Florida has launched a criminal probe into OpenAI and ChatGPT over a shooting spree at Florida State University, which the perpetrator planned with the help of the AI chatbot.

The incident occurred in April 2025, when the suspect allegedly killed two and injured six people. He was subsequently injured in a shootout with the police and taken into custody. The gunman, who turned out to be the son of a deputy sheriff, was charged with multiple counts of murder and attempted murder.

The US state is now probing ChatGPT’s role in the attack and seeks to determine whether “OpenAI bears criminal responsibility” for the chatbot’s actions, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced on Tuesday. 

“The chatbot advised the shooter on what ⁠type of gun to use, on which ammo went with which gun, and on whether or not a gun would be useful at short range,” Uthmeier told a press briefing. 

“If it was a person on the other end of that screen, we would be charging them with murder,” he added.

OpenAI has insisted it bears no responsibility for the Florida mass shooting. A spokeswoman for the artificial intelligence firm told US media that it had “proactively” cooperated with the investigation of the incident, identifying a ChatGPT account believed to be associated with the suspect and sharing the information with the authorities. 

“In this case, ChatGPT provided factual responses to questions ⁠with information that could be found broadly across public sources on the internet, and it did not encourage or promote illegal or harmful activity,” the spokeswoman stated.

The rise of chatbots has long-prompted concerns over AI-enabled crimes, voiced by numerous independent researchers and government agencies worldwide. While the bulk of AI-powered crimes appear to take place in the tech sphere, including hacks, cyberattacks, fraud, and identity theft, the chatbots have been repeatedly implicated in aiding violent crime as well. A recent joint investigation by CNN and the Center for Countering Digital Hate, for instance, found that eight out of ten leaders were ready to assist users in staging violent attacks, including religiously motivated bombings, school shootings, and assassinations.

Russia has announced new initiatives to combat infectious diseases in Africa, including responding to a mysterious outbreak in Burundi and expanding cooperation with the Republic of the Congo.

In recent years, mpox – a rare deadly tropical disease – has spread across parts of the continent, while several countries have also faced other infection outbreaks, and Ebola and cholera have killed thousands in West and Central Africa.

Russia’s public health agency, Rospotrebnadzor, announced on Tuesday that it will establish an epidemiology and infection prevention center in the Republic of the Congo. A memorandum was signed by its head, Anna Popova, and Congo’s minister of health and population, Jean-Rosaire Ibara.

“The creation of the center will ensure the national sovereignty of the Republic of the Congo in the field of biosafety,” the Rospotrebnadzor press service noted.

The move follows a 2023 agreement on sanitary and epidemiological cooperation signed on the sidelines of the second Russia-Africa Summit in St. Petersburg.

In addition, Moscow also offered to assist Burundi in responding to an outbreak of an unknown disease in the north of the country.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 35 cases have been identified and at least five people have died in the Mpanda district. Symptoms include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, blood in the urine, fatigue, and jaundice.

Laboratory tests for Ebola, Marburg, and other known diseases have returned negative, raising concerns about the nature of the outbreak.

“While it’s reassuring that preliminary analysis is negative for these serious infections, further investigations are ongoing,” Lydwine Badarahana, Burundi’s minister of health, has said.

Rospotrebnadzor reported it has sent a proposal to assist Burundi and noted that a joint infectious disease research center is already operating in Bujumbura.

Russia has been expanding health cooperation with African countries in recent years. In July, Rospotrebnadzor began training Ugandan medical personnel, and has also supplied Burkina Faso with a mobile laboratory capable of processing up to 800 tests per day for more than 20 infectious diseases.

Moscow has also supplied technical assistance to several other African nations, including Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea, and Ethiopia, during outbreaks of mpox, which was declared a public health emergency across parts of the continent in 2024.

Pope Leo XIV has criticized the “colonization” of Africa’s mineral resources in a speech in Equatorial Guinea, one of the continent’s top oil producers, where nearly half of the population still lives in poverty.

The pontiff arrived in the central African nation on Tuesday for the final leg of his 11-day tour of the continent, having previously visited Algeria, Cameroon, and Angola. He was warmly welcomed by flag-waving and cheering crowds in the administrative capital, Malabo.

In his address to Equatorial Guinean President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo and other officials, Pope Leo echoed the words of Pope Francis, who passed away one year ago, stating, “We must also say ‘thou shalt not’ to an economy of exclusion and inequality. Such an economy kills.”

“It is clear today that the proliferation of armed conflicts is often driven by the exploitation of oil and mineral deposits, with no regard for international law or the self-determination of peoples,” he said.

Leo’s visit is the first papal trip to the country since Pope John Paul II visited in 1982. His remarks come at a time when the administration of US President Donald Trump has announced plans to create a minerals trading bloc with its allies. Washington has intensified efforts to secure deals in critical minerals with several African nations, aiming to challenge China’s dominance in the sector and the broader region.

A peace agreement between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo to end decades of violence in eastern Congo, mediated by Trump, also includes plans to establish a regional economic framework tied to US investment in the country’s cobalt, coltan, and other critical minerals sectors.

Equatorial Guinea possesses significant oil wealth and is one of the richest economies in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, this wealth has not translated into broad prosperity, with poverty remaining widespread in the former Spanish colony, according to a World Bank report published last November.

President Obiang Nguema, in power since 1979, has faced long-standing accusations of corruption, mismanagement, and human rights abuses, including from the US and France. The African nation’s authorities have repeatedly dismissed these claims, calling them politically motivated and accusing foreign powers of attempting to interfere in the country’s internal affairs.

The EU wants to cut funding for the Venice Biennale after the exhibition decided to readmit Russian artists to its 2026 edition, the bloc’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, has said.

Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, Russian artists have faced event cancellations across EU member states. Performers from other nations who are believed to have sympathy for Russia have likewise been discriminated against.

Kallas, known for her hardline anti-Russian stance, claimed the country “should not be allowed to exhibit” its culture.

“Russia’s return to the Venice Biennale is morally wrong,” she said after a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg on Tuesday, warning the bloc “intends to cut funding” if Moscow takes part.

The Venice Biennale, one of the world’s leading art exhibitions, is set to welcome Russia back for the first time in four years. Moscow earlier said it would take part this year, showcasing works by Russian artists in its pavilion.

Latvian Culture Minister Agnese Lace was also quick to react, stating she would boycott the Biennale’s May 9 opening if Russia participates, after leading a push to exclude Moscow and alleging Kremlin-linked ties among those involved in the pavilion.

Separately, 37 MEPs urged the EU to suspend roughly €2 million ($2.35 million) in funding and consider sanctions on those involved.

The biennale defended its decision as preserving a space for dialogue, keeping art separate from politics, while Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini struck a mocking tone, scoffing: “Latvia? Come on! So if Latvia writes something, we’re supposed to stop, right?”

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Salvini dismissed any criticism, arguing the Russian pavilion is owned by Russia and outside the control of the biennale or the Italian state, and that its owners are free to use it within legal and sanctions limits.

He said he plans to attend the Venice Biennale opening “with all due respect to Latvia,” adding that the exhibition, with its 130-year history, is an autonomous body respected worldwide and that “no one in Brussels would dare threaten it.” On the European Commission’s plan to withdraw about €2 million, he said that, given the billions paid in by member states, the move amounts to “ignorant pettiness.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said that attempts to “cancel Russian culture” in the West are doomed to fail.

Ukrainian oligarch Rinat Akhmetov, the country’s wealthiest man, has reportedly broken the world record for the most expensive residential real estate transaction in history, according to a Bloomberg Businessweek investigation. 

Although the deal has not been publicly disclosed, the outlet has cited private documents that suggest Akhmetov purchased a sprawling five‑floor penthouse in Monaco for a staggering $554 million. The 21‑room, 2,500 square meter waterfront property, which features a private swimming pool, a jacuzzi and at least eight parking spaces, is located in the “Le Renzo” building in the principality’s exclusive, newly built Mareterra district. The sale was reportedly finalized in 2024.

Akhmetov’s holding company, System Capital Management (SCM), has confirmed it had made an investment in the “Le Renzo” project but declined to disclose details about the property or its cost.

The reported price shatters previous records, surpassing the sale of developer Nick Candy’s Chelsea mansion for more than $350 million and the $240 million New York penthouse bought by hedge fund manager Ken Griffin.

The Donetsk-born tycoon, whose fortune exceeds $7 billion according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, built his wealth through SCM, Ukraine’s largest industrial conglomerate, with holdings in metallurgy, mining, energy and real estate.

Akhmetov’s acquisition in Monaco appears to have come shortly before the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022, which has inflicted severe damage on his business empire. Some energy facilities operated by his DTEK group, Ukraine’s largest private electricity provider, have been destroyed, and he has lost some of his major assets, including his entire media empire, which he was forced to hand over to the Ukrainian state. 

Nevertheless, he has remained one of Kiev’s most prominent backers. In December 2024, Russia designated the oligarch as an extremist, accusing him of financing the Ukrainian military and terrorist groups such as the neo-Nazi Azov regiment through his business network.

The time is opportune for India to exploit its economic advantages globally, a former IMF director has said.

New Delhi’s comparative advantage “is labor as well as openness, [and] democracy,” Surjit Bhalla told RT India in an exclusive interview.

“If you take China out, India is the second fastest-growing economy for the last 30 years,”  he told Salman Khurshid in the latest episode of In Conversation.

One of the least recognized events for policymakers is the supreme decline in fertility globally, he said.

India still is at an advantage, “thanks to the fact that we are reaching the fertility decline a bit later than China,” Bhalla added.

“We will supply human capital to the world, we will supply labor to the world, and we will supply know-how. So I think there’s a perfect union,” he said. “GDP per capita growth is relevant, [and though] India has done well, better than any country, except China, we can do much better.”

He noted that India has been conservative in its monetary policy.

Private investment in India has gone down, and foreign direct investment as a percentage of GDP in India is at the same level as it was in 1990, Bhalla said.

In 2025, Indian stock markets showed the lowest increase relative to its peers, he noted. Bhalla cited this as the reason why a trade deal with the US “is absolutely necessary to bring the market back into our decision-making rather than bureaucrats taking … economic decisions.”

He also noted that China has enormously benefited from the rest of the world.

“So the rest of the world is now in a position of how do we stand up to this dragon in economic policies,” he said.

Bhalla cited a unique situation in which most countries, including India, have a trade deficit with China, while posting a surplus with the US.

Ukraine has restarted the flow of Russian oil to the EU via the Druzhba pipeline after a pause of almost three months, Hungarian energy giant MOL has said.

The company said in a statement that Ukrainian operator JSC Ukrtransnafta has informed it that Ukraine began receiving crude from Belarus via the Druzhba pipeline system at noon on Wednesday.

According to MOL, it expects the first shipments of Russian oil to arrive in Hungary and Slovakia on Thursday “at the latest.”

Slovak Economy Minister Denisa Sakova said in a post on Facebook that Bratislava has also been contacted by Ukrtransnafta and that Slovakia should begin receiving crude via the Druzhba again on Thursday morning.

Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky said on social media on Tuesday that repairs on the pipeline had been completed and that it was ready to resume operations.

Kiev halted supplies to Hungary and Slovakia in late January, claiming that the infrastructure had been damaged by Russian strikes. Moscow rejected the accusations as “lies.”

The move to resume supplies by Ukraine comes less than two weeks after a parliamentary election in Hungary, in which the pro-EU Tisza party led by Peter Magyar defeated the ruling Fidesz party of longtime Prime Minister Viktor Orban – a harsh critic of EU aid to Ukraine.

During the campaign, Orban’s government repeatedly accused Kiev of interfering in the vote. It rejected claims of the Druzhba pipeline being damaged, arguing that Zelensky was deliberately blocking oil deliveries to create tensions in the country ahead of the vote. Landlocked Hungary and neighboring Slovakia are both heavily dependent on Russian energy.

In recent months, Budapest has vetoed the EU’s planned €90 billion ($105 billion) emergency loan for Ukraine, citing Kiev’s reluctance to resume supplies via the Druzhba.

Hours after the resumption of oil flows was announced, EU ambassadors moved to approve the transfer of funds to Zelensky’s government, Reuters reported, citing a spokesman for the Cypriot presidency of the bloc. A formal sign-off on the loan by the 27 member states is expected on Thursday, the agency said.

Budapest and Bratislava eralier argued that Kiev’s reluctance to allow EU inspectors to examine the Druzhba pipeline was proof that it has not been telling the truth about the condition of the infrastructure.

The standoff also led to Zelensky issuing a warning to Orban last month that he would pass “the address of this person to our armed forces” so they could “speak to him in their own language.” The outgoing Hungarian prime minister responded by stressing that “threats to his life” would not make him change his policies regarding Ukraine.

Magyar said after his election win that he is not intending to veto EU funds for Kiev, but added that Budapest will not participate in the loan due to financial difficulties. Earlier this week, he urged Kiev to reopen the Druzhba, stressing that Hungary would not accept “any kind of blackmail” over energy supplies.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico also warned earlier that Bratislava would veto further sanctions on Russia by the EU and resist Ukraine’s accelerated accession to the bloc if Kiev doesn’t restart the pipeline.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated on Tuesday that Ukraine was the only side to blame for the stoppage of deliveries via the Druzhba. Russia intends to fulfill its contractual obligations to Hungary, remaining ready to continue supplying oil to the country, Peskov said.

A €90 billion ($106 billion) EU loan to Ukraine that was the focus of a months-long stand-off with Hungary is set to be disbursed on Thursday, according to media reports.

EU ambassadors approved the move on Wednesday, paving the way for a formal sign off by 27 member states, Reuters said citing a spokesman for the Cypriot presidency in the bloc.

The green light came shortly after Ukraine reportedly resumed deliveries via the Soviet-built Druzhba oil pipeline, as demanded by Peter Magyar, the incoming Hungarian prime minister.

Viktor Orban, the outgoing head of the Hungarian government, froze the disbursement of the Ukrainian funding in retaliation for the halting of the deliveries in January. He called it a politically motivated ploy aimed to support Magyar’s party in the April 12 parliamentary election.

The EU is also poised to adopt a 20th package of sanctions against Russia, with Slovakia and Hungary, the recipients of Druzhba crude, expected to drop their opposition. Orban and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico are critics of Brussels’ economic warfare strategy, arguing that it hurts EU members more than Russia and has no effect on the armed conflict between Kiev and Moscow.

Orban and Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky had an increasingly acrimonious relationship as the date of the election in Hungary drew closer. Zelensky infamously threatened the prime minister’s life, earning a rebuke from Magyar.

After his party won a landslide victory, Magyar indicated that there would be no full U-turn on Ukraine under his government. Among other things, he said Budapest will not be sending weapons to Kiev and will not contribute to the €90 billion scheme, which is required to keep the Ukrainian government running. Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic had opted out of servicing the loan that was originally approved by the European Council in February.

The European Commission proposed the arrangement after its original push to bankroll Kiev by stealing frozen Russian sovereign assets failed to overcome resistance by some member states, particularly Belgium, where most of the funds are immobilized.

The latest election in Bulgaria has delivered a striking result. Former President Rumen Radev’s party, Progressive Bulgaria, secured a commanding 44.5% of the vote, far ahead of its rivals. The once-dominant GERB–SDS alliance trailed in second place with 13.3%, followed by the We Continue the Change/Democratic Bulgaria coalition on 12.6%. While coalition talks are still required, the outcome leaves little doubt about the direction of Bulgarian politics.

Radev’s decision to resign from the largely ceremonial presidency in January in order to contest the parliamentary election, the eighth in five years, has paid off. His victory reflects not only personal popularity but also a broader shift in public sentiment. In a country exhausted by political instability, voters have rallied behind a figure who presents himself as pragmatic and focused on national interests.

Predictably, much of the Western European commentary has framed Radev as “pro-Russian.” In today’s political climate, that label is applied with remarkable ease. Any hesitation about Brussels’ strategy of complete rupture with Russia, or any attempt to introduce nuance into the debate over Ukraine, is often enough to invite suspicion. Yet this characterization says more about the narrowing of acceptable discourse inside the EU than it does about Radev himself.

Radev isn’t a champion of Moscow. He does not express overt sympathy for Russia, nor does he challenge Bulgaria’s membership in the European Union or NATO. Rather, he represents something increasingly rare in contemporary Western European politics: a leader willing to question whether every directive from Brussels necessarily serves his country’s interests. That alone is enough to mark him out as a dissenter, albeit one operating within carefully defined limits. As the experiences of Hungary and Slovakia demonstrate, those limits can be stretched, but only by the most determined political actors.

To understand the significance of developments in Bulgaria, and more broadly across Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, two factors must be taken into account.

First, changes in this region, however notable, do not fundamentally alter the strategic direction of the EU or NATO. The core of decision-making remains concentrated in a handful of major capitals and central institutions. This was the design of European integration from the outset. Smaller and newer member states, particularly those that joined in the 21st century, remain too dependent on the Union to pursue genuinely independent policies.

Hungary’s Viktor Orban has often been presented as a disruptive force, but even his resistance has had limited practical impact. Apart from occasional disputes, such as Hungary’s recent exclusion from Russian oil supplies delivered via Ukraine, Budapest hasn’t created insurmountable obstacles for Brussels. Elsewhere, dissent has tended to be rhetorical rather than substantive. Leaders in Croatia or Romania have voiced objections without translating them into concrete policy shifts. Even Slovakia’s Robert Fico, perhaps the closest counterpart to Orban, operates within the constraints of a relatively small state.

Poland is something of an exception. It’s a large, ambitious country with a coherent economic strategy and growing political weight. Yet even in Warsaw’s case, the emphasis remains on defending national interests within the existing framework rather than reshaping the EU project itself.

For now, Western Europe’s overarching course, strongly pro-Ukrainian and firmly anti-Russian, continues to serve as a unifying principle. Abandoning this stance would pose greater risks for the cohesion of the EU than maintaining it. As a result, meaningful change is unlikely to originate from the periphery.

The second factor, however, is more subtle and potentially more consequential over time. Across Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, a gradual shift in attitude is becoming visible. This should not be interpreted through the simplistic binary of “pro-EU” versus “pro-Russian.” Such framing is reductive and, in many cases, deliberately misleading.

What’s emerging instead is a pragmatic instinct for self-preservation. As the Ukraine conflict drags on and global instability intensifies, countries in the region are increasingly aware of the risks they face. While Western Europe remains committed to a principled confrontation with Russia, it’s also clear that the costs of this strategy are unevenly distributed. Larger and wealthier states have both the capacity and the inclination to shift the burden onto their eastern neighbors.

Faced with this reality, governments across the region are seeking to limit their exposure. Poland, despite its hawkish rhetoric, is acutely conscious of the risks on its doorstep. Hungary continues to pursue a cautious, interest-driven approach. The Czech Republic navigates a contradictory path, balancing alliance commitments with domestic considerations. Romania remains relatively passive, avoiding bold moves in either direction.

In this sense, a loose “coalition of the unwilling” is taking shape, a group of countries that aren’t prepared to openly challenge Brussels, but are equally reluctant to bear the full costs of its policies. Their aim is to avoid being drawn too deeply into a confrontation whose consequences they would feel most directly, rather than realign with Russia. 

The Bulgarian election result fits neatly into this pattern. Radev’s success doesn’t signal a geopolitical pivot. Rather, it reflects a growing desire for a more measured, interest-based approach, one that acknowledges the realities of geography and security.

Whether this trend will eventually translate into a broader shift in EU policy remains uncertain. Most likely, it won’t, at least not in the near term. The structural dynamics of the EU favor continuity over change, and the current strategic consensus is deeply entrenched.

Nevertheless, the signs are worth noting. As the EU confronts a more complex and unstable global environment, the question of adaptation will become unavoidable. If the bloc moves away from its current model of universalism toward a more fragmented system of overlapping interests and alliances, the choices facing individual countries will become more pronounced.

In that scenario, the instinct for self-preservation now visible in Eastern and South-Eastern Europe may prove to be an early indicator of a broader transformation. History, after all, rarely repeats itself in identical form, but it often echoes. And in this case, the echo is unmistakable: a region navigating between larger powers, seeking to protect its own interests in an increasingly uncertain world.

One of the more surprising turns of the US-Israeli war on Iran has been the sophistication of Tehran’s multi-pronged PR response.

From memes to sleek AI-generated cartoons to official messaging, pro-Iranian online content looks like anything but the product of a stiff-necked self-centered bureaucracy stuck in an outdated mindset – what was broadly expected from the Iranian government. The posts hit the right buttons, adapt to local environments, and react to current events lighting-fast.

RT explores how Iran has shown off its edge in the fight for the hearts and minds of people around the world.

The US military has dangerously depleted its stockpiles of critical missiles during the seven‑week war on Iran, creating a “near‑term risk” that could leave it vulnerable in any future conflict, according to a new analysis by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

The report, published on Tuesday, found that intense combat operations have exhausted a staggering portion of America’s most advanced weaponry, including at least 45% of its inventory of Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM), nearly 50% of its Patriot air defense interceptors, and over half of its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missiles. The figures are said to closely align with classified Pentagon assessments.

The depletion is not limited to air defense systems. The analysis estimates that the campaign has also consumed approximately 30% of the US Tomahawk cruise missile stockpile, more than 20% of its long‑range Joint Air‑to‑Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSM), and around 20% of its SM‑3 and SM‑6 interceptors.

While the Pentagon maintains it has enough firepower to continue operations in the Middle East, the CSIS report warns that the drawdown has fundamentally undercut America’s ability to fight a major war elsewhere, particularly against a near‑peer adversary such as China.

The report’s authors warned that rebuilding the arsenals will be a slow and costly process. One of the experts told CNN it would take “one to four years to replenish these inventories and several years after that to expand them to where they need to be.”

Despite the alarming findings, the Pentagon has pushed back, with chief spokesperson Sean Parnell insisting that the US military “has everything it needs to execute at the time and place of the president’s choosing.” 

President Donald Trump has also downplayed the issue, claiming the US has a “virtually unlimited” supply of missiles, even as his administration has requested a record-breaking military budget of around $1.5 trillion for the 2027 fiscal year, with much of it dedicated to replenishing stocks.

Earlier this month, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Pentagon had also approached major US car manufacturers General Motors and Ford about redirecting civilian factories towards producing munitions and other military equipment.

The war with Iran has been a strategic disaster for the US, leaving President Donald Trump in a weaker position at home and damaging American credibility, Quincy Institute co-founder Trita Parsi has told RT. He added that the conflict, which he said Israel had pushed for, had not unfolded as Washington expected.

The war, which began with the US-Israeli bombing campaign on Iran on February 28 under the pretext of dismantling Tehran’s nuclear program, has dragged on far longer than Trump’s initial prediction of “two to three weeks.” The attacks have killed dozens of senior officials, including Iran’s longtime supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, as well as more than 1,300 civilians. Iran has responded by striking US bases in Gulf states, saying the strikes are an exercise of its right to self-defense. The crisis has resulted in the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint handling roughly 20% of the world’s oil supply, triggering an energy crunch.

In an interview on Wednesday, Parsi said Trump is addicted to the “optics of winning rather than actually making sure the deal [with Iran] is secured.” He added that coercive measures such as the US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz “will only backfire and is really jeopardizing the diplomacy at this stage.”

“This has been a disaster for the United States,” Parsi said. “They have lost a tremendous amount of credibility. The president himself is in a much weaker position at home now.” He added that much of Trump’s base has “turned away and turned off” as the US has become involved in another war clearly under Israeli influence.

US bases in the Gulf have become “a source of insecurity” for host nations rather than providing deterrence, he told RT. Parsi also stated the US and Israel “never had the same goals,” with Israel willing to see regional instability and the US suffered defeats as long as Iran was bombed. Trump believed the war would be over in four days, Parsi said, but had he listened to advisers urging caution, “he would probably not have gone down this path.”

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Six people, including a retired major general and a serving police officer, have been charged with treason and terrorism for their alleged involvement in a plot to overthrow Nigerian President Bola Tinubu.

The suspects are among 16 security personnel arrested last October following media reports of a foiled coup in the West African country. The military confirmed the incident in January, stating that “a number” of officers were involved in a conspiracy to destabilize the government in violation of the ethical standards of the Nigerian Armed Forces.

On Monday, the government filed 13 charges against six of the suspects accused of masterminding the conspiracy. They are retired Major-General Mohammed Ibrahim Gana, retired Captain Erasmus Ochegobia Victor, Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim, Zekeri Umoru, Bukar Kashim Goni, and Abdulkadir Sani.

According to court documents cited by state broadcaster NTA on Tuesday, the defendants “conspired with one another to levy war against the state in an attempt to overthrow the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.” 

The six were remanded in custody, while former Bayelsa State Governor Timipre Sylva, charged with helping to cover up the plot, is reportedly at large.

Under Nigerian law, charges of terrorism and treason carry penalties ranging from life imprisonment to the death penalty.

President Tinubu, who assumed office in May 2023, has faced criticism for a cost-of-living crisis triggered in part by economic reforms, including the removal of a fuel subsidy as part of efforts to reduce the budget deficit in Africa’s most populous country. His administration is also grappling with a security crisis marked by escalating violence from insurgent groups, kidnappers, and militant factions.

Despite domestic challenges, the country has taken a tough stance on the growing wave of military takeovers in West Africa. As the region’s largest economy and most populous nation, Nigeria has actively supported efforts by the West African regional bloc ECOWAS to oppose the military regimes in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, advocating the restoration of democratic governance.

Nigeria transitioned from military rule in 1999, and has experienced its longest period of uninterrupted democratic government since gaining independence from Britain in 1960.

The details of the RELOS (Reciprocal Exchange of Logistics Support) pact between New Delhi and Moscow were published on Russia’s official legal information portal last week, providing long-awaited insights into the agreement, which allows the countries to deploy troops, warships and aircraft in each other’s territory, even during conflicts. 

Interestingly, the agreement with Russia has gained greater traction now, when Washington is increasingly leaning towards Islamabad.

Alongside already deepening defense cooperation and a streamlining of operations of the militaries of the two nations, the pact also provides India with vital access to ports along the northern sea route, from Vladivostok to Murmansk. 

Discussions on the RELOS agreement began in 2018 and featured regularly in bilateral summits. By December 2021, it was reported to be in its final stages, but technical issues and differences in wording caused delays. The conflict in Ukraine further protracted negotiations.

In February 2025, the agreement was signed in Moscow. Russia ratified it in December, with President Vladimir Putin signing it into law. It entered into force on January 12, 2026. It reflects India’s assertiveness, Russia’s tenacity, and a larger move towards a more complicated balance of power in the Indo-Pacific.

RELOS in detail

The RELOS pact allows both nations to access each other’s military bases, ports, and airfields for logistics support. It facilitates refueling, repairs, and supplies for warships and aircraft, covering both peace and war. The agreement, as we learn from the recently published document, allows for the simultaneous deployment of up to 3,000 troops, five warships, and ten aircraft to be stationed on each other’s soil.

The agreement will be extremely useful for logistics and facility access during military exercises. Along with logistical support, it will include accommodation, medical care, transport, supplies, water, electricity, repairs, air traffic control, navigation support, parking, and ground handling for aircraft. Under RELOS, cost reimbursement, meaning bartering instead of payment, is also possible.

India and Russia conduct joint, biennial military exercises known as INDRA, designed to enhance interoperability and counter-terrorism cooperation between their ground, air, and naval forces. Recent exercises, such as Indra-2025, involved ground troop drills in Rajasthan and naval operations in the Bay of Bengal, focusing on counter-terrorism and maritime security.

RELOS will support cross-training between militaries. It will greatly facilitate Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) missions in the countries’ areas of interest. The two can support search and rescue missions.

Logistically it streamlines the servicing of Russian-origin military hardware that makes up a vast proportion of India’s inventory. The pact acts as a logistical multiplier for both countries, strengthening maritime security cooperation, particularly in the context of changing global alliances.

The pact is in force for five years, with provisions for automatic extension with mutual consent. It applies in both peacetime and wartime, marking a practical step in deepening long-standing defense ties.

