit claims.
The lawsuit, which seeks compensatory and punitive damages, accuses OpenAI of designing a defective product and failing to warn the public about its risks.
“Last year’s mass shooting at Florida State University was a tragedy, but ChatGPT is not responsible for this terrible crime,” OpenAI spokesperson Drew Pusateri said in a statement.
“In this case, ChatGPT provided factual responses to questions with information that could be found broadly across public sources on the internet, and it did not encourage or promote illegal or harmful activity.”
Pusateri said the company identified an account believed to be associated with the suspect after the shooting and proactively shared it with law enforcement. The company continues to cooperate with law enforcement and is continuously working to improve detection of harmful intent, he said.
Ikner, a deputy sheriff’s son, killed two people and wounded four others at the school in Tallahassee, Florida, before he was shot by officers and hospitalized, authorities said. He faces two counts of first-degree murder and seven counts of attempted first-degree murder, according to court records.
A lawyer for Ikner did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced in April that he was launching a criminal investigation into ChatGPT’s role in the FSU shooting after prosecutors reviewed the chat logs between Ikner and the program.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he would discuss the topic of arms sales to Taiwan and the case of jailed media tycoon Jimmy Lai with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing this week.
“I’m going to have that discussion with President Xi,” Trump told reporters at the White House when asked about Washington’s longstanding support for Taiwan’s defense.
“President Xi would like us not to, and I’ll have that discussion. That’s one of the many things I’ll be talking about.”
China claims the democratically governed island as its own, a contention Taiwan rejects. Washington follows a “one-China policy,” acknowledging China’s position but taking no view on Taiwan’s sovereignty.
The United States is Taiwan’s most important international backer and is bound by law to help with its defense.
The arms transfers have long been a source of friction in U.S.-China relations. In December, Trump announced the largest-ever U.S. weapons package for the island, more than $11 billion.
In recent days, the Republican president’s aides have urged Taiwan to commit even more money to its defense, and a U.S. official said the Trump-Xi summit signaled no change in policy toward Taiwan.
Speaking to reporters, Trump repeated his doubt that tension over the island would erupt during his presidency.
“I don’t think it’ll happen,” he said, without elaborating. “I think we’ll be fine. I have a very good relationship with President Xi. He knows I don’t want that to happen.”
U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping as they hold a bilateral meeting at Gimhae International Airport, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, in Busan, South Korea, October 30, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein//File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
In Taipei, Taiwan Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hsiao Kuang-wei said the Trump administration has continued to reaffirm its support, including December’s $11-billion arms package.
“We will continue to enhance cooperation with the United States, build effective deterrence forces, and jointly maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait,” he told reporters.
LAI’S IMPRISONMENT TO BE RAISED
Trump said he would bring up with his Chinese counterpart the case of Lai, a veteran pro-democracy advocate and Hong Kong’s most vocal China critic.
Lai was sentenced to 20 years in jail in February on two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and one count of publishing seditious materials.
“Jimmy Lai – he caused lots of turmoil for China. He tried to do the right thing. He wasn’t successful, went to jail, and people would like him out, and I’d like to see him get out too. So I’ll bring him up again,” Trump said, adding he has also previously brought up Lai’s case with China.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that a ceasefire with Iran was “on life support” after Tehran’s response to a U.S. proposal to end the war made clear the two sides were still far apart on a number of issues.
Iran has called for an end to the war on all fronts, including Lebanon, where U.S. ally Israel is fighting Iran-backed Hezbollah militants. Tehran also demanded compensation for war damage, an end to the U.S. naval blockade, a guarantee of no further attacks, and resumption of Iranian oil sales.
Tehran also emphasized its sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, where it has shut down shipping traffic that normally carries one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas supply.
Trump said Iran’s response threatened the status of a ceasefire that has been in place since April 7.
“I would call it the weakest right now, after reading that piece of garbage they sent us. I didn’t even finish reading it,” said Trump, who has repeatedly threatened to end the ceasefire.
The U.S. had proposed an end to fighting before starting talks on more contentious issues, including Iran’s nuclear program.
Tehran defended its stance on Monday.
“Our demand is legitimate,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said.
Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said that Iran’s armed forces are ready to respond decisively to any “act of aggression”.
Brent crude oil futures were up 3% to more than $104 a barrel, as the deadlock left the Strait of Hormuz largely closed. Before the war began on February 28, the narrow waterway carried one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas, and has since become a central pressure point in the conflict.
Disruption caused by the near-closure of the strait has forced oil producers to cut exports, and OPEC oil output dropped further in April to the lowest in more than two decades, a Reuters survey showed on Monday.
The United States on Monday imposed new sanctions on individuals and companies it said were helping Iran ship oil to China, part of efforts to cut off funding for Tehran’s military and nuclear programs, while also warning banks about attempts to evade existing curbs.
TRICKLE OF SHIPPING THROUGH HORMUZ
Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is at a trickle compared with before the war. Shipping data on Kpler and LSEG showed that three tankers laden with crude exited the waterway last week, with trackers switched off to avoid an Iranian attack.
An Iranian woman walks next to an anti-Israeli mural on a street in Tehran, Iran, May 11, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS Purchase Licensing Rights
A second Qatari LNG tanker was attempting to transit the strait, the data showed, days after the first such cargo crossed under an arrangement involving Iran and Pakistan.
Sporadic flare-ups around the strait in recent days have tested the ceasefire.
In the U.S., surveys show the war is unpopular with voters facing higher gasoline prices less than six months before nationwide elections that will determine whether Trump’s Republican Party retains control of Congress.
Two out of three Americans think Trump has not clearly explained why the country has gone to war, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll completed on Monday.
More than two months into a conflict that began February 28 with a U.S.-Israeli bombing campaign, some 66% of poll respondents – including one in three Republicans and almost all Democrats – said Trump has not “clearly explained the goals of U.S. military involvement in Iran.”
Iran’s Qalibaf seized on the mounting discontent in the U.S., warning that a prolonged war would deepen the burden on Americans. “The longer they drag their feet, the more American taxpayers will pay for it,” he said in his post on X.
Washington has also struggled to build international support, with NATO allies refusing to send ships to reopen the waterway without a full peace deal and an internationally mandated mission.
Hakan Fidan, the foreign minister of Turkey, which has been liaising closely with the U.S., Iran and mediator Pakistan since the start of the war, will hold talks in Qatar on Tuesday on the conflict and on ensuring navigational safety in the strait, a Turkish diplomatic source said.
UAE’s ATTACKS
The war is also exposing rifts within the Middle East, with some U.S. allies taking a more direct role in the conflict. The United Arab Emirates, which has borne the brunt of Iranian counterattacks, has carried out military strikes on Iran, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the matter.
Passengers evacuated from the hantavirus-hit cruise ship began flying home aboard military and government planes Sunday after the vessel anchored in the Canary Islands, with one American testing positive and a French traveler developing symptoms for the pathogen aboard their separate aircraft.
One the 17 American passengers evacuated from the MV Hondius tested positive for the hantavirus but is not showing any symptoms, U.S. health officials said late Sunday.
Earlier, one of the five French passengers developed symptoms on their flight home, French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said in a statement, and all were put into strict isolation with plans to be tested.
Passengers were evacuated off the MV Hondius following its arrival in Tenerife, the largest island in the Spanish archipelago off the West African coast.
