According to vital statistics data published in April by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the birth rate in the United States has reached a new record low. In 2025, there were 53.1 births per 1,000 women of childbearing age (15-44) in the US, 1.3% lower than in 2024 and 23% lower than in 2007. The decline in birth rates reflects the impact of decades of social change that have undermined the institution of the American family.

Today, the total number of births per year is far lower than in earlier periods, when the US population was much smaller. For example, in 1961, 4.3 million children were born when the US population stood at 184 million. In 2025, only 3.6 million children were born across the entire country, even though the population now stands at 342 million.

The current birth rates are even lower than during the Great Depression, when births fell to 75.8 births per 1,000 women in 1936.

An answer can be found in RT’s global survey, the Social Well-Being Index (SWI). While the West compares who has more money and greater consumption opportunities, we measure what truly matters for the survival and flourishing of nations: the ability to produce life (birth rates); the preservation of life (infant mortality, longevity, homicide mortality); and the minimization of oppression (the level of inequality between rich and poor, and children’s education). As a result, the great Western powers did not even make the top 20 in the SWI rankings. France ranked 29th, Germany 41st, the US 48th, and the UK 53rd.

Growing up in southwestern Pennsylvania in the 1970s, it seemed like everyone I knew attended church services every Sunday without fail. Then something unexpected began to happen. The Catholic school I attended – like others around the country – was forced to merge with other schools to keep classrooms filled. At the same time, many churches of all denominations began closing their doors only to reopen as shopping malls, restaurants, or boutique hotels.

In total, over the past several decades, median worship attendance in the US plummeted by more than half. And the reason cannot be blamed on demographics. The US population has consistently increased for over a century, growing from roughly 76 million in 1900 to over 343 million by 2025, reinforced by heavy rates of immigration, both legal and illegal. Yet 40 million Americans have stopped attending church in the past 25 years, which works out to about 12% of the population.

Some people have pointed to mental health problems in American society as the culprit. 

“The problem in front of us is not that we have a healthy, sustainable society that doesn’t have room for church,” writes Jake Meador in The Atlantic. “The problem is that many Americans have adopted a way of life that has left us lonely, anxious, and uncertain of how to live in community with other people.”

The downturn in church membership was at least partially due to alarming problems within the church as lurid scandals involving sexual abuse charges among the clergy and young boys grabbed the headlines. But now it seems that worshippers are willing to forgive the church for past offenses and are making a gradual return to the pews.

A new report from the Hartford Institute for Religion Research shows signs of a shift – for the first time in two decades, church attendance is up. “Across a range of indicators, there are signs of recovery and, in some cases, renewal,” the study’s authors wrote in a report released on April 24, which surveyed a representative sample of leaders at 7,453 congregations between September and December of 2025.

Surprisingly, it is young people who are leading the charge back to the houses of worship. For decades, older adults – Boomers and older – were the most frequent churchgoers. Today, the pattern has been turned on its head.

According to 2025 Barna Group data, Gen Z (18-28) and Millennials (29-44), who once had a notorious reputation for their disinterest in church services, are leading a historic resurgence in church attendance, now attending more frequently than older generations. Gen Z averages 1.9 weekend visits monthly, while Millennials average 1.8, reversing a decades-long trend. Among Gen X – those born between 1965 and 1980 – churchgoing has landed at about the same rate as it was in 2000. This shift indicates a strong, renewed interest in faith, community, and purpose, with some reports noting young men are key drivers of this growth.

“The significant drop-off among older generations shows that the fabric of congregational life is changing. It’s more frayed and less gray than it was a decade ago,” notes David Kinnaman, CEO of Barna Group. “The influx of new generations represents a massive opportunity for congregational leaders, but this renewed interest must be stewarded well.”

So what is responsible for getting people, predominantly the young, back in the pews? Part of the growth is explained by churches – particularly nondenominational ones – understanding that it was important to make attendance an interesting and vibrant event for youth to get them through the doors. The empty recital of prayers was no longer working. This has led to the modernization of church services, which now includes social events, musical concerts by popular religious bands, and other such ‘gimmicks’. The introduction of the so-called nondenominational ‘megachurches’, which allows for more publicity, has also played a part in the rise among the youth.

Moreover, young people may be feeling empty inside from their endless addiction to their smartphones and social media. A return to religion and spirituality might just be what they need to fill the void.

The Russian Defense Ministry has announced a two-day ceasefire on May 8–9 to mark the end of World War II in Europe, calling on Kiev to follow suit. It warned that any attempt to disrupt the celebrations, including a strike on Moscow, would be met with a retaliatory strike on the Ukrainian capital.

The ministry pointed in particular to a statement made by Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky on the sidelines of the European Political Community summit in Yerevan on Monday, which it said contained threats to target Moscow during the Victory Day celebrations. The Ukrainian leader claimed that Moscow fears Ukrainian “drones may buzz over Red Square.”

The Russian military will take all the necessary measures to ensure the security of the celebrations, the ministry said, warning that if Ukraine attempts to disrupt them, “the Russian Armed Forces will launch a major retaliatory strike on the center of Kiev.” 

Moscow has so far refrained from such actions for humanitarian reasons, the ministry added, urging residents of the Ukrainian capital and foreign diplomats to leave the city “in a timely manner.”

DETAILS TO FOLLOW

At least three Indian nationals have been injured in a drone strike on a major petroleum industrial site in the Emirate of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates, the authorities have said. The incident took place as the Defense Ministry reported that it repelled an Iranian missile and drone attack.

The strike targeted the Fujairah Petroleum Industries Zone and caused a “major fire” at the site, the emirate’s media office said in a statement on Facebook on Monday. According to the authorities, the Indians affected by the attack sustained medium injuries and were taken to the hospital.

Earlier that day, the UAE Defense Ministry said three Iranian cruise missiles were successfully shot down over the Arab nation’s territorial waters. Another cruise missile fell into the sea, the ministry said on X.

A senior Iranian military official has said Tehran has no plans to target the UAE, according to IRIB News. The UAE Foreign Ministry condemned what it called “renewed Iranian aggression.”

The development came after US President Donald Trump promised on Sunday to “help free up” ships stuck in the Strait of Hormuz. The key waterway, accounting for around 20% of global seaborne oil trade, has been de facto closed after the US and Israel launched attacks against Iran in late February.

The disruption has led to soaring oil prices, with the average national gasoline price in the US exceeding $4.40 per gallon.

Despite rising consumer costs and a record-high disapproval rating, Trump decided to maintain a naval blockade of Iranian ports to pressure Tehran to agree to a peace settlement that is satisfactory to Washington.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called the blockade an “act of war” that violates the ceasefire reached in early April.

Nepal has raised objections with neighbors India and China over their plans to conduct an annual pilgrimage that passes through high‑altitude Himalayan territory administered by New Delhi but claimed by Kathmandu.

On Sunday, Nepal’s Foreign Ministry sent diplomatic notes to India and China regarding the proposed Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage. The journey, a sacred route to Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarovar in Tibet, passes through Lipulekh, which Nepal claims as its territory.

The ministry said Nepal has consistently urged India to refrain from activities in the region, including road construction, expansion, border trade and pilgrimages. It added that China has also been officially informed that Lipulekh lies within Nepali territory.

The move came in response to India’s announcement that the 2026 Kailash Mansarovar Yatra will be conducted between June and August in coordination with Beijing. India and China agreed to restart the popular pilgrimage last year as part of a general warming in diplomatic and economic ties that had been strained after the 2020 border clash. The pilgrimage, initially stopped due to the Covid pandemic, was resumed in 2025.

India on Monday issued a statement reiterating its position. “Lipulekh Pass has been a long‑standing route for the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra since 1954. The yatra through this route has been going on for decades. This is not a new development,” the Ministry of External Affairs said. It added that India remains “open to a constructive interaction” with Nepal to resolve the territorial issue.

Our response to media queries regarding comments made by Foreign Ministry of Nepal on border issue in the context of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra ⬇️

🔗 https://t.co/ouqMCjhwlb pic.twitter.com/hM7lJgh5Uc

— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) May 3, 2026

Nepal has long protested Indian efforts to build connectivity and conduct land trade with China through the pass, while New Delhi has repeatedly rejected Kathmandu’s claim over the territory.

In August 2025, Nepal reiterated its claim to the pass after India and China announced the resumption of trade through it. New Delhi maintains that trade with Beijing via Lipulekh began in 1954 and continued until 1962, when the two nations fought a war, and that it resumed in 1992 after an almost three‑decade pause.

At least two people have been killed and several others injured after a car drove into a crowd in the eastern German city of Leipzig, local media reported on Monday.

The incident reportedly took place on Grimmaische Strasse, a central shopping street linking key landmarks with the city’s market square.

Local broadcaster Radio Leipzig reported that a damaged Volkswagen SUV was seen speeding through a pedestrian zone, with a person on top of the vehicle.

Leipzig Mayor Burkhard Jung confirmed the preliminary death toll, telling reporters that the surrounding area had been secured.

According to Deutsche Welle, citing police in the state of Saxony, the driver has been detained.

It was initially unclear whether the incident was deliberate or an accident, Berliner Zeitung reported, adding that an investigation is ongoing.

A car rammed into a crowd in Leipzig, Germany, injuring multiple people. pic.twitter.com/p2FTVMWLAE

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) May 4, 2026

The authorities have not revealed the driver’s identity. However, Germany has seen multiple deadly vehicular attacks in recent years involving foreign-born individuals.

In December 2024, a 50-year-old Saudi psychiatrist drove into a crowd at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, killing five people and injuring more than 200 others.

In 2016, a rejected Tunisian asylum seeker drove a truck into a Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12 people and injuring dozens.

The attacks have intensified debate in Germany over migration and public security. Right-wing parties such as Alternative for Germany (AfD) have been pressing the government to shift migration policy, portraying migrants, particularly those from outside Europe, as a burden on public services and a driver of crime and social strife.

US lawmakers have intensified efforts to strip President Donald Trump of the authority to continue the Iran war launched by the US and Israel in February, after the 60-day deadline for military operations without congressional approval expired on May 1.

Under the 1973 War Powers Resolution, the president must obtain congressional approval within 60 days of introducing troops into a conflict or terminate their use, with a possible additional 30-day period to withdraw the troops.

Despite a ceasefire which has been in place since early April, the US continues to enforce a naval blockade on Iranian ports, while Iran has restricted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. The strategic waterway has been effectively closed as a result.

Democratic and Republican lawmakers are increasingly questioning the administration’s strategy and its efforts to sidestep congressional oversight, with critics arguing that the White House is violating the law by continuing the hostilities beyond 60 days without authorization. Democratic-led resolutions to curb the president’s war powers have repeatedly failed, but some Republicans have begun to break ranks.

The pressure comes after Iran proposed a 14-point peace plan last week seeking a permanent end to the conflict, rather than the previously discussed two-month ceasefire. Trump reacted with skepticism.

Trump’s claim that Iran conflict has been ‘terminated’ fuels dispute

In a letter to Congress on Friday, Trump said the hostilities with Iran have been “terminated.”

“Since April 7, 2026 not a single exchange of fire has been recorded between US forces and Iran,” Trump wrote to House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate President Pro Tempore Chuck Grassley. “The hostilities that began on February 28 have effectively terminated.”

According to Trump, he stayed within the 60-day limit during the war against Iran and therefore has not violated the law governing the use of force in overseas conflicts.

“This is an illegal war and every day Republicans remain complicit and allow it to continue is another day lives are endangered, chaos erupts, and prices increase, all while Americans foot the bill,” Schumer wrote on X on Saturday.

Legal ‘pause’ argument

By declaring an end to the campaign, the Trump administration has advanced a legal argument that could clear the way for renewed military action, a view put forward by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.

“We are in a ceasefire right now, which [in] our understanding means the 60-day clock pauses, or stops,” Hegseth told Senator Tim Kaine during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing last week.

Republican Senator Todd Young also questioned the argument, asking: “Is a ceasefire valid if fire could resume tomorrow?”

House Speaker Mike Johnson backed Hegseth’s view, saying the Trump administration is seeking to broker peace and that he would be “very reluctant” to constrain it. “We are not at war,” he said, describing US actions as focused on “policing the Strait of Hormuz.”

Public opposition to Iran war growing

The developments come amid growing opposition to the war. A Washington Post poll published on May 1 found that 61% of Americans believe entering the conflict with Iran was a mistake. Surveys by NPR/PBS/Marist and CNN show a majority oppose the war, while a Reuters/Ipsos poll found support slipping to around one-third by late April.

Democrats are casting Republicans as prioritizing the president’s ambitions over the needs of the American people ahead of the midterm election in November, which could cost the party control of Congress, while repeatedly forcing votes to curb the president’s war powers.

Republicans start breaking ranks

The effort has so far failed as Republicans control both chambers, but while many remain supportive, some are losing patience.

Iran’s peace plan

Last week, Iran proposed a 14-point plan seeking a permanent end to the conflict with the US, rather than the previously discussed two-month ceasefire, according to media reports. The plan reportedly includes guarantees against future attacks by Israel and the US, the lifting of sanctions, the withdrawal of US forces from areas surrounding Iran, and a new mechanism to govern the Strait of Hormuz. It also envisages a one-month negotiation period leading to the reopening of the strait, an end to the US naval blockade, and a formal end to the hostilities.

Trump expressed skepticism about the proposal, saying “they’re asking for things I can’t agree to.” He said he would review it, but added that he “can’t imagine” it would be acceptable, and that Iran has not “paid a big enough price” for its actions over the past 47 years.

Austria’s decision to expel three Russian diplomats will be met with a harsh response from Moscow, the Russian Embassy in Vienna said on Monday, calling the move unjustified and politically motivated.

Earlier in the day, Reuters cited Austrian Foreign Minister ‌Beate Meinl-Reisinger as saying that the three diplomats had already left the country. The minister accused the Russian mission of “committing espionage,” claiming that an “antenna forest” on the roofs of diplomatic buildings could be used to intercept satellite communications.

