Category: World News

WASHINGTON – Following Britain’s decision to elevate its terrorism alert status to the second-highest level, the American embassy in London issued a security advisory Friday urging US citizens to exercise heightened caution while in the United Kingdom.

The embassy instructed Americans to remain vigilant in public areas, maintain a low profile, and reassess their personal safety measures after British authorities announced the threat level increase.

“The recent increase in terrorist threats is driven by a rise in Islamist and extreme right-wing terrorist threats in the UK,” the U.S. embassy said in a security alert on Friday.

British officials elevated the country’s terrorism alert status from “substantial” to “severe” on Thursday following an antisemitic knife attack that occurred earlier this week in northern London.

According to the threat classification system, the “severe” designation means authorities believe an extremist attack is highly likely to occur within the coming six months.

New economic analysis shows that everyday living expenses in Israel have reached levels that surpass Europe’s most affluent nations, creating significant financial pressure for residents across the country.

Data from recent economic studies and reporting by Globes indicates that costs for essential needs like housing, groceries, and basic services have escalated beyond what residents pay in many of Europe’s wealthiest economies. This dramatic increase results from a combination of limited resources, concentrated market control, and governmental decisions that have driven prices upward while wages have grown at a slower pace.

The housing market has experienced particularly intense pressure over the last ten years, with restricted land availability, bureaucratic delays in development approvals, and high consumer demand creating a perfect storm for rapidly rising property values. Grocery expenses have also come under examination, as a small number of major import companies and food producers control significant market segments, reducing competitive pricing and maintaining costs well above those seen in other developed nations.

Officials within the government have recognized the financial burden this places on citizens. Data from the Finance Ministry demonstrates that Israeli residents now allocate a greater portion of their earnings to essential items compared to people living in numerous Western European countries. Economic experts identify several contributing factors including substantial indirect taxation, import regulation obstacles, and geographical challenges that create supply chain complications.

This economic challenge has remained a contentious political topic for years. Major public demonstrations focused on living expenses took place in 2011, and the concern has consistently reappeared in national political discussions. While recent administrations have promised changes to boost market competition, reduce import barriers, and speed up home construction projects, implementation has shown mixed results.

The nation’s overall economic environment adds complexity to addressing these issues. Israel’s technology industry has generated substantial economic expansion and increased salaries in certain areas, though these benefits have not reached all population segments equally. Additionally, the country’s security requirements and defense budget obligations influence government spending priorities in ways that may restrict comprehensive cost-reduction initiatives.

When measured against European standards, the situation becomes more concerning. While nations like Switzerland and Norway have historically held positions among the world’s most expensive places to live, Israel now equals or surpasses their costs in multiple consumer areas, creating questions about future affordability and economic viability.

The Trump administration is moving forward with plans to shut down a U.S. military facility in Israel that was established to oversee the Gaza ceasefire and coordinate humanitarian aid delivery, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the decision.

The Civil-Military Coordination Centre, which has faced widespread criticism for its ineffectiveness in monitoring the Israel-Hamas truce and facilitating aid to Palestinians, will be dissolved as part of broader changes to U.S. Gaza policy, seven diplomatic sources told reporters.

This development represents another significant setback for President Trump’s Gaza reconstruction initiative, which has already been hampered by ongoing Israeli military operations despite the October ceasefire agreement and Hamas’s refusal to disarm.

Foreign policy experts indicate the decision highlights the substantial challenges confronting American efforts to supervise the fragile truce and manage aid distribution, particularly as Israeli forces continue expanding into Gaza territory while Hamas strengthens its control over remaining areas under its authority.

The closure could further strain relationships with Washington’s international partners, many of whom Trump had urged to contribute personnel and funding to the CMCC and his Gaza rebuilding program, which has been essentially suspended since the U.S. began its joint military campaign with Israel against Iran.

Sources reveal that the CMCC’s responsibilities for aid coordination and ceasefire monitoring will be transferred to an international security mission under U.S. command that is scheduled to deploy to Gaza, though that deployment has yet to materialize.

While U.S. officials have characterized this transition as a reorganization rather than a closure, diplomatic sources indicate the International Stabilization Force will effectively assume all CMCC functions, bringing the center’s mission to an end.

According to a diplomat briefed on the restructuring plan, American military personnel assigned to the reformed ISF would be reduced from approximately 190 to just 40 troops. The U.S. intends to fill the gap with civilian personnel from partner nations, sources said, speaking anonymously due to lack of authorization for public comment.

However, diplomatic observers question whether incorporating the CMCC into the ISF will produce meaningful improvements on the ground, given that the center lacked enforcement powers for the ceasefire or aid guarantees.

Following publication of the initial report, Trump’s Board of Peace issued a social media statement disputing that the CMCC was closing, though they did not address whether the ISF would absorb its duties.

A Board of Peace representative had earlier declined to discuss the center’s future but emphasized that it serves a “critical role in ensuring aid deliveries and coordinating efforts” while advancing Trump’s Gaza strategy.

Both the White House and U.S. Central Command directed comment requests to the Board of Peace.

Once the transition occurs, the restructured organization is expected to operate under the name International Gaza Support Centre, with U.S. Major General Jasper Jeffers, the White House-appointed ISF commander, likely assuming leadership, two sources indicated.

The ISF was originally intended for immediate Gaza deployment to establish territorial control and maintain security. However, only a limited number of countries have committed troops, and none have agreed to security responsibilities.

U.S. officials have maintained that American forces will not be stationed within Gaza itself.

The ISF has established a secured section within the CMCC, which operates from a warehouse facility in southern Israel, but U.S. military personnel strictly limit access to this area and frequently deny entry to allied nation representatives, three sources reported.

Establishing the CMCC was a cornerstone of Trump’s comprehensive 20-point Gaza plan, developed following the ceasefire designed to end Israel-Hamas hostilities and enable reconstruction of the territory after extensive destruction during two years of warfare.

Multiple nations, including Germany, France, Britain, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates, deployed personnel such as military strategists and intelligence officers to the center as they sought influence over Gaza’s future governance discussions.

However, continued Israeli military strikes and the expansion of Israel’s armistice boundary deeper into Gaza territory have diminished the CMCC’s effectiveness, according to diplomatic sources. Hamas has simultaneously reestablished governmental control over a coastal section of Gaza within its territory.

Participation from member countries has declined significantly, with some nations sending representatives only monthly while others attend sporadically, diplomats reported.

Israeli officials justify their Gaza operations as necessary to counter Hamas threats and prevent unauthorized approaches to the armistice line. Palestinian authorities contend this reasoning serves as cover for territorial expansion aimed at forcing them from land intended for a future Palestinian state.

Since the ceasefire implementation, more than 800 Palestinians and four Israeli soldiers have died, despite the agreement’s purpose to halt warfare that began with Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

The preceding conflict devastated much of Gaza’s infrastructure, displacing nearly all 2 million residents and destroying essential systems for water distribution, sanitation, and electrical power.

The CMCC’s mandate included ensuring humanitarian aid reached Palestinians in need. Diplomatic sources report that aid volumes have remained essentially unchanged despite increased commercial goods entering Gaza, as Israel prohibits many items it considers to have potential military applications alongside civilian uses.

Restricted items include tent poles required for displaced persons’ camps and heavy equipment necessary for debris removal operations.

COGAT, the Israeli military agency controlling Gaza access, stated that 80% of daily truck deliveries carry commercial goods purchased in Israel, though these are meant to supplement humanitarian supplies.

The Board of Peace official emphasized that Gaza ultimately requires “a sustainable civilian administration to truly transform from the years of aid dependency and cycles of violence that have clouded its past.”

China’s representative at the United Nations is pushing for the Security Council to reconsider its plan to withdraw peacekeepers from Lebanon, citing escalating violence in the region.

Ambassador Fu Cong made the statement Friday as China assumed the rotating presidency of the Security Council for May. The diplomat expressed alarm over the deteriorating security situation along Lebanon’s southern border with Israel.

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, has monitored the Israeli-Lebanese border since its creation in 1978. Security Council members voted unanimously last year to phase out the peacekeeping operation by the end of 2026.

However, Fu questioned that timeline given current conditions, describing the situation as having “lesser fire” rather than a genuine ceasefire. “It is incumbent on Israel to stop this bombardment of Lebanon,” the ambassador stated during a press briefing.

The violence has intensified dramatically since early March, when Hezbollah militants launched attacks on Israel in solidarity with Iran. Israel responded with extensive ground operations and airstrikes that have devastated large portions of southern Lebanon. The conflict has claimed more than 2,500 lives since March 2.

Israeli officials at the UN have not yet commented on China’s remarks, though Israel maintains its military actions target Hezbollah fighters to prevent further attacks.

When asked directly about the peacekeeping mandate, Fu stated: “We do believe we should revisit the decision actually to withdraw the UNIFIL.”

The Chinese ambassador revealed he had recently discussed the matter with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. According to Fu, UN leadership is considering a comprehensive review and plans to present various options in June for implementing Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel.

“I think at least the view of the overwhelming majority of the Security Council is that this is not the time to redraw UNIFIL,” Fu explained.

Jean-Pierre Lacroix, who heads UN peacekeeping operations, indicated last month that some form of international presence could remain in Lebanon even after the current mandate expires.

The World Health Organization announced Friday that member nations have extended negotiations on critical pathogen-sharing guidelines, delaying implementation of a pandemic treaty that was approved last year.

The ongoing discussions center on establishing a framework that would require nations to rapidly share disease samples that could trigger pandemics, while guaranteeing those countries receive equitable access to vaccines, testing, and medical treatments developed from their contributions.

This framework, called the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing annex, establishes protocols for how nations exchange pathogen data and specimens that threaten public health, while ensuring fair distribution of resulting medical interventions.

The pandemic agreement cannot take effect until nations reach consensus on these pathogen-sharing rules. The accord was designed to improve global readiness and response capabilities for future health emergencies following lessons learned from the COVID-19 crisis.

The World Health Assembly approved the Pandemic Agreement in May 2025 as part of efforts to bolster worldwide prevention, preparedness, and response strategies for upcoming pandemic threats.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus acknowledged advances in the talks but emphasized the need for continued urgent collaboration, stating the next pandemic was “a matter of when, not if.”

Negotiators will present their findings to the World Health Assembly later this month. The assembly will be requested to authorize continued talks, with any final agreement to be submitted at the next assembly in May 2027 or potentially at a special session in 2026.

Countries had previously agreed to postpone this particular section when they adopted the primary treaty last year following difficult negotiations.

Saudi Arabia’s Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman is confronting a significant challenge to his leadership of OPEC following the unexpected withdrawal of the United Arab Emirates from the oil cartel.

The departure comes at a particularly difficult time, as the ongoing Iran conflict has severely disrupted global oil supplies and prevented Saudi Arabia and other OPEC members from utilizing their emergency production reserves typically deployed during crises.

The UAE’s abrupt exit this week removes OPEC’s fourth-largest oil producer from last year, along with the second-largest spare production capacity after Saudi Arabia. This development presents a major test for the first Saudi royal to serve as energy minister, whose approach has evolved from careful diplomatic negotiations to more independent decision-making, according to two OPEC+ alliance delegates.

“The UAE has been chafing inside OPEC for years and never got a fair hearing over its…quota. So now the chickens have come home to roost,” said Jim Krane, a fellow at Rice University’s Baker Institute.

Prince Abdulaziz, commonly referred to as ABS, derives his influence within OPEC+ from Saudi Arabia’s enormous oil reserves and production capacity. Unlike previous energy ministers, he holds royal status and enjoys support from his half-brother, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s de facto leader.

In 2020, ABS successfully engaged in a pricing conflict with Russia when Moscow initially declined to reduce output amid falling demand. He later reflected in a Saudi documentary: “It was an issue of to be or not to be – who is the boss of this sector.”

The 66-year-old minister also consistently rejected former U.S. President Joe Biden’s requests to increase production. OPEC members granted ABS extraordinary authority in 2022, allowing him as chairman to convene meetings whenever necessary.

His emphasis on market control now faces a new challenge. If the Strait of Hormuz reopens and Gulf oil production returns to normal levels, an independent UAE—which represented 12% of OPEC’s output last year—becomes a factor beyond the Saudi prince’s influence.

Neither the Saudi government communications office, Saudi energy ministry, nor the UAE’s energy and foreign ministries responded to requests for comment.

During the 2020 oil market collapse caused by the pandemic, ABS demanded complete consensus for unprecedented OPEC+ production reductions, leading to lengthy negotiations until a diplomatic solution involving the United States helping cover Mexico’s output cuts was achieved.

However, that exhaustive commitment to unity has since become more rigid, according to the two OPEC+ delegates.

Saudi representatives now typically notify ministers from smaller OPEC+ nations about final agreements just one day before scheduled meetings, the sources indicated. During a recent gathering, calls were made first to Russia’s Alexander Novak, then to representatives from the other six countries committed to voluntary reductions, totaling less than thirty minutes, one delegate noted.

Multiple delegates have recognized that Saudi Arabia shoulders most of the production cuts. Nevertheless, one source mentioned that the absence of consultation on major decisions represented an irritating change from previous procedures, while observing that OPEC+ had also diminished the importance of its technical expert evaluations in late 2022, essentially moving decisions directly to ministers with minimal discussion opportunities.

“We appreciate what His Royal Highness is doing for the oil price,” the delegate commented, requesting anonymity.

While recent developments have raised questions about OPEC’s future and its partnership with Russia, one delegate and another source knowledgeable about the organization’s perspective told Reuters that the crisis would ultimately strengthen unity and improve decision-making processes.

The geopolitical tension between Saudi Arabia and the UAE escalated at the beginning of the year when conflict erupted in Yemen between opposing groups backed by Riyadh and Abu Dhabi respectively.

An ongoing oil disagreement within OPEC had already intensified in 2021, when Abu Dhabi requested a larger production quota. An agreement providing a 300,000 barrel-per-day increase was only reached after complaints were made public.

“It is unreasonable to accept further injustice and sacrifice – we have been patient,” UAE Energy Minister Suhail al-Mazrouei told Sky News Arabia at that time.

A frustrated ABS responded to Al Arabiya that “a bit of rationality and a bit of compromise saves OPEC+,” stating he had “never seen such a demand” during his 34 years of participating in OPEC meetings.

The UAE’s quota had increased by approximately 500,000 barrels per day, representing 0.5% of global demand since 2019, exceeding increases for other group members. This included raising the UAE’s target in June 2023, while Angola and Nigeria saw their quotas reduced. Angola departed months later in frustration.

Saudi Arabia had granted these concessions as the UAE pledged to invest $150 billion in expansion plans to develop additional capacity, but the nation left the organization anyway on Tuesday.

For oil markets, the UAE’s departure and production goals have limited immediate impact while the Strait of Hormuz remains essentially blocked.

Iraq and Kuwait have experienced the greatest export losses, while the UAE has maintained some supply through the Gulf of Oman. Saudi Arabia has successfully redirected 60-70% of its exports to the Red Sea using a pipeline constructed in 1981 during the Iran-Iraq conflict.

At an OPEC conference last year, which Reuters and other media were prohibited from covering, Mazrouei indicated the UAE was prepared to increase capacity an additional 20% to 6 million barrels per day after 2027—half of Saudi capacity—presenting a clear challenge to ABS’s efforts to control excessive production.

ISTANBUL — More than 500 demonstrators were arrested by Turkish police on Friday as they tried to gather in prohibited zones during International Workers’ Day activities.

Each year, events commemorating International Workers’ Day in Turkey — recognized as a public holiday — often result in confrontations between demonstrators and law enforcement. Officials have banned protests in Istanbul’s iconic Taksim Square, citing safety concerns related to the tragic events of May 1, 1977, when over 30 individuals lost their lives during violent incidents at the location.

Throughout Friday, small clusters of demonstrators repeatedly emerged around the restricted Taksim Square area, working to break through police barriers while displaying labor union signs and demanding access to the square.

The primary assembly location shifted to the Mecidiyekoy neighborhood, where law enforcement used water cannons and pepper spray against hundreds of participants before making arrests.

These arrests occurred just one day after Turkey’s highest Constitutional Court determined that three individuals who spent 58 days in custody during 2024’s May Day events had their constitutional right to peaceful demonstration violated, establishing a legal precedent for future May Day gatherings.

Istanbul’s governor’s office defended the actions, stating that citizens had received advance notice about security measures. “Certain marginal groups dismissed the precautions, and clashed with police officers as they do every year,” officials said, reporting that 575 individuals were in custody by 6 p.m. on Friday.

Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi was rushed to a hospital in northwestern Iran following a severe medical emergency while serving time in prison, according to her foundation’s announcement Friday.

The 53-year-old human rights attorney experienced two episodes where she completely lost consciousness along with a serious heart crisis, the Narges Mohammadi Foundation reported.

The medical emergency occurred Friday at Zanjan prison in northwestern Iran, where Mohammadi collapsed twice before being transported for emergency care. Her legal team revealed she likely experienced a heart attack in late March, with lawyers noting during a subsequent visit that she appeared frail, significantly underweight, and required nursing assistance to walk.

According to the foundation, the hospital transport happened following “140 days of systematic medical neglect” dating back to her December 12 arrest.

“This transfer was done as an unavoidable necessity after prison doctors determined her condition could not be managed on-site, despite standing medical recommendations that she be treated by her specialized team in Tehran,” the foundation stated.

For weeks, Mohammadi’s relatives had pushed for her relocation to proper medical facilities.

The foundation, citing family members, described Friday’s hospital transfer in Zanjan as “a desperate, ‘last-minute’ action that may be too late to address her critical needs.”

Her legal team disclosed that on March 24, fellow prisoners discovered Mohammadi unconscious in her cell. During a lawyer visit days afterward, she recounted how a prison clinic physician informed her she had likely suffered a heart attack. Since that incident, she has experienced ongoing chest discomfort and difficulty breathing.

Chirinne Ardakani, her French legal representative, previously stated that prison officials refused Mohammadi’s requests for hospital treatment or visits to her heart specialist. Prison staff monitored the entire brief meeting with her attorneys.

Mohammadi, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2023 while incarcerated, was taken into custody in December while visiting Mashhad in eastern Iran and received an additional seven-year prison term.

Her relatives reported in February that her physical condition was declining behind bars, partly due to violence she suffered during her December arrest. They described how several men struck and kicked her in the side, head, and neck areas. The Nobel committee issued a February statement condemning the “ongoing life-threatening mistreatment” of Mohammadi.

“In recent days, her blood pressure has experienced severe fluctuations, going very high and low, and today she suddenly fainted due to a sudden drop in blood pressure,” attorney Mostafa Nili wrote on X.

Initially, prison medical staff administered medication to Mohammadi, but she declined hospital transport, insisting on seeing her heart doctor. Hours later, she lost consciousness again. At that point, a neurologist demanded her immediate hospitalization, Nili explained.

Medical personnel rushed Mohammadi to the hospital where she was placed in cardiac intensive care, “but her blood pressure continues to fluctuate severely,” Nili documented. He noted that a Zanjan medical official suggested suspending her sentence for one month to allow treatment, but the local prosecutor forwarded the decision to Tehran authorities.

Before her December 12 detention, Mohammadi was already completing a 13-year, nine-month sentence on charges of conspiring against state security and spreading anti-government propaganda, though she had been granted medical furlough since late 2024 due to health issues.

Throughout her temporary release, Mohammadi continued her advocacy work through public demonstrations and international media interviews, including protests outside Tehran’s infamous Evin Prison where she had been detained.

In February, a Revolutionary Court in Mashhad imposed the additional seven-year sentence on Mohammadi. These courts routinely deliver judgments with minimal or no chance for defendants to challenge the accusations.

According to her supporters, Mohammadi experienced several heart attacks during previous imprisonments before requiring emergency surgical intervention in 2022.

In 2023, Mohammadi joined four other individuals who received the Nobel Peace Prize while imprisoned, further highlighting her advocacy for the widespread demonstrations that erupted across Iran following Mahsa Amini’s death. Amini died after being detained by Iran’s morality police for allegedly violating mandatory headscarf regulations.

Her Nobel selection infuriated Iran’s conservative Shiite leadership, which extended her prison sentence and later deployed guards to physically assault her and other inmates who were protesting within Evin Prison.

Despite these challenges, Mohammadi continued her resistance, including calling for boycotts of the 2024 election that brought President Masoud Pezeshkian to power. She has consistently maintained that Iran’s government will eventually fall due to public pressure.

Thousands of Cuban workers gathered along Havana’s iconic waterfront Friday to honor their colleagues, particularly those struggling to maintain power across the socialist nation.

Workers from Cuba’s Electric Union are operating in continuous shifts as the country’s electrical infrastructure deteriorates, causing widespread blackouts compounded by fuel shortages linked to U.S. energy sanctions.

“We are living through difficult times,” stated Yunier Meriño Reyes, an Electric Union accountant who participated in Friday’s demonstration supporting his coworkers. “We are carrying out a very tough, arduous and relentless effort — day and night — to provide electricity to the people who need it.”

Cuba’s energy emergency intensified following U.S. actions against Venezuela in early January, which stopped vital petroleum deliveries from the South American nation. Subsequently, President Donald Trump issued threats of tariffs against any nation selling or delivering oil to Cuba.

Consequently, the island endured more than three months without any oil deliveries until a Russian vessel carrying 730,000 barrels reached Cuban ports in late March.

Prior to that arrival, Cuba depended entirely on natural gas, minimal solar energy, and deteriorating thermal power facilities.

“It was brutal,” Vicente de la O Levy, Cuba’s energy and mines minister, recently informed journalists.

Following the Russian oil’s arrival, refining was necessary, requiring approximately two weeks to complete.

“We have been working eight hours a day without stopping,” explained Rafael Martínez, a worker at Cuba’s Petroleum Union refinery.

He described his excitement upon learning the Russian vessel had arrived.

“Our job is to push ahead, that’s all you can do,” he commented while colleagues celebrated around him Friday, making music with cowbells and drums during their observance.

Cuba’s Petroleum Union released a recent video featuring its employees, including driver José Antonio Báez.

“Our work generates the entire economy of the country. We drive the country’s economy,” he stated.

Pedro Luis López Manzano, an engineer and maintenance director at the Cienfuegos refinery, explained in the video that teams implemented multiple measures to ensure functionality after the facility remained closed for four months.

“It’s a challenge, but we always thought it was possible,” he commented.

Additionally, Gustavo Rodríguez Cordero, an engineer and general director at Cuba’s Petroleum Union in Villa Clara, condemned the U.S. energy sanctions in a company video.

“No one has the international right to oppress a people in this manner,” he declared.

Following the oil refining process, de la O Levy explained the government decided to focus on essential sectors including farming and food manufacturing.

“This enabled the irrigation of tobacco, corn and soybeans,” he noted. “There were more hours of power outages than anticipated because we diverted a portion of the energy supply toward production; we could not allow factories to remain idle.”

He reported that some petroleum was processed into roughly 6,000 tons of diesel and fuel oil used for hospitals, generators, and transportation.

De la O Levy indicated Cuba’s circumstances started improving April 17: “not the desired one, but significant.”

He noted the government allocated 800 tons of fuel daily from the required 1,600 tons.

“If we used 1,600 tons, there would be fewer blackouts, but the (fuel) would last half as long,” he explained.

De la O Levy cautioned that Russian oil supplies were projected to end by April’s conclusion, emphasizing the priority of maintaining the island’s thermal power plants using domestic crude oil.

“Without this fuel, we would face a total, systemwide blackout,” he warned.

Cuba generates 40% of its necessary fuel and relies significantly on foreign supplies.

As the island’s difficulties continue, Katiusca Carreño, 53, who operates at the Electric Union’s command center, expressed her dedication to serving Cuba’s citizens.

“Resources aren’t reaching us, but all of us workers are still here,” she said following Friday’s demonstration. “It’s hard, but not impossible. We work 24 hours a day.”

The World Trade Organization is implementing significant budget reductions of approximately 10% following the United States’ return to delinquent status and mounting payment delays from multiple member countries, according to internal WTO documents obtained by Reuters.

The Geneva-based organization, which has overseen global trade regulations since 1995, faces renewed financial strain after already weathering challenges from former President Donald Trump’s extensive tariff policies and more than six years of operational gridlock that began when Trump’s initial administration blocked key appointments to the organization’s appellate tribunal in 2019.

The United States, typically the organization’s largest financial contributor, has joined nine other nations in Category 1 delinquency status, indicating contributions have remained unpaid for at least twelve months but less than twenty-four months, according to internal Committee on Budget, Finance and Administration records from March 12 and February 18.

The timing and likelihood of U.S. payment remains uncertain.

During March discussions, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer indicated the WTO would assume a diminished position in future global trade policy, with Washington prioritizing regional, bilateral, and when required, unilateral trade approaches following unsuccessful ministerial negotiations in Cameroon.

Cost-reduction strategies outlined in classified documentation include eliminating 39 short-term full-time equivalent roles, implementing hiring freezes for fixed-term positions, expanding low-cost internship programs, and reducing energy expenditures.

The organization currently confronts its most severe payment crisis in ten years, with 20 member nations facing administrative penalties as of late 2025.

“In response to this situation, the Secretariat has planned a 10% reduction in spending in 2026,” according to a classified budget committee report from a March 2 meeting.

Updated documentation from the committee chairperson dated March 12 indicates 29 members are now subject to administrative measures, including the United States.

WTO officials declined to provide comment, while the U.S. Trade Representative’s office did not respond to requests for statement.

The organization has proposed reducing expenditures from the approved 2026 budget of 204.9 million Swiss francs ($263 million) to 183.4 million Swiss francs to address the funding shortfall until member contributions are received, based on restricted February 18 documentation.

Budget discussions are scheduled for Wednesday’s WTO General Council session in Geneva.

WTO regulations mandate that members failing to meet assessed contributions for over twelve months face “administrative measures” – escalating penalties that intensify with prolonged payment delays.

The United States, Russia, and several developing nations currently fall under the initial penalty category, restricting their representatives from leading WTO committees or accessing specific official materials.

As Reuters previously documented, the U.S. held Category 1 delinquent status last year but was removed from the list by December 2025’s conclusion following a payment. However, classified March documentation confirms its return to Category 1 status.

Separate WTO records based on December assessments show the United States owes 23.09 million francs, representing approximately 11% of the organization’s yearly budget.

Although advance payments from certain members provided the WTO with “much-needed cash flow” early this year, outstanding debts require resolution “as soon as possible,” according to the internal documents.

BRUSSELS, May 1 – A leading European Union trade official has sharply criticized President Donald Trump’s proposal to raise automotive tariffs on European vehicles, describing the United States as an unreliable partner in international commerce.

Bernd Lange, who chairs the EU parliament’s trade committee, delivered his rebuke on Friday following Trump’s tariff announcement. “This latest move demonstrates just how unreliable the U.S. side is,” Lange stated. “This is no way to treat close partners. Now we can only respond with the utmost clarity and firmness, drawing on the strength of our position.”

The trade committee chairman characterized Trump’s actions as “unacceptable” and pointed to what he described as ongoing violations of existing trade agreements between the two economic powers.

Lange emphasized that the European Union has been following through on a framework agreement negotiated with the United States in Scotland during the previous year. That deal established a 15% import duty on the majority of European goods and helped prevent a more extensive trade conflict.

According to Lange, American officials have consistently violated the terms of that agreement. He specifically cited “over 400 products containing steel and aluminium, which are now subject to an average tariff of 26 percent” as examples of U.S. breaches of the trade framework.

China’s representative to the United Nations stressed Friday that preserving the current ceasefire in the Iran conflict represents a critical priority, warning that the Strait of Hormuz situation could become a major topic when President Donald Trump visits China later this month if the waterway remains blocked.

Ambassador Fu Cong addressed reporters at the United Nations, emphasizing the importance of quickly reopening the strategic strait. The Chinese diplomat expressed alarm over recent statements suggesting the ceasefire might be temporary and that additional military action could follow.

“Iran needs to lift its restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz, and the U.S. needs to lift its naval blockade,” Fu stated.

“The most urgent issue is to keep the ceasefire. And the ceasefire needs to last, and there has to be a good-faith negotiation between the two sides,” he continued.

“I think the international community should be mobilized and raise our voices against the resumption of fighting,” the ambassador added.

When questioned about Trump’s planned China visit this month, Fu responded: “I’m sure if Hormuz is still closed by the time President Trump goes to China, this issue will be high on the agenda of the bilateral talks.”

The Chinese official also dismissed claims from certain American government representatives regarding military collaboration between Beijing and Tehran, calling such allegations “false.”

Fu delivered these remarks while briefing reporters as China begins its month-long leadership of the U.N. Security Council. He announced that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will oversee a Security Council meeting scheduled for May 26.

The State Department has not yet responded to inquiries about whether Secretary of State Marco Rubio plans to meet with Wang during his time in the United States.

TYRE, Lebanon — Military forces from Israel launched multiple aerial attacks across southern Lebanon on Friday, resulting in the deaths of at least four individuals, according to reports. Meanwhile, the Hezbollah militant organization confirmed it deployed rockets and unmanned aircraft, with one drone crashing in northern Israeli territory and injuring two military personnel.

The ongoing violence between Israeli forces and Hezbollah continues even with a ceasefire agreement that has been in effect since April 17. Lebanon’s state-operated National News Agency confirmed the four fatalities occurred during bombing raids targeting three villages in the southern region.