Earlier, officials from the Spanish Health Ministry, the World Health Organization and the cruise company Oceanwide Expeditions had said none of the more than 140 people who were then on the Hondius had shown symptoms of the virus.
The aircraft carrying the Americans was due to arrive in Omaha, Nebraska, early Monday.
The Americans would first be taken to the University of Nebraska Medical Center, which has a federally funded quarantine facility, to assess whether they have been in close contact with any symptomatic people and their risk levels for spreading the virus.
The medical school also has a special unit for treating people with highly infectious diseases that was used early in the pandemic for COVID-19 patients and previously for Ebola patients.
“One passenger will be transported to the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit upon arrival, while other passengers will go to the National Quarantine Unit for assessment and monitoring. The passenger who is going to the Biocontainment Unit tested positive for the virus but does not have symptoms,” said Kayla Thomas, a spokesperson for the Nebraska Medicine hospital that will help care for the passengers.
From the ship, all of the passengers were escorted to shore by personnel in full-body protective gear and breathing masks. Spanish passengers were the first to leave, flown to Madrid and taken to a military hospital. Hours later, a plane that evacuated French passengers landed in Paris, where it was met by emergency vehicles.
The planes arriving in Tenerife were to fly out passengers from more than 20 countries in an evacuation effort that was expected to last until Monday.
Japan’s Foreign Ministry said a Japanese national arrived in Britain on a chartered flight arranged by the British government and will be under health monitoring by British authorities for up to 45 days.
Three people have died since the outbreak began, and five people who left the ship earlier are infected with hantavirus.
Health officials say risk to public is low
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reiterated that the general public should not be worried about the outbreak.
“We have been repeating the same answer many times,” he said. “This is not another COVID. And the risk to the public is low. So they shouldn’t be scared, and they shouldn’t panic.”
Even so, those disembarking and workers at the port of Granadilla in Tenerife wore protective gear during the evacuation process, including hazardous-materials suits, face masks and respirators. Video obtained by The Associated Press showed passengers on the tarmac donning similar suits and being sprayed with disinfectant.
Passengers were relieved to be on their way home, another WHO official said. “It’s been great seeing all the buses coming out and people really happy to be on land again and being repatriated,” said Diana Rojas Alvarez, the WHO health operations lead, who is on Tenerife.
Authorities have said the disembarking passengers and crew members will be checked for symptoms and will be forbidden from having any contact with the local population. They were to be taken off the ship only when evacuation flights are ready. Tedros and Spain’s health and interior ministers are supervising the operation in Tenerife.
Hantavirus usually spreads when people inhale contaminated residue of rodent droppings, and the disease is not easily transmitted between people. But the Andes virus detected in the cruise ship outbreak may be able to spread between people in rare cases. Symptoms usually show between one and eight weeks after exposure.
Passengers and disembarking crew members left behind their luggage and were allowed to take only a small bag with essentials, a cellphone, a charger and documentation.
Some crew, as well as the body of a passenger who died on board, will remain on the ship, which will sail on to Rotterdam, Netherlands, where it will undergo disinfection, Spanish authorities said.
The journey to Rotterdam takes about five days, the cruise company said.
Passengers watch as others are disembarked from the hantavirus-stricken cruise ship MV Hondius at the port of Granadilla in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain, Sunday, May 10, 2026. (AP Photo)
Passengers will be monitored
The WHO is recommending that passengers’ home countries “have active monitoring and follow-up, which means daily health checks, either at home or in a specialized facility,” said Maria van Kerkhove, the organization’s top epidemiologist.
“We are leaving this up to the countries themselves to actually develop their own policies,” she added. “But our recommendations are very clear.”
Numerous countries have said their people will be quarantined or hospitalized for observation.
In the U.K., for example, authorities have said passengers will be hospitalized for 72 hours of quarantine, followed by six weeks of self-isolation.
The French had planned a similar protocol, but after Sunday’s flight, the prime minister said the five passengers would be kept in the hospital “until further orders.”
A Dutch evacuation plane touched down Sunday evening in the Netherlands city of Eindhoven, with disembarking passengers wearing masks and carrying belongings in white plastic bags. The 26 aboard included eight Dutch citizens, as well as people from India, Germany, Argentina, Belgium, Greece, Portugal, Ukraine, Guatemala, the Philippines and Montenegro, the Dutch Foreign Ministry said.
The Dutch citizens were being taken home by medical transport and will self-quarantine for six weeks. Local health services were arranging quarantine locations for others.
The acting director of the Centers for Disease Control, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, said Americans would first be flown to the University of Nebraska. After that, he told CNN’s “State of the Union,” they will be given the choice of staying in Nebraska or going home, where their conditions would be monitored by state and local health agencies.
He made the comments before the report one passenger had tested positive.
He noted that seven Americans who left the cruise have been in the U.S. for roughly two weeks, and they are living across the country.
Australia is sending a plane, expected to arrive Monday, to evacuate its people and those from nearby countries, such as New Zealand, and unspecified Asian countries, said Spanish Health Minister Mónica García, who added that the evacuation flight was expected to be the last to leave Tenerife.
Source :
“We are leaving this up to the countries themselves to actually develop their own policies,” she added. “But our recommendations are very clear.”
Numerous countries have said their people will be quarantined or hospitalized for observation.
In the U.K., for example, authorities have said passengers will be hospitalized for 72 hours of quarantine, followed by six weeks of self-isolation.
The French had planned a similar protocol, but after Sunday’s flight, the prime minister said the five passengers would be kept in the hospital “until further orders.”
A Dutch evacuation plane touched down Sunday evening in the Netherlands city of Eindhoven, with disembarking passengers wearing masks and carrying belongings in white plastic bags. The 26 aboard included eight Dutch citizens, as well as people from India, Germany, Argentina, Belgium, Greece, Portugal, Ukraine, Guatemala, the Philippines and Montenegro, the Dutch Foreign Ministry said.
The Dutch citizens were being taken home by medical transport and will self-quarantine for six weeks. Local health services were arranging quarantine locations for others.
The acting director of the Centers for Disease Control, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, said Americans would first be flown to the University of Nebraska. After that, he told CNN’s “State of the Union,” they will be given the choice of staying in Nebraska or going home, where their conditions would be monitored by state and local health agencies.
He made the comments before the report one passenger had tested positive.
He noted that seven Americans who left the cruise have been in the U.S. for roughly two weeks, and they are living across the country.
Australia is sending a plane, expected to arrive Monday, to evacuate its people and those from nearby countries, such as New Zealand, and unspecified Asian countries, said Spanish Health Minister Mónica García, who added that the evacuation flight was expected to be the last to leave Tenerife.
“We are leaving this up to the countries themselves to actually develop their own policies,” she added. “But our recommendations are very clear.”
Numerous countries have said their people will be quarantined or hospitalized for observation.
In the U.K., for example, authorities have said passengers will be hospitalized for 72 hours of quarantine, followed by six weeks of self-isolation.
The French had planned a similar protocol, but after Sunday’s flight, the prime minister said the five passengers would be kept in the hospital “until further orders.”