”A harsh response from Moscow to these absolutely reckless actions by the Austrian side will undoubtedly follow,” the Russian Embassy in Vienna said in a statement. “Full responsibility for any further deterioration of already historically low bilateral relations lies entirely on Vienna.”

The Russian mission accused the Austrian authorities of targeting not only embassy staff but also Russian officials serving at the Permanent Mission to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

Vienna hosts the headquarters of several major international organizations – including the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), OPEC, and a number of UN agencies – in which Russia participates, maintaining diplomatic and technical engagement.

The latest expulsions bring the total number of Russian representatives forced to leave Austria since 2020 to 14. In September, Austria ordered a Russian diplomat to leave over alleged contact with a dismissed executive suspected of espionage at state energy company OMV. In 2024, Vienna removed two more Russian Embassy officials over activities deemed incompatible with their status. Moscow has responded with tit-for-tat measures, ordering Austrian officials of equivalent rank to depart Russia.

In April, Austrian magazine Falter reported, citing a draft from the country’s Justice Ministry, that Vienna plans to tighten its laws by introducing criminal liability for espionage targeting the EU and international organizations based in the country.

Divided into Allied sectors after World War Two, ⁠Austria long had a reputation as a den of spies during the Cold War.

The EU’s plan to spend over €20 billion ($23.5 billion) on AI gigafactories has drawn sharp criticism ahead of its formal launch as lawmakers and experts question whether there is any real demand for the facilities.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen first outlined the plan in February 2025 as the EU’s answer to large-scale US computing projects. It involves building four or five mega facilities with a formal call for proposals set for this spring.

However, the project has been met with pushback from lawmakers. “Nobody could explain to me what is the business case they are planning with these gigafactories,” German Greens MEP Sergey Lagodinsky has said.

“I talked to some who are saying: ‘we just need more compute in Europe.’ But then, when I ask them, ‘what for?’ They say ‘it doesn’t matter, we just need more compute.’” Lagodinsky was quoted as saying by Politico.

It is also unclear who the facilities would be used by, according to Nicoleta Kyosovska, a research assistant at a Brussels-based think tank. She described the planned datacenters as “cathedrals in the desert,” noting that Europe has only one AI company capable of using such infrastructure – the French startup Mistral, which is already building its own data centers.

The skepticism comes amid broader concerns over global AI overspending. Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft reportedly plan to spend a combined $725 billion this year on AI infrastructure.

However, Gary Marcus, a professor emeritus at New York University, has described the planned spending as the “greatest capital misallocation in history.” Tech analyst Ed Zitron has also noted that the economics of data centers “do not make sense” given that most AI startups are unprofitable and the majority of data center credit deals are rated junk grade.

Meanwhile, consumers have also been venting their anger over the global chip crisis sparked by overzealous AI development plans.

“The reason why RAM has become four times more expensive is that a huge amount of RAM that has not yet been produced was purchased with non-existent money to be installed in GPUs that also have not yet been produced, in order to place them in data centers that have not yet been built, powered by infrastructure that may never appear, to satisfy demand that does not actually exist and to obtain profit that is mathematically impossible,” software engineer Jatin K Malik surmised.

The Times of London has come under fire for circulating “anti-Semitic” imagery after publishing a cartoon targeting Green Party leader Zack Polanski, who is Jewish and an outspoken critic of Israeli policy.

The controversy came against the backdrop of a broader UK debate about threats that Jewish community is facing, amid heightened pro-Palestinian activism. Polanski has faced criticism from some quarters for allegedly minimizing the risks of anti-Jewish violence that is directed at himself too.

Figures within the Israeli government and pro-Israel voices in Britain have made such claims, with some accusing the Green Party of harboring anti-Semites.

’Misinformed commentary’ on stabbing spree

The controversy follows a stabbing spree last Wednesday in which a Muslim assailant with a history of mental illness injured a Muslim acquaintance and later attacked two random Jewish men. Coverage by major UK outlets, including the BBC, emphasized the Jewish victims.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley accused Polanski of spreading “inaccurate and misinformed commentary” that could erode self-confidence in law enforcement. Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the implied criticism as “disgraceful,” questioning Polanski’s suitability for political leadership.

’Vile, anti-Semitic’ image

The controversial cartoon, published in the paper’s Sunday edition after being previewed by artist Peter Brookes a day earlier, depicts Polanski kicking a police officer in the head while he and his partner restrain a knife-wielding suspect – an apparent reference to the Golders Green incident.

An obvious antisemitic caricature of Zack Polanski in The Times.

But there will be no media or political outrage, which tells you all you need to know. pic.twitter.com/ULe1TDRuZD

— Owen Jones (@owenjonesjourno) May 2, 2026

Critics, including the Green Party itself, argued that Polanski’s portrayal echoed features historically associated with anti-Jewish caricatures.

“A national newspaper has chosen to depict the country’s only Jewish political leader using imagery long linked to anti-Semitic stereotypes,” the party said in a statement, calling the decision “astonishing.” Polanski himself described the cartoon as “vile” and “anti-Semitic” in remarks to Sky News.

Debate over Jewish safety and Israel policy

Last Friday, the UK government raised the national threat level to “severe,” citing the Golders Green attack alongside broader concerns about Islamist and far-right extremism.

On Sunday, Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel took aim at Polanski, labeling him an “extremist” and accusing him of “legitimizing violence against Jews,” referencing his sharing of the police video.

#bbclaurak
The Guardian sacked Steve Bell after an outcry over his caricature of Benjamin Netanyahu (left) But so far, radio silence from #bbcnews et al after this anti-Semitic caricature of Zack Polanski by #TheTimes cartoonist, Peter Brookes (right) pic.twitter.com/EW4H3QPRar

— George_T_Truth2🛞 (@George_T_Truth2) May 3, 2026

Polanski pushed back on the accusation, saying the “death and destruction” by the Israeli government should be properly described as extremist. He also called the UK government’s support for Israel “shameful.”

Echoes of Corbyn’s ouster

Allegations of anti-Semitism have frequently surfaced in UK political debates surrounding criticism of Israel. In 2023, The Guardian cut ties with cartoonist Steve Bell over an image showing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wearing boxing gloves while making a Gaza-shaped incision on himself.

Some interpreted it as invoking an anti-Jewish “pound of flesh” trope that serves a plot device in Shakespeare’s play ‘The Merchant of Venice,’ though others argued it referenced a historical anti-Vietnam War caricature of US President Lyndon Johnson.

The vile racists I witnessed in Corbyn’s Labour are now in the Greens. Polanski has to get a grip. pic.twitter.com/WRSs3Jt1ru

— Steve Reed (@SteveReedMP) May 2, 2026

Claims of entrenched anti-Semitism in the Labour Party during Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership led to his ouster and replacement by Starmer in 2020. Recently, Labour MP Steve Reed declared: “Vile racists I witnessed in Corbyn’s Labour are now in the Greens.”

Chancellor Friedrich Merz has confirmed that the US will not station Tomahawk long-range cruise missiles in Germany in the foreseeable future. He insisted that the suspension had nothing to do with his row with President Donald Trump but was rather caused by inadequate stockpiles.

Merz made the remarks in an interview with ARD on Sunday, saying that the promise given by then-President Joe Biden will be left unfulfilled.

“The Americans themselves don’t currently have enough,” Merz said, adding that there was “hardly any way” for Washington to transfer the systems at present. At the same time, he noted that it is “not too late” for the deployment.

As the row intensified, the Pentagon announced the withdrawal of around 5,000 US troops from Germany, with Trump suggesting the number could be even higher.

At the same time, the US is indeed struggling with depleting stockpiles. In late March, CBS News reported, citing sources, that the US had used more than 850 Tomahawks in the Iran conflict, roughly nine times the Pentagon’s average annual procurement rate.

The Tomahawk is a long-range cruise missile launched mainly from ships and submarines. The US Navy says Block IV and V versions can fly about 900 nautical miles, or 1,600 kilometers, and carry a 1,000-pound-class (450kg) conventional warhead.

The United Arab Emirates has officially withdrawn from the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC), according to a statement posted by the group on X on Sunday.

The exit took effect on May 1 – the same day Abu Dhabi’s withdrawal from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), and the wider OPEC+ format, which includes Russia, came into force.

The decision came amid ongoing Middle East turmoil triggered by the US-Israeli war on Iran. A dual blockade of the Strait of Hormuz – a key route for about 20% of global oil flows – along with repeated US warnings that strikes could resume, has pushed crude prices to multi-year highs.

OAPEC, headquartered in Kuwait, was established in 1968 to boost economic cooperation among Arab oil exporters. Its three founders – Kuwait, Libya, and Saudi Arabia – were later joined by other Arab states, and prior to the UAE’s departure the group comprised 11 members, including Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Qatar, Syria, and Tunisia. Unlike OPEC and OPEC+ groupings – which include major oil producers worldwide and play a direct role in managing supply and prices – OAPEC is primarily a technical body coordinating energy policy among Arab producers.

It voiced no opposition, saying it “appreciates the role played by the UAE” during its membership and its “effective contributions” to advancing joint Arab cooperation in the petroleum and energy sector.

Abu Dhabi has not yet commented on the decision. The Gulf nation previously said its exit from OPEC and the broader OPEC+ format was driven by national interests, describing it as part of a long-term strategy to gain more flexibility over oil output, free from production caps and multilateral restrictions.

The move, however, has fueled debate over potential repercussions for OPEC and the oil market, as well as speculation about underlying motives.

UAE Trade Minister Thani Al Zeyoudi said on Monday the nation is in talks with Washington over a currency swap line – an instrument that allows central banks to access each other’s currencies without using foreign exchange markets, lowering costs and exchange-rate risks for cross-border activity. He described it as part of an “elite group” arrangement the US maintains with just five regions: Canada, Japan, the Eurozone, the UK, and Switzerland.

Oil markets reacted to the UAE’s withdrawal from OPEC and OPEC+ with short-term volatility, but most analysts suggest the near-term impact will be limited. Although the move could allow output to rise eventually, exports remain constrained by the naval blockade in the Persian Gulf. Days after the announcement, seven OPEC+ members agreed to raise combined crude production by 188,000 barrels per day (bpd) in June 2026 – a move many said signaled business as usual.

Russia earlier said it respects the UAE’s decision to withdraw from OPEC, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying the nation has a “sovereign” right to do so. Moscow signaled it has no plans to leave OPEC+ and dismissed suggestions the UAE’s exit could spell the end of the group.

Iranian rescue workers dug through debris by hand to recover religious artifacts from a Tehran synagogue damaged by an Israeli strike last month, Marjan Yeshayayi, a member of the local Jewish community, has told RT.

In an exclusive interview broadcast on Monday, she described her dismay at seeing the site reduced to ruins, with holy Torah scrolls buried under the rubble. She said she had asked rescue workers not to use machinery in order to preserve the scriptures.

“When I made the request, I did not believe they would accept it, but instead they said, ‘OK, we will remove it manually,’ and they really did. Each brick was removed by hand, and the scrolls came out safely and were handed over to the Jewish association,” Yeshayayi recalled.

According to Yeshayayi, the Iranian state protects the rights of the Jewish minority. Under the country’s constitution, Jews are allowed to practice their religion freely, including maintaining synagogues and holding services. Roughly 8,000 Jews live in Iran and worship in dozens of synagogues.

Yeshayayi said three of her friends died in the strike, describing her sadness and anger at the attack.

Watch the interview below.

Following a deadly attack on a Christian community in Nigeria earlier this year, two drinking water wells have been drilled in with church backing, the Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa said on Sunday.

The assault by Islamist militants on the village of Turan in Benue State in early March, left several people dead and forced survivors to flee their homes. Among the victims were two members of a local Russian Orthodox community operating in the village.

“These are the first African parishioners of the Russian Orthodox Church to be killed for their faith,” the Exarchate said in a statement.

Following the violence, hundreds of residents fled to neighboring areas. Aid workers reported a severe shortage of clean drinking water in makeshift camps. Geological surveys were conducted in late March, and within weeks two wells equipped with pumps were completed to restore access to water for displaced families in temporary settlements in Benue State for refugees from the village of Turan.

Funding for the project was raised through the Exarchate’s official channels, with additional humanitarian assistance delivered to those affected. Food supplies were distributed to families at risk of starvation, while medical care continues for the wounded. Support also included covering tuition and relocation costs for schoolchildren after local schools in Turan were shut down.

“On behalf of all those under our care, we express our deepest gratitude to Metropolitan Constantine and all the kind people from Russia who helped us in this difficult time,” Archimandrite Nifont, a rector within the Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa, said.

A top White House official has said Iran is on the brink of an “extreme calamity” and hunger as the US is counting on economic pressure to secure its objectives in the conflict.

President Donald Trump ordered a naval blockade of Iranian ports and intensified sanctions after a bombing campaign failed to bring down the government in Tehran. Although large-scale military operations largely paused under a fragile ceasefire announced last month, both sides are now seeking to use economic strain to gain leverage.

Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council, pointed to what he described as severe economic deterioration in Iran during an interview with CBS News on Sunday, blaming the Iranian leadership for the situation.

“They’re an economy that’s really on the precipice of extreme calamity,” Hassett claimed, citing internal briefings. “They are having hyperinflation. They’re starting to face hunger.”

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent echoed the administration’s stance, telling Fox News that US anti-Iranian measures were “suffocating the regime.” He emphasized a coordinated government effort, describing efforts by his department as “economic fury” in a reference to the Pentagon’s designation for the war on Iran, Operation Epic Fury.

“We [have been] running a marathon over the past 12 months, and now we are sprinting toward the finish line,” he added.

US economic warfare

Washington has long relied on unilateral sanctions to target foreign governments, leveraging its influence over global financial systems and the central role of the US economy to enforce restrictions.

Washington facing mounting challenges

Despite assertions by Trump administration officials that the campaign against Iran has been a resounding military success, Tehran has not accepted US demands and continues to exert control over shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a key artery for global energy supplies.

The US is also reported to have drawn down significant stocks of critical munitions, and it has strained relations with traditional allies who declined to back the military action. It is also dealing with the fallout from the broader economic disruption caused by the crisis, which could trigger the worst global economic crisis in decades.