On Friday afternoon, Israeli military officials issued evacuation warnings to civilians in Habboush village, located near the southern city of Nabatiyeh. The warning stated that residents remaining close to Hezbollah installations would face serious risk to their safety.

The Friday confrontations followed the recovery of five bodies from debris in Kfar Rumman village, also situated near Nabatiyeh, one day after their deaths occurred.

Lebanon’s National News Agency confirmed the five victims died in a late Thursday airstrike on Kfar Rumman. The agency named the recovered victims as Malek Hamza along with his three sons Ali, Fadel and Hamza. Reports indicate the attack also claimed the life of a Lebanese military member. The Lebanese army verified that soldier Ali Jaber perished in the strike.

By Friday afternoon, Hezbollah had released six separate announcements detailing drone and rocket launches targeting Israeli military installations.

Israeli military officials acknowledged that Hezbollah deployed an explosive unmanned aircraft that landed in northern Israeli territory close to the Lebanese border.

Israeli news outlets described a drone attack near Margaliot in northern Israel, reporting it sparked a contained fire, while two soldiers sustained minor injuries from a different Hezbollah drone strike in the same region.

Even amid the ongoing conflict, residents have been returning to their southern Lebanon homes after weeks of displacement due to the fighting.

Among those returning was Umm Ali Khodor, whose Tyre apartment sustained damage during the 2024 Israel-Hezbollah conflict and again during current hostilities.

“We were displaced, we rented a house, but as you know the situation is very difficult,” the woman said. “We could not continue so we returned to our home.”

The current conflict between Israeli forces and Hezbollah started March 2, when Hezbollah launched rockets into northern Israel two days following a joint U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran, Hezbollah’s primary supporter. Israel has subsequently conducted hundreds of bombing missions and initiated a ground offensive in southern Lebanon, seizing numerous border towns and villages.

Since the conflict began, Lebanon and Israel conducted their first face-to-face negotiations in over thirty years. The two nations have remained officially at war since Israel’s establishment in 1948.

A ten-day ceasefire announced in Washington took effect April 17, with officials later extending the agreement by three additional weeks.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry reported Friday that combat fatalities have reached 2,618 with 8,094 people wounded.

Tehran has delivered a fresh diplomatic proposal to American negotiators through Pakistani intermediaries, according to Iran’s state-controlled IRNA news agency on Friday.

Neither Washington nor Islamabad has verified receipt of the new diplomatic offer. The specifics of the plan, reportedly delivered Thursday evening, have not been disclosed.

A fragile three-week truce between Washington and Tehran continues to hold, despite both nations accusing each other of ceasefire violations.

Although the truce has significantly reduced combat operations in Iran, the two countries remain deadlocked over control of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane that handles 20% of global oil and gas trade during peaceful periods. An American naval blockade preventing Iranian oil tankers from reaching international waters has severely damaged Iran’s economy. Meanwhile, Iran’s control over the waterway continues to strain the global economy.

President Donald Trump recently outlined a new strategy to reopen the crucial shipping channel that Gulf allies depend on for energy exports.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi conducted extensive phone consultations Friday with regional counterparts from Turkey, Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Azerbaijan to update them on Tehran’s newest peace initiatives, according to his social media posts.

European Union foreign policy leader Kaja Kallas also held a telephone conversation Friday with Araghchi. Their discussion covered current diplomatic efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and establish lasting security frameworks, Kallas’ office confirmed. Kallas has maintained ongoing contact with EU Gulf partners as well.

The Trump administration refused to confirm whether it had received Iran’s new diplomatic offer.

“We do not detail private diplomatic conversations,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement. “President Trump has been clear that Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon, and negotiations continue to ensure the short- and long-term national security of the United States.”

Pakistani officials Friday declined to verify whether Tehran had transmitted proposals through Islamabad, stating that efforts to reduce U.S.-Iran tensions remain ongoing. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif informed a Cabinet session Wednesday that officials were still waiting for Iran’s response.

Earlier this week, Trump told Axios he had rejected Iran’s offer to reopen the strait in return for ending the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports.

The Iranian offer would have delayed discussions about the country’s nuclear program to a future date, two regional officials revealed earlier this week. The officials familiar with the proposal requested anonymity to discuss confidential talks between Iranian and Pakistani representatives.

Trump has stated that preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons was a primary motivation for the conflict.

Since hostilities began February 28, at least 3,375 people have died in Iran, and over 2,600 in Lebanon, where fresh fighting erupted between Israel and Iran-supported Hezbollah militants two days after the war commenced, according to official sources.

The conflict has also claimed 24 lives in Israel and more than 20 in Gulf Arab nations. Seventeen Israeli soldiers in Lebanon and 13 U.S. military personnel across the region have been killed.

The U.S. Treasury Department issued a stern warning Friday to shipping companies worldwide, stating that any payments made to Iran for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz could result in severe sanctions.

The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control emphasized that even payments disguised as charitable contributions to organizations like the Iranian Red Crescent Society would not be permitted and could trigger punitive action.

This crucial waterway handles approximately 20% of global seaborne crude oil and liquefied natural gas shipments, making it one of the planet’s most important maritime corridors.

Iran has recently floated the idea of charging transit fees for vessels moving through the Strait as part of broader proposals aimed at resolving conflicts with Israel and the United States.

Treasury officials revealed they are aware of Iranian demands for payments in exchange for guaranteed safe passage through the strategic waterway. Earlier this week, OFAC had already cautioned companies about the risks of paying such fees, but Friday’s clarification specifically addressed attempts to circumvent sanctions through indirect payment methods.

While Treasury declined to provide Reuters with specific information about which countries or companies may have made such indirect payments, reports suggest at least one $2 million payment has been made for vessel passage.

The warning comes as Iran has submitted new negotiation proposals to Pakistani intermediaries, potentially opening doors for progress in resolving the ongoing standoff.

According to OFAC, Iranian payment demands may take various forms, including traditional currency, cryptocurrency, trade offsets, informal exchanges, or contributions presented as charitable donations to the Iranian Red Crescent Society, Bonyad Mostazafan, or Iranian embassy accounts.

“OFAC is issuing this alert to warn U.S. and non-U.S. persons about the sanctions risks of making these payments to, or soliciting guarantees from, the Iranian regime for safe passage,” the office stated. “These risks exist regardless of payment method.”

In addition to the shipping warning, OFAC announced new sanctions targeting three Iranian currency exchange operations, which officials say handle billions of dollars in annual transactions, along with their affiliated front companies.

The office also placed sanctions on the Panama-registered NEW FUSION oil tanker. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent emphasized the administration’s commitment, stating: “We will relentlessly target the regime’s ability to generate, move, and repatriate funds, and pursue anyone enabling Tehran’s attempts to evade sanctions.”

Industry experts have long noted that China, Iran’s primary oil customer, will likely continue purchasing Iranian petroleum unless the U.S. directly sanctions Chinese financial institutions. However, such action could significantly strain relations between Washington and Beijing.

On Friday, hundreds of employees took to the streets of Zenica, a central Bosnian city, demanding the restart of operations at the nation’s final remaining steel production facility. The demonstrators say the plant’s closure signals the conclusion of Bosnia’s heavy manufacturing period.

The 130-year-old Zenica Steel Factory ceased operations last week, placing thousands of industry jobs in jeopardy, according to protesters. This shutdown came just months after the Lukavac coke production facility closed its doors in February.

“Zenica does not exist without the Zenica steel factory,” demonstrator Avdija Halilović stated to Reuters while protesters used whistles, waved union banners, and chanted demands for the facility’s reopening.

The Pavgord Group of Bosnia, which purchased the facility from ArcelorMittal in the previous year, attributed last month’s closure to transportation challenges, lower-cost foreign steel imports, and what the company described as government inaction in implementing industry protection policies.

Company representatives were unavailable for additional statements on Friday, which was the May Day holiday.

According to N1 news reports, Nermin Niksic, who serves as prime minister of Bosnia’s Bosniak-Croat federation, announced Thursday that regional authorities were considering acquiring the plant and supporting continued operations.

Additional complications arose this week when Nova Ljubija iron ore mining operations, a crucial steel mill supplier, declared bankruptcy, impacting approximately 600 employees.

CAPE TOWN, South Africa — China launched a sweeping trade initiative Friday that eliminates import duties for nearly every African nation, creating a stark contrast with the United States’ move toward increased protectionism under President Donald Trump.

The new Chinese policy extends duty-free market access to Africa’s 20 most significant economies for the next two years, encompassing nations like South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, Algeria and Kenya. Combined with existing agreements covering 33 smaller African nations, this expansion means 53 of Africa’s 54 countries now qualify for tariff-free trade privileges with China.

Only Eswatini remains excluded from the arrangement due to its unique status as Africa’s sole nation maintaining official diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

China’s Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council announced the policy would foster mutual economic growth between China and African nations. State media reported that a 24-metric-ton apple shipment from South Africa, processed through Shenzhen customs early Friday morning, marked the first cargo to benefit from the zero-tariff framework.

The Commerce Ministry highlighted that the policy would particularly advantage African exports such as cocoa from Ivory Coast and Ghana, coffee and avocados from Kenya, and citrus fruits plus wine from South Africa — products that previously faced import duties ranging from 8% to 30%, according to official Chinese media.

Ivory Coast dominates global cocoa production, and together with Ghana, the two nations supply over half the world’s cocoa. South Africa ranks among the world’s leading citrus exporters.

Multiple major African economies indicated they would seek alternative markets for goods previously destined for the United States after the Trump administration implemented reciprocal tariffs last year — reaching 30% for South Africa and exceeding 40% for other African countries.

“South Africa looks forward to working with China in a friendly, pragmatic and flexible manner,” South African Trade Minister Parks Tau stated in February during bilateral discussions in China.

Although the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Trump’s comprehensive global tariffs unconstitutional in February, the Republican president announced his administration possessed “very powerful alternatives” and quickly implemented temporary import taxes as replacements.

China already serves as Africa’s primary trading partner. The continent houses 1.5 billion people and is projected to nearly double to 2.5 billion by 2050, according to United Nations estimates, representing more than 25% of the global population at that time.

While China promoted its tariff-free agreement as encouraging mutual development, a significant trade imbalance exists between China and Africa, with African nations owing Beijing substantial debt obligations.

Trade between China and Africa hit a record $348 billion in 2025, with China’s exports to Africa rising approximately 25% to $225 billion, while Chinese imports from Africa increased only about 5% to $123 billion, expanding Africa’s trade deficit.

China has historically purchased raw materials from Africa while exporting manufactured products in return. Thierry Pairault, a China-Africa specialist at France’s National Center for Scientific Research, noted that while the new framework might benefit agricultural exports, most African raw material exports including oil and minerals already enjoyed tariff-free access to Chinese markets.

“(Chinese leader) Xi Jinping is positioning China as the antithesis of Western protectionism. This gesture is intended to appeal to both African public opinion and global markets,” Pairault wrote in an analysis published by the China Global South Project, which examines China’s relationships with developing nations.

However, Pairault observed that the policy “only applies where it costs (China) almost nothing.”

LONDON — Authorities have filed criminal charges against a 49-year-old woman whose vehicle crashed into an end-of-school celebration at a London elementary school, resulting in the deaths of two young girls and injuries to multiple others.

Claire Freemantle now faces two counts of causing death by dangerous driving and seven counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving, prosecutors announced Friday. The charges stem from a July 6, 2023 incident when her Land Rover crashed through a fence and struck a tea party celebration at the Study Preparatory School in Wimbledon, south London.

The crash claimed the lives of 8-year-old students Nuria Sajjad and Selena Lau, while more than a dozen other people sustained injuries. Ten individuals, including several children, required hospital treatment following the collision that also damaged the school building.

Initially, prosecutors declined to file charges after determining Freemantle had suffered an epileptic seizure. At that time, she released a statement expressing her “deepest sorrow” while stating she had no memory of the events.

However, the Metropolitan Police reopened their investigation following persistent complaints from the victims’ families. Authorities discovered new evidence during this second investigation, though they have not disclosed the specific nature of these findings.

London police have acknowledged mishandling the initial investigation and issued an apology. The department has also submitted its officers’ conduct to an oversight agency for review regarding potential misconduct.

Freemantle’s defense team has questioned the decision to reverse the original determination and indicated she will enter a not guilty plea. Her first court appearance is scheduled for June 16 at Westminster Magistrates’ Court.

BERLIN — Georg Baselitz, the influential German Neo-Expressionist painter celebrated for his controversial inverted artworks, passed away Thursday at the age of 88.

The Thaddaeus Ropac Gallery, which served as Baselitz’s representative, confirmed the artist’s death through a family statement on Thursday. While the gallery noted he died “peacefully,” no specific cause of death was provided.

Originally named Hans-Georg Kern, the artist adopted his professional name from Deutschbaselitz, the eastern Saxony village where he was born on January 23, 1938, during Nazi Germany’s rule before World War II began. Following his childhood amid wartime devastation, he fled East Germany in 1957 during a period of mounting political tensions and relocated to West Germany.

“I was born into a destroyed order, into a destroyed landscape, into a destroyed people, into a destroyed society,” he reflected to the German news agency dpa prior to reaching his 85th birthday.

The gallery described him as “a titan of contemporary painting, sculpture, drawing and printmaking” and “one of the most important artists of our time,” crediting him with influencing both fellow artists and the global art community.

His debut exhibition in 1963 sparked significant controversy when authorities identified pornographic content in two of his works, leading to their confiscation by a vice squad.

Critics frequently labeled him an “artist of rage,” and he embraced a philosophy of “contradiction,” according to dpa reporting.

Museums worldwide display his creations, and his pieces have sold for millions at international auctions. German authorities announced in 2017 that they had retrieved 15 stolen Baselitz paintings and drawings valued at approximately 2.5 million euros ($2.9 million).

Baselitz remembered gaining early recognition during the 1960s through his golden-hued “Hero” painting series, inspired by fictional characters from Russian civil war literature. These works showed damaged figures stumbling toward viewers in tattered military clothing, featuring distorted proportions with oversized hands and undersized heads. His war-torn hero piece, “Der Hirte (The Shepherd)” from 1966, earned worldwide recognition.

In 1969, Baselitz produced “Der Wald auf dem Kopf” (The Forest on its Head), marking his first “inverted” artwork that displayed trees in an upside-down orientation, establishing what would become his signature style.

“Georg Baselitz did not just turn his paintings upside down; he also turned our thinking routines upside down,” stated German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. “Having experienced the destruction and suffering of the Second World War as a child, the collapse of all order forced him to question everything around him.”

In a recent video interview, Baselitz reflected on his lengthy artistic journey, noting that “typical painting has never appealed to me.”

“I actually wanted to be more of a black-and-white painter, and above all, I didn’t want to work spatially, perspectively, with shadows and light and such things that arise with the imitation of nature,” he explained while sitting in a wheelchair wearing a paint-stained jacket.

“I must say that throughout my life, I was not aware that I was a painter of color, even though I am constantly told that I have such wonderful colors,” Baselitz remarked.

The artist explained his goal to “construct my connection to the world, to myself and to my wife,” utilizing the most “simple and ordinary” methods available. His comments came from a video recorded at the Giorgio Cini Foundation in Venice, which currently features an exhibition of Baselitz’s “Golden Heroes” collection running from May 6 through September 27.

A “Naked Masters” exhibition at Vienna’s Kunsthistorisches Museum in 2023 showcased five decades of his work, exploring provocative nudity themes featuring the artist and his wife, Elke, displayed alongside classical oil paintings by old masters that similarly depicted nude subjects.

He leaves behind his wife and two sons, Daniel Blau and Anton Kern, according to the gallery.

ST. JOHN’S, Antigua — Prime Minister Gaston Browne made political history as his Antigua and Barbuda Labor Party captured a record-breaking fourth straight term in office during an early election that devastated opposition representation in the Caribbean nation’s parliament.

Election results announced early Friday morning revealed a sweeping victory that sent jubilant party supporters into the streets to celebrate the overwhelming win.

Browne’s ABLP dominated the contest by claiming 15 out of 17 available parliamentary positions in the twin-island Caribbean country. The main opposition United Progressive Party suffered a crushing defeat, dropping from five seats to just one, with only Jamale Pringle surviving the electoral rout. Independent candidate Trevor Walker of the Barbuda People’s Movement also secured a seat, continuing his winning streak in every election since 2004 except for 2014.

The early election was called two years before required by the constitution, with campaign discussions centered around increasing living expenses and plans for improving the nation’s infrastructure.

“We will build one nation united and inclusive where all who are willing to come together under the banner of one Antigua and Barbuda will share in the reward of their efforts,” Browne told ABLP supporters.

Voting officials praised how smoothly the election process went, reporting that ballot locations throughout both islands functioned without major problems.

Browne and Attorney General Steadroy Benjamin are scheduled for swearing-in ceremonies Friday morning, with additional cabinet appointments to be announced over the next several days.

LONDON (AP) — King Charles III earned widespread acclaim for his diplomatic skills during a recent state visit to the United States, where President Donald Trump expressed admiration for the British monarch and even removed certain tariffs on Scotch whisky in the royal couple’s honor.

The monarch demonstrated exceptional diplomatic finesse throughout the trip, balancing compliments for his American hosts with carefully worded critiques. However, experts question whether this royal charm offensive will significantly improve the strained relationship between the two nations, particularly given ongoing disagreements about the Iran conflict.

“In the short term probably yes, in the long term probably no,” said Kristofer Allerfeldt, a University of Exeter professor specializing in American history. But he said Charles had “definitely clawed back some of the prestige of the monarchy” in his homeland with his assured performance.

“He’s done us proud,” Allerfeldt said.

The carefully orchestrated four-day journey to Washington, New York and Virginia by Charles and Queen Camilla represented a strategic diplomatic mission requested by the British government. Scheduled to coincide with America’s 250th anniversary celebrations, the visit aimed to repair tensions between the UK government and Trump’s administration.

Trump has repeatedly criticized Prime Minister Keir Starmer — previously someone he commended — for refusing to participate in American military operations against Iran, calling Britain’s leader “not Winston Churchill,” referencing the wartime leader who first described the “special relationship” between the two nations.

This disagreement reflects broader friction between Trump and NATO partners, whom he has labeled “cowards” and “useless” for declining to join Iranian military action.

Despite these political tensions, Trump’s appreciation for British royalty appears unchanged and may have grown stronger following his historic second state visit to the UK last September.

Several UK opposition figures had urged cancellation of the king’s reciprocal visit, fearing the president might create embarrassing situations for the monarch.

Ultimately, the visit proceeded smoothly with considerable warmth and minimal uncomfortable incidents — although Trump occasionally broke protocol by discussing private royal conversations publicly.

During Tuesday’s formal state dinner, Trump declared that “Charles agrees with me, even more than I do” regarding preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

Trump also claimed that “if that were up to him,” the king “would have followed the suggestions we made with respect to Ukraine.”

Buckingham Palace seemed untroubled by Trump’s Iran remarks, stating that “the king is naturally mindful of his government’s longstanding and well-known position on the prevention of nuclear proliferation.”

However, clear differences emerged on Ukraine policy. Britain has strongly supported Kyiv against Russian aggression, and during his Congressional address, the king emphasized the necessity of “unyielding resolve” in backing Ukraine.

This represented one of multiple indirect challenges to the “America first” administration’s policies during his speech, which served as the visit’s highlight.

Speaking with royal restraint and refined pronunciation, Charles emphasized NATO’s vital importance, the necessity of limiting executive authority, climate change dangers, and the value of “vibrant, diverse and free societies.” He also mentioned his pride in Royal Navy service, despite Trump’s previous disparagement of that force.

“It’s difficult to imagine he could have gone much further in what he said and what he didn’t say,” historian Anthony Seldon told The Guardian. “He judged it incredibly well: very brave, very smart, very clever.”

Allerfeldt highlighted the “extraordinary” bipartisan response to the Congressional speech, which generated numerous standing ovations.

“Apart from the section on the natural world and the environment, both Republicans and Democrats stood up and applauded,” he said.

At the state banquet’s more relaxed atmosphere, the king even generated laughter by referencing British forces burning the White House in 1814.

The visit succeeded despite controversy surrounding the king’s brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew, who lost his royal title and public role amid police investigation of his Jeffrey Epstein connections. He maintains his innocence of any wrongdoing.

Epstein survivors had requested meetings with the king, which didn’t occur, though he addressed the matter indirectly during his Congressional remarks, noting the importance of supporting “victims of some of the ills that, so tragically, exist in both our societies today.”

Andrew Lownie, who wrote “Entitled,” a biography of the former Prince Andrew, called the speech “the best defense of the monarchy in years.”

Following the royal departure, Trump announced tariff reductions on certain Scotch products “in honor of the King and Queen of the United Kingdom.”

Buckingham Palace welcomed this decision, stating the king “sends his sincere gratitude for a decision that will make an important difference to the British whisky industry and the livelihoods it supports.”

Trump praised the king as “a phenomenal representative” for Britain before returning to familiar criticism of Starmer.

Speaking to Sky News, the president said Charles is “a much different person than your prime minister.

“Your prime minister has to learn to deal the way he deals, and he’ll do a lot better,” he said.

KÜHBACH, Germany — While a traditional brass ensemble filled the air with regional melodies and residents enjoyed cold beverages, the young men of this southern German community used lengthy wooden poles to hoist their fresh maypole skyward until it stood perfectly upright.

Beyond the local residents, visitors traveled from throughout Bavaria and neighboring regions to the community of approximately 4,500 people on Friday to witness the maypole installation — a tradition practiced for hundreds of years and deeply embedded in Bavarian cultural heritage.

“The Maypole is a symbol of togetherness,” Mayor Karl-Heinz Kerscher explained while observing the young people raising the pole. “All these young guys, when they give it their all, when they show their strength, that’s just proof that we’re powerful, that Bavaria means something, and that here in Kühbach it’s twice as beautiful.”

While May 1 serves as a national holiday throughout Germany, installing maypoles at village centers represents a cherished tradition practiced mainly in Bavaria, Austria, and additional southern German regions as an emblem of community unity, spring’s arrival, and fertility.

In Kühbach, significant effort and time goes into this ritual every three years when a fresh pole gets erected.

During the previous winter, the Kühbacher Burschen, a local organization boasting 240 members, selected an impressive spruce from a neighboring forest, felled it, removed all branches and bark, allowed it to dry, then applied three coats of white and blue paint — Bavaria’s official colors.

Along the tree’s sides, they mounted metal plaques displaying the village’s guild symbols, and most crucially, they maintained constant surveillance over their valuable maypole, which had been stored in a former lumber mill for weeks to prevent theft.

Taking each other’s fresh maypoles represents another cherished Bavarian tradition. When such theft succeeds, the robbed community must purchase back its maypole, creating significant expense: as much as 200 liters (422 pints) of beer plus an entire roasted pig with potato dumplings and brown sauce — costs that can easily reach 3,000 euros ($3,325).

By Friday morning, however, Kühbach’s maypole remained secure, and early that day the predominantly young participants, wearing their finest lederhosen and light-blue dirndl dresses, gathered at the sawmill to proudly transport it to their village center.

“Our motto is, ‘preserve traditions, shape the future’ — that really sums it up pretty well,” said Florian Oberhauser, 26, who leads the Kühbacher Burschen, or Kühbach Boys.

The 28-meter (92-foot) maypole was positioned horizontally on wooden wagons and transported into the village by two strong horses from the neighborhood brewery.

When the parade — featuring children seated in a long line atop the pole — reached the market square, the Catholic priest, who had recently concluded his May Day service, sprinkled the tree and young men with blessed water. Everyone gathered closely for prayer before the actual labor commenced.

Armed with extended wooden rods, the youth formed pairs on either side of the pole and encouraged one another with calls of “Hau-Ruck” while gradually raising the Maybaum, its German name.

Once the maypole stood upright against the clear sky, the marching band performed an additional fanfare, crowds filled the large festival tent, settled onto benches, enjoyed pork roast and sausages for lunch — along with additional beer.

Simone Nodlbichler, 41, who performed clarinet throughout the morning while her band accompanied the maypole parade through the village, past the church and into Kühbach’s market square, smiled brightly as she stored her instrument.

“This tradition is being passed down from generation to generation,” she explained while her two teenage daughters watched. “As you can see, both young and old are involved.”

“I think there’s a wonderful sense of community here, and it’s still very much alive,” she added.

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — A 33-year-old individual is scheduled for a court appearance next week following his detention for allegedly planning an assault on two members of the Dutch royal family, according to prosecutors who announced the case on Friday.

Court documents released by The Hague Public Prosecutor’s Office reveal that the individual is accused of planning an assault targeting Princess Amalia, the 22-year-old future queen of the Netherlands, along with her younger sister, 20-year-old Princess Alexia, during February in The Hague.

The court filing detailed disturbing evidence allegedly found in the suspect’s possession. “The suspect was allegedly in possession of two axes in early February with the words ‘Alexia’, ‘Mossad’, and ‘Sieg Heil’ carved into them, and he allegedly had a handwritten sheet with the words ‘Amalia’, ‘Alexia’, and ‘Bloodbath,’” the scheduling order said.

A representative from The Hague prosecutor’s office refused to provide additional information about the investigation before Monday’s procedural hearing. Authorities have not disclosed the location or timing of the man’s arrest. Following Dutch privacy laws, the suspect’s identity remains confidential.

The Royal House has not yet responded to requests for comment regarding the incident.

This is not the first time Princess Amalia has been targeted with threats. In 2022, the crown princess was compelled to abandon her university studies in Amsterdam and return to her family’s royal residence due to security concerns linked to criminal organizations. During that period, Queen Maxima revealed that Amalia “can’t leave home” and that the situation has “enormous consequences for her life.”

Following those threats, Amalia relocated to Madrid for several months. She later expressed gratitude to the Spanish capital by inaugurating a tulip garden there to thank residents for their warm welcome.

This case follows a previous incident in 2020 when another individual was found guilty of making threats against the princess, including sending menacing messages through Instagram to the then-16-year-old royal and one of her companions.

KYIV, May 1 – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Friday that his country will implement comprehensive military reforms, including enhanced compensation for armed forces personnel, improvements to the military contract system, and potential gradual release programs for long-term service members.

Speaking through his official Telegram channel, Zelenskyy outlined the timeline for these changes. “In June, the reform will begin – and the first results must already be delivered in June, particularly in the area of financial support for soldiers, sergeants, and commanders of the Defence Forces of Ukraine,” the president stated.

The military overhaul represents a significant shift in how Ukraine manages its armed forces as the country continues to face ongoing challenges.

LUSAKA – Washington has publicly rebuked Zambia for refusing to participate in negotiations over a massive health assistance package worth more than $1 billion, with American officials saying their repeated attempts at communication have been disregarded as a key April 30 deadline came and went without an agreement.

Departing U.S. Ambassador Michael Gonzales stated that the inability to complete the memorandum of understanding has resulted in funding operating without structure, lacking a unified strategy for programs addressing HIV, malaria, maternal and child health, and disease readiness.

“Instead of continuing to languish without engagement, the actual funding under our Health MOU should have started this month,” Gonzales stated during Thursday evening comments as he prepared to conclude his diplomatic assignment.

Healthcare advocacy groups have raised concerns that the agreement connects financial assistance to mining privileges and creates potential data security vulnerabilities. Gonzales dismissed what he termed “disgusting and patently false” claims that Washington was threatening to block essential medical support “unless we get critical minerals.”

Zambian Presidential Spokesperson Clayson Hamasaka indicated his government would communicate with Washington using proper diplomatic procedures.

“We appreciate the support we have received from the U.S. and other countries…If there are any concerns, we are open to dialogue but that should be done through laid down diplomatic channels,” Hamasaka responded to Gonzales’ statements.

The blocked agreement has created tensions after Washington previously reduced assistance due to stolen donated medications, highlighting administrative problems within Zambia’s healthcare infrastructure.

The deal also mandates approximately $340 million in matching funds from Zambia’s government during the same timeframe, based on a draft document examined by Reuters.

Gonzales reported that Washington had encountered “effectively zero substantive engagement” from Zambian leadership since January, with phone calls remaining unanswered and scheduled meetings being canceled, blocking productive discussions about future collaboration.

The deal was originally scheduled for signing in November but encountered delays after updated versions were distributed.

Gonzales emphasized that America would maintain its established commitment to Zambian citizens, including supplying antiretroviral medications and stopping mother-to-child HIV transmission, but cautioned that extensive aid would require substantial improvements.

A British jury delivered a guilty verdict Friday against James Holder, the 54-year-old businessman who helped establish the popular Superdry clothing brand, on charges of rape stemming from a May 2022 incident.

At Gloucester Crown Court, jurors found Holder guilty on the rape charge while clearing him of a second accusation involving assault by penetration related to the same evening.

According to court testimony, the victim stated that Holder climbed into her taxi and followed her into her residence without permission after both had spent time drinking at a Cheltenham establishment. The woman told the court that the attack occurred after Holder had briefly fallen asleep, and that she wept while pleading with him to stop as he continued the assault.

The businessman, who is married with two children, maintained his innocence throughout the proceedings, claiming that any intimate contact had been mutually agreed upon.