A Dutch evacuation plane touched down Sunday evening in the Netherlands city of Eindhoven, with disembarking passengers wearing masks and carrying belongings in white plastic bags. The 26 aboard included eight Dutch citizens, as well as people from India, Germany, Argentina, Belgium, Greece, Portugal, Ukraine, Guatemala, the Philippines and Montenegro, the Dutch Foreign Ministry said.
The Dutch citizens were being taken home by medical transport and will self-quarantine for six weeks. Local health services were arranging quarantine locations for others.
The acting director of the Centers for Disease Control, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, said Americans would first be flown to the University of Nebraska. After that, he told CNN’s “State of the Union,” they will be given the choice of staying in Nebraska or going home, where their conditions would be monitored by state and local health agencies.
He made the comments before the report one passenger had tested positive.
He noted that seven Americans who left the cruise have been in the U.S. for roughly two weeks, and they are living across the country.
Australia is sending a plane, expected to arrive Monday, to evacuate its people and those from nearby countries, such as New Zealand, and unspecified Asian countries, said Spanish Health Minister Mónica García, who added that the evacuation flight was expected to be the last to leave Tenerife.
An apparent trespasser who was fatally struck by a Frontier Airlines plane at a Colorado airport on Saturday was seen calmly walking across the runway while the aircraft barreled toward them, according to new surveillance footage.
The victim, who has not been publicly identified, was sucked into one of the engines of the Airbus A321neo mid-takeoff at Denver International Airport.
The person had jumped the perimeter fence and was on the tarmac when they were mowed down at 11:19 p.m., the airport confirmed.
The person had jumped the perimeter fence at Denver International Airport and was on the tarmac when they were mowed down at 11:19 p.m. KHOU11
New security video released by the City and County of Denver shows the horrifying moment the person was struck while walking on the runway.
The victim can be seen walking from one end to the other with little urgency. They appeared to be perfectly aligned with one of the plane’s engines when part of their upper body was sucked inside, according to the harrowing footage.
The collision occurred roughly two minutes after the individual hopped the fence, KHOU 11 reported. The plane was moving at 139 mph at the time of the crash, according to FlightAware.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy asserted that the “trespasser breached security” and “ran out onto the runway.”
“No one should EVER trespass on an airport,” Duffy wrote on X.
Passenger John Anthens, who was on the plane with his sons, was looking out the window when he saw “the legs of a human spinning around in the engine.”
“The majority of people didn’t know what was going on or what happened, but there was just a big explosion and, obviously, when you hear a big explosion, people start screaming, kids are crying and it was horrific,” Anthens told The Post.
The nose of the plane jerked upward on impact as a “bomb”-like explosion rattled the cabin, Anthens said.
The engine burst into flames moments later as passengers remained in their seats at the flight attendants’ behest.
Venezuela ’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez arrived in the Netherlands on Sunday where she will defend her country’s claim to a mineral- and oil-rich region in western Guyana before the United Nations highest court in a dispute that has spanned decades.
The International Court of Justice in The Hague is holding a series of hearings with the South American neighbors which both claim ownership of Essequibo — a territory of nearly 62,000 square miles rich in gold, diamonds, timber and other natural resources, located near massive offshore oil deposits.
Venezuela has considered Essequibo its own since the Spanish colonial period, when the jungle region fell within its boundaries. But an 1899 decision by arbitrators from Britain, Russia and the United States drew the border along the Essequibo River largely in favor of Guyana.
Venezuela argues that a 1966 agreement sealed in Geneva to resolve the dispute effectively nullified the 19th-century arbitration.
The final court hearing, with Rodríguez’s appearance, will take place on Monday. The court is likely to take months to issue a final and legally binding ruling in the case.
After landing at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, Rodríguez — who assumed power in January following a U.S. military operation that ousted Nicolás Maduro — said her country has “demonstrated at every historical stage what our territory has meant since we were born as a Republic.”
Netflix drama Adolescence was the big winner at the Bafta Television Awards on Sunday, while The Celebrity Traitors and Last One Laughing also scooped a share of the glory.
The Celebrity Traitors and Last One Laughing won two prizes each, while Adolescence took four – breaking the record for the most wins at the Bafta TV Awards ceremony in a single year.
The hard-hitting drama, which became a national talking point when it was released in March 2025, was named best limited series, and there were acting honours for its stars Stephen Graham, Owen Cooper and Christine Tremarco.
At 16, Cooper became the youngest ever winner of the award for best supporting actor.
With a little help from their friends
The cast and makers of Adolescence posed with their Bafta trophies
Cooper’s Bafta can go alongside the Emmy, Golden Globe, National Television, Royal Television Society and Actor Awards he has already won for playing a boy accused of murdering a female classmate.
In his acceptance speech, the rising star paid tribute to the Beatles.
“In the words of John Lennon, you won’t get anything unless you have the vision to imagine it,” he said.
“So in my eyes I think you only need three things to succeed: one, you need an obsession; two, you need a dream; and, three, you need the Beatles.”
Graham was named best leading actor for playing Cooper’s on-screen dad, and Tremarco won best supporting actress for playing his mum.
It was Graham’s first Bafta win after seven previous nominations.
In his speech, he encouraged young viewers to believe they could follow a similar path in acting.
“We’re not digging holes, we’re not digging ditches, we’re not saving lives, but we have the opportunity to tell the human condition, and we have the obligation to tell beautiful stories and we need to keep that going,” he said.
He also ending his speech with a Beatles reference, telling the ceremony: “The kid’s already said it, but in the words of the Beatles, all we need is love.”
Actress wins for Zaghari-Ratcliffe role
Meanwhile, Narges Rashidi, who was born in Iran, won best leading actress for playing Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe in BBC One’s real-life drama Prisoner 951.
Rashidi dedicated the award to the British-Iranian woman who was imprisoned in Tehran for six years, and her family, telling the ceremony: “Your resilience, your dignity, your love through impossible circumstances have moved us all.
“Your courage will stay with me for the rest of my life. This is for you.”
Elsewhere, the award for best drama went to ITV’s Code of Silence, which starred Rose Ayling-Ellis as a deaf woman who helps police with her lip reading skills.
Alan Carr wins again
The Celebrity Traitors, the most-watched programme of last year with more than 15 million viewers, won best reality programme.
Accepting the award, host Claudia Winkleman dedicated it to the show’s “extraordinary cast who played with dignity, gusto and their entire hearts and we love them”.
Alan Carr’s victory on the programme was named the year’s most memorable TV moment – the only award of the night to be voted for by the public.
In his acceptance speech, he joked: “Was I good? Was I really – or were the other celebrities just thick?!”, referencing their inability to spot him as a Traitor.
Prime Video’s hit Last One Laughing was named best entertainment programme, beating BBC One heavyweights The Graham Norton Show, Michael McIntyre’s Big Show and Would I Lie To You.
Bob Mortimer’s efforts to make his rival comedians crack a smile while he kept a straight face in Last One Laughing earned him the Bafta for best entertainment performance.
Coogan will play Alan Partridge ‘until I die’
Steve Coogan won best actor in a comedy for How Are You? It’s Alan (Partridge).
He said: “Doing comedy in these troubled times is so important. It’s a privilege to make people laugh after all these years.”
He continued: “I will keep on doing it. If anyone wants to know when Alan Partridge is going to die, it’s about the same time that I am going to die.”
Katherine Parkinson was named best comedy actress for her role as mum Rachel in family sitcom Here We Go.