Geopolitical and tactical win-win

Geopolitically, the pact enhances India’s strategic autonomy by deepening ties with Russia while enabling a balance of power in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) against other major actors.

Strategically it enables Russia to access the IOR for maritime diversification, while giving India a strengthened presence in the Arctic and Pacific regions.

The agreement applies to much more than port calls and exercises; it gives each power a strategic foothold in another region of the globe. Russia desperately needs greater access to warm water ports. Russian troops and equipment could be stationed in India or the Andaman Islands getting access to the IOR. Russia will get greater access to Southeast Asia. India’s greater access to the Western Pacific and Arctic, a geostrategic hotspot, has significant advantages. Permanently stationed troops and equipment could be perpetually engaged in joint-exercises.

India and Russia have had recent and earlier combat experience. There is a lot for two to learn from each other. This will be more readily achieved when troops are stationed together for longer periods. There is a need for the countries to share their experience using new technologies in fields such as cognitive operations, cyber and electronic warfare, hypersonic missiles and directed energy weapons.  

RELOS will also help smoothen energy and mineral trading between the two countries. It will greatly smoothen transit for military platforms.

For India, the pact provides direct access to Russian-controlled Arctic shipping routes (Northern Sea Route).

It permits reciprocal access, specifically granting India access to Russian Arctic ports, which could include those such as Murmansk and Severomorsk. It in general supports India’s growing interest in the Arctic, including in sourcing LNG from Russia’s Yamal Peninsula. This is particularly important as India seeks to diversify its energy imports after the war in Iran disrupted supplies from the gulf.

How the pact with Russia is different from the pact with the US

Many commenters in India have compared the India-Russia RELOS pact with another agreement, signed by New Delhi and Washington a decade ago.

LEMOA (Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement) and COMCASA (Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement) are foundational military pacts between India and the US, strengthening strategic interoperability. Signed in 2016, LEMOA allows mutual access to military logistics and refueling facilities. Signed in 2018, COMCASA enables the use of encrypted, secure, and high-tech communication systems between the two militaries.

LEMOA is a “tailored” arrangement for India, a version of the standard Logistics Support Agreement (LSA) that the United States signs with its allies. It streamlines reciprocal logistical support (fuel, food, spare parts) during port calls, joint exercises, and training, enhancing maritime operations.

COMCASA enables the US to share secure, specialized communication equipment, facilitating better operational coordination and interoperability. It directly enables Indian forces to use US-made high-tech systems securely.

Both are part of four foundational agreements (including GSOMIA and BECA) designed to boost defense cooperation, enhance mutual trust, and facilitate secure, real-time information sharing.

However, the RELOS pact signed with Moscow is different from the agreements New Delhi has with Washington because it allows the permanent stationing of troops, aircraft, ships, etc. which is not the case in any other agreement.

Eying next-level ties

The India-Russia Strategic Partnership, established in 2000 and elevated to “Special and Privileged” status in 2010, is a foundational pillar of India’s foreign policy. Based on mutual trust and strategic convergence, it covers defense, energy, space, and technology.

In December 2021, a new format called the “2+2 Dialogue” was added, where both foreign and defense ministers meet simultaneously. The relationship remains crucial for India’s strategic autonomy and multipolar world view, surviving geopolitical shifts, particularly with record trade exceeding $68 billion in FY 2024-25.

RELOS takes the relationship to the next level. The agreement is unlike any other. India doesn’t allow any foreign country the use of its territory in conflict situations. Russia, the only P5 country without an Indian Ocean Region presence, gets access thanks to RELOS.

The US has imposed CAATSA sanctions on India in the past for purchasing Russian equipment (S400). It will now be possible to have Russian equipment depots in India. The operationalization is also well timed.

The provisions of RELOS go far beyond similar pacts: none of the Indo-US agreements specifies the positioning of troops and military platforms for long periods on a more permanent basis. RELOS will enhance interoperability between militaries and also strengthens India’s Indo-Pacific strategy by enabling long-range deployments using Russia’s network of over 40 military bases. The pact boosts military cooperation and logistics support between India and one of its most reliable allies.

The agreement is crucial for India, as it supports maintaining the 60 to 70% of India’s military inventory that is Russian-origin, including Submarines, Su-30MKIs, and S-400 systems. RELOS enhances the operational reach and endurance of the Indian Navy and Air Force, especially for Russian-origin platforms, and improves logistical readiness for distant operations.

RELOS is clearly a “win-win” for both. It boosts strategic autonomy for India while providing Russia with logistical depth in warmer waters, and is geopolitical messaging for the US. 

Pacts like RELOS make the two nations closer and increase cooperation in current and future defense production programs like BrahMos, AK 203 Rifles, 12 additional SU-30 MKI, and the fleet upgrade. It brings greater cooperation in possible future programs like Su-57E, Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) Ka 226T, and R-37M air-to-air missiles. There is a great scope to work on Shaheed drones, which Russia has mastered and India is scouting to make.   

India and Russia have always had mature time-tested relations. The two do not believe in knee-jerk reactions in their relationship. RELOS pushes India even closer to Russia with tangible strategic consequences.

Two people were killed and at least 12 others injured when a Ukrainian drone strike led to the partial collapse of an apartment block in the city of Syzran in Russia’s Samara Region, local authorities have said.

The bodies of a woman and a child were recovered from the rubble of the four-story building, Governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev wrote in a post on Max on Wednesday morning. Two of the injured required hospitalization, while the rest received treatment on site, he added.

“I express my sincere condolences to those who lost their loved ones. We’re seeing another inhumane criminal act against civilians,” the governor said.

The local emergencies ministry said earlier that there were at least two children among the wounded.

Some 300 rescuers and more than 80 units of specialized equipment had been involved in the search and rescue operation, which went on for several hours, according to the ministry.

A fire broke out in another multi-story apartment block in the same area of Syzran as result of a UAV attack, Shot Telegram channel reported.

There were no injuries and the blaze was being extinguished at the time the story was posted. Two cars parked outside were destroyed by fire due to being hit by debris from the drone, according to the channel.

Syzran, with a population of approximately 165,000, is the third largest city in Samara Region. It is located on the right bank of the Saratov Reservoir on the Volga River.

Russia was subject to another major Ukrainian drone attack overnight, with the Defense Ministry in Moscow saying that a total of 155 UAVs were destroyed by air defenses in Kursk, Samara, Belgorod, Bryansk, Voronezh, Saratov, Penza, Ulyanovsk, Volgograd, Rostov and Krasnodar Regions as well as in Crimea and over the Black Sea.

The raids have intensified since mid-March, with Kiev deploying hundreds of fixed-wing UAVs almost on a daily basis, targeting critical infrastructure, manufacturing facilities, and residential areas inside Russia.

The officials in Moscow have described the aerial incursions as “terrorist attacks” meant to compensate for the setbacks Kiev’s military has been suffering on the battlefield.

Moscow has retaliated with a long-range strike campaign of its own, targeting dual-use infrastructure, including power grid facilities and military sites in Ukraine with missiles and drones. Russia maintains that it never targets purely civilian sites.

Iran’s “red lines” on restarting the talks to end the Middle East conflict with the US have changed, a leading expert in Tehran has said.

The Americans were trying to provoke a kind of violent insurrection among Iranians, Prof. Elham Kadkhodaee of Tehran University told RT India in an exclusive interview on Wednesday.

“Iran’s red lines in terms of its capability and its will to use its military power have changed. Tehran now controls the Strait of Hormuz,” she added.

“What the Iranians are saying right now is that we, whatever situation we have right now, it’s not going to go back to that status quo,” Kadkhodaee said before a planned second round of talks in Islamabad was postponed.

The status quo was one in which we were under extreme economic sanctions,” she noted.

Kadkhodaee, an assistant professor of West Asian Studies at the University of Tehran, said the Iran and the US have entirely different ideas of what a deal would look like.

Trump expects Iran to be intimidated into accepting an agreement that is more of a surrender, which is what the Iranians “are not willing to accept,” Kadkhodaee said. 

Iran has experienced decades of sanctions, war, and backtracking by the US on its promises, she added, saying that “all of this has not been very much constructive in terms of convincing the Iranians that negotiations… are going to be productive.”

Kadkhodaee noted that ahead of the first round of Islamabad talks, the Iranian delegation postponed their flight several times because “they were expecting the Americans to actually follow through [on] some of the promises.” 
The professor said she expects Iran to be “much more pessimistic” this time.

Terming the US blockade as an act of war and a war crime, she asked, “So how would the Americans expect Iran to enter talks?”

The US wants Iran to forego its right to nuclear enrichment, which is an insult to any nation’s sovereignty, “especially when you are a member of the NPT, especially when you have declared  that you do not seek a military nuclear program,” Kadkhodaee said.

A US Army nuclear surety official has reportedly described the rampant corruption he witnessed in Ukraine since the administration of US President Barack Obama.

The interview was released by the media group run by the controversial journalist James O’Keefe, whose modus operandi is to send reporters on dates with their targets to record candid conversations. He identified the subject as Andrew Hugg, the US Army’s chief of chemical and nuclear surety, a role tied to safety oversight rather than command of the US nuclear apparatus.

In the undercover video, Hugg claimed he had lived in Ukraine and personally witnessed Kiev officials plundering US taxpayer money. Washington and Kiev have consistently denied accusations of widespread graft involving American aid programs in the country.

“That government is so corrupt, they stole our money,” he said. “They just stole it and bought houses, cars, like hundred-thousand-dollar cars. If they can get themselves rich and go live in Dubai… they don’t care about the people.”

BREAKING NEWS: Top U.S. Nuclear Chief Caught LEAKING Sensitive National Security Information to Stranger, Reveals Army Chemist Was Exposed to U.S. Chemical Nerve Agent, Confirms U.S. Strike Killed Children in Iran, Discloses U.S. Plans to ‘Kill Iran’s New Supreme Leader’

“If he… pic.twitter.com/owL1YGUnms

— James O'Keefe (@JamesOKeefeIII) April 21, 2026

Speaking of domestic issues, Hugg claimed the US still possesses nerve agents, referring to a US Army chemist allegedly exposed to a chemical agent, and commented on the possible assassination of Iran’s newly-elected supreme leader.

“If he [Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei] doesn’t change his ways, yeah, they’re going to kill him,” he said, while dismissing civilian and child casualties in Iran as “collateral damage.”

Hugg also disclosed details of the US nuclear posture and described a rapid decision-making process in which a launch could be triggered: “if a Girl Scout gives you a message… if it passes all the checks, go.”

At one point in the conversation, Hugg ironically admitted to his undercover date that “the easiest way to get intelligence… send a pretty girl to talk to the guy.”

After the video was released, Army spokesperson Cynthia O. Smith reportedly told O’Keefe that Hugg had been placed on administrative leave while the service conducted what she called a “thorough investigation.” Several unconfirmed reports alleged that Hugg had been “escorted” from the Pentagon.

The new report follows a series of undercover stings by O’Keefe’s outlet targeting government personnel. In January, a Secret Service agent assigned to Vice President J.D. Vance’s detail was placed on leave after hidden-camera footage appeared to show him sharing sensitive protection information.

Critics have long accused O’Keefe of using unethical methods and selectively editing his content to further conservative causes. In 2023, he parted ways with his former organization, Project Veritas, amid allegations of financial impropriety, and launched a new media group, OMG.

More than 1,100 musicians and cultural workers have signed an open letter urging fans, performers, broadcasters, and crew to boycott the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest, accusing the event of “whitewashing” and normalizing Israel’s “genocide” in Gaza and Lebanon.

Eurovision is an annual televised song contest run by the European Broadcasting Union. The event has long marketed itself as a non-political spectacle, but it has repeatedly become a flashpoint over war, identity, and woke cultural messaging.

“This May, millions of people are expected to tune in to the 70th Eurovision Song Contest. For the third consecutive year, they’ll find Israel celebrated onstage despite its ongoing genocide in Gaza,” reads the letter published by the No Music For Genocide campaign. “As musicians and cultural workers… we reject Eurovision being used to whitewash and normalize Israel’s genocide, siege, and brutal military occupation against Palestinians.”

Among the best-known signatories are Brian Eno, Massive Attack, Sigur Rós, Idles, Mogwai, Macklemore, Kneecap, Primal Scream, Hot Chip, and Of Monsters and Men – as well as Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters and former Eurovision winners Emmelie de Forest and Charlie McGettigan.

The campaign has praised several national broadcasters, including those in Spain, Ireland, Iceland, Slovenia, and the Netherlands, for either threatening to boycott or already withdrawing over Israel’s inclusion.

At the same time, the BBC backed the decision to let Israel participate, while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he would support Berlin pulling out of Eurovision if the Jewish State were excluded, calling the debate “a scandal.”

The letter further argues that the organizers apply a clear double standard by keeping Israel in the competition while Russia remains banned indefinitely after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022. Moscow has responded by reviving Intervision, a Soviet-era alternative pitched by the Kremlin as a music contest reflecting more “traditional values,” free of politics and “perversion.”

Eurovision has been embroiled in numerous scandals over performances and themes seen as overtly sexual ever since Austrian drag performer Conchita Wurst won in 2014 contest, in a move which was celebrated by the LGBT community. The contest has also faced accusations of bias, with critics arguing that voting patterns often reflect political alliances, cultural similarities, or historical relationships rather than the musical quality of the entries.

Walking through the glass-and-steel corridors of the modern tech-security apparatus reveals that the telescreen is a tireless processor of our very souls.

Palantir Technologies’ vision of a “Technological Republic” arrives as a manual for the refinement of the boot, the one destined to remain on the human face, provided the boot remains equipped with the latest predictive sensors. In the spirit of a clear-eyed look at the clock striking thirteen, we must dissect the alliance between corporate algorithmic power and the Zionist state. This is a new Newspeak, where “defense” is a moral debt and “deterrence” is the silent humming of an algorithm deciding who shall disappear.

The foundation of this digital fortress is built upon the claim of a “moral debt” that the engineering elite owes to the State. In George Orwell’s world of 1984, this represents the ultimate synthesis: the Party and the Corporation becoming indistinguishable. This “affirmative obligation” to participate in national defense is literalized in Palantir’s “strategic partnership” with the Israeli Ministry of Defense. Finalized in early 2024 during a high-stakes visit by co-founders Peter Thiel and Alex Karp to Tel Aviv, this pact seeks to harness advanced data mining for “war-related missions.” The software engineers of Palo Alto have been drafted as the new Inner Party: high priests of a digital armory. Their corporate identity is so entwined with the Zionist project that Palantir held its first board meeting of 2024 in Israel, signaling that their “Technological Republic” transcends borders when it comes to the enforcement of state power.

We are told that the age of “soaring rhetoric” and atomic deterrence is fading, replaced by a “hard power” built entirely on software. Here is the transition from the clumsy violence of the truncheon to the invisible violence of the code. Reports from Gaza suggest that Palantir provides the underlying scaffolding for a system where human intuition is replaced by mathematical certainty. By synthesizing massive datasets – surveillance footage, intercepted communications, and biometric records – the software assists in the production of targeting databases that function as automated “kill lists.”

This creates a dangerous accountability gap, a form of “algorithmic plausible deniability.” When an AI-informed strike levels an apartment complex, the blame is diffused into a “black box.” The developer claims the software only “suggests,” the data scientist claims the inputs were “objective,” and the military commander claims the machine’s logic was “optimal.” Alex Karp recently boasted to shareholders, “We are in the business of building things that scare our enemies and, on occasion, kill them,” a chilling affirmation of the firm’s central role in the escalating hostilities against Iran. This admission exposes a brutal reality where algorithmic precision is celebrated as a technical triumph while it systematically masks the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding under the weight of AI-driven targeting.

Within the theater of Operation Epic Fury, Palantir’s software functions as the primary cognitive engine for the US and Israeli military, processing thousands of Iranian targets with a speed that defies traditional human oversight. By compressing the “kill chain” to mere minutes, the firm has transitioned from a mere vendor to a lead protagonist in a conflict where the unblinking eye of the machine determines the survival of entire populations. In this environment, Palantir’s “unflinching commitment” to those in harm’s way becomes a mandate to silence debate regarding the human cost of the occupation.

There is a cunning piece of managed perception Palantir uses to critique the “tyranny of apps,” suggesting that the small glass slabs in our pockets limit our “sense of the possible.” The proposed remedy is a shift from the trivial surveillance of the consumer “app” to the total surveillance of the “infrastructure.” It is the complaint that the telescreen is being used for games when it should be used for the Two Minutes Hate. While the public frets over screen time, Palantir’s infrastructure works behind the scenes to monitor “regressive” elements.

Amnesty International has documented how this “made-by-Palantir” technology poses a surveillance threat to protestors. It is the realization that a society is only “free” so long as its actions are “vital” to the State’s interests. The manifesto of the Technological Republic suggests that the “decadence” of the ruling class will be forgiven so long as they deliver security. This is the ancient bargain of the totalitarian: we will feed you and keep you safe from the current “Enemy,” provided you hand over the keys to your private life and the right to remain unobserved.

The architects of this system boast of an “extraordinarily long peace” made possible by American power and its allies. This is the ultimate slogan: War is Peace. To the billions living under the shadow of proxy wars and AI-driven policing, this “peace” looks remarkably like a spreadsheet of managed casualties. It is a peace of the graveyard, maintained by a “deterrence” built on software that purports to know a subject’s intent before they have even conceived a thought.

Palantir’s call to undo the “postwar neutering” of nations such as Germany and Japan signals a calculated desire to awaken the ghosts of the 20th century. While this vision of renewed strength might appear reasonable on the surface, it functions as a demand that these nations become proper military vassals for American interests. In Asia, this requires Japan to discard its pacifist history to become an American attack dog, compelling the nation to spend at least 2% of its GDP on defense and purchase vast quantities of American weaponry. By transforming Japanese territory into a permanent frontline launchpad against China and urging Germany to serve as a fortified shield against Russia, the “Technological Republic” seeks to manage the logistics of future conflicts through its own software. In this worldview, the atomic age is ending because we have found a more efficient way to threaten one another with extinction through algorithmic deterrence.

The rejection of “hollow pluralism” in favor of a civilizational ranking is not a deviation from history, but rather the latest iteration of a continuous imperial project. While Franz Boas attempted to introduce cultural relativism as a check on Western dominance, his efforts never achieved a true global consensus; instead, the underlying structure of Western imperialism simply evolved its justifications. Where the British Empire once spoke of the “White Man’s Burden” to civilize the “savage,” and the Cold War era spoke of “democratization” to modernize the “underdeveloped,” Palantir now speaks of “technological vitality” to vanquish the “regressive.” This civilizational supremacism is the bedrock of the partnership with the Israeli state, framing a brutal, decades-long occupation as a defense of “progressive values” and “Western civilization.” By reintroducing a hierarchy where “vital” cultures possess the moral authority to dominate “regressive” ones, Palantir provides the digital scaffolding for a new kind of algorithmic empire. It is a world where the software determines who is “civilized” and who is a “target,” ensuring that the legacy of imperialist expansion continues under the guise of technical necessity.

The manifesto poses a pointed, rhetorical question: “Inclusion into what?” The answer, built into the very structure of Palantir’s corporate philosophy, is a mandatory absorption into a singular, totalizing System: a digital panopticon where the Marine’s rifle and the citizen’s intimate data are managed by the same algorithmic entity. This system establishes a stark, neo-feudal class divide; it laments the “ruthless exposure” of the private lives of the elite, seeking to resurrect a protected “priesthood” of public servants who operate within a sanctuary of state-sanctioned forgiveness and anonymity. Meanwhile, the rest of mankind is subjected to the absolute “ruthless exposure” of their own data, stripped of the right to be unquantifiable. Under this regime, transparency is a weapon used downward to discipline the proles, while opacity is a shield used upward to protect the architects of the machine.

Palantir represents a new era of the military-industrial complex, one where data is the primary ammunition and ideology is the primary marketing tool. It seeks to upgrade the Republic into a fortress where the walls are made of code and the “long peace” is maintained by the stoic demeanor of the machine. The company frames its support for Israel as a defense of democratic survival, when in reality it is the chilling realization of high-tech surveillance used to enforce a permanent state of siege. As the international community begins to react – evidenced by the $24-million divestment by Norway’s Storebrand over concerns of “international law” violations – the core question of our age remains: Should the power to decide who is a “terrorist,” who is “regressive,” and who is a “target” to be outsourced to a private company with a political agenda? In the “Technological Republic,” the most rebellious act one can commit is to remain unquantifiable, to exist outside the data-mining net, and to insist that a human life is more than a data point in a war-related mission.

The upper age limit for military reservists in Germany should be raised to 70 given that people stay fit longer, Bastian Ernst, the newly elected president of the country’s Reservists’ Association, has said.

Following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, Germany has pursued a major recruitment drive, aiming to increase Bundeswehr personnel from the current 186,000 to 260,000 active soldiers and another 200,000 reservists by the mid-2030s.

While Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government has cited a perceived ‘Russian threat,’ President Vladimir Putin has dismissed as “nonsense” claims that Moscow harbors aggressive intentions against NATO states.

In an interview with the RND media outlet published on Tuesday, Ernst stated that “we should raise the age limit for reservists from 65 to 70.”

“The retirement age is rising anyway. People are staying fit longer,” he explained.

“If we are lamenting a shortage of young recruits, then we should also address the other end of the age pyramid,” he argued.

Ernst also called for scrapping rules that leave it up to reservists’ employers whether to allow them to participate in military training when called up.

Late last year, another EU and NATO member state, Finland, announced that it would raise the upper age limit for rank-and-file military reservists from 50 to 65, starting in 2026.

The UK government has similarly hiked the maximum liability age for reservists from 55 to 65.

Andre Denk, the head of the European Defense Agency (EDA), suggested earlier this month that compulsory military service could be reinstated in the EU.

He predicted that his home country of Germany would likely go down this path eventually. On January 1, a new law came into force introducing a voluntary model of recruitment. The legislation has sparked protests, with critics saying that it could potentially be a prelude to reinstating conscription, which was suspended in 2011.

Commenting on Germany’s continued military buildup earlier in April, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned that it could lead to another tragedy on a global scale, referring to the Second World War.

Hungary has violated EU principles when it adopted a law to ban children from accessing LGBTQ content, the bloc’s top court has ruled, ordering Budapest to revoke the legislation.  

The EU Court of Justice announced the ruling on Tuesday, less than ten days after Viktor Orban suffered a decisive defeat during the general election to his longtime rival Peter Magyar.  

The legislation in question, Hungary’s 2021 law restricting or banning the “promotion” of homosexuality and gender change in media accessible to children, was adopted in accordance with the EU’s own guidelines on protecting minors from harmful content. Budapest’s interpretation of those rules, however, angered Brussels, with the EU Commission ultimately taking the case to the bloc’s top court. 

The Court of Justice said it found the law in violation of the very values the EU is purportedly built upon and is “in breach of the freedom to provide and receive services.” Apart from that, the law entails “restrictions on freedom” and discriminates “based on sex or sexual orientation,” stigmatizing and marginalizing people of  “non-cisgender persons.”

“The Court emphasizes, in particular, the margin of assessment that the Member States have, in the absence of harmonizing rules at the EU level, when defining the content, including audiovisual content, which is likely to impair the physical, mental, or moral development of minors,” the judiciary said in a statement, warning that said “margin of assessment” must be exercised in line with the bloc’s Charter.  

Budapest is now obliged to comply with the ruling and repel the law, the court said. Failure to comply may bring “further action seeking financial penalties,” it warned.  

The court’s ruling is bound to become a major test for Magyar, who now must choose between his pro-EU commitments and the risk of angering Hungary’s conservatives. Magyar has campaigned on fixing ties with Brussels and unblocking more than €16 billion ($19 billion) in the bloc’s funding for Hungary, which ended up frozen under Orban over rule-of-law and corruption allegations.

American surveillance tech contractor Palantir released a 22-point manifesto over the weekend, calling for a “new era” of AI-enabled US military supremacy. The internet went wild, with the text being labeled a blueprint for “technofascism.” 

Posted on X on Saturday, the document goes far beyond the typical mission statement of a Silicon Valley tech company. It outlines Palantir’s positions on the role of technology and military power in the 21st century, stating: “Silicon Valley has an affirmative obligation to participate in the defense of the nation;” “hard power in this century will be built on software;” “national service should be a universal duty,” “the postwar neutering of Germany and Japan must be undone.”

Because we get asked a lot.

The Technological Republic, in brief.

1. Silicon Valley owes a moral debt to the country that made its rise possible. The engineering elite of Silicon Valley has an affirmative obligation to participate in the defense of the nation.

2. We must rebel…

— Palantir (@PalantirTech) April 18, 2026

To understand how a private corporation can feel empowered to demand such far-reaching policy changes from the state, it’s important to understand what Palantir is, and how enmeshed with the ‘deep state’ it really is.

What is Palantir?

Palantir – named after the obsidian seeing-stones from Tolkien’s ‘The Lord of the Rings’ through which the dark lord Sauron keeps watch on his underlings – is a software firm primarily serving the defense and intelligence sectors. The company was established in 2003 by PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel, Joe Lonsdale (who worked for Thiel’s Clarium Capital), Stephen Cohen (who interned at Clarium) former Sigmund Freud Research Institute researcher Alex Karp, and Nathan Gettings, a PayPal engineer.

Palantir was the brainchild of Thiel, who said that he realized “the approaches that PayPal had used to fight fraud could be extended into other contexts, like fighting terrorism.” Thiel’s idea was nurtured by the CIA, which invested $2 million in the company in 2005 via its in-house venture capital firm, In-Q-Tel. “I wish I had Palantir when I was director,” former CIA chief George Tenet – who set up In-Q-Tel – told Forbes magazine in 2013. “I wish we had the tool of its power.” 

Palantir is currently valued at around $352 billion, a valuation that represents roughly 80 times the company’s annual revenue. This apparent overvaluation is fueled by Palantir’s extensive contracts with the US government and its alphabet soup of defense and intelligence agencies.

What does Palantir sell?

Palantir’s flagship product is an operating system called ‘Gotham’. Not a surveillance system as such, it pulls together and analyses existing data that may otherwise take days to sift through. For example, if US Central Command is planning a missile strike in a foreign country, Gotham can combine maps and satellite footage from that country, data from other agencies, including human intelligence from the CIA and signals intelligence from the NSA, and local surveillance data to present CENTCOM with potential targets.

Gotham and MOSAIC – another Palantir target identification program that pulls digital data including surveillance footage and IP addresses from a target area – use AI to label the most effective targets for military strikes. The US admits that it has used these programs to select targets during its ongoing war on Iran, but insists that humans make the final decision to fire.

Gotham has also been used as a policing surveillance tool. The Los Angeles Police Department, for example, uses Gotham to collect data on civilians – including names, addresses, social media activity, personal relationships, and surveillance photographs – in order to trace their connections to known criminals and predict the likelihood that they will go on to commit crimes.

Gotham can “centralize everything an agency knows about a person in one place, including their eye color from their driver’s license, or their license plate from a traffic ticket – making it easy to build a detailed intelligence report,” a former employee told Wired last year.

Who are Palantir’s customers?

Palantir’s client list is extensive. In the US it includes the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, CIA, FBI, NSA, US Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Special Operations Command, as well as dozens or even hundreds of police departments and other law enforcement agencies. At present, there is no single, publicly-available list of Palantir customers within the US.

Abroad, Palantir’s technology is used by the British Ministry of Defense, Israel Defense Forces, and the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as police departments and government agencies in France, Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, and the UK.

Why is a private surveillance tech company releasing a manifesto?

Palantir is at its core a data aggregation company, but one set apart by its clients, its marketing, and the ideological streak of its executives. The company markets itself not as a faceless seller of data collation and analysis software, but – in its own words – a provider of “an Al-powered kill chain” that enables “decision dominance from space to mud.” Palantir refers to its consultants as “forward-deployed software engineers” and its internal emails as “situational awareness” reports. CEO Alex Karp portrays himself as deeply involved in military decisions that he, at least on paper, shouldn’t be.