Holder has been remanded into custody while he awaits his formal sentencing hearing, which is scheduled for May 7 at Bristol Crown Court.

Israeli military forces have transported two organizers of a humanitarian aid convoy to Israel for interrogation after intercepting their Gaza-bound flotilla in international Mediterranean waters.

The detained leaders are Saif Abukeshek, who holds Palestinian-Spanish citizenship, and Thiago Ávila, a Brazilian national. Both served on the steering committee of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which aimed to challenge Israel’s naval blockade while delivering humanitarian supplies to Palestinian territories.

Israeli naval units intercepted approximately 20 vessels carrying 175 activists near Crete’s coastline. According to activist reports, Israeli forces boarded their ships, destroyed engines, and arrested several participants. The confrontation took place hundreds of miles from Gaza and Israeli territory during overnight hours from Wednesday into Thursday.

Israeli officials justified their preemptive action by citing the large number of vessels involved, stating they needed to act before the flotilla entered Israeli territorial waters.

On Friday, Israel’s Foreign Ministry announced via X that both activists would face questioning in Israel. The ministry alleged Abukeshek has “suspected ties to a terrorist organization” while Ávila faces “suspected illegal activity” charges, though no supporting evidence was provided.

The Global Sumud Flotilla organization has called for international intervention. “We demand that all governments do all they can to pressure the Israeli regime to release all the illegal abductees,” the group stated Friday.

Most flotilla participants were freed in Crete late Thursday. Organizers reported that 31 of the original 53 vessels reached safety and planned to continue their mission to “break the illegal siege of Gaza.”

The convoy departed Barcelona, Spain earlier this month. Organizers had anticipated more than 70 boats and 1,000 international participants would join the effort, with additional vessels planned to meet the original fleet as it crossed the Mediterranean eastward.

Greece’s foreign ministry said Thursday it had requested Israel remove its ships from the area and offered assistance to help activists disembark in Greece for repatriation.

Solidarity demonstrations supporting the flotilla took place in multiple cities including Rome, Athens and Istanbul.

Neither Spain nor Brazil has issued statements regarding their citizens’ detention and transfer to Israel. However, both countries joined other nations in a Thursday statement condemning Israel’s interception and detention of activists in international waters as “flagrant violations of international law and international humanitarian law.”

This marks the second attempt by the Global Sumud Flotilla to reach Gaza within a year. Israeli authorities previously stopped a similar effort involving approximately 50 boats and 500 activists, including climate activist Greta Thunberg, Nelson Mandela’s grandson Mandla Mandela, and several elected officials.

Israel arrested and later deported all participants from that previous attempt, including Ávila, who alleged mistreatment during detention. Israeli authorities rejected those accusations.

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro departed his Brasília residence early Friday morning for medical treatment, according to a social media announcement from his wife Michelle Bolsonaro.

The ex-president is scheduled to undergo surgery on his right shoulder to treat an ongoing condition that has caused continuous discomfort and restricted his range of motion.

Currently, Bolsonaro is serving a humanitarian house arrest sentence under a 90-day medical authorization while managing additional health concerns.

Last year, the former leader was found guilty of attempting to orchestrate a coup following his close electoral loss to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Brazil’s 2022 presidential race.

The Eurovision Song Contest reaches a milestone 70th anniversary this year, though political tensions are casting shadows over the celebrated musical competition.

Vienna, Austria will host the spectacular event from May 12-16, featuring performers from 35 nations vying for Europe’s most prestigious musical title. However, notable countries have chosen to boycott the competition in protest of Israel’s continued participation.

The international singing competition began in 1956 as a way to test emerging live broadcast technology while promoting unity following World War II’s devastation. What started with seven participating countries has expanded to include dozens of European nations, plus Israel and Australia from beyond the continent’s borders.

The competition blends theatrical spectacle with genuine celebration of cultural diversity and national identity, attracting a massive global following. Last year’s event drew 166 million viewers worldwide, while fans from 75 countries purchased tickets to attend this year’s live performances in Vienna.

Eurovision has produced both wonderfully absurd moments—with winning songs like “La, La, La” and “Boom Bang-a-Bang”—alongside genuine pop masterpieces such as ABBA’s 1974 triumph “Waterloo.”

Notable past champions include Canadian singer Celine Dion representing Switzerland in 1988, Austrian drag performer Conchita Wurst in 2014, Italian rock group Måneskin in 2021, and Ukrainian folk-rap ensemble Kalush Orchestra in 2022.

Despite its “United by Music” slogan, Eurovision frequently becomes entangled in global politics. Russia faced expulsion in 2022 following its invasion of Ukraine.

The 2024 competition in Malmo, Sweden, and last year’s event in Basel, Switzerland, witnessed pro-Palestinian demonstrations demanding Israel’s removal over its Gaza military operations and alleged vote manipulation attempts.

Political tensions peaked in December when Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain withdrew after organizers permitted Israel to continue competing.

Bulgaria, Moldova and Romania have rejoined after missing recent years due to artistic or financial constraints, bringing this year’s total to 35 countries, down from 37 in 2025. Multiple pro-Palestinian demonstrations are scheduled during Eurovision week.

Eurovision expert Dean Vuletic described the contest as “Europe’s biggest election,” with winners determined through combined national jury panels and public voting.

Finland leads betting odds with “Liekinheitin” (“Flamethrower”), an energetic collaboration between violinist Linda Lampenius and pop artist Pete Parkkonen.

Other strong contenders include 17-year-old French performer Monroe with the pop-opera love song “Regarde!” and Denmark’s Søren Torpegaard Lund performing the seductive “Før Vi Går Hjem” (“Before We Go Home”).

Australia, an enthusiastic Eurovision participant despite geographic distance from Europe, has selected established artist Delta Goodrem with “Eclipse,” a polished mid-tempo ballad. Greece’s Akylas is gaining fan support with the party-rap number “Ferto” (“Bring It”).

Vuletic also highlighted Cyprus’ entry, the folk-influenced dance-pop track “Jalla” by Antigoni. The song has already gained YouTube popularity and “could be the up-tempo feelgood song that people vote for,” he noted.

Israel, a four-time Eurovision champion and 2025 runner-up, has selected vocalist Noam Bettan with the ballad “Michelle.” Singer Senhit, representing San Marino, has recruited 1980s star Boy George for a guest appearance on party anthem “Superstar.”

Paul Jordan, known as Dr. Eurovision, explained that the competition has evolved beyond its “sugary pop” reputation. This year’s entries span from classical “popera” to electronic pop, power ballads and folk-inspired compositions.

“There’s not a lot of cheesy pop numbers,” Jordan observed. “There’s such diversity that I don’t think there is such a thing as a ‘Eurovision sound’ anymore.”

Typically, the previous year’s winning country hosts the following competition. Last year’s champion was Austrian performer JJ with the pop-opera piece “Wasted Love.” The 2026 contest takes place at Vienna’s Wiener Stadthalle, marking the third time Austria’s capital has welcomed Eurovision.

National broadcasters in participating countries will air the competition, along with streaming service Peacock in the United States and the Eurovision YouTube channel in select regions.

Each participating nation presents a singer or group performing an original composition lasting no more than three minutes, often featuring elaborate stage productions.

Two semifinal rounds on May 12 and 14 will narrow the field to 25 finalists for the grand finale on May 16, hosted by Austrian singer and crystal heiress Victoria Swarovski alongside actor Michael Ostrowski.

Viewers in participating countries can vote during the live final via phone or text, though they cannot support their own nation’s entry. Audiences in the United States and other non-participating countries can vote online at www.esc.vote.

Each country’s public votes convert to points on a one-to-twelve scale for top-performing acts.

The European Broadcasting Union, Eurovision’s organizing body, has strengthened voting procedures following vote-manipulation allegations, reducing votes per payment to 10 and implementing stronger protections against “suspicious or coordinated voting activity.”

Following a voting intermission, each country announces its jury and public vote results in sequence, with points displayed on-screen until a winner emerges. The rapidly shifting rankings and suspense over which country might receive the dreaded zero points add to the excitement.

The departure of countries including seven-time winner Ireland and Spain—one of the “big five” nations providing major funding—represents a significant setback as public broadcasters face financial pressures and social media competes for audience attention.

Eurovision is expanding globally, with the inaugural Eurovision Song Contest Asia scheduled for Bangkok in November.

Jordan believes that at 70 years old, Eurovision remains “part of our European culture” and can survive current challenges.

“It still gets people talking. It still brings us all together. It still gets huge viewing figures, it’s still creating hits,” he stated. “At a time when broadcasting is changing, people still make a date with their television set on that Saturday night.”

MELBOURNE, Australia — Violent protests erupted at a hospital in Australia’s Outback region where medical staff were treating a man charged with murdering a young Indigenous child.

Jefferson Lewis stands accused of kidnapping the 5-year-old girl from an Indigenous settlement near Alice Springs in central Australia over the weekend. Authorities discovered the child’s remains on Thursday. Following Indigenous customs that prohibit speaking the names of the deceased, she is being referred to as Kumanjayi Little Baby.

Before his arrest Thursday, Lewis was severely beaten and left unconscious by community members, according to police reports.

Medical personnel at Alice Springs Hospital treated Lewis while hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside late Thursday, calling for him to face traditional Indigenous punishment known as payback, which typically includes spearing or physical beatings.

Law enforcement officers deployed tear gas and rubber bullets to break up the demonstration. Multiple police cruisers sustained damage during the unrest.

Once doctors cleared Lewis for release, authorities immediately transported him by aircraft to Darwin, the Northern Territory’s capital city located 900 miles north, where he remains in protective custody.

Formal charges against Lewis are anticipated to be filed Friday.

A documentary filmmaker’s Academy Award has disappeared during air travel after security officials forced him to place the trophy in checked baggage, calling it a potential security threat.

Pavel Talankin, the Russian director whose film “Mr. Nobody Against Putin” earned this year’s Oscar for best documentary, lost his statuette while traveling from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Frankfurt on a Lufthansa flight.

Transportation Security Administration officers at JFK prevented Talankin from carrying the 8.5-pound award onto the aircraft, according to his co-director David Borenstein, who shared details of the incident on social media Thursday.

“At the airport, a TSA agent stopped him and said the Oscar could be used as a weapon,” Borenstein wrote on Instagram.

Since Talankin lacked checked luggage, security personnel placed the trophy in a container and sent it to the aircraft’s cargo hold, Borenstein explained. He posted photographs showing the box containing the award.

“It never arrived in Frankfurt,” Borenstein stated.

Lufthansa has acknowledged the serious nature of the situation and launched an investigation.

“We deeply regret this situation,” a company representative told Reuters when asked for comment.

“Our team is handling this matter with the utmost care and urgency and we are conducting a comprehensive internal search to ensure that the Oscar is found and returned as soon as possible.”

Speaking with Deadline.com after reaching Germany Thursday, Talankin expressed bewilderment over the security classification.

The filmmaker said it was “completely baffling how they consider an Oscar a weapon.”

Talankin noted that he had previously traveled with the statuette “in the cabin, and there never was any kind of problem” on other airlines.

The award-winning documentary features two years of recordings Talankin made while working at a school in Russia’s Chelyabinsk region, documenting how students received pro-war propaganda.

The 35-year-old filmmaker, who left Russia in 2024, has described the film as historical documentation showing how “an entire generation became angry and aggressive.”

More than 100 pro-Palestinian volunteers were brought to the Greek island of Crete on Friday following the seizure of their humanitarian ships by Israeli naval forces in international waters, according to flotilla organizers.

The volunteers were participating in the second Global Sumud flotilla, organized in recent months to challenge Israel’s Gaza blockade through humanitarian supply deliveries. The convoy departed from Barcelona, Spain on April 12.

Israeli military vessels transferred 168 flotilla crew members to Greek boats on Friday, which transported them to shore where buses and an ambulance awaited their arrival, organizers reported and Reuters video confirmed. Two volunteers remained in Israeli custody, organizers stated.

An unnamed source revealed that while Israel intercepted 22 vessels, 47 additional boats continued sailing near southern Crete with plans to dock temporarily before proceeding toward Gaza. Each vessel carries approximately one ton of food, medical supplies, and other equipment, the source indicated.

Israeli forces captured the 22 ships late Wednesday in international waters near Greece’s Peloponnese peninsula, located hundreds of miles from Gaza, flotilla organizers announced.

Israel’s foreign ministry labeled the flotilla organizers as “professional provocateurs,” while German and Italian foreign ministries released a joint statement expressing they were monitoring developments with “deep concern.”

The U.S. State Department issued a Thursday statement warning of potential “consequences” for flotilla supporters, characterizing the effort as pro-Hamas.

Pro-Palestinian advocates argue that Israel and the United States incorrectly equate Palestinian rights advocacy with Hamas extremist support.

Israeli military forces stopped a previous flotilla from the same organization last October, detaining Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg along with over 450 participants. This incident followed other maritime attempts to reach blockaded Gaza.

Palestinian officials and international humanitarian organizations maintain that Gaza supply deliveries remain inadequate, despite an October ceasefire agreement that included provisions for increased aid.

The majority of Gaza’s population exceeding two million has been forced from their homes, with many now residing in damaged buildings and temporary shelters erected on vacant land, streets, or destroyed building sites.

Israel, which maintains complete control over Gaza Strip access, disputes claims of withholding resident supplies.

A high-ranking United Arab Emirates official declared Friday that Iran cannot be relied upon for any independent agreements concerning the Strait of Hormuz, highlighting the deep distrust among all parties as diplomatic efforts to resolve the ongoing conflict continue to stall.

The crucial shipping lane remains mostly shut down two months after hostilities began, due to Iran’s blockade and U.S. Navy restrictions on Iranian oil exports. This closure has disrupted one-fifth of global oil and gas distribution, driving up worldwide energy costs and sparking fears of economic recession.

While a ceasefire has held since April 8, reports that President Donald Trump would receive briefings on potential new military operations to force Iran into negotiations sent oil prices soaring to four-year peaks Thursday.

According to two senior Iranian officials speaking anonymously to Reuters, Iran has prepared its air defense systems and is planning a comprehensive response if attacked, anticipating a brief but intense U.S. assault possibly followed by Israeli strikes.

The White House has remained silent about its future actions. Trump expressed dissatisfaction Tuesday with Iran’s most recent proposal, while mediator Pakistan has yet to schedule additional negotiations to end the conflict that has claimed thousands of lives, primarily in Iran and Lebanon.

Following U.S. and Israeli air attacks on February 28, Iran retaliated against American bases, infrastructure, and U.S.-affiliated companies throughout Gulf nations. Meanwhile, Iran-supported Hezbollah fired missiles at Israel, prompting Israeli counterstrikes on Lebanon.

Highlighting Gulf state anxieties, UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash emphasized that “collective international will and provisions of international law” serve as the main guarantees for navigation freedom through the strait.

“And, of course, no unilateral Iranian arrangements can be trusted or relied upon following its treacherous aggression against all its neighbors,” Gargash stated.

Trump confronts a Friday deadline under the 1973 War Powers Resolution to either conclude the conflict or justify its continuation to Congress. However, this deadline appears unlikely to change the war’s trajectory, as a senior administration official indicated that hostilities technically ended with the April ceasefire between Tehran and Washington.

Financial and energy markets remain volatile due to concerns about the negotiation deadlock and potential extended closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Brent crude futures climbed again Friday, rising slightly above $111 per barrel and heading toward a 5.7% weekly increase after reaching $126 Thursday, the highest point since March 2022.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei warned Thursday against anticipating rapid progress from diplomatic talks.

A senior Revolutionary Guards official threatened that any fresh U.S. attack on Iran, regardless of scope, would trigger “long and painful strikes” against American regional installations. Aerospace Force Commander Majid Mousavi was quoted in Iranian media saying: “We’ve seen what happened to your regional bases, we will see the same thing happen to your warships.”

Trump reiterated Thursday that Iran will not be permitted to obtain nuclear weapons and predicted that gasoline prices—a key Republican concern before November’s midterm elections—would “drop like a rock” once the war concludes.

Iran maintains its nuclear program serves exclusively civilian purposes.

While Trump described Iran’s economy as “a disaster” Thursday, analysts suggest that if he expects Iran to surrender first in this economic standoff, he may face a lengthy wait.

The conflict has worsened Iran’s severe economic difficulties, threatening post-war catastrophe, but the nation appears capable of enduring a Gulf standoff for now, despite the U.S. blockade eliminating its energy exports.

Axios reported that military leaders were scheduled to brief Trump Thursday on a plan involving ground forces to seize part of the strait and reopen commercial shipping. Officials indicate Trump is also weighing options to expand the U.S. blockade or declare unilateral victory.

Washington has not disclosed specific details about its intentions.

Signaling potential U.S. preparation for hostilities to end, a State Department message scheduled for oral delivery to partner nations by May 1 invites them to join a new coalition called the Maritime Freedom Construct to facilitate ship navigation through the strait.

France, Britain, and other nations have discussed contributing to such a coalition but stated they would assist in reopening the Strait only after the conflict ends.

Prime Minister Gaston Browne of Antigua and Barbuda has secured his fourth consecutive term in office following Thursday evening’s emergency parliamentary election, which was heavily influenced by ongoing tensions with the United States regarding visa policies.

According to initial official results, Browne’s Labour Party captured a commanding 15 out of 17 available seats in the nation’s parliament, demonstrating strong voter support despite the diplomatic challenges facing the Caribbean nation.

The snap election was called amid mounting concerns over restrictions placed on visas between the two countries, an issue that became a central focus of the campaign leading up to the vote.

BAKU – Azerbaijan’s government called in the European Union’s top diplomat Friday to formally object to a recent EU resolution that criticized how the country handles Armenian detainees and supports the rights of people from Nagorno-Karabakh.

The EU measure criticized what it termed Azerbaijan’s “unjust detention” of Armenian prisoners of war, detainees and hostages and demanded their immediate release. The resolution also restated EU support for the rights of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians and called for accountability for the destruction of Armenian cultural and religious heritage.

Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry Friday rejected the resolution as “unfounded and biased,” stating that Karabakh Armenians had departed the area of their own accord. The ministry added that individuals the EU describes as prisoners of war had committed serious crimes, including war crimes.

Armenian ethnic groups in Karabakh, which is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, separated from Baku’s authority as the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991.

Two conflicts erupted between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the mountainous region before Baku regained control in 2023, prompting the entire Armenian population of approximately 100,000 residents to escape to Armenia.

Karabakh leaders detained during that period faced trial in Baku starting in January 2025, facing multiple accusations including war crimes. International human rights organizations have expressed concerns about whether the proceedings are fair.

In February, Ruben Vardanyan, an Armenian-born billionaire banker who held a high-ranking position in Nagorno-Karabakh, received a 20-year prison sentence.

Violence erupted in Alice Springs, Australia, on Thursday evening when roughly 400 Indigenous protesters confronted emergency responders following the detention of a suspect in the murder of a 5-year-old Aboriginal girl.

The confrontation occurred at the medical facility where 47-year-old Jefferson Lewis was receiving treatment after community members beat him unconscious when he turned himself in at a local town camp. Lewis is the primary suspect in the death of the young girl, who has been named Kumanjayi Little Baby according to traditional Indigenous practices.

Northern Territory Police Commissioner Martin Dole explained during a press briefing that Lewis voluntarily appeared at one of the community camps. “As a result of presenting himself, members of that town camp decided to inflict vigilante justice upon Jefferson,” Dole stated.

The demonstration turned destructive as participants hurled objects and set fires, resulting in injuries to several law enforcement officers and medical personnel. Emergency vehicles, including police cars, ambulances, and fire trucks, sustained damage during the unrest. Authorities deployed tear gas to break up the crowd.

Video coverage from Australia’s public television network ABC captured protesters demanding traditional Aboriginal justice, which typically involves physical retribution.

The child disappeared from her residence on the outskirts of Alice Springs late Saturday night. Search teams consisting of hundreds of volunteers discovered her remains Thursday in the thick wilderness surrounding the tourist town in Australia’s Northern Territory.

Lewis, who had been identified as a person of interest earlier in the week, has a criminal history including assault convictions and was recently discharged from prison.

For security reasons, authorities transferred Lewis to Darwin, the territorial capital, in the early morning hours of Friday. Formal charges are expected to be filed within days.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese acknowledged the community’s “anger and frustration” while encouraging unity and peaceful resolution.

Robin Granites, a respected Aboriginal community leader speaking for the victim’s family, called for moderation in response to the arrest.

“This man has been caught, thanks to community action, and we must now let justice take its course while we take the time to mourn Kumanjayi Little Baby and support our family,” Granites said in his statement. “Now is not the time to be heroes on social media or make trouble.”

Northern Territory Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro announced emergency measures including a temporary prohibition on off-premise alcohol sales and the deployment of additional officers from Darwin to maintain order. The community already operates under partial alcohol restrictions on specific weekdays as a crime prevention strategy.

The tragedy highlights ongoing tensions in Australia’s relationship with its Indigenous communities, who have occupied the continent for approximately 50,000 years but faced marginalization under British colonial rule.

While Indigenous Australians represent roughly 3.8% of the nation’s 27 million residents, they consistently rank lowest in most economic and social measures and experience significantly higher rates of suicide and imprisonment.

Many Indigenous families, including the victim’s relatives, reside in settlement areas called camps around Alice Springs, where adequate housing and essential services are frequently lacking.

Senior military officials at an American Army training base in Germany defended the strategic importance of U.S. forces stationed in Europe, just one day after President Donald Trump indicated he was considering reducing American troop strength in the region.

Speaking to reporters at the Hohenfels training facility in southern Germany on Thursday, several high-ranking officers outlined key advantages of maintaining the current military presence, including strengthening partnerships with NATO allies, discouraging hostile nations, and incorporating tactical knowledge gained from the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

The military leaders either avoided discussing Trump’s statements directly or refused to address them when asked. Representatives from U.S. Army Europe and Africa Command, as well as European Command, did not provide immediate responses regarding how potential troop cuts might affect operations.

Germany currently hosts America’s most significant military presence in Europe, with approximately 35,000 active-duty service members stationed throughout the country. The nation functions as a crucial training center, particularly the Hohenfels installation, which covers 163 square kilometers of forested terrain and conducts large-scale combat exercises for American forces alongside NATO partners.

During Thursday’s visit, an armored brigade was midway through an intensive 10-day training exercise that included avoiding enemy surveillance and drone attacks. The unit was completing a nine-month assignment in Poland and other Eastern European locations as part of an Army program designed to strengthen NATO partnerships and military readiness.

Colonel Michael Ziegelhofer, the brigade commander, emphasized that the European presence demonstrates to potential enemies that any conflict would involve “the most ready, trained, lethal fighting force, and not just the United States, but the United States and its NATO allies.” He added, “The fact that we’re out here represents, you know, really our country’s support for NATO and our allies.”

Standing near a simulated village used for training scenarios, Ziegelhofer stressed the importance of joint exercises with international partners. “If a crisis were to take place over here, we’d be in the fight together, so training like this helps us to build the interoperability, not just with the equipment that we have, but between the people and the systems and the processes in our unit,” he explained.

The colonel noted that his brigade has gained valuable experience with unmanned aircraft during their European deployment. “We worked all the way from learning how to fly them to getting pretty sophisticated in understanding the systems and processes, both in using them ourselves and how to counter the enemy’s use of those since we’ve been over here,” Ziegelhofer said.

Lieutenant Colonel Michael Cryer, who leads the permanent opposition force at Hohenfels known as the “warrior” battalion, explained how lessons from the Russia-Ukraine war are being integrated into current training programs, particularly regarding drone technology and electronic warfare capabilities.

“It’s been a cat-and-mouse game, as you’ve seen in Ukraine,” Cryer observed. “Where one side develops this capability, another side develops a countermeasure.”

According to Cryer, one of the most significant tactical challenges involves conducting offensive operations while under constant drone surveillance. “It is nearly impossible to hide,” he stated. “Across the army, we haven’t totally come to grips with that.”

Restaurant operators in Dubai are facing significant challenges obtaining specialty ingredients as the ongoing conflict in Iran enters its second month, forcing many establishments to reduce their offerings and adapt their business models.

Shaw Lash, who operates the Mexican eatery Lila Molino, typically imports avocados and tomatillos – small green fruits essential to Central American cooking – to create her vibrant, spicy menu items. However, the Iranian conflict has disrupted supply chains and increased transportation costs throughout the Gulf region.

The restaurant owner has implemented several cost-cutting measures including reducing staff hours, purchasing smaller ingredient quantities, and scaling back overall production. She’s currently emphasizing her popular take-home fajita packages and retail product line while waiting for conditions to improve.

“The reality is cargo has gotten more expensive, gas prices have gone up, the Strait of Hormuz is still blocked,” Lash explained during an interview at her establishment located in Dubai’s popular Alserkal Avenue cultural district. “This is really creating a problem for us as far as our supply.”

Restaurants throughout the cosmopolitan city are modifying their menus in response, with many switching to regional ingredients or reducing the number of dishes they offer. Local government officials have implemented economic assistance programs, reduced various fees, and launched promotional campaigns to encourage dining out.

The situation poses significant challenges for the United Arab Emirates’ restaurant industry, which market research firm Mordor Intelligence valued at $9.5 billion in the previous year. Prior to the conflict, analysts had projected 20% growth reaching $11.3 billion for this year.

However, the war may alter these projections. Following strikes by the United States and Israel against Iran in late February, the Gulf region experienced weeks of Iranian missile and drone attacks. While a ceasefire took effect on April 8, the Strait of Hormuz – the UAE’s only maritime access point – remains essentially blocked. The country relies on imports for over 80% of its food supply.

The conflict has reduced tourist arrivals, decreased shopping activity in upscale retail centers, affected luxury vehicle sales, and disrupted restaurants – a cornerstone of Dubai’s thriving hospitality sector built on its reputation for luxury and security.

Research conducted by Juniper Strategy and the Global Restaurant Investment Forum revealed that UAE food service businesses are experiencing an average 27% decline in customer demand compared to last year. Supply costs have increased by an average of 13%, according to their report based on surveys of 30 industry executives between April 1-8, representing approximately 400 restaurants.

The study found that establishments in tourist areas and business districts face the most pressure, while neighborhood restaurants have shown better resilience and some have even grown.

The Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism acknowledged in a statement that some businesses are navigating a “period of disrupted footfall” while finding innovative solutions.

“Across the city, restaurants, chefs and platforms are adapting through new formats, targeted offers and community-led initiatives,” the department stated in materials provided to Reuters.

Kelvin Cheung, head chef at the fusion establishment Jun’s Dubai, described the difficulty and expense of finding alternative transportation methods for delicate specialty items like Norwegian scallops or specific Japanese seafood products.

“Your only option was then to fly air freight, which would increase our costs by about thirty, thirty-five percent,” Cheung noted, explaining that he has shifted to featuring local fish varieties on his menu.

Air transportation costs have surged up to 70% on certain routes as the conflict has disrupted Gulf oil shipments and driven up aviation fuel prices. Flight operations to and from the UAE are gradually returning to normal levels.

“Tourism has taken a huge hit,” Cheung observed. “That massive influx of tourists who provide that extra boost of economy, of spend, across all industries is what we’re missing now.”

Cheung has launched a six-course dining experience priced at 225 dirhams ($61) featuring locally sourced ingredients. His restaurant has maintained its full workforce. Additional establishments plan to offer discounted fixed-price meals during May’s Restaurant Week promotion.

Food industry expert Courtney Brandt, who has worked in the region since 2007, noted that the conflict has intensified existing problems including high operational costs, dependence on tourism, and supply chain vulnerabilities. She pointed out that the market was already oversaturated before the war began.

“We were due for a correction,” Brandt explained, suggesting that international restaurant chains with celebrity chef partnerships and stronger financial backing might weather the crisis better, though rising costs remain challenging despite local government support. “Difficult decisions have to be made if businesses are going to survive.”

Several upscale dining establishments, including venues in the luxury Atlantis resort complexes on Dubai’s famous artificial palm-shaped island, have temporarily closed for renovations without specifically citing the war as a factor. Meanwhile, new restaurants continue opening, including the Italian restaurant Siena in Dubai in early April and Isabel Mayfair in the UAE capital of Abu Dhabi.

Both Lash and Cheung remain optimistic about market recovery.

“Over the last few weeks, especially with the ceasefire and schools resuming, we’ve started to see a positive uplift in business and overall movement across the city. There is a sense of normalcy slowly returning,” Cheung said.

LONDON (AP) — Authorities have filed attempted murder charges against a 45-year-old man following knife attacks that targeted Jewish men in London this week.

Essa Suleiman is facing three separate counts of attempted murder in connection with the Wednesday incidents, according to police. Two of the charges stem from an assault in the Golders Green neighborhood, while the third charge relates to another attack that occurred elsewhere in the city on the same day.

Suleiman is scheduled to appear before a judge for his initial court hearing on Friday.

Following Wednesday’s stabbings, British officials have committed to addressing the growing problem of antisemitism in the country.

Commercial aviation between the United States and Venezuela has returned after a seven-year hiatus, with direct flights now operating between the two countries once again during the week of April 24-30, 2026.

The restoration of air service marks a significant development in US-Venezuela relations after years of suspended commercial flights.