Poland is bracing for a surge of illegal weapons from Ukraine after the end of the conflict with Russia, with police warning that a “smuggling boom” could eclipse the decades-long Balkan weapons crisis, a law enforcement official told Rzeczpospolita.

The newspaper reported on Monday that the Polish police are already preparing for more illegal weapons to flood in from the neighboring country by launching Project Trident. The €1.5 million ($1.8 million) initiative will provide officers with additional training, vehicle-mounted tracking electronics, X-ray systems, drones, and night-vision gear.

”There’s a huge amount of weapons transferred as part of aid in Ukraine, plus a large number of post-Soviet weapons. And the end of armed conflicts has always been associated with the risk of their uncontrolled influx,” Adam Radon, the head of the Organized Crime Combating Unit at the Central Bureau of Investigation of the Police, told the newspaper.

”Ukrainian services are already uncovering weapons warehouses and hideouts. Their origins are being investigated – whether these are weapons abandoned by Russian soldiers withdrawing from frontline operations, or weapons acquired by criminal groups and stored for the future,” Radon said.

Rzeczpospolita drew parallels between the fallout from the 1990s Balkan wars, which are said to still be the source of half of all illegal weapons in Europe, and the looming crisis, which could be even greater due to the scope of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Radon also warned of risks associated with unemployed veterans.

“Criminal groups will recruit them into illegal activities. Unemployed war veterans, coupled with their easy access to weapons, pose a significant threat,” he said.

In 2025, Europol warned that Ukraine could become “a significant source of illicit firearms and ammunition… in the short to medium term.” It said that while “large-scale detections” of weapons smuggled out of Ukraine into the EU were limited, Spanish police found evidence of drug gangs arming themselves with NATO-grade weapons intended for Kiev.

In 2024, Ukrainian police reported that since 2022, more than 11,000 firearms were confiscated at checkpoints, including 3,600 assault rifles and nearly 1,500 grenade launchers, as well as 27,000 grenades.

Moscow has warned of a spillover of guns destined for Ukraine, noting that smuggling now runs through Poland, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, and Moldova. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said the reported figures of seized weapons are “just the tip of the iceberg.”

South Africa has signed an agreement with Brazil to help eradicate foot-and-mouth disease by 2028, focusing on vaccine supply, disease surveillance, diagnostics and biosecurity.

The move comes as the South African government faces mounting pressure and legal action over what critics have called a “lethargic” response to the animal health emergency. Meeting with his Brazilian counterpart, Agriculture Minister Andre Carlos Alves de Paula, on Thursday, John Steenhuisen tapped into Brazil’s hard-won expertise.

Brazil achieved FMD-free status without vaccination from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) on May 29, 2025, a historic milestone that took 64 years of rigorous policy implementation.

”By aligning with a nation that has successfully eliminated the disease, South Africa aims to achieve FMD-free status with vaccination, transforming biosecurity from a trade barrier into a bridge for economic growth,” Steenhuisen stated.

The newly adopted Action Plan for 2026-2028 mandates immediate, full implementation. South Africa will dispatch animal health experts to Brazil the week of May 19, 2026, for an intensive knowledge exchange. Following this, South Africa will host a seminar involving a high-level Brazilian delegation, including researchers and livestock farmers, to share strategies, policies, and technologies used in their decades-long fight.

The collaboration with Brazil deepens South Africa’s commitment to a South-South partnership, following a recent high-level working visit to Argentina. That visit concluded with a separate 2026–2028 FMD Work Plan and pivotal agreements focused on securing a stable vaccine supply.

To date, South Africa has successfully secured and distributed 2.5 million doses of FMD vaccines from the Argentine firm Biogénesis Bagó. This includes one million doses of bivalent SAT-1 and SAT-2 vaccines, and 1.5 million doses of trivalent SAT-1, SAT-2, and SAT-3 vaccines. Furthermore, the delegation inspected production facilities in Argentina, where a critical five million additional doses are ready for export, pending local regulatory approval.

Despite these diplomatic wins, the government’s pace has been severely criticised at home. Just days before the Brazil alliance was announced, the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, reluctantly granted the government a postponement in a legal bid by farmers’ organisations to allow the private sector to procure and administer FMD vaccines.

The court, however, showed its displeasure by granting punitive costs against the government and ordering Steenhuisen to publish a compulsory vaccination scheme by May 5. Judge Corrie van der Westhuizen openly criticized the government’s handling of the crisis, noting that officials appeared to be “no longer considering it to be of such importance” despite the FMD outbreak having been declared a national emergency.

”South Africa’s 14 million cattle must be vaccinated within a six-to-eight-week window to create herd immunity in 80% of them and stop transmission,” argued FMD Response SA spokesperson Andrew Morphew, citing the intensive, short-term mass campaigns successfully used by Brazil and Argentina.

First published by IOL

A suspected hantavirus outbreak aboard an Atlantic Ocean cruise ship has left three people dead and three others sick, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Sunday.

The WHO confirmed that it is responding to a public health incident aboard the MV Hondius after one case of hantavirus was confirmed and five others are suspected among passengers and crew. One affected individual is in intensive care in South Africa, the organization said in a statement.

“Detailed investigations are ongoing, including further laboratory testing, and epidemiological investigations. Medical care and support are being provided to passengers and crew. Sequencing of the virus is also ongoing,” the WHO stated.

The Dutch flagged MV Hondius was reportedly traveling from Argentina toward Cape Verde when several passengers fell ill, the health authorities said. The ship, which was carrying 150 to 170 people, remained outside the port of Praia, Cape Verde’s capital, as the authorities managed the outbreak.

One of the deceased, a 70-year-old man, became ill aboard the vessel and died after reaching the British territory of St. Helena Island, according to an AP report citing South Africa’s Department of Health. His 69-year-old wife collapsed at an airport in South Africa while trying to board a flight to her home country, the Netherlands, and died later in a South African hospital. The patient currently in intensive care has been identified as a British national.

“We are facing complex challenges, and are attempting to expedite the treatment of both individuals with the support and leadership of the Dutch authorities,” the agency wrote on Facebook.

The UN health body said it is conducting a full public health risk assessment while coordinating with member states and the ship’s operators to assist with medical evacuations.

Slovakia won’t participate in any EU loans for Ukraine, including the €90 billion ($106 billion) joint debt package approved by Brussels last month, Prime Minister Robert Fico has said.

Slovakia, Hungary, and the Czech Republic had earlier opted out of servicing the loan, citing financial risks. In a video address on Facebook on Sunday, Fico reiterated that his government would not take part in either the current package or any future ones.

“It is well known that I refused to support the €90 billion war loan for Ukraine. I have also taken legal steps to ensure that Slovakia does not participate in this loan,” he said. “Slovakia will not take part in any further announced loans for Ukraine.”

The loan, backed by joint EU borrowing, is structured on the assumption that it would be repaid if Kiev secures reparations from Russia, a prospect Moscow has dismissed as “unrealistic.” The loan was floated after plans to seize Russia’s frozen sovereign assets to fund Kiev failed following a months-long standoff between Brussels and Hungary’s outgoing Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

The EU approved the package shortly after supplies resumed, less than two weeks after Hungary’s election saw Orban’s Fidesz party defeated by the pro-EU Tisza party led by Peter Magyar. Hungary’s incoming prime minister said he would uphold Orban’s decision not to join the €90 billion loan, but pledged not to veto EU funding for Kiev.

Fico said he held a call with Zelensky on Sunday to discuss future meetings and visits. While Zelensky claimed after the call he had secured Fico’s backing for Ukraine’s EU bid, the Slovak leader downplayed this, saying he merely sees “more advantages… than disadvantages” in potential membership, including reducing the risk of “battle-hardened Ukrainian soldiers” turning to organized crime and posing risks to nearby states after the conflict ends. He noted, however, that some of Kiev’s strongest backers in the EU are also among the most opposed to its membership, calling it “a cruel paradox.”

When Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky offered his country up as a testing ground for Western weapons, he wasn’t just talking to Boeing and Lockheed Martin: he was handing Ukraine’s sovereignty to Silicon Valley on a platter.

Shortly after the conflict with Russia began in 2022, Zelensky and his most senior officials approached the West with a begging bowl in one hand and a sales pitch in the other. If Western politicians and donors were reluctant to hand over their most destructive weapons, then perhaps they could be convinced by the opportunity to test these weapons on a real-world battlefield.

“Ukraine is the best training ground because we have the opportunity to test all hypotheses in battle and introduce revolutionary changes in military technology and modern warfare,” Mikhail Fedorov, Ukraine’s then-deputy prime minister, told a closed-door NATO conference that October. “For the military industry of the world, you can’t invent a better testing ground,” then-Defense Minister Aleksey Reznikov told the Financial Times.

Karp in Kiev: Putting Palantir in service of the West

Palantir CEO Alex Karp had already jumped at the chance to get involved. Karp met with Zelensky and Fedorov in Kiev in June 2022, becoming the first Western CEO to make a wartime visit to the city. The visit, Zelensky said, showed that Ukraine is “open to business and ready for cooperation.”

Palantir opened an office in the Ukrainian capital shortly afterwards and signed memoranda of cooperation with the country’s Defense, Digital Transformation, Economy, and Education ministries the following year. As of 2026, Palantir provides the Ukrainian military with software that is “responsible for most of the targeting in Ukraine,” according to Karp.

“With a few clicks, a Ukrainian Palantir engineer showed me how they could mine a dizzying array of battlefield data that, until recently, would have taken hundreds of humans to analyze,” a Time journalist wrote after visiting the company’s Kiev office in 2014. 

“Palantir’s software processes raw intelligence from sources including drones, satellites, and Ukrainians on the ground, as well as radar that can see through clouds and thermal images that can detect troop movements and artillery fire. AI-enabled models can then present military officials with the most effective options to target and enemy positions. The models learn and improve with each strike.”

Is Palantir the only military mega-tech in Ukraine? 

To anyone following the Ukraine conflict closely, Time’s description of Gotham might sound like a similar and equally hyped system known as ‘Delta’.

Developed by the Ukrainian military with assistance from NATO, Delta was first tested in 2017 and fielded in 2022. Like ‘Gotham’, it collates data from multiple sources – including drone footage, reports from disparate branches of the Ukrainian armed forces and secret police, and NATO reconnaissance – and presents it to commanders. Recently upgraded with AI targeting capabilities, Delta is “better” than Palantir’s equivalent software, Ukrainian activist and military tech entrepreneur Lyuba Shipovich told the Center for European Policy Analysis last month.

“Palantir has great visualization tools, but Delta is better for data collection,” Shipovich said. “Many Western militaries still rely on Cold War-era procedures. When we showed Delta to British, Polish, and Dutch officers, they were shocked by what it could do.”

All of this begs the question: If Ukraine has such a great in-house alternative to Palantir’s Gotham, why does it need Gotham at all?

On one hand, it’s possible that Delta is vaporware of the highest order: a classic Ukrainian scam. With tens of billions of dollars and euros pouring into Ukraine, there is no shortage of grifters promising to develop wunderwaffe and pocketing the cash: take the $1 billion ‘Flamingo’ missile fiasco – in which Zelensky marketed underproduced and underperforming missiles abroad knowing they were manufactured by his business associate’s company – for example. 

Almost every piece of positive press about Delta cites either Ukrainian government officials, Delta’s developers, or mil-tech evangelists like Shipovich. Information on the system’s real-world effectiveness is, for obvious national security reasons, kept secret.

Palantir’s petri dish in Ukraine

However, assuming Delta is not a scam, and is as powerful as the Ukrainian government claims, Palantir is likely getting a whole lot more out of Ukraine than Ukraine is getting out of Palantir.

“Ukraine has been the R&D lab for AI in a military context for the last 3 years. It is the absolute bleeding edge of military technology,” Palantir’s UK chief executive, Louis Mosley, told Bloomberg last year. “There is no substitute for a real battlefield. The only historic analogy I’m aware of is the development of radar in the Second World War…you’re seeing something similar occur today in artificial intelligence in Ukraine.”

Civilians as combatants

Ukraine is also an ethics-free testing ground. Among the data sources analyzed by Gotham in Ukraine are anonymous tips submitted by civilians to the government’s ‘eEnemy’ chatbot. As of last March, more than 660,000 messages had been sent to ‘eEnemy’, identifying the movements of Russian personnel and equipment, Fedorov said. Ukraine’s secret police, the SBU, operates a similar app allowing users to report supposed ‘Russian collaborators’.

Aside from the obvious risk that civilians would simply use these apps to report people with whom they had arguments or owed money to, the fact that data from the apps is fed directly into the Ukrainian military’s targeting platform raises the question: at what point can smartphone-carrying civilians be considered forward observers? 

Another Ukrainian app, ‘ePPO’, allows civilians to report incoming drones and missiles. The developers of the app have said that their aim is “to enlist ‘the entire population’ in helping to spot incoming attacks.”

Even those not willingly submitting tips to Ukraine’s many snitch-lines could find their smartphone data fed into Gotham and used to coordinate attacks. Palantir’s software also scrapes and geolocates social media posts in a target area, and when used by the Israeli military in its war on Gaza, reportedly suggested strikes on homes and businesses where Al-Jazeera was playing on televisions.

Silicon Valley’s vultures descend

Palantir is not the only Silicon Valley corporation that smelled opportunity in Ukraine. SpaceX provides satellite internet to the Ukrainian military, which is used for communications and drone guidance. Maxar Technologies, Planet Labs, and BlackSky Technology supply satellite reconnaissance. PrimerAI and Recorded Future provide intelligence analysis tools. Clearview – funded by Palantir founder Peter Thiel – supplies facial recognition software that the Ukrainian military uses to identify Russian soldiers and alleged ‘collaborators’. 

Ukraine plans to make Clearview a permanent tool in its policing arsenal, despite civil rights activists in Kiev warning that it will inevitable be “used to persecute activists or civil society.”

