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German military officials have ruled out working with American defense technology firm Palantir, citing national security concerns about data access, according to statements made to a German business publication.

Thomas Daum, who oversees cyber defense operations for Germany’s armed forces, told Handelsblatt newspaper that such partnerships are not being considered currently. “I don’t see that happening at all at the moment,” Daum stated in the publication’s Tuesday edition.

The military official explained that while German forces recognize the potential benefits of the company’s database capabilities, security protocols prevent such collaboration. “As much as we are interested in the functionality for our own database, it is simply inconceivable at the moment to grant industry staff access to the national database,” Daum explained.

This decision comes as Palantir has secured significant contracts with the U.S. military. Last month, reports indicated that the company’s artificial intelligence technology had been formally adopted by the Pentagon for long-term use, particularly for weapons-targeting applications across American military branches.

German military leaders have been exploring artificial intelligence solutions to process battlefield information more quickly than traditional human analysis methods allow.

Rescue operations have concluded following a devastating train accident near Jakarta, Indonesia, with officials confirming 14 fatalities and 84 people wounded in the collision.

The tragic incident occurred Monday evening in Bekasi, located just outside Indonesia’s capital, when a commuter train and a long-distance train crashed into each other.

PT KAI, Indonesia’s state railway company, confirmed through CEO Bobby Rasyidin that the death count had reached 14 people.

Mohammad Syafii, who leads Indonesia’s search and rescue operations, announced Tuesday that all evacuation efforts had wrapped up. He described the complex nature of freeing passengers who were stuck inside the destroyed train cars.

“We needed to involve personnel with certain skills to perform a measured extrication,” Syafii explained, noting that while no additional passengers remain to be found, rescue workers will continue searching the debris for any remaining body parts.

The crash’s most severe damage occurred to a car designated exclusively for female passengers. According to Syafii, every person who died was a woman, with the majority crushed beneath twisted metal.

Emergency responders used specialized cutting equipment, including angle grinders, to slice through the metal compartments and reach those who survived before separating the trains.

Railway executive Bobby explained during a news briefing that the sequence of events began when the commuter train struck a taxi positioned on the railway tracks, followed by the long-distance train hitting the commuter train.

Green SM Indonesia, the taxi company involved, confirmed through social media that one of their vehicles was part of the accident. The company stated it provided information to investigators to help with their inquiry.

The taxi service operates as the Indonesian division of Green and Smart Mobility JSC, a Vietnamese electric vehicle company connected to Vingroup.

Following a visit to a Bekasi medical facility, President Prabowo Subianto announced plans to construct an overpass near the railway to address severe traffic problems in the area. He also promised a thorough investigation into the accident and acknowledged that significant portions of the country’s rail system lack proper maintenance.

The crash is currently under review by Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee.

Family members and concerned individuals gathered at the train station Tuesday, many searching for missing relatives.

Heriyati, who was traveling on the train, shared that she had originally planned to board the women’s car but chose the one directly behind it instead. She was speaking with her husband by phone, arranging for him to collect her from the station, when the collision happened.

“I haven’t even finished with the call and the trains collided,” she recalled.

The commuter rail system serves as one of Jakarta’s busiest transportation networks in what ranks as the world’s most populated urban area. PT KAI announced that several commuter routes were shortened Tuesday due to the crash aftermath.

Adriansyah Yasin Sulaeman, who holds an executive position at the Forum Transport for Jakarta research organization, emphasized the need for government investment in upgrading the deteriorating railway infrastructure. He specifically recommended creating separate tracks for express long-distance services and local commuter trains.

“These commuter trains are a symbol for the working class,” Sulaeman stated. “It’s a big alarm for the government to seriously improve it.”

Transportation accidents involving land vehicles occur frequently throughout Indonesia. A separate train accident in West Java province during 2024 resulted in four deaths and numerous injuries.

War-displaced civilians who sought safety in a remote South Sudan village have been cut off from critical humanitarian assistance by their own government, despite mounting casualties, according to witnesses and relief organizations.

The Associated Press interviewed individuals who recently escaped to Nyatim, a community surrounded by marshland. They reported severe food shortages and contaminated water sources in such an isolated location that satellite internet was their only means of requesting emergency help.

However, when humanitarian workers contacted South Sudan’s leadership requesting permission to provide emergency supplies, officials refused. Even reports indicating dozens had perished, some apparently from hunger, failed to change their decision.

“It was a ‘no’ from local and national authorities and from the military,” said Yashovardhan, the head of mission for Doctors Without Borders in South Sudan, who goes by one name. “Meanwhile, people are eating leaves and roots to survive.”

The U.N. World Food Program, typically cautious about addressing this ongoing issue in South Sudan, confirmed to the AP that authorities had prevented their assistance despite “numerous engagements with both national and local authorities,” according to the agency’s country director, Adham Effendi.

This pattern has repeated throughout South Sudan’s history, where citizens battled for independence from Sudan before civil conflict erupted internally. Whichever faction controls relief supplies stands accused of preventing the opposition from accessing them, leaving ordinary people to bear the consequences.

Current violence has escalated since Riek Machar, President Salva Kiir’s longtime political adversary, was removed from his position as first vice president and placed under house detention for alleged conspiracy last year. These leaders commanded rival armies during a brutal civil conflict that claimed approximately 400,000 lives before a 2018 peace accord established their unstable coalition government.

Last December, opposition troops supporting Machar captured military installations in Jonglei state. Government armies retaliated the next month.

On February 7, government soldiers approached Lankien town’s perimeter, where days before an air assault had targeted a Doctors Without Borders medical facility. Local residents described heavy weapons fire before troops invaded the settlement using armored vehicles.

Thomas Nim was among the evacuees. Accompanied by his expecting wife, three young children, and elderly mother, they navigated through wetlands, praying soldiers wouldn’t pursue them.

They joined many others who eventually reached Nyatim, roughly one day’s journey on foot.

“Some of the most vulnerable, like the elderly and children, ended up in Nyatim because they couldn’t make it any farther,” said Nim, a 43-year-old pharmacist.

As time went on and fatalities began occurring due to hunger and contaminated water, he requested assistance. Yet no help arrived.

Gatkhor Dual, an opposition representative managing relief efforts in Jonglei state, pointed to county commissioner James Bol Makuei for preventing humanitarian access. Makuei refuses aid to reach individuals who “support the opposition,” Dual explained, particularly when they’re located near government-controlled territories.

Makuei confirmed that entry to Nyatim had been limited but argued that population estimates of displaced persons — 30,000 according to Doctors Without Borders — were inflated. He charged South Sudan’s primary opposition movement, identified by its acronym SPLM-IO, with keeping civilians in Nyatim to draw aid and establish a strategic position near the county’s government center.

Nim, the pharmacist, insisted no opposition fighters were present in the region.

Worries about aid misappropriation have historical basis. Armed factions in South Sudan, including government forces, have extensively redirected humanitarian resources for military use. During recent Jonglei fighting, combatants ransacked more than two dozen humanitarian-operated medical centers, the U.N. reported.

Doctors Without Borders indicated it initially contacted authorities about Nyatim on February 22. The organization made another appeal on March 3 after receiving death reports. By March’s end, the medical organization released a public statement highlighting their efforts.

Providing assistance in South Sudan presents constant challenges. Transportation networks are inadequate. Water-based transport, when possible, faces attack risks. Official authorization remains mandatory.

The humanitarian emergency has worsened significantly. In March, more than half of over 1,000 children examined by Doctors Without Borders in Chuil, where South Sudan’s government has permitted humanitarian entry, showed severe malnutrition.

Relief workers face overwhelming demands. During February, Doctors Without Borders expanded a four-bed clinic to 60 beds, then 80. The facility is now expanding to accommodate 100 patients.

Meanwhile, some people are abandoning isolated Nyatim and returning to destroyed homes.

“People are returning to their homes,” said one of them, Koang Pajok. “There was no food and shelter.”

Unable to access the region through ground or water routes, the World Food Program has conducted airdrops of 415 metric tons of food supplies to Chuil since March, country director Effendi reported.

However, as civilians arrive seeking help, armed young men carrying assault rifles also appear. Some residents fear this could make Chuil a military target.

During an April morning, an aircraft circling above created nervous spectators.

“It’s a surveillance plane,” said Gal Wai Tut, who had reached the area days earlier with his wife and infant child. He remembered observing a similar aircraft over Lankien on the day he claimed a December bombing killed at least 11 civilians.

