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Health officials in Gaza reported that seven Palestinians died in an Israeli airstrike Saturday, including two women, as diplomatic efforts to strengthen a fragile ceasefire resumed in Cairo.

Medical personnel said the strike hit a large tent camp in central Gaza City, killing seven and injuring 15 others, including children.

A military spokesperson for Israel confirmed to Reuters that forces conducted an operation against “terrorists” but declined to provide additional information.

The attack happened while negotiators launched fresh discussions in Cairo with Hamas and other Palestinian groups about reinforcing a troubled ceasefire deal brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump. The agreement has not prevented continued Israeli military operations and has left Israel controlling more than half of the territory following the conflict that started when Hamas launched attacks on southern Israel in October 2023.

Negotiations over the second stage of the agreement, which would include disarming Hamas and withdrawing Israeli forces, have reached an impasse.

Egypt started hosting renewed ceasefire discussions Saturday with Hamas leadership and other Palestinian faction representatives, with talks expected to continue for several days, according to Hamas and sources familiar with the negotiations.

Hazem Qassem, a Hamas spokesperson in Gaza, said the discussions would concentrate on how Israel implements the first stage and finding agreement on moving forward to the second stage.

Hamas communicated to mediators from Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and representatives from Trump’s Board of Peace that stopping Israeli military actions in Gaza remains crucial for any advancement, according to group sources and officials involved in the talks.

Hamas is demanding Israel cease its attacks, permit increased humanitarian aid into Gaza and pull back to ceasefire boundaries.

Gaza health officials report approximately 950 Palestinians have died in Israeli strikes since the truce took effect. Hamas typically does not release detailed information about casualties among its fighters.

Israeli military officials state that four Israeli soldiers have died from militant attacks during the same timeframe.

Israel maintains its strikes target imminent threats and that it permits aid and supplies to enter Gaza.

Gaza health authorities report nearly 73,000 people in Gaza have died since fighting began, with most being civilians.

Israel reports that militants led by Hamas killed 1,200 people and captured 251 Israeli and foreign hostages during the October 7, 2023, attacks.

General Rudolf Haykal, who leads Lebanon’s military forces, departed Saturday for Pakistan following an invitation from Pakistan’s top military official, according to a statement from Lebanon’s army.

The trip takes place during a period when Pakistani officials are working to facilitate diplomatic solutions to the U.S.-Israeli confrontation with Iran, a conflict that has expanded to affect Lebanon as well.

Military officials confirmed the visit was arranged at the request of Haykal’s Pakistani equivalent, though they did not release additional information regarding the specific objectives or timeline of the trip.

American military forces intercepted Iranian ballistic missiles and attack drones targeting Gulf partners on Friday, while also conducting retaliatory strikes against Iranian coastal radar installations, marking another escalation in the fragile ceasefire with Tehran.

This military exchange occurred as the Trump administration continues increasing diplomatic pressure on Iran to negotiate an agreement ending the ongoing conflict.

According to U.S. Central Command’s Friday evening social media statement, Iran launched seven ballistic missiles targeting Kuwait and Bahrain. American forces successfully intercepted six missiles, while the seventh failed to reach its intended target. Military officials reported no injuries to U.S. personnel.

These ballistic missile attacks followed earlier U.S. interception of four Iranian drones heading toward the Strait of Hormuz.

“The attack drones posed an immediate threat to regional maritime traffic,” U.S. Central Command stated on social media.

Kuwait’s military confirmed their forces were intercepting incoming missiles and drones targeting their territory, while Bahrain activated emergency sirens and instructed citizens to seek shelter and follow official guidance.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard claimed responsibility for targeting the Ali Al Salem airbase hosting U.S. forces in Kuwait and the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet stationed in Bahrain, according to state-run IRNA news agency reports.

American military forces are currently maintaining a blockade of Iranian ports as Tehran continues restricting the vital shipping corridor for global oil and natural gas transport, causing energy price increases and creating political challenges for President Donald Trump’s Republican Party before upcoming midterm congressional elections.

U.S. Central Command confirmed striking radar installations, including one located on an island within the strait, “to defend against further attacks.”

Trump promises a quick end to US-Iran conflict

These latest confrontations represent continued back-and-forth hostilities straining the unstable ceasefire and complicating diplomatic efforts to extend the truce. Earlier this week, Iranian drone attacks severely damaged Kuwait’s primary airport passenger terminal, resulting in one death, multiple injuries, and temporary airport closure.

Despite these attacks raising fresh concerns about potential ceasefire collapse, Trump informed reporters Friday that “the situation with Iran seems to be going quite well.”

“We’re going to come out of Iran very quickly and it’s going to be very strong one way or the other, whether it’s a piece of paper or the very tough way,” Trump stated during a Wisconsin farmers event. “The very tough way is maybe the easier way, but we’re going to come out, and your fertilizer prices are going to go way down, just like they were four months ago.”

When questioned Friday about the prolonged timeline, Trump told NBC’s “Meet the Press” it was because “it’s a very hard thing for them,” referencing their “great independence” and noting “they’re strong, they’re proud.”

“There are things they never thought they’d be doing that they’re going to have to do. They’ve got no choice, and it takes a little while,” he explained during the interview.

Trump indicated the Iranians maintain 21% to 22% of their missile arsenal.

Israeli strikes on Lebanon continue

His administration has also promoted the recent ceasefire agreement reached this week between Lebanon’s government and Israel following U.S.-mediated negotiations in Washington. However, the Iranian-supported Hezbollah militant organization has refused the agreement, and continued attacks threaten its viability.

Israeli military forces conducted Friday strikes across multiple southern Lebanon areas and issued evacuation orders for nine villages, including one sheltering thousands of displaced civilians. These strikes resulted in nine fatalities across six southern Lebanon locations, according to state news agency reports.

Israeli military officials reported two soldiers wounded, one critically, during Friday’s encounter with militants in southern Lebanon.

The Lebanese conflict, where Israeli forces have captured significant portions of the south, also jeopardizes efforts to conclude the Iran war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, as Iran has insisted any permanent truce must include Lebanon.

Beyond the Strait of Hormuz drone interceptions, U.S. military forces earlier Friday boarded a sanctioned oil tanker connected to Iran in the Indian Ocean as America continues preventing Iran from profiting through oil and other commodity sales.

The U.S. also imposed additional energy sector sanctions targeting individuals, companies and tankers.

PARIS (AP) — During D-Day anniversary commemorations in France on Saturday, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth drew parallels between current European migration patterns and the historic Allied invasion, suggesting that the liberty secured by World War II forces might be fleeting without proper defense.

At the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer in northwestern France, Hegseth addressed the 82nd anniversary of the June 6, 1944, Allied landings, stating that in present times, “different European beaches are stormed by different dangerous ideologies.”

“Beaches in Spain and Italy and Greece and Bulgaria. Boats and men arrive,” he said.

“When will European capitals do something about that invasion? Or is it too late?” he added. “I pray not, and I believe not.”

While the Defense Secretary avoided directly mentioning immigration, his comments reflected the current administration’s broader critique of European handling of migration issues, border security, and what American officials characterize as suppression of nationalist and far-right perspectives.

The same day, the office of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer criticized U.S. Vice President JD Vance for connecting immigration to the death of Henry Nowak, an 18-year-old British student who was fatally stabbed in Southampton, despite both the victim and perpetrator being British citizens.

Last December, the current administration’s national security strategy document cautioned that Europe confronts the “prospect of civilizational erasure” and risks becoming “unrecognizable” over the next two decades.

A Palestinian infant who died in an Israeli military shooting was buried Saturday in the West Bank city of Hebron, one day after the deadly incident that also wounded his parents.

Seven-month-old Sam Fahd Abu Haikal was interred following funeral services at a local mosque, his small body wrapped in white burial cloth and draped with a Palestinian flag. The baby died Friday when Israeli forces opened fire on his family’s vehicle in the Tel Rumeida area south of Hebron, according to relatives who witnessed the incident and the Palestinian Health Ministry.

The child’s father, Fahd, rejected suggestions that the shooting was unintentional during Saturday’s burial proceedings.

“What happened to us is not a matter of an apology. What happened is not that shots were fired by mistake and led to this tragedy,” the grieving father stated.

“To say it happened by mistake, that ‘I didn’t know you were coming here,’ or that the bullet passed through by accident — no. There is no such thing as ‘by mistake’ in this case.”

Israeli military officials have stated that troops discharged a single round after they “perceived a vehicle accelerating toward them.” The military has admitted that “uninvolved civilians” sustained injuries and indicated the matter is being investigated.

The infant’s grandmother, Firyal, described how the family had brought their car to a halt upon spotting Israeli troops in the area. She said gunfire erupted afterward, with a bullet striking their vehicle and fatally wounding Abu Haikal while injuring both parents.

“Immediately after the presence of the occupation forces, a soldier holding his weapon opened fire on us. The bullets struck the car,” Fahd recounted.

“The soldier that shot at us was 10 metres away. The bullet penetrated the front windshield, went through my arm, and then struck my son in the head and my wife in the face.”

Military authorities have not revealed the identities of the troops involved in the shooting or indicated whether those personnel remain on active duty during the ongoing investigation.