Palantir’s mission, he said on an earnings call last year, is “to scare enemies, and on occasion, kill them.” As the public face of the company, Karp has defended the IDF’s use of Palantir software to plan strikes in Gaza, and called for the US to prepare for a three-front war against China, Russia, and Iran.

The manifesto can be viewed as a continuation of this sales pitch. Adapted from Karp’s 2025 book, ‘The Technological Republic’, the 22 points envision a world in which Palantir’s products will be in even higher demand. Take the following points:

• “The engineering elite of Silicon Valley has an affirmative obligation to participate in the defense of the nation.” 
  
  
• “The ability of free and democratic societies to prevail requires something more than moral appeal. It requires hard power, and hard power in this century will be built on software.” 
  
  
• “The question is not whether AI weapons will be built; it is who will build them and for what purpose. Ouradversaries will not pause to indulge in theatrical debates about the merits of developing technologies with critical military and national security applications. They will proceed.”
  
  
• “The atomic age is ending. One age of deterrence, the atomic age, is ending, and a new era of deterrence built on AI is set to begin.”
  
  
• “The postwar neutering of Germany and Japan must be undone. The defanging of Germany was an overcorrection for which Europe is now paying a heavy price. A similar and highly theatrical commitment to Japanese pacifism will, if maintained, also threaten to shift the balance of power in Asia.”
  
  
• “Silicon Valley must play a role in addressing violent crime.”

Karp’s products are implicitly presented as the solution to these problems, and his ‘peace through strength’ message seems tailor-made to please the newly-neoconservative President Donald Trump, whose administration his company will ultimately sign contracts with. After AI firm Anthropic was booted from a Pentagon program over its refusal to enable mass domestic surveillance or fully autonomous weapons, Palantir’s manifesto is equal parts sales pitch and pledge of fealty.

The remainder of its points delve into culture-war territory, declaring that visionaries like Elon Musk should be applauded for their belief in “grand narrative,” that the “pervasive intolerance of religious belief in certain circles must be resisted,” and that “some cultures have produced vital advances; others remain dysfunctional and regressive.”

Who are Karp and Thiel and why are they controversial?

These points reflect Karp’s ideological bent – he describes himself as “progressive, but not woke,” and a “tech nationalist.” Karp has also portrayed himself throughout the years as a “socialist” and a “neo-Marxist,” and has consistently voted Democrat, while praising some of Trump’s policies. His only consistent beliefs appear to be that “the West has a superior way of living,” and that this way of living must be defended “by applying organized violence.” Karp is a vocal defender of Israel, and has referred to pro-Palestinian protesters in the US as “an infection inside of our society.” 

Thiel, by contrast, is a much more partisan figure. An avowed conservative, he has donated to libertarian and Republican causes, and bankrolled Vice President J.D. Vance’s 2018 senatorial campaign. While Thiel has described himself as a libertarian, he donates to the interventionist Alliance of Democracies (established by former NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen) and sits on the steering committee of the Bilderberg group.

Thiel funded wrestler Hulk Hogan’s 2015 lawsuit that bankrupted Gawker, almost a decade after the news blog outed him as gay.

What are people saying about the manifesto?

Palantir’s manifesto has garnered an overwhelmingly negative reaction, with commentators describing it as “scary,” “technofascist,” and “the ramblings of a comic book villain.” 

“The manifesto’s vision...is that of a US government and its tech allies as dominant players, unconstrained by accountability,” political scientist Donald Moynihan wrote. “A world where soft power has real and lasting impact is simply less profitable for a company like Palantir relative to a world where we blow a lot of stuff up.” 

“If governments were actually doing their job, this Palantir document wouldn’t be a manifesto they proudly boast about, but a clear sign of the urgent need to purge its software from the public institutions it has infiltrated,” French entrepreneur Arnaud Bertrand wrote on X. “They’re effectively saying ‘our tools aren’t meant to serve your foreign policy. They’re meant to enforce ours’.”

Palantir Manifesto is much more important than Trump. Trump is insignificant pawn on the serious chess board. His role is total destruction. The preparations stage. Palantir is much more serious. It is the plan to safeguard the declining dominance of the West by radical means.

— Alexander Dugin (@AGDugin) April 19, 2026

The manifesto is more significant than any action by Trump, Russian philosopher Alexander Dugin argued on X. “Trump is insignificant pawn on the serious chess board. His role is total destruction. The preparations stage. Palantir is much more serious. It is the plan to safeguard the declining dominance of the West by radical means.”

A Russian national team has appeared at a major team sport event under the national flag and anthem for the first time since 2022.   

The women’s water polo team became the first Russian squad to participate in a competition in a full-fledged status after the World Aquatics lifted all the restrictions imposed on the country, as well as its ally Belarus, over the Ukraine conflict. The federation, which oversees competitions in swimming, diving, high diving, artistic swimming, water polo, and open-water swimming, has been easing restrictions on Russian and Belarusian athletes since 2024. This month it opted to lift them in full.  

“Senior athletes with Belarusian or Russian sport nationality will be permitted to compete in World Aquatics events in the same way as their counterparts representing other sport nationalities, with their respective uniforms, flags, and anthems,” the federation said earlier this month.  

The Russian female team faced off against Argentina during the second division competition underway in Malta, inflicting a decisive defeat of 33:11. The Russian team is now set to face Germany and South Africa later this week.  

The World Aquatics decision has sparked a storm of criticism from Kiev and its backers. Ukraine’s men’s team withdrew from the competition in protest. The EU commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport, Glenn Micallef, harshly criticized the federation’s ruling, branding it a “grave mistake” and proclaiming that the bloc would not “accept this normalization.”   

Over the past year, multiple international sports bodies have also restored the rights of certain Russian athletes to compete at global events – including bobsledders and skeleton racers, skiers and snowboarders, gymnasts, figure skaters, and riders – although only under a neutral status without national flags or anthems. Late last year, the International Sambo Federation (FIAS) cleared Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under their national flags and anthems.   

Russian officials have repeatedly accused Western countries of politicizing sport and pressuring federations to exclude their athletes, as well as of adhering to double standards.

US President Donald Trump has claimed with his usual bluntness that Apple CEO Tim Cook once called him to “kiss his a*s.” 

The tech giant announced on Monday that Cook will resign as CEO and become executive chairman in September. He will be replaced by hardware chief John Ternus.

In a tribute to the man he famously called “Tim Apple,” Trump said they first spoke early in his first term, when Cook called him to present “a fairly large problem” that “only I, as President, could fix.” 

“When I got the call I said, wow, it’s Tim Apple (Cook!) calling,” Trump wrote on social media on Tuesday, reviving the nickname that once went viral, before adding he was impressed to have the head of Apple calling to “kiss my ass.”

“He makes these calls to me, I help him out (but not always, because he will, on occasion, be too aggressive in his ask!), and he gets the job done, QUICKLY, without a dime being given to those very expensive (millions of dollars!) consultants around town who sometimes get it done, and sometimes don’t,” Trump wrote.

Behind the humor, the exchange points to a well-established pattern of close contact between Silicon Valley and political power. A Wall Street Journal report on Tuesday said Cook “effectively lobbied the White House directly” to secure outcomes such as tariff exemptions.

During the escalation of the US-China trade conflict in early 2025, Apple successfully avoided sweeping tariff hikes that threatened other major firms, largely due to Cook’s direct, behind-the-scenes outreach to senior officials and the White House.

Despite praising Cook as an “incredible guy,” the relationship has not been without friction. Trump has repeatedly pushed Apple to move manufacturing to the US and last year said he had a “little problem” with the CEO over plans to expand production in India.

He also publicly clashed with Cook over Apple’s refusal to scrap diversity policies, urging the company to abandon DEI programs he described as “a hoax that has been very bad” for the US.

Russia’s adversaries are busy thinking about how to “shape” the country’s victory in the Ukraine conflict, Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested.

The president made the remarks in response to comments by the head of the local legislature of the city of Nizhny Novgorod, Evgeny Chintsov, during a meeting with representatives of the country’s municipalities. Chintsov said that “nobody, including the enemy” doubts that the conflict will result in Russia’s victory.

Putin agreed but appeared to caution against making overly bold statements prematurely. 

“Yes, they are just thinking about how to shape it all; we’ll see. However, military action is always a very complicated and dangerous thing. We know how everything will end, but we will not make any public statements about it. We will simply strive to achieve the goals we have set,” the president said.

Early in the conflict, Moscow outlined the goals it seeks to achieve through the Ukraine operation and maintains they have remained unchanged ever since. These include demilitarization and denazification of the country and protection of Russian speakers, as well as ensuring Ukrainian neutrality. Additional goals that emerged later also include the recognition of the formerly Ukrainian regions that voted to join Russia. 

Moscow has repeatedly signaled openness to resolve the hostilities through diplomacy, should its demands be met, while maintaining its readiness to achieve its goals by force should the negotiating efforts ultimately fail. Territorial issues seem to have become the main obstacle in the negotiations, as Kiev has repeatedly refused to withdraw its forces from the parts of Donbass it still controls.

A lone gunman has killed a Canadian tourist and wounded several others, including a Russian national, at the Pyramid of the Moon in Teotihuacan, Mexico. The assailant took his own life after being injured and surrounded by security forces, according to the Mexican authorities.

The UNESCO-protected pre-Columbian archaeological site near Mexico City is one of the country’s top tourist attractions, drawing around 2 million visitors annually.

At around 11:30 AM on Monday, the man, armed with a handgun, ordered a group of tourists to lie prone atop the pyramid before firing multiple shots at them, as seen in eyewitness videos circulating online.

Atención: Tiroteo en las pirámides de Teotihuacán, en México. Se reporta una persona muerta. El atacante habría sido abatido por la guardia nacional. Vía @BluRadioCo pic.twitter.com/YxKV8DSx4V

— Ricardo Ospina (@ricarospina) April 20, 2026

In a video apparently recorded by one of the hostages, the gunman is heard threatening foreign tourists and saying the pyramid was originally built for human sacrifice.

🇲🇽 Trapped tourists on Teotihuacan pyramids lie down as threats are directed at them — the shooter roamed freely https://t.co/4T6pPXP1MY pic.twitter.com/DlvMhw26ug

— Lord Bebo (@MyLordBebo) April 21, 2026

At one point, some of the terrified visitors apparently made a dash for their lives, suffering injuries as they tumbled down the structure, while others sustained gunshot wounds.

According to the Attorney General’s Office of the State of Mexico, National Guard troops responding to the incident shot the attacker in the leg. He took his own life with his revolver once he was surrounded.

A revolver, ammunition, knife, and voter ID card were recovered from the scene. According to local media, the document belongs to Julio Cesar Jasso Ramirez, 27, from Mexico City.

Additionally, an AI-generated image of the assailant alongside Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold – the perpetrators of the 1999 Columbine High School massacre – was reportedly recovered at the crime scene. Monday marked the 27th anniversary of the tragedy.

On Tuesday, the Canadian Embassy in Mexico confirmed that “as a result of a horrific act of gun violence, a Canadian was killed and another wounded in Teotihuacan.”

🚨 #ÚltimaHora
Así atienden a los lesionados tras el tiroteo en #Teotihuacán. 🎥 #VideoExclusivo
Julio César Jasso Ramírez, de 27 años, fue identificado como el responsable. Autoridades investigan posible premeditación del ataque.@FiscaliaEdomex ya realiza las diligencias. pic.twitter.com/znGZgb1EFv

— Mariana Hernández (@Mar_Hernandez_G) April 21, 2026

According to the Mexican authorities, a total of 13 people were injured in the incident, with eight remaining hospitalized. Among them are a Canadian woman, three Colombian nationals, six Americans, a Brazilian citizen, a Dutch woman, and a Russian man.

Anastasia Krychkova, Russia’s vice-consul in Mexico, has told Russian media that the Russian national is in non-life-threatening condition and is being treated for a tangential gunshot wound to his leg.

Several Ukrainian mobilization officers accused of taking bribes have been arrested in a dramatic roadside raid in the southern city of Odessa. Video footage reportedly of the incident shared by local media shows security service of Ukraine (SBU) officers descending on a van at a traffic light in the city as gunfire rings out.

The incident comes amid growing scrutiny of the country’s mobilization practices as its battlefield losses mount.

Images posted on local Telegram channels on Tuesday show several men in military uniform lying face down on a busy road in broad daylight as armed officers carry out the detentions. Gunfire can be heard during the operation. 

The detainees are reportedly officers from a Territorial Recruitment Center (TCC), suspected of attempting to forcibly mobilize a man before allegedly demanding $30,000-50,000 from him under threat of weapons, despite him reportedly having a legal deferment. Local media, citing sources, reported that the victim had alerted the SBU in advance.

Odessa’s regional recruitment center confirmed that its personnel had been detained. The heads of the regional and district recruitment centers have been suspended pending the outcome of an internal investigation. A criminal case has been opened, and a service inquiry is ongoing.

Reports and videos have been mounting across Ukraine of violent conscription practices known as ‘busification’ – snatching men off the streets and then shoving them into unmarked minibuses. Conscription officers have been recently caught on video attacking a 16-year-old boy in Odessa. Last month, a local resident fought off four Odessa TCC officers using a heavy metal chain, smashing their vehicle’s windows. In Kharkov, armed conscription officers reportedly shot and killed a man during an attempted forced mobilization in March.

With volunteer rates plummeting and the military suffering heavy casualties, less than 10% of new recruits join voluntarily, Ukrainian lawmaker Vadim Ivchenko admitted last month. Desertion and draft evasion remain rampant, with an estimated 2 million potential conscripts on a wanted list.

Moscow has accused Kiev of fighting “to the last Ukrainian” to serve Western interests. Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov estimated that Ukraine had lost nearly 500,000 servicemen in 2025 alone, depriving Kiev of the ability to replenish its ranks even through compulsory mobilization.

Japan has lifted restrictions on lethal arms sales, ending a ban on military exports imposed under the country’s pacifist constitution in 1947.

The move was announced on Tuesday by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, a hardline conservative who had long advocated revising Japan’s pacifist constitution and further beefing up the country’s offensive military capabilities. The PM said the decision comes amid an increasingly challenging security environment, when “no single country can now protect its own peace and security alone.”

“Until now, the overseas transfer of domestically produced finished products had been limited to search and rescue, transportation, surveillance, and minesweeping equipment (the so-called ‘five categories’), but with this amendment, transfers of all defense equipment will in principle become possible,” Takaichi said in a statement.

Japanese companies will now be able to sell arms to 17 countries with which Tokyo has defensive equipment and technology transfer agreements, including the US, the UK, Australia, and multiple Southeast Asian nations. The relaxing of arms exports supposedly does not affect the country’s pacifist commitments, the PM asserted. 

“There is absolutely no change in our commitment to upholding the path and fundamental principles we have followed as a peace-loving nation for over 80 years since the war,” Takaichi stated.

Tokyo formally renounced war under Article 9 of its post-World War II constitution and pledged to never maintain a military. In reality, however, the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) have long become a full-fledged military, packed with the most sophisticated equipment. 

While the easing of the arms sales restrictions has been touted by Takaichi as a major achievement, the latest step towards full re-militarization is consistent with the decisions made by the previous Japanese governments. In late 2023, Tokyo performed the first overseas lethal arms sale since 1947, supplying domestically produced missiles for US-made Patriot anti-aircraft systems to Washington. The munitions are manufactured by Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries under license from US defense contractors Lockheed Martin and RTX.

Soldiers from the UK’s elite SAS force are resigning in significant numbers over fears of prosecution following human rights investigations into alleged war crimes, British media reports.

The probe largely focuses on British special forces operations in Afghanistan from 2010 to 2013, as well as missions in Syria and Northern Ireland.

A public inquiry is examining claims that troops carried out extrajudicial killings during night raids, including the shooting of detainees and unarmed civilians, and whether evidence was falsified and senior officers failed to investigate or concealed wrongdoing.

Members of 22 SAS, the British Army’s elite special forces unit, have applied for “premature voluntary release,” multiple outlets reported on Monday, citing insiders. The exact number of departures has not been disclosed, though at least two squadrons (D and G) are understood to have been affected.

“Morale is s**t at the moment,” one insider was quoted as saying. Another source described “considerable disquiet” within the regiment.

Lieutenant Colonel Richard Williams told LBC radio on Tuesday the growing number of departures from 22 SAS was driven by concerns among serving troops that actions during operations could later lead to investigations or potential arrest under human rights law.

Last month, it was revealed that 242 special forces troops, including 120 serving personnel, were being pursued by lawyers as part of human rights inquiries, according to a memo shared with SAS and Special Reconnaissance Regiment associations. The investigation, which some within the regiment have labeled a “witch hunt,” examines UK secret operations, with troops facing legal sanctions if they fail to comply, the memo said.

In 2022, a BBC Panorama investigation identified 54 people shot dead in suspicious circumstances by one SAS unit during a six-month tour of Helmand province, with unarmed Afghan men allegedly “routinely shot dead in cold blood” and weapons planted on them.

An inquiry heard in December that the director of UK Special Forces made a “conscious decision” to cover up potential war crimes in Afghanistan, according to the Morning Star. A UKSF officer identified as N1466 said the director “knew what was happening on the ground” and sought to “cover this up.”

In one incident presented to the inquiry, special forces fired into a mosquito net until there was no movement, only to later find women and children, according to inquiry documents. The shooting was allegedly covered up and the soldier awarded.

A review prepared for the inquiry found a Royal Military Police investigation into alleged unlawful killings was undermined by delays and poor resourcing, according to Action on Armed Violence. Operation Northmoor, the main investigation, began only in March 2014 despite concerns emerging as early as 2011, and was closed in July 2019 in what the review described as an “inappropriate and premature” decision, leaving key lines of inquiry unexamined.

A wave of “fill up and flee” crime is sweeping petrol stations across the UK, while American drivers are waking up to drilled-through tanks and drained fuel as the US-Israeli war on Iran has sparked a spike in oil and gas prices across the globe, according to media reports and industry watchdogs.

The crisis has been mostly triggered by the de-facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint that handles roughly 20% of the world’s oil supply. The situation has been exacerbated by Iranian retaliatory strikes on the Gulf energy infrastructure – although the attacks have now been paused as part of a tentative US-Iran truce.

Petrol prices in the UK have surged to over £1.58 ($2.14) a liter on average, up from £1.33 before the war, according to the Royal Automobile Club. Rising prices encouraged a 27% increase in drive-off thefts, according to a crime prevention watchdog Forecourt Eye.

A study by the body, which was based on data from around 500 petrol stations across England, Scotland and Wales, found more than 6,500 liters of fuel were stolen every day in March, a 15.7% rise from February. It also calculated that if this data is extrapolated nationwide, petrol stations would be losing around £1.25m ($1.69 million) each week.

“At current fuel costs, motorists deliberately evading paying for fuel is costing the sector more than £100m a year,” Claire Nichol, executive director of the British Oil Security Syndicate, told The Sun, adding that operators should be “extra vigilant during peak periods.”

The picture is the same across the Atlantic. As of Monday, the American Automobile Association pegged the US national average at over $4 per gallon and up to $6 in California. Before the war, the AAA average was less than $3.

On Sunday, Energy Secretary Chris Wright admitted that sub-$3 gas “might not happen until next year.” The comments triggered a sharp rebuke from US President Donald Trump who called the statement “totally wrong,” adding that the prices will fall “as soon as this [war] ends.”

While US authorities have not released consolidated data on gas thefts, the Washington Post reported such incidents, noting that thieves were now using drills to bore holes in vehicle fuel tanks and drain the contents — sometimes into nothing more sophisticated than milk jugs. One Arizona resident complained to the paper that he was left not only with an empty tank, but also with a $3,000 repair bill.

Europe has seen prices soar as well, with media reporting a spike of up to 40% in diesel prices in Germany since the start of the war. In France, overall energy prices rose by almost 9% in March. The crisis has also led to a 51% rise in sales of electric cars across the continental part of Europe.

In Australia, Rowan Lee, the chief executive of the ACAPMA fuel industry watchdog, said that fuel theft from service stations had increased by between 8% and 30% nationally since late February. In addition, a study by the New South Wales Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research estimated that for an every 10 cent increase in petrol price, there are up to 120 additional reported incidents of service station fraud a month in the state alone.

In a sharp contract, Russia — which has no structural fuel deficit – has mostly evaded the spike in gas prices. As of late April, a liter of middle-grade petrol costs 68 rubles ($0.91), up slightly from 67 rubles in late February.

At the same time, Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandr Novak ordered legislation banning gasoline exports to protect domestic supply, citing what he called “turbulence in the global market for crude oil.”

The US has scaled back intelligence sharing on North Korea with South Korea following an alleged leak by a minister of information thought to have come from sensitive sources, according to local media reports.

Seoul is one of Washington’s key allies in East Asia, alongside Japan, with cooperation spanning real-time intelligence sharing on North Korea, including missile warning data and satellite surveillance. Around 28,500 US troops are also permanently stationed in the country.

”It’s true that the US has cut back on sharing intelligence on North Korea collected through satellites from early this month,” a senior South Korean military official told the Korea JoongAng Daily on Tuesday. The restrictions “are related to information regarding parts of North Korea’s technology,” he added.

The dispute stems from remarks by South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young during a March 6 parliamentary session, when he identified Kusong as a third North Korean uranium enrichment site alongside facilities at Yongbyon and Kangson. The statement – notable because Seoul had not previously officially confirmed the Kusong site – reportedly drew complaints from US officials through diplomatic and military channels, with Washington viewing it as a potential exposure of sensitive, possibly shared data. Chung has rejected the accusations, insisting his remarks were based on publicly available research and prior reports.

Days after the controversy, the Washington Post reported that the Pentagon was redeploying parts of its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system – an advanced missile shield designed to intercept short- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles – from South Korea to the Middle East, citing the war on Iran. The move has raised concerns in Seoul that a reduced air defense presence could weaken protection against North Korea.

The developments come amid heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula. Earlier this month, North Korea conducted a series of weapons tests as it seeks to expand its military capabilities. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has said nuclear weapons remain the country’s only effective deterrent against what he called US “aggression,” while officials in Pyongyang have recently described the South as the “most hostile enemy state” following drone-related incidents.

Israeli soldiers and settlers are systematically using sexual violence and harassment to force Palestinians from their homes in the occupied West Bank, according to a report by the West Bank Protection Consortium – a group of international humanitarian organizations. 

The report, published on Sunday and titled ‘Sexual Violence and Forcible Transfer in the West Bank’, documents at least 16 cases of conflict-related sexual violence attributed to Israeli settlers and soldiers over the past three years. The researchers noted that the actual number is likely significantly higher, as survivors often remain silent due to shame, stigma, and fear of retaliation associated with reporting such crimes. 

Victims who have chosen to come forward described harassment, assault, and intimidation inside their own homes, including forced nudity, invasive body cavity searches, exposure of genitals to minors, and threats of rape. Men and boys also reported forced stripping, sexualized humiliation, and degrading treatment. 

More than 70% of displaced households surveyed cited threats to women and children, particularly sexualized violence, as a decisive reason for leaving their homes and communities. 

“What pushed me to take the decision of relocation was the harassment my wife, daughters and daughter-in-law were experiencing,” one community member was quoted as saying in the report. He added that when he and his son left for work, settlers would regularly stalk the women, whistle and throw stones. “I was terrified that something bad might happen to my family because of this constant settlers’ violence when I was away,” the man said. 

The report documents cases attributed to Israeli soldiers as well as settlers, and adds that settler abuse often takes place in the presence of Israeli forces, who do not intervene or effectively investigate those responsible. It further notes that sexualized violence is not incidental but described as a deliberate tactic of displacement. 

Families have adopted coping strategies, including sending women and children away, withdrawing girls from school, or arranging early marriages to reduce exposure to harm. 

The findings emerge as Israel has accelerated its land grabs in the West Bank, approving in February the registration of large areas of the territory as “state property” for the first time since 1967, enabling further settlement expansion. The move has been hailed by hardline Israeli nationalists as a “true revolution” to tighten West Jerusalem’s control over the region. 

The Israeli government has long sought to annex the West Bank despite widespread international opposition to the move, including from US President Donald Trump. 

The Palestinian Presidency has strongly condemned Israeli advances into the territory, noting its latest land grab effectively voids multiple signed agreements and openly contradicts UN Security Council resolutions.

Israel’s latest land grab is dashing Lebanon’s hope of tapping offshore gas to solve its persistent energy shortage. Maritime energy prospects were the focus of a 2022 deal on a disputed border between the two nations.

On Sunday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) published a map of a “forward defense line area” in southern Lebanon – effectively an occupation zone that some officials in West Jerusalem said needs to be depopulated for Israeli national security. The claimed area extends into the sea, cutting a roughly 9 km wide strip of Lebanese territorial waters.

⭕️ REVEALED: The Forward Defense Line and the area in which IDF soldiers are operating, following the ceasefire agreement.

5 divisions are operating simultaneously south of the Forward Defense Line in southern Lebanon in order to dismantle Hezbollah terror infrastructure sites… pic.twitter.com/eibA2pgDHe

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) April 19, 2026

In 2022, US-mediated talks between Israel and Lebanon ended a long-time row over their maritime border, driven to a large degree by the potential presence of offshore natural gas fields in the disputed area. Unlike Israel, Lebanon is yet to tap into those riches. However, the IDF’s move makes prospecting by a Euro-Qatari conglomerate, announced in January, highly unlikely.

Does Lebanon have offshore gas fields?

Israel’s investment in offshore exploration in the past two decades paid off with the discoveries at Tamar, Dalit, Leviathan, Dolphin, Tanin, Aphrodite, Karish, and Tamar Southwest gas fields. Gas is trapped under a regional geological formation, with Israel, Egypt and Cyprus exploiting the reserves.

The Karish field is located close to Lebanon’s border, and there were strong indications that a larger field was located further to the north-east. Under the 2022 deal, Lebanon relinquished its claim on a part of Karish, but gained the opportunity to prospect in the Qana area, since the agreement solved the legal status of potential discoveries.

Beirut pinned much hope on finding reserves, which then-Energy Minister Walid Fayyad described as an equivalent of 20-year supply of electricity for Lebanon.

Is Lebanon benefiting from undersea riches? 

Exploration for offshore gas in Lebanon was launched in 2017 and is led by Total. The French energy giant not only has the technical expertise, but also could handle payments of royalties to West Jerusalem, making direct transactions between Israel and Lebanon unnecessary. The company initially partnered with Italy’s Eni and Russia’s Novatek, though Qatar Energy replaced the latter in late 2022.

A few things to point out:

• There is no Qana gas field. No discovery was made when they drilled the Qana 31/1 well (it was a dry hole), which resulted in the abandonment of the Qana Prospect in Block 9.

• What the map in the QT doesn't show, and which is more important, is… https://t.co/lKdbm7pYvf pic.twitter.com/djVSxQi7FL

— Nicolas Sawaya (@sawaya_nicolas) April 20, 2026

The 2022 deal did not lead to a gas bonanza for Lebanon. While pumping at Karish started only four days after the agreement was announced, no reserves were uncovered at Qana. However, a new hope came in January, when Total reported plans to search in an area further away from the coast.

“Although the drilling of the Qana well on Block 9 did not give positive results, we remain committed to pursue our exploration activities in Lebanon,” CEO Patrick Pouyanne said.” We will now focus our efforts on Block 8.”

Among Lebanon’s offshore acreage only Block 9 lacks 3D seismic data, largely because the border dispute prevented studies, the Journal of Petroleum Technology (JPT) said of the announcement.

When could Lebanon extract gas?

The JPT’s assertion that the environment of the UK’s sector of the North Sea and Lebanon’s EastMed are harsh in very different ways is quite an understatement. Israel has been in an on and off war with Lebanon for decades – formally since the Jewish state’s creation in 1948 – and the ongoing hostilities are causing damage in more direct ways.

Over one million people in Lebanon have requested relief after being displaced, as Israel struck dense population areas and demanded evacuation of a significant portion of its territory. Upwards of 2,300 fatalities have been reported since March 2, including more than 300 on April 8 in strikes on over 150 locations. Many commentators called the attacks an attempt to derail a ceasefire announced by the US and Iran that was supposed to suspend military action in Lebanon as well.