An elderly man warned against clustering together, explaining that groups are more vulnerable to attack.

Security fears are mounting across Colombia as insurgent forces have launched a devastating campaign of violence just weeks before the nation’s May presidential election.

Since Friday, militant groups have carried out more than 24 violent strikes targeting both civilian populations and government military installations throughout Colombia’s southwestern regions.

The escalating attacks have heightened concerns about safety and stability as the country prepares for its upcoming presidential vote.

The violence represents a significant security challenge for Colombian authorities as they work to ensure safe conditions for the democratic process.

BEKASI, Indonesia — Emergency teams have finished retrieving the final casualties from a deadly railway accident that occurred just outside Indonesia’s capital city on Tuesday. The tragic collision took place Monday evening when a passenger train traveling long distances struck the back end of a commuter train that had stopped at the Bekasi station near Jakarta.

Recovery operations continued through Tuesday as rescue workers worked to extract all victims from the wreckage at the station located in the outskirts of the Indonesian capital.

BEIJING (AP) — More than 200 people were forced from their homes after intense rainfall created dangerous flooding conditions in a southern Chinese city, according to state media reports released Tuesday.

Emergency responders used inflatable boats to reach residents who became trapped inside their homes in Qinzhou, located in the Guangxi region, the official Xinhua news agency reported. Video from the scene showed rescue workers moving through water that reached their chests, while firefighters physically carried elderly residents to safety.

Local officials in Qinzhou reported that weather monitoring equipment measured more than 270 millimeters of precipitation — approximately 10 inches — in the 24-hour span that concluded Monday morning at 8 a.m. This rainfall total set a new single-day record for the month of April in the area.

Weather expert Lin Nan explained in a social media post that this type of extreme precipitation normally doesn’t occur in coastal areas of southern China until the summer monsoon season begins in the middle to end of May. “It is rare to see such a heavy downpour in late April,” Lin said.

By Tuesday morning, educational institutions throughout Qinzhou had reopened for regular classes, and vehicle movement had returned to normal conditions in most areas of the city, according to reports from a news organization run by China’s emergency management officials.

The Trump administration showed little enthusiasm Tuesday for Iran’s diplomatic overture to halt current hostilities and restore access to the Strait of Hormuz in return for the United States ending its economic sanctions against the nation.

Iran’s proposal would delay negotiations regarding the country’s nuclear capabilities, an approach that Secretary of State Marco Rubio seemingly rejected during a Monday Fox News appearance.

“We have to ensure that any deal that is made, any agreement that is made, is one that definitively prevents them from sprinting towards a nuclear weapon at any point,” Rubio stated regarding the proposal, which Pakistan delivered to American officials.

White House officials confirmed that President Donald Trump’s national security advisors reviewed the Iranian offer and indicated Trump would respond to it at a later time.

The diplomatic initiative surfaced Monday while Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi conducted meetings in Russia, a nation that has historically supported Tehran. Officials have not clarified what support, if any, Moscow might provide in this situation.

Casualty figures from the ongoing conflict show at least 3,375 deaths in Iran and a minimum of 2,521 fatalities in Lebanon, where clashes between Israel and Iran-supported Hezbollah forces restarted just two days following the Iran conflict’s beginning. Additional deaths include 23 Israelis, more than a dozen people in Gulf Arab nations, 16 Israeli military personnel in Lebanon, 13 American service members in the region, and six United Nations peacekeepers stationed in southern Lebanon.

During his Fox News interview, Rubio addressed Iran’s latest diplomatic effort, which would delay nuclear program discussions while ending Iran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz if America removes its sanctions and concludes the war.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that at some point in the future if this radical clerical regime remains in charge in Iran, they will decide they want a nuclear weapon,” Rubio explained.

“That fundamental issue still has to be confronted,” he continued. “That still remains the core issue here.”

When questioned about Iranian sincerity regarding potential negotiations, Rubio characterized them as experienced diplomats seeking to gain additional time.

“We can’t let them get away with it,” Rubio emphasized. “We have to ensure that any deal that is made, any agreement that is made, is one that definitively prevents them from sprinting towards a nuclear weapon at any point.”

NAIROBI/GENEVA – The Middle East conflict involving Iran has created devastating consequences for Somalia’s most vulnerable population: severely malnourished children who were already facing the dual crises of potential famine and significant reductions in international assistance.

Medical facilities across Somalia are being forced to deny treatment to critically undernourished children and limit their supply distributions due to shortages of essential therapeutic nutrition products caused by maritime shipping interruptions, according to recent reporting.

Nearly 500,000 children below the age of 5 are experiencing severe acute malnutrition, also known as wasting – the deadliest category of hunger – and the transportation delays are amplifying the impact of reduced humanitarian funding.

Medical staff in the cities of Baidoa and Mogadishu report they must carefully ration their limited inventory of specialized milk products and nutrient-rich peanut-based therapeutic paste that are essential for saving these young lives.

“Since the needs are large and we don’t have a lot of supplies, we have had to keep reducing the amount we give children,” said nurse Hassan Yahye Kheyre.

Kheyre’s medical facility treats over 1,200 children but has only 225 containers of peanut paste remaining, which the International Rescue Committee estimates will be depleted in approximately two weeks.

“If treatment is on-and-off, the children will become very weak, physically and mentally. And it may not be possible to reverse it,” Kheyre explained.

Three humanitarian organizations, including the IRC, have confirmed that transportation setbacks and increased expenses connected to the Iranian conflict are compounding an already dire situation.

At the medical center in Baidoa’s southwestern region, operated by IRC partner READO, Muumino Adan Aamin, a mother of nine children, has repeatedly attempted to obtain peanut paste for her 11-month-old daughter Ruweido.

Although Ruweido requires three packets daily, Aamin has been denied treatment twice due to supply shortages at the clinic.

Aamin previously almost lost her daughter Anisa during a 2017 drought that brought Somalia close to famine conditions. The child was reduced to “just bone and skin” but survived thanks to peanut paste treatment, Aamin recalled.

Nine years later, another drought has left 6.5 million people – representing one-third of Somalia’s population – facing severe hunger, while aid organizations struggle desperately to address the gaps.

An IRC shipment of peanut paste sufficient to feed more than 1,000 children became stranded two months ago at Mundra port in India, which is now overcrowded with redirected cargo unable to reach Gulf ports, explained Shukri Abdulkadir, IRC’s Somalia coordinator.

When informed that the Indian-manufactured peanut paste would require at least 30 additional days to arrive, IRC canceled the shipment.

The organization then placed an urgent order for 400 containers from Nairobi and is transferring existing supplies from Mogadishu to Baidoa while waiting for the new delivery.

However, increased transportation and production expenses have driven the cost of individual containers from $55 to $200, according to CARE International, whose most recent purchase now provides supplies for only 83 children instead of 300.

During 2024, shipments of therapeutic milk and ready-to-use therapeutic food from Europe to Somalia normally required 30-35 days, extending to 40-45 days in 2025 as vessels rerouted around Africa due to Red Sea security concerns.

Following the February 28 U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran and Iran’s subsequent closure of Gulf access, vessel shortages have extended delivery times to 55-65 days, said Mohamed Omar, Health and Nutrition director at Action Against Hunger in Mogadishu.

Currently in Somalia, the IPC global hunger monitoring system indicates that over 2 million people have reached the “Emergency” classification, just one step below official famine status.

Between January and March, admissions of severely malnourished children to health centers supported by ACF increased by 35% compared to the previous year.

Personnel at Daynile General Hospital, currently treating 360 children for wasting, reported on April 20 that they possessed barely adequate supplies for one week.

“Some children’s nutritional status has already worsened,” stated health and nutrition supervisor Xafsa Ali Hassan.

Somalia was excluded from the 17 impoverished countries selected to receive portions of this year’s funding allocated to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs by the United States, which has implemented the most severe reductions among international aid contributors.

OCHA reports that more than 200 medical facilities have shut down and mobile treatment teams have been dissolved.

The organization announced in December that over 60,500 severely malnourished children had received no treatment as a consequence, with projections indicating this number could reach 150,000 if funding shortfalls continue.

When the Iranian conflict began, domestic fuel costs increased by 150%.

“Somalia is really hard hit by the Iran war because people are still reeling from the impact of the previous drought,” said IRC’s Abdulkadir. “It’s very difficult for people to absorb these shocks.”