Authorities in Britain announced Saturday that six additional individuals have been arrested and charged with violent disorder stemming from protests over the December killing of a college student who was restrained by police while fatally wounded.

During Tuesday’s demonstration in Southampton, a coastal city in southern England, law enforcement officers faced a barrage of projectiles including chairs, beverage containers, stones and flares from some participants among the hundreds gathered to protest the death of 18-year-old Henry Nowak.

Widespread anger erupted across Britain and internationally after police body camera footage revealed officers placing handcuffs on Nowak just before he lost consciousness and died from his injuries.

The student’s death has ignited intense discussions regarding law enforcement practices, racial issues and knife violence throughout the United Kingdom. The perpetrator, 23-year-old Vickrum Digwa, who is Sikh, provided false information to responding officers, claiming he had been the target of a racially motivated attack by Nowak, who was white. Upon arrival, police initially considered the injured victim a suspect before discovering his wounds and attempting life-saving measures.

This week, Digwa received a murder conviction for fatally stabbing Nowak with a Sikh dagger and was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum 21-year term. However, anti-immigration advocates and political figures have used the incident to argue that the justice system shows prejudice against white individuals.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the street violence following the case as “disgraceful and completely unacceptable.” Officials have encouraged the public to respect the victim’s family’s request not to exploit his death to incite violence and civil unrest.

According to police reports, a total of 11 individuals now face disorder charges related to this week’s Southampton demonstration.

On Friday, Starmer’s office issued criticism regarding statements made by U.S. Vice President JD Vance, who attributed Nowak’s death to immigration policies. In a post on social platform X, Vance stated there should be “righteous anger” regarding the murder, which he partially blamed on “the mass invasion of migrants, many of whom despise the West and the people who love it.”

Responding to Vance’s remarks, Starmer’s office released a statement condemning those “trying to interfere in our democracy and seeking to stir up division on our streets.”

Officials at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear facility announced Saturday that electrical service has been reestablished to the plant following successful repairs to the Ferrosplavnaya-1 transmission line.

“All systems and equipment at the ZNPP are operating normally,” the management said via its Telegram channel.

The repair work was made possible through a brief local truce arranged on Friday by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog organization.

Hours after the repair incident occurred, the Russian state nuclear energy corporation Rosatom claimed Ukraine had intentionally broken the ceasefire by launching a drone strike that wounded at least three individuals.

Russian forces captured the Zaporizhzhia facility, which stands as Europe’s biggest nuclear plant with six reactors, during the initial phase of Moscow’s military campaign in Ukraine. Since then, both nations have blamed each other for conducting military operations that threaten nuclear security.

While the facility currently produces no electricity, it requires external electrical supply to prevent nuclear fuel stored there from overheating.

This recent ceasefire marked the sixth such agreement arranged since late last year to enable power line maintenance work.

Armenian law enforcement officials detained six candidates from a pro-Russian opposition political party on Saturday, just hours before the nation’s general election was set to begin, according to state media reports.

The candidates belonged to the Strong Armenia party, which is headed by Russian-Armenian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan. Karapetyan is currently under house arrest facing allegations of attempting to incite government overthrow, charges he maintains are driven by political motivations.

The country’s ties with longtime ally Russia have become a major campaign issue in this election cycle. In recent weeks, Moscow has imposed trade restrictions on Armenian goods as a response to the nation’s increasingly closer relationship with Western countries.

Approximately 2.4 million Armenian citizens are registered to vote in Sunday’s election, which will also serve as a referendum on Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s peace-building initiatives with Azerbaijan, Armenia’s historic adversary.

Recent polling data indicates Strong Armenia commands between 6% and 11% of voter support, placing it as the second-largest party behind Pashinyan’s governing Civil Contract party, which leads significantly with 24% to 32% support.

Civil rights organizations in Armenia have expressed concerns about what they describe as Russian government-backed misinformation campaigns targeting the election. Moscow consistently denies involvement in foreign electoral processes.

The state news service Armenpress reported that the Central Election Commission granted permission for investigators to pursue criminal charges against the six candidates, though specific details were not provided.

Armenia’s state Investigative Committee, responsible for the arrests, had not responded to inquiries about the reasoning behind the detentions as of Saturday.

Strong Armenia, which advocates for preserving the nation’s economic and political connections with Russia and has criticized Pashinyan for potentially provoking conflict with Moscow, had not issued an immediate statement regarding the arrests.

Earlier this week, Armenia’s Interior Ministry announced it had documented at least 78 instances of pre-election violations and arrested 44 individuals, according to local media reports. The reports did not identify which political organizations the detained individuals were associated with.

Opposition to Strong Armenia has intensified as Sunday’s vote approaches. During a special session on Friday evening, the Central Election Commission turned down a legal challenge from another opposition faction seeking to prevent Strong Armenia from participating in the election due to allegations of voter bribery and illegal campaign financing.

Strong Armenia largely rejected the lawsuit’s claims, with the party’s spokeswoman telling Armenian media outlets that the organization was “ready for all scenarios” heading into Sunday’s election.

OSLO, Norway (AP) — The Norwegian Royal Court announced Friday that Crown Princess Mette-Marit has been added to a lung transplant waiting list due to her deteriorating medical condition.

The 52-year-old princess received a diagnosis of pulmonary fibrosis in 2018, a condition that progressively damages lung tissue and creates scarring. The disease leads to severe respiratory difficulties and has no available cure.

According to the Royal Court’s Friday statement, she will halt her official royal responsibilities, and medical updates will only be shared once the transplant surgery occurs. Following her hospital release, the statement noted there would be “a longer period of rehabilitation and training” with “initially no updates” provided during that time.

Lung specialist Are Holm from Oslo’s University Hospital told Norway’s public broadcaster NRK that “The Crown Princess has had a significant worsening of her pulmonary fibrosis over the past six months. We see in the pictures that much more scar tissue has developed over the past year.”

Holm further explained, “The rule of thumb for who should be put on the list for lung transplantation is that the patient should be so sick with lung disease that we have reason to believe that the patient only has one year left to live.”

The medical specialist noted that hospital protocols determine waiting list priorities and stated it was impossible to forecast when the transplant might occur, as it depends on when a “suitable organ becomes available.” Holm mentioned current waiting periods are brief and emphasized they “follow protocol exactly in this case.”

In February, Mette-Marit issued an apology regarding the difficulties she created for the royal family amid criticism over her interactions with deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, which was part of a broader statement of regret to all those she has “disappointed.”

The Crown Princess’s communications and relationships with Epstein have drawn public attention, contributing to royal family controversies as her son, Marius Borg Høiby, faced trial in Oslo in February on various charges, including rape allegations.

Høiby, 29, is Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s oldest child from an earlier relationship and holds no royal title or performs official royal functions.

Members of Britain’s royal family came together Saturday in a small English village to witness the marriage of Peter Phillips, Princess Anne’s son, to Harriet Sperling, who works as a nurse.

The wedding ceremony occurred at All Saints Church in Kemble, located near Cirencester in southwestern England. Princess Anne attended alongside her spouse Timothy Laurence, while her brother King Charles was present with Queen Camilla. Prince William and his wife Kate also participated in the private celebration, along with other prominent royal family members.

The guest list included Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice, who are the daughters of Charles’ younger brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

Phillips holds the distinction of being the late Queen Elizabeth II’s oldest grandson and currently sits 19th in line for the British throne. He makes his living as a sports management executive and does not participate in official royal responsibilities. His bride, Sperling, works as a pediatric nurse.

This marks Phillips’ second marriage, as his previous union with Autumn Kelly concluded in divorce during 2021.

PARIS, June 6 – During commemorations marking the 82nd anniversary of D-Day in Normandy, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered controversial comments on Saturday, drawing parallels between modern immigration patterns and what he termed dangerous ideological threats facing Europe.

Speaking at the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, Hegseth connected contemporary migration issues to the historic Allied landings that began the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi control.

“Sadly, today, different European beaches are stormed by different, dangerous ideologies. Beaches in Spain, Italy, Greece and Bulgaria, boats and men arrive,” Hegseth stated during his address.

“When will European capitals do something about that invasion or is it too late? I pray not, and I believe not,” he continued.

These statements reflect broader criticisms frequently voiced by President Donald Trump’s administration regarding European policies. The administration has consistently argued that Europe struggles with inadequate defense capabilities, ineffective immigration management, excessive bureaucracy, and what it characterizes as “censorship” targeting far-right and nationalist political movements.

Immigration control has become a recurring point of tension between U.S. and European officials, with Trump and Vice President JD Vance – as recently as Friday – repeatedly condemning European nations for their handling of migration issues.

Last year’s U.S. National Security Strategy document contained stark language about Europe’s future, suggesting the continent risked “civilizational erasure” and needed significant policy changes to maintain its status as a dependable American partner.

These official statements and commentary from high-ranking Trump administration figures have fundamentally challenged long-standing assumptions about transatlantic cooperation, prompting European leadership to urgently consider reducing their dependence on American defense systems and technology.

Lithuania’s governing Social Democrat party decided Saturday to expel the populist Nemunas Dawn from their coalition government following the antisemitism conviction of the party’s leader.

The Social Democrats, who have been leading a three-party coalition with a narrow parliamentary majority, plan to approach the centre-right For Lithuania party as a replacement partner to preserve their governing majority, according to leader Mindaugas Sinkevicius.