Her competition in the category included a trio of stars from Amandaland (Lucy Punch, Philippa Dunne and Jennifer Saunders) as well as Diane Morgan and Rosie Jones.
Amandaland did have success in the category for best scripted comedy, four years after Motherland – in which the title character first appeared – won the same award.
Creator Holly Walsh said: “This is for everyone who is going through a process of reinvention, whatever that is, because it takes a lot to start again.”
Win for Gaza doctors film dropped by BBC
The current affairs prize went to Gaza: Doctors Under Attack after it was pulled by the BBC last year, which the broadcaster said was because of impartiality concerns. It was later shown by Channel 4 instead.
The documentary’s reporter and producer, Ramita Navai, told the audience: “This award means so much to us,” then spoke about the numbers of women, children and healthcare workers who have been killed in Gaza.
“These are the findings of our organisation that the BBC failed to show but we refused to be silenced and censored and we thank Channel 4.”
Ben de Pear, the founder of Basement Films behind Gaza: Doctors Under Attack, added he had a question for the BBC: “Given you dropped our film, will you drop us from the Bafta screening later tonight?” He also thanked the journalists on the ground in Gaza.
When the BBC shelved the documentary, it said in a statement “it was determined to report all aspects of the conflict in the Middle East impartially and fairly.”
De Pear’s comments during the ceremony were later included in BBC One’s broadcast of the awards, as part of a round-up of some of the winners.
Netflix’s Grenfell: Uncovered, about the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire, which killed 72 people, won best single documentary.
In other categories, EastEnders was named best soap, Scam Interceptors won best daytime show, and Go Back To Where You Came From picked up the factual entertainment prize.
Poignant speeches by Mary Berry and Martin Lewis
Former Great British Bake Off judge Dame Mary Berry received the top lifetime achievement honour, the Bafta Fellowship, at the age of 91.
“I’m really bowled over by this accolade. I’m a cook, I’m a teacher, so I feel very honoured to be given Bafta’s highest award,” she said.
She finished her speech offering thanks to her three children, including her late son William, who died in a car accident in 1989 at the age of 19. She said: “William is in heaven, but I thank him.”
Ahead of the demonstration, religious leaders across the UK signed an open letter in support of the British Jewish community
Thousands of people gathered outside Downing Street on Sunday for a protest against antisemitism.
The rally, which was led by the main Jewish community organisations, was told that there was “an epidemic of anti-Jewish hate”.
There have been a string of attacks at synagogues and other Jewish sites in recent months, including the stabbing of two Jewish men in Golders Green, north London, a fortnight ago.
Ahead of the demonstration, religious leaders across the UK signed an open letter, describing antisemitism as “a problem for all of us to fix”.
Speaking to the BBC at the rally, Zoe Korsner said she wanted to show that love was stronger than other people’s hate.
She said: “We don’t want to feel frightened as Jewish people. I feel like I have to hide it, it’s something to be embarrassed about and ashamed.”
Mary Rendle one of a number of non-Jewish people who came to the demonstration, said she came to support her husband’s Jewish family “because it’s the right thing to do”.
“I hate the fact my step-daughter has to hide her Star of David because we are scared for her safety,” she added.
A crowd of an estimated 5,000 people gathered to watch religious leaders and politicians from a number of political parties speak, with each receiving a mixed reception.
Anger at perceived government inaction was on show as Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden was booed and heckled as he said “I am with you, I want to fight antisemitism”, while Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch drew loud applause, as she said “I promised that I would stand with you” and Britain “must always be a sanctuary for Jewish people”.
Richard Tice, deputy leader of Reform UK, was also applauded but Sir Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats, faced initial jeers that subsided after the audience was told he was a friend of the community.
The chief rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis told the rally that the spread of extremism and hatred threatened everyone and to confront it was a “national responsibility.”
With the police investigating possible Iranian links to some of the arson attacks, he called for the Iranian ambassador to Britain to be expelled and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) to be banned.
Three men were arrested at the event, including a man in his 30s after search arches detected a knife, the Metropolitan Police said.
Two men in their 60s were arrested as part of a wider patrol on suspicion of carrying batons.
Signatories of the open letter include faith leaders from Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh and Zoroastrian communities, with the letter stating “this country belongs to you as much as any of us”.
Also signed by leading figures from business, sport and media, the letter said: “The spectre of Jewish people being stabbed at random in the street, killed defending their synagogues and Jewish infrastructure being firebombed feel like a nightmare from another time.”
It added: “This is not a problem for Jewish people to have to respond to. This is a problem for all of us to fix.
“This country belongs to you as much as any of us. You are as British as all of us who call this country home. And we will do everything we can to protect you and your community from the extremists who threaten you.”
Responding to the letter the chief rabbi said: “My hope is that where these institutions have led, others will follow, in workplaces, boardrooms, classrooms and on social media, so that we can finally begin to tackle this scourge together.”
Two Jewish people were killed in October last year and three left in a serious condition after a car ramming and stabbing attack outside a synagogue in Manchester. One of the men was killed by a bullet fired by police.
Earlier this year in March, four Jewish charity-owned Hatzola ambulances were set on fire in the car park of a synagogue in Golders Green.
In recent weeks the Finchley Reform Synagogue in north London was attacked and days later a bottle containing an accelerant was thrown through the window of Kenton United Synagogue.
Ambulances took the five French passengers to a hospital in Paris
A passenger of a cruise ship that was struck by an outbreak of hantavirus has shown symptoms of the disease while being repatriated to France, the country’s prime minister has said.
Sébastien Lecornu said the French national developed symptoms while on a chartered flight from Tenerife to Paris, and so all five evacuated from the MV Hondius had been “immediately placed in strict isolation until further notice”.
The French citizens are among more than 90 tourists to be ferried home from the Dutch vessel on Sunday, which anchored off the Canary Islands before dawn.
Three passengers have died after travelling on the ship, two of whom were confirmed to have had the virus.
After the French flight touched down at Le Bourget Airport, officials wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) could be seen meeting them on the tarmac. Ambulances then took them to the Bichat hospital in the French capital.
There, they will be quarantined for 72 hours and given a full assessment, before being sent home to self-isolate for 45 days, France’s Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
Fourteen Spanish nationals flown from Tenerife to Madrid now face mandatory quarantine at a military hospital in the Spanish capital.
British nationals have been flown back to Manchester. None of the Britons have reported symptoms but they are being monitored, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said.
A plane carrying 26 passengers and crew – including eight Dutch nationals – has arrived in the Netherlands.
A flight departed on Sunday for the US carrying 18 people – all of the American passengers from the cruise and one British national who resides in the US.
One of the Americans began showing mild symptoms of hantavirus and another tested mildly positive for the Andes strain of the virus after being evacuated from the cruise ship, the US Department of Health and Human Services said.
Both passengers were “travelling in the plane’s biocontainment units out of an abundance of caution,” HHS said.
Flights for Turkish and Irish citizens were also scheduled on Sunday, while Spanish Health Minister Mónica García said the final two evacuation flights would depart on Monday afternoon.
Six passengers are returning to Australia and another 18 will be flown to the Netherlands. Both planes are also taking passengers from other countries which did not send their own repatriation flights.