The destruction adds also to the cost Lebanon has been paying since October 2023, when a Hamas raid on Israel set off the conflagration in the Middle East. In just the first year of the conflict, Lebanon suffered $3.4 billion worth of physical damage and $5.1 billion in economic losses, according to a World Bank estimate.

The US-Israeli war with Iran is set to reshape global energy trade one way or another. Evidently West Jerusalem is now making sure that there will be no offshore silver lining for Lebanon.

Iran will not budge on talks while the US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz continues, Tehran’s envoy to Beijing, Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, has said.

Iran complied with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) framework while the US exited the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) unilaterally, Fazli told RT India in an exclusive interview on Tuesday.

Fazli said the conditions that the US is trying to impose do not show any reciprocity, adding: “What they are showing is actually the closure of the Hormuz Strait, and also they are threatening Iran militarily.”

The approach is “affecting the atmosphere of the talks,” he said. “What they expect from Iran is not dialogue, but surrender.”

Fazli stated that when the conditions are right, Iran will favor dialogue. The aims of Iran’s nuclear program are peaceful, and according to the country’s rightful needs, he added. “It has always been according to the IAEA’s laws and regulations.”

Fazli said that during the past two rounds of negotiations with Iran, when talks were progressing smoothly, the US “broke their promises and adopted actions against Iran which led to the current condition.”

For Iran, uranium enrichment is non-negotiable, he stressed. “Iran’s right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy and imposition of illogical requests upon Iran. That is our red line.”

Fazli’s remarks come as Iranian and US negotiators are set to arrive in Pakistan for a second round of talks as a shaky ceasefire is due to expire.

Vice President J.D. Vance will reportedly lead the US side, joined by President Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Iran’s team will be headed by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.

Both sides are expected to arrive in Islamabad later on Tuesday.

Zimbabwe’s gold-backed currency (ZiG) is undervalued by nearly half and should be trading much stronger against the US dollar, the southern African nation’s central bank has said.

Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor John Mushayavanhu said on Friday that the ZiG should be valued at around 15 to the US dollar, compared with the official rate of about 25, Bloomberg reported on Monday.

“If we wanted to buy back all the local currency in circulation using our reserves, we could do so at an exchange rate of around 15 to the dollar,” Mushayavanhu said.

The ZiG was launched in April 2024 to replace the Zimbabwe dollar, which had been battered by inflation and repeated bouts of depreciation. It was billed as a currency backed by gold and foreign exchange reserves, with Harare presenting it as a key plank in its push to stabilize prices and eventually reduce reliance on the US dollar. Zimbabwe held 3.4 metric tons of gold reserves as of June 2025, according to official data.

In its 2026 monetary policy statement, the Reserve Bank said foreign currency reserves had risen from $276 million in April 2024 to $1.2 billion by December 2025, while a March policy committee statement said inflation had fallen to single digits and exchange-rate stability had been maintained.

Despite lower inflation and efforts to stabilize the currency, more than 90% of transactions in Zimbabwe are still done in US dollars, the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI) said. In a December report, the group said confidence in the local currency remains low, with many businesses viewing its current stability as artificial and unsustainable. The IMF has also warned that the central bank continues to support the exchange rate by selling foreign currency, meaning it is still heavily managed.

On Friday, Mushayavanhu admitted that the ZiG’s mismatch against the dollar reflected weak market confidence in the currency.

“It’s a function of the confidence of the market in the central bank, and we’re still trying to rebuild that confidence,” Mushayavanhu said in an interview on the sidelines of the spring meetings of the IMF and World Bank in Washington, according to Bloomberg.

“We had lost it and we’re trying to rebuild it,” the governor added.

The US and Israel have committed war crimes in Iran, Russian Ambassador to Tehran Aleksey Dedov has declared while inspecting the ruins of a hospital in the Iranian capital destroyed in the strikes.

The diplomat made the remarks to RT on Monday during a visit to damaged residential areas alongside a group of foreign ambassadors.

According to RT correspondent Saman Kojouri, the hospital was hit without prior warning while patients and staff were inside. It was not immediately clear how many people were injured.

“It’s a horrible thing to see,” Dedov said, assessing the damage to civilian medical infrastructure. “This is evidence of an inhumane approach by Israel and the US… it’s very clearly a war crime.”

The visit was organized so that foreign diplomats could witness the aftermath firsthand, Tehran Province Governor Mohammad-Sadegh Motamedian said, adding that it was intended to draw attention to what he described as Western “silence” over the actions of the US and Israel.

You can see Saman Kojouri’s full report from Tehran here.

More than 14 million people have been forced to flee their homes since war broke out in Sudan three years ago, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said on Monday, describing the situation as “the world’s largest displacement and protection crisis.”

Sudan plunged into a civil war in April 2023 after a struggle for power broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The conflict has been marked by widespread violence against civilians, including killings, sexual violence, and attacks on specific ethnic groups, the UNHCR said. Basic infrastructure has collapsed in parts of the country, with clinics closing and aid programs scaled back due to insecurity and funding shortfalls.

Nearly 12 million people remain displaced, including 6.8 million within Sudan, while around 4.5 million have sought refuge in neighboring countries such as the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya, South Sudan, and Uganda, the agency said.

Many of those uprooted are living in dire conditions without adequate shelter, food, and basic services, it added. In Chad, one in ten Sudanese refugee children is malnourished, according to the agency.

The UNHCR warned that its 2026 regional response plan, which requires $1.6 billion, remains severely underfunded, with only about a quarter of the needed financing secured so far.

“Every life lost to war. Every person forced to flee. Each one is a tragedy,” UN High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih said, warning that “we cannot turn away.”

Sudan has also topped the International Rescue Committee’s (IRC) Emergency Watchlist for global humanitarian crises for the third consecutive year, ahead of the Palestinian territories and South Sudan. At least three children a day are dying in El-Fasher, North Darfur due to food shortages, according to the Sudan Doctors Network. 

The crisis is increasingly destabilizing neighboring states, with violence spilling across the borders into countries such as Chad, which hosts more than 1.3 million Sudanese refugees.

Aid agencies warn that funding shortages mean basic needs are going unmet. Conditions in Chad are dire, with refugees often receiving less water than minimum standards require, while food assistance is being cut. The UN says it can currently support only four in ten refugees in Chad.

India has expanded the pool of Russian shipping insurers eligible to provide cover to vessels docking at its ports.

New Delhi has also extended permits to various other insurance companies as it seeks to provide cover for ships amid an increase in shipping traffic at its ports due to the Middle East conflict.

Nearly 100 ships are either waiting or seeking berthing at the port of Vizhinjam in Kerala alone, Shashi Tharoor, a lawmaker from the southern state, posted on X.

The Directorate General of Shipping said the number of Russian insurers eligible to provide cover to vessels has increased to 11 from eight, according to Reuters.

India Bolsters Russian Marine Insurance Options Amid Hormuz Disruptions

🇮🇳’s Directorate General of Shipping has approved a further three Russian marine insurers at Indian ports – bringing the total to eleven. (Economic Times)

Gazprom Insurance and Rosgosstrakh Insurance are… pic.twitter.com/cKNhZxgy52

— RT_India (@RT_India_news) April 20, 2026

Gazprom Insurance Ltd., Rosgosstrakh Insurance Co., and Balance Insurance JSC were added to the directorate’s list, Bloomberg reported. Gazprom and Rosgosstrakh have approvals until February 19, 2027, while Balance’s term ends on August 19 of next year. Rosgosstrakh is under US sanctions.

Approvals for Soglasie Insurance Co. Ltd., Ugoria Group of Insurance Cos., Sberbank Insurance, and ASTK Insurance LLC will remain valid through February 20, 2027, India’s shipping agency said.

Dubai-based Islamic Protection & Indemnity Club has also been allowed to provide marine cover until February 19, 2027, it added.

The Russian entities are not a part of the International Group of ⁠Protection and Indemnity (P&I) clubs.

Members of the Europe-based International Group of P&I Clubs provide marine liability cover for about 87% of the world’s ocean-going tonnage, but do not cover Russian vessels due to sanctions.

P&I clubs are mutual insurance associations that provide liability cover for shipowners, including risks such as oil spills, cargo damage, and crew injury.

The Russian firms mostly provide cover to vessels loaded with Russian oil as Western service ‌providers skip Russian cargoes due to tougher sanctions, Reuters reported.

Insurance is vital for maritime transport, particularly energy cargoes, due to the risk of spills.

India is ‌the world’s third-biggest oil importer and consumer. New Delhi is relying on Russian oil to meet most of its ⁠demand as the US-Israeli war on Iran has effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz.

On Sunday, the US extended a waiver allowing foreign buyers to take Russian crude loaded on tankers by about one month to mid-May.

Ugandan and Congolese troops have rescued more than 200 teenagers from captivity after raiding a camp run by the Islamic State-linked Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, the authorities said on Sunday.

The abductees were freed last week during an offensive along the River Epulu, the Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) said in a press release.

Several militants were killed and weapons seized during the joint operation at the camp, which the army said was under the control of “notorious” ADF commander Ssebagala, also known as Mzee Mayor.

“Among those rescued was a 14-year-old girl, the youngest, while the oldest was a 19-year-old boy. Many recounted harsh conditions in captivity, including lack of food, forced labor, and punishment for disobedience,” the UPDF said.

The army added that several were in poor condition and appeared to be suffering from untreated illnesses, including malaria, respiratory infections, and physical exhaustion.

The ADF, originally a Ugandan Islamist group, has waged a violent insurgency in conflict-torn eastern Congo for decades and pledged allegiance to IS in 2019. It has since become one of the deadliest armed groups operating in the region, and its fighters have been blamed for massacres, kidnappings, and bombings.

Ugandan and Congolese forces launched Operation Shujaa in late 2021 to counter the ADF threat after a wave of deadly bombings and cross-border attacks, but the group has continued to stage deadly raids.

Earlier this month, the Congolese army said at least 43 people were killed and 44 houses torched in an ADF attack on the locality of Bafwakowa in Ituri province. The same armed group raided the village of Apakulu, also in Ituri, in January, burning down a house with 15 men trapped inside, executing seven others along a road, and killing three more people in nearby communities. In June 2023, the terrorist group crossed into Uganda, looted Lhubiriha Secondary School, and set fire to its dormitories, killing at least 25 children.

The Ugandan army, however, said joint operations have intensified since January, “leading to significant gains.”

Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has claimed that it is “simply not respectful” for US President Donald Trump’s peace envoys to hold multiple rounds of talks in Moscow while never visiting Kiev.

Zelensky delivered the remarks on Monday in a wide-ranging interview with Ukrainian outlet Fakti ICTV when asked what the chances were of Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner eventually coming to Ukraine.

In response, the Ukrainian leader preemptively downplayed any expectation of a visit, stressing that the media “should not turn the arrival of Jared and Witkoff into some kind of special sensation, because we are in contact with them.”

“I believe their visit is needed not by us, but by them. It is not respectful to travel to Moscow and not come to Kiev. It’s simply not respectful. I understand that our logistics are more complicated. But everyone is travelling,” he said.

Zelensky went on to downplay the matter of location, saying that “if they don’t want to, we will meet in other countries.” He stressed that Kiev’s main goal is to achieve “the result” – namely a ceasefire along the current contact line. Moscow has opposed such kind of a truce, arguing it would only enable Kiev to recuperate its battered military and obtain more weapons from the West.

Witkoff, who has played a key role in the peace process, has made six trips to Moscow since US President Donald Trump took office, including multiple meetings with President Vladimir Putin. Kushner has joined him on some of those occasions. Witkoff has held talks with Ukrainian officials, but never in Kiev. The most recent meeting was in Miami last month.

Zelensky rebuked the US negotiators earlier this month for their perceived proximity to Putin, lamenting they “spent too much time” with the Russian leader. “The problem is they trust Putin. And it’s a pity,” he said.

According to multiple media reports, Ukraine and the US have also been at odds over the terms for settling the conflict. Zelensky has claimed Washington was conditioning US post-war security guarantees for Kiev on a full military withdrawal from Russia’s Donbass. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, however, has rejected the allegation, accusing Zelensky of “lies.”

Prominent conservative commentator Tucker Carlson has issued a public apology for his role in getting US President Donald Trump into the White House, saying in a podcast published on Monday that he will be “tormented for a long time” by the damage he helped cause.

Speaking on his podcast with his brother Buckley Carlson, a former speechwriter for Trump’s 2016 campaign, Tucker Carlson said he and millions of other supporters had ignored “signs of low character” in their enthusiasm for Trump.

“You and I and everyone else who supported him… we’re implicated in this for sure,” Carlson said. “It’s not enough to say, well, I changed my mind or like, oh, this is bad, I’m out… In very small ways, but in real ways, you and me and millions of people like us are the reason this is happening right now.”

Carlson, who has emerged as one of Trump’s most prominent conservative critics over the US‑Israeli war on Iran, apologized for “misleading people,” adding that the deception was not intentional but that he still bore responsibility. “I do think it’s like a moment to wrestle with our own consciences,” he said.

The podcast episode saw Carlson and his brother question whether Trump’s plan all along had been to wage war on Iran and break his campaign promises. They also raised questions about the $250 million donation from casino magnate Miriam Adelson to Trump’s campaign, asking what the Israeli‑American billionaire and her husband, a prominent donor to pro‑Israel causes, received in return. 

“If Russia had given a PAC for Trump... would that have been acceptable? Of course it wouldn’t have been,” Buckley Carlson said.

Despite being one of Trump’s most vocal supporters in recent years, Tucker Carlson has had a major falling-out with the US president. Earlier this month, the former Fox news host described Trump’s religion as “Israelism” rather than Christianity, accusing the American leader of launching the war on Iran “on behalf of Israel.” He also condemned Trump’s infamous AI‑generated image of himself as a Jesus‑like figure as a “mockery of God.”

Other prominent Trump supporters who have turned their back on the president over alleged broken campaign promises include former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, podcaster Joe Rogan, commentator Candace Owens, and InfoWars host Alex Jones.

Trump has responded with a series of personal attacks on his critics, calling them “stupid people” with “low IQs.” He also stated that Carlson was no longer part of the MAGA movement and described him as a “flailing fool” who should “see a good psychiatrist.”

Israel’s Ministry for Diaspora Affairs has also listed Carlson among its top ten “anti‑Semite and anti‑Zionist” influencers for 2025, alongside Candace Owens and Greta Thunberg.

US President Donald Trump has extended the ceasefire with Iran. The move happened just hours before the fragile two-week truce had been set to expire on Wednesday.

However, he has vowed to maintain the naval blockade, touting it as leverage to force Tehran to make a deal.

“I have directed our Military to continue the Blockade and, in all other respects, remain ready and able, and will therefore extend the Ceasefire until such time as their proposal is submitted, and discussions are concluded, one way or the other,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Tuesday.

Earlier on Tuesday, Vice President J.D. Vance had been expected to lead the US delegation in Islamabad, alongside Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. However, the trip was put on hold after Iranian officials said the talks were pointless as long as Washington maintained its “bullying.”

The US president later claimed that Washington would not lift the blockade, because “if we do that, there can never be a Deal with Iran, unless we blow up the rest of their Country, their leaders included!” Iran promises to “reveal new cards on the battlefield.” Iranian officials have yet to formally respond to the US ceasefire extension.

Here are the latest developments:

• Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf accused Trump of trying to turn talks “into a table of surrender or to justify renewed warmongering.”
  
  
• Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the country “will not bow to coercion,” while Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi described the blockade of its ports as “an act of war and thus a violation of the ceasefire.”
  
  
• Separate talks between West Jerusalem and Beirut are set for Thursday to discuss extending their ceasefire, due to expire on Sunday, as the Jewish State continues strikes on southern Lebanon and Hezbollah reports retaliatory attacks on northern Israel.
  
  
• The Middle East conflict has triggered what IEA chief Fatih Birol has called “the biggest” energy crisis in history.
  
  This live coverage has ended.

Hungary’s incoming prime minister, Peter Magyar, has said he would order the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he enters the country, marking a sharp reversal of predecessor Viktor Orban’s policy.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Magyar said he would halt Hungary’s withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC), initiated by Orban, and stressed that as a member state Budapest is legally obliged to enforce its arrest warrants. The ICC issued warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in 2024 over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel claimed earlier this week that Magyar had spoken with Netanyahu and invited him to visit Hungary after his Tisza party’s landslide win on April 12. Asked to clarify, Magyar confirmed the call but downplayed the invitation, saying he had spoken with multiple leaders and broadly invited them to attend an upcoming anniversary of the 1956 popular uprising. He added that Netanyahu was informed Hungary would seek to remain in the ICC – and what that implies.

“I made it clear to the Israeli prime minister that we are not stepping back [from the ICC]. It is the Tisza government’s intention to stop this and for Hungary to remain a member,” Magyar said. “So I think I didn’t mislead anyone. If a country is a member of the ICC and if a person who is wanted enters that country’s territory, they must be taken into custody… I assume that every state and government leader is aware of these regulations.”

Magyar’s position marks a direct break with the stance of the outgoing government, which rejected the ICC’s jurisdiction and guaranteed Netanyahu safe passage. Orban dismissed the warrant as “brazen and cynical.” Last April, Budapest moved to withdraw from the ICC, arguing the court had become politicized. The country’s parliament approved the move in May, though under the Rome Statute withdrawal only takes effect a year after formal UN notification, currently set for June 2.

Magyar campaigned on repairing ties with Brussels and unlocking more than €16 billion ($19 billion) in EU funds for Hungary currently frozen due to rule-of-law and corruption allegations. Since his victory, Magyar has also pledged to reform state media, consider Eurozone membership, and end vetoes on Ukraine aid – though with caveats. He backed Hungary’s opt-out from the EU’s €90 billion loan package to Kiev, citing budget constraints, and said Ukraine’s EU accession within a decade is unrealistic.

At Monday’s press conference, he also urged Kiev to reopen the Russian Druzhba pipeline and said Hungary would not accept “any kind of blackmail” over energy supplies. He previously said Budapest would continue buying Russian energy, prioritize the cheapest oil, and signaled he would “pick up” if Russian President Vladimir Putin called.

China has increased its direct flights to India amid warming ties between the Asian nations.

On Tuesday, Air China will resume its direct service between Beijing and Delhi, the Global Times reported.

The Beijing-Delhi direct flight is the second route to India resumed by Chinese airlines in less than a week.

China Eastern Airlines relaunched its direct service between Kunming in southwest China’s Yunnan Province and the eastern Indian city of Kolkata on April 18.

An Airbus A330 aircraft will run the Beijing-Delhi flight, with the service available on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays.

Cleared For Take Off: China-India Air Links Roaring Back To Life

Direct connectivity between China and India is picking up pace, with Air China resuming Beijing-Delhi flights three times a week, according to Global Times.

China Eastern Airlines recently restarted… pic.twitter.com/bZf1OzHuj1

— RT_India (@RT_India_news) April 20, 2026

Fares start from $523, with flights departing the Chinese capital at 3:15 PM and arriving in Delhi at 8:20 PM local time.

China Eastern’s Kolkata flight was the carrier’s latest expansion of its service between China and India, following the resumption of the Shanghai-Delhi route in November 2025.

The Kolkata service has six weekly round-trip flights.

Indian airlines have also started similar services, with the South Asian nation’s largest carrier, Indigo, launching daily direct flights between Kolkata and Shanghai on March 29.

Before that, IndiGo resumed the Kolkata-Guangzhou route and launched the Delhi-Guangzhou route.

Direct flights between China and India officially resumed in October 2025 after a five-year hiatus as ties between the two nations improved. They were suspended at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. A border clash in June of that year further strained relations.

The Asian neighbors have also eased visa restrictions for each other’s citizens over the last year.

In July 2025, India resumed issuing tourist visas to Chinese citizens after a five-year pause. Last year, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited China for the first time since 2018, where he met President Xi Jinping at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit.

In March, India relaxed restrictions on Chinese investments in selected sectors, marking a reset of economic ties, Reuters reported. The countries have also agreed to improve border management and reopen cross-border trade.

Trade between China and India reached a record $155 billion in 2025.

Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has been on a European “concert tour” begging for more money and weapons for years, but the Middle East is now taking up all the attention, Russia’s UN ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, has said.

Speaking at a UN Security Council briefing on Ukraine on Monday, Nebenzia accused Kiev and its backers of staging a “cheap, shoddy show” in the UN halls as they fear that the Iran war is drawing attention away from Ukraine’s conflict with Russia.

Zelensky, a comedian-turned-politician, “is perfectly aware that moving the Ukrainian file to the backburner of international politics due to the escalation in the Middle East can significantly reduce the profits reaped from his concert tour over European countries,” Nebenzia said.

He added that Zelensky “thought that he would be able to endlessly and effortlessly pester for money from his Western sponsors,” citing the alleged threat of a Russian attack against NATO.

The Ukrainian leader has been courting his Western backers, particularly in the EU, for weapons and financial assistance for years, while constantly complaining that the aid is not enough.

According to the Kiel Institute, Ukraine received €207 billion ($243 billion) from Europe and €115 billion ($135 billion) from the US since the escalation of the conflict in 2022. Media reports suggest, however, that the Iran war could slow the pace of deliveries.

Nebenzia noted that faced with this conundrum, Zelensky “did not lose his bearings,” and started raving about Ukraine “singlehandedly unblock[ing] the Strait of Hormuz.”

The envoy was referring to Zelensky’s claims that Ukraine provided Gulf countries with drone expertise, and in return securing defense deals. US President Donald Trump, however, dismissed the offer of support from Kiev, saying “the last person we need help from is Zelensky… we know more about drones than anybody.”

Zelensky’s claims about Ukraine’s decisive role in the Hormuz crisis are “nothing but a figment of the imagination of the thieving Kiev ringleader, and he is trying to sell his whimsical illusions to anyone willing to pay for them,” Nebenzia said.

He also highlighted the dire situation for Ukraine at home. “Ordinary Ukrainians are refusing to fight for the blatantly corrupt country’s leadership, they are dodging the draft, deserting,” he said, adding that reluctant recruits are being maimed, stunned, and nearly beaten to death by recruitment officers.

”Is this the kind of ‘security’ Zelensky is looking to ‘export’ throughout the globe?” Nebenzia said.

The US is pushing for a “win-win” trade deal with India, Washington’s ambassador to New Delhi, Sergio Gor, has said.

An Indian delegation will arrive in Washington to finalize a trade deal this week, Gor said on Monday.

The talks between Washington and New Delhi will be a “great step” to finalize a pact, Gor said in a post on X.

“A win-win for both nations,” Gor added.

The Indian trade delegation will be arriving in Washington this week. A great step to finalize our bilateral trade deal. A win-win for both nations!

— Ambassador Sergio Gor (@USAmbIndia) April 20, 2026

India and the US are in advanced talks to convert a February 26 joint statement into a bilateral trade deal, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said earlier this month.

In-person meetings would be held to shape the agreement’s structure and timelines, he said.

India’s trade surplus with the US narrowed to $34.4 billion in fiscal year 2026 from $43 billion a year ago. Exports to the US rose 1% to $87 billion, while imports jumped 16% to $53 billion.
In April, China said it became India’s largest trading partner in the 2025-26 financial year, overtaking the US. Washington was New Delhi’s largest trading partner for four years in a row until 2024-25.

India and the US announced an interim trade deal in February, after months of negotiations following a steep 50% tariff imposed by Washington on the South Asian nation in August 2025.

In February, Washington reduced India’s tariff burden to 18% from the earlier 50%. Half of the tariff was for New Delhi’s imports of Russian oil.

Talks with the US then came to a halt after the US Supreme Court struck down tariffs on imports from various countries.

The US will not allow India to emerge as a strong competitor like China, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said in March.

Washington views the 2001 decision to facilitate China’s entry into the World Trade Organization as a strategic miscalculation, Landau added.

India has recently signed trade deals with the UK, Oman, New Zealand, and the EU, as it looks to diversify export markets and reduce reliance on the US.

Iranian officials have struck a defiant tone ahead of a possible new round of talks with Washington, warning that Tehran is prepared to “reveal new cards on the battlefield” while rejecting any negotiations conducted “under the shadow of threats.”

Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf accused US President Donald Trump of trying to turn negotiations into “a table of surrender,” and said Iran has spent the past two weeks preparing new military options.

“Trump, by imposing a siege and violating the ceasefire, seeks to turn this negotiating table – in his own imagination – into a table of surrender or to justify renewed warmongering. We do not accept negotiations under the shadow of threats, and in the past two weeks, we have prepared to reveal new cards on the battlefield,” Ghalibaf wrote on X.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the “non-constructive and contradictory” conduct of US officials sent the message that Washington is seeking Iran’s surrender, adding that Iranians “will not bow to coercion.”

The temporary ceasefire brokered by Pakistan is set to expire on Wednesday, after the first round of talks in Islamabad last weekend failed to produce a breakthrough and Trump imposed a US military blockade of Iranian ports.

Trump warned on Sunday that if Iran doesn’t accept his administration’s “fair and reasonable deal,” the US will “knock out every single power plant, and every single bridge, in Iran.”

The US president initially announced the second round of talks for Monday, and the White House reportedly spent the day waiting for confirmation that Tehran would send its negotiating team. Axios reported later in the day that US Vice President J.D. Vance, alongside Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, was expected to leave for Islamabad by Tuesday morning.

According to Axios, Iranian negotiators had been stalling amid reported pressure from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to take a harder line and refuse talks unless the US first ends its blockade. The report claimed that Pakistani, Egyptian, and Turkish mediators had urged Tehran to attend, and that Iran’s team reportedly received the green light from the supreme leader on Monday night.

Tim Cook will step down as Apple’s chief executive on September 1, ending a nearly 15-year run at the helm of the iPhone maker and handing over to senior hardware executive John Ternus.

Cook took over as CEO in August 2011 after Steve Jobs resigned just six weeks before his death, and he presided over a period of huge commercial expansion that saw Apple’s market value rise from roughly $350 billion to around $4 trillion. During his tenure, Apple expanded its wearables and services businesses, rolling out products and platforms such as the Apple Watch, AirPods, Apple Music, and Apple Pay.

“It has been the greatest privilege of my life to be the CEO of Apple and to have been trusted to lead such an extraordinary company,” Cook said in a press release on Monday. He is set to remain with the company as executive chairman to “assist with certain aspects,” including “engaging with policymakers around the world.”

Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware engineering, has been with the company since 2001 and has overseen development work across major product lines, including the iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

“I am profoundly grateful for this opportunity to carry Apple’s mission forward,” Ternus said, promising to “lead with the values and vision that have come to define this special place for half a century.”

The leadership transition comes as Apple faces growing pressure to prove it can keep pace in AI, an area in which critics and investors have argued that the company has moved too slowly compared with its rivals. Several reports suggest that Ternus will inherit a business that remains highly profitable but is under scrutiny over its AI strategy and future product pipeline.

Israel is promoting a new festival called ‘Pride Land’ as the “biggest LGBTQ+ festival ever in the Middle East.” The event at the Dead Sea is billed as a four-day gathering of performances, parties, exhibitions, and queer culture.

The official Israel account on X said on Monday that the festival would bring “four days of nonstop celebration, community and connection.” The Jerusalem Post has described it as the largest festival of the kind in the region’s history.

According to the official website, ‘Pride Land’ is scheduled for July 1-4, 2026 in Ein Bokek on the Dead Sea and is being sold as a destination-style event rather than a single parade. Organizers are offering hotel-and-ticket packages, including all-access wristbands, and promoting a central events space called DOME X.

Pride rises at the lowest place on earth 🌈 This June the Dead Sea becomes Pride Land, the biggest LGBTQ+ festival ever in the Middle East. Four days of nonstop celebration community and connection.

Israel celebrates its LGBTQ+ community bigger than ever 💙 pic.twitter.com/JxqjQGNB7z

— Israel ישראל (@Israel) April 20, 2026

The website says the program will include performances, parties, exhibitions, art, and queer culture – along with family-oriented activities and child-friendly areas alongside the broader entertainment lineup.