While all of these tools bolster the Ukrainian war effort, Kiev is left in a vulnerable position. The Ukrainian military’s access to Gotham is entirely dependent on Alex Karp’s generosity, and on the US government continuing to waive export restrictions on Palantir’s software. In the event that Karp pulls out, or a new administration in Washington imposes export controls, the Ukrainians cannot take the data collected by Gotham and export it to their own platform, as Palantir’s software is closed-source. 

What does this mean for Ukraine’s sovereignty? With its foreign policy already crafted in Brussels and London, its land and resources parceled up by Blackrock and Donald Trump’s mining cronies, and its military now dependent on Silicon Valley subscription services, Zelensky’s relationship with his Western benefactors is looking more and more like a one-way deal.

At least three people have died and another 38 have been injured in Colombia after a monster truck driver lost control of her vehicle and plowed into a crowd of spectators during a motor show, AFP reported on Monday, citing local authorities.

Footage circulating on social media shows the vehicle navigating an obstacle course during a show featuring modified cars and motorcycles on Sunday in the city of Popayan, southwest of Bogota.

The driver was reportedly unable to brake after a stunt, and the vehicle suddenly headed toward the crowd of spectators after knocking down the metal barriers separating the public from the track.

“We are deeply saddened by this accident… which, according to preliminary figures, has caused more than 38 injuries and three deaths,” said city mayor Juan Carlos Munoz, as cited by AFP.

#ATENCIÓN. Lamentable balance en Popayán: asciende a 3 la cifra de fallecidos y al menos 12 heridos tras el accidente en la exhibición de Monster Truck en el Boulevard Rose. Entre los lesionados se encuentran varios menores de edad que recibían atención en centros asistenciales.… https://t.co/IsPHNJ0W6H pic.twitter.com/YuYcIncITT

— Colombia Oscura (@ColombiaOscura) May 4, 2026

A Popayan city official told Colombian newspaper El Espectador that one of the victims was a ten-year-old girl.

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Публикация от CALI INFORMA (@cali_informa)

The area where the incident occurred has been secured while the electricity company carries out reconnection work due to damage caused by the accident, Colonel Francisco Arboleda of the fire department said, as cited by the newspaper.

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A US Navy patrol boat has been hit by two Iranian missiles not far from the Strait of Hormuz after it ignored warnings to stay out of the critical waterway, Fars News Agency has reported. It claimed that the boat was “forced to retreat,” without providing information on the damage.

The agency reported on Monday that the unidentified vessel was moving near the Iranian coastal town of Jask, some 140 km from the strait’s narrowest point, and was “violating security and navigation rules [and] intending to pass through” the chokepoint.

The ship did not heed warnings from the Iranian Navy and was targeted by a missile attack, the report said, adding that “the American patrol boat was unable to continue its route due to the hits and was forced to retreat and flee the area.”

The escalation comes after US President Donald Trump promised on Sunday to “help free up” ships stuck in the Strait of Hormuz, some of which have been stranded there since late February. According to Trump, the US military will “guide” ships linked to several countries out of the waterway, “so that they can freely and ably get on with their business,” while warning that any interference would “have to be dealt with forcefully.”

In response, the Iranian military warned that “any foreign military force, especially the invading American army… will be attacked” if they try to approach the Strait of Hormuz.

Following the report, Axios journalist Barack Ravid said, citing an unnamed US official, that “the rules of engagement for US forces in the region have been changed, and they were authorized to strike immediate threats,” including ships crossing the strait and Iranian missile positions.

The strait accounted for about 20% of global seaborne oil trade before the US-Israeli attack on Iran, but has been de facto closed since the start of the conflict, with only a handful of ships being allowed to pass. The disruption has led to soaring oil prices, with the US national average gas price exceeding $4.4.

Despite the rising consumer costs and a record-high disapproval rating, Trump opted to maintain a naval blockade of Iranian ports to pressure Tehran towards a peace settlement. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has declared that the US naval blockade is an “act of war” and a violation of the existing ceasefire.

Seven workers from an agricultural facility in Bryansk Region, Russia were wounded after Ukrainian forces carried out a “barbaric” rocket strike, Governor Aleksandr Bogomaz reported on Monday. 

The attack targeted the Miratorg agro-industrial holding in the village of Brovnichi, Klimovsky District, causing damage to production facilities. While the injured were being evacuated, Kiev launched a follow-up drone attack.

“Inhumanity and terrorism are the methods of the Kiev regime,” Bogomaz wrote on Telegram, adding that the wounded have been hospitalized and are receiving treatment.

Hours earlier, Bogomaz reported another attack on a Miratorg truck in the settlement of Senchury, Suzemsky District. The driver was wounded when a kamikaze drone deliberately struck his moving vehicle.

Ukrainian UAVs also attacked the territory of a Russian Post office in the village of Demyanki, injuring a driver and a postal worker, Bogomaz said. Both of the victims have been taken to the hospital to receive medical care.

Since the start of the conflict with Russia, Ukrainian forces have repeatedly targeted Russian border regions. Since mid-March, Kiev has intensified its attacks, deploying hundreds of fixed-wing UAVs on a daily basis, targeting critical infrastructure, manufacturing facilities, and residential areas.

Russian officials have described the aerial incursions as desperate “terrorist attacks” meant to compensate for the setbacks the Ukrainian military has been suffering on the battlefield.

At least 18 people have died due to flooding and landslides following heavy rains in Kenya, while extreme weather continues to batter large parts of the country, the national police service reported on Sunday. 

Mudslides have struck several regions in the central and eastern part of the country, leaving families displaced and causing widespread destruction to homes and infrastructure.  

“The National Police Service has confirmed the loss of 18 lives as a ⁠result of these incidents,” the police ⁠said in the statement. 

Emergency response teams have been deployed to carry out search and rescue operations, evacuate residents from high-risk zones, and deliver relief supplies. Officials are also assessing areas most prone to further landslides in an effort to prevent additional casualties, as fears grow that the situation could deteriorate if the rains continue.  

Heavy rainfall in late 2025 has also resulted in widespread flooding across parts of southern Africa, overwhelming drainage systems and causing rivers and dams to surge beyond capacity. In April, at least 42 people were killed in Angola after torrential rains triggered widespread flooding across multiple provinces. 

In South Africa, prolonged downpours have inundated the provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga, killing at least 30 people, damaging thousands of homes, and prompting evacuations, including in Kruger National Park.  

US President Donald Trump has rejected an Iranian counterproposal to a peace plan previously conveyed via Pakistani intermediaries.

The back-and-forth has so far resulted a deadlock in which neither party appears to be willing to budge. Although active fighting was paused under a fragile ceasefire last month, both Washington and Tehran continue to rely on economic leverage to force concessions.

Iran submitted its 14-point proposal late Thursday last week, reiterating its conditions for ending the standoff, as described by Iranian news outlet Tasnim. Speaking to Israel’s Kan News on Sunday, Trump said he reviewed the proposal and considers it unacceptable.

Trump had hinted at this stance on social media, writing that Iran “has not yet paid a big enough price for what they have done to Humanity, and the World, over the last 47 years.”

The crisis in the Persian Gulf began in late February with a joint US-Israeli targeted assassinations of Iran’s leadership and a bombing campaign aimed at toppling the government. Tehran responded with retaliatory actions, including strikes against countries that host US bases and disruptions to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Amid the ceasefire, Trump ordered a blockade of Iranian ports, even as global supply constraints force Washington to take costly measures to contain oil price increases.

Iran is seeking guarantees against future attacks, reparations – potentially funded through tolls on transit through the Strait of Hormuz – and the continuation of its nuclear program, which it maintains is peaceful in nature. The US demands the complete dismantling of Iran’s nuclear activities and unrestricted navigation through the strategic waterway.

The US has threatened to sanction shipping companies that pay Iran tolls to transit the Strait of Hormuz.

The strategic waterway has been effectively closed following US and Israeli strikes on Iran that started in late February, with traffic restricted to a single IRGC-controlled corridor under a de facto ‘toll booth’ system. Vessels transiting the corridor reportedly require clearance codes and Iranian escort.

According to Lloyd’s List, at least two ships have paid for passage in yuan, with fees reportedly ranging from $1 million to $2 million.

On Friday, the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued an alert warning of consequences for those that pay the fees.

“Maritime industry participants involved with vessels calling at Iranian ports face significant sanctions risk under multiple sanctions authorities targeting Iran’s shipping sector and ports,” the OFAC said.

The agency added that non-US entities could incur civil or criminal liability if transactions involve US-linked institutions, including insurers and financial companies.

As of May, an estimated 2,000 ships and 20,000 seafarers remain stranded in the Persian Gulf and around the Strait of Hormuz, with many facing supply shortages.

On Sunday, US President Donald Trump announced a new initiative called Project Freedom, aimed at assisting vessels from countries that are “neutral and innocent bystanders” to pass through the strait.

US Central Command said it would support the operation to “restore freedom of navigation for commercial shipping.” The initiative, described by Trump as a humanitarian gesture, will involve around 15,000 personnel, guided-missile destroyers, and more than 100 aircraft.

The West is erecting a new Cold War-style Iron Curtain against Russia, severing ties that took centuries to build, Moscow’s Ambassador-at-Large Artyom Bulatov has said.

In an interview with RIA Novosti on Monday, Bulatov, a senior diplomat overseeing Kaliningrad’s foreign policy dossier and key Baltic Sea issues, said Western capitals are pushing a deliberate and “irreversible” rupture of regional bonds.

“Westerners, with energy worthy of a better cause, are erecting a new ‘Iron Curtain’, seeking to make irreversible the rupture – provoked by themselves – of socio-economic, trade, transport, interpersonal, cultural, and historical ties that have been built in the region not over years, but over centuries,” he said.

Russia withdrew from both bodies in 2022 and 2023, arguing that their operations had been mostly derailed by Western participants. With Moscow out of both institutions, Bulatov said their work had been “reduced to a secondary instrument” of Western anti-Russian policy.

The phrase ‘Iron Curtain’ was popularized by Winston Churchill in his famous 1946 speech in Fulton, which is widely regarded as the opening salvo of the Cold War.

The escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022 ushered in unprecedented tensions between Russia and the West, with the EU closing its airspace to Russian aircraft and imposing waves of sanctions on Moscow. The Baltic countries, Poland, and Finland went further, imposing a near-total ban on entry for Russian nationals.

In addition, over the past several months, all five countries formally exited the 1997 Ottawa Mine Ban Treaty, freeing them to deploy anti-personnel landmines along their borders with Russia. Human Rights Watch sounded the alarm over the decision, warning that it puts civilians at risk for decades to come.

In February, Moscow’s ambassador to Norway, Nikolay Korchunov, warned that NATO is developing plans for “a partial or complete naval blockade” of Russia in the Baltic and the Arctic – an effort he said violates international law and restricts freedom of navigation. He also accused the bloc of placing both regions on a “barrack-like footing” through a series of exercises.

Two US Army service members participating in the annual African Lion multinational military exercise have gone missing near a city in southwestern Morocco, the US Africa Command (AFRICOM) and the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces said on Sunday.

AFRICOM reported the personnel were last seen Saturday evening near the Cap Draa Training Area close to the Atlantic Ocean near Tan Tan, a rugged region of cliffs and desert where parts of the exercise are staged.

“US, Moroccan and other assets from African Lion immediately initiated coordinated search and rescue operations, including ground, air, and maritime assets. The incident remains under investigation and the search is on-going,” AFRICOM said in a statement.

The soldiers were not involved in formal training at the time they disappeared, “most likely while swimming” in the Oued Draa estuary, located 25 km north of Tan-Tan, Defense Atlas, which tracks military events in North Africa, reported.

“The Royal Moroccan Armed Forces are using several means for the search, including helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles, Royal Navy aircraft, and other means,” it added.

The identities of the missing troops have not been released.

تستمر عملية البحث عن الجنديين الأمريكيين 🇺🇸 المفقودين في مصب واد درعة حيث اختفيا يوم أمس على الساعة 9 مساءا في الغالب أثناء السباحة في المصب .
تستخدم القوات المسلحة الملكية المغربية 🇲🇦 عدة وسائل للبحث بما في ذالك المروحيات و طائرات بدون طيار و طائرات للبحرية الملكية و وسائل أخرى… pic.twitter.com/ZIoNcuifK3

— Defense Atlas - المرصد الأطلسي للدفاع و التسليح (@DefenseAtlas009) May 3, 2026

African Lion, launched in 2004, is one of the largest annual US-led military drills in Africa, which Washington says aims to strengthen interoperability and readiness among participants and NATO partner forces.

The disappearance of the US troops is not the first incident linked to African Lion. In 2012, two US Marines were killed in a helicopter crash during exercises in Morocco.

Two cargo ships were attacked near the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).

The strategic waterway, which handles around one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas flows, is currently under a dual blockade, with Iran restricting access to “hostile vessels” and US naval forces blocking ships entering or leaving Iranian ports.

The first alert followed reports from several ships near the Emirati city of Ras Al Khaimah, which said they had been ordered via radio to leave anchorage and move toward Dubai.

Shortly afterward, a northbound bulk carrier was attacked by small craft around 11 nautical miles west of Sirik, Iran. Hours later, a tanker was struck by unidentified projectiles around 78 nautical miles north of Fujairah in the UAE.

On Sunday, President Donald Trump said the US would begin guiding ships from neutral countries through the strait starting Monday. An estimated 2,000 vessels have been trapped in and around Hormuz since the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran on February 28.

According to Axios, the US would provide commercial ships with information about safe lanes free of Iranian mines, while US Navy vessels would remain ready to prevent Iran from targeting ships passing through the strait. Iran has warned that any intervention would constitute a violation of the ceasefire reached nearly a month ago.

Iran maintains that it has a “natural right” to control the strait, with Deputy Parliament Speaker Ali Nikzad saying on Sunday that Tehran will not back down from its position regardless of the outcome of peace talks with the US.

Two civilians were killed and four injured in Ukrainian drone strikes in Belgorod Region, Russia on Sunday, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.

A drone struck a car carrying a married couple and their son in the village of Nechyaevka, the governor said on Telegram. The father and son were killed at the scene; the man’s wife was hospitalized.