OCHA has requested $852 million from international donors to prevent complete famine conditions.

This represents a significant decrease from last year’s $1.42 billion request, yet only 14% of the reduced amount has been received so far.

MEXICO CITY – Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum announced Monday that her administration has formally complained to the United States through diplomatic channels about the unsanctioned participation of American officials in a counter-narcotics mission in northern Chihuahua state.

Four people died in a vehicle accident on April 19 following the drug operation – two American officials and two Mexican personnel. Sources have identified the U.S. officials as CIA operatives. The incident has reignited diplomatic friction between the neighboring countries regarding security collaboration.

The controversy led to the resignation of Chihuahua’s top prosecutor, Cesar Jauregui, late Monday evening. He stepped down after admitting he had given contradictory statements about what happened.

Sheinbaum emphasized that Mexico’s federal authorities had no knowledge that the American officials, reportedly CIA agents, were participating in the mission.

“What we told (the U.S.) was that the federal government didn’t know about the involvement of these people (in the operation) and we hope that it’s an exception,” Sheinbaum stated during her regular morning news briefing.

The Mexican leader said her country demanded that “our constitution and national security law should be followed,” and noted that Washington had expressed its understanding.

The participation of American personnel in anti-cartel missions remains an extremely contentious issue in Mexico. While Sheinbaum supports intelligence coordination and security partnership, she firmly opposes allowing U.S. agents or military forces to conduct operations within Mexican borders.

This stance contrasts sharply with U.S. President Donald Trump’s approach, who has consistently advocated for expanded American military involvement against Mexican drug cartels and has warned that the United States might act unilaterally if Mexico’s efforts prove insufficient.

Mexico’s security leadership revealed Saturday that the American officials lacked proper authorization to engage in security activities within the country, with one having entered Mexico using tourist documentation.

Initially, prosecutor Jauregui claimed the day after the crash that the U.S. officials had not participated in the laboratory raid itself, but were collected by Mexican operatives at a different location afterward. He said they were being transported to the state capital when the fatal accident happened.

However, Jauregui acknowledged Monday that his earlier statements contained inaccuracies, though he did not specify which details were wrong.

“Regarding the events that have come to light around the presence of individuals who identified themselves as alleged foreign officials, the information we initially had – and which I shared with the public – was inconsistent,” he stated in an announcement from the Chihuahua Attorney General’s office, which he also read during a news conference.

“There were omissions both in the information and in the institutional handling of points of contact with those individuals.” He expressed hope that his departure would help authorities “restore public trust.”

North Korea dramatically escalated its use of capital punishment during COVID-19 border restrictions, with the majority of death sentences connected to consuming prohibited foreign entertainment and religious activities, according to a human rights organization based in Seoul.

Research conducted by the Transitional Justice Working Group reveals that 148 individuals were executed in 60 separate incidents from 2020 through 2024, representing a significant jump from 41 death penalty cases during the preceding five-year span.

The organization compiled its findings through conversations with 880 North Korean refugees currently residing in South Korea and utilized satellite imagery to identify locations where executions took place. Researchers emphasized that their data should not be viewed as comprehensive.

Violations involving foreign cultural content and religious practices, such as viewing South Korean television programs and films, represented the highest percentage of execution cases, the study found.

Prior to pandemic restrictions, homicide had been the primary offense leading to death sentences.

Political crimes resulting in executions climbed to 28 cases from just four during the comparable earlier timeframe, as leader Kim Jong Un intensified efforts to suppress opposition during isolation measures.

Cultural offense executions also took place in the nation’s interior regions rather than solely near the Chinese border, indicating South Korean entertainment had penetrated across the entire country, according to Hubert Lee, who serves as the organization’s executive director.

North Korea has gradually begun loosening restrictions and permitted the 2023 return of citizens who had been overseas, while recently restoring passenger rail connections with China.

However, the count of North Korean defectors, which serves as a measure of the country’s external engagement, stayed minimal at 223 in 2025, down from 1,275 recorded in 2015, based on South Korean official statistics.

The expected leadership transition to Kim’s daughter, identified as Ju Ae, might also lead to increased executions, Lee suggested.

“The number of executions may surge when the time for Ju Ae to succeed is imminent, to remove the inner circle of her father and appoint her people,” Lee stated.

North Korean diplomatic missions in Singapore and London, along with Pyongyang’s permanent United Nations office, did not provide immediate responses to requests for comment regarding the report’s conclusions.

CAIRO (AP) — Iran’s renowned carpet manufacturing region has seen production come to a virtual standstill. Dairy companies can’t secure packaging materials for their milk and butter products. Massive steel production facilities that previously powered the nation’s economy have ceased operations. Hundreds of thousands have become unemployed, with millions more facing potential job losses.

Following more than five weeks of sustained attacks, American and Israeli military operations have targeted thousands of manufacturing facilities. The destruction is creating shockwaves throughout Iran’s economic system, threatening successive rounds of unemployment while Iranians confront dramatically rising costs. Chicken prices have surged 75% in the past month, while beef and lamb costs have climbed 68%. Numerous dairy items have seen price increases of 50%.

The situation may deteriorate further as America implements a naval blockade of Iranian harbors, severely restricting imports and petroleum exports worth billions annually. Economic hardships previously triggered widespread demonstrations that were violently suppressed before the current conflict and might once again drive citizens to protest publicly.

However, Iran possesses its own economic leverage against the world through its control of the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian officials declare they will only allow the crucial global energy passage to reopen when the blockade ends and hostilities cease. They’re wagering that an economy designed for self-sufficiency through decades of international sanctions can withstand hardship longer than U.S. President Donald Trump.

According to state media reports, Deputy Labor Minister Gholamhossein Mohammadi stated that Iran has lost no fewer than 1 million jobs directly due to the conflict.

However, the cascading consequences threaten between 10 million and 12 million positions — representing half of Iran’s workforce — according to Iranian economist Hadi Kahalzadeh’s warning.

Israel has asserted it targeted the industrial infrastructure of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. However, the attacks extended far beyond this scope, damaging facilities not controlled by the organization.

According to Kahalzadeh, a research fellow at Brandeis University, military strikes damaged 20,000 manufacturing plants, representing approximately 20% of the nation’s production facilities. Among the affected sites was Tofigh Daru, Iran’s largest pharmaceutical company, which produces cancer treatment medications and other medicines. Optical equipment and chemical manufacturing plants, along with aluminum and cement production facilities, also sustained damage.

Most significantly destructive were Israel’s attacks on Iran’s largest steel production and petrochemical manufacturing plants, primarily during a series of strikes just prior to the April 8 ceasefire. The nation’s two largest steel companies, Mobarakeh Steel and Khuzestan Steel, along with smaller operations, suspended production. Over 50 petrochemical facilities have ceased operations, according to Iran’s semiofficial Jamaran news agency.

This has severely damaged Iran’s two largest non-petroleum export sectors, causing price increases for everything from plastic products to piping, textiles and food packaging for items like milk, butter and cheese.

Military attacks aren’t the sole source of economic difficulties. Internet services have been mostly disabled since the protests began, devastating small and medium businesses dependent on online commerce. Even prior to the U.S. blockade, Iranian attacks on the United Arab Emirates, which supplied roughly one-third of Iran’s imports, prompted that nation to sever trade relations.

Approximately 80% of carpet and rug producers have halted operations in the industrial district of Kashan, the hub of Iran’s rugmaking sector, according to a rugmaker’s son. His family’s factory, which employs 20 to 30 workers and previously manufactured hundreds of rugs monthly using machines, is among those that have closed, though his father continues visiting the facility daily.

“Never have I heard my father so upset,” said the son, who lives in the United States and spoke on condition of anonymity for his family’s security.

Kashan, housing hundreds of carpet producers, “relies on the rug industry and unfortunately it’s been crippled,” he explained. Export sales have plummeted since the conflict started, and domestic purchases are nearly nonexistent. Synthetic fiber costs have jumped 30%-50% — partially resulting from damage to petrochemical plants, he noted.

Mehdi Bostanchi operates a ventilation and air conditioning manufacturing facility, plus a second plant producing household fans, employing more than 1,130 workers total. Both continue functioning. However, the HVAC factory depends heavily on the construction sector, and “construction is facing a massive shock,” he explained.

Most new construction projects are suspended, while iron sheeting prices have more than doubled.

Bostanchi, who serves on a council representing Iranian manufacturers, explained that “all the country’s industries in some way rely on our petrochemical industry.” Even businesses that don’t directly require steel or petrochemical materials have contracts with companies that do.