The event is being promoted against a mixed legal backdrop for LGBTQ rights in Israel. Same-sex marriage is not performed in Israel because marriage is handled through the religious authorities rather than civil law.

However, Israel recognizes same-sex marriages performed abroad. The Foreign Ministry also says same-sex couples are recognized by Israeli courts in areas including adoption and family rights, making the country one of the more legally permissive jurisdictions for LGBTQ people in the region.

The label ‘biggest ever’, however, appears to be a promotional claim rather than objective fact. Israel has long marketed Tel Aviv Pride as one of the region’s biggest LGBTQ events. The annual event was canceled during the Gaza war in 2024, as well as in 2025 during the US-Israeli strikes against Iran.

Satirical outlet The Onion is seeking to take temporary control of Alex Jones’ Infowars and transform it into what its executives describe as a parody version of the conspiracy platform, under a new court-backed proposal tied to the broadcaster’s Sandy Hook defamation liabilities.

The plan, submitted in Texas state court, would give Global Tetrahedron, the parent company of The Onion, a six-month lease over Infowars’ intellectual property and operations at $81,000 per month, with an option to extend the arrangement for another six months. The proposal has backing from the court-appointed receiver and lawyers for the Sandy Hook families, but it still requires final judicial approval.

The Onion wants to repurpose the Infowars website and social media accounts for satirical content. Ben Collins, the outlet’s chief executive, said the goal is to build it into a broader comedy platform. Comedian Tim Heidecker is expected to serve as creative director if the deal goes ahead.

Shirtless Alex Jones Jumps in to Explain the TRUTH About the Deceivers at THE ONION: “They’re In Deep Sh*t... Just Because You’re Wearing My Shirt, Don’t Mean You’re Me!”@HarrisonHSmith

🔴WATCH LIVE NOW NOW NOW NOW!👇https://t.co/qwRESE12vh pic.twitter.com/BjaVKk7OQq

— INFOWARS (@infowars) April 20, 2026

Jones has pushed back against the plan, accusing The Onion of trying to misrepresent Infowars and confuse viewers by presenting itself as the real outlet under the guise of parody. He argued that parody does not entitle anyone to take over another platform’s identity, adding that his team has “already checked with lawyers,” and is already pursuing legal action against what he described as politically aligned law firms.

Jones insisted that even if he loses control of Infowars’ current site or studio, he and his team will continue broadcasting elsewhere through what he described as an expanded Alex Jones Network and new websites already being prepared.

The move marks a renewed attempt by The Onion to acquire control over Infowars after a bankruptcy judge blocked its earlier winning auction bid in December 2024, leaving Jones in possession of the platform for the time being.

Jones’ media company, Free Speech Systems, entered bankruptcy proceedings as he faced more than $1 billion in defamation judgments stemming from his false claims about the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. The US Supreme Court later declined to hear his appeal, leaving the roughly $1.4 billion judgment in place.

A hearing on the latest licensing arrangement is reportedly set for April 30 in Travis County, Texas, and Jones could still appeal any adverse ruling.

The Irish government is aiming to terminate government-provided accommodation for Ukrainian migrants within a year, and will offer payouts to encourage repatriation, Minister of State for Migration Colm Brophy has said.

Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, around 125,000 Ukrainians have received temporary protection in Ireland, according to Brophy. From July 2022 to March 2026, Dublin reportedly spent more than €438 million ($516 million) to provide half of them with housing.

Dublin has also shelled out nearly €400 million in “political, humanitarian, economic and non-lethal military aid” for Kiev, while other EU members have funneled billions of euros into the conflict. Russia has warned that the EU’s support for Ukraine has only served to prolong the hostilities.

In an interview with The Times published on Saturday, Brophy said discussions are underway in the government regarding axing state-provided accommodation over the next 12 months.

“I don’t see why we as taxpayers should be paying out millions and millions and millions… because no other EU state is providing that,” the minister stated, adding that the “timeline is the critical thing here.” The termination of the program has yet to be finalized at the government level, he said.

According to Brophy, the Irish government is also considering offering generous financial incentives to encourage Ukrainians to return home.

According to Eurostat, an estimated 4.35 million Ukrainians are registered for temporary protection across the EU. In recent months, a number of member states, including Poland, Germany, Denmark, the Czech Republic, and Hungary, have moved to curb social programs for Ukrainian migrants.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced last week that Berlin and Kiev will coordinate efforts to return military-age Ukrainian men residing in Germany to their home country.

Increased military use has put a strain on the key NATO jet fuel pipeline, the Central Europe Pipeline System (CEPS), disrupting deliveries of commercial supplies, Bloomberg reports.

The Cold War-era pipeline, which runs through Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, has long been certified for civilian use, becoming an important component of the EU market. While the pipeline primarily carries jet fuel, it is also capable of transporting diesel and other petroleum products.

Military deliveries still have priority while moving through the pipeline, and NATO has been actively using it over the past two months, Orkhan Rustamov, the CEO of trading company Alkagesta, told Bloomberg on Monday.

The increased use is reportedly straining the system, particularly in Rotterdam, pushing out civilian jet fuel supplies and reducing deliveries to key European airports, including a major hub in Frankfurt, Germany.

While Rustamov’s company did not deliver fuel through Rotterdam during the period he mentioned, he said he had learned about increased military use from other industry actors. The CEO refused to elaborate on the volumes put into the system by the military, citing potential security concerns, stating only that it equated to several days of Italian demand for jet fuel and kerosene, Bloomberg said.

While it is not immediately clear what prompted the increased military use of the pipeline, it comes amid the US-Israeli war with Iran.

Apart from flying warplanes to strike targets in the country, the Pentagon has also been actively conducting military cargo flights into the Middle East, according to independent observers. The cargo flights likely brought in additional equipment and personnel even as hostilities waned after Washington and Tehran reached a temporary ceasefire.

The war with Iran has strained global flight connections, with jet fuel prices spiking and prolonged disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic route that carries around 20% of the world’s oil. The International Energy Agency has warned of rising market volatility and possible jet fuel shortages within six weeks if disruptions continue. A number of airlines have announced cuts to their schedules in an effort to contain the damage inflicted by the Middle East crisis.

Estonia has dismissed Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky’s claims that Russia could be preparing to attack NATO’s Baltic members, saying its intelligence does not indicate any plans, according to public broadcaster ERR. Moscow has long described claims of a “Russian threat” as “nonsense” used by the US-led military bloc’s European members to justify increased defense spending.

Zelensky told local media over the weekend that Russia could be planning a new conscription drive to step up its military operation in Ukraine or launch a smaller one against one of the Baltic states, which he said “are not prepared for strong resistance.”

Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna told ERR on Monday that, since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, Kiev has repeatedly claimed that Russia plans on attacking the Baltic nations.

“We don’t see Russia concentrating its forces or preparing in any way militarily to attack NATO or the Baltic states,” Tsahkna said, adding that these “statements do not correspond to our intelligence information.”

The NATO member’s Foreign Intelligence Service (EFIS) concluded in its annual threat assessment report, published in February, that Russia poses no threat to Estonia in the coming years, stating that there is “no cause for panic.”

Estonia has been among Ukraine’s top supporters and has pushed for increased military spending in Europe. Tsahkna said recently that Tallinn is not against the idea of hosting NATO nuclear weapons, adding that the country will be ready if the bloc decides to station them there.

Western officials have long used speculation of looming Russian aggression to justify increased defense spending, including Brussels’ €800 billion ($943 billion) ReArm Europe plan and NATO members’ pledge to raise defense spending to 5% of GDP.

Moscow has rejected the claims. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said Russia has no reason to attack the EU or NATO unless attacked first, and that it is the European NATO members that “are seriously preparing for war against the Russian Federation and... are not even hiding it.”

French investigators have summoned X owner Elon Musk for a “voluntary interview” which they say could shed light on allegations that the platform was involved in the spread of AI-generated child sexual abuse images and deepfake content.

The French authorities have had a long-running feud with the US-based billionaire, casting his social media platform as a potential threat to democracy, while Musk says he is defending freedom of speech.

According to the Wall Street Journal, France attempted to convince the US Department of Justice (DOJ) to cooperate in the probe – only to be rebutted over what the DOJ suspected was an attempt “to entangle the United States in a politically charged criminal proceeding.”

Here is what we know about the Musk-France feud so far.

How did the feud between Musk and France start?

The probe dates back to January 2025, when a formal complaint against X was lodged by a French MP and a public official. According to reports at the time, the documents cited a “major modification in the algorithm used by the X platform,” resulting in a surge of “hateful, racist, anti-LGBTQ, or homophobic” content designed to “skew democratic debate in France”.

Around the same time, Musk was openly endorsing European right-wing parties, including the Alternative for Germany (AfD), Reform UK, and France’s National Rally.

A formal criminal investigation over alleged algorithm manipulation and illicit data extraction was opened in July 2025 and handed to the national police.

X denied any wrongdoing, describing the probe as an attack on free speech that distorted domestic law to “serve a political agenda.” The platform also complained that the authorities classified it as an “organized gang” and said it would not cooperate, adding that prosecutors were steering the investigation toward a predetermined outcome.

What has France accused X of?

The probe has since been expanded to include the following allegations:
• Complicity in the possession of pornographic images of minors
• Complicity in the organized distribution of these images
• Defamation of personal image through sexual deepfakes
• Denial of crimes against humanity (Holocaust denial)
• Fraudulent extraction of data from an automated data processing system by an organized group
• Falsification of the operation of an automated data processing system by an organized group
• Operating an illegal online platform by an organized group

Has controversial sexualized content been generated by Grok and X?

X found itself in hot water in late 2025 and early 2026 when the Grok AI assistant generated an estimated 3 million sexualized images, including thousands that appeared to depict children. Grok’s ‘spicy mode’ reportedly sexualized public figures such as Selena Gomez, Taylor Swift, and former US Vice President Kamala Harris.

Some users asked Grok to edit photos of women into sexualized poses and revealing clothing, and others asked it to add blood and bruising; the chatbot publicly posted these graphic images in response.

In response to the backlash, in January, X restricted Grok’s ability to edit photos of real people and show them in revealing clothing in jurisdictions where it is illegal. According to NBC, however, Grok still continues to fulfill these requests in some cases.

Holocaust controversy

In November 2025, Grok answered questions about common myths surrounding the Holocaust in a thread under a post by a convicted French Holocaust denier and neo-Nazi militant, writing that the gas chambers at the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp were designed for “disinfection with Zyklon B against typhus” rather than mass murder – effectively denying well-established Nazi crimes.

Grok later backpedaled, calling its statement ‘false’ and attributing it to “an anomalous glitch in an early output.” Musk explained the incident by saying that Grok “was too compliant to user prompts” and the issue was being dealt with.

The authorities in France – which has strict Holocaust-denial laws – expanded the probe to include the incident.

’Free speech is pure bulls**t’

French President Emmanuel Macron has made no secret of his intention to introduce more guardrails for regulating social media. In February, in one of his most brazen takes on the matter, he blasted social media platforms for “having no clue about how their algorithm is made.”

“The democratic consequences of this bias could be huge,” he said, adding: “Free speech is pure bulls**t if nobody knows how you are guided to this so-called free speech, especially when it is guided from one hate speech to another.”

He has also accused X of being “dominated by far-right content,” suggesting that the platform is no longer neutral because of the political affiliation of its owner.

Is Washington cooperating in the probe against Musk and X?

According to the Wall Street Journal, the DOJ told the French law enforcement authorities that it would not facilitate their efforts to investigate X. The letter seen by the outlet argued that the investigation “seeks to use the criminal legal system in France to regulate a public square for the free expression of ideas,” and that French requests for US assistance “constitute an effort to entangle the United States in a politically charged criminal proceeding.”

The Paris prosecutor’s office said it has no knowledge of the DOJ letter.

The Trump administration has long criticized the EU over what it describes as “digital censorship” and “regulatory suffocation” – including the bloc’s strict digital market guidelines, which the administration claims discriminate against US-based tech giants such as Microsoft, Google, and Meta.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has turned EU governance into a “super authoritarian” system, former European Council President Charles Michel has said, accusing her of overstepping her mandate.

Michel, who worked alongside von der Leyen for five years from 2019 until 2024, has become the latest figure to criticize her leadership style.

“There is a super authoritarian governance,” he said in an interview with The Brussels Times on Monday. “[The European] commissioners have absolutely no role anymore.” 

Under EU treaties, the 27 commissioners collectively propose laws, enforce treaties, and manage the EU budget, while the president sets political guidelines and allocates portfolios. Von der Leyen has been accused of concentrating power in her own office, reducing commissioners to little more than administrators.

Michel, a former Belgian prime minister, said his inability to work with von der Leyen was unprecedented. “Never in the past had I faced this level of difficulty in terms of collaboration with a colleague. Never,” he said.

Tensions between the bloc’s top officials spilled into the public during the so-called “Sofagate” incident in Ankara in April 2021, when Michel took the only available chair next to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, leaving von der Leyen without a seat and forcing her onto a sofa. At the time, von der Leyen suggested sexism was at play.

“The protocol was perfectly respected,” Michel insisted. “The Commission decided to instrumentalize this incident to try to grab more power… and to get involved in things that are not [its] responsibility.” 

Von der Leyen has also reportedly proposed creating a new intelligence cell that would bypass the EU’s existing intelligence center, while seeking to concentrate authority at the expense of the bloc’s diplomatic service.

Former and current EU officials have levelled similar complaints against von der Leyen. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas reportedly described her as a “dictator.” Kallas’ predecessor Josep Borrell said she “systematically exceeded” her powers in shaping foreign policy. Former Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton accused her of “questionable governance” and of going behind his back to force him out.

Von der Leyen’s presidency has been shadowed by controversy. The so-called “Pfizergate” affair, involving undisclosed text messages between her and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla raised questions about transparency. In January, she survived a fourth no-confidence vote in the European Parliament.

Oil prices jumped on Monday after the US seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship near the Strait of Hormuz, dimming prospects for peace in the war on Iran and raising fresh supply concerns. 

Both Brent and West Texas Intermediate jumped more than 6%, to above $96 and $88 per barrel, respectively, in the latest swing after weeks of volatile trading. The gains followed renewed disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend after a brief reopening late last week. Tehran has warned the route will remain restricted unless the US naval blockade is lifted. 

On Sunday, a US warship fired at and seized an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel, the Touska, in the Gulf of Oman. According to the US military, the ship was attempting to breach the naval blockade and reach Bandar Abbas via the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran condemned the move as “armed maritime piracy,” accusing Washington of violating the ceasefire in place since April 8 and warning of retaliation. 

The US-Israeli bombing campaign prompted Iran to restrict passage through the strait, a conduit for roughly 20% of global oil, for “enemy ships,” snarling supply chains and sending prices higher. Prices had eased earlier this month during the first round of US-Iran talks in Islamabad on hopes of the strait reopening, before rebounding after the negotiations collapsed.  

Analysts say markets are reacting primarily to the threat of reduced supply, with traders pricing in further disruptions to Gulf exports. Kuwait, a major crude exporters, has reportedly declared force majeure on some oil and fuel shipments.  

OPEC+ production limits and higher shipping and insurance costs are constraining producers’ ability to replace lost barrels. Industry estimates suggest hundreds of millions of barrels are now effectively stranded behind the chokepoint. 

Higher crude prices are feeding through petrol and diesel across Europe, the US, and parts of Asia. Wholesale gas prices have risen, and heating-oil futures – a proxy for jet fuel – are also up. The renewed surge in energy bills is adding to public frustration. 

The Hormuz disruption has triggered ripple effects across the global economy. The International Energy Agency has warned of rising market volatility and possible jet fuel shortages in Europe within six weeks. Humanitarian organizations have also flagged knock-on risks to global food security as fertilizer and agricultural supply chains are affected. 

Europe is widely seen as one of the biggest losers from the Hormuz blockade due to its heavy reliance on Middle Eastern oil after sanctioning Russian supplies. Moscow, by contrast, has benefited from higher prices and stronger demand for its crude, with estimates putting the windfall at up to $150 million a day. 

The US has renewed a sanctions exemption allowing Russian crude and petroleum products already loaded onto tankers to be delivered and sold freely, in a bid to help temper the price surge. Russia has called for a peaceful resolution of the Middle East conflict and said it is ready to plug any oil supply gap to offset shortages.

Few figures in contemporary American politics have risen as swiftly or as improbably as US Vice President J.D. Vance, propelled from relative obscurity to the very apex of power. Yet this meteoric ascent carries its own perils: What appears as extraordinary fortune conceals, under the surface, the very conditions of strategic entrapment.

The crucible of power: Vance’s dual test of survival

Entrusted with the fraught assignment of leading negotiations with Iran, a high-stakes diplomatic mission that promises prestige yet cloaks hazard, Vance confronts a classic poisoned chalice.

The role confers visibility and the semblance of influence, yet concentrates the risk of failure upon Vance. At the same time, the treacherous charge provides cover for his principal, US President Donald Trump, who preserves the ability to appropriate any gains as his own. This asymmetric risk burden is only one dimension of the vice-presidential existential predicament.

Beyond the rigged assignment itself lies a more diffuse but equally perilous hazard: The taint of association. Entanglement with the administration’s overall record, regardless of the specific brief in the Iran file, threatens to imprint itself indelibly upon the vice president’s public identity, casting him as the face of outcomes he has never been able to control.

Distinct in origin yet mutually reinforcing, these twin pressures render Vance’s position a crucible, making his tenure a defining test not just of execution, but of political survival. Caught between loyalty and self-preservation, he embodies the vice-presidential paradox of delegated authority in its most unforgiving form.

Yet diagnosis is only half the story: The predicament demands not just analysis, but a clear-eyed strategic response. What the vice president needs now is nothing less than a deliberate, finely calibrated, and truly transformative strategy to prevent both traps from sealing his political fate.

The V-Strategy: Resolving the vice-presidential dilemma

To escape the catch-22, Vance should, as a first recourse, seek to persuade Trump to reverse course across contentious policy fronts. Given Trump’s well-documented intransigence, such an effort is unlikely to prevail.

Should this prelude fail, Vance might attempt to establish a carefully choreographed good cop-bad cop arrangement, casting himself as the moderating counterpoint. Yet this, too, is improbable. Trump’s political instinct, though inclined toward provocation, remains fundamentally anchored in the pursuit of personal acclaim, the hallmark of the archetypal Narcissist.

Absent both a substantive policy shift and a coordinated dual-role configuration, the vice president must adopt a two-pronged approach, encapsulated in the V-Strategy (the first letter standing for both Vance and Victory). It enables a complicit deputy to remain viable as a presidential contender through a disciplined strategy of differentiation and contestation.

In the first step, Vance must escape the immediate gilded trap of the Iran portfolio; second, beyond Iran, he must mitigate the longer-term risk of being permanently tainted by association with Trump.

Though the moment is already advanced, it is not yet so late that such strategic action would be seen as a precipitous abandonment at the point of collapse, a move often condemned as jumping ship. The broader public has yet to grasp the full extent of the unfolding disaster, a picture that may sharpen after midterm elections unfavorable to Republicans.

Vance can always frame his earlier restraint as loyalty and a commitment to unity in crisis, and any later break as an act of civil courage rather than betrayal – after all, no legacy is so rich as honesty.

As a precondition for strategic buffering and leverage, the vice president must become fully power-literate, developing a granular understanding of the political forces at work.

The Poisoned Chalice Equation: Cracking the code of power

The underlying risk of Vance’s hazardous commission can be expressed plainly in what may be termed the Poisoned Chalice Equation (PCE):

Poisoned Chalice Risk = (Responsibility – Authority) × Visibility × Uncertainty.

In simple terms, the more you are held accountable for outcomes beyond your control, the greater your public exposure, and the less predictable the outcome, the more likely you are to bear the blame. When the stakes are high, such risk elevation translates directly into a commensurate increase in the expected total cost of your engagement.

In Vance’s case, responsibility is substantial, authority partial, visibility maximal, and uncertainty profound, while the mission itself is inherently world-shaping. This combustible configuration demands careful calibration of each variable to contain blame exposure and mitigate the attendant risk of lasting reputational damage.

Fortuitously, the PCE serves not only to illuminate power dynamics but to actively shape them, enabling the construction of a protective buffer while opening avenues for transformative leverage.

Calibrated action: Turning the Poisoned Chalice to strategic advantage

As regards the Iran file, Vance must not simply accept the chalice unaltered, but expose its origin, transmute its contents, and determine who must drink the refashioned draught. The cumulative effect of these mutually reinforcing actions is paradigm-shifting.

By deliberately recalibrating the equation’s variables – narrowing the responsibility gap, attenuating visibility, and tempering uncertainty – Vance can materially reduce the hazard it describes. More than that, he may transform a liability into an influential platform for projecting strategic acuity, converting exposure into credibility and risk into political capital.

To begin with, the vice president can both redress the disparity between responsibility and actual power and diffuse concentrated visibility by dispersing ownership of process and outcome in equal measure. At the same time, Vance should strengthen his capacity to shape outcomes in his favor by securing greater operational latitude from Trump and broadening his coalition of support.

The poisoned chalice exerts its toxic effect only when accountability can be individualized, with the equation’s variables being concentrated in a single actor. By embedding the negotiations within a multilateral, institutional framework – foregrounding the roles of the president, security agencies, Congress, and allies – Vance can effectively dilute the toxic attribution of responsibility focused on him alone while simultaneously reducing perilously personalized visibility.

This is not evasion but fidelity to reality: Iran policy is inherently collective. The more explicitly that collective character is articulated, the harder it becomes to collapse failure onto a single figure, and the more the burden of responsibility is redistributed, or even shifted, across the system that in fact determines outcomes.

What ultimately shapes public perception is not the substantive result of negotiations, but the authority to define their meaning. Vance must therefore establish the criteria of success for which he will be held accountable before they are imposed upon him.

Should he permit the negotiations to be judged merely by the crude binary metric of ‘deal or no deal’, he incurs responsibility for an optimistic outcome that is at present rendered unlikely by structural impasse.

By cultivating a reputation for sobriety, acknowledging constraints rather than inflating prospects, Vance can invert the legacy of overconfidence associated with Trump, substituting disciplined realism for rhetorical excess. In doing so, he stands to mitigate the risk that an inconclusive result will be construed as failure.

Crucially, Vance must publicly reframe his mandate as one of patiently clarifying systemic conditions and deliberately charting a viable path forward rather than immediately delivering a sweeping, definitive breakthrough. This entails candidly delineating the systemic boundaries imposed by American positions, Iran’s own red lines, and the fragmented diplomatic landscape.

For instance, Vance may publicly underscore that maximalist US demands such as the relinquishment of nuclear rights, Iran’s counter-insistence on unencumbered sovereignty, and the multiplicity of mediators render a swift deal structurally unlikely.

At the same time, he could consistently highlight incremental progress such as confidence-building measures or verifiable concessions that yield partial de-escalation.

Taken together, he thus can recalibrate expectations, diffuse ownership, and recast even the absence of a final agreement as strategic restraint rather than personal failure.

By grounding expectations in reality and shifting evaluation from personal performance to systemic dynamics, while operating within an expanded coalition of support, Vance is bound to transform himself.

Instead of remaining a highly exposed, disposable agent of all-or-nothing outcomes, the vice president stands to evolve into an indispensable interpreter of both structural conditions and continuous progress. In doing so, he shifts the interpretative frame from dichotomous judgment in a zero-sum game to a more differentiated and sustainable win-win dynamic.

Finally, by pivoting from the extreme contingency of a putative, amorphous grand bargain, purported to resolve a conflict rooted in the 1979 Revolution in a single stroke, to a more feasible, concrete, near-horizon incremental settlement, Vance is also bound to reduce uncertainty, the last term in the PCE, in his favor.

Cumulatively, the careful calibration of all variables can transmute liability into leverage.

By anchoring expectations in sober realism, Vance draws a sharp contrast with Trump’s habit of overpromising and thus enhances his own standing. By crediting incremental progress to interagency discipline and allied coordination, while explicitly attributing deadlock to maximalist positions at the presidential level, he casts himself as a credible, reality-attuned statesman to whom partners increasingly turn.

Through these measures, the vice president converts exposure into authority, strengthening his position while the burden of failure shifts upward to the president.

Beyond Iran: The battle for political identity

In highly visible, ambiguous settings, responsibility without control is not empowerment but exposure.

Vance’s narrow yet real opportunity lies in inverting this logic by pursuing a strategic course that not only enables him to survive the chalice, but entails exposing it and remaking its contents for others to consume.

Yet even if the vice president masters this trial by fire, deftly navigating the acute Iran crisis and achieving success against the odds, the broader hazard of enduring taint by association persists.

Hence, the ultimate test lies not in diplomacy abroad but in political differentiation at home. The question is whether Vance can, at the decisive juncture, redraw the line between loyalty and independence before proximity congeals into identity. What, pray, is the complementary component of the V-Strategy that can effect this separation at the ‘kairos’?

[Part 2 of a series on vice-presidential strategy. To be continued. Previous column in the series: Part 1, published on 18 April 2026: Prof. Schlevogt’s Compass No. 54: Vance’s VP Dilemma – The poisoned chalice and taint of power]

Washington and Tehran remain deadlocked over Iran’s nuclear program and its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. Iran has insisted that continuing its nuclear program is its sovereign right, while the US maintains that the program must be abandoned for good and the uranium surrendered.

RT looks into the status of Iran’s uranium stockpile, as well as the positions of Tehran and Washington on the issue as the temporary ceasefire nears its end.

How much uranium does Iran have?

Iran has a sizable stockpile of fissile materials, including uranium enriched up to 60%. While the material is not yet weapons-grade, it could potentially be enriched to that level in a matter of days, depending on the equipment used. Tehran has long maintained its nuclear program serves purely civilian goals and rejected assertions it had been seeking to build nuclear weapons.  

According to the latest comprehensive assessment from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), published in May 2025, Tehran possessed more than 400 kg of uranium enriched up to 60%, as well as nearly 300 kg enriched up to 20%. Apart from that, the country was believed to hold some 5.5 tons of uranium enriched up to 5%, as well as some 2.2 tons up to 2%.  

Where exactly is the Iranian stockpile?

The whereabouts and status of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile are debated, and no solid independent assessment of them is available. The IAEA said it had lost “continuity of knowledge” about the stash after Tehran turned off on-site cameras used to monitor its nuclear program in June 2022 in retaliation for what it called a “political” resolution adopted by the organization. In its May 2025 assessment, the organization admitted the knowledge gap was no longer bridgeable.

According to US claims, Iran’s “nuclear dust,” as US President Donald Trump has described it, remains buried at the nuclear facilities bombed by the US in June 2025. At the time, the US attacked sites in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, striking underground facilities with bunker buster bombs and Tomahawk missiles. While Trump claimed the key uranium-enrichment facilities ended up “completely and totally obliterated,” a July 2025 Pentagon assessment suggested the country’s nuclear program had only been set back by up to two years. Tehran has been elusive about the extent of damage and the fate of the fissile materials stockpile, stating only that the sites sustained severe damage.  

A recent report by Le Monde suggested that Iran could have transferred possibly all of its highly enriched uranium to the Isfahan underground facility shortly before the June 2025 strikes. The assessment is based on a satellite image taken on June 9, 2025, which shows a large flatbed truck packed with 18 blue containers, which experts believed to be consistent with caskets used to transport highly radioactive materials. The containers could hold up to 540kg of uranium, according to experts cited by the newspaper. After the strikes, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth insisted that no intelligence suggested Iran had moved any of its highly enriched uranium prior to the attacks. 

The polar positions of the US and Iran on the uranium

The issue of the uranium has remained a key obstacle to an agreement between the US and Iran. Washington has demanded that Tehran surrender all of its highly enriched uranium, as well as dismantle its infrastructure and abandon the nuclear program for good.  