Meanwhile, other major events unfolded across Latin America and the Caribbean during the same period. In Colombia, funeral services were held for victims killed in an assault on the Pan-American Highway, with government officials attributing the attack to former FARC rebel groups that rejected peace agreements.

In Haiti, displaced children living in emergency shelters received a special visit from Princess Sarah Zeid of Jordan, who serves as an adviser to the World Food Program. The youngsters are among families forced from their homes due to ongoing gang violence plaguing Port-au-Prince.

The week’s events were documented through photography curated by Leslie Mazoch, a photo editor working from Mexico City.

Overnight drone strikes launched by Russian forces targeted shipping facilities in Ukraine’s Odesa region, leaving two civilians injured and causing significant damage to port operations, according to regional governor Oleh Kiper’s Friday announcement.

The attacks struck residential areas in Odesa city, completely destroying one apartment unit and igniting a rooftop fire in a 16-story residential building. A separate high-rise structure suffered extensive damage when flames consumed its 12th floor, emergency responders reported.

Emergency services released images showing the burning high-rise structure and rescue teams actively working to combat the fires at multiple locations.

Ukraine’s maritime port authority confirmed that facilities within the Greater Odesa shipping hub as well as Danube River ports were targeted during the assault.

The authority reported that the bombardment resulted in damage to docking areas and warehouse facilities while sparking several fires that emergency crews successfully extinguished.

Despite the attacks, port operations remain functional, officials confirmed.

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Inside her Tehran studio, fashion designer Amen Khademi set up a photo session for a jacket featuring Persian-inspired designs. While touching up her model’s makeup, her mind wandered to a pressing concern: whether her business could survive four months without its primary customer connection — internet access.

For the majority of 2026, Iran’s 90 million citizens have been disconnected from the web in what ranks among the globe’s most extensive and severe national blackouts. The shutdown is decimating a digital marketplace that had previously withstood government controls and international penalties. Businesses spanning fashion, fitness, marketing, and retail have watched their revenue disappear.

Khademi’s sales have completely stopped. “The internet outage in the past four months has completely destroyed not only my business, but many online businesses,” she said.

Even with a fragile ceasefire involving the United States and Israel, Iranian leadership refuses to end the blackout they’ve characterized as essential during wartime. However, they’re confronting growing criticism as the shutdown compounds widespread unemployment from industrial strikes and continued U.S. economic barriers.

Prior to January, Iranian citizens had web access despite authorities blocking substantial content. Currently, all connections to the worldwide internet have been severed. While some bypass methods exist, their costs have skyrocketed beyond most Iranians’ financial reach.

The digital blackout drains approximately $30-40 million from the economy each day, with secondary losses potentially doubling that figure, according to Iran’s Chamber of Commerce member Afshin Kolahi, who spoke to local media. Communications Minister Sattar Hashemi estimates roughly 10 million workers depend on internet connectivity for their livelihoods.

During years of financial instability caused by sanctions and poor governance, social platforms including Instagram and WhatsApp enabled small enterprises to locate clients while helping citizens generate supplemental income amid soaring costs for essential items.

Iranian officials initially blocked internet access in January amid widespread anti-government demonstrations. As that restriction began lifting, authorities implemented total internet elimination on February 28 when the U.S. and Israel initiated military action.

Internet censorship specialist Mahsa Alimardani noted that Kashmir and Myanmar have experienced longer regional or platform-specific restrictions. Nations such as China, through its “Great Firewall,” and North Korea have consistently maintained tight global internet controls.

“What makes Iran’s shutdown unprecedented is the combination of scale and severity: an entire country of 90 million people with a developed digital economy deliberately reverted to a controlled national intranet,” said Alimardani, an associate director for technology threats and opportunities at the rights group Witness.

DigiKala, a prominent Iranian online retailer, recently announced workforce reductions affecting 200 employees, representing roughly 3% of its staff. The damage spreads to “production, foreign trade and even traditional business,” stated Reza Olfatnasab, who leads a national organization representing digital enterprises, in remarks published by Iranian outlets.

Instagram serves as Khademi’s storefront. Her studio’s account, which attracted over 30,000 followers, now sits dormant. She conducted the photo session to preserve images for future use while searching for alternatives.

Her model, Farnaz Ojaghloo, also works as a fitness instructor. The blackout has eliminated both her modeling opportunities and the online training programs she offered to domestic and international clients.

“Psychologically, it really hits hard,” Ojaghloo said. “All the plans you had for six months or a year ahead get pushed aside, and your only concern becomes surviving in the moment.”

For years, Iranian authorities maintained content filters and monitored platforms including YouTube and Instagram. Before the conflict, citizens could circumvent limitations using affordable virtual private networks (VPNs) and other accessible methods.

The current shutdown has driven up costs for underground VPN services. Iranian government media frequently report detentions of individuals using prohibited VPNs or the American Starlink satellite network, which was outlawed last year.

High-ranking government officials receive “white” SIM cards providing global internet access. Responding to pressure over economic damage, authorities now permit limited internet access to select professions, businesses, and media organizations.

A Tehran e-commerce association criticized this hierarchical approach in Iranian media Wednesday, describing it as “an abuse of an obvious need of every citizen.” The group warned the outage threatens “the destruction of the country’s infrastructure at the hands of our own decision-makers.”

Most citizens must rely solely on Iran’s domestic network.

A Tehran advertising professional explained that clients show little interest in paying for content that cannot appear on major platforms like Instagram, where he maintains tens of thousands of followers. His earnings have dropped to nearly nothing since the war commenced.

An Isfahan-based gamer with substantial YouTube and Instagram followings described Iran’s domestic network as “terrible” — sluggish, vulnerable, and error-prone. He has also lost virtually all sponsor and donation income.

Iran operates its own social media platforms designed to mirror services like WhatsApp and YouTube, though content faces strict monitoring and frequent censorship.

“Nobody really wants to use these platforms, but there is no other option,” the gamer explained. Both he and the advertising professional requested anonymity due to safety concerns.

The shutdown has intensified hardships for Iran’s previously substantial and well-educated middle class, already struggling following a prewar currency collapse.

Iran’s economic deterioration has triggered repeated anti-government protests, most recently in December. Now, increasing numbers of Iranians consider emigration, according to a software developer.

The developer — also speaking anonymously for security reasons — explained that the internet shutdown has eliminated remote employment opportunities. He lost his position when his previous employer terminated nearly all staff in recent weeks.

The impact appears in Tehran’s growing street vendor population. Reza Amiri, a 32-year-old former internet provider employee, now sells hats and umbrellas near a subway station. He became unemployed after the war began and hasn’t received his final paycheck.

Monireh Pishgahi sells decorative items and accessories on the capital’s renowned Vali Asr Street. Her tailoring operation previously supplied three online retailers. As business declined, she closed the shop and dismissed her five workers.

Downtown merchant Mohammad Rihai said he stopped trying to convince street vendors to clear the sidewalk in front of his establishment. “After the war, you see them all along the sidewalk. I cannot fight them anymore.”

BEIRUT (AP) — For more than ten years, Ahed Badawi made her home in Bahrain, a tiny Gulf nation that offered peace and stability unlike her war-torn homeland of Syria.

The small country served as sanctuary for Badawi, her sister, and their aging mother throughout Syria’s devastating 14-year civil conflict.

“Nothing at all ever happened there,” she explained. “I mean, the Bahrainis don’t even know what war is.”

However, when the United States and Israel launched attacks against Iran, triggering a broader regional conflict, Bahrain and other Gulf nations suddenly became targets in Iran’s retaliation. The family made the surprising decision to return to their home in Aleppo, once a battleground of Syria’s bloodiest fighting but now offering unexpected safety.

The conflict-scarred nation has emerged as an unusual pocket of stability during the region’s current crisis. Syrian leadership has been working to repair diplomatic ties with Arab and Western nations that had isolated Syria during Bashar Assad’s rule, before rebels removed him from power in December 2024 and established new leadership.

Following the start of the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran and Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, Damascus has capitalized on this chance to strengthen international relationships by maintaining neutrality.

Syria has “presented itself as the solution to strategic crises in the region,” explained Obayda Ghadban, a Syrian Foreign Ministry representative.

Following the U.S.-Israeli strikes, Iran launched missiles not just at Israel but also targeted Gulf nations that house American military installations. In Lebanon, fighting resumed between Israel and Hezbollah, the Iran-supported militant organization. Iraq, hosting both Iranian-backed militias and U.S. military bases, became caught between opposing forces.

Even with missiles crossing Syrian airspace and occasionally landing within its borders, Syria successfully remained uninvolved while establishing itself as an alternate shipping route for oil that can no longer pass through the blocked strait.

“Syria, which was once an arena for others’ conflicts, has today chosen, through the will of its people and institutions, to be a bridge to security and a fundamental pillar of the solution,” interim Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa declared during a recent gathering of European officials in Cyprus.

He promoted his nation as “the alternative and secure artery connecting Central Asia and the Gulf to the heart of the European continent.”

With Iran controlling access to the strait, oil shipments now travel by truck from Iraq into Syria before being transported to European customers through Syria’s Baniyas port, avoiding the Hormuz passage. A crucial border crossing linking northern Iraq and Syria resumed operations last month after more than a decade of closure, with authorities promoting it as another pathway for energy shipments.

This land-based route costs more and operates less efficiently than maritime transport through the strait, but it offers a viable alternative while Iran maintains control over the waterway.

Ghadban emphasized that his nation had no desire to align with either warring faction.

“The parties participating in it are strategic enemies of Syria, whether we talk about Iran and its affiliates, or if we talk about Israel and its aggressive expansionist policy in Syria,” he stated. “Both parties have an interest in weakening Syria.”

Iran served as Assad’s crucial supporter during the civil war, alongside Hezbollah and allied Iraqi militias. This alliance put them at odds with the groups currently governing Damascus.

Israel has maintained suspicion and sometimes open hostility toward Syria’s new Islamist leadership. Following Assad’s removal, Israeli forces took control of a UN-monitored buffer zone in southern Syria and continue their occupation.

During the initial phase of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, some observers predicted Syria might enter the conflict to retaliate against Hezbollah.

Instead, Syrian military forces remained inactive, while al-Sharaa and other officials emphasized their lack of interest in Lebanese involvement.

Noah Bonsey, who serves as senior adviser on Syria with the International Crisis Group, noted that while “Damascus was really clear from the beginning that it wanted no part of this war and signaled to everyone accordingly,” its successful neutrality resulted partly from favorable circumstances.

American troops had maintained bases in eastern Syria for years, but the U.S. had reduced its military presence before the Iranian conflict began.

When clashes erupted between Syria’s central government forces and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in the northeast during January, U.S. military personnel relocated thousands of detained Islamic State suspects from Syrian facilities to Iraq. The military also reduced its Syrian presence, where preventing IS resurgence had been the primary objective.

“Because the withdrawal had gone so far by the time the war (with Iran) started, there were very few U.S. assets and personnel still in the country” that might have attracted Iranian attacks, Bonsey observed.

While Syria may have gained diplomatic advantages through its neutral stance, the nation will still face economic consequences from the regional conflict, according to Bonsey.

Damascus had anticipated that Syria’s post-conflict reconstruction would attract investment from prosperous Gulf Arab nations previously recognized for their commercial centers and modern architecture.

However, these countries will now have reduced resources and “less bandwidth to spare for lower-priority issues” as they concentrate on “shoring up their own defense and getting their own economies back up to speed” following the war, Bonsey explained.

Although Syria might eventually benefit from infrastructure developments like proposed railway connections and gas pipelines linking the Gulf to Turkey and European markets, such projects would require years to complete, if they materialize at all.

Currently, Syria’s new administration confronts growing public dissatisfaction over the nation’s struggling economy.

Despite these challenges, Badawi remains content with her decision to return home.

“There’s nothing like being in your own country,” she reflected. “When you’re in your own country, you feel a different kind of security.”

A groundbreaking trade agreement between the European Union and South American nations began provisional implementation on Friday, establishing what officials describe as a massive trans-Atlantic marketplace worth an estimated $22 trillion and serving 720 million consumers.

The historic pact between the EU and the Mercosur bloc – comprising Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay – was formally signed on January 17th during a South American group meeting. However, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s decision to bypass EU Parliament approval and implement the deal provisionally has sparked a legal challenge that could halt the agreement.

“This is good news for EU businesses of all sizes, good news for our consumers and good news for our farmers, who will gain valuable new export opportunities, with full protection for sensitive sectors,” von der Leyen stated Thursday.

The European Commission President is scheduled to participate in a virtual meeting Friday with leaders from all four Mercosur member countries to mark the agreement’s launch.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a strong advocate for the deal, officially endorsed it through a presidential decree earlier this week. He characterized the agreement as Brazil’s answer to unilateral trade policies implemented by U.S. President Donald Trump last year and a commitment to international cooperation.

“Nothing better than believing in the exercise of democracy, in multilateralism, and in cordial relations between nations,” Lula declared during a celebration ceremony in Brazil’s capital city of Brasilia, marking the culmination of more than 25 years of negotiations.

Brazil’s Vice President Geraldo Alckmin, who participated in the deal’s negotiations, told The Associated Press and other media outlets last week that failing to secure this EU partnership would have left South American nations at a disadvantage while competitors formed alternative trade relationships.

As Mercosur’s dominant economic force, Brazil maintains a gross domestic product projected to exceed $2.3 trillion in 2025.

Lia Valls, a research associate at the Rio de Janeiro-based think tank Fundacao Getulio Vargas, believes the agreement represents a strong counter to growing global unilateralism.

“The EU and Mercosur are showing that it is possible for big blocs to reach a deal in this world where that multilateral system is being very weakened and where the U.S. clearly operates to do that,” Valls explained to the AP. “It is a very positive sign.”

The pact encountered significant resistance from European agricultural interests and environmental advocates, causing delays in December before being submitted to the EU’s highest court for review.

South American agricultural sectors, particularly beef, fruit, and mineral exporters, anticipate substantial growth in European market access. Meanwhile, European automotive manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies, and technology firms see new opportunities in Mercosur territories.

However, the deal has generated concerns on both sides. Mercosur-based companies worry about intensified competition from European technology firms, while European farmers express anxiety about pricing pressures and imports that may not meet comparable environmental standards.

French President Emmanuel Macron, a vocal opponent of the agreement, has consistently pushed for protective measures to prevent major economic disruption within the EU, stricter regulations in Mercosur countries including pesticide limitations, and enhanced inspection procedures for imports at European ports.

The comprehensive agreement systematically eliminates trade barriers and tariffs between both regions while maintaining economic protection clauses that allow European countries to shield certain industries from overwhelming competition, including poultry, beef, sugar, and fruit sectors.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres delivered a stern message Thursday regarding America’s outstanding debt to the international organization, declaring the multi-billion dollar obligation cannot be subject to conditions following reports that Washington was demanding reforms in exchange for payment.

According to development news outlet Devex, the United States circulated two diplomatic communications outlining nine specific “quick-hit” changes required before additional funding would be released, encompassing further budget reductions and initiatives to diminish China’s role within the UN.

When reporters questioned Guterres about these developments, he emphasized the nature of the payments. “The money we are talking about is referred to as assessed contributions,” Guterres stated. “Assessed contributions are an obligation of member states. They are non-negotiable.”

While Guterres acknowledged ongoing reform initiatives driven by member state pressure, particularly from the United States, he stressed the UN’s commitment to improvement. The organization would continue working “to make sure that we make this organization as effective and as cost-effective and as able to deliver for the people we care for,” he explained.

“But these are two separate things,” Guterres emphasized.

The reported American demands for budget reductions encompassed significant changes to UN operations, including restructuring the organization’s pension system, eliminating business-class air travel for certain senior staff and all mid-level employees, reducing senior leadership positions, and implementing a 10% decrease in prolonged, underperforming peacekeeping operations.

Additionally, the conditions reportedly sought to prevent China from directing tens of millions of dollars annually into a discretionary account managed by the secretary-general’s office, representing an effort to curtail Chinese influence within the organization.

The U.S. mission to the United Nations declined to address the reports. American officials have consistently stated their intention to maintain pressure on the UN for organizational changes, following this year’s withdrawal from numerous UN agencies and last year’s funding reductions totaling millions of dollars.

Earlier this year in January, Guterres cautioned that the UN was approaching “imminent financial collapse” due to outstanding member contributions, with the majority owed by the United States. February reports indicated America had remitted approximately $160 million toward its total debt of more than $4 billion to the international body.

Labor activists around the world are preparing for International Workers’ Day demonstrations on Friday, demanding improved wages and workplace conditions while workers struggle with increased energy expenses and reduced buying power connected to Middle East conflicts.

The annual observance serves as a public holiday in numerous nations, with demonstrations planned for major metropolitan areas globally. Some previous rallies have resulted in violence.

“Working people refuse to pay the price for Donald Trump’s war in the Middle East,” declared the European Trade Union Confederation, representing 93 labor organizations across 41 European nations. “Today’s rallies show working people will not stand by and see their jobs and living standards destroyed.”

Across the United States, groups opposing President Trump’s policies have organized marches and economic boycotts for the holiday.

Economic hardship stemming from Middle Eastern conflicts is anticipated to dominate Friday’s demonstrations worldwide.

Philippine organizers in Manila predict large turnouts among laborers. “There will be a louder call for higher wages and economic relief because of the unprecedented spikes in fuel prices,” Renato Reyes, a leader with the left-wing organization Bayan, told reporters.

“Every Filipino worker now is aware that the situation here is deeply connected to the global crisis,” explained Josua Mata, who heads the SENTRO coalition of labor groups.

Indonesian trade unions have cautioned about deteriorating economic conditions domestically. “Workers are already living paycheck to paycheck,” stated Said Iqbal, president of Indonesia’s Trade Union Confederation.

While Pakistan observes May Day as an official holiday featuring demonstrations, many daily laborers cannot afford to miss work.

“How will I bring vegetables and other necessities home if I don’t work?” questioned Mohammad Maskeen, a 55-year-old construction worker near Islamabad.

Increased petroleum costs have driven inflation to approximately 16% according to government estimates, affecting a nation that depends heavily on International Monetary Fund assistance and support from allied countries.

Labor organizations historically utilize May Day to advocate for wage increases, pension protections, inequality reduction and broader political concerns.

Demonstrations are scheduled from Seoul, Jakarta and Istanbul to European Union capitals and American cities nationwide.

French unions have organized rallies in Paris and other locations using the theme “bread, peace and freedom,” connecting workers’ everyday struggles to conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.

Italy’s government this week approved nearly 1 billion euros ($1.17 billion) in employment incentives before May Day, designed to promote job stability and combat workplace exploitation. The measures extend tax reductions to encourage hiring young people and disadvantaged women while addressing problems in platform-based employment. Opposition politicians criticized the package as “pure propaganda.”

In Portugal, proposed employment law modifications by the center-right administration triggered a general strike and street demonstrations last year. After nine months of discussions with unions and employers, no agreement has been reached. Labor groups argue the proposals would undermine worker protections by expanding overtime requirements and reducing certain benefits.

This year’s May Day holds particular significance in France following intense discussion about permitting employees to work on the nation’s most protected public holiday — the sole day when most workers receive mandatory paid time off.

Nearly all businesses, retail stores and shopping centers remain closed, with only essential services like hospitals, transportation and hotels operating.

A recent legislative proposal to expand work permissions for the holiday generated significant opposition from unions and left-wing politicians.

“Don’t touch May Day,” labor unions declared in a collective statement.

Responding to the controversy, the government introduced legislation this week to allow bakeries and flower shops to operate on May Day. French tradition involves giving lily of the valley flowers on the holiday for good fortune.

“May 1 is not just any day,” explained Small and Medium-sized Businesses Minister Serge Papin. “It symbolizes social gains stemming from a century of building social rules that have led to the labor code we know in France. It is indeed a special day.”

Activists and labor organizations are coordinating street demonstrations and boycotts throughout the United States, where May Day lacks federal holiday status.

May Day Strong, a coalition of activist organizations and unions, has urged people to participate under the slogan “workers over billionaires.”

Expressing strong resistance to Trump’s policies, organizers have listed thousands of May Day events nationwide and seek an economic shutdown through “no school, no work, no shopping.”

Their demands include taxing wealthy individuals and ending the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement efforts.

Although labor and immigrant rights have historically been connected, American May Day rallies shifted focus to immigration in 2006. That year, approximately 1 million people, including nearly 500,000 in Chicago alone, protested federal legislation that would have made unauthorized residence in the U.S. a felony.

May Day, also known as International Workers’ Day, originated over a century ago during a crucial period in American labor history.

During the 1880s, unions advocated for eight-hour workdays through strikes and demonstrations. In May 1886, a Chicago gathering turned fatal when a bomb detonated and police responded with gunfire. Several labor advocates — most of them immigrants — were found guilty of conspiracy and other charges; four received execution.

Unions subsequently designated May 1 to commemorate workers. A memorial in Chicago’s Haymarket Square honors them with the inscription: “Dedicated to all workers of the world.”

May Day is now recognized globally across Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia.

The United Nations Security Council approved a significant reduction in peacekeeping personnel for South Sudan on Thursday, cutting troop levels from 17,000 to 12,000 as the African nation continues to struggle with political turmoil and renewed violence.

The resolution, written by the United States, passed with 13 votes in favor and abstentions from Russia and China. The measure also extends the peacekeeping mission’s authorization through April 30, 2027.

U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz explained that the resolution aims to return the mission to its core responsibilities of maintaining peace, safeguarding civilians, and ensuring humanitarian organizations can deliver aid. “Back to basics,” Waltz told the council.

South Sudan achieved independence from Sudan in 2011 amid great optimism, but the oil-rich nation descended into brutal civil conflict by December 2013. The war pitted forces supporting President Salva Kiir, who belongs to the Dinka ethnic group, against troops backing Riek Machar, an ethnic Nuer leader.

The devastating conflict claimed over 400,000 lives before ending with a 2018 peace accord that established a unity government with Kiir remaining as president and Machar serving as vice president. However, tensions escalated again when Kiir’s administration placed Machar under house arrest in March 2025, alleging he engaged in subversive behavior. Machar now confronts treason accusations.

The detention of Machar has coincided with a surge in violence and the effective collapse of the 2018 peace framework, even as the country prepares for long-delayed presidential elections scheduled for December.

Ambassador Waltz expressed American concerns that Kiir’s administration is “exploiting international support and obstructing those that are genuinely trying to help.”

Waltz detailed how UN peacekeepers documented more than 480 instances between October and March where their operations faced interference, including blocked access, prevented humanitarian deliveries, disrupted repatriation flights, and forced base closures that resulted in millions of dollars in losses.

The ambassador emphasized that America views UN peacekeeping operations as temporary measures designed to assist governments in addressing security and peace challenges.

Russia’s deputy ambassador Anna Evstigneeva opposed the troop reduction, arguing for maintaining current force levels. “The mission must be ready for any scenario and security challenges,” she stated. “It should have a sufficient level of resources for that.”

BUENOS AIRES, April 30 – The Argentine presidential palace will restore media access beginning Monday, ending a week-long ban on credentialed reporters, according to a presidential spokesperson who spoke with Reuters Thursday.

President Javier Milei’s administration had prohibited journalists from entering the Casa Rosada on April 23, claiming “illegal espionage” occurred when a television station broadcast video captured using smart glasses technology.

The government building serves as the venue for official press briefings and media events.

The United Arab Emirates declared Tuesday it will depart from OPEC and OPEC+, concluding almost 60 years of membership in the oil producers’ organization. This decision eliminates the cartel’s third-biggest producer just one day before members were scheduled to convene in Vienna, occurring during the ninth week of conflict between Iran and the US-Israeli coalition.

The departure becomes effective May 1, granting Abu Dhabi complete authority over production capacity it has developed for years toward 5 million barrels daily, liberating the UAE from the quota framework through which Saudi Arabia has managed Gulf oil policy for decades.

Rauf Mammadov, formerly with SOCAR, Azerbaijan’s state oil company and currently at Fuld & Company, informed The Media Line the OPEC departure represented “a significant blow to OPEC and particularly to Saudi Arabia.” Riyadh, according to Mammadov, has faced challenges maintaining market control since 2015, when global oil production balance started shifting from OPEC to non-cartel producers. He calculated UAE production represents 9%-11% of OPEC output and approximately 5% of OPEC+ output, the expanded producer alliance including Russia and other non-OPEC exporters.

UAE Energy Minister Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei informed CNBC the nation selected this timing to reduce disruption to remaining producers and explained the decision to The National, an Abu Dhabi newspaper, as a policy-driven evolution matching long-term market fundamentals.

The declaration occurred alongside two additional breaks within the Gulf alliance this week. Both indicated Abu Dhabi was no longer prepared to contribute its political influence to Saudi-led wartime coordination.

Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE president, refused to attend the “Decisiveness Summit” Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman organized in Jeddah on Tuesday, dispatching the foreign minister instead. The meeting, designed as the GCC’s primary wartime gathering in the ninth week of the Iran conflict, generated calls for accelerated completion of a Gulf joint missile warning system and expediting new oil, gas, and water projects, according to Jasem Mohamed AlBudaiwi, secretary general of the Gulf Cooperation Council, the six Arab Gulf monarchies bloc. The Emirati president’s absence deprived the summit of head-of-state authority necessary to convert declarations into binding commitments. The communique’s appeals for accelerated joint defense reflected what the GCC’s most influential non-Saudi member had declined to endorse personally.

Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE presidency, spoke at the Gulf Influencers Forum in Abu Dhabi on Monday. He utilized the platform to openly criticize the Gulf Cooperation Council’s wartime performance. He distinguished between the GCC’s logistical coordination, which he said had operated effectively, and the council’s diplomatic and military stance, which he said had failed. “Politically and militarily, I think their position has been the weakest historically,” Gargash stated, referring to the GCC. The rupture with Riyadh was the public delivery of criticism by a senior Emirati presidency figure, made twenty-four hours before bin Zayed snubbed the Jeddah summit and the UAE departed OPEC.

Ebtesam Al Ketbi, president of the Emirates Policy Centre, described the OPEC departure on social network X as a transition from collective quota-based commitments to sovereign flexibility in managing production. The change, she wrote, would enable faster response to disruptions such as those connected to the Strait of Hormuz.

An analyst at a Dubai-based research center, requesting anonymity, told The Media Line that Vienna, the Jeddah summit, and Gargash’s remarks were not coincidental. The three signals, the analyst explained, are synchronized elements of deliberate diplomatic messaging by Abu Dhabi, with Gargash’s public criticism establishing ideological groundwork, the Jeddah absence serving as visible diplomatic gesture, and the OPEC departure delivering as the operational decision.

The three ruptures this week extended a Saudi-Emirati break visible since New Year’s Eve, when Saudi forces struck an Emirati arms shipment at Yemen’s Mukalla port on December 30, 2025. The UAE withdrew its troops from Yemen on January 3, and the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council dissolved on January 9. The pattern had been openly developing for four months.

Bar-Ilan University energy specialist Elai Rettig told The Media Line the OPEC announcement was both economic and political. The UAE, Rettig explained, has spent years following OPEC production quotas while observing most other members produce above their quotas, misrepresent their production figures, and leave the Saudis and Emiratis to absorb the cost. Departing OPEC, he said, represents the UAE’s declaration that it will no longer comply with Saudi terms.

Brent crude declined after the UAE news before recovering as traders reassessed the risk premium they attach to Gulf production. The political signal overshadowed the market response. The UAE selected a moment when Saudi Arabia faced its weakest Gulf negotiating position in a generation to make the most public possible declaration that the joint Saudi-Emirati posture supporting US Middle East policy for two decades is finished. Riyadh and Abu Dhabi had operated as paired pillars of the security and energy architecture Washington constructed after 2003, with the Abraham Accords formalizing the convergence in 2020. That convergence concluded this week.

The Dubai analyst told The Media Line the timing reflected Abu Dhabi seizing a unique opportunity. Global markets lack reliable supply, the analyst said, and the UAE possesses both spare capacity and infrastructure to deliver it. Adhering to OPEC+ quotas in this specific crisis environment, the analyst said, had become strategically impossible.

Amer Al-Shobaki, an economic researcher specializing in energy affairs, told Al Jazeera the move marks a transition to deeper conflict over oil market leadership, dangerous because it comes from a central Gulf producer with high productive capacity rather than a marginal one.

The Iran war eliminated 7.88 million barrels per day of OPEC production in March, The National reported. OPEC output fell 27% to 20.79 million barrels per day, the largest single-month supply drop for the group in recent decades.

The Strait of Hormuz closure affected Gulf producers unevenly. Saudi Arabia, with the East-West Crude Oil Pipeline running from eastern oil fields to Red Sea terminals, weathered the disruption better than Qatar, whose liquefied natural gas exports have no comparable alternative, or Bahrain, which depends on imports through the channel. The UAE has invested extensively in the Habshan-Fujairah pipeline, routing crude past Hormuz to a Gulf of Oman terminal.

Iran stated Tuesday it has the right to take “necessary and proportionate measures” in the strait, blaming Washington for shipping disruptions.

The Dubai analyst commented the asymmetric Hormuz disruption fundamentally changed the risk-reward calculation of OPEC+ membership for Abu Dhabi. Producers relying entirely on the strait had stopped extraction as their storage filled, while the UAE maintained physical ability to export crude directly to the Gulf of Oman through the Habshan-Fujairah pipeline. Remaining inside OPEC+, the analyst said, effectively meant the UAE was limiting its own unencumbered exports to maintain solidarity with a cartel whose other major members could not physically reach the market. The coordination mechanism, the analyst said, was no longer distributing market burdens fairly and had begun forcing the UAE to “absorb the cost of a geopolitical crisis it possessed the infrastructure to bypass.”