Spain’s Health Secretary Javier Padilla said more than 90 of the 150 passengers and crew of the Hondius will have been sent home by the end of Sunday. A flight to Australia is expected on Monday.
The cruise ship dropped anchor in the port of Granadilla earlier on Sunday, and medical teams went aboard at around 07:00 local time (06:00 GMT).
This began the carefully choreographed process of removing those aboard and repatriating them devised by the Spanish government and the World Health Organization (WHO).
Passengers could be seen from afar wandering around on the deck of the ship, or at the windows, all in white medical face masks, as the first evacuations took place on Sunday morning.
Several sat socially distanced on the first evacuation boat, filming and taking photos as they approached land, where they were met by officials in white protective suits.
While being couriered to the airport, some British passengers – clad in blue PPE – waved and gave thumbs up as they drove past the assembled media.
The arrival of the Hondius was met by opposition from some, including the Canary Islands’ regional president, who expressed concerns over the virus spreading to Tenerife.
Hantaviruses are usually carried by rodents, but human transmission of the Andes strain – which the WHO believes was contracted by some of the ship’s passengers while in South America – is possible.
Symptoms can include fever, extreme fatigue, muscle aches, stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhoea and shortness of breath.
Helen Clark, co-chair of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response (IPPR), told the BBC there were lessons to be learnt about how viral outbreaks on ships should be managed.
“Passengers disembarked and dispersed to the four winds when there had been a death of a potentially infectious pathogen on board,” she said.
When asked if the world was ready to deal with another pandemic, she said there was still work to be done.
“There’s not yet enough financing to support lower income countries to build capacities for early detection, surveillance, response,” she said.
She added “the direction is right if countries come together to make it possible to do far, far better than we did with Covid”. The IPPR evaluated the global response to Covid-19.
Trump’s repudiation of Iran’s response to his latest peace proposal raised the likelihood of further violence and disruptions to oil supplies through the Strait of Hormuz.
A pump jack operates outside of Midland, Texas, US, on Jun 11, 2025. (File photo: Reuters/Eli Hartman)
Oil prices rose in Asian trade on Monday (May 11) after US President Donald Trump rejected Iran’s terms for ending the war in the Middle East, while stocks were mixed.
Trump’s repudiation of Iran’s response to his latest peace proposal raised the likelihood of further violence and disruptions to oil supplies through the Strait of Hormuz.
“I have just read the response from Iran’s so-called ‘Representatives.’ I don’t like it – TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!” said Trump, who is due in China this week where the war will likely loom large in discussions.
“We will never bow down to the enemy, and if there is talk of dialogue or negotiation, it does not mean surrender or retreat,” Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Sunday on X.
“President Trump’s swift rejection of these counter-demands underscores the wide gulf between both sides, pointing to a risk of prolonged uncertainty rather than rapid de-escalation,” said Lloyd Chan at Japanese bank MUFG.
“For oil markets, this suggests a persistent geopolitical risk premium as Hormuz disruptions drag on,” Chan said.
Stocks were mixed, with the Nikkei down 0.4 per cent and the Hang Seng off 0.34 per cent but Seoul’s Kopsi was up 4 per cent, boosted by tech stocks.
In Tokyo, Nintendo shares plunged almost 10 per cent after the Japanese gaming giant warned Friday of lower profits this year and said it would hike the price of its Switch 2 console.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was due in Japan and South Korea before heading to China for Trump’s high-stakes summit with President Xi Jinping, which Beijing on Monday confirmed would take place from Wednesday to Friday.
A week ago, Seoul reported a blast and fire aboard the vessel – the HMM Namu – in the strait, while it was anchored near the United Arab Emirates.
The Panama-flagged bulk carrier HMM Namu, in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China, on Jan 5, 2026. (File photo: Reuters/HMM Handout)
The stern of a bulk carrier operated by South Korean shipper HMM was struck by an unidentified object on May 4 while stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, the foreign ministry said on Sunday (May 10) following an on‑site inspection of the vessel on Friday.
A week ago, Seoul reported a blast and fire aboard the same vessel – the HMM Namu – in the strait, while anchored near the United Arab Emirates. No one was harmed in the incident.
US President Donald Trump said at the time that the incident was caused by an Iranian attack.
Seoul was investigating the incident, and the vessel was towed to a port in Dubai after the blaze on Monday.
It was not certain what the object was, the ministry said, and authorities said debris would be collected at the site for analysis.
Trump urged South Korea to join a currently suspended US-led effort dubbed “Project Freedom” to secure shipping through the strait following the incident.
In an interview aired on Sunday, US President Donald Trump claimed that American forces could strike “every single target” in Iran within just two weeks, while declaring that the Islamic Republic has already been “militarily defeated.”
In an interview with investigative journalist Sharyl Attkisson, recorded last week, Trump also slammed NATO as a “paper tiger” and accused Washington’s European allies of failing to support the campaign against Tehran.
The comments come as Iran is reported to have responded to the latest US proposal on ending a conflict that began on February 28 with US and Israeli strikes on Iran.
“They’re militarily defeated. In their own minds, maybe they don’t know that. But I think they do,” Trump said in the interview, before adding: “That doesn’t mean they’re done.” He suggested the US military could “go in for two more weeks and do every single target.
We have certain targets that we wanted, and we’ve done probably 70 percent of them, but we have other targets that we could conceivably hit.” “But even if we didn’t do that, you know, that would just be final touches,” Trump said. On NATO, he said the alliance “has proven to be a paper tiger. They weren’t there to help.”
Crisis in the Persian Gulf
One of the underreported but extremely significant features of the ongoing crisis in the Persian Gulf is the risk to undersea cables in the Strait of Hormuz and the nearby Red Sea. And these risks are linked with Iran’s weaponization of its geographic location in waging what is called asymmetric warfare, both above and under the Sea.
Iran has already closed the traffic of shipments in the Strait in resisting the American attacks. It can similarly disrupt global communications and financial interactions via undersea cables.
As it is, over the last few years, undersea communication cables have increasingly been considered potential military targets in modern hybrid and gray-zone warfare due to their critical role as the backbone of global communication and finance. After all, they carry over 99% of all international digital traffic and facilitate trillions of dollars in daily financial transactions, making them strategically vital assets.
Studies suggest that $10 trillion in daily financial transactions travel globally across 1.5 million kilometers of submarine cables. The economic importance and utility of subsea cables for both governments and private citizens make them an attractive yet vulnerable target for state and nonstate actors, positioning them as the “soft underbelly of the world economy.”
As EurAsian Times once explained, these cables are said to be the arteries that connect nation-states and their people in virtually every human activity, including trade, commerce, entertainment, and social interactions. In fact, global communications via satellites is minuscule compared to the transoceanic ones.
Private companies and consortia own and operate a network of over 500 commercial undersea telecommunications cables that form the backbone of the global internet.
Any interference in their flow can disrupt lives and livelihoods and compromise the capacity of nation-states to trade, communicate, and fight wars, it is feared.
An Iranian woman walks past an anti-US and anti-Israel mural painted on a wall in the capital Tehran on May 10, 2026. The spokesman for the Iranian parliament’s national security commission warned the United States on May 10, against any attacks on vessels in Gulf waters, saying Iran’s restraint was over. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) /
Typically between two and seven inches thick, with a lifespan of approximately 25 years, these cables are laid by slow-moving ships. Wrapped in steel armor, insulation, and a plastic coat, they contain fiber threads capable of transmitting data at 180,000 miles per second.