“We were patient… but we see that the (Nemunas Dawn) chairman is getting more radical, while the country needs stability,” Sinkevicius stated to reporters following a Social Democrat leadership gathering.

In December, a Vilnius court convicted Nemunas Dawn founder and chairman Remigijus Zemaitaitis of inciting hatred toward Jews and minimizing the Holocaust through social media content. Zemaitaitis has maintained his innocence, characterizing the ruling as politically driven and submitting an appeal.

While the Social Democrats initially agreed to retain his party in the coalition during the appeals process, Nemunas Dawn opposed a government proposal in May to create new military facilities along the Belarus border. Additionally, financial crimes investigators searched Zemaitaitis’ property as part of a fraud probe, though Zemaitaitis has again proclaimed his innocence and holds no ministerial position.

The cabinet, which includes the Farmers and Greens Union as well, may undergo significant restructuring during forthcoming negotiations, Sinkevicius indicated. He hinted at potentially assuming the prime minister role from deputy Social Democrat leader Inga Ruginiene.

Stray Ukrainian drones have heightened tensions with Russia, the NATO and European Union member’s larger neighboring country, during a period when U.S. dedication to NATO’s mutual defense principles faces uncertainty.

For Lithuania previously participated in the Social Democrat coalition from 2004 through last year, when it compelled the departure of former Social Democrat leader and Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas, who now faces illegal enrichment charges.

Inside a Gaza repair facility, workers are transforming small recreational boats into fishing vessels using salvaged materials including door frames and wood pulled from destroyed buildings.

These smaller boats, once used by families for leisure activities, have become essential for Gaza’s struggling fishing industry as crews work to maintain their diminished fleet.

Fishermen report that Israeli limitations on importing fiberglass and similar repair materials have made fixing their traditional, larger fishing boats both challenging and costly.

Fisherman Mohammad al-Hissi explained the dramatic price increase to Reuters: “A kilo of fibreglass in the era before the war was 50 or 60 shekels (approximately $17 or $21).” He noted that the current price has jumped to around 800 shekels.

The Israeli military agency that oversees Gaza access, known as COGAT, explained to Reuters that prohibited items include materials that could serve both civilian and military purposes. The agency did not specifically address fiberglass restrictions.

Prior to the conflict that started with attacks on southern Israel in October 2023, Gaza’s fishing crews already operated under severe Israeli limitations on their distance from shore.

Currently, fishermen report staying even closer to the coastline to avoid gunfire that they say has persisted following last year’s ceasefire agreement.

When asked about these incidents, Israel’s military stated that naval forces were implementing “maritime security restrictions” in Gaza’s coastal waters and that violations result in soldiers acting “in accordance with the rules of engagement.”

Gaza health officials report that over 900 Palestinians have died in Israeli attacks since the truce started, though these numbers don’t separate fighters from civilians. Israeli military sources confirm four of their soldiers were killed by militants during this same timeframe.

According to Gaza Fishermen Syndicate member Zakaria Baker, the local fishing industry now brings in less than 15 tons monthly – an amount that previously represented a single day’s catch before the war began.

Before the conflict, fishing provided a crucial food source for the territory.

While the hunger emergency in Gaza has improved since famine conditions were declared in portions of the densely populated area before last year’s ceasefire, aid organizations report that most children still lack proper nutrition. The United Nations documented 3,500 children receiving malnutrition treatment in April.

“We repair and maintain boats, and serve fishermen in any way we can,” said repair shop worker Musab Baker. “But we are unable to do anything apart from the small boats.”

Demonstrators in Seoul continued their second day of protests on Saturday, calling for local elections to be held again following voting problems earlier in the week.

An estimated 10,000 people assembled at the SK Olympic Handball Stadium by 5:30 p.m. local time, according to Yonhap News Agency, which cited unofficial police figures. The stadium served as a vote-counting location for Wednesday’s municipal and local assembly elections.

Reuters was unable to immediately verify the crowd size estimates with representatives from Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency.

The demonstrations were sparked by insufficient ballot supplies that blocked some qualified voters from participating nationwide, leading to the National Election Commission chief’s resignation.

Election officials reported that 50 out of 14,300 voting locations exhausted their ballot supply, while 22 additional sites had to halt voting temporarily due to delayed deliveries.

In a televised address, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon called the ballot problems unacceptable and a breach of voting rights. He called for dissolving the election commission and launching a special prosecutor investigation.

Live broadcasts from YTN and Yonhap News showed demonstrators, including conservative YouTubers, shouting demands for an “election re-run,” performing the national anthem, and displaying South Korean flags.

Several protesters positioned themselves at the stadium entrance gates, preventing National Election Commission staff from departing.

The commission workers, who had remained inside the facility since Friday morning, finally managed to leave on Saturday, according to Yonhap.

The election commission has not yet responded to inquiries about their staff’s departure from the site.

The former first lady of France, Bernadette Chirac, has passed away at the age of 93, leaving behind a legacy of political influence and charitable work that spanned more than five decades.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced her death on Saturday, expressing that he and his wife Brigitte learned with “great sadness” of the loss of a woman who left her mark on French history alongside Jacques Chirac, who passed away in 2019, and transformed the lives of countless patients through her humanitarian efforts.

“A great lady of the heart has departed,” Macron said.

Throughout more than 50 years, Chirac served as the steady anchor during her late husband’s ambitious political journey — from his time in Parliament through two stints as prime minister, nearly two decades leading Paris as mayor, and ultimately winning the presidency in 1995.

Official photographs captured her distinctive presence with raised chin, perfectly styled blonde hair, and small purse in hand, projecting an image more institutional than spousal.

However, the public persona only told part of her story.

Her signature style — designer suits, dark sunglasses, distinctive voice, and sharp commentary — became woven into France’s cultural fabric.

Behind this image stood a tireless professional and shrewd political strategist who, unlike most French presidential spouses, established her own independent power base.

Born Bernadette Thérèse Marie Chodron de Courcel on May 18, 1933, in Paris, she came from a family of wealth, noble heritage, and strong Catholic values.

Her paternal lineage featured military officers, business leaders, and diplomatic figures; one uncle had worked alongside Charles de Gaulle during the war years in London.

However, her most significant life chapter began at the renowned Sciences Po university in Paris, where she encountered Jacques Chirac, an attractive and popular young man whose political ambitions would shape both their destinies.

Their wedding took place in March 1956. The marriage endured for 63 years and became, in her own words, an extended exercise in perseverance.

Jacques Chirac gained recognition for his charisma, energy, and natural ability to connect with the public. Bernadette possessed different strengths, according to political observers.

She demonstrated self-discipline, social commanding presence, religious devotion, high standards, and occasionally sharp wit.

Catholic philosopher Jean Guitton dubbed her the “last queen of France,” a characterization she seemed to embrace rather than reject.

Her husband’s well-known reputation for extramarital affairs became a public matter she eventually chose to address through sardonic humor, following considerable personal anguish.

When photographers surrounded her in Corrèze in 1998 — following speculation that Jacques Chirac had been unreachable the evening Princess Diana died because he was with an actress — she emerged from her vehicle and remarked dryly: “Calm down. I’m not Claudia Cardinale. Or Lollobrigida.”

“At first, it was hard. I was very heartbroken, and then I got used to it,” she said years later in a television documentary.

“I told myself that was how things were and that I had to accept it with as much dignity as possible.”

While assigned to maintain her husband’s rural political base in Corrèze as he pursued power in Paris, she accomplished far more than simple caretaking. She won election as municipal councilor in Sarran in 1971. Eight years later, she secured a general councilor position in Corrèze and retained that seat until 2015.

Her political clout expanded after Jacques Chirac assumed the presidency in 1995. Though France’s first lady role carries no constitutional authority, she transformed the Élysée into a venue where her endorsement carried weight.

She demonstrated loyalty, sharpness, and an unforgiving nature, recognizing that political campaigns depend not only on speeches and polling data but also on obligations, insults, and grudges.

Nevertheless, she also established a domain for female leadership within a male-dominated political environment that showed little willingness to share authority — making it subtly understood that she would not be diminished to merely “the wife of.”

Her most profound sorrow remained largely hidden from public view.

The Chiracs’ older daughter, Laurence, developed serious anorexia following adolescent meningitis and made multiple suicide attempts. She never completely recovered and died in 2016 at age 58.

This family crisis directed Chirac toward the charitable activities that transformed her public reputation.

In 1994, she assumed leadership of a medical charity that gathered donations for hospitalized children. For millions of French television viewers, the woman previously criticized for arrogance became the representative of sick children and families camping beside hospital beds.

She maintained control of the organization until 2019, when she transferred leadership to Brigitte Macron, the current president’s wife, while accepting the honorary president title.

By that point, she had established herself as a political power under her own identity.

“My husband no longer does politics, but I do,” she told reporters after Jacques Chirac concluded his presidency in 2007.

She memorably gave Dominique de Villepin, the Élysée official she mistrusted, the nickname “Nero,” while also allegedly orchestrating her husband’s reconciliation with Nicolas Sarkozy, the former ally who had politically betrayed him.

Her 2001 autobiography, “Conversation,” co-written with journalist Patrick de Carolis, achieved sales of hundreds of thousands of copies and revealed to the French public a more candid, humorous, and autonomous woman than many had previously recognized.