Rettig has monitored the energy logic of the war as it has developed. He told The Media Line that Washington’s temporary lift on Iranian oil sanctions reflected a calculation that the United States was willing to pay short-term market costs to buy time for more decisive action against Iran’s ability to close the strait. The Hormuz closure, the professor added, means the UAE will struggle to export all the oil it can produce, but over the medium-term Abu Dhabi will be able to release more oil onto the market without aligning itself with OPEC quotas.

The same pressure was reshaping other Gulf arrangements that the Iran war had stress-tested. Cartel discipline was one. Qatar’s hosting of Hamas was another.

Qatar’s Adjustment

Israeli political analyst Amit Segal reported earlier this week, citing unnamed sources, that Doha was preparing to end its 20-year hosting of Hamas. Gerd Nonneman, professor of international relations and Gulf studies at Georgetown University in Qatar and editor of the Journal of Arabian Studies, told The Media Line the reporting was not surprising, but its framing missed how the arrangement actually functioned.

“Qatar never considered itself as Hamas’ patron,” Nonneman said. Doha hosted Hamas’ political office and channeled funds to Gaza at Washington and Israel’s request, with Gaza funds moving through Israel itself. The arrangement had been losing utility as mediation efforts stalled. Hamas’ response to Iranian strikes on Qatari territory, Nonneman said, may have proven the tipping point of a policy whose value to Doha had already diminished sharply.

The adjustment extended beyond Hamas to a wider Gulf grievance with Egypt and Al-Azhar. Imad K. Harb of Arab Center Washington DC wrote on April 21 that Gulf intellectuals had publicly criticized Egypt’s reluctance to act more directly supporting the GCC, even after President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi visited Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, and the UAE to condemn Iran’s strikes. Al-Azhar’s institutional condemnation of Iranian attacks did not arrive until March 17, and Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb’s personal statement came on April 7, more than five weeks after strikes began. Skeptics in the Gulf, Harb wrote, were now “asking whether Cairo really has the GCC’s interests at heart.”

The Saudi-Emirati split has extended beyond Yemen and OPEC. February was the turning point. Hesham Alghannam, a Saudi political scientist and nonresident scholar at the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center, made the rivalry visible to Washington in a report identifying the Saudi-UAE rivalry as a central GCC fault line. Despite Riyadh’s historical closeness to Abu Dhabi compared with Doha, Alghannam wrote, the Kingdom viewed the Emirates’ assertive foreign policy with alarm, particularly when Saudi and Emirati positions diverged over access to the Arabian Sea and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, the chokepoint linking the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean. Absent binding GCC mechanisms to manage such divergences, he warned, the council was liable to “drift toward inconsequentiality.” On Al Jazeera Arabic on Monday evening, hours before the OPEC announcement, Alghannam said Gulf states had capacity to absorb prolonged pressure from the Hormuz crisis longer than Iran could.

Nonneman characterized Riyadh’s response to the OPEC departure as restrained, expecting regret rather than substantive retaliation.

Mammadov said the cascade question for Vienna was whether Kuwait or Bahrain among original OPEC members, or Azerbaijan or Kazakhstan among newer OPEC+ participants, would follow the UAE out. Qatar left OPEC in January 2019, during the diplomatic and trade blockade that Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt imposed on Doha from 2017 to 2021. Two Gulf monarchies have now left the cartel during periods of rupture within their own bloc.

The Vienna meeting on Wednesday was the final OPEC gathering in nearly six decades to count the UAE as a member. Russia, the second-largest OPEC+ producer, said Tuesday it would remain in the group and hoped Abu Dhabi’s departure would not unravel the cartel. Saudi Arabia’s options narrowed sharply this week. Riyadh can pressure remaining members to honor agreed production limits and watch Abu Dhabi capture market share, or ease those limits and accept a price collapse.

The Dubai analyst noted that production sovereignty gives Abu Dhabi a diplomatic lever it could not exercise inside the cartel. Outside OPEC+, the UAE can position itself as the sole reliable Gulf supplier during a Hormuz blockade and trade unique export capacity for bilateral security partnerships with major global powers desperate for energy security.

Rettig said the UAE departure forces Saudi Arabia and remaining OPEC members into deeper dependence on Russia, the partnership that has held OPEC+ together since 2016. Moscow’s weight in OPEC+ decisions, he said, will now grow. The shift, Rettig said, means Washington must now coordinate Gulf production diplomacy directly with Abu Dhabi rather than through Saudi Arabia alone, with both governments aligned on keeping the global market well-supplied as the Trump administration manages pressure on Iran and Russia. The UAE, freed from OPEC restrictions, is likely to increase production by roughly 1 million barrels per day, Rettig told The Media Line, “without having to take into account the interests of Saudi Arabia or Russia.”

Israeli military officials confirmed Thursday that a 19-year-old soldier lost his life during combat operations in southern Lebanon when Hezbollah forces launched a deadly drone attack.

The fallen soldier, Sergeant Liam Ben Hamo, served with the Golani Brigade’s Battalion 13 when the fatal strike occurred. A second Israeli Defense Forces member sustained moderate injuries in the same incident and was transported to a medical facility for care.

In a separate attack earlier Thursday, military officials reported that a dozen soldiers were hurt when an explosive drone targeted forces in northern Israel. Two of those injured suffered moderate wounds while ten others received minor injuries.

Military sources revealed that Hezbollah operatives deployed two explosive drones against the 7th Brigade combat team stationed in the Qantara region. While one drone detonated near the troops, Israeli forces successfully intercepted and destroyed the second device.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his condolences, stating: “Together with all the citizens of Israel, my wife and I mourn the fall of Golani fighter Sgt. Liam Ben Hamo, who was killed in combat in southern Lebanon.” Netanyahu emphasized that “Liam fought bravely and courageously against the Hezbollah terrorist organization in order to protect the security of Israel.”

Defense Minister Israel Katz also offered his sympathies, saying: “On behalf of the entire defense establishment, I send heartfelt condolences to his dear family, embrace you in this difficult hour, and wish a speedy recovery to all our heroic soldiers who were wounded.”

According to reports from Walla news, a security official indicated that Katz is weighing potential retaliation measures against Hezbollah while diplomatic discussions between Lebanon and Israel remain active. Israeli Air Force units responded by targeting Hezbollah facilities across southern Lebanon, focusing on communities where drone launches against Israeli personnel and territory originated.

Authorities in Syria and Iraq have successfully broken up an international drug trafficking operation, seizing roughly 1.73 million Captagon pills that were set to be smuggled across international borders to nearby nations.

This collaborative security effort represents a significant example of intelligence sharing between the two countries, according to officials who announced the operation’s success.

Syria’s Interior Ministry media office revealed that the mission stemmed from coordinated intelligence work between agencies in both nations, following extensive surveillance that tracked the criminal organization’s activities and movements both within Syria and in other regions.

Anti-narcotics units conducted coordinated strikes at multiple sites throughout Damascus countryside and Homs province, locations that investigators believe served as drug storage facilities and preparation centers for smuggling operations, the ministry reported.

The raids led to the confiscation of the complete drug shipment and resulted in eight arrests of individuals believed connected to the trafficking ring, including one woman.

Initial findings suggest the disbanded organization operated an international smuggling network using various transportation routes to move drugs between multiple nations, exploiting connected border areas and regions that are challenging to monitor effectively.

Iraq’s Interior Ministry verified its role in the operation through intelligence sharing and coordinated field activities, emphasizing that this partnership was crucial in locating the network’s operations, completely dismantling the organization, and preventing the attempted smuggling of the confiscated drugs.

Law enforcement officials from both nations described the operation as the outcome of extended collaborative efforts, which involved intensive surveillance of the network’s operations and members, plus monitoring their financial backing and distribution channels, allowing for coordinated strikes that ended their criminal activities.

This breakthrough occurs as regional security initiatives intensify their fight against drug trafficking, especially Captagon, which has become increasingly common throughout the region in recent years.

Multiple nations are strengthening security partnerships and information sharing to combat the operations of international criminal networks active in drug trafficking.

Relevant agencies confirmed that coordination between Damascus and Baghdad will continue to investigate any remaining network connections and pursue additional suspects both domestically and internationally, as part of a comprehensive approach focused on eliminating organized smuggling operations and disrupting their supply chains.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is preparing to submit another Supreme Court nomination to lawmakers following an unprecedented rejection of his initial choice, according to two sources familiar with his plans.

The rejection marks a historic first – no Brazilian president has had a high court nominee turned down by Congress in 132 years. The defeat highlights growing political tensions in the capital as the country prepares for October’s general election, where Lula seeks a fourth non-consecutive presidential term.

Opposition lawmakers argue the next president, who takes office in January, should make the appointment instead. This strategy mirrors what happened in the United States when Republican lawmakers blocked President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee before the 2016 election.

“The next nominee to the Supreme Court should be defined after the elections, with legitimacy and new criteria,” Senator Rogerio Marinho, the opposition leader, posted on X.

The stakes are significant. If senators fail to confirm a justice this year, the incoming president could potentially name up to four court members, dramatically shifting the judicial balance. Currently, two of the 11 justices were chosen by former President Jair Bolsonaro, a far-right politician.

Recent polling shows a tight race between Lula and Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, the former president’s son, for this year’s election.

“There is no sense in waiting and risking being unable to make an appointment after the elections,” one source close to Lula explained. “If the Senate chooses not to vote, the responsibility lies with them.”

Wednesday’s setback came when senators rejected Solicitor General Jorge Messias for the position. This follows Lula’s earlier successful appointments of his personal attorney and a cabinet member to the court, despite facing a conservative-majority Congress.

Conservative lawmakers criticized the president for attempting to place another political ally on the high court. Senate President Davi Alcolumbre was particularly upset with the Messias selection, preferring a different candidate for the opening.

Sources indicate Lula now intends to nominate a woman for the vacancy, believing this strategy will make it politically harder for senators to reject his selection during an election period when public attention is heightened.

The Supreme Court currently has just one female justice among its 11 members. Justice Carmen Lucia is set to retire in 2029.

Some presidential advisers question whether Lula should risk another embarrassing congressional defeat.

Senator Randolfe Rodrigues, the government’s congressional leader, said appointment decisions rest solely with the president.

“But I believe that the president should exercise his authority to submit a nominee, whether a man or a woman,” he stated.

Two teenagers lost their lives when a Ukrainian drone struck their motorcycle in Russia’s Belgorod region along the southern border, according to regional authorities who announced the incident Friday morning.

Regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov confirmed the fatalities through a post on the Telegram messaging platform in the early hours of Friday.

The Belgorod region has repeatedly come under fire from Ukrainian forces throughout the conflict, making it a common site for cross-border attacks.

IRBIL, Iraq (AP) — Turkey has effectively put peace negotiations with Kurdish militants on hold, according to a senior commander who spoke out Thursday about the stalled diplomatic efforts.

The militant leader, along with another official from his organization, claims Turkey’s government has not followed through on necessary legal and political changes required to advance the peace process. These accusations contradict recent positive remarks made by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan about the negotiations.

In an interview with the PKK-affiliated ANF news service, Murat Karayilan, who helped establish the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and serves as one of its top commanders, stated his organization has made significant commitments to the peace efforts, including implementing a ceasefire and ending military operations.

“The process is currently frozen. That’s what we’ve been able to see and what has been reported to us,” ANF quoted Karayilan as stating. “We, as a movement, have fulfilled our responsibilities at this stage. It is clear that we have done everything necessary for the government to take action.”

Turkish officials have not yet responded to Karayilan’s statements.

In the previous year, the PKK announced it would surrender weapons and dissolve following instructions from its jailed leader, Abdullah Ocalan. The organization conducted a ceremonial weapon surrender in northern Iraq and subsequently moved fighters from strategic Turkish positions back to Iraq.

A Turkish legislative committee proposed various reforms this year to support the peace initiative, including allowing former PKK members who reject violence to rejoin society. However, the committee emphasized that legal measures should depend on security agencies confirming the group has given up its arsenal.

According to Karayilan, Turkish government and ruling party representatives had designated April as when parliament would receive legislation to move the process forward. That timeframe has elapsed without any proposed law being submitted.

He criticized Turkey’s government for not implementing fundamental measures the committee suggested, such as freeing imprisoned opposition leaders and activists.

Ocalan continues to be incarcerated. Karayilan explained that the PKK’s 12th Congress decision to cease fighting and disband was conditional on Ocalan directly overseeing the disarmament process, which means the group’s internal authorization cannot proceed while their leader stays imprisoned.

Zagros Hiwa, who speaks for the Kurdistan Communities Union, a political group connected to the PKK, told The Associated Press separately that his organization had implemented multiple measures following Ocalan’s instructions. However, Hiwa noted that Turkish military forces remain active in northern Iraq, government-appointed officials still hold positions meant for elected Kurdish mayors in Turkey, and thousands of Kurdish and Turkish political detainees remain behind bars.

“The Turkish state has taken no legal and political steps towards peace and has been continuing war-time policies under new rhetoric,” he stated, noting that Ocalan remains in isolation on Imrali island near Istanbul, where he has been held since his 1999 capture.

Hiwa claimed Turkey’s government is “instrumentalizing” the negotiations to strengthen the ruling party’s control and improve its electoral prospects, rather than pursuing genuine resolution.

“What happens next totally depends on the attitudes of the Turkish state,” Hiwa stated, warning the deadlock could have “precarious implications.”

The PKK officials’ claims that peace efforts have reached an impasse conflict with Erdogan’s recent remarks to his party’s lawmakers, where he described the peace efforts as progressing positively.

“The process is proceeding as it should,” Erdogan stated. “Those who write pessimistic scenarios about the process are acting entirely on their delusions, not on facts.

Since 1984, the PKK has conducted an armed rebellion that has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and extended into neighboring Iraq and Syria. Turkey, the United States, and the European Union classify it as a terrorist organization.

The organization originally pursued an independent Kurdish nation but later modified its goals to seek autonomy and greater rights within Turkey.

WAKISO, Uganda — A court in Uganda has condemned a man to death for the brutal slaying of four young children at a nursery school facility this past April.

Christopher Okello, 38, received the capital punishment sentence on Thursday after a judge dismissed his mental illness defense regarding the horrific incident that shocked the East African nation on April 2nd.

Spectators gathered under a large tent burst into applause when the magistrate declared that Okello must “suffer death” for his crimes.

According to the court, the defendant “failed to adduce any evidence to support this claim that he was not mentally okay” during the commission of the violent acts.

Authorities say Okello carried out a machete assault on the children at the educational facility located in a Kampala suburb. The nursery school, called the Gaba Early Childhood Development Program, became the scene of tragedy when the attacker allegedly posed as a parent to gain access.

According to eyewitness accounts, the perpetrator spoke briefly with school staff before securing the entrance gate and launching his attack on the young victims.

Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni directed the judicial system to expedite the criminal proceedings using “mobile courts” — outdoor hearings that enabled hundreds of grieving community members and other observers to watch the legal process unfold.

However, questions arose regarding the accused man’s psychological state throughout the proceedings. Observers noted his anxious behavior and instances of unprompted laughter during the trial. The Uganda Law Society criticized the proceedings as “a judicial lynching rally.”

Court officials justified their decision to hold a rapid and highly visible trial, stating it demonstrated their “commitment to taking justice closer to the people through innovative approaches.”

While Uganda maintains capital punishment, executions are seldom performed in the nation. Numerous individuals facing death sentences have remained incarcerated for extended periods.

CAIRO (AP) — Tragedy struck in Mediterranean waters when a vessel transporting 33 Sudanese migrants overturned near Tobruk, Libya, resulting in 17 confirmed fatalities and nine individuals still unaccounted for, United Nations officials reported Thursday.

Just seven passengers managed to survive the maritime disaster, according to the U.N. refugee agency’s announcement on X.

The exact timing of when the vessel overturned remains unknown.

According to the U.N. International Organization for Migration (IOM), rescue teams found survivors who had been floating at sea for multiple days, with some migrants perishing from starvation and dehydration.

The vessel had departed from Tobruk with Greece as its destination when it overturned approximately 100 kilometers (60 miles) northwest of the coastal city, IOM reported. Recovery efforts involved Libya’s naval forces, coast guard units, and Red Crescent personnel.

Thursday social media posts from the Libyan Red Crescent included images of the rescue mission, showing personnel handling multiple bodies placed in black bags.

The health status of those who survived has not been disclosed.

Libya continues serving as a primary departure point for migrants escaping conflict and economic hardship across Africa and the Middle East. The nation descended into turmoil following the 2011 rebellion that resulted in longtime ruler Moammar Gadhafi’s death.

Just weeks ago, over 80 migrants disappeared when their boat sank in central Mediterranean waters after leaving Libya’s coastline.

IOM reported in early April that 2026 marked the most lethal beginning to any year for Mediterranean crossings since 2014. The Central Mediterranean region alone recorded 765 deaths, representing approximately 150% more fatalities than the corresponding timeframe in the previous year.

IOM Director General Amy Pope recently told The Associated Press that the organization is documenting increasing numbers of migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Sudan attempting Mediterranean crossings.

Israeli naval forces stopped and seized control of aid ships attempting to reach Gaza, confronting the vessels in international waters near Crete on April 30, 2026.

The ships belonged to the “Global Sumud” flotilla, which organizers described as a humanitarian mission aimed at delivering aid while challenging Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza. Israeli forces boarded multiple vessels hundreds of miles from their destination and redirected them toward Israeli ports.

According to Israeli Army Radio, the navy had begun taking command of the Gaza-bound aid ships. The operation took place in international waters close to Greece, where several boats were commandeered and their occupants detained.

Organizers of the flotilla condemned the Israeli action, characterizing it as “piracy” and an “unlawful seizure” conducted on international waters.

The Global Solidarity Foundation posted on Instagram: “Our boats were approached by military speedboats, self-identified as ‘Israel,’ pointing lasers and semi-automatic assault weapons, ordering participants to the front of the boats and to get on their hands and knees. Boat communications are being jammed, and an SOS was issued.”

Defense Minister Israel Katz defended the seizure as legally justified, referencing Israel’s Counterterrorism Law that allows action against vessels and assets designated for terrorist activities. Katz stated that the Global Sumud flotilla “violates UN Resolution 2803, which stipulated that aid to Gaza should enter through accepted official channels.”

The defense ministry dismissed the mission as publicity-seeking rather than genuine humanitarian work. “Like previous provocations, this is nothing but a PR stunt: a provocation without humanitarian aid,” the ministry stated. “As international media have exposed, these are professional provocateurs on pleasure cruises, addicted to self-promotion.”

This incident mirrors a comparable but smaller maritime operation that occurred in 2025, when Israeli forces similarly intercepted vessels attempting to break the Gaza blockade.

BAGHDAD — President Donald Trump reached out by phone Thursday to Iraq’s newly chosen prime minister-designate, offering him an invitation to the White House once he successfully establishes his government, according to a statement from the Iraqi prime minister’s office.

Following the conversation, Trump took to his Truth Social platform to congratulate Ali al-Zaidi and express hopes for his “success as he works to form a new Government free from terrorism that could deliver a brighter future for Iraq.”

“We look forward to a strong, vibrant, and highly productive new relationship between Iraq and the United States,” the post said. “This is the beginning of a tremendous new chapter between our Nations — Prosperity, Stability, and Success like never seen before.”

The telephone conversation and social media message indicate Washington’s approval of al-Zaidi, a business executive with no prior political experience, following Trump’s earlier rejection of another contender for the position.

Iraq’s leading parliamentary group, known as the Coordination Framework — a Shiite party alliance with ties to Iran — selected al-Zaidi for the prime minister role Monday after extensive internal discussions among coalition members.

The alliance had initially indicated support for former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, whom the U.S. considers too closely aligned with Iran. Trump openly opposed al-Maliki’s candidacy and warned of potential aid cuts to Iraq if he received the appointment.

Despite al-Maliki’s resistance to Trump’s interference, the parliamentary bloc ultimately chose a different candidate as a compromise.

Al-Zaidi, who serves as chairman of Al-Janoob Islamic Bank, gained momentum in the final selection rounds due to his financial expertise and business connections. He has never served in government before.

In 2024, Al-Janoob was among several banks prohibited by Iraq’s central bank from conducting dollar transactions as the U.S. pressured Iraq to combat money laundering and fund transfers to Iran. Neither the bank nor al-Zaidi face U.S. sanctions.

After receiving the nomination, al-Zaidi pledged to work toward making Iraq “a balanced country, regionally and internationally.”

“This appointment comes at a sensitive time that requires concerted efforts from all political and social forces,” he said.

Constitutional rules give the designated prime minister 30 days to submit a Cabinet proposal to parliament, which needs 167 votes for approval.

The incoming government will face challenges from the Iran conflict’s political and economic consequences, which have affected Iraq, while Strait of Hormuz closures have disrupted the oil exports that drive Iraq’s economy.

WASHINGTON — The United States government has levied financial sanctions against Joseph Kabila, the former leader of the Democratic Republic of Congo, accusing him of backing armed rebel factions attempting to destabilize his nation’s current government.

Federal officials from the Treasury and State departments revealed Thursday they have frozen any U.S.-based assets belonging to Kabila, who led Congo from 2001 through 2019. The sanctions also block any financial transactions involving the former president that pass through American banking systems.

According to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Kabila has been providing assistance to the M23 and Congo River Alliance militant organizations, both backed by Rwanda and working to overthrow Congo’s existing leadership.

The action comes amid efforts to preserve a U.S.-brokered peace agreement between Congo and Rwanda established last year to resolve the persistent violence in eastern Congo. While President Trump frequently highlights his role in negotiating that deal, the accord has faced significant challenges due to repeated ceasefire violations.

“President Trump is paving the way for peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and he has been clear that those who continue to sow instability will be held accountable,” Bessent said. “Treasury will continue to use its full range of tools to support the integrity of the Washington Accords.”

State Department officials released their own statement declaring: “The United States stands with the Congolese people and calls on all regional leaders to reject those who perpetuate violence and instability. Today’s action sends a clear message: we will hold accountable anyone who obstructs peace efforts in the DRC.”

During a field visit to southern Lebanon, Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir announced that military operations will continue despite successfully completing objectives established by the nation’s political leadership, particularly stopping direct attacks on northern Israeli communities.

“The mission assigned by the political leadership to prevent direct fire on the communities – has been achieved,” Zamir stated. “Everything the political leadership defined for us regarding the current campaign in Iran and Lebanon we achieved and even beyond. And with this we created the operational conditions for the processes now being led by the political leadership.”

The military commander emphasized that combat activities remain ongoing. “On the combat front there is no ceasefire – you continue to fight and remove direct and indirect threats from the communities of the north,” he added.

In a related incident on Wednesday, air raid sirens sounded in Zar’it in the Western Galilee region due to hostile aircraft infiltration warnings. Military officials confirmed they are investigating the circumstances.

Israeli forces have intensified their campaign against Hezbollah positions over recent days. Military officials confirmed that over 30 Hezbollah weapons storage facilities, command centers, and infrastructure locations were targeted in southern Lebanon during the past 48 hours. Morning operations saw the Air Force working alongside the 91st Division’s fire brigade to strike approximately 20 Hezbollah infrastructure positions.

The Hezbollah-linked Lebanese Al-Mayadeen television network documented attacks in the southern Lebanese villages of Zibqine and Qabrikha, and reported what they called a “significant explosion” in Bint Jbeil.

Two earlier incidents involved Hezbollah launching multiple explosive drones that exploded near Israeli military personnel in southern Lebanon, though military spokespersons confirmed no injuries occurred. Israeli forces also eliminated a rocket launcher that had been positioned within a civilian structure in southern Lebanon.

Italy’s Jewish community is raising alarm about escalating hostility following confrontations during the country’s Liberation Day commemorations in April that saw Jewish participants expelled from a historic anti-fascist march in Milan.

The annual April 25th celebration, which honors Italy’s liberation from Nazi-fascist rule, began traditionally with partisan songs and flags. However, tensions erupted when the Jewish Brigade contingent joined the procession alongside other Jewish organizations and dialogue groups.

Demonstrators hurled insults at the Jewish participants, shouting “assassins,” “genocidal pigs,” and “you should have been soap” – a reference to Holocaust imagery. The confrontation escalated from verbal attacks toward physical threats before police stepped in and removed the Jewish Brigade from the march for safety reasons.

The situation in Milan was further complicated by a separate incident in Rome, where authorities arrested 21-year-old Eitan Bondì in connection with shooting two members of the National Association for Italian Partisans (ANPI) near Parco Schuster during Liberation Day activities. Italian media reports indicate Bondì, described as belonging to Rome’s Jewish community, allegedly confessed to firing an air gun at the victims.

The two injured individuals, Rossana Gabrieli and Nicola Fasciano, suffered non-life-threatening wounds to their neck, face, and shoulder areas. Police tracked down the suspect using surveillance footage and a white scooter’s license plate. A search of Bondì’s residence reportedly uncovered knives, ammunition, air guns, and Israeli flags, though investigators have not yet located the weapon used in the attack.

Rome’s Jewish community president Victor Fadlun expressed the community’s “dismay and indignation” over the arrest, emphasizing that the community “condemns and distances itself without reservation from any form of antidemocratic violence.” Fadlun urged political leaders and civil society to avoid exploiting the incident in ways that could promote hatred and trigger additional violence.

The Jewish Brigade organization denied any association with Bondì, stating they had no knowledge of him and no member with that name. They warned that connecting the Brigade’s name to the attack would dishonor those who served under its banner. Other Jewish organizations throughout Italy also condemned the violence and distanced themselves from the incident.

Some Jewish community members expressed concern that the focus on Bondì’s alleged actions was being used to deflect attention from the antisemitic hostility faced by Jewish participants during Liberation Day events and to shift discussions about antisemitism toward questions of Jewish accountability.

The historical significance of excluding the Jewish Brigade from the Milan march has not been lost on observers. The Brigade was established in 1944 as part of the British Army, composed of Jewish volunteers from Mandatory Palestine who fought alongside Allied and partisan forces in Italy’s liberation during World War II’s final phase. Brigade members are interred in Italian military cemeteries, and the group has traditionally participated in Liberation Day ceremonies.

Carlo Riva, who leads the Italian Federation for Progressive Judaism, characterized the events as marking a significant shift in public sentiment. “What happened on April 25 is not just another episode of tension. It marks a turning point. What we are witnessing is a shift from political criticism of Israel to something broader—a generalized aversion toward anything perceived as Jewish. That is a different phenomenon, and a much more concerning one,” Riva explained.

He noted that the hostility is no longer limited to extremist groups. “What struck us most was not only the hostility itself, but who was expressing it. This is no longer confined to radical fringes or organized groups. It has extended into wider segments of society—people who would normally be perceived as moderate,” Riva observed.

The symbolic contradiction troubled Riva, whose father fought as a partisan in the Resistance. “We are talking about a march that commemorates the liberation of Italy from Nazi fascism. The Jewish Brigade fought in that liberation. To see Jews effectively pushed out of that space is something that is both symbolically and historically contradictory,” he stated.

Walker Meghnagi, president of Milan’s Jewish community, directly criticized ANPI for creating conditions that allowed antisemitic hostility to flourish. He described the episode as “a very bad day” and blamed organizers for enabling the confrontational atmosphere. Reports indicate the Jewish Brigade was blocked from marching for over two hours before being removed for security purposes.

ANPI rejected antisemitism accusations, instead attributing the breakdown to tensions related to some Jewish Brigade participants’ conduct and certain symbols they displayed. The organization’s leadership maintained the incident should be viewed within the context of heightened polarization surrounding the Gaza conflict, while reaffirming their commitment to antifascist principles and inclusivity.

Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala suggested tensions had been anticipated but that the presence of Israeli flags was unexpected, implying their display may have contributed to the escalation. Participants disputed this interpretation, pointing to the regular presence of other political symbols, including Palestinian flags, at such events.

Data from the Center of Contemporary Jewish Documentation’s Observatory on Antisemitism reveals a sharp increase in antisemitic incidents across Italy in 2024, including vandalism, harassment, and physical attacks. In Milan, weekly cases jumped from approximately 30 before October 7 to peaks of 80 to 90.

Alex Zarfati, an adviser to Rome’s Jewish community, described rapid changes in Jewish life since October 7. “From October 7 onwards, we witnessed a very rapid closure of the spaces of Jewish life in Italy. Activities that were once normal—open, shared with civil society—have become increasingly difficult,” Zarfati said.

“Living a full Jewish life today is no longer possible in the same way as it was even a few years ago,” he continued, explaining that the concern extends beyond isolated incidents to broader environmental changes. “There are events that are no longer organized, invitations that do not arrive, and collaborations that become more difficult. What has changed is not only the level of hostility, but the level of normal interaction.”

Zarfati noted generational differences in perception, citing a gap between older leaders shaped by awareness of Jewish history and European responsibility, and younger people exposed primarily to single narratives. He also pointed to the media environment’s role, arguing that constant exposure to certain narratives makes it difficult for people to distinguish between information and propaganda.