A young man and a teenage girl were injured in an attack on a commercial building in the city of Gubkin. Both were sitting in a car parked outside. The girl was hospitalized with a brain injury and remains in critical condition. Another woman was injured in a separate strike in the regional capital, Belgorod. According to the governor, nearly a dozen residential buildings were damaged.

Russia has accused Ukraine of deliberately targeting civilians with Western-supplied weapons. Last month, the Russian Defense Ministry published what it said was a list of addresses of European companies involved in manufacturing drones for Ukraine and warned Kiev’s backers that this could lead to further escalation.

The US will guide third-party ships through the Strait of Hormuz, President Donald Trump has said, describing the move as a humanitarian effort to help stranded crews.

An estimated 2,000 vessels have been trapped in and around the strait since Iran closed the waterway to most traffic in response to the US-Israeli bombing campaign launched on February 28. The US has since imposed its own naval blockade on Iranian ports.

In a post on Truth Social on Sunday, Trump said the initiative – Project Freedom, which is set to begin on Monday – is aimed at helping countries that are “neutral and innocent bystanders” in the conflict.

“For the good of Iran, the Middle East, and the United States, we have told these countries that we will guide their ships safely out of these restricted waterways, so that they can freely and ably get on with their business,” Trump wrote.

The Wall Street Journal, citing a senior US official, described the initiative as a process through which countries, insurance companies, and shipping organizations can coordinate traffic through Hormuz. The official said it would not involve US warships escorting vessels.

Axios, also citing US officials, said US Navy ships would be “in the vicinity” in case they need to prevent Iran from attacking commercial vessels crossing the strait. The official added that the Navy would provide merchant ships with information about lanes that have not been mined by Iran.

Ebrahim Azizi, the head of the Iranian parliament’s national security commission, dismissed Trump’s “delusional posts,” saying any intervention in the strait would constitute a violation of the ceasefire.

Iranian media has released previously unseen footage showing the immediate aftermath of a strike on a girls’ elementary school in Minab that killed at least 175 people, most of them children.

The Shajareh Tayyebeh school in southern Iran was hit on February 28 in the early days of the US-Israeli bombing campaign. The building was located near a naval base but separated from military facilities by a fence visible in satellite imagery.

A disturbing video shared by SNN TV on Sunday shows two frightened young girls in what appear to be dust-covered school uniforms. One girl has bloodstains on her face and headscarf. Several people are seen running toward a building engulfed in smoke.

A video taken immediately after the explosion at Shajareh Taybeh Minab School in Iran has emerged. pic.twitter.com/e07UMRS1e8

— 1880 News (@1880News) May 3, 2026

US President Donald Trump has denied that US forces were responsible. However, investigations by media outlets and analysts have concluded that the school was likely hit by a US-made missile, with evidence pointing to a Tomahawk strike.

Iran has described the strike as a war crime; the UN called it “a grave assault on children, on education, and on the future of an entire community.”

A Ukrainian drone has struck a high-rise residential building near Moscow’s business district, Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said.

The UAV struck the 52-story residential building known as the House on Mosfilmovskaya, a modernist landmark built in the early 2010s. The impact reportedly occurred around the 36th floor. Sobyanin said there were no casualties.

Photos and videos from the scene show damage to the facade and debris scattered on the street.

The attack took place ahead of Victory Day on May 9, one of Russia’s most important public holidays, marked by a military parade on Red Square.

Dozens of police cars and ambulances are at the scene.

Eyewitnesses told RT they heard a powerful explosion. Some said they saw a flash in the sky and smoke rising from the building.

Ukraine has stepped up strikes deep inside Russia in recent weeks, launching hundreds of kamikaze drones a day. Although successful strikes in Moscow are rare, Ukrainian drones damaged high-rise buildings in Moscow City, the capital’s iconic business district, in 2023.

The US State Department has quietly revived Biden-era tactics of imposing American birthright citizenship on the children of Russian diplomats, in violation of international norms, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wrote in an op-ed on Monday.

RT is republishing the official English version of the op-ed:

While President Trump is trying to bring order to the American migration mess cooked up by his predecessors, his own staff are, behind his back, engaging in intrigue and are further damaging already ailing Russia-US relations in the sphere of migration.

One of Trump’s central campaign promises was that there would be no legalization of illegal migrants.

Said and done. The only difference is that thanks to the deep state, which is clearly walking in the opposite direction from its current president towards a new one, things have turned out exactly the other way around.

Picture the following.

A Russian diplomat working in the United States receives a phone call from the State Department. It would appear that a contact has been established. Contact has indeed been established, but not of a working kind:

“Mr […]?” goes a State Department employee.

“Yes,” the Russian diplomat replies.

“Do you have a son named Ivan?”

“Yes.”

Sitting at his desk, with his child at school a couple of kilometers away from his office, the man felt his heart drop into a bottomless abyss.

“The US State Department informs you that your son is a citizen of the United States,” the voice – whether a bureaucrat or perhaps already an AI embedded within one – tells him.

What follows is a dialogue that the finest surrealist dystopian writers might envy:

“My son is a citizen of Russia and holds no other citizenship. The US State Department has repeatedly issued my son, as a member of a diplomat’s family, US visas. This contradicts common sense and US law, which combined create a uniquely unambiguous interpretation,” the Russian diplomat responds, instantly recalling his [Moscow State Institute of International Relations] MGIMO studies, Lavrov, and international law in its entirety.

“Your son has been granted US citizenship without his consent by virtue of being born on American soil. The fact that neither he nor you were ever informed of this, and that visas were issued to him as to a foreign national, is a technical error,” the voice reads from a document.

“But we do not need US citizenship; we never asked for it and will never accept it,” the Russian diplomat is practically yelling in the receiver.

“Be on notice that your child is our citizen with all the ensuing consequences, and you cannot renounce this!”

The line goes dead, and so does the logic of whatever the United States is doing domestically and abroad.

No, there is no need to look for fault on the part of Russian diplomats here. There is none. Our colleagues do their work, process all documents in accordance with Russian legislation and the requirements of the Vienna Conventions, and respect US laws. When children are born on US territory, they promptly file papers to Russian citizenship knowing full well that there will be no issues with US citizenship, since diplomats are not automatically subject to the right of the soil under local law – no one can be forced to become a citizen of a foreign country.

However, the law in the United States is reminiscent of a mad tea party with the Mad Hatter.

Let’s go over it once again, but this time seriously.

It’s absurd and violates every rule in the book, and delivers a blow to their own president, but who cares when yet another act of Russophobia, so carefully cultivated by the Democratic Party, is at stake?

The Americans began applying this discriminatory practice against Russian personnel in 2023, as if deliberately laying a mine under Trump in order to present him in the most ridiculous light before everyone, such as the Latin American workers invited to the United States, who during the pandemic quite literally carried the country out of hell on their shoulders; the voters; the international community, which watches with astonishment as their compatriots are denied US citizenship and sent home in disgrace at a time when it is forced upon Russian diplomats. It looks like a scene from the Spider Man comic in which he becomes entangled in his own web.

The exemption concerning children of foreign diplomats is spelled out in virtually all internal regulations. An entire chapter of the US Citizenship and Immigration Services policy manual and a provision in the Code of Federal Regulations are devoted to this matter. Both documents clearly state that children of foreign diplomats do not acquire US citizenship by the right of the soil, as they enjoy diplomatic immunity and are not fully subject to the jurisdiction of the host country.

Moreover, this legal norm was re-affirmed by the US Supreme Court back in 1898 in the case of United States v. Wong Kim Ark. Here is a direct quotation from the court ruling:

“The requirement that a person be subject to the jurisdiction of the United States excludes the application of this rule to children born of diplomatic representatives of a foreign state, children born of enemy aliens during occupation, and children of members of Indian tribes owing direct allegiance to their several tribes.”

The US side has always taken pride in its system of case law, so the complete disregard of this well-known ruling provides a very clear characterization of the actions of the US foreign policy establishment.

It is symptomatic that the stepped up activity by the US State Department in the matter of unlawfully granting US citizenship to the children of employees of Russian diplomatic missions – citizenship they neither need nor are allowed by local authorities to refuse – is taking place precisely now, when, on the basis of agreements between the leaders of Russia and the United States, attempts are being made to remove such irritants.

Judge for yourself. US President Trump is pursuing a policy aimed at ending the automatic granting of citizenship to children of foreign nationals born under American jurisdiction. The White House, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Homeland Security have launched a large-scale, unprecedented anti-immigration campaign designed to reduce the flow of migrants. They stop at nothing, including rechecking data submitted during the naturalization process. The media report monthly quotas for investigations into potential revocation of US citizenship. Information is being circulated that Immigration and Customs Enforcement back in 2025 received a green light to use spyware for remote installation on the mobile devices of illegal immigrants and activists among US citizens who oppose mass deportation policies.

At the same time, the United States is systematically violating its host country agreement with the UN by failing to issue visas to foreign diplomats planning to attend relevant events at UN headquarters. One recent example is the disruption of the participation of the Deputy Director of the Information and Press Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry in the annual meeting of the UN General Assembly’s Committee on Information on April 27, 2026.

Against this backdrop, such demonstrative targeted interest by US authorities in the children of employees of Russian foreign institutions is causing genuine concern. Not for our diplomats, but for the mental health of American officials.

Coercive actions against the personnel of our diplomatic missions contradict the norms of international law and bilateral agreements, which guarantee immunity from the jurisdiction of the host country. With regard to consular staff, the State Department is obliged to be guided by the provisions of the 1964 bilateral Consular Convention, which grants this category of Russian citizens a broader scope of immunities than the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.

According to Article 24 of the 1964 Convention, consular officers or employees, as well as members of their families, are exempt from all forms of compulsory obligations. For more than 60 years since the conclusion of the 1964 Consular Convention, it has been interpreted and applied by the parties as excluding the possibility of forcibly extending the citizenship of the host state to the children of consular officers and employees of the sending state. And it is not only a matter of the letter of the law.

The arbitrary granting of US citizenship to such children potentially provides Washington with a lever for improper pressure on our personnel – what if a child were to be abducted under the pretext, for example, of juvenile law or the need to verify gender compliance as part of another wave of the new normal? We have seen many such examples.

The Russian side does not recognize the imposition of US citizenship on Russian citizens born into the families of our diplomatic, administrative-technical, and consular personnel in the United States. We will demand from the Americans confirmation in each specific case that the newborn is not subject to US jurisdiction and enjoys all the immunities and privileges provided for by the Vienna Conventions on diplomatic and consular relations, as well as by bilateral agreements.

The US State Department is flouting both US federal law and diplomatic immunity in forcing American citizenship on children of Russian consular staff, with no option given to refuse, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in an op-ed on Monday.

These moves by the “deep state” are undermining US President Donald Trump’s unprecedented anti-immigration policy and his aim of ending birthright citizenship in the country, she said.

“It’s absurd and violates every rule in the book, and delivers a blow to their own president,” Zakharova wrote.

The US began the practice in 2023 under former President Joe Biden, “as if deliberately laying a mine under Trump in order to present him in the most ridiculous light,” she said, adding that neither federal law nor diplomatic agreements have been amended since.

Currently, children born of “foreign diplomatic officers” are exempted from US birthright citizenship under the Code of Federal Regulations and US Citizenship and Immigration Services policy, although they are considered lawful permanent residents.

Zakharova also warned that the situation gives Washington potential leverage over Russian diplomats.

What if a child were to be abducted under the pretext, for example, of juvenile law or the need to verify gender compliance as part of another wave of the new normal?

Moscow banned LGBTQ-related content in 2022, years after passing laws protecting minors from “LGBTQ propaganda.” In 2024, Russia also banned the adoption of children by countries that allow gender-reassignment surgeries and procedures.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu encouraged US President Donald Trump to carry out a regime change operation in Iran for many years, former US National Security Adviser John Bolton has told Afshin Rattansi, the host of New World.

West Jerusalem wanted Trump to launch an attack against Iran during his first presidential term and continued lobbying for it during his second term, Bolton said, who served as national security adviser from 2018 to 2019.

“I urged that our objective be regime change, so did Netanyahu,” he told Rattansi, explaining that “There is no change in what Trump has been hearing from” the Israeli prime minister over the years. He nevertheless denied that Trump’s decision to launch the attack in late February was influenced by Israel.

Bolton criticized the president for what he called the lack of a clear goal in his campaign against the Islamic Republic and said Trump failed to “make the case to the American people” about “why regime change in Iran is necessary” – despite being a “very compelling one.”

Watch the full interview here:

The Pentagon has ordered the withdrawal of approximately 5,000 troops from Germany, with US President Donald Trump warning that the pullout could only be the beginning.

The move comes amid a sharp divide between the Trump administration and European NATO members over the Iran war, Washington’s calls to increase defense spending, and a bitter aftertaste from the dispute over Greenland.

‘Cutting a lot further’

The withdrawal was announced on Friday, with the Pentagon signaling that the process would be over within the next six to 12 months. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said that the “decision follows a thorough review of the Department’s force posture in Europe and is in recognition of theater requirements and conditions on the ground.”

In addition, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz confirmed that the US dropped a Biden-era plan to deploy a US battalion with long-range Tomahawk missiles to Germany.

Germany is home to America’s largest military presence in Europe, currently hosting more than 36,000 active-duty US personnel. It is also home to critical training, logistics, and medical infrastructure, including Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, the largest US military hospital abroad. In total, there are over 80,000 US troops in Europe, with many having been redeployed to the continent by the Biden administration after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022.

Iran war looms over the decision

The announcement came days after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz once again criticized the US-Israel war on Iran, saying that Washington “obviously has no strategy,” adding, referring to the US, that “an entire nation is being humiliated by the Iranian leadership.”

According to Reuters, the current transatlantic rift has also been exacerbated by Trump’s simmering anger over European pushback to his attempt to annex Greenland this winter.

US ‘schizophrenic’

According to an AP source, the US military was not been warned of the decision to pull troops from Germany and learned about it “in real time,” though the Pentagon disagreed, saying that the move “follows a comprehensive, multilayered process” with input from the European command and other top officials.