Following Jacques Chirac’s departure from the Élysée, his health deteriorated and his public presence diminished. Her voice stayed clearer for a longer period. When asked about his condition, according to French media reports, she responded in her characteristic flat, recognizable tone: “He keeps the dog.”

Advancing age and personal loss eventually pulled her away from public life.

When Jacques Chirac died in 2019, she had become too frail to participate in the public memorial ceremony where France and international leaders paid their respects.

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Authorities in Australia report that a spearfisher died Saturday in what marks the country’s third deadly shark encounter within a four-week period.

The victim, a 35-year-old man, was underwater fishing with relatives near Michaelmas Island close to the port city of Albany in Western Australia state when the attack occurred before midday, according to a police statement.

Family members transported the man by watercraft to Albany where emergency medical personnel were standing by, but efforts to save his life were unsuccessful, police reported. Officials believe a 4.5-meter (15-foot) white shark carried out the attack.

This cluster of three deaths represents an unusual pattern for a country that typically records approximately three shark-related fatalities annually over recent decades.

The most recent previous death happened on May 24 when 39-year-old spearfisher Michael Jensz sustained fatal head trauma during an attack along the Great Barrier Reef off Australia’s northeastern coastline. Bull sharks had been spotted in that area.

Seven days before that incident, on May 16, a four-meter (13-foot) white shark killed 38-year-old spearfisher Steve Mattabonni in waters northwest of Albany near Rottnest Island.

Earlier this year in January, Australia recorded its only other fatal shark incident when a 12-year-old boy passed away at a medical facility several days after being attacked by a bull shark in Sydney Harbor.

Emergency responders have successfully contained a warehouse fire that erupted in the early hours of Saturday morning in Anderlecht, a suburb of Brussels, according to Belgian public broadcaster VRT.

Brussels fire brigade spokesperson Walter Derieuw confirmed the blaze had been brought under control, though the origin of the fire remains unknown at this time.

Thick smoke blanketed the neighborhood as law enforcement officers equipped with protective gas masks established a perimeter around the warehouse and nearby roadways. A Reuters correspondent witnessed the evacuation of some area residents.

Derieuw advised local residents to maintain closed windows and doors due to ongoing smoke in the vicinity.

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan’s capital city zoo has taken in two endangered red pandas from China on Saturday, marking the first animal transfer between the regions in more than ten years amid ongoing political tensions.

The new arrivals include a 3-year-old male and a 2-year-old female, both of which will spend a month in quarantine before adjusting to their environment at the Taipei City Zoo prior to public display.

Zoo officials have not yet chosen names for the pair. According to the Taipei Zoo, the male panda quickly began investigating his surroundings and started eating, while the female took a more reserved approach and chose to watch from a distance.

The last time Taipei received red pandas from a Chinese zoo in Fujian province was in 2014, the Taipei Times reported. These animals naturally inhabit China, Nepal, Laos, Myanmar, and other regional countries.

As part of this exchange agreement, Taipei will provide white-handed gibbons to Shanghai, according to the Taipei Times.

Despite ongoing political strain between China and Taiwan — the self-governed island that Beijing considers part of its territory — and the absence of formal government communication, exchanges at the municipal level have persisted.

Three Lebanese military personnel died Saturday when Israeli forces struck their vehicle along the Khardali-Nabatieh road in southern Lebanon, according to the Lebanese army.

The Israeli military later stated it had attacked the vehicle after spotting what it characterized as a threat to its forces and obtaining intelligence suggesting Hezbollah was getting ready to launch attacks on Israeli troops from that location.

Israeli officials said a preliminary investigation revealed that two Lebanese army officers and a soldier were in the vehicle when it was hit, and that the matter is currently being examined.

Throughout the ongoing conflict, the Lebanese army has generally remained neutral in the hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel and has not participated in the combat operations.

The chief executive of Russia’s state oil company Rosneft accused American energy firms Saturday of profiting from the blockade of a critical Middle Eastern shipping route.

Igor Sechin made the comments during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, claiming that Washington is attempting to restructure worldwide energy markets for American benefit. The Strait of Hormuz has been closed since Iran blocked the waterway following U.S. and Israeli attacks that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in February. The United States has also imposed blockades on Iranian ports.

The strait normally handles approximately one-fifth of global oil shipments along with essential commodities like fertilizers. Its closure has disrupted international markets, driving oil costs to multi-year peaks while fueling worldwide inflation and hampering economic expansion.

“The closure of the Strait of Hormuz is an attempt to reshape global energy market regulations to benefit the United States. The measures taken to block the strait were aimed at Iran, but backfired on the entire world. The strategic risks were underestimated,” Sechin said.

“The main beneficiaries, of course, were American companies, who gained non-competitive advantages and the ability to secure high-cost supplies,” he added.

Sechin, a longtime associate of President Vladimir Putin, cautioned that other major international shipping lanes including the Malacca, Bad El Mandeb and Gibraltar straits might face similar disruption risks.

The Russian executive also criticized the OPEC+ oil producers’ alliance, arguing it has weakened following the United Arab Emirates’ departure and earlier exits by Qatar and other nations. Sechin has previously expressed doubt about Russia’s partnership with the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.

“As a result, the alliance’s production has fallen from 58 to 37 million barrels per day over the past ten years,” he said.

He noted that while most major OPEC+ members have boosted output since the 2016 agreement, Russian oil production dropped by 1.5 million barrels daily.

“This is a 15% decline that will need to be offset by necessary investments of at least ten trillion rubles. We expect that investment cooperation between the alliance’s member countries and our country will also expand,” Sechin said.

BEIRUT (AP) — Multiple Lebanese military personnel died Saturday in an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon, with the Lebanese army confirming that a high-ranking officer was among those killed, just days following a newly established ceasefire agreement between the two nations.

The Saturday morning strike targeted the roadway connecting Nabatiyeh city to Marjayoun town. Military officials declined to provide additional information or identify the deceased soldiers by name or military rank.

Television news outlets in the region reported that the attack claimed the lives of two military members, with one being identified as a brigadier general.

The most recent ceasefire agreement emerged from negotiations facilitated by the United States between Israel and Lebanon’s government, which holds Hezbollah responsible for pulling the nation into conflict and had attempted to disarm the group prior to the current fighting. The Lebanese militant organization has rejected the ceasefire terms.

Hostilities commenced on March 2 following Hezbollah’s rocket attacks on northern Israel, occurring two days after Israel and the U.S. initiated their offensive against Iran. Israel subsequently launched a ground offensive into Lebanon and conducted extensive military operations that have forced over 1 million people from their homes. Israeli military actions have resulted in casualties among dozens of Lebanese military personnel.

Israeli forces have captured approximately one-fifth of Lebanese territory, advancing deeper into the country’s southern regions than at any point since Israel’s 1982-2000 occupation concluded.

The conflict has resulted in more than 3,500 deaths in Lebanon since fighting began. Israeli casualties include at least 29 soldiers and three civilians.

A seven-month-old Palestinian baby died after Israeli soldiers opened fire on his family’s car in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian health officials reported.

Sam Fahd Abu Haikal lost his life Friday night when troops shot at the family vehicle in the Tel Rumeida region near Hebron City, the Palestinian health ministry announced. Both parents sustained injuries in the incident.

According to the Palestinian news agency WAFA, the baby suffered critical wounds when a bullet struck his jaw – the same round that wounded his mother. He succumbed to his injuries at a medical facility. His father, Fahd Abdul Aziz Abu Haikal, who teaches at Bethlehem University, was shot in the hand. The family was traveling from Bethlehem to see relatives in Hebron when soldiers began shooting, the agency stated.

Israeli military operations in the West Bank have intensified following the October 7, 2023 Hamas assault that resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths and 251 hostages, sparking the current Gaza conflict. Israel’s military response has led to over 72,900 Palestinian fatalities, Gaza’s Health Ministry reports. The ministry operates under Hamas leadership but is considered credible by United Nations organizations and independent analysts.

United Nations officials stated last month that more than 1,000 Palestinians have died in the West Bank and east Jerusalem since fighting began, with at least 240 being children. Forty-nine people have been killed since January, according to the organization.

The baby’s burial service is scheduled for Saturday.

Military officials said preliminary findings indicate the wounded were uninvolved civilians and the matter remains under investigation.

Israeli forces stated Friday that troops fired at a car they believed was speeding toward their position in the Hebron vicinity. They reported using targeted shots, injuring three Palestinians who received medical care.

Last March, Israeli troops shot at a family vehicle in the northern West Bank, resulting in four deaths including two minors, the Palestinian Authority’s Health Ministry reported.

Israeli personnel accused of harming Palestinians face prosecution in less than 1% of cases, with indictments occurring in under 1% of 2,427 misconduct allegations filed between 2016 and 2024, Israeli rights organization Yesh Din found.

Over 700,000 Israelis reside in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem, areas Israel seized from Jordan in 1967 that Palestinians seek for their future nation.

Officials in St. Petersburg warned residents to remain indoors Saturday morning following what they described as an extensive Ukrainian drone assault on Russia’s second-most populous city, highlighting Ukraine’s expanding capability to strike targets far within Russian territory.

St. Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov urged citizens to avoid going outdoors and cautioned that mobile internet services might experience interruptions.

Regional Gov. Alexander Drozdenko reported that 141 drones were intercepted over the surrounding Leningrad region. Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed its air defense systems destroyed 376 Ukrainian drones.

While no immediate injuries were reported, this fresh assault on St. Petersburg delivers another humiliating setback to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s attempts to portray the war as a remote situation that doesn’t impact ordinary Russian citizens.

Saturday’s strike follows a Ukrainian drone operation that ignited an oil facility in the city and struck a nearby naval installation Wednesday, occurring just hours before the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum began – Putin’s yearly platform for attracting investment.

During his forum address, Putin announced Thursday that Russia would bolster its air defense capabilities to combat recent Ukrainian drone operations, which have penetrated far into his nation and overshadowed the event in his birthplace of St. Petersburg.

As the battle lines remain largely static while drone swarms impede military progress, both nations have pursued advantages through long-distance strikes.

In Ukraine, Russian forces killed one person and injured three others overnight in the Dnipropetrovsk region, striking three districts almost 30 times using drones and artillery, regional head Oleksandr Hanzha reported Saturday.

In Zaporizhzhia, five individuals required medical treatment following a Russian drone attack that ignited a fire in a parking area, according to regional head Ivan Fedorov.

Ukrainian air force officials said Saturday that Russia launched 272 attack drones against Ukraine overnight, with air defenses intercepting 249 of them.

These recent strikes occurred one day after Putin dismissed on Friday a suggestion by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for direct discussions about the four-year war, stating he found “no point” in such a meeting.

Thursday’s correspondence, marking the first public communication Zelenskyy has addressed directly to Putin since Russia deployed troops into Ukraine in 2022, contained an extensive criticism of the Russian leader’s 26-year rule, along with some remarks about his age.

Emergency warning sirens wailed across Bahrain on Saturday as Iranian forces launched a coordinated missile and drone assault on Gulf nations, according to officials from the island nation’s government.

Bahrain’s foreign ministry announced that Iran had launched ballistic missiles and unmanned aircraft targeting both Bahrain and Kuwait. Officials confirmed the projectiles were successfully intercepted and demanded Iran halt its aggressive actions against neighboring Gulf states immediately.

The Saturday announcement followed Friday’s military engagement where American forces destroyed Iranian ballistic missiles and drones aimed at the Strait of Hormuz and regional allies, while simultaneously attacking several of Iran’s coastal radar monitoring stations in retaliation. This military exchange has further weakened an already fragile ceasefire with Iran.

These latest strikes occur amid intensified efforts by the Trump administration to pressure Iran into negotiating an agreement to resolve the ongoing conflict.

According to U.S. Central Command’s Friday evening social media posts, Iranian forces launched seven ballistic missiles targeting Kuwait and Bahrain. American military units successfully intercepted six missiles, while the seventh failed to reach its intended destination. Officials reported no injuries to U.S. military personnel.

The missile barrage followed an earlier incident Friday when U.S. forces destroyed four Iranian drones heading toward the Strait of Hormuz.

“The attack drones posed an immediate threat to regional maritime traffic,” U.S. Central Command stated on social media.

Kuwaiti military officials confirmed their forces were actively intercepting incoming missiles and drones targeting their territory. Meanwhile, Bahrain activated emergency warning systems and instructed citizens to seek immediate shelter at the closest safe locations while monitoring official communications.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard claimed responsibility for targeting the Ali Al Salem airbase hosting U.S. personnel in Kuwait and the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet stationed in Bahrain, according to reports from the state-operated IRNA news agency.

American military operations include enforcing a naval blockade of Iranian ports as a response to Iran’s control over the vital shipping lane for worldwide oil and natural gas transportation. This situation has caused energy costs to surge and created political challenges for President Donald Trump’s Republican Party before upcoming midterm congressional elections.

U.S. Central Command reported striking the radar installations, including a facility on an island within the strait, “to defend against further attacks.”

This represents the most recent escalation in a series of retaliatory strikes that have weakened the fragile ceasefire and complicated diplomatic efforts to extend the temporary peace agreement. Earlier in the week, Iranian drone attacks severely damaged a passenger terminal at Kuwait’s primary airport, resulting in one fatality, multiple injuries, and temporary airport closure.

Even as these attacks raise fresh concerns about potential ceasefire collapse, Trump informed reporters Friday that “the situation with Iran seems to be going quite well.”

“We’re going to come out of Iran very quickly and it’s going to be very strong one way or the other, whether it’s a piece of paper or the very tough way,” Trump stated during a Wisconsin event with farmers. “The very tough way is maybe the easier way, but we’re going to come out, and your fertilizer prices are going to go way down, just like they were four months ago.”

Trump appears increasingly constrained by a conflict that has reached a stalemate. American and Iranian negotiators achieved a preliminary agreement one week ago to extend the ceasefire for 60 days and begin fresh discussions regarding Iran’s nuclear program. However, Trump has requested undefined modifications while Iranian leadership has not publicly endorsed the proposed deal.

When questioned Friday about the delayed progress, Trump told NBC’s “Meet the Press” it was because “it’s a very hard thing for them.”

“There are things they never thought they’d be doing that they’re going to have to do. They’ve got no choice, and it takes a little while,” he explained during the interview.

Trump indicated that Iranian forces retain 21% to 22% of their missile arsenal.

His administration has also highlighted the recent ceasefire agreement between the Lebanese government and Israel following U.S.-mediated negotiations in Washington. Nevertheless, the Iranian-supported Hezbollah militant organization has refused to accept the agreement, and continued attacks have placed it in greater jeopardy.

Israeli military forces conducted strikes Friday across multiple areas of southern Lebanon while issuing evacuation orders for nine villages, including one housing thousands of displaced residents from the conflict. The attacks resulted in nine deaths across six southern Lebanon locations, according to the state news agency.

Israeli military officials confirmed two soldiers sustained wounds, one critically, during Friday’s confrontation with militants in southern Lebanon.

The Lebanese conflict, where Israeli forces have captured significant portions of the south, also jeopardizes efforts to resolve the Iran war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz since Iran has insisted any permanent ceasefire must include Lebanon.

Beyond intercepting drones in the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. military personnel earlier Friday boarded a sanctioned oil tanker connected to Iran in the Indian Ocean as part of American efforts to block Iran from generating revenue through oil and other commodity sales.

The United States also imposed new sanctions targeting Iran’s energy sector, affecting multiple individuals, companies, and tankers.

A 35-year-old man lost his life Saturday following a shark attack while spearfishing with relatives off Western Australia’s coastline, according to police reports. This tragedy represents the third deadly shark encounter across Australia within a three-week period.

The victim was spearfishing Saturday morning near Michaelmas Island, located close to Albany and approximately 388 kilometers (241 miles) south of Perth, the state’s capital city, authorities confirmed. Emergency responders transported him to shore where paramedics provided treatment, but he succumbed to his wounds.

State officials reported that a member of the public observed a 4.5-meter (14.8-foot) shark of undetermined species in the waters around Michaelmas Island on Saturday. The location serves as a nature reserve with minimal visitor traffic.

The recent fatalities began on May 24 when a 39-year-old man was killed by a shark while fishing at the Great Barrier Reef. Ten days prior to that incident, a 38-year-old person was fatally attacked near an island close to Perth.

Conservation organizations report that Australia experiences approximately 20 shark encounters annually, though the overwhelming majority do not result in death. Drowning incidents at the nation’s beaches claim significantly more lives than shark attacks.

Taiwan’s maritime authorities reported Saturday that Chinese vessels conducted what they described as the first joint operation designed to challenge Taiwan’s control of remote islands in the South China Sea.

According to Taiwan’s coast guard, a Chinese coast guard vessel and an oceanographic research ship worked together near the Pratas Islands, which Taiwan controls as a national park in the northern South China Sea. The lightly defended islands have become a new focal point in China’s expanding military and quasi-military activities around Taiwan as Beijing seeks to reinforce its territorial claims.

Security analysts view these islands as particularly exposed to potential Chinese action because they sit more than 400 kilometers (250 miles) from Taiwan’s main island, positioned between southern Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Taiwan’s coast guard reported that after a Chinese coast guard vessel approached the Pratas on Friday, a Chinese oceanographic survey ship moved toward the islands on Saturday.

“This is the first observed instance of Chinese coast guard and survey vessels acting in coordination to provoke Taiwan,” the coast guard stated.

China’s Taiwan Affairs Office had not responded to requests for comment at the time of the report. Beijing views both Taiwan and the uninhabited Pratas atoll as Chinese territory, while Taiwan’s government disputes these claims, maintaining that only the island’s residents should determine their political future.

“These acts are highly provocative. The PRC is a sick bully, causing trouble across the region,” Taiwan National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu posted on his X account, sharing a map that tracked both vessels’ movements.

The Chinese coast guard ship transmitted messages stating it was performing law enforcement duties and declaring that “Taiwan’s future lies in national reunification,” according to Taiwan’s coast guard, which sent its own ships to respond.

Taiwan’s vessel responded by broadcasting: “Stop undermining peace. You should return and pursue democracy — that is the proper way to serve your country.”