A chemical engineer employed at one of Iran’s largest private construction companies reported it eliminated half of its 180 headquarters employees and was forced to cancel a project with Mobarakeh Steel, eliminating 1,000 positions.

A Tehran resident resigned from his consulting engineering position just before the conflict began, and the new position he had secured is now uncertain.

“I am at the top 1% (of society), and I am without a job. I am super worried about my future,” he stated, noting that people’s savings will begin running out in coming weeks.

Both he and the chemical engineer requested anonymity due to security concerns.

Millions demonstrated in January’s protests initially sparked by worsening inflation but evolved into demands for ending the Islamic Republic, resulting in violent government suppression.

Government officials are attempting to assure citizens that Iran can endure the economic suffering. The administration has pledged to expand unemployment benefits. However, the strain on Iran’s social security system is increasing while its funding sources are being damaged, since it relies heavily on investments in petrochemical companies and other essential industries, Kahalzadeh explained.

The U.S. blockade threatens to eliminate export income: Iran earned approximately $98 billion from exports in 2025, with just under half coming from oil sales.

However, implementing a complete blockade presents challenges; roughly half of Iran’s non-oil commerce travels overland or through Caspian Sea harbors, according to economic expert Esfandyar Batmanghelidj.

Iran has also developed substantial resilience and “readiness for worst-case scenarios,” Batmanghelidj wrote for the Bourse and Bazaar Foundation, a research organization he leads focusing on economic development in West and Central Asia.

Iran maintains substantial reserves of essential materials. By the end of 2025, Iran had stockpiled enough electrical equipment for nearly eight months, cement supplies lasting nearly six months and sufficient steel and iron for four months, he wrote, noting that supplies could be extended further through rationing.

Bostanchi, the factory owner, expressed belief that Iran’s economy could recover after the conflict ends. However, the extent depends on whether Iran can achieve an end to international sanctions.

“If we cannot lift the sanctions in any agreements, then no, the optimistic forecast … will not happen,” he stated.

WIENER NEUSTADT, Austria — Legal proceedings commence Tuesday against a young man charged with swearing loyalty to ISIS and conspiring to launch an attack during Taylor Swift’s Vienna concert performances in August 2024.

While authorities successfully prevented the assault, officials made the decision to call off Swift’s trio of scheduled shows. Disappointed fans, called Swifties, had traveled internationally to witness her phenomenally successful Eras Tour but responded by transforming Vienna into an impromptu community for bracelet exchanges and group singing.

The accused, identified as 21-year-old Beran A. under Austria’s privacy protocols, confronts multiple charges including terrorism violations and terrorist group participation. A conviction could result in a maximum 20-year prison sentence.

Defense lawyer Anna Mair informed The Associated Press Monday that her client intends to admit guilt to several charges, though she declined to detail which specific accusations he would acknowledge.

Investigators allege he intended to harm crowds congregating outside Ernst Happel Stadium — potentially 30,000 nightly, plus 65,000 inside — using bladed weapons or improvised bombs. Officials stated in 2024 that the suspect aimed to “kill as many people as possible.” American intelligence contributed to the concert cancellation decision.

Beran A. reportedly communicated with additional ISIS members while preparing the assault. Legal authorities claim conversations included weapon purchases and explosive device construction, with the defendant attempting illegal firearm acquisition before the scheduled performance. He also reportedly declared loyalty to the extremist organization.

Law enforcement raided his residence on August 7, 2024, discovering bomb-creation supplies. The concerts were supposed to commence the following day.

“Having our Vienna shows cancelled was devastating,” Swift wrote in a statement posted to Instagram two weeks later. “The reason for the cancellations filled me with a new sense of fear, and a tremendous amount of guilt because so many people had planned on coming to those shows.”

Court proceedings are taking place in Wiener Neustadt, approximately one hour from Vienna. The case will resume May 12.

Legal officials have additionally brought terrorism-related accusations against Arda K., whose complete identity remains confidential, in the same trial.

Prosecutors contend that Beran A. and Arda K., alongside another individual called Hasan E., coordinated to execute concurrent strikes in Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates during 2024’s Ramadan period for ISIS.

Hasan E. reportedly attacked a security officer with a blade at Mecca’s Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia on March 11, 2024. He was apprehended and continues in Saudi custody awaiting trial, Austrian prosecutors confirmed.

Beran A. and Arda K. abandoned their Turkey and UAE operations. Beran A. returned to Vienna and subsequently began developing the Swift concert attack plan.

The Vienna conspiracy reminded many of a 2017 suicide bombing at an Ariana Grande performance in Manchester, England, which claimed 22 lives. The explosive detonated as the concert concluded and thousands of young attendees were departing, marking the UK’s most lethal extremist incident in recent memory.

LAS MINAS, Cuba (AP) — In the rural town of Las Minas, 58-year-old farmer Eduardo Obiols Sobredo faces an impossible challenge: feeding his fellow Cubans while battling crippling fuel shortages caused by US energy sanctions that have triggered widespread power outages and water disruptions.

“I feel like crying,” Obiols Sobredo expressed. “It’s so sad to see crops grown with so much effort go to waste, especially when you know there are so many who need them.”

Agricultural machinery sits idle throughout Cuba as fuel supplies dwindle to nothing. Farmers such as Obiols Sobredo have resorted to using oxen and hand labor, though many cannot afford these alternatives and resources remain scarce.

The crisis has worsened poverty and expanded hunger throughout the Caribbean nation, home to almost 10 million residents. Fresh produce quality and availability continue declining while costs climb beyond what most citizens can afford.

Unlike other nations experiencing energy shortages due to global conflicts, Cuba directly attributes its struggles to targeted measures implemented by the Trump administration.

For three months, Cuba received no fuel deliveries after the US targeted Venezuela, a crucial oil partner, and issued threats of tariffs against any nation providing petroleum to the island.

The country was already struggling under intensified US sanctions that have existed for decades, blocking imports of essential items. The Trump administration has demanded Cuba’s socialist leadership free political detainees, enact significant economic changes, and alter its governing structure to eliminate perceived national security risks. Cuban officials consistently deny posing any danger to America.

With diplomatic tensions persisting, high-level government representatives are traveling to farms across Cuba, encouraging producers to increase output for greater national independence.

However, the impact of US energy restrictions is clearly visible in Las Minas, where 65 farmers share just 18 oxen.

Obiols Sobredo rents these animals and their operators when possible, but depends on manual work for smaller farming tasks. His crops include tomatoes, sorghum, cassava and other vegetables. He also maintains goats whose milk feeds local schoolchildren.

He joins other agricultural workers in a system that provides for Cuba’s most needy populations, including orphanages and elder care facilities.

Land preparation that once required 15 minutes using motorized equipment now demands three full days. His last government gasoline allocation arrived in January.

“It has forced us to take other kinds of actions in order to survive,” Obiols Sobredo explained.

Petroleum shortages also mean delivery vehicles don’t always arrive, compelling farmers to use their limited fuel reserves to transport milk to freezing facilities, hoping it won’t spoil before collection.

Electrical outages prevent Obiols Sobredo from processing feed for his goats, which produce less milk due to poor nutrition.

Crop irrigation has also suffered. Though a charitable organization funded solar irrigation equipment for his property last year, he lacks the gasoline needed for installation. He depends on rainfall that hasn’t occurred in almost two months.

Distribution companies increasingly use horse-drawn vehicles to move produce, causing bruising during extended journeys to marketplaces.

At a government market in Havana offering relatively affordable prices, 68-year-old customer Juan Lázaro expressed disappointment with produce quality.

“Look,” he stated, indicating a display of small, unripe tomatoes. “They’re lacking fertilizer, you can tell they’re lacking water. Look at their color.”

Lázaro retired from industrial mechanics but returned to work at a small shop to survive financially. During a recent visit, he purchased six potatoes as an unusual luxury.

“I’ve had to cut back. I either buy bread or I buy potatoes,” he noted.

He emphasized that Cuba’s present difficulties exceed the “Special Period” of the 1990s, when Soviet Union collapse eliminated aid and created widespread hardship. “We’ve been hitting rock bottom for a while.”

Fellow shopper Griselle Guillot, 64, now hesitates before buying rice.

“I need to see how much I can buy, because I also need onions,” she said.

Anthony Batista Guerra, a 47-year-old produce seller, noted customers understand the declining standards without explanation: “They know things are bad right now.”