US lawmakers have also protested the withdrawal announcement, with Republican chairmen of the House and Senate Armed Services committees saying they were “very concerned” by the drawdown.

Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi and Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama urged the Pentagon to redeploy the troops eastward rather than send them home – to countries that “have made substantial investments to host US troops” on NATO’s front line – warning the decision risked “undermining deterrence and sending the wrong signal” to Russia.

Military buildup as planned

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius played down the news, calling the drawdown “foreseeable.” The Defense Ministry spokesperson also said the development showed “we must strengthen the European pillar within NATO.”

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk was blunter, saying that the greatest threat to NATO is not its external enemies, but rather its “ongoing disintegration[...] We must all do what it takes to reverse this disastrous trend.”

Still, the overall trend of the US detachment from Europe barely comes as a shock, with European NATO members looking to ramp up military spending. The rearmament drive was partly driven by Trump himself, who pushed other NATO members to invest 5% of GDP annually in core defense and defense-related spending by 2035.

On top of that, the European Commission unveiled its Readiness 2030 plan, which aims to provide more than €800 billion ($938 billion) in defense spending across the EU. Germany alone has embarked on a historic military buildup, committing to spend more than €500 billion on defense by 2029.

Moscow has consistently rejected speculation that it could attack NATO as “nonsense,” suggesting that European nations are using “propaganda” to portray Russia as an enemy to mask its own crises.

NATO is holding closed-door consultations with TV and film industry professionals across Europe and the US, The Guardian reported on Sunday. The move has prompted accusations that the bloc is working to leverage the arts for “fear mongering” and “propaganda,” it added.

The military bloc has held three private meetings with directors, producers and screenwriters in Los Angeles, Brussels and Paris, and is planning to convene with members of the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain (WGGB) in London next month, the newspaper wrote.

The upcoming meeting will be overseen by the British think tank Chatham House and will discuss the “evolving security situation in Europe and beyond,” according to the report. NATO cyber and innovation technology deputy head James Appathurai is expected to attend, among other officials, the newspaper added.

So far, the conversations have partly “inspired” at least “three separate projects,” The Guardian wrote, citing an internal WGGB e-mail.

“I think there’s fearmongering throughout Europe at the moment that our defenses are down,” he reportedly said, adding that he has seen a media and government push in Ireland “to present NATO in a positive light and align ourselves with them.”

Other screenwriters were “pretty offended that art would be used in a way that was supporting war” and believed they were being asked to “contribute towards propaganda for NATO,” he said, according to the newspaper.

The greatest threat the bloc currently faces emanates not from “external enemies,” but rather its “ongoing disintegration,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Saturday.

Spirit Airlines, a US-based low-cost carrier, has succumbed to the unprecedented energy crisis, Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev has said, commenting on the company’s recent shutdown.

The airline announced on Saturday that it has begun an orderly suspension of operations, effective immediately, citing the recent surge in fuel costs and other pressures that have significantly impacted its financial outlook.

“Spirit Airlines collapsed – the first airline victim of the historic energy crisis, as jet fuel prices jumped from $2.5 to $4 per gallon. 17,000 laid off,” Dmitriev, who serves as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy for investment and economic cooperation, said later that day in a post on X.

Spirit’s bondholders reportedly turned down a last-minute rescue proposal from the Trump administration that could have provided up to $500 million to sustain the struggling airline. The plan would have placed the government ahead of other creditors and granted it a stake of up to 90% in the company.

The sudden and sustained rise in fuel prices in recent weeks ultimately left the company with no alternative but to pursue an orderly wind-down despite a restructuring plan agreed upon with bondholders in March, Spirit’s President and CEO, Dave Davis, said in a statement.

A mounting jet fuel crunch is hitting airlines worldwide as disruption in the Strait of Hormuz – a key energy chokepoint handling nearly a fifth of the global oil supply – amid the US-Israeli war on Iran has sharply reduced tanker traffic, delaying shipments and raising fears of the worst energy crisis in history, the International Energy Agency has warned.

Several hundred people have taken part in an ‘Immortal Regiment’ march in Washington, commemorating those who fought for the Soviet Union in the Second World War, the Russian Embassy in DC has said.

The marches were first held in the Siberian city of Tomsk in 2012. In the past, WWII veterans had been honored guests at Victory Day parades commemorating Hitler’s defeat, but their numbers had dwindled, so local organizers came up with the idea of inviting their loved ones to march instead, holding their portraits. Since then, the idea has spread across Russia and to other nations.

The marches are traditionally held on May 9 in Russia, when the country celebrates Victory Day. In Washington, however, it was staged on Saturday, a week before the 81st anniversary of the end of the bloodiest conflict in history.

The demonstrators walked past the White House carrying portraits and red Victory Banners, and made their way towards the World War II Memorial on the National Mall, where they laid flowers, the embassy said in a statement.

The Russian diplomats thanked the organizers of the ‘Immortal Regiment’ march and all those who participated in what they described as an “important initiative, aimed at countering attempts to rewrite history and whitewash the Nazis and their collaborators, who are now being honored in some countries.”

Last year’s procession in the US capitol was marred by provocations from pro-Ukrainian activists. No incidents have been reported during the current event.

An ‘Immortal Regiment’ march also took place in New York City on Saturday, with several dozen people gathering outside the office of the Russian Permanent Mission to the UN.

The Ukrainian military has targeted an external radiation control laboratory at Russia’s Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), the facility’s press service has said in a statement on Telegram.

Ukrainian forces have repeatedly attacked Europe’s largest nuclear facility since it came under Russian control in 2022, soon after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict. The power plant is located in Zaporozhye Region, which officially voted to join Russia in a fall 2022 referendum.

The laboratory targeted in the Sunday attack facilitates the round-the-clock monitoring of the radiological environment at the plant and is vital for planning any emergency response operations, the press service said.

“Such actions pose a threat not only for the nuclear security but also the for the radiological environment control system,” it added, warning that any damage to the laboratory could affect the timely assessment of the situation and response in case of emergency.

The UN nuclear watchdog confirmed receiving the report from the ZNPP and requested access to the lab for further inspection, the IAEA said in a post on X. Its Director General Rafael Grossi also condemned the strike by saying that “any attacks near nuclear sites can pose nuclear safety risks.”

The Monday attack came a day after Grossi visited Kiev for talks with Vladimir Zelensky, during which the Ukrainian leader urged the IAEA to pressure Russia to hand over control of the plant.

Ukraine has also repeatedly sought to interject proposals to take control of the plant into US-mediated peace talks with Russia.

Moscow has firmly rejected the idea of handing over the plant or allowing for its joint ownership with Ukraine or any NATO nations, citing a high risk of sabotage.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has signed a contract with a private security firm to locate migrant children who arrived in the US without their parents, although the company is facing accusations of ‘torture,’ The Guardian has reported.

The agency, which is part of the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), hired the Virginia-based company MVM in mid-April to assist with its expanding effort to track down minors who had been released into communities pending immigration court proceedings, the paper said in an article on Saturday.

A one-year deal was signed between ICE and the contractor, which provides detention and transport services to federal immigration agencies, it added.

MVM is currently being sued over the separation of two Guatemalan fathers from their respective children in 2017. The lawsuit, which had been filed in a California court two years ago, alleges “torture, enforced disappearance and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment” on the part of the company.

Its employees “physically took thousands of children away from their parents” before transporting them “using unmarked vehicles, commercial airlines, and makeshift detention centers,” the document read.

“The primary focus of this initiative is to conduct welfare checks on these children to ensure thaat they are safe and not being exploited or abused,” the spokesperson stressed.

The Guardian said that it had reviewed an internal ICE document last year, which suggested that it actually runs an operation aimed at deporting the children or pursuing criminal cases against them or the adults providing for them.

"Accusations that ICE is ‘targeting’ and arresting children are false and an attempt to demonize law enforcement,” the DHS spokesperson insisted.

Democratic lawmaker Delia Ramirez, who is of Guatemalan descent, has called upon Congress to monitor the arrangement between ICE and MVM.

Iran is seeking a decisive and permanent end to the conflict with the US, rather than a previously proposed two-month ceasefire, RT correspondent Saman Kojouri has reported from Tehran regarding a 14-point peace plan put forward by the Islamic Republic.  

Tehran has submitted a new peace proposal to Washington via Pakistani mediators in response to a US offer, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi confirmed on Saturday, adding that “the ball is in the US court.” 

RT’s Saman Kojouri said key provisions of the plan include guarantees against future attacks by Israel and the US, the lifting of sanctions, the withdrawal of American forces from areas surrounding Iran, and a new mechanism to govern the Strait of Hormuz. “The plan includes a demand to resolve all issues and end the war within 30 days,” says Kojouri, adding that “the space for compromise between Tehran and Washington is narrowing.” 

Watch the full report of by RT’s Saman Kojouri on the latest peace efforts to end the war in Iran:

Israel’s ultranationalist National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir celebrated his 50th birthday this weekend, treating guests to slices of a cake featuring a noose. Attendees included several top law enforcement officials.

The cake was an apparent allusion to Ben Gvir’s advocacy for legislation that would introduce the death penalty for Palestinians found guilty of “terrorism.”

At the Saturday night celebration at Villa Space in Moshav Emunim in southern Israel, Ben Gvir’s wife, Ayala, presented him with a cake featuring a noose and the words: “Mazel tov to Minister Ben Gvir, sometimes dreams come true.”

Hamas celebrates killing Israelis.

Ben Gvir celebrates killing Palestinians.

Unless this stops, how will there ever be peace? https://t.co/kTxuMoaIdx

— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) May 3, 2026

The celebration featured another tall birthday cake bearing the image of Israel, Ben Gvir’s portrait, two guns, and a golden noose.

ניצב בדימוס סיגל בר צבי, לשעבר ראש אגף המבצעים במשטרה, על חגיגות יום ההולדת של השר בן גביר בהשתתפות שוטרים רבים: "לא כזה נוח, זה אירוע די חריג. בין דרג ממונה שהוא פוליטי ובין המבצע צריך שיהיה מרחק שהדרג המבצע הוא יוכל לעשות את העבודה שלו באופן נקי ובלי השפעה זו סיטואציה בעייתית,… pic.twitter.com/IQoI79Vs2o

— 103FM (@radio103fm) May 3, 2026

The noose paraphernalia was an apparent allusion to the Death Penalty for Terrorists Law, which was passed by the Knesset in March by 62 votes to 47. The legislation mandates that Palestinians convicted of deadly attacks in military courts be sentenced to hanging — a provision that critics say effectively exempts Jewish Israelis.

Sentences are to be carried out within 90 days of the ruling, with no right of appeal. The sentence could be mitigated to life imprisonment only under some unspecified “special circumstances.”

The law has sparked international condemnation, with Germany, France, the UK, Italy, New Zealand, and Australia expressing “deep concern” over the legislation and urging Israel to abandon it. UN experts also warned that the new rule violates international law, contend that it “effectively singles out Palestinians for execution.”

The guest list stirred nearly as much controversy as the cakes. Senior commanders in attendance included Jerusalem District Commander Avshalom Peled, Judea and Samaria District Commander Moshe Pinchi, and Prison Service Commissioner Kobi Yaakobi. Cabinet ministers, including Defense Minister Israel Katz and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana were also present.

Police Commissioner Danny Levy permitted only the most senior command staff to attend, warning all lower-ranking officers to stay away. The directive came despite widespread fears that Ben Gvir could put pressure on law enforcement and undermine police independence.

Ben Gvir is known for his inflammatory views regarding Palestinians, and once boasted that he would do his best so that “the terrorists [in prison] receive the minimum of the minimum” in food. The minister has been sanctioned in the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Spain.

Seven OPEC+ countries have agreed to raise oil output targets by about 188,000 barrels per day (bpd) in June, Reuters reported on Saturday, citing two sources familiar with the group’s plans. The report comes as the US-Israel war with Iran continues to disrupt Gulf oil supplies and follows days after the United Arab Emirates (UAE) quit the cartel.

The UAE, one of the world’s largest oil exporters, withdrew from OPEC and the wider OPEC+ on May 1. According to Abu Dhabi, the decision is driven by national interests and forms part of a long-term strategy – a “sovereign, strategic choice” aimed at giving it greater flexibility over oil output. The country’s share in the organization stood at about 13.5%.

OPEC currently includes Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Algeria, Libya, Nigeria, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Republic of the Congo, and Venezuela. It coordinates oil production policies in an effort to stabilize supply in global energy markets. The wider OPEC+ format also includes a group of allied oil-producing countries, most notably Russia, as well as Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Mexico, Malaysia, Oman, Bahrain, Brunei, Sudan, South Sudan and Brazil.

One source told Reuters that the decision to raise output signals that OPEC+ continues to take a business-as-usual approach despite Abu Dhabi’s decision, adding that the move will be similar to last month’s hike of 206,000 bpd minus the share of the UAE.

The US-Israel bombing campaign on the Islamic Republic and the subsequent closure of the waterway that commonly handles about one-fifth of global energy trade, have sharply reduced exports from key OPEC+ members – Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait and the UAE – which were previously the only countries in the group capable of increasing oil output.

In March, total oil production across all members averaged 35.06 million bpd, down by 7.7 million bpd from February levels, according to OPEC.

Commenting on the Emirates’ exit, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow respects the country’s “sovereign” decision. Peskov stressed that Russia has no intention of leaving the group and dismissed suggestions that the UAE’s move could spell the end of OPEC+.

Kuwait exported zero barrels of crude oil last month, according to data from a shipping monitor, marking the first such halt since the 1991 Gulf War.  

A major US ally hosting around 13,500 American troops and serving as a key regional logistics hub, Kuwait previously produced about 2.7 million barrels per day (bpd) and exported roughly 1.85 million bpd, with most shipments going to Asian markets including China, India, and South Korea.

On April 17, Kuwait Petroleum Corporation declared force majeure, suspending exports after traffic through the Strait of Hormuz was effectively halted amid the ongoing US-Israeli war with Iran. Oil accounts for roughly 50% of Kuwait’s total GDP. Petroleum exports generate about 90% of the government’s budget.  