Reportedly, the entire global network of cables consisting of more than 600 active or planned submarine cables criss-crossing the world’s oceans is more than half a million miles long, enough to go from Earth to the Moon more than three times.
And the recent explosive growth of cloud computing has vastly increased the volume and sensitivity of data – from military documents to scientific research – crossing these cables.
Apparently, it all began in 1988, when AT&T Corp. completed the world’s first transoceanic fiber-optic cable. Called TAT-8, the cable snaked more than 3,000 miles along the Atlantic floor from New Jersey in the US to the UK. Its two fibers, running through a cable as narrow as a man’s wrist, could carry nearly 40,000 phone conversations at once, five times the capacity of the best undersea copper cables and comparable to all the trans-Atlantic voice traffic then handled by satellites.
Similarly, the first trans-Pacific fiber-optic cable is said to have entered service in 1991. A 17,000-mile-long Flag Telecom cable connecting Europe with North Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Japan came online in 1997. And Russia and China also began laying thousands of miles of fiber in the closing years of the 1990s.
Interestingly, when China and Russia laid their own fiber cables under the Sea, the American intelligence community realized that they would now have a big handicap in spying or intelligence collection, as it was now much more difficult to find a way to get inside fiber-optic cables lying in deep seas and secretly siphon off the data moving through them. Till then, things were a little easier with tacking through satellites and microwave towers the international voice and data traffic, including diplomatic cables.
At the same time, however, it has always been a fact that since these cables are often laid in known locations on the ocean floor and are difficult to constantly monitor, they are seen as vulnerable targets for state and non-state actors looking to disrupt or damage adversary nations’ economies and military communications without engaging in overt acts of war.
It may be noted that on September 6, 2025, a major disruption was reported after multiple undersea fiber-optic cables in the Red Sea near Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, were damaged, causing significant internet disruptions and elevated latency across India, Pakistan, the UAE, and parts of the Middle East. Major providers reported outages, and Microsoft confirmed connectivity issues, highlighting the vulnerability of critical digital infrastructure in the region. Though the exact cause for this disruption could not be confirmed, suspicion lingered on planned sabotage.
After all, in February 2024, there were also cable cuts in the Red Sea. This time, the US alleged that it was the work of Houthi rebels of Yemen, who, incidentally, happen to be a proxy of Iran in the Middle East, being armed, trained, and financed by Tehran.
The Houthis’ denial of any responsibility is a different matter, but the incident underscored that sea cables are highly vulnerable to rival powers seeking to advance their strategic goals, particularly when passing through conflict zones.
Similar sabotage activities have been alleged in several recent global incidents, such as Russian naval activities in the North Atlantic or Chinese involvement near Taiwan’s coast.
Coming to the Middle East, over 20 (twenty) key undersea fiber-optic cables pass through the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea, serving as critical bottlenecks for global data, finance, and internet traffic between Asia and Europe. Major systems such as AAE-1, FALCON, and GBI connect the Gulf states, India, and East Africa.
Apparently, high risks emerging from the Iranian conflict affect not only existing cables but also proposed ones. It is said that to sustain the development of data center capabilities, national telecom companies in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar have joined international consortia to build cables at sea and on land. Saudi Arabia’s stc Group, majority-owned by the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), is investing $800 million in SilkLink, a 4,500 km (2,796 mi) fiber optic cable network, submarine cable landing stations, and several data centers in Syria.
Qatar’s Ooredoo aims to build Fiber in the Gulf (FIG), a $500 million cable corridor originating in the Gulf of Oman, passing through the Strait of Hormuz, overland through Iraq, Turkey, and France.
An Emirati-Iraqi consortium called WorldLink is funding a $700 million hybrid fiber-optic cable project to run a cable from the UAE to Iraq’s Al Faw Peninsula, then across Iraq to Turkey.
Meta is reportedly leading a consortium comprising India’s Bharti Telecom, Saudi Center3, China Mobile International (CMI), South Africa’s MTN Global Connect, France’s Orange, Telecom Egypt, and the UK’s Vodafone. WIOCC, which is co-owned by 14 African telecommunications operators, is building Gulf2Africa (2Africa), projected to bring high-speed internet to 3 billion people.
“Gulf Africa” often refers to the strengthening economic and strategic corridor between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, etc.) and the African continent, particularly in regions such as the Horn of Africa and East Africa. Key investment areas include infrastructure, agriculture, and shipping, aimed at bolstering trade.
Obviously, the war between the US and Israel on one hand and Iran on the other has stopped all these activities, apart from endangering the already laid undersea fiber optic cables.
Iran sits on the northern shore of the Strait of Hormuz and controls long stretches of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. These waters host all the major cable routes that link Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. This geography gives Tehran physical access to infrastructure on which the world economy depends.
In fact, disrupting undersea cables is a low-cost, high-impact option that can cause global disruption without a direct missile strike. A damaged cable in the Gulf can slow internet traffic from Mumbai to Frankfurt within minutes, delay international banking settlements, and degrade cloud services used by hospitals, airlines, and power grids.
Significantly, it could also cripple military communications for US CENTCOM, and regional partners would be forced to rely on backup satellites with limited bandwidth.
Of course, there have been attempts in the past to develop a global consensus against disturbing or damaging these cables, which are “global commons”. At present, there is no international regulatory authority or framework to oversee their safety and security. Therefore, some experts have favored the idea of establishing “cable protection zones,” which would ban certain types of anchoring and fishing and require greater disclosure by vessels inside them.
It is noteworthy that, in most cases, cables are broken by natural calamities such as tsunamis and earthquakes or by routine human activities such as fishing, ship anchoring, and equipment failures.
HOLLYWOOD’S hottest moms are getting spoiled in decadent over-the-top fashion this Mother’s Day.
From luxury skin-tightening treatments to custom home renovations, stars like Mandy Moore, Megan Fox, Alexandra Daddario, and more are being showered with a jaw-dropping $15,000 swag bag from the team behind the Oscars’ famous freebies.
Lucky Hollywood mamas who get the gift bag will enjoy treatments as Desuar SpaCredit: Distinctive Assets
Celebrity gifting guru Lash Fary and his company Distinctive Assets are once again rolling out their lavish annual Mother’s Day in Hollywood gift bags – and this year’s goodies are worth a whopping $15,000.
A-list moms including Mandy, Megan, and Alexandra, along with Elisabeth Moss and Karen Gillan, are among the 25 celebrity moms set to receive the luxe packages.
The extravagant baskets are packed with everything from cutting-edge beauty treatments and designer fragrances to viral games and family-focused experiences, with a heavy emphasis this year on female-founded companies and small businesses.
Among the priciest items included is a $4,000 custom renovation design experience from MasterCraft Remodel, alongside a $2,000 XERF skin-tightening treatment from Cynosure Lutronic and Nurse Jamie.
The high-tech facial treatment promises immediate and long-term tightening benefits using radio-frequency energy – all without needles or downtime.
Another standout comes courtesy of Art Mvmnt Studios, which is gifting recipients a $1,500 mindful portrait experience with sought-after holistic photographer and creative director Olivia Rakowski.