As the market prepared to close, one vendor discarded a tomato into the street after shoppers rejected it as unsuitable.

On a steamy morning, 82-year-old Argelio González Juvier wielded a hoe against weeds surrounding cassava plants at his workplace.

A former interior ministry official who retired in 1995, he returned to work for additional income and selected agriculture.

“The earth provides everything. That’s what we should focus on,” he stated. “We have no other alternative.”

He condemned US energy restrictions, describing them as criminal.

“Cuba doesn’t deserve what they’re doing to us,” he declared. “The Americans think they’re the owners of the world.”

Working beside González Juvier was 36-year-old Jordanis Ríos, formerly a truck operator transporting construction materials until fuel shortages eliminated his position.

He now uses a machete to clear agricultural land, cutting dried vegetation each morning for $4 daily wages. He hopes to resume truck driving.

“My job is there. Just waiting for the country to improve,” he said.

Ríos avoided discussing recent US-Cuba negotiations, with American representatives visiting the island this month for the first time since 2016. Conversation details remain confidential, though Cuba has stated lifting the blockade remains its top priority.

Ríos indicated the outcome rests with leadership: “My goal is to survive here and see what happens.”

LONDON — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer confronts escalating political turmoil Tuesday as Parliament prepares to vote on launching a formal investigation into his controversial selection of Peter Mandelson for the U.S. ambassador position.

The House of Commons will debate whether to refer Starmer to Parliament’s standards watchdog following the botched diplomatic appointment that has dominated headlines for months. Mandelson, who had ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, was ultimately removed from consideration after security vetting failures came to light.

Adding to Starmer’s challenges, his former top aide Morgan McSweeney is scheduled to appear before the Foreign Affairs Committee to answer questions about the flawed appointment process. McSweeney stepped down in February, accepting blame for recommending Mandelson despite the security red flags.

The twin proceedings represent significant political risks for Starmer, who has weathered weeks of resignation calls stemming from the Mandelson controversy. The Prime Minister terminated Mandelson’s appointment in September when additional information surfaced regarding his relationship with Epstein, who died in federal custody in 2019.

Authorities launched a criminal probe into Mandelson in February following accusations that he shared classified government intelligence with Epstein during his government service in 2009.

During Tuesday’s hearing, McSweeney — a longtime Mandelson associate who previously served as Starmer’s chief of staff — will likely face tough questions about claims from former Foreign Office permanent secretary Olly Robbins. Robbins alleged that Starmer’s team inappropriately pressured civil servants to expedite Mandelson’s clearance to ensure he could begin work when President Donald Trump’s second term commenced.

Starmer has categorically rejected assertions that his administration applied undue influence on government bureaucrats.

The Prime Minister dismissed Robbins earlier this month following revelations that security officials had recommended against Mandelson’s appointment. Starmer described it as “staggering” that Foreign Office personnel failed to inform him about the vetting concerns.

Political opponents argue Starmer’s initial decision to nominate Mandelson demonstrates poor judgment from a leader who has stumbled repeatedly since guiding the Labour Party to an overwhelming electoral triumph in July 2024.

Starmer previously navigated a potential crisis in February when some Labour members of Parliament called for his resignation over the ambassador selection. He may encounter fresh difficulties if Labour performs poorly in upcoming May 7 local elections, which will serve as a referendum on his government’s performance.

Whether sufficient Labour lawmakers will join opposition members in referring Starmer to the Privileges Committee remains uncertain. The committee possesses authority to suspend parliamentarians, including prime ministers, for rule violations.

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch accused Starmer of repeatedly “misled the House of Commons” when claiming “full due process” guided Mandelson’s selection.

Starmer’s office dismissed Tuesday’s proceedings as “a desperate political stunt by the Conservative Party the week before the May elections.”

Committee censure also creates substantial moral pressure to step down. The panel’s examination of lockdown violations in government facilities during the COVID-19 crisis contributed to former Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s political downfall.

Johnson resigned from Parliament in 2023 after the committee determined he had consistently misled lawmakers regarding the “Partygate” controversy.

Rescue operations have concluded following a devastating train accident outside Indonesia’s capital that claimed 14 lives and left 84 others wounded, according to railway officials.

The fatal accident occurred Monday evening in Bekasi, located just beyond Jakarta’s borders, when a commuter train and a long-distance passenger train collided.

PT KAI, Indonesia’s government-owned railway company, confirmed through CEO Bobby Rasyidin that fatalities had reached 14 people.

Mohammad Syafii, who leads Indonesia’s search and rescue operations, announced Tuesday that all evacuation work had been finished. He described the rescue mission as requiring extreme care due to passengers being stuck inside severely damaged train cars.

“We needed to involve personnel with certain skills to perform a measured extrication,” Syafii explained, noting that while no additional passengers remain missing, crews will continue searching the debris for any remains.

The crash primarily impacted a car designated exclusively for female passengers. According to Syafii, every victim was a woman, with most having been trapped beneath twisted metal debris.

Before separating the crashed trains, emergency responders used power tools to slice through metal compartment walls to reach those still alive inside.

Railway executive Bobby explained during a media briefing that the commuter train initially struck a taxi on the railway before being hit by the approaching long-distance train.

Green SM Indonesia, the taxi company involved, posted on Instagram acknowledging one of their vehicles was part of the incident. The company stated they provided information to investigators to help with their inquiry.

Green SM Indonesia operates as the local division of Vietnamese electric taxi company Green and Smart Mobility JSC, which is connected to Vingroup.

Following a hospital visit in Bekasi, President Prabowo Subianto announced plans to construct an overpass near the railway to address severe traffic problems in the area. He also ordered a full investigation into the crash and acknowledged that significant portions of the country’s rail system lack proper maintenance.

Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee has launched its own investigation into the accident.

Family members and concerned residents gathered at the train station Tuesday, with some searching for missing relatives.

One passenger, Heriyati, shared that she had originally planned to board the women-only car but chose the one directly behind it instead. She was speaking with her husband by phone, arranging for him to collect her from the station, when the crash happened.

“I haven’t even finished with the call and the trains collided,” she recalled.

Jakarta’s commuter rail system serves one of the world’s most densely populated metropolitan areas. PT KAI announced Tuesday that several commuter routes were shortened due to the accident.

Transportation accidents involving ground vehicles occur frequently throughout Indonesia. A separate train crash in West Java province during 2024 resulted in four deaths and multiple injuries.

Mexican armed forces dealt a devastating blow to one of the world’s most dangerous criminal organizations Monday with the arrest of a high-ranking commander from the Jalisco New Generation Cartel in northwestern Mexico.

Military personnel apprehended Audias Flores Silva, nicknamed “El Jardinero” or The Gardener, as he attempted to hide in a roadside ditch near El Mirador in Nayarit state, according to Mexican government officials. The operation concluded without casualties or injuries.

The arrest carries significant weight as Flores Silva was considered a likely candidate to lead the criminal organization following the February death of longtime boss Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho.” The United States government had placed a $5 million bounty on information leading to Flores Silva’s capture.

Oseguera Cervantes was eliminated during a dramatic military assault in February, triggering widespread retaliation from cartel members. The violent response included attacks on civilian businesses, vehicle arsons, and highway blockades that resulted in over 70 deaths, including 25 National Guard personnel.

Nevertheless, Mexican officials viewed the elimination of “El Mencho” as a major triumph for President Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration, which has adopted more aggressive anti-cartel tactics than previous governments. This tougher stance comes amid pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, who has threatened intervention measures.

Trump previously classified the Jalisco New Generation Cartel along with five other Mexican criminal groups as foreign terrorist organizations last year.

The detention of Flores Silva represents another serious setback for the criminal empire, which has rapidly expanded to become one of the most influential in the Western Hemisphere. Mexican security sources identified him as Oseguera Cervantes’ former security chief, who also oversaw drug manufacturing and smuggling activities across Nayarit, Jalisco, Mexico State, and Zacatecas.

Following the arrest, local media outlets in Nayarit documented multiple incidents of vehicle and business fires, indicating cartel retaliation.

U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson commended the operation through social media, describing Flores Silva’s detention as an “important step” in fighting fentanyl trafficking networks.

“Actions like this strengthen security and help dismantle criminal networks that threaten our communities. Together, we achieve results that make our nations safer,” he added.