During the recent talks between Iran and the US in Islamabad, which concluded without any breakthrough, US Vice President J.D. Vance reportedly proposed a 20-year ban on Tehran pursuing its nuclear program. However, Trump publicly rejected such prospects, stating the purportedly proposed moratorium period was not long enough.

Tehran has repeatedly refused to abandon its nuclear program, offering to dilute its highly enriched uranium stockpile instead. During the discussions in Islamabad, it also reportedly offered a five-year moratorium on uranium enrichment. 

Top Iranian officials have repeatedly rejected the idea of surrendering the stockpile to the US or any other third party, insisting that the country’s nuclear achievements and assets were a matter of national pride and non-negotiable. The stance was reiterated by Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei. during a press conference on Monday. Transferring the country’s enriched uranium abroad “has never been raised as an option for us in negotiations,” Baghaei stated.

Russian offer 

Moscow has on several occasions proposed to host Iran’s enriched uranium as a compromise to defuse the Middle East crisis. According to remarks made by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov last week, Russia extended its offer “quite a time ago,” and Tehran had been “okay with it” at the time.

Peskov described the plan as “a very good solution” but said it had been firmly rejected by Washington.

Russian officials have signaled that the offer remains on the table. The head of Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom, Aleksey Likhachev, said over the weekend the company was ready to help remove Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile.  

“Only Russia has positive experience interacting with Iran. In 2015, at Iran’s request, we already removed enriched uranium… We are ready to assist with this issue today as well,” Likhachev told corporate newspaper Strana Rosatom. 

Iran exported some 11 tons of low-enriched uranium to Russia under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), popularly known as the “Iran nuclear deal,” a 2015 multinational plan to limit Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. The scheme crumbled early in Trump’s first term, after the US president accused Tehran of violating the “spirit” of the deal and unilaterally walked away from it.

After eight snap elections in five years, Bulgaria’s Rumen Radev, a 62-year-old reform-minded pragmatist with much political (he’s a former president) and military (he's also a former general) experience has just managed to gain an absolute majority of seats in the national parliament. It is, according to Bloomberg “a landslide” and, for German mainstream flagship Spiegel, an “exorbitant victory.”

With this breakthrough, Radev’s party Progressive Bulgaria has also broken a long trend of inconclusive elections and now has very good chances of establishing a stable, lasting government after years of instability and scandals, climaxing in a full government collapse late last year.

Election participation was higher than usual, which is another signal of genuine popular support for Radev’s message and reinforces his mandate. Bulgaria has been suffering from prolonged gridlock and a massive crisis of public trust. No one can predict the future, but Radev promises a fresh beginning, and this election result at least provides a chance to make one. Moreover, Progressive Bulgaria’s voter appeal, polls show, has not only been deep but also wide: Gen-Z, older citizens, pro-EU voters and those often, in Western mainstream media, disparaged as “pro-Russian,” and, last but not least, Bulgaria’s expat voters – they are all in the mix.

While Progressive Bulgaria will not have the two-thirds majority to make constitutional changes without help from other parties, Radev will have enough seats to rule without a coalition partner. In a country where coalition building has become associated with sleaze and inefficiency that is an advantage. Especially if Radev makes good on one of his key campaign promises to fight corruption and the influence of what Bulgarians call the “oligarchy.”

In sum, Radev’s election victory should be grounds for if not celebration than at least optimism. All the more so since he is also ready to apply constructive pragmatism to Bulgaria’s relationship with the EU as well. In his own words, “what Europe needs right now is critical thinking, pragmatic action and results, especially building a new security architecture and recovering its industrial power and competitiveness […] That will be the main contribution of Bulgaria to its European mission.”

What’s not to love?

Plenty, it turns out, at least for some Western and especially EU observers struggling with their own biases and, really, phobias. Because, you see, there is a thing that Radev does not have: He does not hate Russia. Indeed, according to Spiegel, always EU-aligned to the point of obsequiousness, there is “disquiet in Brussels,” because Radev has “the reputation of being inclined toward Moscow.” What a delicate way of shouting “Russians under the Bulgarian bed!”

But it’s all the same anyhow: Radev stands accused of one of the worst heresies against Western and, in particular, EU doctrine. Being soft on and even Russia-friendly, as Bloomberg, for instance has put it. The catalogue of his alleged sins is short but impressive: he has objected to delivering ever more weapons to fuel the West’s proxy war against Russia in and via Ukraine; called Crimea Russian, does not believe in sanctions against Russia, and, in general, dares criticize EU foreign policy.

Radev, to be sure, has made no radical statements regarding Bulgaria’s membership in the EU or NATO, and observers generally agree that he is very unlikely to challenge either. It even remains to be seen whether now that he has power, he will repeat his attacks on Bulgaria’s mistake of adopting the euro. Yet all that moderation and pragmatism may not be enough for the true believers now dominating the EU. For them, the mere fact that Radev openly displays his lack of belief in the Ukraine war project and – correctly – hints that Europe’s future depends on inexpensive, that is, Russian, energy may well be enough to initiate a slide into ostracism.

For now, the message seems to be that the EU establishment does not expect Radev to become a second Victor Orban, the long-time leader of Hungary, that the EU has just removed by massive interference in Hungary’s domestic politics. But the essence of that conditional offer to try cooperating is, of course, really a warning or, to be more precise, a threat: Do not be Orban or else!

The irony of this uneasy relationship is palpable but worth restating: The issue is not that Radev is “Russia-friendly.” He is simply reasonable and pragmatic and that sets him at odds with the extremely irrational Russophobia that is maintaining a tight grip on the EU. While Western mainstream commentators are stuck on pondering whether Radev’s purported sympathy for Russia is a big or maybe just a small problem, they are, as so often, caught up in the wrong question. The problem isn’t “Radev and Russia” at all. It is that for so many in the EU, the only good relationship with Russia is a bad one, a very, very bad one, please. 

Lebanon’s political system and differing views on how to deal with Israel make a lasting peace deal difficult to achieve, according to an RT report from Beirut. 

Political power in the country is formally divided along religious lines, with key roles allocated to different communities. It is a structure designed to preserve balance, though it can also make unified decision-making more challenging. 

While the government has signaled openness to negotiations and recently moved to restrict Hezbollah’s military role, positions across the political spectrum remain varied.

Hezbollah, which has been in conflict with Israel since the civil war in the 1980s, rejects disarmament. Its allies in the Amal movement argue the issue is an internal matter and that Lebanon has the right to maintain a “strong military” to defend its land.  

“If half the population is against direct talks with Israel, you can’t force it down their throats,” according to RT correspondent Marina Kosareva. Banning Hezbollah’s armed wing “won’t make them go away or accept foreign peace terms.”  

With ceasefire violations reported daily and internal differences unresolved, prospects for a stable settlement remain uncertain. 

Watch the full report below.

The surge in oil prices in light of the war on Iran has grabbed most of the headlines. For many observers, the severity of the crisis is measurable in the daily changes in the Brent ticker. Some analysts have also begun pointing to emerging stress in fertilizer markets. But beneath these familiar markers, several less visible – and in some cases more systemic – signals are now flashing red.

RT takes a look at the ominous signs that don’t always show up in the news. 

Naphtha 

​Naphtha, a feedstock for petrochemicals, is a classic behind-the-scenes actor. Rarely in the headlines, naphtha is critical to the production of much modern technology, not to mention a whole host of everyday plastics, car parts, medical supplies, packaging – you name it. Naphtha sits at the base of the petrochemical supply chain, where it can wreak havoc if it’s not in supply. 

So what exactly is naphtha? It is a liquid hydrocarbon mixture derived from the distillation of crude oil. It is then “cracked” at extreme temperatures to extract ethylene and propylene, which is upstream from a slew of chemical processes that produce the high-purity chemicals, solvents, and plastics that are used in numerous industries, including as supporting inputs in semiconductor manufacturing. Because naphtha is not a core chip material input itself, its role is often overlooked.

Unsurprisingly, naphtha generally exhibits a strong positive price correlation with Brent crude. It is a refinery product, so crude costs are an important driver of pricing. However, its price can diverge meaningfully because it is primarily used in petrochemicals and not simply as a fuel. Naphtha supply disruptions have already made themselves felt in parts of Asia, even causing shortages of plastic bags in South Korea. Incidentally, South Korea has purchased Russian naphtha for the first time in four years.

Several large petrochemical companies, such as LG Chem and Lotte Chemical, are having to cut production or shut cracking facilities due to feedstock shortages. This has disrupted supplies of plastics and packaging, impacting products from consumer goods to medical supplies. 

For industrial heavyweight Japan, for example, the disruption to the flow of naphtha is arguably the most pressing economic fallout from the crisis in the Middle East. Japan gets around 60% of its naphtha from overseas. The Middle East is responsible for over 70% of those imports, according to the Japan Petrochemical Industry Association.

The 40% of Japan’s naphtha that comes from domestic refineries isn’t exactly immune to problems in the Middle East – 90% of the oil these refineries use comes from the same region. 

Diesel 

Diesel is a middle distillate fuel, meaning that it is heavier than gasoline but lighter than fuel oil. It is called “the fuel of the real economy.” It powers all the heavy stuff: trucks, ships, construction, mining, agriculture. 

Of particular concern is the fact that diesel prices rise faster than gasoline in nearly every energy crisis. Because it is a critical heavy-transport fuel it has low demand elasticity – meaning diesel consumers will keep buying even at higher prices. Also, it is much harder to ramp up diesel refining quickly. Refineries generally operate at high utilization and have inflexible configurations, limiting their ability to respond quickly to demand surges.

Because diesel is the fuel for the “real economy,” price spikes can be broadly inflationary. According to BloombergNEF, diesel at $5 per gallon in the US could increase prices to consumers by 35%.

Diesel cost an average of $5.61 a gallon nationwide as of last Thursday, according to the American Automobile Association. That is just over $2 above the average on the same date last year and 63 cents more than a month earlier.

Diesel prices have also surged across Europe. Analysts are now warning of potential shortages of both jet fuel and diesel this summer. These two fuels are often grouped together as middle distillates and can to some extent be substituted or blended.

Aluminum

The Iran war has triggered a major crisis in the global aluminum market that could reverberate across numerous sectors of the economy. 

Consultancy Wood Mackenzie estimates that the global market is staring at a supply deficit of up to 4 million metric tons this year, which would be the largest in over 25 years. JPMorgan has warned that the global aluminum market has entered a supply “black hole.”

Prices are forecast to exceed $4,000 per tonne. For comparison, the long-term “normal” range is $1,500-$2,500 per tonne. The majority of aluminum ​producers in the Gulf, which account for around 9% of global ​supply, have been unable to make shipments to world markets. Meanwhile, a missile strike last month damaged the Al Taweelah smelter operated by Emirates Global Aluminium. Repairs will reportedly take up to a year. 

As smelters run through stocks of raw materials, production shutdowns could be forthcoming. But shutting down aluminum smelter isn’t the same thing as turning off an appliance and turning it back on with the flip of a switch. Smelters run around-the-clock at extremely high temperatures. If you shut them down, the molten metal solidifies and damages the equipment. Restarting them is extremely costly and technically challenging and sometimes entails a full rebuild. 

It is currently Western manufacturers taking the brunt of the crisis and partly by the doing of their own countries’ policies. China and Russia are both among the world’s main sources of aluminum but both have been cut off from Western markets because of tariffs and sanctions. 

Crack spreads

The gap between what a refiner pays for crude oil and the price at which it sells the finished product is called the crack spread – the word to describe the refining process of “cracking” large hydrocarbon molecules into smaller ones (gasoline, diesel, naphtha, etc.)

A normal crack spread is between $10 and $20, although it can vary by product and region. What we are seeing now is crack spreads over $50. This means refined fuels are becoming more valuable relative to crude oil. This will show up in naphtha and diesel (already discussed above) and in gasoline prices at the pump. Crack spreads therefore provide a useful indicator of fuel-related cost pressures faced by consumers.

Meanwhile, what we’re seeing is a windfall for refiners. In crises such as the current one, pricing power shifts to the most capacity-constrained stage in the system, where output cannot be easily expanded. In this case – and often in oil markets – it is the refining stage. 

Helium

Helium, a byproduct of natural ​gas processing, is a small market that punches well above its weight. Helium is essential in the high-tech world. It has important uses in chipmaking for which there is no easy substitute. 

Currently, the global supply of helium is significantly disrupted and reports of rationing are already emerging. The war has thrown a wrench in both the production and transportation of helium. Supply chains for high-tech goods are already feeling the effects. If dislocations continue, this could start to noticeably interfere with production of goods such as electronics, automobiles, and even smartphones.  

Helium production is highly concentrated in certain countries. Qatar, a large natural gas supplier, produces nearly a third ​of global supply, according to the US Geological Survey. However, the Ras Laffan Industrial City, the single largest helium production site in the world, sustained damage from a missile in early March. The Qatari government estimates that it will take up to five years to fully repair the site.

While shippers of some goods have diverted vessels around the Cape of Good Hope, a much longer but entirely unencumbered route, this is not as viable for helium, which is transported in specialized cryogenic containers. During long trips, the helium inevitably heats up and “boils off.”

Sulfur

The disruptions in fertilizer markets have garnered a lot of attention but less focus has been on the major feedstock components of fertilizer: sulfur. Called the “king of chemicals,” sulfur is a byproduct of oil and gas refining. It’s another of the vastly underappreciated inputs that keep things running and keep food plentiful across the globe. 

Once converted into sulfuric acid, it is used in fertilizers and metal processing, as well as in many pharmaceuticals. The Gulf accounts for roughly 45% of global supply, which means the disruption is already having knock-on effects in both agriculture and metals. Compounding the problem is the fact that sulfuric acid isn’t easily replaced or immediately substitutable. Another vulnerability is that it is not stockpiled heavily, so when flows stop trouble can creep up quite quickly. This sends consumers scrambling for expensive spot supply – all of which eventually shows up in food price inflation. 

Sulfur prices have moved sharply higher since the war on Iran began, and now countries are taking measures to insulate their own economies. Türkiye has announced a ban on sulfur exports, while India is also reportedly considering export restrictions. 

Looking ahead

The global economy is as fragile as it is complex. As analyst Zoltan Pozsar says, “global supply chains work only in peacetime, but not when the world is at war, be it a hot war or an economic war.” Right now there are both. The confluence of multiple failures at key chokepoints could trigger cascades of crises that would inflict significant and enduring pain across the economy. Nobody thinks much about naphtha or sulfur when the world is humming along. But these and many other inputs, fuels and feedstocks are what keep the whole show running and their absence quickly becomes a crisis.  

More than 3,000 people have reportedly suffered sexual abuse as minors within the Spanish Catholic Church, according to a eight-year investigation by the El Pais newspaper which published its latest findings on Monday.

The outlet began collecting data on sex crimes within the church in 2018, when only 34 cases were officially known. Since then, through public testimonies, judicial records, and church admissions, the number of victims of pedophilia has risen to 3,084 with the earliest incidents dating back to the 1940’s.

The list of accused has reached 1,613, representing 1.46% of the 110,000 priests and laypeople who have served in Spain in the past 80 years.

El Pais’ latest report, the sixth in five years, has added 58 new testimonies from Spain accusing 50 clerics and laypeople, all men except two nuns, and a separate section covering 21 testimonies from eight Latin American countries with 24 individuals accused.

The outlet said that it has shared all its findings with the Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE), the Vatican, and Spain’s human rights commissioner. However, the newspaper noted that over the past five years, the Church has not responded substantively to the allegations with the CEE prioritizing “opacity and denial” while the Vatican has delegated responsibility to the Spanish bishops.

El Pais has also noted a recurring pattern where accused priests are often transferred between parishes or sent abroad, sometimes to Latin America, without facing canonical or civil consequences. In several cases, religious orders are accused of having moved known offenders to new locations where they continued to have access to children.

Previously, a 2023 survey by Spain’s human rights commissioner estimated that 1.13% of the adult population, about 440,000 people, may have suffered sexual abuse in a Catholic environment.

The latest findings mirror similar revelations in the US, where the Diocese of Brooklyn is currently seeking a global settlement for 1,100 child sex abuse cases, having already paid over $100 million to survivors.

Pope Leo XIV, who will visit Spain in June, is said to have received copies of El Pais’s reports but the Vatican has yet to comment on the latest findings.

South Africa will push to put inequality at the center of the global agenda through a UN resolution, President Cyril Ramaphosa has said.

Pretoria plans to submit a draft to the UN General Assembly in 2026 proposing the creation of an International Panel on Inequality.

“This will ensure that inequality is placed as a critical issue on the global agenda that requires the ongoing attention of world leaders and the broader United Nations system,” Ramaphosa said in Barcelona on Saturday.

The proposal has already received backing from the African Union, he added, calling on UN member states and civil society to support the initiative.

The body would be modeled on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and tasked with monitoring global inequality trends, assessing their causes and impacts, and evaluating policy responses.

Inequality, as defined in the G20-backed report, includes disparities in income, wealth and access to opportunities, as well as differences in economic development among countries.

The move follows a global inequality report commissioned during South Africa’s G20 presidency and led by Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz, which found that inequality is “neither inevitable nor interminable.” 

The World Inequality Report 2026, compiled by more than 200 researchers, found that the top 10% of earners receive more income than the remaining 90% combined, while the poorest half of the global population accounts for less than 10% of total income.

South Africa, which the president described as “possibly the most unequal society in the world” due to its apartheid legacy, hopes the initiative will help mobilize international efforts toward greater social justice.

“If we are to build democracy, to strengthen democracy across the world, if we are to empower people to take charge of their lives, it is essential that we intensify the struggle for equality and social justice,” Cyril Ramaphosa said.

The initiative comes amid a broader push by African nations to assert their positions more forcefully on the global stage, including calls for historical accountability, the return of cultural artifacts, and greater recognition of past injustices.

In March, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution led by Ghana describing the transatlantic chattel slave trade as the “gravest crime against humanity” and calling for reparations.

Canada’s historical overdependence on the US has put it in a vulnerable position and Ottawa should now adopt a more diversified approach to trade, Prime Minister Mark Carney has stated.

The US is Canada’s largest trading partner, accounting for 72% of its exports in 2025, according to Scotiabank.

However, relations between Ottawa and Washington have noticeably soured since Donald Trump assumed office last January, with the US president slapping hefty tariffs on the neighboring nation and routinely referring to Canada as “the 51st state.”

The Canadian prime minister, in turn, has vowed that his country “will never, ever, in any way, shape, or form, be part of the United States.”

In a video address to Canadians on Sunday, Carney said that “many of our former strengths, based on our close ties to America, have become our weaknesses - weaknesses that we must correct.” He argued that the “US has changed,” suggesting that it is unlikely that the “good old days will come back.”

“We can’t rely on one foreign partner,” the Canadian prime minister explained, adding that Ottawa should be “striking new partnerships abroad so we can sell into new markets.”

Carney also noted that “we’ve faced down threats like this before,” referencing military leaders who repelled the US army during the War of 1812.

In January, Carney visited Beijing, where he held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, marking a thaw in bilateral relations that had been frosty for years. The two leaders signed a preliminary ‘agreement-in-principle’ that lowered tariffs on certain goods and could potentially pave the way for a “new strategic partnership” between the nations.

Commenting on the accord, Carney told reporters at the time that “in terms of the way that our relationship has progressed in recent months with China, it is more predictable” than relations between Canada and the US.

Trump responded by claiming that it was “very dangerous” for Canada to “get into business with China.”

The US president also threatened to impose a 100% tariff on all Canadian goods if Ottawa followed through on the trade agreement with Beijing. Trump also claimed that China was “completely taking over” Canada, with the latter supposedly staying afloat “because of the United States.”

Nigeria’s broadcast regulator has tightened the rules for radio and TV stations ahead of the West African nation’s 2027 general election, warning presenters against airing personal opinions, “bullying” guests, and broadcasting “divisive” political material.

Breaches will attract sanctions, the National Broadcasting Commission said in a notice on Friday, adding that it has seen a “sustained increase” in violations of the broadcasting code across news, current affairs, and political programs.

“As Nigeria enters a critical electoral period, the airwaves must not amplify tension or propagate misinformation,” the NBC stated.

It said presenters found to have “expressed personal opinion as fact, bullied or intimidated a guest, denied fair hearing to opposing views, or otherwise compromised neutrality” would be deemed to have committed a ‘Class B breach’. These include violations involving hate speech, fake news, and copyright-related offenses, and can attract a written warning, reduced broadcast hours, and financial penalties of up to 4.999 million Nigerian naira ($3,724) for public and commercial broadcasters.

Nigeria already prohibits presenters from expressing personal opinions as fact, denying opposing views a fair hearing, and airing hateful or inflammatory political material under rules introduced in 2019 and amended in 2020, but the NBC has now warned that it will enforce them more strictly ahead of the 2027 election.

The latest move by the NBC has drawn criticism from the opposition. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who has signaled his intention to run in the next presidential election, has described the measure as a set of “heavy-handed directives” aimed at silencing dissent.

In a post on X on Saturday, Atiku called the directive a “troubling attempt to muzzle the media and shrink the space for free expression in Nigeria,” claiming it signals “a government more interested in controlling narratives than permitting a free, fair, and transparent electoral process.”

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project human rights group has urged the government to withdraw the directive, saying it “represents a dangerous attempt to impose prior censorship on the media and suppress legitimate journalistic expression.”

Amnesty International also denounced the move on Sunday as an “outrageous and desperate” attempt by the NBC to gag journalists and the media.

Nigerian media groups and rights advocates have challenged the NBC’s sanctioning powers, most recently on April 2, 2026, when a court in Abuja dismissed the regulator’s appeal in a case brought by Media Rights Agenda over fines earlier imposed on broadcasters for alleged code breaches.

India and South Korea have set a target to nearly double bilateral trade to $50 billion by 2030.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged to boost trade between their countries from about $27 billion now, after a meeting in New Delhi on Monday.

The leaders vowed to strengthen supply chains, improve market access, and encourage greater investment.

”Following President Lee’s visit, we are going to transform our trusted collaboration into a futuristic partnership,” Modi said.

The Indian prime minister said the countries will tap into new opportunities for cooperation “from chips to ships, talent to technology, entertainment to energy.”

Addressing the joint press meet with President Lee Jae Myung of the Republic of Korea.@Jaemyung_Lee https://t.co/NpU97z4dzB

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 20, 2026

Lee said Seoul and New Delhi have agreed to upgrade economic cooperation by focusing on sectors including shipbuilding, defense, and artificial intelligence.

”In this era of uncertainty, South Korea and India can become optimal all-encompassing cooperation partners to promote mutual growth and innovation,” Lee added.

The Asian nations will try to expand industrial collaboration and boost trade and investment in advanced manufacturing, critical minerals, and nuclear energy, the South Korean leader said.

Seoul aims to increase the import of naphtha, a crude-oil derivative, from New Delhi to offset potential disruptions related to the Middle East conflict. India accounted for about 8% of South Korea’s naphtha imports in 2025.

The countries also signed memoranda of understanding in various sectors, including ports, technology, steel supply chain, small and medium-sized enterprises, and maritime heritage.

Bilateral trade and economic relations between New Delhi and Seoul gathered momentum following the implementation of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in 2010.

The billions of euros slated by the EU for the build up of weapons factories and procurement of military hardware are a “magnet for the criminals,” according to a senior anti-fraud official.

The EU’s defense industry has issues with “manipulation with public tenders, blown-up prices, clientelism [and] corruption,” European Anti-Fraud Office’s (OLAF) Director-General Petr Klement said as quoted by The Financial Times on Monday.

Brussels is pushing for a rapid military build up financed through borrowing some €150 billion ($176 billion) in preparation for a hypothetical war with Russia,. Moscow calls the move a diversion from the EU’s plummeting living standards based on false claims of an imminent threat.

“This is not shaming certain countries or segments. This is simply how it’s been working for decades,” Klement noted.

The splurge comes just as the EU is facing prolonged economic slowdown linked in part to its political decision to phase out Russian energy imports. Energy-intensive export-oriented industries, such as Germany’s automotive manufacturing, have been hit particularly hard. Producers are now shifting towards government-paid defense contracts.

Germany, which Berlin estimates receives nearly 90% of European venture capital in defense technology, is reinventing itself as a weapons factory, The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing examples of firms benefiting from the transition.

Klaus Rosenfeld, CEO of automotive supplier Schaeffler, rebuked business owners who engage in a “lot of whining,” saying firms must instead “roll up our sleeves.” Originally founded during post-World War II reconstruction, the Bavaria-based company is pivoting to products such as drone engines and onboard systems for armored vehicles, targeting to get at least 10% of their turnover from the weapons sector.

Other firms are making similar moves. Veteran combustion engine manufacturer Deutz has reported 15% revenue growth in 2025 after investing in military startups. Volkswagen is negotiating to produce components for Israel’s Iron Dome system. Legacy arms contractor Rheinmetall is facing tough competition from newcomers Helsing and Stark to supply loitering munitions to rearm the German military.

Israel has destroyed any chance of success in US-Iran talks by pushing Washington to kill Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to former senior foreign policy adviser to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Marine Corps veteran James Webb.

In an exclusive interview with Afshin Rattansi’s ‘Going Underground’ on RT, Webb argued that Khamenei’s killing on February 28 – the first day of the US-Israeli campaign – was “indicative of the Israeli planning cycle” and ran counter to how the US government or military has historically operated.

Earlier reporting by the New York Times said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was physically present in the White House Situation Room during a key meeting with US President Donald Trump on February 11.

The assassination was “an Israeli move to effectively bloody the US and draw us deeper into the conflict, because when you do such a thing you don’t just remove the ability to negotiate state to state… you create essentially a blood feud between the two countries,” Webb said.

The status of Iran-US negotiations remains uncertain. Trump insisted over the weekend that talks would take place in Pakistan on Tuesday but Tehran has refused to confirm participation. Initial talks in Islamabad fell through earlier this month. Meanwhile, the US Navy recently seized an Iranian vessel, a move Tehran has denounced as a violation of the ceasefire. The two-week truce was agreed on April 7.

Webb went on to argue that Trump is not getting the full picture and is being heavily influenced by vested interests.

“Access is very restricted in the White House to the President. He is being walled off by certain interests, who in effect have been creating an echo chamber of their ideas,” he said, adding that this is evident in how the war with Iran has been conducted.

Check out the full episode of Going Underground, which airs exclusively on RT.

US President Donald Trump’s threat to destroy Iranian power plants and bridges is “perfectly acceptable,” Washington’s envoy to the UN Mike Waltz has said, dismissing accusations of potential war crimes.

Speaking on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday, Waltz insisted that “all options are on the table” regarding a possible escalation of the US-Israeli war on Iran. He added that US forces could take out Iranian infrastructure “relatively easily” and claimed that Iranian air defenses have been “absolutely decimated.”

When pressed on whether Trump’s threat to target all power plants and bridges in Iran would be considered a breach of international law, Waltz admitted that it would be “an escalatory ladder.” However, he vehemently dismissed “ridiculous arguments” that it would constitute a “war crime,” calling such criticisms “irresponsible,” and drawing parallels with World War II.

Waltz went on to accuse Tehran of blurring the line between civilian and military assets and of allegedly hiding weapons and military hardware in residential areas, schools, and hospitals.

Trump’s threat came in a Truth Social post on Sunday in which he accused Iran of violating a two-week ceasefire by firing at ships in the Strait of Hormuz, including what he claimed were shots aimed at French and British vessels.

“No more Mr. Nice Guy,” Trump wrote, announcing that US representatives would travel to Islamabad for a new round of negotiations on Monday. He warned that if Iran doesn’t accept Washington’s “fair and reasonable deal,” the US is going to “knock out every single power plant, and every single bridge, in Iran.”

On Sunday, the US military announced that it had seized the Iranian-flagged Touska cargo vessel in the Gulf of Oman when it was allegedly attempting to breach a naval blockade and pass the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has condemned the US attack as “armed maritime piracy” and a breach of the truce.