Taiwan’s coast guard accused China of attempting to establish a “false illusion” of authority over the waters, declaring that “Taiwan’s maritime sovereignty brooks no provocation.”

PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — This weekend marks Kosovo’s third parliamentary election within an 18-month span as citizens grow increasingly frustrated with an ongoing governmental stalemate in the small Balkan nation seeking closer ties with the European Union and NATO.

Sunday’s early election became necessary when Kosovo’s leading political parties could not reach consensus on a successor to former President Vjosa Osmani, whose term concluded in late March.

Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s center-left Vetevendosje party has maintained a solid parliamentary majority following December’s early election. However, presidential selection in Kosovo requires support from at least 80 members of the 120-seat Parliament, a threshold neither Kurti nor opposition forces could achieve.

As political leaders point fingers at one another for the crisis, their failure to find common ground has deepened frustration among Kosovo’s approximately 2 million voters, who prefer their government concentrate on economic issues and improving living conditions.

Vlora Kryeziu, a businessperson from the capital Pristina, laments that “the same scenario is being repeated.”

“We will for sure have the same result,” Kryeziu, 52, said. “As a citizen, I have a lot of dissatisfaction, and I think that we as a society are not doing enough to change these things.”

An inconclusive February 2025 election initially left the nation without effective governance for most of the previous year, necessitating December’s second vote.

Kosovo ranks among Europe’s newest and most economically challenged nations. The country, with a predominantly ethnic Albanian population, proclaimed independence from Serbia in 2008 after a 1998-99 conflict that concluded with NATO airstrikes compelling Serbian withdrawal.

While the United States and most EU nations have acknowledged Kosovo’s independence, Serbia and its allies Russia and China have not. Both Pristina and Belgrade have been instructed they must repair their relationship to advance their respective EU membership applications.

European Council President Antonio Costa this week urged Kosovo to end the political stalemate and unite over the goal of EU integration.

“The European Union can support Kosovo, but it cannot do Kosovo’s own homework,” he said in Pristina. “Kosovo needs strong, stable and functioning institutions capable of delivering reforms and seizing the opportunities the European Union offers.”

Prime Minister Albin Kurti has urged voters to give him another chance at Sunday’s ballot. He accused the opposition parties of creating an “artificial crisis” and forcing repeated elections despite “the strong and clear will of the people.”

Two opposition parties, the Democratic Party of Kosovo and the Democratic League of Kosovo, in turn have accused Kurti of seeking to impose complete control over all political institutions in the country.

Ex-president Osmani is now running on the LDK party list against Kurti, her former ally, after he refused to back her for a second term in office.

Political analyst Artan Muhaxhiri still does not expect a “tectonic change” compared to the previous election, when Kurti’s party won more than 50% of votes.

The political deadlock will also resume, Muhaxhiri predicted as “there are no indications that political leaders are willing to change their actual stances and narrow the existing gap.”

The prolonged crisis already has affected Kosovo’s economy that has been hit hard with the global energy crisis and rising fuel prices. The institutional vacuum also has delayed access to the EU and other international funds available for the country.

Samira Bou Saab anticipated witnessing the execution of her son’s killer, who received a death sentence. However, the convicted individual may walk free under Lebanon’s proposed comprehensive amnesty legislation, which highlights the nation’s intricate web of allegiances and disputes.

Parliament is expected to pass Lebanon’s most extensive prisoner amnesty since the conclusion of the devastating 1975-90 civil war within the coming weeks, pending presidential approval.

The proposed legislation would eliminate death penalties, shorten life sentences, and ultimately result in the freedom of convicted extremists and narcotics traffickers. However, it excludes offenses including sexual assault, human trafficking, corruption, terrorism financing, and first-degree murder. Individuals found guilty of murdering Lebanese military personnel may receive shortened prison terms.

Despite Israel’s current military operation in Lebanon targeting the Iranian-supported Hezbollah militant organization delaying legislative elections, parliament members indicate they’re moving forward with the amnesty due to prison overcrowding.

More than 3,000 inmates from nearly 8,600 total detainees would gain freedom, including individuals imprisoned without trial for a minimum of 14 years.

However, opposition to the amnesty exists within Lebanon. Families of deceased soldiers recently demonstrated by arranging numerous empty military boots outside parliament in Beirut.

Bou Saab’s son George, an army first lieutenant, was among 18 military personnel killed during confrontations with supporters of extremist Sunni Muslim cleric Ahmed al-Assir in the southern city of Sidon in 2013.

Bou Saab questioned whether al-Assir, who has completed 11 years under a death sentence, would gain the right through the amnesty to visit his children and family “while my son is buried under the sand and his children don’t know him.” Should the legislation pass, his death sentence would be eliminated and he would serve 10 additional years.

Al-Assir’s wife criticized the amnesty, claiming her husband is an innocent casualty of a conspiracy organized by the Shiite Muslim Hezbollah, which she alleged sparked conflicts between the cleric’s followers and the Lebanese military.

“He is being executed slowly,” Amal Shamseddine stated regarding her husband’s sentence, adding, “Had there been justice in our country, they (detainees) would have been released and gone home long time ago.”

Lebanon’s previous major amnesty occurred in 1991, designed to promote reconciliation following the civil war that claimed 150,000 lives. The conflict involved numerous militias, many religiously motivated, plus Palestinian groups. Syria’s military became involved, and an Israeli invasion in 1982 reached Beirut.

Following that amnesty, most militia commanders joined Lebanon’s governing elite who were subsequently held responsible for decades of corruption and poor governance that led to economic collapse in 2019.

During the drafting of the current amnesty legislation, the nation’s profound sectarian splits became evident in the legislature. Sunni representatives demanded freedom for Islamists, while Shiite members sought release for drug dealers primarily from Lebanon’s eastern, cannabis-growing Baalbek area.

Christian lawmakers requested amnesty for hundreds of citizens who escaped to Israel following its military withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000. Many maintain connections to the Israeli-supported South Lebanon Army militia that disbanded when Israel departed.

“The draft law has entered the road of political bargains,” said lawmaker Nabil Badr, a strong supporter of the amnesty, adding that many legislators are using it to make political gains.

Maryam Younnes was 5 when she escaped with her family to Israel in 2000. She hopes the amnesty will enable her return to Lebanon, where she can reunite with her grandmother and visit her father’s grave. He had served as an SLA commander and his remains were transported to his hometown for burial after his death in 2013.

However, political factors persist.

“We will return once Lebanon is cleared of (Hezbollah), illegal weapons, and once there is peace between Lebanon and Israel,” Younnes said. Hezbollah, which formed in southern Lebanon in 1982 responding to Israel’s invasion, was permitted to retain its weapons after the civil war to combat Israeli occupation forces.

Following Israel’s withdrawal, hundreds of SLA members remained in Lebanon and received prison sentences, with some subsequently freed.

The proposed amnesty legislation states Lebanese citizens residing in Israel would be handled according to a 2011 law indicating members of the pro-Israel militia will be detained upon arrival in Lebanon and provided “a fair trial.”

But Younnes declared: “Our people are no criminals.”

As Lebanon and Israel conduct their first direct negotiations in over three decades while a new conflict develops, Younnes hopes for an eventual peace agreement with open borders.

“I am confident the situation will change and I want to return to my country,” she said.

At the Mpondwe crossing between Uganda and Congo, merchant Leah Masika watched helplessly as her plantain shipment began deteriorating in a miles-long line of stalled trucks. Water was seeping from her produce, which would become worthless within hours without movement through the checkpoint.

The businesswoman found herself waiting for official approval to move cargo through the border facility on Thursday, after authorities blocked vehicle passage as part of intensified efforts to halt Ebola’s spread across international boundaries.

“Our things are here rotting,” she said.

Following Congo’s announcement of an Ebola outbreak in eastern Ituri province on May 15, Uganda shut down its western frontier on May 28, citing mounting concerns about disease transmission. Officials permitted limited exceptions for emergency situations, including outbreak response activities, humanitarian missions, freight transport, or security operations.

However, as the epidemic in eastern Congo has seemingly accelerated beyond containment efforts, local authorities in Uganda’s border district of Kasese have imposed even stricter controls.

Business operators express irritation with the sluggish pace of truck processing. Several merchants at the Mpondwe crossing told The Associated Press that while they understand the harsh restrictions stem from Ebola concerns, they believe delaying cargo movement is unnecessarily severe.

Clearing agent Sylvia Asiimwe gestured toward a truck line extending more than a mile on Uganda’s side of the border. No fewer than seven vehicles carried fish imported from China, bound for the Congolese municipalities of Beni and Butembo.

Asiimwe emphasized that those Congolese destinations lie within North Kivu province, not Ituri where the Ebola outbreak is centered. “The fish is going to spoil,” she said. “So much money.”

The Uganda-Congo frontier spans several hundred miles and includes numerous informal crossing paths beyond official checkpoints. Commerce typically thrives along the route leading to Mpondwe, and family connections exist between the Bakonzo community on Uganda’s side and the Banande people across the border.

Mpondwe serves as Uganda’s primary checkpoint for unofficial exports, which reached an estimated value of $131 million in 2023, according to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics.

Following the recent border shutdown, some businesses closed their doors while unemployed young men sat dejectedly on stools, unable to find temporary work.