As of early May 2026, Kuwait’s oil output has fallen to around 1.2 million barrels per day, CNBC reported.

Oil prices have surged since the US and Israel attacked Iran in late February, prompting the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint handling about one-fifth of global oil and LNG flows. While Iran has kept the vital waterway closed to “hostile ships,” the US Navy has maintained a blockade of Iranian ports in the Persian Gulf.

With negotiations ongoing and no clear solution, crude has climbed above $120 per barrel in recent days, reaching its highest levels since 2022.

The Jewish community in the UK is facing its greatest threat, Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Mark Rowley has said in the aftermath of a recent stabbing in London.

On Wednesday, two Jewish men were wounded in a knife attack by a British national of Somali origin in the city’s Golders Green area. The suspect, who was subsequently detained, had also attempted to kill his friend of 20 years the same day. Police say he has a history of serious violence and mental health issues.

In his interview with the Times on Saturday, Rowley said that “every racist or extremist or terrorist group has a list of people they hate, because they all create an ‘other’ who they want to blame everything on,” invoking a concept developed by 20th century French psychologist Jaques Lacan.

According to the police chief, the British Jews “are on everybody’s list, all of those hateful groups, whether you’re extreme right, whether you’re extreme left, whether you’re Islamist terrorist, whether you’re right-wing terrorist, and some hostile states as well now, with some sort of Iranian-related threats.”

“There’s a ghastly Venn diagram that they’re at the middle of,” he added.

The commissioner said he intends to recruit 300 more officers to protect the Jewish sites in London.

Following the Golders Green incident, the UK terrorism threat level was raised to “severe,” which means that an attack is “highly likely.”

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said earlier that the stabbing was “not a one-off” and that Jewish people in the UK are “scared to show who they are.” He vowed to do everything to “stamp this hatred out.”

The UK has seen an increase in anti-Semitic incidents since Israel began its military operation in the Gaza Strip in response to a deadly incursion by the Palestinian armed group Hamas on October 7, 2023.

Last month, a group of young men torched four ambulances belonging to a Jewish charity in Golders Green, the same neighborhood where Wednesday’s stabbings occurred.

China has compared Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te to a “rat crossing the street” after he secretly boarded an Eswatini government aircraft and flew to the small southern African kingdom on an unannounced state visit.

The rebuke was issued by China’s Taiwan Affairs Office on Saturday, which lashed out at Lai over the visit, which Beijing views as a direct challenge to the one-China principle.

Lai’s visit had originally been scheduled for late April, but was called off at the last minute after the Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar revoked overflight permits for the Taiwanese leader’s charter aircraft – a move Taipei blamed on Chinese pressure.

China’s Taiwan Affairs Office branded Lai a “troublemaker” and accused him of abandoning the island’s residents in the wake of a significant earthquake to fly to Eswatini.

“Lai Ching-te's despicable actions, like a rat crossing the street, will inevitably be ridiculed by the international community... Lai Ching-te’s disregard for the safety of the people and his wanton deception of the public will surely be spurned by the vast majority of Taiwanese compatriots. The so-called ‘diplomatic achievements’ that Lai Ching-te painstakingly fabricated are nothing but trickery and a laughing stock,” the body charged.

Lai pushed back, writing on X that Taiwan “will never be deterred by external pressures,” adding that the island “will continue to engage with the world – no matter the challenges faced.”

Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council also hit back, branding Beijing’s rebuke “fishwife’s gutter talk” which it said was “boring in the extreme.”

China considers Taiwan a part of its sovereign territory. While Beijing has said it seeks peaceful reunification with the island, it signaled in 2022 that it “would not renounce the use of force” to accomplish this goal.

China’s Ministry of Commerce has instructed domestic companies not to comply with US sanctions targeting refiners allegedly linked to the Iranian oil trade.

Late last month, the US Treasury warned banks against dealing with so-called “teapot” refineries, privately owned companies which it said account for the majority of the oil China buys from Iran. “This revenue ultimately benefits the Iranian regime, its weapons programs, and its military,” the Treasury said in its notice.

China’s government and major state-owned companies have denied direct purchases of Iranian crude, while customs data have not recorded imports from Iran since 2023.

Beijing has argued that sanctions imposed without a UN mandate are illegal under international law. In a statement on Saturday, China’s Ministry of Commerce said the restrictions interfere with normal trade between its firms and third parties and banned compliance with the sanctions, citing “national sovereignty, security and development interests.”

A government spokesperson said the move would not affect China’s international obligations or its protection of foreign-invested firms.

Oil prices have surged since the US and Israeli attacked Iran in late February, prompting the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint handling about one-fifth of global oil and LNG flows.

While Iran has kept the vital waterway closed to “hostile ships,” the US Navy has maintained a blockade of Iranian ports in the Persian Gulf.

Despite a ceasefire declared nearly a month ago, prospects for a peace deal remain uncertain, as both sides have accused each other of pressing unacceptable terms. Oil prices surged past $120 per barrel this week for the first time since 2022.

The war has also pushed US President Donald Trump’s approval rating to record lows and deepened his rift with European allies, whose governments have refused to back operations against Iran.

Negotiations between Ukraine and Greece over the joint production of naval drones have stalled because Kiev wants to retain control over how Athens can use the technology, local media have reported.

According to Greek Reporter, the countries agreed last November that Ukraine would supply components for drones to be built at shipyards in Greece, while Greek companies would manufacture electronic and optical systems. The end result would have been an improved version of the Magura-type attack drones which Kiev uses against Russia.

The newspaper Kathimerini reported on Thursday, however, that Ukrainian officials had demanded that Kiev retain a say over how the Greek military would use the drones, a condition Athens rejected. Greece believes Ukraine set these terms to “maintain a balance” with its longtime rival Türkiye, the newspaper said.

Türkiye hosted Russian-Ukrainian peace talks in 2022 and 2025, presenting itself as a neutral mediator in the conflict.

Ankara also condemned Ukrainian attacks on Russian-linked tankers near the Turkish coast last year.

Tehran has submitted a comprehensive new peace plan, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said on Saturday, adding that “the ball is in the US court.”

Both the US and Iran have previously accused each other of putting forward unacceptable terms, as a ceasefire reached nearly a month ago has failed to produce an agreement.

Negotiations have been further complicated by the twin Iranian and US blockades of the Strait of Hormuz and the resumption of Israel’s bombing campaign in Lebanon.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran has submitted its plan to Pakistan as the mediator with the aim of permanently ending the imposed war, and now the ball is in the US court to choose between a diplomatic solution or a continuation of the confrontational approach,” Gharibabadi said, as quoted by Press TV.

Iran is also reportedly seeking compensation from the US and a new framework for the Strait of Hormuz.

In a post on Truth Social on Saturday, US President Donald Trump said he would review the plan soon but added that he could not “imagine that it would be acceptable.” The president previously told journalists that he was “not satisfied” with Iran’s terms and threatened to “blast the hell out of them and finish them forever.”

The US has demanded that Iran completely abandon its nuclear program and surrender its enriched uranium stockpiles, a condition Tehran has flatly rejected, insisting that its nuclear program is for civilian use only.

While the prospects for a peace deal remain uncertain, oil prices surged past $120 per barrel this week for the first time since 2022.

Nearly 270 Ukrainian kamikaze drones were shot down over more than two dozen Russian regions on Saturday, the Russian Defense Ministry has said. Some UAVs were intercepted as far as Chelyabinsk Region in the Urals, nearly 2,000 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

At least one person, a man in his seventies, was killed in Moscow Region, Governor Andrey Vorobyev has said.

According to the Defense Ministry, Ukraine has launched more than 600 drones over the past 48 hours. On Friday, a drone strike in Belgorod Region killed two teenagers riding a motorcycle, while three lost their lives the previous day in two separate attacks on cars.

Last month, the Russian Defense Ministry released what it said were the addresses of companies in European countries supplying Ukraine with drone technology and warned of a potential “sharp escalation of the military and political environment across the European continent.”

Residents of the eastern German city of Schwedt have told the Ruptly video agency they fear being thrown back “to the 19th century” if oil supplies to the local refinery are disrupted. Their comments come after Russia announced it can no longer deliver oil from Kazakhstan directly to Germany via the Soviet-era Druzhba pipeline.

The PCK refinery in Schwedt supplies around 90% of the fuel to Berlin, as well as to the state of Brandenburg. The plant previously relied on Russian oil via Druzhba but switched to Kazakh supplies in 2023 after Berlin banned Russian pipeline imports.

Last week, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandr Novak announced a halt to Kazakh oil transit via Druzhba starting May 1, citing a lack of “technical capacity.”

“If the lights go out at PCK, the city dies,” a Schwedt resident told Ruptly. “We do not want to go back to the 19th century.” Another resident warned that a fuel price hike if the flow stopped could even spark “unrest.”

Transporting oil by sea would mean the plant would have to operate at 65% to 70% capacity, the refinery’s council member, Danny Ruthenburg, told German broadcaster ARD, citing limited infrastructure at the port of Rostock. “That would mean we would have to shut down individual production lines, which would inevitably lead to staff reductions,” he said.

Kazakh Energy Minister Yerlan Akkenzhenov linked the changes to continued Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory. “That is most likely connected to the recent strikes on Russian infrastructure,” he said on the sidelines of an ecology forum in Astana.

The Ukrainian military has repeatedly targeted critical Russian infrastructure using drones, including oil refineries and transit hubs. Last month, it struck a hub operated by the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) in the Russian port of Novorossiysk, which is used to transport Kazakh oil to Europe and Asia.

Russia will supply Indonesia and Japan with crude as both countries look for ways to weather the fuel crisis brought on by the US-Israeli war on Iran. The global economy is “reeling,” and there is “no swift exit” in sight to the standoff in the Strait of Hormuz, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has said.

The blockage of the key shipping corridor has led to wild fluctuations in the markets, with Brent crude briefly swinging to a four-year high of $126 per barrel on Friday, following media reports of US plans to prolong the blockade of Iran.

The EU, which imports around 75% of its jet fuel from the Middle East, has been hard hit by the Strait of Hormuz closure. The waterway handles around 20% of global seaborne liquefied natural gas (LNG), oil, and jet fuel flows. In mid-April, International Energy Agency (IEA) Executive Director Fatih Birol warned that Europe had just weeks of supplies left.

Moscow has moved to expand its circle of alternative customers in recent weeks, as well as increasing supplies to regular buyers like India.

Japan has also turned to Moscow in search of alternative fuel sources. Japanese refinery Taiyo Oil has bought a shipment of Russian crude from the Sakhalin-2 project, TASS reported on Friday. The first cargo is set to arrive by next week, Reuters said on Saturday.

Last month, the Philippines received its first Russian oil shipment in five years after declaring an energy emergency. Moscow has also signed a new oil and gas cooperation deal with Vietnam, and is holding energy talks with Thailand as well.

Vladimir Zelensky should fire Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov over his alleged dealings with a key ally and exiled businessman charged in a high-level corruption case, MP Fyodor Venislavsky has said.

Umerov has acted as Kiev’s top negotiator in peace talks with Moscow since late November but is at the centre of a tightening web of corruption allegations from multiple agencies and has been accused by one of abuse of power.

Umerov has been recorded in conversation with Timur Mindich, a businessman and longtime associate of Zelensky who stands accused of orchestrating a $100 million graft scheme. 

“Given the high-profile nature of the tapes… I believe it would be a wise political decision to fire Mr. Umerov,” Venislavsky told the US-sponsored Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) on Friday, commenting on the leaks, which have since become known as the ‘Mindich tapes’.

According to the leaks, Mindich allegedly urged Umerov to approve a shipment of body armor supplied by his firm that the ministry had refused to certify. They also purportedly discussed issues related to the Ukrainian defense contractor Fire Point – a company Mindich was supposedly effectively running – as well as some appointments within the Ukrainian government.

In early 2025, a Western-backed NGO claimed that Umerov, still the minister at the time, was under investigation for alleged abuse of power. He left his ministerial position in July and was appointed by Zelensky to lead the National Security and Defense Council the very next day.

Members of a Ukrainian press gang have been filmed apprehending a man at a kindergarten, unphased by the children witnessing the violent scene, as forced mobilization across the country continues to intensify amid its conflict with Russia.

A video of the incident, which apparently happened in the city of Lviv in the western part of the country, was published on social media on Friday.

The footage captured draft enforcers in military-style uniforms dragging an unwilling conscript towards a black SUV, parked outside the premises of the kindergarten.

A female is heard shouting off screen: “Please stop, there are children here,” but the press gang ignores her request.

The man tried to resist the draft enforces, but ended up being overpowered, shoved into the vehicle and driven away.

In another forced mobilization incident, a man ended up receiving a severe head injury after scuffling with members of a press gang, who drove their mini-bus into the yard of his private home in Volyn Region on Friday.

The local conscription office has denied responsibility for wounding the resident, saying in a statement on Saturday that “the conscript tried running away and, through his own carelessness, hit his head.”

Ukraine barred nearly all adult men from leaving the country when the conflict between Moscow and Kiev escalated in February 2022 and lowered the draft age from 27 to 25.

Every day clips of the so-called “busification” emerge on social media, showing military-age men being snatched off the streets, from workplaces, and from residential areas, then taken to recruitment centers in mini-buses against their will, often triggering clashes with relatives, neighbors, and passersby.

Moscow has accused Kiev of seeking to fight “to the last Ukrainian” at the behest of Western powers waging a proxy war against Russia. Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov previously estimated that Ukraine had lost nearly 500,000 servicemen killed or seriously wounded in 2025 alone.

The son of two senior Norwegian diplomats under investigation over ties to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has taken his own life, Norwegian newspaper VG reported earlier this week, citing lawyers for the family.

Edward Juul Rod-Larsen, 25, was found dead in Oslo days after French and Norwegian police reportedly launched a joint investigation into his parents, Mona Juul and Terje Rod-Larsen. The probe is centered around allegations that the disgraced US financier had helped the couple purchase an apartment, and left $5 million to each of their two children in his will.