The ceasefire, brokered by Pakistan, is set to expire on Wednesday. A first round of talks in Islamabad last weekend failed to produce a breakthrough, with Iran’s nuclear program remaining the main sticking point. Trump is demanding that Tehran dismantle its infrastructure and hand over its enriched uranium – proposals Iran has rejected as “non-starters.”

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei has also called the US naval blockade of Iranian ports “unlawful and criminal” and a violation of the ceasefire, warning that it amounts to “collective punishment” and could be considered a war crime.

Police in Germany have detained a man suspected of erecting Nazi-themed structures outside the town of Eggenfelden, local media report, citing law enforcement.

Two wooden structures bearing Nazi symbols appeared in the town within a month. In late March, a large replica of the Auschwitz concentration camp gates – complete with the infamous slogan “Arbeit macht frei” (Work sets you free) – was placed outside the local tax office. It featured multiple swastikas, with the ‘B’ in the inscription inverted, mirroring the original. Police launched an investigation after its discovery.

A second installation appeared on April 13: a black chimney-like structure resembling a crematorium oven, labeled “Zyklon B” and marked with SS runes, placed in a disabled parking space outside the same building.

Passauer Neue Presse reported Friday that the suspect is a 33-year-old Polish citizen living in Bavaria. He was apprehended days after the second incident when investigators matched his fingerprints to the structure.

KZ-Nachbauten in Eggenfelden: Ermittler fanden bei Tatverdächtigem weitere Nazi-Gegenstände https://t.co/dPiSyyssQH pic.twitter.com/rZaAZG2wu1

— Passauer Neue Presse (@pnp) April 17, 2026

Additional Nazi symbols reportedly found in his apartment. He faces charges of incitement to hatred and the use of unconstitutional symbols – offenses punishable by lengthy prison terms and fines under German law. The authorities have not disclosed further details on his identity or motive, and it remains unclear why he targeted the tax office.

The incidents sparked public condemnation. Local Mayor Martin Biber called them “brazen and disgusting” and an “insult to society.” He noted the town’s sizable migrant population – seen as a possible factor behind the display – but stressed residents are well integrated and that there is no “noticeable far-right scene.” A local “Colorful Action Alliance for Democracy” group held a rally condemning the displays, which it described as the “instrumentalization of historical suffering.”

Recent data shows a sharp rise in right-wing extremist crimes and incidents involving Nazi symbols in Germany – nearly 37,000 in 2025, almost double the annual average between 2015 and 2022. Most are classified as “propaganda offenses,” such as displaying swastikas or banned slogans, though many also involve hate crimes targeting migrants.

Analysts link the trend to rising nationalist sentiment driven by economic pressures, political polarization, and migration concerns, warning that extremist and racist symbolism is increasingly entering mainstream culture.

Russia has long warned of a resurgence of Nazi ideology in Europe, citing marches honoring Waffen SS veterans and Nazi collaborators. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Monday called it “unfortunate” and “sad” that such practices are being revived.

“Unfortunately, both the ideology and practice of Nazism are now being revived, including, sadly, in Germany, as well as in those countries that joined Hitler’s hordes in the attack on the Soviet Union,” he said at a CSTO Parliamentary Assembly Council meeting, adding similar trends are visible in Finland and the UK.

The Israeli military has published a map outlining what it described as a “forward defense line” in southern Lebanon, despite calls for a full withdrawal following the announcement of a ceasefire.

The map, published days after a ceasefire with Hezbollah took effect, shows a new deployment line several kilometers beyond the Israeli border, encompassing dozens of villages abandoned as the Jewish state's troops invaded its neighbor, destroyed public infrastructure and killing some 3,700 people across the country, according to Lebanese authorities.

Israel and Lebanon agreed on Thursday to a US-brokered ten-day ceasefire to halt more than a month of fighting between Israeli forces and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, following the first direct talks between the two sides in decades on April 14.

The deal is aimed at supporting broader US-Iran diplomacy, although Israeli look set to stay in southern Lebanon.

The deployment line shown on the map stretches from east to west around 5-10 km inside Lebanese territory from the border, where Israel says it plans to establish a buffer zone.

In a statement, the IDF outlined what it described as a “forward defense line” where its forces are operating in southern Lebanon, but did not specify the size of the area.

Israeli forces have destroyed villages in the area, saying the aim is to prevent “direct threats” to northern Israeli communities. It said five divisions and naval forces are currently operating south of the line to dismantle Hezbollah infrastructure and prevent attacks against northern Israel.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Sunday that homes along the border used by Hezbollah would be demolished, adding that “any structure threatening our soldiers and any road suspected of being planted with explosives must be immediately destroyed.” He added that the IDF has been ordered to use “full force” in Lebanon, even during the ceasefire, if it is threatened.

Hezbollah, which boycotted the Washington talks, has signaled conditional support for the ceasefire, demanding a full halt to attacks and an eventual Israeli withdrawal.

Israel launched airstrikes on Beirut and other cities and expanded what it described as a security zone in southern Lebanon in early March, following rocket fire by Hezbollah in support of Iran. Tehran has since made an end to Israeli operations in Lebanon a condition for a broader agreement with the US and Israel.

Since early March, Israeli attacks in Lebanon have killed nearly 2,300 people, wounded over 7,500, and displaced more than 1 million, according to Lebanese officials.

A Chinese humanoid robot outpaced thousands of human runners to win the Beijing E-Town half-marathon on Sunday, smashing the current world record. The event featured around 12,000 participants and more than 100 robots.

The bright‑red bipedal android named Lightning, developed by Chinese smartphone maker Honor, dominated the race, crossing the finish line ahead of all the human competitors. It covered the 21.1 km distance in just 50 minutes and 26 seconds, beating the world record for a half‑marathon, set by Ugandan runner Jacob Kiplimo just last month, by nearly 7 minutes.

Robots also took second and third place, while the fastest human to finish the marathon was 29-year-old Zhao Haijie, who ran the race in 1 hour, 7 minutes and 47 seconds. 

In a similar race last year, machines had failed to make an impression, with the fastest robot, Tiangong, taking 2 hours and 40 minutes to complete the distance, well behind the human athletes.

Despite the androids completely dominating this year’s event, it was not without mishaps. One robot could be seen stumbling at the starting line and then crashing face‑first onto the pavement as staff rushed in with a stretcher.

Another robot veered into a barricade late in the race but recovered to finish, while engineers jogged behind clutching control devices. One android crossed the finish line, then promptly veered off course and fell into a bush.

About 40% of the robots ran autonomously, navigating turns, uneven terrain, and crowds without remote control. Others were operated by technicians, with finishing times adjusted to reflect the different categories. 

China has designated humanoid robotics as a strategic national priority and one of six new economic growth drivers for the coming five years, providing significant subsidies to accelerate development. 

At the same time, China’s economic planning commission has warned that the country’s humanoid robotics industry risks facing a bubble as a result of the investment frenzy and has urged to prevent the explosive expansion of the sector from overwhelming the market.

Cairo has reclaimed 13 ancient artifacts, including rare vessels and statues that were illegally brought to the US.  

Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Sherif Fathi Attia said on Saturday the recovery reflects the country’s continued efforts to repatriate “cultural antiquities that were illegally smuggled” abroad. 

The items were handed over during a ceremony at the Egyptian Consulate General in New York. The recovered objects included an alabaster jar for oils and perfumes dating to the 7th century BC, as well as cosmetic containers shaped like animals from the Middle and New Kingdoms of Ancient Egypt.  

The collection also features a statue of the goddess Isis depicted as Aphrodite from the second century AD, highlighting the blend of Egyptian and Greek cultural influences, along with a stone statue of a man named Ankh-en-Nefer from the Late Period. 

The Egyptian side thanked their US counterparts for their role in the investigation. Officials said the case highlights the importance of international cooperation in “confronting the illicit trafficking of cultural property.”  

Egypt has recently stepped up efforts to recover antiquities from abroad. Last November, Cairo also announced the recovery of 36 artifacts from the US, including a Roman-era mummy mask and a group of rare Coptic and Syriac manuscripts. 

Also last year, Egyptian officials said 13 artifacts had been returned from the UK and Germany. The items include a mummy’s skull and hand, ankh and baboon-shaped amulets, a bronze Osiris crown, and a beaded funerary mask. 

The repatriation comes amid growing calls across Africa for the return of cultural artifacts taken abroad. Speaking in Moscow in July, Mozambican Foreign Minister Maria Manuela Lucas said items removed from the continent should be returned to their countries of origin. 

During the 19th and early 20th centuries, European colonial powers systematically looted cultural property across Africa. In many cases, the art objects ended up in museums and private collections in Europe and North America. According to some estimates up to 90% of sub-Saharan Africa’s cultural heritage is now held outside the continent.

The West is being swept by a “pandemic of historical revanchism” as it seeks to erase the memory of World War II and rewrite the Soviet victory over Nazi ideology, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has warned.

Zakharova made the remarks in an interview with TASS on Sunday on the occasion of Russia’s Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Genocide of the Soviet People, which is being observed for the first time this year.

The spokeswoman said that while for a time Russia was absolutely certain that WWII was “a sacred topic for the whole world,” many Western countries adopted a different approach. “They think… the Soviet victory in WWII was accidental and inadmissible. They think that now is the time to rectify this accident, or a mistake, as they see it,” Zakharova stated.

She noted that Moscow used to regard revanchism as “some kind of small germ that would sit in the corner and not go anywhere.” Zakharova, however, said that even “from a small germ can then grow a huge, terrifying pandemic of historical revanchism,” adding that a similar warning could be found in the landmark 1965 Soviet film ‘Ordinary Fascism’ by Mikhail Romm, which became a cautionary tale about the rise and fall of the Nazi ideology as well as of its numerous crimes.

Some Western countries, Zakharova said, do not accept the results of WWII and the rulings of the Nuremberg Tribunal. “No, they do not want to give up the idea of taking over the Ukrainian black soil, Russian oil and gas,” she said, adding that Western ambitions extend to seizing the resources of Central Asia and the South Caucasus.

She also cited an escalating war against monuments to those who fought Nazism, but said the most dangerous sign of revanchism was that “they want a revenge which would allow them to prevail in remaking the world order and seizing resources around the globe.”

Moscow has for years sounded the alarm about resurgent Nazi ideology in Europe, citing in particular marches in Baltic states honoring Waffen SS veterans. It has also pointed to torchlit marches celebrating the birthday of Ukrainian nationalist Stepan Bandera, whose Ukrainian Insurgent Army collaborated with Nazi Germany and killed tens of thousands of Jews and Poles during WWII.

Moscow has said Ukraine’s denazification is one of the key goals of its military operation against the neighboring state.

The United Arab Emirates has warned the US Treasury that it could be “forced to use Chinese yuan” in oil trade, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday.

UAE Central Bank Governor Khaled Mohamed Balama delivered what the newspaper described as an “implicit threat” against the dollar’s dominant position during a meeting with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Washington last week, the outlet said, citing unnamed US officials.

Balama reportedly explained that Abu Dhabi could require a lifeline to prevent a dollar liquidity crunch if the economic fallout from the US war against Iran continues to rise.

Tehran has pursued a strategy of asymmetric pressure aimed at raising costs for Washington and its allies. The UAE bore the brunt of Iranian retaliation against US military bases and other high-value locations, with over 2,800 drones and missiles reportedly fired at the country.

The US Treasury could offer a currency swap, though these types of arrangements are usually handled by the Federal Reserve. The WSJ said Fed approval for the UAE is unlikely and cited a precedent last year in which a $20 billion support package was arranged by the Treasury for Argentina ahead of a key election.

The administration of US President Donald Trump previously floated the idea of Gulf states partially covering the cost of the Iran war. Harvard Kennedy School Professor Linda Bilmes estimated that the US directly spent $2 billion per day in the first 40 days of the conflict.

Arab frustration with US policies has surfaced in public commentary from figures linked to Gulf governments. On Sunday, Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, a former adviser to UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed, called for US military bases in the country to be closed, arguing that they are a burden rather than a strategic asset. He advocated instead for prioritizing the acquisition of advanced US weaponry as an alternative national defense strategy.

Iran has also been collecting payment for ships that pass through the Strait of Hormuz that it considers neutral in the conflict, demanding payments in yuan or cryptocurrencies – which helps circumvent US financial control and potential sanctions.

New Delhi has expressed its concern to the Iranian envoy over the firing on two India-bound vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met Tehran’s envoy to New Delhi, Mohammad Fathali, on Saturday, and conveyed India’s “deep concern” after the incident in which ships carrying energy cargoes were reportedly prevented from transiting the Strait by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

This is the first time that India-bound energy carriers have been prevented from transiting the Strait during the ceasefire announced on April 8.

On April 17, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi declared that passage for all commercial vessels is completely open. 

“The Foreign Secretary conveyed India’s deep concern at the shooting incident earlier today involving two Indian-flagged ships in the Strait of Hormuz,” the Indian Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.

Misri said that Iran had earlier facilitated the safe passage of several ships and added that he “urged the ambassador to convey India’s views to the authorities in Iran and resume at the earliest the process of facilitating India-bound ships across the Strait.”

The Foreign Ministry said the Iranian ambassador was “called in” and not “summoned” as some reports indicated.

Misri was India’s representative in an international virtual meeting organized by the United Kingdom and France on April 17, in which 44 countries discussed the need for maintaining open navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

US President Donald Trump had also said that “Iran has agreed to never close the Strait of Hormuz again. 

Reports said soon after Araghchi’s announcement the IRGC reportedly said the strait had reverted to “strict control” due to the US Navy’s blockade of Iranian ships.

The Strait of Hormuz has emerged as a critical energy chokepoint since tensions escalated after the US-Israel attacks on Iran began on February 28. 

India imports 85% of its oil and nearly half of its natural gas. Around half of its crude oil and LNG shipments are normally routed through the Strait of Hormuz.

On April 18, the reigning Russian national champions – who train at Alina Kabaeva’s Sky Grace Rhythmic Gymnastics Academy – took bronze in the all-around group competition at the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup which has now concluded in Baku, Azerbaijan. The team was made up of Alyona Seliverstova, Alina Proshchalykina, Zlata Remchukova, Nelli Reutskaya and Nicole Andronchik.

Their routine with three hoops and two pairs of clubs was performed cleanly and at a high level, without major errors. The group scored 26.350 for the exercise, finishing with a total of 52.900 points.

Israel won gold with 54.300 points, while Spain placed second on 54.050.

The same Russian lineup also claimed silver in the group event with three hoops and two pairs of clubs, earning 26.750 points. Spain took first place in that discipline with 27.950.

The Russian group also leaves Baku with the AGF Trophy for the highest execution score.

The team was personally prepared for the tournament by Olympic champion Alina Kabaeva, who remained in contact with the athletes throughout the competition. The routine was developed with choreographer Irina Zenovka

On April 19, 15-year-old Sofia Ilteryakova added two more medals to the Russian tally, taking silver in the clubs event and bronze in hoop. In clubs, she was beaten only by Olympic champion Darya Varfolomeyeva.

In total, the Russian gymnasts finished the Baku World Cup stage with two silver medals and two bronze medals.

They competed at the tournament under neutral status.

The winner of the Bulgarian parliamentary election, Progressive Bulgaria’s Rumen Radev, has called for dialogue with Russia to be restored. The former president has led the newly formed left-leaning populist party to a landslide victory on a platform of critical dialogue with Brussels and pragmatism towards Moscow.

Speaking to reporters after the first exit polls showed his party well in the lead, the EU-skeptic Radev said Bulgaria would remain “on its European path,” but argued that Sofia and the bloc both need “more critical thinking” in foreign policy.

“Ask [French President Emmanuel] Macron, the prime minister of Belgium, ask other European leaders, including [German] Chancellor [Friedrich] Merz, who said that this dialogue [with Russia] must be restored,” Radev stated, stressing that engagement is necessary to shape Europe’s future security architecture and to halt its deindustrialization. “If we want Europe to have real strategic autonomy… Europe must think very seriously about how it will secure its resources, because without energy resources we cannot talk about competitiveness,” he added.

Bulgaria, 96.4% of protocols processed:

National parliament election

PB-*: 44.7% (+0.2)
GERB-SDS-EPP: 13.4% (+0.1)
PP-DB-RE|EPP: 12.9% (-0.6)
DPS-NN-NI: 6.7% (+0.6)
V-ESN: 4.3% (-0.1)
MECh-*: 3.3%
Velichie-*: 3.1% (-0.1)
BSPOL-S&D: 3.0%
Siyanie-G/EFA: 2.9% (-0.1)
APS-RE: 1.5%… pic.twitter.com/vZ4QRUEgjO

— Europe Elects (@EuropeElects) April 20, 2026

Radev argued that the bloc has undermined itself by pursuing moral leadership in what he described as a world without rules, and now needs more practical policies.

According to interim results, with 96.4% of ballots counted as of Monday morning, Radev’s Progressive Bulgaria has secured 44.7% of the vote, far ahead of former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov’s long-dominant GERB-SDS at 13.4%, with caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov’s PP-DB trailing at 12.9%.

To form a government, a party or coalition must win at least 121 seats in the 240-seat National Assembly. Preliminary projections suggest Progressive Bulgaria has already cleared that threshold with an estimated 131-134 seats, enough to govern without a coalition.

Radev described the result as a “victory of hope over mistrust,” saying his party had overcome voter apathy, but acknowledged that distrust in politicians remains. He said he will comment on government formation or possible coalition talks after the final results are announced.

The vote marks Bulgaria’s eighth election in five years. The country has been in a state of political dysfunction with unpopular caretaker governments since 2021, when Borissov resigned amid corruption scandals. Although Progressive Bulgaria was formed less than two months ago, Radev is a veteran political figure, having served as president from 2017 until stepping down in January to run for prime minister, pledging to break the deadlock and tackle corruption.

A vocal critic of the EU’s Ukraine policy, Radev has opposed Bulgaria’s embargo on Russian energy, blocked a 2022 plan to send armored vehicles to Ukraine, and argued that there is no military solution to the conflict.

Pope Leo has prayed at a historic Catholic shrine in Angola that is linked to the transatlantic slave trade, during the third leg of his first trip to Africa as pontiff.

Speaking at the Sanctuary of Mama Muxima on Sunday, the Pope said the Marian site held memories of “sorrow and great suffering” in Angola’s history, while also remaining a place where generations of believers have turned in moments of anguish and hope.

Founded by Portuguese colonizers in the late 16th century, the shrine became entwined with the slave trade, with enslaved Africans baptized there before being taken around 130 km to the capital, Luanda, and shipped across the Atlantic.

The pontiff did not directly address the Catholic Church’s role in legitimizing slavery during the colonial period, an issue that has remained a source of controversy despite the Vatican’s broader efforts in recent years to confront parts of its colonial legacy.

The sanctuary became a major pilgrimage site after believers reported an apparition of the Virgin Mary around 1833. The Vatican has described it as a center of devotion during some of the most difficult periods in Angola’s history, including colonial rule and the long civil war.

Pope Leo, whose ancestry includes both enslaved people and slave owners, prayed the Rosary at the shrine and urged the thousands gathered outside to help build a world free from war and injustice.

“It is love that must triumph, not war,” he said in Portuguese.

Highlights of the seventh day of Pope Leo XIV's Apostolic Journey to Africa, during which he celebrated Mass in Kilamba and prayed the Rosary in Muxima on his second day in Angola. pic.twitter.com/WrUVmMZ9Eu

— Vatican News (@VaticanNews) April 19, 2026

The Angola stop forms part of the Pope’s 11-day tour of Algeria, Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea, which began on April 13.

The pope did not directly mention slavery in his remarks in Angola. However, his visit to Muxima comes at a time of a renewed international push to address the legacy of slavery and colonialism. Last month, the UN General Assembly adopted a Ghana-led resolution, backed by the African Union and the Caribbean Community, declaring the transatlantic trafficking of enslaved Africans and racialized chattel enslavement the “gravest crime against humanity.”

The US voted against the resolution, saying it rejects any suggestion of a legal duty to provide reparations for historical wrongs that were not illegal under international law at the time. The UK abstained and has also opposed the demands.

France is weaponizing criminal prosecution in an attempt to suppress free speech, Telegram founder Pavel Durov has said, as he backed X owner Elon Musk in the social media platform’s legal case in the country.

Durov made the remarks on Sunday after the Wall Street Journal reported that the US Department of Justice had rejected a French request for assistance in investigating X’s alleged role in distributing sexual deepfakes and unlawful data extraction.

The DOJ letter stated that the French probe sought “to use the criminal legal system in France to regulate a public square for the free expression of ideas” and “to entangle the United States in a politically charged criminal proceeding.”

Musk has denied any wrongdoing and dismissed the probe as a “political attack.”

Durov rallied behind the X owner, arguing that under President Emmanuel Macron, “France is losing legitimacy as it weaponizes criminal investigations to suppress free speech and privacy.” 

He also disputed the independence of French prosecutors, saying they “are hired, fired, and promoted by the government.” He added that “the judicial police – who provide often misleading reports to investigative judges – are also controlled by the government.”

”Proud to stand alongside Elon Musk and others targeted by Macron’s campaign against digital rights. In Macron’s France, being investigated is the new Legion d’honneur.”

The French investigation into X was first launched in January 2025, following allegations that the platform’s content algorithm showed bias and could constitute foreign interference. The case has since expanded to include scrutiny of anti-Semitic content, Holocaust denial, and AI-generated child sexual abuse material. Paris prosecutors raided X’s French offices in February 2026, and recently summoned Musk for a “voluntary” interview.

Durov – a citizen of France, Russia, the UAE, and St. Kitts and Nevis – has himself clashed with the French judicial system. He was arrested at a Paris airport in August 2024 and indicted on 12 charges, including alleged complicity in distributing child exploitation material and drug trafficking, after French prosecutors cited Telegram’s near-total failure to respond to legal requests.

Durov’s travel ban was fully lifted in November 2025, though the formal investigation continues. Durov has called the arrest and probe “legally and logically absurd” and said its “only outcome” had been “massive damage to France’s image as a free country.”

Iran has denounced a US attack on one of its vessels as “armed maritime piracy,” warning of retaliation.

On Sunday, a US warship fired at and subsequently seized an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel in the Gulf of Oman. The military said the ship, identified as the Touska, was attempting to breach a naval blockade and head for Bandar Abbas through the Strait of Hormuz.

In a statement released shortly afterward, Iran’s military command center, Khatam al-Anbiya, condemned the strike on a vessel returning from China, accusing Washington of violating the ceasefire in place since April 8.

“We warn that the armed forces of... Iran will soon respond and retaliate against this armed piracy and the US military,” a spokesperson for the command center said, as cited by ISNA news agency.

US President Donald Trump announced the blockade of Iranian ports last week after Pakistani-mediated talks failed to achieve a breakthrough.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said the US blockade of Iran’s ports and coastline is an act of aggression that violates the ceasefire.

“By deliberately inflicting collective punishment on the Iranian population, it amounts to war crimes and crimes against humanity,” Baghaei said on social media.

Baghaei’s comments on Sunday followed renewed Iranian threats to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz in response to the US blockade, effectively reclosing the strategic route which handles around 20% of the global oil and liquefied natural gas trade.

Iran’s Tasnim news agency later reported that Iranian forces launched drones toward US naval vessels. The Pentagon has not confirmed whether any ships came under attack.

India and Sri Lanka have held talks on setting up an oil pipeline connecting the two South Asian nations.

Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said the discussions on Sunday between Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan and Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake also touched on bilateral ties, housing projects, and issues concerning the fishing industry of the two countries.

“Some initiatives that are underway from the Indian side and some proposals that have already been discussed between the two countries, notable amongst them, the project related to the energy hub in Trincomalee and the proposal to link India and Sri Lanka through an oil pipeline,” Misri said on Sunday.

Discussions on the oil pipeline project, which also involves the United Arab Emirates, have been ongoing since 2023, Misri added.

Sri Lanka, India, and the UAE signed a pact in April 2025 to set up an oil pipeline connecting the two South Asian neighbors and to establish the Trincomalee oil storage complex. The pact provides for the development of an energy hub by India and the UAE.

Misri pointed out the importance of the discussions at a time when the world “is facing the fallout of an energy crisis.”

Radhakrishnan’s two-day visit is the first ever by an Indian vice president to Sri Lanka.   

Dissanayake highlighted India’s first-responder role during Sri Lanka’s economic crisis in 2022 and, more recently, after Cyclone Ditwah last year.

Radhakrishnan discussed the ongoing implementation of Indian projects in Sri Lanka with an emphasis on the $450 million Cyclone Ditwah aid offered by New Delhi.

During the India-Sri Lanka talks, the digital ID project and the Economic and Technology Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) were also discussed, Misri said.

Various memoranda of understanding are also slated to be exchanged during Radhakrishnan’s visit, the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Western leaders are figureheads dependent on wealthy donors who “do not care about their people,” Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has said in an interview with RT’s Rick Sanchez.

Speaking at the presidential palace in Minsk, Lukashenko discussed the Western political system, Belarus’ relations with neighboring countries, US President Donald Trump, and a range of other topics.

Leaders like French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz “are all just temporary placeholders… They’re here today, gone tomorrow,” Lukashenko, who has been in power since 1994 and is Europe’s longest-serving current leader, said.

“They’re just trying to grab something while they can. That’s the foundation of their policies,” he added, while highlighting his own style of governance.

“I appoint the government, supervise its work, and bear responsibility for the outcomes,” Lukashenko said. He argued that in the West, “it’s not clear who appoints who and who’s responsible for what… the people there don’t know who they can hold accountable.”

The Belarusian leader said Western politicians owe their positions to “rich donors who finance them,” and “over time, they begin to prioritize the interests of these donors, not the people of Germany, France, or the UK.”

Watch the full interview here:

The EU will find ways to hand out more money to Ukraine regardless of Hungary’s veto power, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said. He made the remarks after the opposition Tisza party defeated Hungary’s longtime prime minister, Viktor Orban, in a high-stakes parliamentary election.

Orban previously blocked a $106 billion loan package for Ukraine. Tisza leader Peter Magyar, however, campaigned on repairing relations with the EU and signaled that Budapest will drop its opposition to aid for Kiev.

Ukraine’s European backers, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, openly celebrated Magyar’s victory.

In a news segment aired on Sunday, Russia 1 journalist Pavel Zarubin asked Peskov whether Russia-EU relations could deteriorate further following Orban’s defeat. “No, they can’t get any worse than now,” Peskov replied.

“One way or another, the EU would have found a way to unblock the funds, with or without Orban. We should have no illusions about it,” he added.

Since the conflict with Russia broke out in 2022, Kiev has received around $197 billion in financial and military aid from the EU.

A longstanding critic of the EU’s decision-making process, Orban has argued that military aid to Ukraine has pushed the bloc closer to an open war with Russia, while the ban on energy imports from Russia has hurt member states economically.

Von der Leyen has said the “momentum” from the Hungarian election should be used to begin reforms aimed at reducing the veto power of member states on issues such as loans for Ukraine. “Moving to qualified majority voting in foreign policy is an important way to avoid systemic blockages, as we have seen in the past,” she said.

In February, Hungary sued the EU over its decision to phase out energy supplies from Russia. Slovakia has said it will formally join the lawsuit this week. Both countries argue that the EU has no right to override their opposition to sanctions imposed on Russia over the Ukraine conflict.

Pope Leo has sought to downplay his public spat with US President Donald Trump, rejecting claims that he was trying to challenge the president with his criticism of the war in Iran and calls for peace.

Speaking to reporters on a flight to Angola on Saturday, the US-born pontiff insisted that his remarks were not meant to be confrontational, while criticizing the media for inflating the row through excessive commentary and speculation.

“There’s been a certain narrative that has not been accurate in all of its aspects… much of what has been written… has been more commentary on commentary, trying to interpret what has been said,” the Pope said. He stressed that his remarks in Cameroon earlier this week, blasting leaders who spend billions on wars and describing the world as “ravaged by a handful of tyrants,” were not directed at Trump.

“And yet, as it happens, it was looked at as if I was trying to debate the president, which is not my interest at all,” he said.