“The situation is bad,” said Ismail Mumbere, who typically sells roadside snacks on Uganda’s side. “A lot of people earn from here, in many businesses. But now the government has told us there is Ebola. Ebola has wasted our work.”

The ongoing Congo outbreak is believed to have affected more than 1,000 individuals. Confirmed case numbers remain significantly lower because many suspected patients die outside medical facilities without definitive Ebola diagnosis.

The World Health Organization declared the current outbreak a public health emergency of international concern while discouraging border shutdowns. However, the U.N. organization also recognized that adjacent countries face elevated contamination risks.

“With movement of cargo, and maybe trucks, is mobility of people, and we want to reduce that,” said Arafat Bwambale, a surveillance officer for Kasese, justifying the protective measures.

Authorities were working to prevent Congolese citizens from entering Uganda through more than two dozen footpaths along the Mpondwe frontier, he explained.

Existing vaccines and treatments for Ebola prove ineffective against patients infected with the uncommon Bundibugyo strain circulating in Congo, making this outbreak particularly concerning.

Uganda has documented 15 Ebola cases, all connected to the neighboring country’s outbreak after some Congolese individuals sought medical care in Uganda’s capital of Kampala before the epidemic was publicly known.

Health officials believe the disease had been transmitting for days or weeks before the May 15 outbreak declaration.

Uganda has experienced several Ebola outbreaks since 2000, when the illness claimed more than 200 lives.

Ebola, named after a Congo River tributary, was initially identified in 1976 during concurrent outbreaks in Congo and what is now South Sudan. Epidemics typically begin when the virus jumps from infected animals like fruit bats to humans. These species-crossing infections frequently occur when people handle and consume wild game, according to health experts.

After infecting an initial person, the virus spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids from ill or deceased patients, including sweat, blood, feces, or vomit.

Contact tracing and isolation are considered essential for controlling Ebola transmission, along with providing healthcare workers appropriate protective gear.

Bwambale, the surveillance officer, noted that the closest major hospital in Kasese maintains an isolation facility and laboratory capable of processing test samples within six hours. Recently, specimens from 41 individuals in the Kasese region tested negative for Ebola, which presents as hemorrhagic fever.

Nevertheless, officials appeared to be considering additional limitations.

An upcoming local Ebola task force meeting would likely produce “a more restricted way on how both the cargo or the trucks get into the country in a systematic way,” Bwambale said.

This prospect worries merchants who depend on the Mpondwe crossing for their livelihood.

Masika, the plantain trader, indicated she would halt new orders from Congo until the current epidemic ends. However, she faces financial ruin if her current shipment fails to reach various destinations in and around Kampala, where the fruits, whether deep-fried or boiled, are breakfast staples at local restaurants.

Masika said she cannot afford losing 50 bags, each valued at approximately $44.

“We are begging them to help us and open (the border),” she said. “We will not go back to Congo.”

Sunday’s parliamentary elections in Armenia will serve as a referendum on the country’s international alignment as current Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan pursues stronger connections with the European Union and United States while facing criticism for distancing the nation from its traditional Russian ally.

Political experts predict Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party will likely maintain parliamentary control, though numerous opposition groups campaigning on pro-Moscow platforms have made the Caucasus nation’s global positioning a central campaign issue.

Leading up to the vote, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other Moscow officials have cautioned Armenia that European Union membership could result in severe economic harm by severing trade relationships with Russia and its partner nations.

“These are the first elections in Armenia’s history where geopolitical orientation has become a decisive issue,” Mikayel Zolyan, an analyst and former member of the Armenian Parliament, told The Associated Press from Yerevan. “Until now, Armenia has remained within Russia’s sphere of influence, and this was taken for granted, but now, for the first time, this is being called into question.”

The relationship between Moscow and Armenia deteriorated in 2023 following Azerbaijan’s seizure of the complete Karabakh region. Ethnic Armenian forces supported by Armenia had maintained control over the mountainous territory for decades as part of an ongoing dispute between the two neighboring nations.

Armenian leaders blamed Russian peacekeepers stationed in the area for not preventing Azerbaijan’s offensive. Moscow, occupied with the Ukrainian conflict, has dismissed these claims, stating its forces lacked authority to intervene.

“It turned out that Russia’s image as a guarantor of Armenian security was not based in reality, and it all collapsed after the Karabakh war,” said Alexander Iskandaryan, director of the Caucasus Institute in Yerevan.

Pashinyan has gradually distanced his country from Moscow, becoming a member of the International Criminal Court in 2023 and halting participation in the Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organization in 2024.

Armenia has also formally announced its EU membership goals and served as host for the European Political Community summit in Yerevan during early May.

A decisive parliamentary victory would provide Pashinyan with the authority to advance this direction and complete negotiations with Azerbaijan.

Western countries have demonstrated potential benefits of strengthened relationships.

During August, U.S. President Donald Trump brought together Pashinyan and Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev to execute an agreement ending their multi-decade conflict and establishing provisions for a new transit route connecting Azerbaijan to its Nakhchivan territory. A February agreement could enable a U.S. company to construct a nuclear reactor in Armenia.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has also stated that Europe stands prepared to fund Armenia’s energy sector and its “booming digital scene.”

Trump has supported Pashinyan, describing him as a “great friend” and a leader making his nation “strong, wealthy, and very secure!”

Armenia’s opposition remains largely controlled by pro-Russia factions, with many opposing normalized Azerbaijan relations. Leading opposition voices have demanded Pashinyan’s resignation following the Karabakh loss.

Nineteen political entities, comprising two blocs and 17 parties, are participating in the elections.

Pashinyan’s primary challenger is the Strong Armenia Party, which seeks enhanced business connections with Russia and claims Pashinyan is trying to provoke conflict with Moscow. Armenian-Russian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan leads the party while facing trial for allegedly inciting government overthrow, charges he disputes.

Additional competitors include former President Robert Kocharyan, who heads the Hayastan bloc and has accused Pashinyan of “seriously undermining” Russian relations.

Russia, maintaining a military installation in Armenia, has warned that Yerevan’s Western shift could bring severe political and economic repercussions.

Putin has drawn comparisons between Armenia’s path and Ukraine’s in barely concealed warnings, suggesting Russia’s Ukrainian conflict began with EU membership attempts.

Recently, Russia has imposed new limitations on Armenian products citing health violations, prohibiting Armenian flowers, specific cognac and wine varieties, eggplants, potatoes, dried fruits, fish and additional items.

Armenia’s participation in the Eurasian Economic Union, a Russian-controlled customs alliance, faced formal examination during a Kazakhstan meeting in May, with threats of complete suspension by December.

At the Kazakhstan gathering, governments of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan also required Armenia to conduct a referendum on remaining in their organization or pursuing EU membership. Pashinyan has dismissed the necessity for such a referendum.

Armenian government data indicates 38% of Armenia’s exports traveled to Eurasian Economic Union countries in 2025, with most destined for Russia. Comparatively, only 8% of trade reached the EU.

The Russian actions led von der Leyen to announce Thursday that the 27-member bloc would provide 50 million euros ($58 million) to assist Armenia. In her statement, she said Russia is “weaponizing” economic relationships and its import prohibition represents “nothing short of economic coercion.”

Russia maintains additional leverage over Armenia through its control of substantial portions of the country’s energy and infrastructure while providing affordable gas.

“It’s completely unrealistic to say that Armenia can somehow overcome Russian influence in a short period of time,” analyst Zolyan said.

Armenia’s civil society has also expressed concerns about what they characterize as Russian-supported disinformation efforts before the election. Moscow denies any meddling.

Daniel Ionnisyan, head of the Union of Informed Citizens, an independent election watchdog, told the AP that his organization has documented instances of Russian interference through social media campaigns, cyberattacks, vote buying and bribery of journalists.

These findings align with observations from a Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe delegation that visited Yerevan in May, reporting foreign interference including illegal political funding, cyberattacks, economic pressure and direct electoral manipulation attempts.

“These hybrid tactics aim not only to sway public opinion but to secure long-term geopolitical leverage over Armenia,” the delegation said.

NEW DELHI (AP) — A satirical political movement known as the Cockroach Janata Party, which started as an internet joke but has gained millions of followers throughout India, faces its most significant challenge on Saturday when its creator is expected to spearhead a demonstration in New Delhi.

The demonstration, organized at Jantar Mantar in India’s capital city, represents the movement’s initial venture into on-the-ground political action following weeks of controlling social media platforms and capturing news attention, drawing millions of digital supporters and extensive backing from India’s youth.

Participation numbers remain uncertain. However, the demonstration will serve as an initial indicator of whether the movement can transform its digital success into wider community backing amid increasing dissatisfaction among India’s young people regarding education, employment and financial opportunities.

Abhijeet Dipke, who created the digital movement, is set to reach the capital from the United States on Saturday for the demonstration. Authorities positioned metal barriers at New Delhi’s international airport arrival areas.

The Cockroach Janta Party, known as CJP, started just three weeks earlier and became an unexpected platform for dissatisfaction among supporters who embrace the “cockroaches” label.

India’s Chief Justice Surya Kant compared critics and certain jobless young people to cockroaches during a May court session, creating anger among dissatisfied young Indians. Dipke, who studies political communications strategy at Boston University, transformed the slight into motivation for a satirical political organization. Within seven days of creating a website and social media presence, CJP’s Instagram account had gathered over 15 million followers.