In Bologna, Carmen Dal Monte, president of the Jewish Reform Community, identified what she called “institutional antisemitism.” “What we are seeing is a form of antisemitism expressed through institutional behavior—through choices, silences, and symbols. It is less explicit, but precisely for that reason more pervasive,” she explained.

Dal Monte organized an alternative civic demonstration on April 23, bringing together Israeli flags alongside Iranian anti-regime, Ukrainian, and Venezuelan flags. “The question was whether we are still capable of recognizing resistance when it is expressed by others, under different flags. Different communities share the same necessity—to resist to exist,” she stated.

The events in Milan and Rome suggest that April 25th, traditionally a shared civic reference point where different resistance movements converge, is no longer neutral territory. Jewish institutions remain under constant security protection, and some Israelis have begun avoiding public identification due to hostile reactions or fear of negative responses.

Community leaders view these developments not as isolated incidents but as part of a broader transformation redefining how Jewish identity is perceived and expressed in Italian society. The boundary between political expression and social exclusion appears increasingly unstable, making the civic space more difficult to reconstruct once that line shifts.

Video testimonies made public by Syria’s Interior Ministry show former air force pilots from the previous regime admitting they carried out bombing campaigns under direct orders from the highest levels of government, including the former president and defense ministry.

The recorded statements demonstrate that air attacks were not random acts but part of a systematic approach where target coordinates and strike zones were transmitted directly from air force headquarters, working closely with the defense minister and former president’s office.

These accounts show how air operations intensified over time during the war. Initially, helicopter attacks were the primary method, but by 2013, fighter aircraft entered the conflict, dramatically expanding both the number of strikes and their geographic reach.

A former senior pilot revealed that leadership placed special confidence in certain officers, assigning them to carry out heavy bombing campaigns, especially targeting the Eastern and Western Ghouta areas, which experienced some of the war’s most devastating military actions.

The statements expose a structured approach to managing air attacks. Flight crews received precise target coordinates before missions, with exact identification of strike locations. Some pilots also disclosed receiving monetary compensation for completing bombing runs, showing financial incentives were tied to these military operations.

Most attacks originated from key military airfields, particularly Al-Dumayr Military Airport near Damascus, along with al-Sin and Khalkhala bases. All operations followed centralized coordination between air force leadership and top military command.

The confessions include acknowledgments of striking civilian locations, including Douma’s marketplace, which faced intense bombardment using powerful vacuum missiles that caused massive casualties. Pilots also confirmed attacking the town of Deir al-Asafir in Eastern Ghouta during what they described as some of the most lethal operations.

Regarding targeted operations, one aviator admitted participating in the 2015 airstrike that killed Jaysh al-Islam leader Zahran Alloush, demonstrating the sophisticated intelligence and military planning behind certain attacks.

These revelations emerge as Syria pursues legal and security measures against individuals connected to the former government. Officials have announced arrests of multiple pilots and officers involved in bombing campaigns, including those facing international sanctions.

Legal experts suggest these testimonies could serve as crucial evidence in future accountability proceedings, both domestically and internationally, especially given ongoing accusations about using air power against civilian populations during the war.

If confirmed authentic, these confessions offer clearer insight into how air military operations functioned throughout the Syrian war. They underscore the centralized nature of military decision-making and political leadership’s role in directing strikes, potentially reigniting discussions about individual and institutional accountability in the conflict.

From the Syrian conflict’s start in 2011, air power became one of the most deadly weapons of war, especially in regions beyond government authority, where forces depended heavily on aerial bombardment, including barrel bombs and high-explosive missiles. United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights data shows the Syrian war resulted in at least 306,887 civilian deaths by 2022, averaging roughly 84 civilian fatalities daily during the conflict’s early period.

While pinpointing exact responsibility for individual airstrikes remains challenging, numerous human rights investigations conclude that Syrian government forces and their allies caused the largest portion of civilian deaths. The Syrian Network for Human Rights reports more than 200,000 civilians killed by regime forces since the conflict began, the highest number among all warring parties.

These statistics show aerial bombardment was a leading factor in this devastating toll, particularly from 2012 to 2018, which marked peak usage of both warplanes and helicopters against populated areas. Cities including Aleppo, Eastern Ghouta and Idlib became sites of intensive bombing targeting residential districts, markets, and essential infrastructure, causing massive casualties and widespread displacement.

Field documentation by humanitarian groups, including the Syrian Civil Defense, verifies that tens of thousands of civilians died or suffered injuries from air attacks. Rescue workers extracted more than 125,000 people from debris during the war years, showing the scope and severity of the bombardment.

Annual documentation also records that bombing was not an isolated occurrence but a consistent practice. In 2022 alone, hundreds of civilians were documented as killed by regime forces, despite reduced operational pace compared to peak years, demonstrating continued dependence on air power even in the conflict’s later phases.

Human rights analysis shows that deploying warplanes in populated areas, particularly with weapons having extensive destructive capability, directly contributed to rising civilian casualties and led to repeated accusations of grave violations of international humanitarian law, including disproportionate or indiscriminate attacks.

While various sources provide different casualty estimates, the shared conclusion remains that aerial bombardment was among the primary causes of civilian deaths in Syria and that its impact went beyond human losses to include infrastructure destruction and creation of one of the contemporary world’s largest humanitarian crises.

The United Arab Emirates has declared its intention to depart from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and the broader OPEC+ coalition, with the exit scheduled for May 1, 2026. Officials say the departure represents a strategic shift toward greater production independence and enhanced domestic energy investment.

The Gulf nation revealed its plans through the government-operated WAM news service, explaining that the choice came after an extensive evaluation of the country’s energy policies. UAE leaders described the departure as a “policy-driven evolution” designed to provide more freedom in establishing output levels and adapting to worldwide market conditions.

“This decision reflects the UAE’s long-term strategic and economic vision and evolving energy profile, including accelerated investment in domestic energy production, and reinforces its commitment to a responsible, reliable, and forward-looking role in global energy markets,” the UAE said.

The new strategy will enable the UAE to incrementally boost petroleum production, breaking away from current OPEC+ output restrictions. This approach is anticipated to bolster the growth of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) as it expands its operations as a comprehensive global energy enterprise.

This departure represents a substantial shift in the UAE’s position within the oil-producing organization and is seen as a considerable blow to the OPEC+ partnership, which has managed production volumes to impact international petroleum prices. The announcement arrives while member nations engage in ongoing conversations about preserving unity despite external political pressures.

UAE representatives indicated that this transition demonstrates the nation’s requirement for increased operational flexibility as it expands production capabilities and works to broaden its economic base.

The declaration also emerges during escalating disagreements between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, especially concerning economic strategies and the continuing conflict in Yemen involving Iranian-supported Houthi forces.

The UAE’s departure will conclude its decades-long participation in OPEC and reshape its position in international energy markets as it pursues an independent production approach beyond the organization’s collaborative structure.

A knife attack in a London neighborhood home to thousands of Jewish residents left two people wounded Wednesday, according to local authorities and community groups who say the attacker specifically sought out Jewish victims.

The incident unfolded in Golders Green, a northern London community where roughly half of the 15,000 residents are Jewish based on 2021 census figures. A local Jewish patrol organization called Shomrim reported capturing a male attacker who was “attempting to stab Jewish members of the public.”

Emergency responders from Hatzolah, a volunteer medical service, treated the two wounded victims at the scene. London police later arrived and used a taser to subdue the suspect before making an arrest, according to the patrol group’s account.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke about the violence during parliamentary proceedings, describing it as “deeply concerning.” He told lawmakers that officials were reviewing what happened and stressed the government’s commitment to be “absolutely clear in our determination to deal with any of these offences, the likes of which we’ve seen too much recently.”

The Golders Green area features numerous synagogues along with dozens of Jewish educational institutions and restaurants serving the community.

This latest violence adds to a string of anti-Jewish incidents across the United Kingdom. Recent weeks have seen arson attacks damaging multiple Hatzolah emergency vehicles, various assaults on synagogue buildings, and another attempted arson reported in the same area just Monday.

Police continue investigating the circumstances surrounding Wednesday’s attack.

SAO PAULO — Brazilian lawmakers voted Thursday to slash the prison sentence of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who was serving a 27-year term for orchestrating a failed coup attempt.

The legislative action could potentially cut Bolsonaro’s incarceration time by approximately two decades, though political experts note the exact reduction remains uncertain. Bolsonaro, who started his sentence in November and is currently confined to house arrest, may see significant relief from the congressional decision.

The measure faced strong opposition from current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who blocked the proposal in December. However, lawmakers successfully overturned Lula’s veto during Thursday’s session, with multiple opposition representatives referencing the upcoming October elections during debate.

Political tensions remain high as Lula seeks another presidential term, facing fierce competition from Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, the former president’s son, who has emerged as a leading challenger.

The congressional legislation broadly reduces sentences for various offenses, particularly those involving attacks on democratic institutions and coup-related activities.

Other Bolsonaro allies who received similar convictions for comparable charges may also see their sentences reduced under the new law.

Legal analysts expect the decision will face immediate challenges before Brazil’s highest court.

Thousands of workers flooded the streets of Buenos Aires on Thursday during May Day celebrations, voicing their opposition to President Javier Milei’s sweeping changes to Argentina’s worker protection laws.

Argentina’s biggest labor organization, the General Confederation of Labor (CGT), organized the demonstration to “defend decent employment” in response to Milei’s modifications to employment regulations that had provided extensive worker safeguards since 1974. While these protections benefited employees, they also created expensive operational costs for businesses that deterred international investment.

For years, previous Argentine leaders attempted to make the job market more business-friendly but were unsuccessful due to strong opposition from the country’s influential labor organizations. However, Milei successfully enacted his employment law changes in February despite ongoing demonstrations and a countrywide work stoppage, marking a significant win for his market-oriented policies.

Opposition groups continue pursuing legal challenges questioning whether the new law violates Argentina’s constitution. Labor representatives plan to submit additional legal documents after a judge recently reversed a temporary order that had halted the law’s enforcement following union requests. The matter is anticipated to reach the nation’s highest court.

These employment reforms have particularly upset citizens in a country where labor unions helped establish the left-wing Peronist political movement that has influenced Argentine politics since the 1940s. The changes also come as Milei’s primary goal of stopping inflation has stagnated while joblessness rates have risen.

“Social discontent is being felt everywhere, and not only due to the drop in consumption,” said Jorge Sola, a CGT leader, speaking to local media before Thursday’s demonstration. “It is due to family debt, job losses and worse working conditions than what we had before.”

The updated legislation permits businesses to extend daily work schedules from eight hours to twelve hours, lengthen trial employment periods, and terminate employees with greater ease.

The new rules also restrict workers’ ability to go on strike and reduce judges’ flexibility in determining compensation payments. Supporters argue the previous system trapped employers in expensive legal battles and discouraged official hiring practices. Currently, nearly half of Argentina’s workforce operates without formal employment contracts.

SAO PAULO, April 30 – Brazilian lawmakers delivered a crushing blow to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Thursday when they successfully voted to override his veto of legislation that dramatically slashes former President Jair Bolsonaro’s prison sentence for attempting a coup following his 2022 election loss.

The congressional action reduces Bolsonaro’s 27-year sentence to slightly more than two years, representing another significant political setback for the leftist president’s legislative agenda. This marks Lula’s second major congressional defeat this week, following Wednesday’s Senate rejection of his Supreme Court nominee Jorge Messias – the first time in over a century that lawmakers have blocked a president’s high court selection.

The legislation, which lawmakers initially passed in December, also reduces penalties for individuals convicted in connection with the January 2023 attack when Bolsonaro’s supporters stormed and vandalized Brazil’s presidential palace, Supreme Court building, and congressional chambers.

Lula had rejected the measure in January, maintaining that substantial evidence supported the convictions of Bolsonaro and others involved in the coup attempt.

The 71-year-old Bolsonaro started serving his sentence in November and was initially held in prison before being transferred to what officials call “humanitarian house arrest” due to medical issues.

The former president has undergone multiple surgical procedures following a 2018 stabbing incident during a campaign rally and was hospitalized for several weeks in March while battling severe pneumonia.

Former President Donald Trump offered his congratulations Thursday to Ali al-Zaidi after the Iraqi politician was selected as the nominee for the country’s next prime minister position.

The Coordination Framework, which represents Iraq’s Shiite political coalition, announced Monday that they had chosen Zaidi as their candidate for the leadership role, according to a statement from the alliance.

In a message posted to his Truth Social platform, Trump expressed his hopes for Zaidi’s success in the position.

“We wish him success as he works to form a new Government free from terrorism that could deliver a brighter future for Iraq,” Trump wrote in his social media post.

“We look forward to a strong, vibrant, and highly productive new relationship between Iraq and the United States.”

The endorsement comes months after Trump issued warnings in January that the United States would pull its backing from Iraq if former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki received the appointment to lead a new cabinet.

MILAN (AP) — Days before the world’s most prestigious contemporary art exhibition was set to open, the entire international jury for the Venice Biennale stepped down Thursday amid controversy over Russia’s participation in the event.

The arts organization announced that jury president Solange Farkas along with members Zoe Butt, Elvira Dyangani Ose, Marta Kuzma, and Giovanna Zapperi had all resigned, though officials provided no official explanation for the unprecedented decision.

The resignations occurred after Italian Cultural Ministry representatives visited the Biennale on Wednesday to investigate the reopening of Russia’s pavilion. Italy’s leadership has publicly criticized the exhibition’s choice to welcome Russian participation.

Originally, the jury was scheduled to announce winners of the coveted Golden Lion award and other honors when the exhibition officially launches May 9. With the jury’s departure, organizers announced that attendees will now vote for two recognition categories: Best Participant in the 61st curated Exhibition “In Minor Keys” and Best National Participation among the 100 country pavilions. Winners will be revealed on the final day, November 22.

When questioned about the resignations, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni restated her administration’s disagreement with allowing Russian involvement while recognizing the Biennale’s independence. She indicated uncertainty about whether the resignations were linked to her Culture Ministry’s inspection decision.

Cabinet Minister Matteo Salvini praised the shift to public voting, calling it “a great idea” by Biennale leadership. “So it will be an autonomous and democratic Biennale,” he said. “It doesn’t get any better than that.”

Last week, the European Union reduced its financial support to the Venice Biennale by 2 million euros ($2.3 million) due to Russia’s return to the exhibition for the first time since Moscow’s 2022 Ukraine invasion.

Russian artists pulled out of the 2022 event, and Russia didn’t mount an exhibition in 2024 for its permanent pavilion space, instead lending it to Bolivia. Russia’s last participation in the International Art Exhibition occurred in 2019.

In a statement, the Biennale explained it “does not have the authority to prevent a country from participating. Any country recognized by the Italian Republic may request to participate.”

Because Russia owns its pavilion constructed in 1914 within the historic Giardini grounds, it needed only to notify organizers of its intention to participate, according to Biennale officials.

“La Biennale di Venezia rejects any form of exclusion or censorship of culture and art. The Biennale, like the city of Venice, continues to be a place of dialogue, openness and artistic freedom, encouraging connections between peoples and cultures, with the constant hope for an end to conflicts and suffering,” the organization stated.

The Venice Biennale contemporary art showcase stands as the globe’s oldest and most significant exhibition of its kind, featuring a central exhibition alongside individual country pavilions that participating nations curate independently.

Historically, the Biennale has resisted external pressure to ban countries from participating, including previous calls to exclude Iran and Israel.

KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Thursday that his administration is working to gather more information about a temporary halt in fighting that Russia’s Vladimir Putin suggested to President Donald Trump.

Putin floated the idea of pausing combat on May 9 — a date that marks Russia’s Victory Day celebration — during a telephone conversation with Trump earlier this week, the Kremlin confirmed.

“We have instructed our representatives to contact the United States president’s team and clarify the details of the Russian proposal for a short-term ceasefire,” Zelenskyy said.

The diplomatic developments came as violence continued on both sides, with Russian strikes overnight claiming one life in Dnipro and injuring dozens in the port city of Odesa. Ukraine maintained its own offensive operations, targeting Russian industrial sites for the second consecutive day.

A vessel that sparked tensions between Israel and Ukraine left Israeli waters Thursday without offloading what Ukrainian officials claimed was grain stolen from occupied Ukrainian territories.

Yuri Ushakov, an advisor to Putin, confirmed that the Russian leader had brought up a potential ceasefire during the May 9 holiday — when Russia commemorates its World War II victory over Nazi Germany — in Wednesday’s call with Trump.

However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov indicated Thursday that no final arrangements have been established, emphasizing that Putin would determine any specific conditions.

“For now, no concrete decision has been made,” Peskov stated.

Zelenskyy indicated Ukraine favors a more extended pause in hostilities. “We will find out exactly what is being discussed, whether it’s a few hours of security for a parade in Moscow or something more,” he wrote on Telegram.

The controversial grain ship had been stationed near Haifa port for multiple days before departing Thursday morning, according to MarineTraffic.com vessel tracking data.

The Israel Grain Importers Association reported that the nation’s primary grain importing business turned down the shipment due to the delicate circumstances involving Ukraine, Israeli news outlets said. “The Russian supplier of the wheat cargo will be forced to find another destination to unload the cargo,” the association stated.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha praised the outcome.

“This demonstrates that Ukraine’s legal and diplomatic actions have been effective,” he wrote on X.

Zelenskyy had warned of potential sanctions against Israel earlier this week if the ship was allowed to unload. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar announced that the country’s tax authorities had launched an inquiry into the vessel.

In Dnipro, drone strikes resulted in one death and five injuries, according to Dnipropetrovsk regional leader Oleksandr Hanzha, who reported damage to a store, residential structure and vehicles.

Odesa region chief Oleh Kiper said Russian forces conducted multiple waves of drone assaults on homes and civilian infrastructure overnight, injuring 20 people.

Kiper noted that while Ukrainian air defense systems intercepted many incoming threats, successful hits and debris from destroyed drones damaged apartment buildings, a hotel, a kindergarten and a government facility. The attacks also sparked fires in several areas that were subsequently extinguished.

Ukraine’s Security Service, known as the SBU, conducted strikes in Russia’s Perm region in the Ural Mountains for the second straight day, a security source revealed.

The source, speaking anonymously due to lack of authorization for public comment, said the drone assault disrupted operations at the Lukoil-Permnefteorgsintez refinery, situated more than 1,500 kilometers from Ukraine.

Regional Governor Dmitry Makhonin confirmed an industrial site was struck but reported no casualties or major damage, declining to elaborate further.

In a separate incident, Krasnodar regional governor Veniamin Kondtratyev announced online that firefighters had extinguished a blaze caused by a Ukrainian drone attack on a Russian oil facility in the Black Sea port of Tuapse after it burned for nearly two days, with petroleum products spilling onto city streets.

Ukraine’s Navy reported striking two Russian ships in the Kerch Strait using maritime drones in overnight operations leading into Thursday.

The naval forces said the attacks damaged a Russian patrol vessel called “Sobol” and another ship named “Grachonok.”

The Kerch bridge, finished in 2018, connects mainland Russia to the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia illegally seized in 2014.

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — The sound of approaching water trucks sends the Abu Daqqa family into action, rushing to fill whatever battered plastic containers they can find, each marked with their family name to avoid confusion in the chaos that follows.

Yehia Abu Daqqa carefully divides the precious resource among her children, allowing just one container per child and carefully pouring small amounts into a sippy cup for her daughter outside their temporary shelter in Muwasi, a massive tent settlement now home to hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians.

“The water truck arrives, and some 500 to 1,000 people throw themselves at it,” Abu Daqqa said. “They start fighting. It’s real suffering.”

The ongoing water crisis has plagued Palestinians for over half a year since the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas brought an end to most combat operations in Gaza. United Nations officials report that nearly 90% of the territory’s water systems were demolished during the conflict, including facilities that remove salt from seawater and plants that process sewage.

Prior to the conflict, both government agencies and private businesses supplied water through truck deliveries and underground pipeline networks. Wastewater moved through underground pipes to processing centers. Rebuilding this infrastructure remains a top priority for Gaza’s recovery efforts, though progress has stalled as Israel insists Hamas must completely give up its weapons first.

The WASH Cluster, a UN-coordinated group of humanitarian organizations working on water and sanitation issues, calculates that roughly 80% of Gaza’s population depends on truck-delivered water at central pickup locations. For resident Azmy Abu Lehya, this means walking more than 500 meters to his neighborhood’s distribution site, sometimes successfully obtaining water to carry back through Muwasi, and sometimes returning empty-handed.

“On two days, the water trucks come, and on the other two days, they don’t,” he said.

Israeli officials state they no longer impose restrictions on water imports. COGAT, the military organization handling humanitarian matters in Gaza, claims it has facilitated pipeline access to provide adequate water for sanitation, sewage treatment, drinking, and washing purposes, and has not restricted bottled water imports.

However, Palestinians report that bottled water — primarily delivered by private companies and sold in local markets — costs far more than most can afford, especially with Gaza’s economy devastated and residents unable to find employment or reliable income sources.

Muwasi resident Sharif Abu Helal avoids even looking at water bottles in his local market because he knows they’re beyond his financial reach.

“I am not ready to buy each person a bottle of water,” he said. “I have eight people. Is a gallon of water enough for them?”

Numerous materials essential for water cleaning and transportation — including pipes, fuel, cement, and chemicals like chlorine — fall under Israel’s “dual use” category and face restrictions due to concerns they might be converted into weapons or missile components.

Water access problems and shortages have been a constant challenge throughout the Gaza conflict, with pipeline systems destroyed, water delivery trucks struck by military attacks, and unexploded ordnance contaminating underground water sources that supply many wells.

In a water and sanitation assessment released this week, Doctors Without Borders (MSF), a humanitarian organization, charged Israel with weaponizing water access, “systemically depriving” residents in what they describe as a “campaign of collective punishment.” Similar charges have been made by other organizations, including Human Rights Watch.

“While Gazans are deprived of water and sanitation, Israeli authorities are using aid as a tap, closing or opening slightly to allow only drops of aid to enter the Strip,” the report said.

MSF ranks as Gaza’s second-largest water provider. Drawing from interviews conducted in late 2025 following the October ceasefire, the organization reported that Israel frequently prevented essential infrastructure components like water pumps from entering Gaza, forcing aid workers to repair old or broken parts to maintain desalination and water treatment systems. According to MSF, water shortages create widespread problems for Gaza’s 2.1 million residents, leading to sewage system failures, sanitation breakdowns, and increased rates of water-related and hygiene-related diseases.

“Israeli authorities know that without water life ends, yet they have deliberately and systematically obliterated water infrastructure in Gaza, while consistently blocking water-related supplies from entering,” said Claire San Filippo, MSF emergency manager.

While the report focused on past conditions rather than current circumstances, the organization urged Israel to permit entry of water and sanitation materials, noting that restrictions continue: “There are also not enough pipes available to create distribution networks,” the report said.

COGAT firmly rejected the MSF report’s accusations, calling them “a desperate attempt to regain legitimacy.” The organization stated that Israel permits over 70,000 cubic meters of water — approximately 33.3 liters (8.8 gallons) per person — to enter daily. Humanitarian organizations estimate individuals require at least 15 liters (4 gallons) daily for cleaning, washing, drinking, and bathing needs.

BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian authorities acknowledged Thursday that they are holding a German reporter who vanished several months ago.

Eva Maria Michelmann, 36, disappeared on January 18 alongside a Kurdish-Turkish coworker when Syrian government troops allegedly apprehended them during the capture of Raqqa amid combat operations targeting the Kurdish-controlled Syrian Democratic Forces, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, which issued a statement earlier this week.

The press freedom organization has demanded her freedom.

Syria’s Information Ministry released a statement saying Michelmann and a Turkish individual — whom CPJ identified as Kurdish-Turkish reporter Ahmed Polad — were discovered during an Interior Ministry sweep of Raqqa inside a structure previously utilized by the SDF as a “security headquarters.”

According to the ministry, both foreign individuals had “refused to disclose their true identities and possessed no official documentation verifying who they were.” The statement indicated that during preliminary interrogation, they “claimed to be engaged in humanitarian work and made no mention of any journalistic role” and falsely stated they were employed by the United Nations.

The Information Ministry reported they subsequently tried to flee and were apprehended again on “suspicions that they may be foreign fighters present in Syria illegally.”

The announcement indicated both individuals were “formally detained, and legal proceedings have been initiated in preparation for referral to the competent judicial authorities.” No specific accusations against them were revealed.

CPJ reported both reporters were employed by Istanbul-based Etkin News Agency ETHA and Özgür TV, which broadcasts from multiple European locations.

Frank Jasenski, a lawyer representing Michelmann and her relatives in Germany, stated earlier this week, “We assume that her health is very, very poor and we demand her immediate release.”

Germany’s Foreign Office confirmed last week it had contacted the imprisoned journalist but provided no additional information, referencing privacy regulations.

Syrian government troops captured Raqqa, previously under SDF control, during a January offensive. The SDF and Damascus subsequently established a ceasefire and announced a deal integrating the SDF into the national military.

The truce continues while the integration agreement progresses gradually. Syria’s current leadership has faced challenges establishing complete control over the war-ravaged nation since overthrowing former President Bashar Assad in December 2024, following nearly 14 years of civil conflict.

Family members and community mourners carried the body of a young Palestinian through the streets of Ramallah on Thursday, following his death in what officials describe as part of an ongoing wave of deadly encounters in the region.

Ibrahim Al-Khayyat lost his life after sustaining gunshot wounds to his torso and stomach area in Hebron, as confirmed by Palestinian health authorities and emergency medical services. Family members told reporters the young man had been walking to a nearby convenience store when the shooting occurred on Wednesday.

Military officials from Israel stated that their forces opened fire on Palestinian individuals during a security operation in Hebron after coming under attack from thrown stones.

Al-Khayyat’s educator, Mumtaz Shabaneh, characterized the fatal shooting as part of a broader campaign of aggression targeting Palestinians across Gaza and the West Bank, calling it an effort “to break our will and undermine our perseverance to remain steadfast on this land.”

Wednesday’s violence claimed a second Palestinian life when Abdulhalim Hamad, 37, was killed during an Israeli military operation in Silwad, located northeast of Ramallah. Palestinian media reported that Hammad died in his residence during the raid.

These latest fatalities bring the year’s total to more than 40 Palestinians killed by Israeli military personnel and settlers in the occupied West Bank, according to United Nations humanitarian coordination officials. Young people have been disproportionately affected, with three teenagers losing their lives in the previous week alone.

Meanwhile, an aerial attack struck Gaza City, resulting in three deaths, according to medical personnel at Shifa Hospital who received the victims. Israeli military representatives had not provided immediate comment regarding the strike.

Although major combat operations throughout the Gaza Strip have diminished following an unstable ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in October, Israeli forces continue conducting nearly daily military strikes across the territory. Gaza health officials report more than 820 Palestinian deaths from these ongoing operations. The health ministry, operating under Hamas governance, keeps casualty statistics that international agencies and independent analysts generally consider credible, though they do not distinguish between civilian and combatant deaths.

NEW YORK — Celebrity-filled spring fundraising events are nothing new in New York City, but Wednesday night’s King’s Trust Global Gala had an extra royal touch that made all the difference.

King Charles III made his debut at the annual charity event, marking the first time in the gala’s five-year existence that the monarch has attended the fundraiser supporting his organization that assists young people in finding employment opportunities.

Though his visit was brief — lasting just three and a half minutes for his speech — the king’s presence created a noticeable excitement among the high-profile attendees at Christie’s New York auction house. Guests including Lionel Richie and Vogue editor Anna Wintour were spotted positioning themselves along velvet barriers and stretching to catch a glimpse of the royal visitor.

The anticipation was clear even before the event began. British makeup mogul Charlotte Tilbury approached Martha Stewart, who had chosen a shimmering blue gown for the occasion, asking her to mention to Charles that she selected “royal blue just for you.” Meanwhile, Natasha Poonawalla, who serves as executive director at the Serum Institute of India, the globe’s biggest vaccine producer, observed that “everyone’s been waiting for him.”

“I think the fact that he’s here is going to strengthen the presence of the foundation so much more,” Poonawalla remarked.

The royal attendance appears to have paid off financially. Event coordinators announced a record-breaking fundraising achievement of more than $3 million, validating expectations that having the king and Queen Camilla present would increase donations as the charity works to create an endowment for its UK operations and expand relationships across more than 24 nations.

This appearance caps off Charles’s inaugural American visit since becoming king, a four-day journey designed to commemorate 250 years since America’s independence from Britain while working to repair strained diplomatic ties between the nations.

The King’s Trust has touched the lives of 1.5 million individuals globally through its educational and job training initiatives spanning five decades. During his short address before the dinner portion began, Charles highlighted how many program graduates eventually return to mentor other disadvantaged youth facing similar challenges.

“Only now do quite a lot of them actually admit they were started (here),” the king quipped.

Former British Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful, who served as a gala co-chair, has witnessed the trust’s influence firsthand in West London. He shared that his own family members, including cousins and brothers, have been able to build successful lives despite being dismissed by society as “not worthy.”

Enninful characterized Charles’s participation as the charity’s “glory moment.”

“He’s set the example that philanthropy matters,” Enninful explained to The Associated Press. “No matter how well you are doing, you’re not doing enough unless you’re passing it on to a newer generation.”