Flores Silva’s criminal history includes an early arrest in the United States, where he completed a five-year prison term for drug trafficking before returning to Mexico. Mexican authorities detained him in 2016 for allegedly participating in a police ambush in Jalisco, but he was freed three years afterward.

American authorities have sought his extradition since 2021 to face drug conspiracy and weapons charges.

Security expert David Saucedo characterized Flores Silva’s capture as a “significant blow” to the CJNG leadership structure, which was still reorganizing following their founder’s death on February 22.

However, Saucedo cautioned The Associated Press that criminal organizations “can quickly reinvent themselves despite the arrest of their leaders,” noting that even after major disruptions, “they can continue” their illegal operations.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency has documented CJNG operations in 21 of Mexico’s 32 states, exceeding the reach of the Sinaloa Cartel, which operates in 19 states.

Some experts estimate the CJNG’s influence spans 25 states, with their primary base in Jalisco. The organization has expanded internationally to approximately 100 countries, including significant operations in the United States.

BEKASI, Indonesia — Emergency teams continued their delicate rescue operation Tuesday to free three individuals still stuck inside a severely damaged commuter train car following a fatal collision near Jakarta that claimed at least seven lives.

The deadly accident occurred Monday when a long-distance train slammed into the back of a stationary commuter train at Bekasi Timur Station, located outside Indonesia’s capital city. The damaged car was part of a women-only section, which Indonesian railways commonly provide to prevent harassment of female passengers.

Hospital officials reported treating 81 people for injuries sustained in the crash. Bobby Rasyidin, who leads the state railway company PT Kereta Api Indonesia, explained the challenging nature of the rescue operation to news media. “The evacuations are taking a long time … and we’re doing it very carefully,” Rasyidin stated.

Railway officials confirmed that all 240 passengers aboard the Argo Bromo Anggrek long-distance train escaped without injury.

Jakarta Police Chief Asep Edi Suheri announced that investigators are examining what led to the collision.

According to Rasyidin, the incident may be connected to a separate crash involving a commuter train and a stalled taxi at a nearby crossing, which potentially caused disruptions to the rail system.

“As for the chronology of events, we are leaving it to the National Transportation Safety Committee to investigate the cause of tonight’s train accident in greater detail,” Rasyidin explained.

Train accidents occur frequently across Indonesia’s deteriorating railway infrastructure. Earlier this year in January, a collision between two trains in West Java province resulted in at least four fatalities.

WASHINGTON — Britain’s King Charles III and Queen Camilla have launched a significant four-day diplomatic mission to America, marking the monarch’s inaugural state visit since ascending to the throne in 2022.

The royal delegation’s agenda centers on strengthening diplomatic bonds between Britain and America while commemorating the approaching 250th anniversary of American independence.

Monday’s itinerary included an official reception at the White House during the afternoon hours, with the day concluding at an elegant garden reception hosted at the British Embassy.

The visit represents a crucial diplomatic effort to reinforce the historic alliance between the two nations during Charles’s early reign as Britain’s sovereign.

President Donald Trump has rejected Iran’s most recent peace offer aimed at ending the two-month-long conflict, according to a U.S. official, reducing prospects for resolving a war that has caused thousands of deaths, disrupted global energy markets, and contributed to rising inflation.

Tehran’s current proposal seeks to postpone negotiations about Iran’s nuclear activities until after the conflict concludes and maritime shipping disagreements in the Gulf region are settled.

Such an approach is expected to be unacceptable to Washington, which insists that nuclear matters must be addressed immediately. A U.S. official who was briefed on Trump’s Monday discussion with his advisers confirmed the president’s dissatisfaction with Iran’s offer, speaking anonymously.

White House spokesperson Olivia Wales stated the U.S. “will not negotiate through the press” and has “been clear about our red lines” as the Trump administration seeks to conclude the war against Iran that began in February with Israeli participation.

In 2015, Iran and several other nations including the United States reached an agreement that significantly limited Iran’s nuclear activities, which Tehran has consistently claimed serve only peaceful, civilian objectives. However, that accord collapsed after Trump withdrew from it unilaterally during his previous presidency.

Expectations for renewed diplomatic efforts have diminished since the president canceled a planned weekend trip by special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner to Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital, where Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi made multiple visits over the weekend.

Araqchi also traveled to Oman and on Monday visited Russia, where he met with President Vladimir Putin and received supportive statements from a long-time Iranian ally.

OIL MARKETS SURGE AGAIN

As the opposing sides remain significantly divided, petroleum prices continued climbing, building on earlier gains during Tuesday’s early Asian trading session.

“For oil traders, it’s not the rhetoric that matters any more, but the actual physical flow of crude oil through the Strait of Hormuz, and right now, that flow remains constrained,” said Fawad Razaqzada, market analyst at City Index and FOREX.com.

Ship-tracking information revealed that at least six vessels carrying Iranian oil have been turned back to Iran by the U.S. naval blockade in recent days, highlighting the war’s effect on maritime traffic.

Iran’s foreign ministry criticized U.S. seizures of Iran-connected tankers as “outright legalization of piracy and armed robbery on the high seas” in a social media statement.

Prior to the war, between 125 and 140 vessels typically passed through the strait daily, but only seven have done so in the past day according to Kpler ship-tracking information and satellite data from SynMax, with none transporting oil destined for international markets.

Facing declining approval ratings, Trump confronts domestic pressure to conclude a war for which he has provided the American public with varying justifications.

Speaking to reporters in Russia, Araqchi claimed that Trump had sought negotiations because the U.S. has failed to accomplish any of its goals.

Senior Iranian officials, speaking anonymously to Reuters, said the proposal Araqchi brought to Islamabad over the weekend outlined a phased negotiation process, with nuclear issues to be deferred initially.

The first phase would require ending the U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran and securing guarantees preventing the U.S. from restarting hostilities. Subsequently, negotiators would address the U.S. Navy’s blockade of Iranian maritime trade and the status of the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran seeks to reopen under its authority.

Only after these steps would discussions turn to other matters, including the ongoing disagreement over Iran’s nuclear program, with Iran continuing to seek some form of U.S. recognition of its uranium enrichment rights.

Emergency responders continue working around the clock to rescue survivors trapped in twisted metal following a devastating train collision near Jakarta, Indonesia that has now claimed seven lives and left 81 people injured.

The tragic accident occurred Monday evening in Bekasi, located on the outskirts of Indonesia’s capital, when a commuter train and long-distance passenger train collided. Mohammad Syafii, who leads Indonesia’s search and rescue operations, explained during a Tuesday morning news briefing that extracting survivors requires extreme precision due to the dangerous conditions.

“We needed to involve personnel with certain skills to perform a measured extrication,” Syafii stated. “There are some victims who are alive to this minute and we’re hoping to extricate them, but they’re still pinned by the train material.”

Emergency teams have been observed using specialized cutting tools, including angle grinders, to slice through the damaged train cars in their efforts to reach those still trapped inside.

Bobby Rasyidin, who serves as chief executive of the government-owned railway company PT KAI, confirmed the updated fatality count of seven during the press briefing. According to Rasyidin’s account, the sequence of events began when the commuter train struck a taxi that had somehow ended up on the railway tracks, followed by the long-distance train slamming into a women-only car of the commuter train.

The taxi company involved, Green SM Indonesia, acknowledged through social media that the vehicle belonged to their fleet. The company, which operates as the Indonesian division of Vietnamese electric vehicle service Green and Smart Mobility JSC under the Vingroup umbrella, announced they have provided information to investigators to help with the ongoing probe.

Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee has launched a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash.

Railway accidents occur with concerning frequency throughout Indonesia. Just last year, another train collision in West Java province resulted in four deaths and dozens of injuries.

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — A former worker at a nightclub where 236 people died in a roof collapse one year ago told a court Monday that the establishment’s owners had been warned about the building’s dangerous condition.

Gregory Adames gave testimony against brother and sister Antonio and Maribel Espaillat, who face charges of involuntary manslaughter and involuntary assault and battery in connection with the deadly incident at the well-known Jet Set club in Santo Domingo.

“They knew because I sent them photos, I sent them videos of all the problems that were there. That shouldn’t have happened; not a single person should have died there,” Adames said.

Legal representatives for the families of those killed requested that the court upgrade the charges against the siblings to voluntary manslaughter.

“We hope that happens,” Jean Carlos Martínez Segura, who represents nine families, told The Associated Press.

A conviction on voluntary manslaughter carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, while involuntary manslaughter has a maximum penalty of two years.