The package includes a mini digital camera and a bespoke empowerment-focused photo session designed to “redefine what it means to be seen.”
Luxury beauty and wellness products dominate much of the bag, including offerings from Bharara Beauty, Rita Hazan, Droplette, Mixsoon and Centellian24.
Droplette’s Ultra Starter Set alone is valued at $350 and features a patented Microinfuser system designed to deliver collagen-building ingredients deep into the skin without needles.
There’s also a complimentary smile makeover consultation from Beverly Hills cosmetic dentist Dr. Anjali Rajpal through BH Dental Arts, worth $1,200.
Not every item in the celebrity swag haul is meant to be serious, though.
One of the cheekiest additions is the viral adult card game Go F*** Yourself Mom and Dad, which became a TikTok sensation thanks to its cringe-worthy family confessions and brutally awkward prompts.
The bags also include cozy luxury blankets from Minky Couture, portable tech accessories from Balaji Brands.
To pamper the hard working mama’s, the bag put together wellness-focused treats from Greens First, Manuka Health and Uncharted Coffee.
HOLLYWOOD blonde tresses, bejewelled earrings and a pastel-coloured princess Versace gown to boot, Blake Lively reminded everyone of her Met Gala royalty status as she stepped out for one of the starriest nights in the fashion calendar.
But this year’s arrival came with extra attention, as details of the movie star’s settlement with her It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni were revealed just hours ahead of the event.
Blake stood tall on the MET Gala ‘red’ carpet last weekendCredit: Getty
The two leads of the Colleen Hoover-penned movie had been at the heart of a bitter – and very public – legal battle for two years, since shortly after the film was released in the summer of 2024.
Yet mere weeks before the two were headed to trial, it was announced the Gossip Girl actress had agreed on a deal with her co-star’s production company, Wayfarer Studios, as well as his PR company, amid claims of retaliation and breach of contract.
We’re told the MET move was no coincidence and in fact the first step of a carefully orchestrated career comeback plan to propel Blake back into the heart of Hollywood.
“That was no accident – she knew all eyes would be on her and she wanted them to be,” an insider exclusively tells The Sun. “It was a clear message that she had drawn a line on this awful saga and that she is ready to publicly move forward with her head held high, rather than hiding away.
“While she’s quietly pursuing Justin to cover her legal fees post-settlement, Blake feels she’s spent enough time hunkering down and doesn’t believe she has any reason to disappear and retreat from the spotlight.”
The long-running feud between Blake, 38, and Justin, 42, saw them accuse each other of calculated smear campaigns online, and her accuse him of sexual harassment and intimidation – claims which Justin vehemently denied and were later dismissed by a judge.
Internet sleuths sprung into action, rumours swirled and feverish fanbases lashed out and drew lines.
Among it, golden girl Blake suddenly found herself on the receiving end of a torrent of vitriolic abuse, pegging her as one of ‘Hollywood’s most hated’.
Ready to put to bed the backlash, phase two of the master plan will see the mum-of-four cleverly return to her romance roots.
“She wants to go back to people remembering her for being a good actress, as that all seems to have been forgotten in all of this,” we’re told.
“Every story became about her being a ‘mean girl’ and she’s devastated because she thinks it’s undone all the years of TV and movie hits she’s had.
“At times, when the backlash was at its worst, she felt like she was the most hated woman in Hollywood, and she wants to desperately wants to rehab her image. She wants to get back to mass appeal romantic comedy leads she hopes will make audiences warm to her again.
“One of her impending movie projects, The Survival List, sees her play a TV producer who ends up stranded on a remote island with a celebrity survival expert where romance ensues.”
It’s not the only trump up Blake’s sleeve as she’s also passionately pursuing a big screen adaptation of Big Little Lies author Liane Moriarty’s bestseller, The Husband’s Secret.
“This has been in the works for a few years but Blake is now fully focused on it,” says a source.
“It’s just the kind of project she wants – a relatable lead, a twisty subject matter and a powerhouse novel with a built-in fan base.”
Then there’s the upcoming film, The Making Of, another romance tale ‘geared towards female audiences’ that will see her share the screen with Richard Gere and Hamilton creator Lin Manuel Miranda.
“It’s also important for Blake to continue with her executive producing – she has done it twice before, on Another Simple Favor, and on It Ends With Us,” we’re told.
“But she was reported to be feuding with Anna Kendrick while shooting the former, and obviously we all know how the latter turned out.
“She wants to show that she can produce movies without all the backstage drama being the talking point and follow in the footsteps of someone like Nicole Kidman or Reese Witherspoon.”
The Age of Adeline star sees them as role models, having produced their own movies and optioned bestselling novels, turning them into huge screen hits.
Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested that the former German chancellor serve as a mediator in Russia-Ukraine peace talks.
Former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder has been criticized for maintaining strong ties with RussiaImage: Alexei Druzhinin/dpa/picture alliance
Gerhard Schröder’s office on Sunday refused to comment after Russian President Vladimir Putin said he would like the former German chancellor as a possible European mediator in peace talks to end the Ukraine war.
Putin told reporters on Saturday: “Of all European politicians, I would prefer talks with Schröder.”
The ex-chancellor has maintained close relations with Moscow and is a personal friend of Putin.
Speaking at the end of Victory Day celebrations, the Russian leader also said he thought the four-year conflict with Ukraine was heading toward an end.
In response to a question from DPA news agency, Schröder’s office said it would not comment on the matter.
On Sunday, news agencies cited anonymous German government officials as saying Putin’s suggestion was “not credible” as Moscow had not altered its conditions for ending the war.
The sources added that a first test of credibility would be for Russia to extend this weekend’s 3-day ceasefire.
Schröder defended Russia over Ukraine war
The 82-year-old Schröder has courted controversy over his close ties to Russia, personal friendship with Putin and his role in Russian energy companies after leaving politics.
Writing in the Berliner Zeitung newspaper in January, Schröder described the Russian invasion as contrary to international law.
“But I’m also against demonizing Russia as the eternal enemy,” he added, before urging Germany to restart imports of Russian energy, which were cut over the conflict.
Putin’s remarks come as Kyiv and Moscow observe a three-day ceasefire in the conflict this weekend.
The truce was announced on Friday by US President Donald Trump after negotiations brokered by Washington.
The Financial Times reported this week that European Union leaders are quietly preparing for possible direct negotiations with both sides, citing growing frustration with US efforts.
European Council President Antonio Costa on Thursday said the EU was prepared to hold separate talks with the warring parties “when the right moment comes.”
The attack occurred in Bannu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where militants drove an explosives‑laden vehicle into a police checkpoint.
This is the latest attack in a rising wave of militancy in PakistanImage: Ehsan Khattak/REUTERS
Militants detonated a car bomb at a police checkpoint in Bannu, northwestern Pakistan, and opened fire on officers, killing at least 15 people, authorities said Sunday.
The attack took place late Saturday in the Fateh Khel area. Images from the scene showed the checkpoint reduced to rubble, with bricks, charred debris, and mangled vehicles scattered across the area.
“Last night in the Fateh Khel area of Bannu, a suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a police checkpoint, after which multiple militants entered the post,” Bannu police official Muhammad Sajjad Khan said.
He added more than 100 militants took part in the attack.
Deadly checkpoint assault
An officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that other law enforcement personnel had been sent to help the police but that the terrorists had ambushed them, causing some of the casualties.