This year’s gathering was more exclusive than in previous years, hosting approximately 160 attendees. Musical entertainment was notably absent, with Richie announcing upfront that he wouldn’t be performing, which prompted Charles to joke that the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member “must gargle with port.” The guest list also featured supermodels Karlie Kloss and Iman, actors Leo Woodall and Meghann Fahy, plus fashion designers Donatella Versace and Stella McCartney.

Stewart reflected on her own fortunate path while building her multimillion-dollar lifestyle and media brand focused on cooking, entertaining, and home management. The business mogul noted that scholarships enabled her to afford her “fine education” and that she was blessed with consistently “excellent” employment opportunities.

“But I know today there’s a big challenge in getting a good job, a big challenge in getting a good education,” she stated. “And we’re here to help those people.”

Internal discord among Lebanon’s highest-ranking officials is undermining Saudi Arabia’s diplomatic efforts to help the nation establish a cohesive approach toward potential peace discussions with Israel, according to Lebanese sources and international diplomats who spoke with Reuters Thursday.

The Saudi kingdom, which brokered the 1990 accord that concluded Lebanon’s lengthy civil conflict, has increased its diplomatic involvement with Lebanon in recent weeks. This comes as a fragile U.S.-mediated ceasefire has struggled to completely end the nearly two-month conflict between Israel and the Iranian-supported militant organization Hezbollah.

Relations between Saudi Arabia and Lebanon had deteriorated over several years due to Hezbollah’s dominant influence in Lebanese governance and security matters. However, the Sunni-majority kingdom now perceives an opportunity following the militant group’s significant weakening during its 2024 confrontation with Israel.

The April 16 ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon was designed by the United States to pave the way for direct peace negotiations, potentially reshaping Lebanon’s internal political landscape and regional position. However, Lebanese leadership remains divided on both the format and objectives of such negotiations.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has advocated for direct meetings with Israel in Washington and stated the ceasefire should evolve into “permanent agreements.” While he hasn’t explicitly endorsed a comprehensive peace treaty, two sources with knowledge of Aoun’s stance revealed to Reuters that he has privately indicated willingness to establish normal relations with Israel to end the conflict.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who maintains ties with Hezbollah, opposes direct negotiations, mirroring the Shiite militant organization’s stance. According to two Lebanese sources familiar with his views, Berri favors pursuing a non-aggression agreement with Israel rather than a comprehensive peace treaty.

Saudi envoy Prince Yazid bin Farhan traveled to Beirut last week to urge Aoun, Berri, and Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam to develop a unified negotiating position and demonstrate solidarity through a joint meeting, according to two senior Lebanese political sources who met with bin Farhan and a Western official briefed on the discussions.

However, plans for such a gathering this week collapsed due to escalating tensions after Berri publicly criticized Aoun’s statements about negotiations as “inaccurate, to say the least,” all three sources confirmed.

Neither Aoun’s office nor Saudi government media representatives immediately responded to requests for comment. The presidency announced Thursday that Aoun met with Salam, notably excluding any mention of Berri.

The disagreements between Aoun and Berri, whose positions are determined by Lebanon’s sectarian power-sharing arrangement, mirror wider societal divisions regarding negotiations with Israel.

Some Lebanese citizens view direct talks and rapid peace agreements as the only solution to end Lebanon’s long history of Israeli military incursions.

However, Hezbollah and much of the broader Shiite Muslim community, who have suffered the heaviest casualties from Israeli attacks, strongly reject face-to-face negotiations and diplomatic normalization. Protesters opposing talks earlier this month demanded the government’s removal.

Saudi Arabia’s intervention with Lebanese officials was motivated by concerns about potential instability and worries that Lebanon was advancing toward peace with Israel too rapidly, according to a Gulf source with knowledge of the situation, the two senior Lebanese political sources, and the Western official.

Bin Farhan obtained assurances that Hezbollah would not attempt to overthrow the Lebanese government and warned Lebanese leaders last week that Beirut’s peace progress with Israel should not exceed Saudi Arabia’s pace, the four sources indicated.

Saudi Arabia has consistently maintained it will only join the Abraham Accords normalizing relations with Israel if there’s agreement on a framework for Palestinian statehood.

U.S. President Donald Trump, eager to expand the accords, announced this month he would invite Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House for discussions.

Bin Farhan recommended that Lebanese authorities postpone any meeting between Aoun and Netanyahu, the two senior Lebanese political sources reported.

Nevertheless, Saudi Arabia does support Lebanon working toward a “detente” with Israel that would end regional instability, according to the Gulf source and one of the Lebanese sources.

Israeli military actions have resulted in over 2,500 deaths in Lebanon and displaced more than 1.2 million people since the current round of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah commenced March 2, Lebanese authorities report.

The April 16 ceasefire, which enabled separate negotiations regarding the Iran conflict, halted strikes on Beirut and its southern suburbs but continued in other Lebanese regions. An Israeli attack in southern Lebanon Tuesday resulted in three civil defense workers’ deaths.

Mali conducted a state funeral Thursday for Gen. Sadio Camara, the former defense minister who orchestrated the West African nation’s military alliance with Russia following recent coups.

Camara died during a weekend series of coordinated militant strikes that marked the most significant assault on the country in more than ten years.

Experts suggest his death, along with the substantial losses suffered by Mali’s military forces and their Russian mercenary partners, may cause rifts within the ruling military government and potentially force a reassessment of ties with Moscow.

Following two days of official mourning, military leader Gen. Assimi Goita attended Camara’s funeral service, which was televised nationally. Officials placed the casket beneath Mali’s green, yellow and red flag while oversized photographs of the deceased minister surrounded the ceremony venue.

Born in 1979 in the garrison community of Kati near capital city Bamako, Camara was killed at that same location when a vehicle bomb detonated near his residence Saturday.

During his early military career, he served in northern Mali during the late 2000s as armed insurgencies connected to Al-Qaeda began emerging. Following his graduation from military school, he completed multiple international training programs, including coursework at a Russian military institution.

Malian citizens first encountered Camara in August 2020 when he appeared on state television as a colonel alongside four other military officers who had removed President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita from power.

The military group criticized Keita for accepting French support while failing to adequately address widespread militant violence throughout the nation. They promised enhanced security measures.

After seizing control, the new military government established Russia as its primary security ally, removing French forces and United Nations peacekeeping personnel.

Camara became instrumental in developing Russia as Mali’s principal security collaborator. He held the defense minister position under both military administrations — initially after the 2020 takeover and again following a second coup in May 2021 that elevated Goita to leadership.

Ulf Laessing, who directs the Sahel program at Germany’s Konrad Adenauer Foundation, described Camara as the “architect of cooperation with Russia,” noting his role in bringing Russian mercenaries in 2021 and removing the U.N. peacekeeping operation called MINUSMA.

According to Laessing, Camara’s regular visits to Moscow and his crucial involvement in both coups made him essential to the military government despite worsening security conditions across the country.

The newly established Africa Corps — a Russian military formation answering to Moscow’s defense ministry with approximately 2,000 personnel in Mali — announced Monday that its forces had retreated from Kidal, following separatist claims of capturing the strategic northern city.

Rida Lyammouri, a senior fellow at Morocco’s Policy Center for the New South think tank, suggested Camara’s death combined with increasing dissatisfaction among citizens and military officials regarding Russian mercenaries’ failure to control insurgencies might prompt the junta to reconsider its Moscow partnership.

Laessing noted that Goita, who met with Russia’s Mali ambassador Tuesday, “seems open to collaboration with some Western countries, such as the United States.”

MEXICO CITY — Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum declared Thursday that her administration will not tolerate interference from the United States in Mexican sovereignty, announcing that the country’s attorney general will examine accusations from a New York federal indictment charging 10 current and former Mexican officials with collaborating with the Sinaloa Cartel in drug trafficking operations.

The federal charges have identified several active officials from Sinaloa state, including members of Sheinbaum’s progressive Morena political party, creating significant political controversy as the new president works to balance pressure from Washington while maintaining support from her domestic political base. Following the indictment’s release, Mexican authorities confirmed they had received extradition requests from the United States for 10 Mexican nationals, though they declined to identify the individuals.

Among those named in the charges, Sinaloa Governor Rubén Rocha Moya represents the most prominent figure, serving as a leading Morena party member and trusted associate of former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who served as Sheinbaum’s political mentor.

During Thursday’s announcement, Sheinbaum explained that Mexican legal authorities will conduct their own examination of the cases and compile independent evidence to “determine whether there is evidence establishing that the allegations made by U.S. authorities have a legal basis for requesting arrest warrants.”

The Mexican leader has previously stated that she has not observed any supporting evidence for the American accusations.

Sheinbaum indicated her willingness to take a firm stance should their investigation reveal “no clear evidence” that the accused individuals engaged in criminal activity.

“If it is evident that the Justice Department’s charges are politically motivated, let there be absolutely no doubt: under no circumstances will we allow a foreign government to interfere in decisions that are the exclusive prerogative of the Mexican people,” Sheinbaum said.

LONDON (AP) — The mysterious street artist known as Banksy has taken credit for a sculpture that materialized overnight in London’s heart, showing a figure stepping away from a pedestal while a flowing flag obscures his vision.

The secretive artist revealed his involvement Thursday through a comedic Instagram video displaying clips of the nighttime installation process. The artwork was positioned during the early morning hours Wednesday on a pedestal located on a traffic island at Waterloo Place, not far from Buckingham Palace.

Prior to Banksy’s social media confirmation, curious onlookers and visitors had already suspected the piece belonged to the famous artist due to his distinctive signature carved into the pedestal’s base.

The new installation sits in proximity to monuments honoring King Edward VII, who ruled from 1901 to 1910, and celebrated nurse Florence Nightingale, along with the memorial commemorating the Crimean War.

Three-dimensional sculptures represent a departure from Banksy’s usual medium. The artist gained recognition primarily through his graffiti work on building walls, beginning his career in the early 1990s in Bristol, located in southwestern England. His influence has expanded worldwide, with his artwork and installations commanding millions at auction houses. His public pieces frequently become targets for theft and destruction.

The artist, whose true identity remains unknown to the public, belongs to a movement of underground creators who consider the clandestine placement of their work a form of rebellious artistic statement.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee revealed Thursday that 287 candidates are being evaluated for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, with President Donald Trump expected to be included among the nominees.

Committee Secretary Kristian Berg Harpviken disclosed that this year’s submissions include 208 individual candidates and 79 organizations, representing a significant number of fresh nominations compared to the previous year.

“Since I am new in the job, one of the things that has to some extent surprised me is how much renewal there is from year to year on the list,” Harpviken explained during an interview. He assumed his role in January 2025.

Even as global conflicts increase and international collaboration faces challenges, Harpviken emphasized the continued importance of the peace award.

“The Peace Prize is even more important in a period like the one we’re living in,” he stated. “There is as much good work, if not more, than ever.”

TRUMP’S NOMINATION SUGGESTED BUT UNCONFIRMED

Officials from Cambodia, Israel and Pakistan have publicly announced their intention to nominate Trump for this year’s honor. If submitted, these nominations would have occurred during spring and summer 2025, meeting the January 31 deadline requirements.

However, verification remains impossible since nomination records stay confidential for five decades, and Harpviken refused to confirm Trump’s inclusion on Thursday.

The committee clarifies that receiving a nomination does not constitute an endorsement from the award organization.

Beyond committee members, thousands of individuals globally hold nomination privileges, including government officials, parliament members, current heads of state, university professors in history, social sciences, law and philosophy, plus previous Nobel Peace Prize winners.

Betting websites feature numerous potential winners, including Yulia Navalnaya, widow of deceased Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny, Pope Leo, and Sudan’s Emergency Response Rooms volunteer aid organization.

WORRIES OVER IMPRISONED IRANIAN WINNER’S CONDITION

Harpviken expressed serious alarm regarding 2023 Peace Prize recipient Narges Mohammadi’s deteriorating health following a heart attack while incarcerated in Iran.

Advocates warned Wednesday that the Iranian human rights activist faces life-threatening circumstances.

“Her sister was able to visit her in prison yesterday and the reports coming out after that are actually quite alarming as to her health condition,” Harpviken noted.

“We see there is a lot of international pressure now. So we hope that the Iranian authorities do pay attention to that and release her so that she can have proper medical treatment.”

ADDITIONAL POTENTIAL CANDIDATES

Other possible contenders include Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski and Danish Parliament member Aaja Chemnitz, who represents Greenland, according to the Norwegian legislator who put forward both names.

“Together they have worked relentlessly to build trust and to secure a peaceful development of the Arctic region over many years,” explained nominator Lars Haltbrekken.

Greenland has attracted heightened attention recently due to Trump’s persistent efforts to purchase the territory from Denmark, a NATO partner.

The 2026 Nobel Peace Prize winner will be revealed October 9, with the awards ceremony scheduled for December 10.

Venezuela’s Maria Corina Machado received last year’s prize.

Caribbean voters in Antigua and Barbuda will cast ballots Thursday in an unexpected general election where American visa restrictions have become the dominant campaign issue, as Prime Minister Gaston Browne campaigns for his fourth consecutive term.

The election discourse has been shaped largely by the United States’ January decision to halt visa processing for citizens of Antigua and Barbuda — creating significant hardship for residents who depend on regular travel to America for employment opportunities.

The visa suspension stems from American officials’ concerns about Antigua and Barbuda’s investment-based citizenship program, which allows foreign nationals to obtain citizenship through financial contributions. US authorities worry that criminal elements could abuse this system to gain unauthorized entry into the United States.

Browne’s government maintains it is collaborating with American officials and has implemented new measures to strengthen oversight and transparency within the Citizenship by Investment Program.

Opposition leader Jamale Pringle of the United Progressive Party has similarly committed to working with Washington to reinstate visa privileges for the island nation’s citizens.

The ruling Labour Party, which has governed since 2014, announced the surprise election last month — calling for new voter approval two years before the scheduled election date, citing the need for a fresh mandate during ongoing international challenges.

The 59-year-old prime minister, who previously worked in banking and business, has consistently urged the United States and other developed nations to increase support for Caribbean countries struggling with mounting climate change costs.

Before parliament was dissolved for the election, Browne’s Labour Party controlled 9 of the 17 parliamentary seats. The United Progressive Party, which previously held power for two terms before 2014, represents the primary opposition challenge.

JAKARTA, Indonesia — The children’s gaming platform Roblox announced Thursday it will implement facial scanning technology to verify the ages of users under 16 in Indonesia, marking the company’s response to new government restrictions on youth access to digital platforms.

During a Jakarta press conference, Nicky Jackson Colaco, who serves as Roblox’s vice president and global head of public policy, revealed these changes represent some of the most stringent measures the platform has ever enacted worldwide.

The company has created two distinct account types specifically for Indonesian users: Roblox Kids designed for children ages 5 to 12 without any chat capabilities, and Roblox Select for teens ages 13 to 15, which allows limited chat functions only with parents or approved family members and friends.

This implementation will automatically affect 23 million existing accounts that were identified as belonging to users under 16, requiring them to complete age verification through facial scanning technology.

“Any user in Indonesia who has not used that tool, who has no facial age estimated, will be automatically placed in a Roblox Kids account and will not have access to chat,” Jackson Colaco explained.

The verification process requires users to record a video selfie that analyzes their age, though Jackson Colaco emphasized the information is immediately destroyed afterward. “We don’t keep anything,” she stated.

According to Communication and Digital Affairs Minister Meutya Hafid, Indonesia hosts roughly 45 million Roblox users, with approximately 23 million being children.

Indonesian authorities designated Roblox as the sole gaming platform classified as high-risk, resulting in access limitations for children that differ from other social media platforms.

Beyond age-based account categories and interaction restrictions, the gaming platform will also organize available games by age groups. Government regulations have also pushed Roblox to establish usage time limits aimed at preventing children from developing platform addiction.

“To address concerns about addiction, screen time limits are now in place. Parents can set specific times or hours for their children to play games,” Hafid noted.

Indonesia launched new government regulations in late March that prohibit children under 16 from accessing digital platforms that might expose them to addiction, pornography, online fraud, and cyberbullying.

Among the eight platforms identified as high-risk, seven companies including YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, and Bigo Live have agreed to implement access restrictions for children.

Beyond age-based access controls, Indonesia is also requesting social media companies and digital platforms to provide data on suspended accounts as part of enforcing the new regulations protecting children.

The European Union launched a major trade agreement with South American nations on Friday, moving forward with a disputed deal aimed at helping European businesses weather the impact of American tariffs.

The pact with Mercosur countries represents the EU’s most significant tariff-cutting agreement ever, concluding negotiations that stretched across 25 years. European officials hope the deal will provide relief to exporters struggling under U.S. trade restrictions while reducing dependence on China for essential materials.

Nations like Germany and Spain champion the agreement as necessary protection against President Donald Trump’s tariff policies. However, France leads opposition voices who worry the deal will flood European markets with inexpensive beef and sugar, hurting local agricultural producers. Environmental groups also express concern about increased Amazon rainforest clearing.

The European Parliament challenged the agreement in court earlier this year, with a ruling potentially two years away. Despite this legal challenge, the European Commission chose to begin provisional implementation starting May 1st.

Since Trump’s return to office, European leaders have accelerated efforts to secure trade partnerships with India, Indonesia, Australia and Mexico. These agreements aim to strengthen global free trade principles while Trump’s tariffs and Chinese restrictions on critical materials threaten established international commerce rules.

European officials project their exports to America could drop 15% or more, potentially reducing the region’s economic output by 0.3% this year alone.

Economic experts remain skeptical about these new partnerships fully replacing American trade relationships. Carsten Brzeski from ING Research noted the significant difference in purchasing power.

“Put simply, GDP per capita in the U.S. is by far larger than in these new trading partners,” he said.

The European Commission estimates the Mercosur deal will increase EU economic output by just 0.05% by 2040. Even the India agreement, which officials call the “mother of all deals,” would only add 0.1% to GDP according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy.

These modest gains won’t materialize for at least a decade when agreements reach full implementation, while Trump’s tariff effects hit immediately.

European companies also face intense competition from Chinese businesses that have spent twenty years building market presence in these regions.

“The elephant in the room is China,” said Lucrezia Reichlin, an economics professor at London Business School.

“And this is not just about tariffs. If you look at what China has done in Asia and in Africa, it has been about investment and the energy transition, too.”

Maximiliano Mendez-Parra from ODI Global explained that circumstances have shifted dramatically since his 2020 research predicted modest EU benefits from the Mercosur agreement. Chinese companies have significantly expanded sales of vehicles and machinery – the same products European businesses want to export.

While reduced tariffs should help European firms compete against typically lower-priced Chinese products, the competitive challenges continue growing.

China has already begun compensating for U.S. tariff impacts, achieving a record trade surplus approaching $1.2 trillion in 2025 through increased exports to non-American markets.

Global Trade Alert research shows U.S. tariffs redirected approximately $150 billion worth of Chinese exports, with Southeast Asian nations absorbing over $70 billion in additional Chinese goods, alongside substantial increases to Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa and Gulf regions.

While these new trade agreements should provide some assistance, European officials recognize that replacing lost American exports requires internal focus as well. Since 60% of EU exports flow between member countries, creating a more efficient and competitive internal market could easily compensate for external losses.

French authorities have launched a formal criminal investigation targeting a 15-year-old suspected of infiltrating the nation’s identification database and attempting to auction off personal information belonging to millions of citizens through underground online marketplaces.

Paris prosecutors announced Thursday that the minor was taken into custody on April 25 for questioning after investigators connected him to the online handle “breach3d.” This cybercriminal had advertised between 12 and 18 million stolen data records on hacker forums, according to the prosecutor’s statement.

Under French law, illegally accessing and stealing government-managed information can result in up to seven years imprisonment and fines reaching 300,000 euros, equivalent to approximately $350,000.

ANTS, the government agency responsible for maintaining French citizens’ sensitive data including identification cards, passports, driver’s licenses, and vehicle registrations, verified that the compromised information being sold was genuine. The agency reported discovering “unusual activity” within its computer systems on April 13.

This same organization also operates France’s age-verification system designed to block children under 15 from accessing social media platforms.

Nine days following the security breach, on April 22, ANTS notified millions of French residents via email about the cyber incident. The agency warned citizens to exercise heightened vigilance regarding suspicious phone calls or emails and emphasized never sharing personal details with unknown contacts.

While ANTS stated that appropriate security measures had been implemented, officials did not elaborate on the specific actions taken to address the vulnerability.

The security incident has sparked debate throughout France regarding the risks associated with consolidating all citizen information within a single centralized government database system.

Pakistan officially launched its first advanced Hangor-class submarine during a ceremony in China on Thursday, representing a significant advancement in the nation’s naval capabilities through its growing defense alliance with Beijing, military officials announced.

The launch ceremony took place in Sanya, a port city in southern China, with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari serving as the primary dignitary. Navy Chief Admiral Naveed Ashraf and high-ranking military leaders from both nations attended the event. Zardari has made numerous official trips to China in recent years as part of strengthening bilateral relations.

During his official Chinese visit, Zardari described the submarine’s introduction as a “historic milestone” for Pakistan’s naval forces, demonstrating the country’s commitment to maintaining effective and balanced military capabilities. He emphasized that Pakistan possesses the ability to safeguard its national sovereignty, defend maritime assets, and protect crucial economic shipping routes.

Military experts widely consider the Hangor-class vessel to be derived from China’s Type 039A submarine design. The vessel accommodates 38 crew members with extra space for special operations personnel, and features torpedo systems and anti-ship missile capabilities. Pakistan has contracted to obtain eight such submarines total, with the remaining four scheduled for construction at Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works in the nation’s southern coastal region.

Pakistan has historically depended on submarine warfare capabilities as a cornerstone of its military deterrence strategy against India, its neighboring rival with whom it has engaged in three conflicts since both countries achieved independence in 1947. During the previous year’s border tensions concerning Kashmir, Pakistan deployed Chinese-manufactured J-10C fighter aircraft and reported shooting down Indian military planes, including French-built Rafale jets, though India has not verified these claims.

Admiral Ashraf addressed the gathering, noting that disruptions at crucial maritime passages increasingly endanger international commerce and energy supplies, highlighting the importance of maintaining a modern naval force. He explained that the Hangor-class submarines, featuring sophisticated detection equipment, weaponry, and air-independent propulsion technology, will contribute to regional stability and protect essential shipping channels throughout the Arabian Sea and broader Indian Ocean waters.

The Admiral noted that the “Hangor” designation holds special meaning, honoring a Pakistani submarine that destroyed an Indian naval vessel in 1971 — marking the first such naval victory since World War II. He characterized the submarine’s commissioning as a new phase in the enduring military cooperation between Pakistan and China.

In the previous year, Pakistan and China committed to enhancing economic collaboration and investment through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a major component of China’s international Belt and Road Initiative.

MUNSTER, Germany — For the second time in recent years, President Donald Trump has suggested the United States might withdraw its military forces from Germany, one of America’s most important NATO partners and Europe’s economic powerhouse. European officials say they’ve heard similar warnings before.

The president’s Wednesday social media message came after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz criticized the U.S., saying Tehran was “humiliating” America through slow diplomatic progress regarding the ongoing U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran.

This isn’t the first time Trump has floated the idea of pulling American troops from German soil, and he has recently criticized NATO allies for not supporting the U.S. in its two-month military engagement.

NATO partners have been anticipating potential troop withdrawals since the Trump administration took office, with warnings that European nations would need to handle their own defense responsibilities, including protecting Ukraine.

Currently, between 80,000 and 100,000 American military personnel are typically deployed across Europe, with numbers fluctuating based on training exercises, operations, and troop rotations. NATO officials expect that forces deployed following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine would likely be withdrawn first.

Germany houses multiple crucial U.S. military installations, including European and Africa command headquarters, Ramstein Air Base, and the Landstuhl medical facility that treats wounded American service members from conflicts in regions like Afghanistan and Iraq. The country also hosts U.S. nuclear weapons.

Ed Arnold, a European security specialist at London’s Royal United Services Institute, believes America benefits significantly from its German military presence through logistics support and coordination for Middle Eastern operations, making a complete withdrawal unlikely.

Arnold characterized Trump’s latest statement as probable “bluster.”

“There is a difference between the military view and the political view,” Arnold said. “The issue with some of these threats is that they are not quite as galling as they were a couple of years ago.”

Neither NATO leadership nor German officials provided immediate responses to the president’s comments.

While visiting military personnel at a training facility in northern Germany’s Munster on Thursday, Chancellor Merz avoided directly addressing Trump’s remarks but referenced working “shoulder to shoulder for mutual benefit and in deep trans-Atlantic solidarity.” He emphasized his administration’s efforts over the past year to “strengthen Germany’s security.”

According to Arnold, European leaders are more worried about practical concerns like the U.S. moving Patriot missile systems and ammunition from Germany to Middle Eastern operations, plus notifications to countries like Estonia about delays in American weapons deliveries due to U.S. government priorities.

A high-ranking Western official told The Associated Press they weren’t aware of any ongoing discussions between the U.S. and Germany or other allies about potential German troop reductions.

The official, speaking anonymously about sensitive diplomatic matters, pointed out that Europe and Germany are assuming greater responsibility for continental security, with Germany recently unveiling its updated military strategy.

Last October, the U.S. confirmed plans to reduce forces along NATO’s Ukrainian border. The decision to cut 1,500 to 3,000 troops came with little advance notice and concerned ally Romania, where NATO operates an air facility.

The current administration informed allies early last year about reviewing its military “posture” throughout Europe and other regions. Results from that assessment were expected to be released by late 2025 but haven’t been made public.

Nevertheless, the U.S. promised to give allies advance warning about any modifications to prevent security vulnerabilities while Russia remains increasingly aggressive.

Multiple European leaders worry that Russian President Vladimir Putin might attempt attacks elsewhere in Europe before the decade ends, particularly if he succeeds in Ukraine.

The U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran has increased withdrawal possibilities, prompting numerous meetings between administration officials, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, and European leaders since fighting began February 28.

Throughout the past year, European allies and Canada have recognized they’ll need to provide Europe’s conventional defense capabilities. America’s primary NATO deterrence contribution going forward will likely be nuclear weapons presence and limited troop deployment.

The Trump administration has previously created European confusion with defense support announcements.

In September, plans to suspend some security assistance funding for European countries bordering Russia caused confusion when Baltic defense officials said they hadn’t received official notification.

Beyond uncertainty about American personnel levels, allies have adapted to Trump’s public outbursts, enduring insults like being called “cowards” or hearing NATO described as a “paper tiger” by their strongest ally in recent weeks.

Continuous threats about complete withdrawal or issues related to defense spending have made them less sensitive to social media posts suggesting Trump might be considering various actions.

The most significant damage to NATO unity came from Trump’s focus on Greenland and his intention to annex the island, which is a semi-autonomous territory of ally Denmark, including sending family members and administration officials there.

Executives from more than two dozen prominent news organizations worldwide are demanding that Israel end restrictions preventing foreign journalists from independently covering Gaza, barriers that have remained in effect since fighting began in 2023 and continue despite a ceasefire lasting over six months.

The statement, released Thursday morning at 5 a.m. ET, included leadership from major outlets ranging from The Associated Press and BBC to CNN, Reuters, The Washington Post, and German news agency dpa.

“Being on the ground is essential. It allows journalists to question official accounts on all sides, to speak directly with civilians and report back what they witness firsthand,” the executives wrote. “That is why news organizations send their reporters into the field, often at great personal risk.”

According to the media leaders, Israeli officials have not responded to their attempts to discuss the matter, and they’re challenging the government’s justifications for maintaining these limitations.

Israel initially defended the restrictions by claiming foreign reporters could compromise Israeli troop locations and safety. Officials also cited the active combat zone’s dangers as reasoning. While the military has occasionally escorted foreign journalists on tightly supervised visits, news organizations are seeking unrestricted access.

The editors argue circumstances have changed significantly. “The heaviest fighting is over and there is a ceasefire in place,” their statement noted. “The hostages have come home. Journalists do not pose a threat to Israeli troops. There is a mechanism in place—however restrictive—that allows aid workers to enter and exit the territory. Why not journalists?”

Legal efforts to challenge the ban are ongoing. The Foreign Press Association, representing international media covering Israel, Gaza and the West Bank, has awaited an Israeli Supreme Court decision on their 2024 petition for independent Gaza access. However, rulings have faced repeated postponements, including one in January.

Without foreign correspondent access, reporting on ground conditions has fallen entirely to local Palestinian journalists. These reporters face extraordinary challenges beyond typical war coverage dangers, including destroyed homes, killed family members, and severe food shortages that prompted concerns from Agence France-Presse, AP and Reuters about their colleagues’ survival.

Thursday’s statement emphasized this burden: “This has pushed the responsibility for covering this devastating war and its aftermath almost entirely on our Palestinian colleagues… They should not have to shoulder this burden alone, and they should be protected.”

The Committee to Protect Journalists reports that over 200 journalists and media workers have died in this conflict, exceeding casualties in other conflicts like the Russia-Ukraine war.

Among the victims was 33-year-old visual journalist Mariam Dagga, who freelanced for AP and other organizations. She died alongside four other journalists, including Reuters cameraman Hussam al-Masri and freelancer Moaz Abu Taha, in an Israeli strike on a medical facility last August where journalists were known to gather.