The court proceedings that began Monday are scheduled to resume Friday, with a judge ultimately determining whether sufficient evidence exists to proceed to trial. Family members of the victims have expressed frustration with procedural delays and the pace of the legal process.

According to prosecutors, hundreds of pieces of evidence point to the siblings’ culpability. The pair were taken into custody last June.

Miguel Valerio, the Espaillats’ attorney, told reporters after their arrests: “Nobody wanted that to happen.”

Authorities have alleged that the Espaillats attempted to pressure or influence their workers. Antonio Espaillat is regarded as an influential business figure who operates high-end entertainment venues and owns numerous local radio stations.

The nightclub was packed with hundreds of patrons, including many prominent Dominican citizens, attending a concert on April 8, 2025, when the ceiling gave way. Among the fatalities were singer Rubby Pérez; Nelsy Cruz, the governor of Montecristi province and sister of Major League Baseball All-Star Nelson Cruz; and former MLB pitcher Octavio Dotel. The collapse left more than 100 people injured, and emergency responders worked continuously to rescue survivors from the debris.

Energy markets saw continued upward pressure Tuesday as diplomatic solutions to the U.S.-Iran conflict remain elusive, leaving the vital Strait of Hormuz shipping channel mostly blocked and preventing Middle Eastern oil supplies from reaching international markets.

According to a U.S. official speaking Monday, President Donald Trump has rejected Iran’s most recent peace proposal. Iranian sources revealed Monday that Tehran’s offer deliberately sidestepped nuclear program discussions until fighting ends and Persian Gulf maritime disputes get resolved.

Trump’s rejection of Iran’s terms has created a diplomatic impasse, with Iran maintaining its closure of Strait of Hormuz shipping traffic—normally responsible for transporting approximately 20% of worldwide oil and natural gas consumption—while the U.S. continues its naval blockade of Iranian harbors.

June Brent crude contracts increased 45 cents, or 0.4%, reaching $108.68 per barrel by 0051 GMT, following Monday’s 2.8% surge to the highest closing price since April 7. The commodity has now posted gains for seven consecutive trading days.

June U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude jumped 58 cents, or 0.6%, to $96.96, after Monday’s 2.1% increase.

Previous diplomatic discussions between Washington and Tehran broke down last week when direct negotiations failed to produce results.

“For oil traders, it’s not the rhetoric that matters any more, but the actual physical flow of crude oil through the Strait of Hormuz, and right now, that flow remains constrained,” said Fawad Razaqzada, a market analyst at City Index and FOREX.com.

Razaqzada noted that even with a potential agreement, production shutdowns and supply chain complications could require months for full recovery.

Maritime tracking information confirmed major regional disruptions, showing six Iranian oil vessels were compelled to reverse course because of the American blockade.

Despite the restrictions, one liquefied natural gas vessel operated by the United Arab Emirates’ Abu Dhabi National Oil Company successfully navigated through the Strait of Hormuz and appears to be approaching India, according to Monday’s ship-tracking data.

Before the U.S.-Israeli military action against Iran commenced on February 28, daily vessel traffic through the strait typically ranged between 125 and 140 ships.

President Donald Trump has rejected a recent peace proposal from Iran, with a U.S. official citing concerns that the plan fails to address the nation’s nuclear activities, according to reports from Washington on Monday.

“He doesn’t love the proposal,” the U.S. official stated when describing Trump’s reaction to the Iranian initiative.

The president met with his senior national security team on Monday to review the proposal. Meanwhile, tensions between Washington and Tehran continue with no clear resolution in sight, as energy shipments from the Middle East remain disrupted.

According to Iranian sources who spoke earlier Monday, their proposal would postpone any nuclear program discussions until after the current conflict concludes and maritime shipping disputes in the Gulf region are settled. However, the United States maintains that nuclear matters must be addressed immediately as part of any agreement.

Pakistani mediators indicate that diplomatic efforts to narrow the divide between the two nations are still ongoing, sources report.

However, prospects for renewed peace negotiations have dimmed following Trump’s weekend decision to cancel a planned trip by special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner to Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad.

Tensions flared at the United Nations Security Council on Monday as China’s deputy ambassador harshly criticized statements from Japan and the European Union regarding maritime security in disputed Asian waters.

During the council’s maritime security discussion, Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Ayano Kunimitsu expressed Tokyo’s deep worries about developments in both the East China Sea and South China Sea regions. She restated Japan’s stance against any forceful attempts to alter current territorial arrangements and interference with maritime and aviation freedoms.

European Union UN delegation chief Stavros Lambrinidis similarly addressed South China Sea disputes, noting how the conflicts disrupt vital commercial shipping routes and undermine international maritime law.

Both officials avoided directly naming China, despite Beijing’s extensive territorial claims throughout the South China Sea and ongoing disputes with Japan in the East China Sea.

China’s deputy UN representative Sun Lei dismissed the Japanese statements as “unwarranted” and said they “completely confound black and white.” He criticized the EU official for making “unsubstantiated and irresponsible remarks on the South China Sea issue.”

“In reality, the situation in the East and South China Seas remains stable overall and the South China Sea stands as one of the freest shipping lanes in the world,” Sun stated.

Sun accused Japan of recently deploying naval vessels “to flex their muscles and deliberately provoke tensions in the Taiwan Strait,” claiming this action sent a “gravely erroneous signal” to Taiwan independence supporters. China considers Taiwan, which governs itself democratically, to be Chinese territory.

The Chinese diplomat also referenced controversial Taiwan comments made by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in previous months, saying these statements “have dealt a severe blow to China-Japan relations.”

Relations between the two Asian powers deteriorated significantly after Takaichi suggested in November that Japan might respond militarily if China attacked Taiwan.

Sun alleged that “right-wing forces are steering Japan’s security policy towards an offensive and expansionist posture” and warned that eight decades after World War Two, “a new militarism is resurging in Japan.”

He pointed to Japan’s loosened restrictions on weapons exports, deployment of strike missiles, and higher defense spending as evidence that Japan seeks “to pave the way for military expansion.”

Earlier this month, the Japanese destroyer JS Ikazuchi sailed through the Taiwan Strait, which China condemned as “a deliberate provocation.”

Meanwhile, China has significantly expanded its military capabilities in recent years, built installations on contested South China Sea islands, and conducted large-scale training exercises near Taiwan, raising alarm among regional neighbors and international partners.

A geopolitical expert specializing in Middle Eastern affairs says Iran’s current military strategy extends well beyond traditional combat zones, with the regime now targeting Iranian communities living overseas.

Ashkan Rostami, an Italian Persian analyst who studies Iran, Israel, and Middle Eastern regional politics as part of the Institute for a New Middle East, spoke with The Media Line about how Tehran is adapting its approach during the ongoing conflict with the United States and Israel.

According to Rostami, while military operations continue, Iranian authorities are simultaneously reaching out to diaspora populations, particularly those residing in European nations, as part of their wartime strategy.

The analyst highlighted concerning developments including diplomatic efforts to raise funds and troubling indicators that the regime may once again be involving minors in its military operations.

Rostami emphasized that this expansion of Iran’s conflict strategy to include overseas communities represents a significant shift in how the regime operates when facing international pressure.

A newly published UNICEF study reveals that Afghanistan faces the potential loss of more than 25,000 women working in education and healthcare by 2030 unless current Taliban policies restricting female participation are reversed.

The report, made public on Monday, highlights how Taliban leadership has prohibited women from holding most government positions and restricted educational opportunities for girls to age 12 and younger.

According to the study, these policies have already impacted no fewer than 1 million girls, with projections showing this number could reach 2 million by 2030 without policy changes. UNICEF has urged Taliban authorities to reverse the prohibitions implemented following their return to control in 2021.

The research, titled “The Cost of Inaction on Girls’ Education and Women’s Labour Force Participation in Afghanistan,” documents a sharp drop in qualified women joining teaching and medical professions.

UNICEF projects that as many as 20,000 female educators and 5,400 healthcare professionals could be eliminated from the workforce by 2030, representing approximately 25% of Afghanistan’s 2021 professional workforce in these areas. An additional 9,600 medical workers could be lost by 2035, the study indicates.

“Afghanistan cannot afford to lose future teachers, nurses, doctors, midwives, and social workers, who sustain essential services,” stated UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “This will be the reality if girls continue to be excluded from education.”