“During the assault, the militants used quadcopters along with heavy weaponry,” a senior administrative official in Bannu told AFP.
“In addition, while retreating, the attackers took police personnel and weapons from the station with them,” he added.
Martin Short emotionally addressed the sudden death of his daughter, Katherine.
“It’s been a nightmare for the family,” the “Only Murders in the Building” star told “CBS Sunday Morning.”
“But the understanding [is] that mental health and cancer, like my wife’s, are both diseases, and sometimes with diseases they are terminal,” he added, referring to his late wife, Nancy Dolman, who died in 2010.
Martin Short has broken his silence on the death of his daughter, Katherine, pictured here with him at the 2011 Vanity Fair Oscars Party. FilmMagic
“And my daughter fought for a long time with extreme mental health, borderline personality disorder, other things, and did the best she couldn’t until she couldn’t,” Short, 76, continued.
Katherine tragically died at the age of 42 on Feb. 23.
“It is with profound grief that we confirm the passing of Katherine Hartley Short,” a spokesperson for Short told Page Six on Feb. 24.
“The Short family is devastated by this loss, and asks for privacy at this time. Katherine was beloved by all and will be remembered for the light and joy she brought into the world.”
Katherine was found dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound at her Los Angeles home.
The Los Angeles Fire Department told Page Six that they responded to a shooting at a Hollywood Hills address around 6:40 p.m.
According to TMZ, law enforcement found a suicide note, though it’s unclear what was written.
Short shared Katherine, along with sons Oliver Patrick, 39, and Henry Hayter, 36, with his Dolman.
The social worker had a service dog named after singer Joni Mitchell to assist with “mental illness.”
Occupants of the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius started flying home in carefully coordinated stages after the outbreak triggered global concern.
People being evacuated from MV Hondius after a hantavirus outbreak. (Reuters)
Two Indian nationals aboard the luxury cruise ship MV Hondius that was hit by a deadly strain of hantavirus are reportedly “healthy and asymptomatic”, the Indian embassy in Madrid confirmed, after the ship arrived off Spain’s Canary Islands.
The ship carrying 150 passengers and crew members arrived at Tenerife early on Sunday from Cape Verde, where three infected people had been evacuated to Europe earlier in the week. This came after cases linked to the Andes strain of hantavirus triggered widespread concern.
Two Indian nationals aboard the luxury cruise ship MV Hondius that was hit by a deadly strain of hantavirus are reportedly “healthy and asymptomatic”, the Indian embassy in Madrid confirmed, after the ship arrived off Spain’s Canary Islands.
The ship carrying 150 passengers and crew members arrived at Tenerife early on Sunday from Cape Verde, where three infected people had been evacuated to Europe earlier in the week. This came after cases linked to the Andes strain of hantavirus triggered widespread concern.
Press Release on 2 Indian nationals onboard the MV Hondius vessel
“The 2 Indian nationals are healthy and asymptomatic. As informed by the Spanish National Center for Emergency Monitoring and Coordination (CENEM), the 02 Indian nationals who were travelling as crew members, have been evacuated to the Netherlands where they will be quarantined as per relevant health safety protocol,” it added.
Indian Ambassador to Spain Jayant N Khobragade is in close contact with Spanish authorities and the two Indians to assure their well-being and safety.
Occupants of the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius started flying home in carefully coordinated stages after the outbreak triggered global concern. The World Health Organisation (WHO) said eight people had fallen ill aboard the ship, including three who died – a Dutch couple and a German national.
Passengers wearing protective medical suits were seen disembarking the vessel onto smaller boats before reaching the port of Granadilla in Tenerife. They were then transported in sealed buses under police escort to Tenerife South airport, where they underwent further protective measures before boarding repatriation flights.
Countries Evacuate Their Citizens
Several countries are preparing to evacuate their citizens from the ship, with the WHO briefing member states with nationals on how to manage the process, advising active monitoring of passengers for a 42-day period from the last point of exposure.
Government planes carrying Spanish and French nationals landed in Madrid and Paris on Sunday afternoon, where the passengers were transported to a hospital, according to the two countries’ governments. One of the five French passengers showed symptoms during the repatriation flight, according to French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu.
Planes to Canada, the Netherlands, Turkey, the UK, Ireland, and the United States were due to depart by Sunday. The passengers will be tested upon arrival and then either taken to local hospitals or quarantine facilities or transported home for isolation.
Spanish Health Minister Monica Garcia said the evacuation of most of the ship’s nearly 150 passengers and crew would continue until a final repatriation flight to Australia on Monday.
President Donald Trump’s swift rejection of Iran’s response to a U.S. peace proposal sent oil prices surging higher on Monday amid concerns the 10-week-old conflict will drag on, keeping shipping through the Strait of Hormuz paralyzed.
Days after the U.S. floated an offer in the hopes of re-opening negotiations, Iran on Sunday released a response focused on ending the war on all fronts, especially Lebanon, where U.S. ally Israel is fighting Iran-backed Hezbollah militants. Tehran also included a demand for compensation for war damages and emphasized Iranian sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state TV said.
It also called on the U.S. to end its naval blockade, guarantee no further attacks, lift sanctions and end a U.S. ban on Iranian oil sales, the semi-official Tasnim news agency said.
Within hours, Trump dismissed Iran’s proposal with a post on social media.
“I don’t like it — TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, without giving further detail.
The U.S. had proposed an end to fighting before starting talks on more contentious issues, including Iran’s nuclear program.
Oil prices jumped $3 a barrel on Monday following news of the continued stalemate that leaves the narrow Strait of Hormuz largely closed. Before the war the waterway carried one-fifth of the world’s oil supply and has emerged as one of the central pressure points in the war.
Surveys show the war is unpopular with U.S. voters facing sharply higher gasoline prices less than six months before nationwide elections that will determine whether Trump’s Republican party retains control of Congress.
The U.S. has also found little international support, with NATO allies refusing calls to send ships to open the Strait of Hormuz without a full peace deal and an internationally mandated mission.
It’s not clear what fresh diplomatic or military steps may be ahead.
A woman walks past an anti-U.S. billboard depicting U.S. President Donald Trump and the Strait of Hormuz, in Tehran, Iran, May 8, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS Purchase Licensing Rights
Trump is expected to arrive in Beijing on Wednesday. With mounting pressure to draw a line under the war and the global energy crisis it has ignited, Iran is among topics Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are set to discuss.
Trump has been leaning on China to use its influence to push Tehran to make a deal with Washington.
Addressing whether combat operations against Iran were over, Trump said in remarks aired on Sunday: “They are defeated, but that doesn’t mean they’re done.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the war was not over because there was “more work to be done” to remove enriched uranium from Iran, dismantle enrichment sites and address Iran’s proxies and ballistic missile capabilities.
The best way to remove the enriched uranium would be through diplomacy, Netanyahu said in an interview that aired Sunday on CBS News’ “60 Minutes.” But he did not rule out removing it by force.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a social media post that Iran would “never bow down to the enemy” and would “defend national interests with strength.”
Despite diplomatic efforts to break a deadlock, the threat to shipping lanes and the economies of the region remained high.
Recent days have seen the biggest flare-ups in fighting in and around the strait since a ceasefire began.