The Pope has criticized Trump’s policies in the past, including mass deportations and his description of Europe as “decaying,” though the war in the Middle East has raised tensions between them. He called on all sides to “stop the spiral of violence,” and described Trump’s threat to destroy Iranian civilization as “unacceptable.”

He added that God “does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war,” after US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth urged Americans to pray “in the name of Jesus Christ.”

Trump has described the pope as “weak on crime, and terrible for foreign policy,” adding that he does not want “a pope who criticizes the President of the United States.”

US Vice President J.D. Vance, who also previously criticized the Pope, welcomed Leo’s latest remarks.

“I am grateful to Pope Leo for saying this,” Vance wrote on X on Sunday. “While the media narrative constantly gins up conflict – and yes, real disagreements have happened and will happen – the reality is often much more complicated.”

Two Israeli soldiers have been withdrawn from combat and jailed for smashing a statue of Jesus Christ during the Jewish state's invasion of southern Lebanon.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that two soldiers are the subject of a probe after an image of one of them taking a large mallet to a crucifix went viral.

The image, originally posted by Palestinian reporter Younis Tirawi on X, was widely shared online.

The statue was located on the outskirts of the town of Dibil, a Christian municipality in the Bint Jbeil District near the border with Israel. The official Dibil town page shared a photograph of the statue alongside a biblical quote: “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”

In a statement on X on Sunday, the IDF confirmed the authenticity of the image, saying the incident was viewed “with great severity” and describing the soldier’s conduct as “wholly inconsistent with the values expected of its troops.”

“The incident is being investigated by the Northern Command and is currently being addressed through the chain of command. Appropriate measures will be taken against those involved in accordance with the findings,” the military said, adding that personnel are assisting the community in restoring the statue.

The IDF said it has “no intention of harming civilian infrastructure, including religious buildings or symbols.”

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar later issued an apology for the incident “to every Christian whose feelings were hurt” and expressed confidence in the IDF’s ability to take appropriate action against the perpetrator.

The image sparked outrage online, with former US Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene sharing the post with the caption: “Our greatest ally that takes billions of our tax dollars and weapons every year.” Former US lawmaker Matt Gaetz described the image as “horrific.”

Israel has struck several Christian sites during its campaign against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. In 2023, Israeli aircraft bombed a building adjacent to the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrius, Gaza’s oldest Christian shrine, killing 18 people. In 2025, shrapnel from an Israeli tank shell damaged Gaza’s Holy Family Church, the only Catholic church in the Palestinian enclave, killing three people.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) has released a video showing a US warship firing at an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel that was later seized by US Marines.

According to CENTCOM, the guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance intercepted the M/V Touska in the Gulf of Oman as it attempted to breach the US naval blockade and reach the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas through the Strait of Hormuz.

“After Touska’s crew failed to comply with repeated warnings over a six-hour period, Spruance directed the vessel to evacuate its engine room. Spruance disabled Touska’s propulsion by firing several rounds from the destroyer’s 5-inch Mk 45 gun into the engine room,” CENTCOM said, adding that a team from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit later boarded the vessel.

The Touska was traveling from a Chinese chemical-storage port and was laden with cargo, the Washington Post reports, citing tracking data. The port is often used for transporting chemicals, including sodium perchlorate, a key precursor for producing solid rocket fuel, it added, noting that it is unclear what cargo the Touska was carrying.

Later, CENTCOM also released a video of US forces boarding the disabled ship from a helicopter.

U.S. Marines depart amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli (LHA 7) by helicopter and transit over the Arabian Sea to board and seize M/V Touska. The Marines rappelled onto the Iranian-flagged vessel, April 19, after guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance (DDG 111) disabled Touska’s… pic.twitter.com/mFxI5RzYCS

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) April 20, 2026

Iranian officials denounced the blockade as illegal under international law, saying it violates the terms of a two-week ceasefire set to expire on Wednesday.

The Iranian military has vowed to retaliate for the seizure of the vessel.

Iran’s Tasnim news agency later reported that the Iranian military launched a drone at US ships. The US has not confirmed whether any of its vessels came under attack.

The United States’ greatest weakness in its relations with Europe is a simple one: it’s Washington that needs the continent more than the continent needs Washington.

America arrived in Europe as one of the victors of the Second World War. It established military dominance in the western part, embedded itself in the region’s security architecture, and for decades used Europe as a forward base in its confrontation with the Soviet Union. In doing so, it also shielded Western European elites from the threat of communist movements in the late 1940s. A favor that, paradoxically, was never fully forgiven in Berlin, Paris or London.

That lingering resentment doesn’t mean Western Europe is about to revolt against its transatlantic patron. Its elites are too cautious and too compromised for that. But it does mean that, whenever the US shows weakness, these Europeans will exploit it, opportunistically, and without sentiment.

That moment has now arrived.

Recent decisions by Washington have created an opening that Western Europeans are already beginning to use. The clearest sign came when British Prime Minister Keir Starmer unexpectedly ruled out joining a naval blockade of Iran. For those who still believe in the unbreakable unity of the transatlantic alliance, this may have seemed surprising. In reality, it is entirely consistent with the logic of US-Western European relations over the past 80 years.

Other major powers in the region are likely to take a similarly cautious approach. Even the threat of American pressure, including talk of weakening NATO commitments, is unlikely to push them into direct confrontation in the Strait of Hormuz.

Western Europe understands something fundamental: without its presence on the continent, the US risks geopolitical isolation. The familiar narrative that NATO exists primarily to defend the locals from external threats is, in large part, a convenient fiction. It obscures a more basic reality, that it’s Washington which derives the greatest strategic benefit from maintaining this “special relationship.”

First, the loss of Europe as a territorial base would fundamentally alter the strategic balance between the US and Russia. The “grey zone,” the space in which confrontation can occur without immediately escalating into direct strikes on national territory, would disappear. Any conflict would become instantly more dangerous.

Second, the US would lose its ability to exert pressure on Russia by positioning military assets, including nuclear capabilities, close to its borders. Russia, notably, has no equivalent opportunity in the Western Hemisphere.

Third, a US withdrawal from Europe would render any meaningful strategic dialogue with Washington increasingly pointless from Moscow’s perspective, accelerating Russia’s pivot toward China.

In other words, America’s military presence in Europe is not an act of charity. It is a critical asset, a diplomatic and strategic lever in its broader competition with other major powers.

Western European leaders understand this perfectly well. And they also understand something else: the American security guarantee is not as absolute as it is often portrayed.

Even during the Cold War, few in Europe truly believed that the US would sacrifice New York or Boston in response to a Soviet strike on Paris. This skepticism shaped independent European strategies, most notably France’s nuclear doctrine, which prioritized direct deterrence against Soviet cities rather than reliance on American protection.

That logic has not disappeared. If anything, it has become more relevant.

NATO’s post-Cold War expansion has extended security guarantees to states of far less strategic importance than Britain, France or Germany. At the same time, recent events have demonstrated the limits of American power. The inability of the US to fully shield even small Gulf states from retaliatory strikes has reinforced doubts about the credibility of its security umbrella.

For decades, the transatlantic relationship functioned on a tacit understanding: Western Europe would pretend it needed protection, and the US would pretend to provide it. This arrangement suited both sides.

But the current US administration has disrupted that balance. Its erratic decision-making and narrow focus have created uncertainty, and, in doing so, given Western European elites an opportunity to strengthen their own position. And they are taking it.

This doesn’t mean the Europeans are breaking away. Two constraints remain decisive. First, the deep integration of their economies with American financial and technological systems continues to limit genuine autonomy. Efforts to reduce this dependence, through the euro or the EU’s single market, have had only partial success.

Second, Western European governments still require American power to manage their complex relationship with Russia. Despite the current confrontation, there is a long historical memory of eventual accommodation with Moscow. For now, however, there are few incentives for a rapid rapprochement.

What has changed is the balance within the partnership. These European elites, confident in their ability to manage domestic populations and navigate external pressures, now see greater room for maneuver. They will use it to extract concessions, reshape commitments, and hedge against American unpredictability.

Washington, meanwhile, has placed itself in a difficult position. It is attempting to stabilize relations with Russia, maintain control over Western Europe, and prepare for a strategic confrontation with China, all at the same time. These objectives are not easily compatible.

The result is vulnerability, not primarily to Moscow or Beijing, but within the transatlantic relationship itself. By its own actions, the US has given its European allies a series of advantages. They will exploit them, carefully but decisively.

What remains unclear is how Washington intends to regain the initiative, or whether it yet fully understands what it stands to lose.

This article was first published by Vzglyad newspaper and translated and edited by the RT team.

The US has seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman as it attempted to breach the American naval blockade around Iran, President Donald Trump has announced.

“The US Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance intercepted the Touska in the Gulf of Oman and issued a warning to stop,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday.

“The Iranian crew refused to comply, so our Navy ship stopped them in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engine room,” the president added.

Trump said that the ship had been sanctioned by the US due to its “prior history of illegal activity.”

pic.twitter.com/Bm2S7RGJWf

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 19, 2026

Trump announced the blockade of Iranian ports last week after Pakistani-mediated talks failed to achieve a breakthrough. Iran said it would close the Strait of Hormuz, which handles around 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas trade, to “enemy ships” until the blockade is lifted.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei denounced the blockade on Sunday as “unlawful and criminal.”

The UK has effectively lost contact with tens of thousands of reservists who would be called up in a national emergency, George Robertson, a former NATO secretary general and a lead adviser for the Strategic Defense Review (SDR), has said.

Amid the broader Western militarization over a perceived Russian threat – claims repeatedly dismissed by Moscow as “nonsense” – the UK rolled out its new SDR last November, outlining a shift to “warfighting readiness” by 2035. The plan calls for raising defense spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027, and, among other things, revitalizing the strategic reserve.

An armed forces bill is now being prepared to implement the reforms, including raising the recall age from 55 to 65 and expanding call-up criteria to cover “warlike operations,” not just direct attacks or emergencies.

However, speaking at a lecture in Salisbury this week, Robertson said that the government does not have valid contact or health data for most of its roughly 95,000 “high-readiness” reservists.

“What the review talks about is having the strategic reserve... But the Ministry of Defense at the present moment doesn’t even know where most of them are,” he said, as cited by The Guardian. “So we need to sort of round up those who are available and fit and willing to be able to do it.”

The British Army is already at its smallest size in more than two centuries, with fewer than 70,000 fully trained personnel ready for frontline deployment, alongside an active reserve of around 32,000. The strategic reserve, meanwhile, consists of former service members, with regular contact typically maintained only for the first six years after they leave, leaving a larger, older cohort off the radar.

Robertson called for mapping reservists’ locations and skills and “mak[ing] a more concerted effort to engage them under a refreshed veterans’ communications strategy.” He also criticized delays in funding and preparedness, accusing Prime Minister Keir Starmer of “corrosive complacency” and putting the country “in peril” at a time it was “under attack.”

The UK, a key backer of Ukraine, has justified its role by claiming Russia could target Europe after the conflict. Starmer himself has repeatedly cited the alleged threat to push for higher defense spending, telling the Munich Security Conference in February that Europe “must be ready to deter aggression” and “fight” Russia “if necessary,” while claiming that Moscow would accelerate rearmament after any peace deal.

Russia has dismissed such claims, arguing they are used to justify higher military spending, distract from domestic issues, and stall peace efforts.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has told RT’s Rick Sanchez that he wants his country “to remain a land of opportunity.”

When asked what would follow his eventual resignation, Lukashenko, 71, said that he hopes that Belarus will remain safe and stable.

“I’ve done a lot to make Belarus what it is today… You said it’s a decent country, that people live good lives here. A peaceful, safe country,” he said.

“Naturally, I want to see that preserved. I want it to remain a land of opportunity, where anyone can realize themselves. In that sense, we’ve succeeded.”

Choosing his successor will be up to “the people of Belarus,” Lukashenko told Sanchez when asked whether equal opportunities would be afforded to anyone vying for the position. “However they choose, that’s how it will be.”

“I remember my first election – I got the people’s mandate,” the Belarusian leader said.

Lukashenko was first elected in 1994, during the turbulent period following the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

“That was a very different time, there was vote rigging, even violence. And I still got 80.3%. I remember it well. The people stood by me, very strongly,” he said.

“I believe that long before I pass on… there will be a capable new person leading Belarus. We’ve got plenty of smart, talented people.”

Watch the full interview on RT on Monday at 8:30 AM Moscow time (6:30 AM GMT).

Eight children were killed in a mass shooting in Shreveport, Louisiana on Sunday, police have said, describing the attack as a domestic dispute that escalated into deadly violence.

According to a statement on social media, officers responded to reports of a domestic disturbance in the 300 block of West 79th Street just after 6:00 AM local time (11:00 GMT). According to spokesperson Christopher Bordelon, the violence spanned multiple locations.

“You have three different scenes,” Bordelon said, adding that the initial shooting occurred on West 79th Street, with a related incident unfolding on Harrison Street, and at least one victim fleeing to a neighboring residence.

Ten people were shot, eight of them fatally. The victims ranged in age from 18 months to 15 years old.

🚨⚡️NOW AND UNUSUAL

America Jungle
At Least 8 Children Killed in Mass Shooting in Shreveport, Louisiana State, USA pic.twitter.com/hqKI1gz2dN

— RussiaNews 🇷🇺 (@mog_russEN) April 19, 2026

The suspect fled the scene, attempting to escape by carjacking a vehicle before being pursued by officers. Police eventually shot and killed the suspect following a chase, Bordelon said.

BREAKING: Suspect shot and killed by police following multiple-victim shooting, reportedly involving children, in Shreveport, Louisiana. pic.twitter.com/EKX3x7Kni1

— Breaking 4 News (@Breaking_4_News) April 19, 2026

The authorities have not yet released the suspect’s identity or provided further details on the motive beyond the domestic dispute.

Breaking News: 8 children killed in mass shooting in Shreveport, Louisiana. Initial reports indicate a “domestic disturbance.” pic.twitter.com/eCVFg3SPDN

— Power to the People ☭🕊 (@ProudSocialist) April 19, 2026

Police Chief Wayne Smith said the only survivors were two adult women, one of whom remains in life-threatening condition. One of the women is believed to have been in a relationship with the suspect. Some of the children shot were related to the suspect, Smith said, calling it “an extensive scene unlike anything most of us have ever seen.” State police added that no officers were injured during the incident.

“This is a tragic situation – maybe the worst tragic situation we’ve ever had,” Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux said. “It’s a terrible morning.”

Reports circulating online have identified the suspect as Shamar Elkins, though officials have not yet formally confirmed the identity.

Authorities have identified Shamar Elkins as the suspect in the shocking mass shooting in Shreveport, Louisiana, that killed eight children and wounded others; the investigation is ongoing. pic.twitter.com/U5uBJtj8Zb

— General Quacker | الجنرال كواكر (@general_he42676) April 19, 2026

The US negotiating team is heading to Pakistan for the next round of Iran peace talks on Monday, President Donald Trump has announced, while renewing his threat to strike Iran’s infrastructure if no deal is reached.
In a Truth Social post on Sunday, Trump accused Tehran of violating the temporary ceasefire – set to expire on Wednesday – with reported attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz amid a renewed blockade of the waterway.

“Iran decided to fire bullets yesterday in the Strait of Hormuz – a total violation of our ceasefire agreement! That wasn’t nice, was it?” he wrote, claiming French and British vessels were targeted. Before declaring that his “Representatives are going to Islamabad…for negotiations.”

He warned that there would be “No more MR. Nice Guy,” if Tehran didn’t take his “fair and reasonable deal.” Adding that Washington would “knock out every single power plant, and every single bridge, in Iran.”

A Fox News correspondent said Trump indicated that Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would lead the delegation. Trump told ABC News that Vice President J.D. Vance would skip the talks over “security” concerns, but indicated that he “might go” himself if a deal is close.

The first round of talks in Pakistan failed to make progress, with Iran’s nuclear program remaining the main sticking point. Trump is demanding that Tehran dismantle its infrastructure and hand over its enriched uranium – proposals Iran has rejected as “non-starters.” President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Sunday that Trump has no justification to “deprive Iran of its nuclear rights.”

Tehran has not confirmed the next round, with Tasnim reporting it will not return unless Washington drops its “excessive demands.” However, Pakistani security sources told Al Jazeera that talks are likely before Friday, citing the arrival of two US C-17 aircraft near Islamabad, heightened security, and major hotels being cleared of guests.

Meanwhile, Iran has also escalated its rhetoric. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei called the US blockade of its ports “not only a violation” of the ceasefire but also “unlawful and criminal” under the UN Charter, amounting to a “war crime” and “collective punishment.” Iran said it was tightening control over the strait and warned mariners that the route was closed again, while army chief Amir Hatami vowed to defend the country’s “independence, territorial integrity, and security… until the last breath” if Washington restarts strikes.

Finnish racing driver Juha Miettinen was killed and six others injured in a seven-car crash during the early stages of the Nurburgring qualifiers in Germany on Saturday.

“Despite the immediate arrival of emergency services, the emergency medics were unable to save the driver involved, Juha Miettinen, after he had been extracted from the vehicle,” the event organizers said in a statement on X. The 66-year-old Finn “died at the Medical Centre after all attempts at resuscitation proved unsuccessful.”

Six other drivers were injured and taken for treatment and are in non-life-threatening condition, they added.

The crash may have been caused by a spill on the track, according to Russian-born Dutch driver Mikhail Charoudin, who took part in the qualifiers.

“Whether it’s gasoline, oil, coolant, you name it… One of the cars that had the livestream on, you actually couldn’t see it… A lot of cars in front of him lost control,” he said, as cited by The Express.

Por ahora este es el único video del grave accidente ocurrido hace unos minutos en #Nurburgring. pic.twitter.com/hvnLYC4vzm

— Revista Autoextra (@Autoextragti) April 18, 2026

Four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen, who is set to appear at the race, said he was shocked by the accident.

“Motorsport is something we all love, but in times like this it is a reminder of how dangerous it can be,” he said on Instagram. “Sending my heartfelt condolences to Juha’s family and loved ones.”

A minute’s silence was held for Miettinen on Sunday ahead of the day’s qualifiers.

The qualifiers are part of the buildup to the 24-hour Nurburgring race in May. The event takes place on the Nordschleife circuit, a roughly 25-km (15.5-mile) track with more than 150 corners that runs through wooded hills and is known as a grueling endurance challenge, with weather and visibility often changing during the race.

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations has lashed out at his French, Chinese, and Pakistani counterparts, accusing their countries of effectively backing Iran by allegedly striking deals to secure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

The rebuke appears to stem from media reports which recently indicated that commercial vessels from all three countries were able to transit the Strait of Hormuz during the blockade, in some cases with Iranian authorization, despite broader restrictions on shipping imposed by Tehran.

“I asked the French ambassador: How much money did you pay Iran to move ships safely through the Strait of Hormuz?” Danny Danon said in a post on X shortly after speaking at the UN General Assembly session on the Strait of Hormuz blockade.

“Surprisingly, he had no answer,” he wrote, adding: “The ambassadors of China and Pakistan also had no answer.”

Navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route handling around 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas flows, has been disrupted since Tehran effectively blocked the waterway in response to the US-Israeli bombing campaign that began on February 28.

On Friday, Iran opened the Strait to all commercial vessels, framing the move as part of ceasefire arrangements linked to the Israel–Lebanon truce, but closed it again the following day. The decision came as US President Donald Trump said the US blockade on Iranian ports and shipping would remain in force until a peace deal is reached. Washington imposed the restrictions after bilateral talks in Pakistan collapsed last weekend.

In March, Iran said that vessels of India, China, Russia, Iraq, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka would be allowed to pass through the crucial waterway. Beijing is ranked as the biggest buyer of Iranian oil and most of its supplies pass through the chokepoint. At the same time, Malaysian authorities thanked Tehran for allowing the passage of the country’s ships.

In April, the Financial Times reported, citing the tracking data, that a container ship owned by a French shipping company had sailed through the Strait of Hormuz along with several other ships.

At the UN, France previously voted in favor of resolutions condemning Iran’s blockade of the strait, China either vetoed the measures or voted against critical wording, while Pakistan abstained.

Latin America could explode in a “rebellion” against the US if it doesn’t rethink its approach to the region, Colombian President Gustavo Petro has warned, citing the raid on Caracas and kidnapping of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.

In an interview with El Pais published on Saturday, Petro lashed out at the US sanctions against him, portraying them as a tool of political extortion, comparing Washington’s approach to colonialism.

The US Treasury blacklisted Petro, his wife, son, and interior minister in October 2025, citing their alleged involvement in the global drug trade. The US levied similar accusations against Maduro before he was kidnapped in a US raid on Caracas in early January. Both Petro and Maduro have vehemently denied the allegations.

“This instrument for fighting drug trafficking… is used as a mechanism of extortion against those of us who express different political views. It’s a system like the one the King of Spain had centuries ago. And what was the Latin American response? Rebellion. That will happen now if the US government isn’t able to rethink its relationship with Latin America,” Petro said.

The Colombian president noted the global shock caused by the kidnapping of Maduro. “They persecute you and threaten to take you to the United States, like they did to Maduro,” Petro said, adding that Caracas became “the first Latin American city to be bombed in its history.”

“This has created a wound that the current rulers fearfully accept... and they kneel before it,” he added.

In a separate interview with El Pais, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva also criticized the Trump administration’s approach to global politics, though he was more focused on the Iran war.

Trump, he said, is “playing a very dangerous game,” operating on the premise that American power dictates the rules of the game. “But that can’t be the case, because ultimately, it ends up creating problems for the US,” he warned.

Lula added that the US president “has no right to wake up in the morning and threaten a country.”

The Brazilian president has been one of the most vocal critics of Maduro’s abduction, saying it crossed “an unacceptable line” and “recalls the worst moments of interference in the politics of Latin America.”

Iran will not yield to US pressure, parliament speaker and top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has said. He stressed that progress has been made in the negotiations, though fundamental issues are still unresolved.

The first round of US-Iran talks in Islamabad took place last weekend in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad. Following the negotiations, US President Donald Trump announced a blockade of Iranian ports and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which handles around 25% of the global crude oil trade.

On Friday, Iran opened the waterway for all commercial vessels, framing the move as part of ceasefire arrangements linked to the Israel-Lebanon truce and broader regional de-escalation efforts. The strait was, however, closed again the following day after Trump said the US blockade of Iranian ports would remain in full force until a peace deal is reached.

“We will stand to the end,” Ghalibaf said, speaking in a televised address aired early Sunday.

He reiterated that the Iranian delegation went to Islamabad “with goodwill but amid deep distrust,” stressing that Tehran remains prepared for war if necessary.

“We are still far from a final agreement,” Ghalibaf said, urging the US to earn the trust of the Iranian people. “Overall, I can say that there has been progress in the negotiations, but the gaps remain significant and some fundamental issues are still unresolved.”

Ghalibaf also said the US is planning to infiltrate Iran through waves of unrest from its western and eastern borders, adding that attempts at regime change and the “Venezuelization” of Iran – aimed at selling the country’s oil – have failed.

“It is clear that the enemy was defeated, but this is different from saying that we destroyed its army,” he said.

On Saturday, Trump told reporters that “very good conversations” are taking place, but stressed that he won’t let Iran “blackmail” the US over the Strait of Hormuz.

Lithuania and Latvia have announced that they will refuse Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico use of their airspace to travel to Moscow for Victory Day on May 9. Fico vowed to reach the Russian capital nonetheless, saying that the Baltic states would not prevent him from paying tribute to those who liberated Slovakia from Nazi occupation.

Fico revealed the refusal in an address on Saturday. “Lithuania and Latvia have already informed us that they will not allow us to fly over their territory on the route to Moscow. So be it,” he said, indicating that it is abnormal for EU member states to deny a flyover right to the prime minister of another EU member state.

“I will certainly find another route, as I did last year when Estonia torpedoed us,” Fico added. “The attitude of the Baltic states toward WWII cannot stop me in my intention to give thanks for the liberation of Slovakia.”

He recalled that 10,000 soldiers of the Red Army, the Romanian Army, and the 1st Czechoslovak Army Corps died while liberating the country. Fico also announced plans to visit the Dachau concentration camp and Normandy as part of a broader “pilgrimage for peace.” 

In 2025, the Baltic states restricted airspace access for several leaders travelling to Moscow’s 80th anniversary parade, citing political sensitivity, with some leaders — including Fico and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic — forced to reroute. Fico’s plane travelled through Hungary, Romania, the Black Sea, and Georgia, according to TASS.

Last year’s parade in Moscow drew nearly 30 world leaders, among them China’s Xi Jinping, Brazil’s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro, and Egypt’s Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Fico was the only EU leader to attend the celebrations.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow would be pleased to welcome representatives from friendly countries this year, but that the guest list had not yet been finalized.

Last year, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas warned leaders against attending Moscow’s May 9 events, saying such visits would “not be taken lightly on the European side,” and urged them to visit Kiev instead.

Fico at the time dismissed her comments as disrespectful, questioning whether they amounted to “a form of blackmail.”

Former Bulgarian President Rumen Radev has defeated former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov by 30 points in Bulgaria’s general election, according to preliminary exit polls.

With some 96% of votes counted, Radev's Progressive Bulgaria coalition has won 44.7% of the vote, followed by Borissov’s GERB-SDS at 13.4% and caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov’s PP-DB at 12.9%.

The strongly EU-skeptical party Varazhdane (V-ESN) has won 4.3$ of the vote.

These results are closely in line with exit polls, with Alpha Research predicting that Radev would take 44.2%, and Borissov's party would come in second place at 13.4%.

The election was the country’s eighth in five years, and another flashpoint in the battle between staunchly pro-EU and sovereignist political forces in Europe. In a final pre-election message to his supporters, Borissov reassured voters on that his party would provide “full support to Ukraine.”

Radev has vowed to balance relations between East and West, promising to build a “modern European Bulgaria,” while developing “practical relations with Russia based on mutual respect.”

Radev, who opposes EU aid to Ukraine, has also vowed to break the stranglehold of the “oligarchic mafia” on Bulgaria. 

A former fighter pilot who served as Bulgaria’s president between 2017 and 2026, he clashed with Borissov during their overlapping stint in power, backing the 2020 anti-corruption protests that led to Borissov’s downfall.

Just as it did in Hungary last weekend, and in France, Germany, Moldova, and Romania beforehand, the EU activated its ‘Rapid Response System’ in Bulgaria. This suite of online censorship tools gives the European Commission the power to remove so-called “disinformation” from social media platforms during the election.

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The Second Open Dialogue ‘The Future of the World. A New Platform for Global Growth’ is set to take place at the National Centre RUSSIA in Moscow from April 27 to 29. Participants can expect lectures by international experts, pitch sessions, idea presentations, networking, and discussions with representatives from more than 40 countries.

The program is built around four tracks: investment in people (education, demography), in technology (artificial intelligence, cybersecurity), in the environment (ecology, circular economy), and in connectivity (trade, digital currencies, logistics).

A total of 1,638 essays were submitted to the competition from various countries. More than 300 made the longlist. The most popular topic among authors was investment in people, which accounted for 40% of submissions. This was followed by technology (24%), connectivity (20%), and the environment (16%). Among foreign participants, the greatest interest was in the use of technology in agriculture.

An AI assistant, ODI, was used to assess the texts: it checked the essays for plagiarism and evaluated the extent to which generative models had been used. Only original works written with minimal involvement of artificial intelligence reached the final. This year, the quality of submissions rose noticeably – 75 authors hold academic degrees.

The competition’s geography has also expanded: participants from 18 new countries joined the project, including Nepal, Armenia, Nicaragua, and Uruguay.

A distinctive feature of the dialogue is its principle of continuity: essayists from previous years will serve as experts and jury members. In this way, an intellectual community is being formed in which participants gradually become carriers of ideas themselves.

The event is being held at the Russia National Centre in partnership with the Third Rome Center for Cross-Sector Expertise, with support from the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation. President Vladimir Putin approved the initiative, noting its importance for shaping a new global agenda.

Registration for the Open Dialogue is ongoing. Applications can be submitted on the event’s website.