The report emphasizes that women medical professionals are essential for treating female patients, while women educators are preferred for instructing girls in schools that separate students by gender.

UNICEF estimates this workforce reduction could cost Afghanistan’s economy at least AFN 5.3 billion ($84 million) annually, equivalent to approximately 0.5% of the nation’s total economic output.

The organization has called on Afghanistan’s current leadership to protect professional training opportunities and permit women’s participation in the workforce.

ABUJA, Nigeria — At least 29 people were killed when Islamic State fighters launched a deadly assault on a village in northeastern Nigeria during overnight hours, officials confirmed Monday. The violence represents the latest bloodshed in Africa’s most populated nation as it continues wrestling with widespread security threats.

The deadly raid occurred late Sunday evening in Guyaku village, located within Gombi local government territory in Adamawa state, state leadership reported.

ISIS operatives took credit for the deadly assault through a statement posted on the Telegram platform.

During a Monday visit to the attacked community, Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri called the violence tragic and completely unacceptable.

Nigeria continues confronting numerous security threats, particularly across northern regions where militant activity has persisted for more than twenty years. The United States deployed military advisors to the West African country in February to assist local forces in combating the security crisis.

Two primary ISIS-affiliated militant organizations operate within Nigeria, though officials have not yet determined which group carried out the Guyaki assault.

The Islamic State West Africa Province, known as ISWAP, maintains operations throughout northeastern areas including Adamawa state, while another ISIS-connected organization called Lakurawa typically targets communities in north-central Sokoto and Kebbi states.

The village attack coincided with a separate incident where armed raiders struck an orphanage in north-central Nigeria, kidnapping 23 students. Authorities later freed 15 children and reported that “intensive operations” continue to “secure the safe return of the remaining eight victims and apprehend the perpetrators.”

Student abductions have become a defining characteristic of Nigeria’s security crisis, with security experts noting that criminal organizations view educational institutions and children as “strategic” targets for gaining public attention.

The orphanage raid occurred in an “isolated area” of Lokoja, the capital city of Kogi State, according to state commissioner Kingsley Femi Fanwo. He noted that the targeted facility, Dahallukitab Group of Schools, was functioning without proper authorization.

No organization has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping in a region experiencing rising numbers of ransom-motivated abductions. Officials did not specify the ages of the taken children, though the designation “pupil” in Nigeria typically refers to kindergarten through primary school students, generally ages 12 and under.

ABUJA, Nigeria — Armed men stormed a children’s facility in Nigeria’s north-central region and kidnapped 23 students, with officials confirming Monday that 15 have been successfully recovered.

The incident occurred in a remote section of Lokoja, the capital city of Kogi State, state commissioner Kingsley Femi Fanwo confirmed in an official statement. He noted that the targeted institution, Dahallukitab Group of Schools, was functioning without proper authorization.

While no organization has taken credit for the assault, the area has experienced a surge in ransom-driven abductions in recent months.

Officials did not specify the ages of the kidnapped children, though in Nigeria the designation “pupil” typically applies to elementary and kindergarten students, generally those 12 years old and younger.

“Intensive operations are ongoing to secure the safe return of the remaining eight victims and apprehend the perpetrators,” Fanwo said.

School-based abductions have become a defining characteristic of safety concerns across Africa’s largest country by population. Security experts note that criminal organizations view educational institutions and their students as “strategic” targets for maximum public impact.

The West African nation faces widespread security challenges, particularly across northern territories where militant activity has persisted for over ten years.

Key Islamic extremist organizations include Boko Haram along with its splinter group ISWAP. Additionally, the Islamic State-affiliated Lakurawa organization operates in northwestern border communities adjacent to Niger.

Iran’s Deputy Defense Minister Reza Talaei-Nik engaged in diplomatic discussions with top defense officials from Russia and Belarus on Monday, according to state media reports from the region.

The Iranian official first met with Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov in Kyrgyzstan, where the Russian minister emphasized Moscow’s established stance that Middle Eastern conflicts must be settled through diplomatic channels only. Belousov expressed confidence that Russia and Iran would maintain their mutual support, as reported by the state-run TASS news agency.

Talaei-Nik subsequently visited Belarus, a key Russian ally, for discussions with Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin about the current Middle East crisis. According to Belarus’ Defense Ministry, as cited by the state BelTA news agency, both leaders reached consensus that the only path forward involves “a return to the sphere of a political-diplomatic settlement and the intensification of the process of negotiations.”

The Belarusian ministry’s statement indicated the talks “confirmed the mutual interest of Minsk and Tehran for a further deepening of their joint interaction.”

Meanwhile, in Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin conducted a separate meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi. Putin commended the Iranian people for their efforts to maintain independence despite pressure from the United States and Israel, pledging that Moscow would provide all possible assistance to Tehran.

A heated diplomatic exchange erupted at the United Nations on Monday when Iran was chosen to serve as one of 34 vice presidents for a major nuclear non-proliferation conference, drawing sharp criticism from American officials.

The month-long gathering to examine the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty began at UN headquarters in New York. Vietnam’s UN Ambassador Do Hung Viet, who chairs the conference, announced that Iran received its nomination from “the group of non-aligned and other states.”

Christopher Yeaw, who leads the US Bureau of Arms Control and Nonproliferation, strongly condemned Iran’s appointment during the proceedings.

“It is indisputable that Iran has long demonstrated its contempt for the non-proliferation commitments of the NPT,” Yeaw stated, adding that Tehran has refused to work with the UN nuclear watchdog to address concerns about its atomic activities.

Yeaw characterized Iran’s selection as “beyond shameful and an embarrassment to the credibility of this conference” and called it an “affront” to the treaty itself.

Iran’s representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Reza Najafi, fired back at the American criticism.

“It is indefensible that United States, as the only state ever to have used nuclear weapons, and the one that continues to expand and modernize its nuclear arsenal… seeks to position itself as an arbitrator of the compliance,” Najafi responded, dismissing the US statements as “baseless and politically motivated.”

The nuclear dispute remains central to the ongoing two-month conflict involving Iran, the United States, and Israel. President Donald Trump emphasized again on Sunday that Iran must never be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons.

Tehran has consistently maintained that it only wants to enrich uranium for peaceful energy purposes, while Western nations worry the material could be weaponized. Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons, though both the IAEA and US intelligence agencies have concluded that Tehran operated a nuclear weapons development program until shutting it down in 2003.

Iranian sources revealed on Monday that Tehran has proposed a new framework to resolve the current crisis, suggesting that nuclear program discussions be postponed until the war ends and Gulf shipping disputes are settled.

Following a Monday meeting with his national security team about the conflict, Trump’s administration made clear its position remains firm. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told reporters that “the president’s red lines with respect to Iran have been made very, very clear, not just to the American public, but also to them as well.”

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced Monday that she does not anticipate diplomatic tensions with the United States following the deaths of two CIA operatives in an accident within Chihuahua state — operatives who Mexico claims lacked proper authorization to conduct activities on Mexican territory.

Speaking at her regular morning press conference, Sheinbaum indicated her desire to put the incident behind both nations, though she emphasized her expectation that the U.S. will honor Mexico’s constitutional framework and national security regulations in future operations.

“Let us hope this is an exceptional case … and that a situation like this never happens again,” she said.

According to Mexico’s Ministry of Security, which released information Saturday, one American operative had crossed into Mexico with visitor status, while the second had used diplomatic credentials for entry. Officials stressed they had no knowledge of foreign intelligence personnel conducting operations within Mexican borders.

The CIA has refused to provide any statement regarding the matter.

Sources familiar with the intelligence operation confirmed to The Associated Press last week that the deceased Americans were indeed CIA personnel, though they requested anonymity given the classified nature of the circumstances.

The Trump administration and Mexican officials previously established a framework last year designed to facilitate coordination and information sharing on security matters while maintaining respect for both nations’ sovereignty.

Sheinbaum emphasized Monday that complete transparency regarding the Chihuahua operation remains necessary, calling on the Attorney General’s Office and other relevant agencies to pursue the matter following upcoming Senate discussions.

Chihuahua Governor María Eugenia Campos, a leading opposition politician, has been summoned to appear in Mexico City Tuesday along with State Attorney César Jáuregui for testimony.

The presence of CIA and Drug Enforcement Administration personnel in Mexico has generated disputes for many years. These operations typically become public knowledge only when incidents occur — similar to a 2012 shooting involving a U.S. Embassy vehicle near Mexico City that left two CIA operatives injured.