AP’s reporting questioned the Israeli government’s justification for targeting the hospital, and both AP and Reuters subsequently demanded explanations and protective measures for reporters.

The media executives timed their Thursday statement during Press Freedom Week. “Freedom of the press is a basic value in any open society. It is time for the delays to end. Let us into Gaza.”

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran’s top leader delivered a combative message Thursday, declaring that the nation will defend its nuclear and ballistic missile programs as essential national resources, drawing a firm stance while President Trump pursues broader negotiations to solidify the current fragile ceasefire.

Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei delivered his remarks through a written declaration broadcast by state television, as has been his practice since assuming the role of supreme leader. He adopted an aggressive posture, declaring that Americans have no business in the Persian Gulf except “at the bottom of its waters” and proclaimed that a fresh era was unfolding in regional affairs.

These statements emerge while Iran’s petroleum sector faces mounting pressure from a U.S. naval blockade preventing Iranian oil vessels from reaching international waters. Oil markets responded sharply Thursday, with Brent crude futures for June climbing to $126 per barrel as Iran continues controlling the Strait of Hormuz, the critical waterway that handles one-fifth of global oil and natural gas shipments.

These developments are creating additional economic strain worldwide as Trump considers his next moves.

“By God’s help and power, the bright future of the Persian Gulf region will be a future without America, one serving the progress, comfort and prosperity of its people,” Khamenei stated in the declaration, delivered in the same manner as all his public statements since he allegedly sustained injuries in the February 28 attack that claimed his father’s life — the 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

“We and our neighbors across the waters of the Persian Gulf and the (Gulf) of Oman share a common destiny. Foreigners who come from thousands of kilometers away to act with greed and malice there have no place in it — except at the bottom of its waters.”

As an unstable ceasefire holds, Washington and Tehran remain deadlocked over the strategic waterway. The American blockade aims to cut off Iran’s oil revenue while potentially forcing Tehran to halt production due to storage limitations.

Iran’s closure of the strait has created political pressure for Trump, as fuel costs have surged before important midterm elections, while also affecting his Gulf partners who depend on the passage for their energy exports.

Iran recently proposed delaying discussions about its nuclear activities. Trump has cited preventing Iranian nuclear weapons development as a primary justification for military action. Tehran consistently claims its nuclear work serves peaceful purposes, despite enriching uranium to 60% purity — approaching weapons-grade levels.

During remarks commemorating Persian Gulf Day in Iran, Khamenei’s words indicated that nuclear matters and missile development would not be negotiated away.

“Ninety million proud and honorable Iranians inside and outside the country regard all of Iran’s identity-based, spiritual, human, scientific, industrial and technological capacities — from nanotechnology and biotechnology to nuclear and missile capabilities — as national assets, and will protect them just as they protect the country’s waters, land and airspace,” Khamenei declared.

He used the term “Great Satan” when referring to America, an epithet Iranian officials have employed against the United States since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Khamenei’s comments suggested Iran intends to maintain dominance over the waterway, which passes through Iranian and Omani territorial waters. Reports indicate Iran has demanded approximately $2 million from vessels seeking passage through the strait.

“Islamic Iran, by giving practical thanks for the blessing of exercising control over the Strait of Hormuz, will make the Persian Gulf region secure and put an end to the hostile enemy’s abuses of this waterway,” Khamenei said. “The legal rules and new management of the Strait of Hormuz will bring comfort and progress for the benefit of all the region’s nations, and its economic gains will gladden the hearts of the people.”

International law recognizes the strait as open waters accessible to all nations without fees. Arab Gulf states, particularly the United Arab Emirates, have condemned Iran’s strait control as maritime piracy.

WASHINGTON, April 30 – British monarchs King Charles and Queen Camilla concluded their four-day American state visit Thursday with official farewell ceremonies alongside President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump at the White House.

Following their White House departure, the king planned to honor America’s fallen servicemembers by placing a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. The hallowed grounds serve as the final resting place for thousands of military personnel, along with two former presidents and several retired Supreme Court justices.

The royal delegation’s visit to America, designed to mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence that severed colonial ties with Britain, occurred during a period of strained US-British relations. President Trump has publicly criticized British Prime Minister Keir Starmer over what he perceives as insufficient British support in the ongoing US-Israeli conflict with Iran.

Charles and Camilla were scheduled to depart for Bermuda Thursday night following their Virginia engagements.

The highlight of the royal tour occurred Tuesday when King Charles delivered remarks to a joint session of Congress, followed by an elegant state dinner hosted by the Trumps at the White House.

Throughout the visit, Charles emphasized the enduring military and cultural bonds linking Britain and America, while also highlighting NATO’s significance during a time when Trump has questioned the alliance’s commitment to providing military support in the Iran conflict.

Wednesday saw the royal couple honoring victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City, where they placed flowers at the memorial site where the World Trade Center towers previously stood.

FRANKFURT, Germany — Energy costs driven higher by Iran’s ongoing military conflict have caused inflation to climb across Europe during April, while economic growth remains weak, creating a challenging scenario for both consumers and European Central Bank officials.

Price increases in the 21 nations using the euro currency reached 3.0% annually, jumping from March’s 2.6% rate, driven primarily by energy costs that surged 10.9%, according to Thursday’s report from Eurostat, the European Union’s statistics office. Oil prices have climbed above $120 per barrel, a significant increase from approximately $73 before hostilities began on February 28.

Economic expansion in the eurozone disappointed during the year’s first quarter, managing only a modest 0.1% growth compared to the previous three-month period.

Iran’s decision to block the Strait of Hormuz has created substantial disruption to global markets, cutting off the strategic waterway that previously carried roughly 20% of worldwide oil shipments from Persian Gulf producers to international buyers. These elevated oil costs have rapidly appeared in gasoline prices and aviation fuel expenses.

The troubling mix of weak economic expansion and rising prices, known as “stagflation,” is creating difficulties for European Central Bank decision-makers, who are anticipated to maintain their key interest rate at current levels Thursday, despite inflation now exceeding the institution’s 2% goal.

This inflationary pressure is particularly concerning given the backdrop of limited economic growth. Central banks typically combat rising prices by increasing benchmark interest rates, though this approach can hamper growth by making borrowing more expensive. When inflation appears temporary, officials often choose to wait since monetary policy changes require months to influence economic conditions.

However, if central banks delay action until higher prices become embedded throughout the economy via increased costs for food and manufactured items, along with elevated wage expectations, removing inflation becomes significantly more difficult and requires more aggressive rate increases.

Both Japan’s central bank and the U.S. Federal Reserve maintained their current rates during this week’s policy meetings, while England’s central bank was also anticipated to keep rates steady Thursday.

Consequently, the ECB and other major central banks remain in a holding pattern, carefully monitoring inflationary pressures while avoiding both rate increases and decreases. The European institution’s key rate has remained at 2% since June 2025.

Iranian-American communities across North America find themselves deeply divided as a temporary ceasefire continues between the United States, Israel, and Iran, with no clear resolution in sight.

At a Sunday demonstration in Toronto, Iranian expatriates expressed conflicting views about the path forward. Some participants voiced support for continued military action by President Trump, hoping it would lead to the overthrow of Tehran’s government. However, other Iranian-Americans, despite opposing the Islamic Republic, argued that warfare has only increased hardship for Iranian citizens without bringing democratic progress.

This disagreement reflects a persistent division within Iran’s diaspora community about whether external military force can effectively remove Iran’s religious leadership, or if such change must originate from within the country itself.

Government statistics indicate that between 5 and 10 million Iranians reside outside their homeland, with most concentrated in North America and Western Europe. Those who departed Iran following the 1979 Islamic Revolution generally oppose the current clerical government, though they disagree about foreign military involvement.

The current ceasefire has temporarily halted American and Israeli attacks that started February 28, but negotiators have not reached any permanent settlement. The fighting has resulted in thousands of Iranian casualties and driven up global oil costs, contributing to worldwide inflation concerns and economic uncertainty.

Toronto’s demonstration, which drew approximately 300 participants from one of North America’s largest Iranian populations, featured American and Israeli flags as protesters demanded an end to Tehran’s theocratic rule, which they hold responsible for decades of oppression.

Earlier this year, hundreds of thousands participated in anti-government demonstrations in the city. Many displayed the pre-revolution Lion and Sun banner, commonly used to show allegiance to opposition leader Reza Pahlavi, the exiled heir of Iran’s former monarchy.

“The Islamic regime is our main enemy. We want countries like the U.S. and Israel to help us bring this regime down,” stated Ali Daneshfar, who coordinates operations for Cyrus the Great, a Toronto-based Iranian organization. Daneshfar explained that repeated domestic protests had been brutally suppressed, leaving Iranians with limited alternatives.

Nasser Sharif, who leads the California Society for Democracy in Iran, offered a contrasting perspective, supporting the ceasefire and cautioning that bombing campaigns would only consolidate the government’s authority. Los Angeles hosts the world’s largest Iranian immigrant population.

“We believe that bombing the regime is not going to bring democratic change in Iran,” Sharif explained, noting his support for the National Council of Resistance of Iran, an opposition alliance. “The regime is using the war to suppress more, execute more people and terrorize the population inside the country.”

Sharif suggested the ceasefire might provide opportunity for Iranians to reorganize following weeks of conflict, maintaining that lasting change must be driven by Iranians rather than imposed externally.

“That is the least costly option, without foreign troops and without prolonging the suffering,” he stated.

The death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during the conflict’s opening day, and the subsequent rise of his injured son Mojtaba, have left the Islamic Republic intact but under different leadership dominated by Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commanders.

Sharif observed that the IRGC continues to be integral to the governing system, with no significant structural changes despite the departure of certain officials.

According to Akaash Maharaj, a University of Toronto Munk School of Global Affairs fellow who researches diaspora politics and authoritarian governments, divisions among overseas Iranians run particularly deep.

“On the one hand, what they’re concerned about is the well-being of people in Iran, their friends and their relatives who are often collateral damage to politics and to conflict. On the other hand, they want to be seen and to be understood as being patriotic citizens of the new countries, which they now call home,” Maharaj observed.

Mohammad Solehi, a Toronto resident originally from Iran, reported that contacts inside Iran described feeling increasingly trapped by the ongoing situation.

According to Solehi, his Iranian contacts said everyday life had become progressively more unpredictable, with neither continued fighting nor peace providing any relief.

“People expect fighting to resume at any moment and have no idea what comes next.”

Canada’s finance ministry announced Wednesday that the nation will serve as headquarters for a new international defense financing institution designed to support military rearmament efforts worldwide.

The proposed Defense, Security and Resilience Bank (DSRB) emerged from negotiations held in Montreal, where Canadian officials worked alongside allied nations to establish the bank’s founding charter. The finance ministry did not reveal which other countries participated in these discussions.

Former NATO security advisors, retired military leaders, and banking professionals developed the DSRB concept. Their goal involves creating a top-rated financial institution capable of generating $135 billion in funding for defense initiatives, with particular focus on nations that face difficulties securing affordable military financing.

“Participating countries unanimously supported that, once ratified, Canada, which hosted the negotiations, will serve as host country for the DSRB’s future headquarters,” the finance ministry stated.

The Globe and Mail newspaper initially broke the story about Canada’s selection as the bank’s host nation.

While Canada has emerged as the project’s primary supporter, with Prime Minister Mark Carney expressing backing for the initiative, the proposal has encountered obstacles. Both Britain and Germany have stepped back from participation in the venture.

Britain has pursued its own separate multilateral financing program alongside the Netherlands and Finland, focusing on attracting private investment for weapons, ammunition, and military equipment procurement.

Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne emphasized the urgency of the project, stating: “These negotiations are a crucial step in taking the DSRB from idea to reality and launching this new defence-focused multilateral bank. The time to act is now, and I look forward to continuing working with our partners to establish and launch the DSRB.”

Several major financial institutions are collaborating with the DSRB development, including JPMorgan, Deutsche Bank, and Royal Bank of Canada.

LONDON — British officials declared antisemitism a national emergency Thursday, announcing plans to invest $34 million in enhanced security measures for Jewish communities following a violent stabbing attack and multiple arson incidents targeting Jewish facilities.

The funding allocation of 25 million pounds will boost police presence and protective measures at synagogues, Jewish schools, and community facilities after Wednesday’s attack in London’s Golders Green area left two Jewish men with serious injuries. The victims, ages 34 and 76, remain hospitalized in stable condition.

Authorities arrested a 45-year-old suspect on attempted murder charges and classified the incident as terrorism. Investigators are examining the attacker’s possible connections to Iranian-backed groups while working to establish a clear motive.

Anti-terrorism units are exploring potential connections between Wednesday’s stabbings and recent fire-bombing attacks on synagogues and other Jewish locations throughout London.

The unnamed suspect has “a history of serious violence and mental health issues,” according to police statements. Law enforcement searched a property in southeast London following reports the man was involved in a confrontation there hours before the Golders Green assault.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood described antisemitism as “an emergency” and called it “the top pressing issue in relation to security” currently facing her office.

Britain’s Jewish population represents a small but established community of approximately 300,000 people. Golders Green, located in northwest London, serves as a major Jewish cultural center featuring kosher dining establishments, religious schools, dozens of synagogues, and diverse Asian and Middle Eastern populations.

Reported antisemitic incidents across Britain have dramatically increased since Hamas militants attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, followed by the ongoing Gaza conflict, according to Community Security Trust data. The organization documented 3,700 incidents in 2025, compared to 1,662 in 2022.

Last October, an assailant drove into worshippers outside a Manchester synagogue during Yom Kippur services and fatally stabbed one person. A second individual died when police accidentally shot them during the response.

Some Jewish residents and supporters argue that pro-Palestinian demonstrations have moved beyond legitimate criticism of Israeli policies to create an environment of fear and hostility toward Jewish people.

While the protests have remained largely peaceful, certain chants like “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” are viewed by some as promoting anti-Jewish sentiment. Several demonstrators have faced arrest for showing support for Hamas, which Britain has designated as a terrorist organization.

Jonathan Hall, who previously served as the government’s terrorism legislation reviewer, urged temporary suspension of pro-Palestinian marches, arguing they have helped “incubate” antisemitism.

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch supported the ban proposal, stating the demonstrations “are used as a cover for violence and intimidation against Jews.”

Since Iran’s involvement in regional conflicts began February 28, multiple arson attacks have targeted Jewish sites and facilities linked to Iranian government critics. Authorities have arrested and charged several suspects ranging from teenagers to individuals in their 40s for these fire-bombings, which have not resulted in physical injuries.

Multiple attacks have been attributed online to Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia. Israeli officials identify this group, translated as the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right, as a newly established organization with suspected ties to Iranian proxy forces that has also claimed responsibility for synagogue attacks in Belgium and the Netherlands.

An online statement using the same group’s name claimed responsibility for Wednesday’s stabbing incident. Mahmood indicated authorities are investigating whether the claim represents genuine responsibility or “opportunistic” false attribution.

Officials announced Thursday they will introduce new laws to prosecute “individuals and groups acting on behalf of state-sponsored organizations.”

Myanmar’s military government has once again shortened the prison sentence of former leader Aung San Suu Kyi, according to legal sources and state media reports released Thursday. The reduction came as part of prisoner pardons connected to a Buddhist religious observance.

This marks the second amnesty in a two-week period, following a previous round of clemency on April 17 that freed more than 4,500 inmates. Officials have not disclosed how many political prisoners opposing military rule were included in Thursday’s pardons.

Legal sources, speaking anonymously due to safety concerns, confirmed that Thursday’s action reduced Suu Kyi’s sentence by one-sixth, though they did not provide the exact remaining term. Based on earlier sentence reductions, the 80-year-old Nobel laureate is believed to face more than 13 years of imprisonment.

Government media announced that 1,519 prisoners, including 11 foreign nationals, received amnesty, while other convicted individuals had their sentences reduced by one-sixth to commemorate the Full Moon day of “Kason,” marking Buddha’s Birthday and Demise.

These clemency measures follow the April 10 inauguration of Senior General Min Aung Hlaing as president after elections that critics characterized as orchestrated and unfair, designed to preserve military control.

During his swearing-in ceremony, he pledged his administration would offer pardons to advance social reconciliation, justice and peace.

Military forces detained Suu Kyi on February 1, 2021, during their seizure of power from her democratically elected administration.

Courts initially sentenced her to 33 years imprisonment in late 2022 on multiple charges that supporters and human rights organizations called fabricated attempts to discredit her and justify the military coup while blocking her political comeback.

Her sentence was first reduced to 27 years in August 2023, then cut by more than four years on April 17 when prison terms under 40 years were decreased by one-sixth.

Suu Kyi remains imprisoned at a secret facility in the capital city of Naypyitaw.

Unconfirmed reports last week suggested she might be moved to house arrest under the clemency program, but authorities have not verified this information.

Details about her physical condition remain strictly controlled. Reports from 2024 and 2025 suggested deteriorating health, including low blood pressure, dizziness and cardiac issues, though these accounts cannot be independently confirmed. Her attorneys have been prohibited from in-person visits since December 2022.

The 2021 military coup sparked widespread public opposition that was violently crushed, leading to an ongoing civil conflict that has claimed thousands of lives.

The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a human rights monitoring group, reports that 22,047 individuals have been detained in Myanmar since the army takeover.

Suu Kyi, daughter of Myanmar’s slain independence leader Gen. Aung San, previously endured nearly 15 years as a political prisoner under house arrest from 1989 to 2010.

Her unwavering opposition to military rule transformed her into an international symbol of peaceful democratic resistance, earning her the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize.

CARACAS, Venezuela — After a seven-year hiatus, direct commercial air travel between the United States and Venezuela resumed Thursday when the first flight touched down in the South American nation’s capital city.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security had halted these flights indefinitely in 2017 due to safety and security issues, forcing travelers to use connecting flights through other Latin American nations.

This restoration of air service follows significant recent developments, including the dramatic capture of Nicolás Maduro during a nighttime operation at his Caracas residence in early January.

Additionally, the United States officially reopened its embassy in Venezuela’s capital last month after reestablishing complete diplomatic relations with the nation.

Envoy Air, which operates under the American Airlines brand, ran Flight AA3599 from Miami on Thursday morning. The aircraft departed at 10:16 a.m. Eastern time and completed the three-hour journey to Venezuela before returning to Florida that afternoon.

The carrier has announced plans to launch a second daily route connecting Miami and Caracas beginning May 21.

President Donald Trump addressed the development in late January, telling Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodríguez about his decision to reopen Venezuelan airspace to commercial traffic, enabling American travelers to visit safely.

“American citizens will be very shortly able to go to Venezuela, and they’ll be safe there,” Trump stated during his announcement.

This marks the first time since 2019 that passengers could travel directly between the two countries without stopovers. During the suspension period, travelers had to rely on foreign carriers and indirect routing through neighboring countries in the region.

When American Airlines initially announced the flight resumption in January, company officials emphasized it would allow passengers to reconnect with relatives and explore new commercial ventures.

American Airlines had been the final U.S. carrier serving Venezuelan destinations before suspending both its Miami-Caracas route and service to the petroleum center of Maracaibo in 2019. Delta and United Airlines had already discontinued their Venezuelan operations in 2017 during a political upheaval that led millions of citizens to leave the country.

TEL AVIV – Israeli authorities have prevented a cargo ship from unloading grain that Ukrainian officials claim was illegally taken by Russian forces, according to reports from Israeli news outlets on Thursday.

The Jerusalem Post and additional media sources referenced a public statement from Israel’s Grain Importers Association, which indicated that the importing company was compelled to reject the incoming vessel following Ukraine’s appeal to confiscate the shipment.

The importing firm, identified as Zenziper, has not yet provided a response to requests for comment regarding the situation.

Diplomatic tensions escalated between Ukraine and Israel this week after Kyiv criticized what it described as Israeli purchases of agricultural products grown in Ukrainian areas currently under Russian control. Ukrainian officials have warned of potential sanctions against entities seeking to profit from such grain transactions.

Ukrainian leadership maintains that all agricultural products harvested from the five territories under Russian occupation, including the Crimean Peninsula, constitute stolen goods and has objected to their international sale through Russian companies.

Russia asserts ownership over these five regions, though the international community continues to recognize them as Ukrainian sovereign territory. Russian officials have remained silent regarding the legal classification of grain harvested from these areas.

Israeli Foreign Ministry representative Oren Marmorstein stated on social media platform X on Wednesday that Ukrainian authorities had not yet supplied proof that the grain was illegally obtained. Marmorstein has not responded to follow-up inquiries about the cargo’s current status.

Chinese military officials announced Thursday that their naval and air units carried out combat readiness operations near Scarborough Shoal and adjacent waters in the contested South China Sea region.

According to a statement from China’s Southern Theater Command, the military exercises were designed to counter what they described as territorial violations and provocative behavior in the area. “Such patrols serve as an effective countermeasure to cope with all sorts of rights-violation and provocative acts. They are meant to resolutely safeguard China’s territorial sovereignty and uphold peace and stability in the South China Sea,” the military command stated.

Philippine diplomatic representatives in Beijing have not yet provided a response when contacted for comment regarding the Chinese military activities.

Israeli military forces have detained approximately 175 humanitarian activists after intercepting their flotilla in Mediterranean waters near the Greek island of Crete, according to organizers of the aid mission bound for Gaza.

The Global Sumud Flotilla departed Barcelona earlier this month with plans for more than 70 vessels and 1,000 participants from around the globe to challenge Israel’s maritime blockade of the Palestinian territory. Additional ships were scheduled to join the convoy as it traveled eastward across the Mediterranean Sea.

According to vessel tracking data published by the activist organization, 22 boats were seized in international waters west of Crete by Thursday morning, while 36 others continued their journey. Israel’s Foreign Ministry confirmed on social media platform X that it was transporting about 175 activists to Israel from more than 20 intercepted vessels.

The humanitarian group denounced the military action in a statement, saying: “Israel’s actions … mark a dangerous and unprecedented escalation, the abduction of civilians in the middle of the Mediterranean, over 600 miles from Gaza, in full view of the world.”

This marks the second consecutive year that Israeli authorities have thwarted the organization’s attempts to reach Gaza. Last year’s effort included Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg among those arrested, detained and eventually deported by Israeli forces.

Turkey’s foreign ministry strongly criticized the seizure on Thursday, labeling it “an act of piracy.” The ministry stated: “By targeting the Global Sumud Flotilla, whose mission is to draw attention to the humanitarian catastrophe faced by the innocent people of Gaza, Israel has also violated humanitarian principles and international law.”

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan discussed the maritime raid with Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares Bueno by telephone, according to ministry spokesman Oncu Keceli.

Greek activists announced plans for a demonstration Thursday afternoon outside Athens’ foreign ministry building, criticizing both the Israeli interception and Greece’s failure to respond despite the seizure occurring within Greek search and rescue jurisdiction.

Israel and Egypt have maintained varying levels of restrictions on Gaza since Hamas took control from competing Palestinian factions in 2007. Israeli officials justify the blockade as necessary to prevent weapons imports by Hamas, while opponents argue it constitutes collective punishment of Gaza’s Palestinian residents.

A fragile ceasefire agreement, now six months old, has reduced the most severe combat between Israeli forces and Hamas-led fighters in the Palestinian enclave. However, Israeli military operations have resulted in more than 790 deaths during the ceasefire period, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

The Hamas-controlled health ministry reports that 72,300 Palestinians have died since the conflict began with Hamas’s October 7, 2023 assault on Israel, which killed approximately 1,200 people, predominantly civilians.

Nearly 2 million Gaza residents continue living amid widespread destruction with severe shortages of food and medical supplies, receiving only limited humanitarian assistance through a single Israeli-controlled border crossing.

Flotilla coordinators expressed hope that their latest mission would draw international attention to Palestinian living conditions in Gaza, particularly as global focus has shifted toward conflicts involving the United States and Israel’s confrontation with Iran.

Last year’s blockade-breaking attempt involved dozens of vessels sailing near Gaza, with one crossing into territorial waters before all were ultimately intercepted, seized, or forced to retreat. Participants alleged mistreatment during Israeli detention, accusations that Israeli authorities rejected.

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — An appeals court in Cambodia confirmed Thursday the treason conviction and 27-year prison term for opposition politician Kem Sokha, whose detention in 2017 triggered an extensive campaign by the government to suppress political adversaries throughout the nation.

The Phnom Penh Appeals Court additionally prohibited Kem Sokha from departing the country for five years following completion of his sentence, which he is currently serving while confined to his residence.

Critics have repeatedly charged Cambodia’s administration with weaponizing the court system to target dissidents and political rivals. While the government maintains it supports legal principles within a democratic electoral framework, opposition parties viewed as potential challengers have been disbanded through court orders or seen their leadership imprisoned or intimidated.

Kem Sokha, who is now 72 years old, received his conviction in 2023 after an extended period of pretrial imprisonment. Authorities alleged he plotted with the United States to overthrow Cambodia’s ruling government. The key evidence presented against him included footage showing him receiving political guidance from American pro-democracy organizations.

His Cambodia National Rescue Party served as the sole viable challenger to the governing Cambodian People’s Party, but the Supreme Court disbanded it following his detention, preventing it from participating in the 2018 electoral contest.

The political organization led by longtime Prime Minister Hun Sen then claimed every seat in the National Assembly. His son, Hun Manet, took over the leadership role in 2023 but has maintained the restrictive political environment.

During his appearance before the appeals court this month, Kem Sokha stated he had never plotted with any foreign nation in ways that would harm Cambodian lives or result in territorial losses, emphasizing his commitment to peaceful methods and national solidarity.

Kem Sokha’s attorney, Pheng Heng, expressed disappointment with the court’s ruling to media representatives and indicated he and his client must determine whether to pursue a further appeal with the Supreme Court. He called on the government to work toward national healing.

International diplomatic missions in Cambodia voiced concerns about the court’s decision.

“We would like to see Kem Sokha released and his political freedoms restored,” the British Embassy said in a statement. “We believe this would help strengthen democracy in Cambodia.”

Authorities in Australia announced Thursday they have discovered a body they believe belongs to a 5-year-old Indigenous girl who vanished from her remote community home over the weekend.

The child, who is now being called Kumanjayi Little Baby according to Indigenous traditions, was reported missing late Saturday from her home in a secluded area of central Australia.

Officers located the body of a young Indigenous girl around midday Thursday approximately 3 miles south of where the initial crime occurred in the community, according to police statements.

Investigators have identified 47-year-old Jefferson Lewis as their primary suspect. Lewis had recently been freed from prison and was present in the area when the girl disappeared, police said.

“The focus right now is to locate Jefferson Lewis. It is our sole job in this investigation right now,” Northern Territory Police Assistant Commissioner Peter Malley stated during a press briefing.

“I say to the family of Jefferson Lewis that we believe he’s murdered this child. Do not assist him. Get him to the police station and we’ll look after him,” Malley continued.

“And I say to Jefferson Lewis, we’re coming for you.”

Malley revealed that investigators had collected evidence from the crime scene, including children’s underwear. Laboratory analysis of the underwear revealed DNA from both Kumanjayi Little Baby and Lewis.

An autopsy will be conducted to determine the exact cause of death, and a coroner’s investigation will follow, police announced.

The disappearance of Kumanjayi Little Baby captured national attention, with hundreds of volunteers participating in ground and aerial searches across difficult desert landscape.

Australia has faced ongoing challenges in addressing issues affecting its Indigenous communities, who have called the continent home for approximately 50,000 years but faced marginalization under British colonial rule.

Many Indigenous families reside in settlements called camps on the edges of Alice Springs, where adequate housing and essential services are frequently lacking. Old Timers Camp, where Kumanjayi Little Baby lived with her family, houses only around 40 people.

While Indigenous Australians represent roughly 3.8% of the nation’s 27 million residents, they consistently rank lowest in nearly all economic and social measures, experiencing disproportionately high suicide and imprisonment rates.

Ukraine’s highest-ranking military official announced Thursday a new policy requiring frontline soldiers to be rotated from forward combat positions after serving no more than two months, as the war-torn nation grapples with personnel challenges in its ongoing conflict with Russia.

General Oleksandr Syrskyi issued the directive following numerous troubling accounts of Ukrainian forces remaining in dangerous forward positions for extended periods while facing continuous enemy fire and attempting to prevent gradual Russian territorial gains.

According to Syrskyi’s statement, the widespread use of unmanned aircraft has fundamentally altered battlefield conditions, creating what military analysts describe as extensive “kill zones” that have made supply operations more difficult and dramatically changed how combat missions are conducted.

“Commanders must ensure that conditions are in place for service personnel to remain at their posts for up to two months, followed by a mandatory rotation, which must take place within one month,” he said.

“Timely rotation is not only a matter of organizing service, but a matter of preserving the lives of our soldiers and the stability of defense.”

The general’s directive also mandates regular health assessments and ensures adequate supplies of food and military equipment reach troops stationed at the front lines.

This policy announcement follows recent public outcry after family members shared disturbing photographs showing severely malnourished soldiers from Ukraine’s 14th Separate Mechanized Brigade.

Throughout much of the conflict, Ukraine has faced significant personnel shortages, with military recruitment becoming increasingly difficult due to reports of inadequate training, insufficient support systems, and aggressive conscription practices that have diminished public willingness to serve.