The organization has transformed the cockroach into a sardonic symbol of persistence and political expression. Content and internet humor mocking joblessness, corruption and governmental failures have received millions of online views. Satirical CJP profiles have also embraced the cockroach as their political emblem, utilizing internet humor, fake campaign messages and comedic analysis.

The movement’s ironic approach combines self-mocking comedy with governmental critique. Followers jokingly characterize themselves as jobless, constantly online and excluded from significant power. Under the comedy exists wider criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration, with CJP followers claiming that regular Indians, especially younger citizens, face diminished prospects.

India’s youth represent over one-fourth of the nation’s population but encounter restricted employment options, increasing joblessness and growing disappointment with established politics. Many younger voters also criticize Modi’s governing Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, expressing worries about increasing religious division, expanding inequality and growing financial strain.

The movement’s doubters, especially Modi’s party supporters, reject the occurrence as merely a social media stunt. They contend the movement’s digital success might not convert to street organizing and that its quick growth will probably be temporary.

The organization’s emergence reflects a comparable pattern throughout South Asia where youth movements created through social media have central positions in anti-government demonstrations, including uprisings in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh and disturbances in Nepal.

CJP leaders utilized social media during the week to gather supporters for Saturday’s march, calling for Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation. The request originated from an exam irregularity dispute in May that rapidly became a wider platform for dissatisfaction regarding India’s educational system and restricted employment prospects.

Attendees received encouragement to carry India’s national flag and a book, which leaders stated represented educational rights and equal opportunities for everyone. Leaders also encouraged demonstrators to stay peaceful and prevent any conflicts with authorities.

“Time to turn this tiny joke into a revolution,” the official CJP account on X posted Friday.

The movement continues to encounter substantial obstacles. During the last ten years, Indian officials under Modi have attempted to eliminate protests opposing his administration, including demonstrations against disputed citizenship laws and year-long farmers’ protests.

Certain protest movements have also encountered legal proceedings against leaders and activist detentions, which represents part of what critics characterize as a wider attempt by officials under Modi to silence opposition.

Cuba’s leadership announced plans to allow Cuban nationals to take over hotel management operations after major international hospitality companies decided to pull back from the Caribbean nation.

The policy shift comes in response to Spanish hotel company Melia’s announcement on May 26 that it would end operations at 15 of its 34 Cuban properties. This decision followed new U.S. sanctions and continued energy restrictions that have worsened the island’s economic struggles. Cuban officials have attributed widespread power outages, water shortages, supply chain disruptions, healthcare system problems, and daily life challenges to the U.S. blockade.

Other international hotel operators, including Canadian company Royalton and Spain’s Iberostar, have made similar decisions to reduce or halt their Cuban operations, creating significant challenges for the crucial tourism industry that has declined sharply since reaching its highest point in 2018.

In a televised interview with a Spanish reporter aired Friday on the government’s presidential channel, President Miguel Díaz-Canel outlined the new approach.

“There will be hotels that we will have to operate more with Cuban management than with shared management with foreign entities,” Díaz-Canel said. “We are proposing different business models. We are open to Cubans who want to invest and manage hotels.”

“We have also offered these business opportunities to Cubans residing abroad,” he added.

The Melia withdrawal occurred following U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order that broadened sanctions against Cuba. The measures primarily focused on Grupo de Administración Empresarial S.A., a business conglomerate run by the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces, citing national security concerns.

The executive order also impacts foreign companies by freezing assets, seizing U.S.-based accounts, and banning travel for shareholders, investors, and staff members, effectively cutting off access to the U.S. financial system.

GAESA, established in the 1990s as a Cuban business conglomerate, controls various enterprises including vehicle rentals, retail outlets, and transportation services. The organization partners with Meliá in hotel operations through its subsidiary company, Gaviota.

Meliá represented a major tourism partner for Cuba, managing approximately 14,000 hotel rooms before reducing its presence.

Cuban tourism, which peaked at 4.3 million visitors in 2019, experienced a sharp decline in early 2024 visitor numbers, dropping 48% compared to the same timeframe in 2025.

Government statistics show only 298,000 tourists visited Cuba from January through March, compared to 573,300 international arrivals during the corresponding months the previous year.

During the interview, Díaz-Canel criticized Trump and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio for characterizing Cuba’s government as ineffective while simultaneously strengthening the existing embargo, calling their approach “cynical.”

The Cuban leader suggested the U.S. actions might aim to pressure Cuba enough to “provoke a social explosion that would give (Trump) a pretext for humanitarian aid to intervene in the country.”

Alternatively, he said the measures could seek to “pursue a coercive dialogue with Cuba, employing maximum pressure to economically occupy the country,” or potentially prepare for military action.

Despite earlier discussions between U.S. and Cuban representatives this year, relations have deteriorated. In late May, former President Raúl Castro faced charges in a U.S. legal filing related to his suspected involvement in the 1996 destruction of two civilian planes operated by Miami-based exiles in Cuban territorial waters.

A high-ranking American diplomat urged Taiwan on Saturday to make more strategic investments in its military capabilities, emphasizing the importance of drone technology in maintaining defense balance against China.

Taiwan’s legislature, controlled by opposition parties, recently approved just two-thirds of the $40 billion additional defense funding requested by President Lai Ching-te last month. The administration has made unmanned aircraft and other asymmetric defense systems central to its military upgrade efforts.

Officials are now working to secure approval for the rejected funding, which was designated for domestically produced systems including drones and missiles, as part of efforts to strengthen deterrence against China, which considers the democratic island part of its territory.

The United States has expressed strong support for Lai’s defense spending proposals.

At a conference in Taipei, Raymond Greene, director of the American Institute in Taiwan, emphasized America’s interest in continued military investments.

“It is critical that Taiwan not only spend more on its own defence but also spend smarter. And there is no smarter way Taiwan can deliver deterrence right away than by investing in unmanned systems,” he stated.

“The conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East have demonstrated that drones are changing the character of warfare, offering enormous opportunities for Taiwan to re-establish the cross-Strait military balance,” Greene added.

America has historically served as Taiwan’s primary international supporter and weapons provider, despite the absence of official diplomatic relations.

However, U.S. President Donald Trump has created uncertainty for Taiwan following his recent meeting with China’s Xi Jinping in Beijing last month, stating he remains undecided about proceeding with a proposed $14 billion arms package for Taipei.

The United States, legally obligated to provide Taiwan with defensive capabilities, has maintained its policy toward the island remains unchanged, a position Greene reinforced.

“Maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is absolutely critical for the economic well-being of the United States, Taiwan, and the entire world,” he declared.

“The United States has made clear that we oppose any forced, compelled, or coercive change to the status of Taiwan,” Greene continued.

Taiwan’s administration disputes Beijing’s territorial claims, maintaining that only the island’s residents have the authority to determine their political future.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspected sea trials of a newly repaired naval vessel and promised to rapidly expand his nuclear-armed maritime forces, according to state media reports Saturday. The military demonstration occurred just before Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s upcoming visit to the country.

According to North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency, Kim visited the 5,000-ton destroyer Kang Kon on Thursday during capability testing operations. Images distributed by the agency showed him joined by his increasingly visible teenage daughter, who South Korean officials believe may be named Kim Ju Ae and could be preparing for a future leadership role.

Kim Jong Un urged “rapidly developing” maritime forces that could enhance the nation’s nuclear deterrent capabilities and deliver a “deadly blow at the enemy any moment under the water or on the water,” according to KCNA. He described naval expansion as a central component of a new five-year defense strategy endorsed at a ruling party congress this year, which involves constructing larger 10,000-ton-class destroyers and creating unspecified “underwater secret weapons.”

The news agency did not include any direct statements from Kim regarding Washington or Seoul despite ongoing tensions surrounding his nuclear programs and stalled diplomatic efforts. The announcement followed confirmation from North Korean and Chinese state media that Xi would arrive in North Korea on Monday, demonstrating Beijing’s continued efforts to strengthen relationships with its nuclear-armed ally. Recently, Kim has emphasized connections with Russia, particularly by providing troops and military equipment to assist Moscow’s conflict in Ukraine.

Xi’s visit was revealed one day after North Korea displayed what South Korea’s military identified as a new uranium-enrichment facility for nuclear bomb fuel production. During Kim’s visit to the undisclosed location, he promised to grow the country’s nuclear arsenal “at an exponential rate,” which analysts believe demonstrates his goal to solidify North Korea’s nuclear weapons status before Xi’s arrival.

Kang Kon represents the second destroyer North Korea revealed last year, following the Choe Hyon, whose construction Kim praised as significant progress toward extending his nuclear-armed military’s operational reach and preemptive strike abilities. State media reported these vessels are equipped to carry various weapons systems, including anti-aircraft and anti-ship armaments plus nuclear-capable ballistic and cruise missiles, although some analysts doubt their combat readiness.

Kang Kon suffered damage during a failed launching ceremony in May last year at the northeastern port of Chongjin, prompting an angry response from Kim, who described the incident as “criminal.” North Korea announced Kang Kon was relaunched in June following repairs, but international experts question whether the vessel is completely operational. Kim has requested construction of two additional 5,000-ton-class destroyers.