The probe is part of widening international fallout from the latest release of millions of Epstein documents, which have triggered criminal investigations, arrests, and resignations across politics, business, and even royalty.

Epstein, who pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting sex from a minor and served 13 months of an 18-month sentence, was arrested again in 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges. He died by suicide in his jail cell ahead of his trial.

The US Department of Justice has gradually released materials related to the case under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, signed into law by US President Donald Trump.

The released documents mention numerous high-profile figures, linking some to Epstein’s network or questionable financial dealings. The disclosures have triggered resignations, probes, and reviews worldwide, with many acknowledging contact but denying wrongdoing, with some charges brought in a limited number of cases.

In the US, the release has placed renewed scrutiny on former President Bill Clinton and his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Both have been deposed about their associations with Epstein, but have denied knowledge of his trafficking operation.

Commenting on the disclosures, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova described the scandal as exposing the “pure Satanism” at the heart of the collective West, accusing Western elites of inventing threats from Russia to distract from their own “monstrous crimes.”

Kiev has no plans to punish the perpetrators of the Odessa massacre, with Moscow’s victory in the Ukraine conflict being the only way to assure justice for its dozens of victims, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said on the 12th anniversary of the tragedy.

On May 2, 2014, clashes erupted in the Black Sea port city of Odessa between Ukrainian nationalists and the opponents of the violent Western-backed coup that had taken place in Kiev earlier that year.

The unrest culminated in ultra-right militants setting fire to the local trade unions building, which anti-government activists had been chased into following a demonstration outside, leading to 48 people being killed and more than 200 others wounded.

In a statement published on the Foreign Ministry’s Telegram channel on Saturday, Zakharova said that photos and videos from the scene prove that what happened in Odessa was “a Nazi intimidation action.”

Attempts by some in the West to present it as a spontaneous altercation between two groups of peaceful demonstrators with polarizing views on Ukraine’s future are hypocritical, she stressed.

Kiev repeatedly promised to complete the investigation into the tragedy, but it apparently “has no time for justice,” she argued. The very word has “turned into an oxymoron considering... the lawlessness and rampant corruption in modern Ukraine,” she added.

However, despite this fact, the foreign backers continue to provide military and financial support to the government of Vladimir Zelensky, Zakharova said.

”It's clear that in modern Europe, encouraging Nazism and financing terrorism has become a tradition,” she insisted.

The only conclusion that can be drawn from this is that “the successful implementation of the goals and objectives” that Russia set for itself in the Ukraine conflict “will guarantee justice for the victims of the monstrous crime,” the spokeswoman stressed.

Global crude oil prices rise and fall depending on whether US President Donald Trump got enough sleep, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has said in a sarcastic remark. His comment came after oil rose to a four-year high amid reports that the US military would brief Trump on options related to the Iran conflict.

On Friday, Brent jumped nearly 7% to over $126 per barrel before easing to $108 later in the session. The rally followed an Axios report that US Central Command had prepared options for “short and powerful” strikes on Iran aimed at breaking stalled negotiations.

“Everything is under pressure, including oil prices, depending on how President Trump wakes up,” Fico said on Friday speaking with journalists in Bratislava.  “If he wakes up in a good mood, oil goes down, if he wakes up in a bad mood and makes some statement, oil automatically goes up.”

Prices saw extreme volatility and a sharp surge after the US and Israel launched a bombing campaign on Iran on February 28. Iran responded by barring “enemy ships” from the Strait of Hormuz, which handles about one-fifth of global energy trade. In addition, Tehran conducted retaliatory strikes on US military bases in several countries across the Middle East.

Fico also recalled US interventions in Iraq and Venezuela and expressed concern about possible aggression toward Cuba, as well as Trump’s unresolved claims on Greenland, where Washington could “continue to assert its interests.”

There will be much talk this May about the so-called “strategic triangle” of Russia, China and the United States.

US President Donald Trump is expected in Beijing first, followed by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. Whenever the leaders of the three most influential powers meet, speculation inevitably follows. What if they strike some grand bargain? What if the world suddenly becomes more orderly?

Such expectations are misplaced. The restructuring of the global system is already under way, and it isn’t a process that can be halted or reversed by summit diplomacy. Even so, turning points in history can unfold in different ways; carefully managed, or recklessly accelerated. That’s what makes the coming meetings significant.

Both Russia and the United States are now deeply involved in large-scale military confrontations. The importance of these conflicts lies not only in their scope, but in their broader consequences for the international system. China, by contrast, has historically kept its distance from such entanglements. Yet it is becoming increasingly clear in Beijing that it can’t remain insulated from their effects. Discussions at the recent Valdai Club conference in Shanghai suggested that China is reassessing its position.

At the center of this reassessment is a simple question: what, if anything, is still possible in relations with Washington?

That assumption has now collapsed.

By the late 2000s, dissatisfaction in Washington was already evident. The United States increasingly viewed the arrangement not as a source of shared gains, but as a structural imbalance. Over time, the accumulation of tensions, economic and strategic, reached a point where incremental adjustments were no longer sufficient. What followed was a qualitative shift in the system itself.

For several decades, the global order operated largely in the interests of the United States as the leader of the Western bloc. Its gradual erosion now threatens those advantages. Washington’s response has been to use the current period of transition to secure as much of a head start as possible for the future.

Donald Trump has become the most visible embodiment of this approach. His rhetoric, openly transactional and even boastful, may appear unconventional, but the underlying logic predates him. The objective is clear: maximize immediate gains and build up national capacity as quickly as possible. Then use that accumulated strength to dominate the next phase of global competition.

This represents a sharp departure from the earlier American strategy, which prioritized long-term investments in the international system. Those investments didn’t always produce immediate returns, but they reinforced a framework that ultimately benefited the United States more than anyone else. Today, the emphasis has shifted toward short-term advantage, even at the risk of longer-term instability.

For other major powers, including China, this has profound implications. The idea of a comprehensive “big deal” with the United States, one that stabilizes the global system for years to come, has effectively become unrealistic.

Trump’s frequent use of the word “deal” is revealing. In his vocabulary, it’s more than a mere strategic concept but a commercial one. A deal is “big” not because it is durable or all-encompassing, but because of the scale of immediate gain it delivers. And like any commercial transaction, it can be abandoned if a more desirable opportunity presents itself.

Under such conditions, long-term agreements on the structure of world order are impossible. Washington is unlikely to commit to any arrangement that limits its flexibility before it has secured what it considers a sufficient advantage.

This is not necessarily a product of malice or arrogance. It is, in its own way, a rational response to a period of extreme uncertainty. The United States is seeking to preserve the foundations of its future dominance by acting decisively in the present.

If key players conclude that stable agreements with Washington are unattainable, their behavior changes. Military capability becomes more important as a safeguard against pressure. At the same time, interest grows in alternative forms of cooperation. That is, frameworks that operate independently of the United States and are insulated from its influence.

This logic isn’t new, but it’s gaining urgency. Russia has been advocating for such arrangements for several years. China, by contrast, has approached the idea with caution, hoping instead to preserve some form of mutually beneficial relationship with the United States. That hope now appears to be fading.

The upcoming visits to Beijing will provide a useful indication of how far this shift has progressed.

The meeting between Trump and Xi will likely define the limits of a temporary accommodation between two powers that remain economically intertwined, yet increasingly distrustful of one another. The question is no longer whether a comprehensive agreement is possible, but what narrow, short-term arrangements can be reached, and how long they will last.

Putin’s subsequent talks with Xi will address a different issue: the extent to which Russia and China are prepared to develop mechanisms of cooperation that bypass the United States altogether. Moscow has been moving in this direction for some time. Beijing now appears to be considering whether it must follow.

May will not produce a grand bargain. But it may show, more clearly than before, how the world is adjusting to the absence of one.

The Pentagon has said that it has reached deals with major artificial intelligence firms to integrate their advanced AI capabilities into the agency's classified networks.

The US Department of War has been actively negotiating with the industry’s leaders since the start of the year as it is trying to expand the application of AI in military operations and diversify the range of companies that provide the technology.

It is going ahead with the push despite concerns among experts regarding the ability of the AI to reliably operate within the existing laws of war and its possible use to invade the privacy of civilians in peacetime.

Agreements have been struck with SpaceX, OpenAI, Google, NVIDIA, Reflection, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services and Oracle to deploy their AI systems for “lawful operational use,” the Pentagon said in a statement on Friday.

Artificial intelligence will be integrated into the Department of War’s Impact Level 6 and Impact Level 7 networks to “streamline data synthesis, elevate situational understanding, and augment warfighter decision-making in complex operational environments,” the statement read.

Separately, the US Navy has awarded San Francisco-based AI company Domino Data Lab a $100 million contract to aid in combating Iranian mines in the Strait of Hormuz, which has been effectively blocked since the early days of the US-Israeli war on Iran.

“The Navy is paying for the platform that lets it train, govern, and field that AI at a speed required for contested waters,” Domino CEO Thomas Robinson told Reuters in an interview on Friday. Washington is betting on the speed of AI in analyzing a wealth of data from multiple sensor types to rapidly improve mine detection in US underwater drones, the outlet said.

The Department of War responded by designated Anthropic a “supply-chain risk,” a rare label typically reserved for entities linked to Washington’s foreign adversaries, effectively sidelining the firm from any future contracts.

US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth branded Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei an “ideological lunatic” during a US Senate hearing earlier this week. Hegseth compared the company’s reluctance to agree to Pentagon’s terms to “Boeing giving us airplanes and telling us who we can shoot at.”

Anthropic is currently challenging the Pentagon in court to have the “supply-chain risk” label dropped.

History confirms that major Western-instigated conflicts are cultivated rather than spontaneous. From 19th-century colonial pretexts in North Africa to modern digital campaigns, the manufactured lie remains the primary propellant for the war machine. Over the last 50 years, this pattern reached a lethal zenith. Almost every intervention across the Middle East and Africa traces back to a specific fabrication – packaged and sold to the public by a compliant mainstream media.

These are structural deceptions. In this system, dominant Western media functions as a psychological vanguard, sanitizing illegal aggression as a moral imperative. By the time a fraud is exposed, states are decapitated, and economies looted. The toll is never borne by politicians in Washington, London, or Paris, but by millions whose lives are treated as collateral for a geopolitical agenda.

The consequence was the calculated annihilation of a civilization’s stability. By the time quiet mea culpas appeared in Western newspapers years later, the damage was irreversible. The human cost is staggering: Opinion Research Business (ORB) data indicates over 1 million Iraqi lives lost – a demographic erasure that birthed regional extremism. The media’s eventual admission was a postscript to a tragedy that achieved its primary objective: the permanent removal of a regional power under a false banner of liberation that never intended to arrive.

While Iraq relied on manufactured fear, the 2011 dismantling of Libya was blatant moral coercion. The ‘Architecture of Consent’ repurposed the Responsibility to Protect (R2P), transforming a safeguard for civilians into a weapon for regime change. The foundational lie rested on uncorroborated reports of an impending massacre in Benghazi. This narrative, broadcast by regional satellite channels and adopted without scrutiny by Western governments, was used to bypass the African Union’s diplomatic peace initiatives.

Rather than analyzing a complex civil conflict, Western media functioned as psychological support for the intervention. They reduced a sovereign crisis to a simplistic fable pitting ‘pro-democracy’ forces against a singular ‘villain’. Once the ‘no-fly zone’ served as a gateway for a sustained NATO bombing campaign, the trap was sprung. The ‘liberation’ celebrated in European capitals resulted in an immediate centerless, fractured wasteland.

The human and economic toll of this narrative was predicated on staggering fabrications. In the 2011 uprising, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini claimed 1,000 people were killed in the first days by Gaddafi’s forces. Media reports aggressively inflated this to 10,000 within weeks. However, investigative post-mortems reveal a different reality: Human Rights Watch documented that the actual death toll across Libya during those initial four days was 233 – a tragic number, but a fraction of the ‘onslaught’ marketed to the UN Security Council.

The 20-year occupation of Afghanistan was characterized by the absolute refusal to acknowledge it. In this theater, the ‘Architecture of Consent’ functioned through a rigid ultimatum: “You are either with us, or you are with the terrorists.” This rhetoric was designed to bypass the fundamental legal requirements of international justice and silence any call for procedural proof or diplomatic mediation.

Historical records, largely suppressed by the Western press, confirm that the Taliban leadership repeatedly attempted a diplomatic resolution. Through their representatives in Pakistan, they requested ‘solid evidence’ linking the suspects to the 9/11 attacks and offered to facilitate a trial in a neutral, third-party Islamic jurisdiction. The response from Washington was a total dismissal of the rule of law, asserting that the accusation itself was sufficient for war. Major media outlets facilitated this by rebranding a legitimate request for due process as an act of hostile ‘defiance’, thereby turning an illegal aggression into a ‘just war’.

The cost of this rejection of evidence is a matter of grim record. According to data from the Brown University Costs of War Project, the conflict resulted in over 176,000 deaths in Afghanistan alone, including roughly 46,000 civilians. By the time the Western forces staged their chaotic exit in 2021, the ‘evidence’ was irrelevant; the country had been reduced to a humanitarian emergency where over 90% of the population now survives below the poverty line. The ‘liberation’ was a 20-year cycle of violence that ended exactly where it began, but with a nation buried under the rubble of a failed narrative.

As we turn toward the current horizon, the machinery of engineered permission is undergoing a recalibration for its most ambitious project yet: the dismantling of Iran. The psychological buildup follows a frequency nearly identical to the 2003 Iraq blueprint, refined for a digital age where narrative control is seamless. Here, the deception is not tethered to a singular phantom weapon, but to an existential demonization that denies a regional power its right to sovereign security. This dehumanization reached its terminal point with Donald Trump’s declarations threatening to wipe out the entire Iranian civilization – a rhetorical war crime – and the dehumanization of its people as ‘animals’ unworthy of existence.

This architecture relies on the phenomenon of moving goalposts. In Afghanistan, a mission to apprehend one individual devolved into a 20-year social engineering project. In Libya, a ‘no-fly zone’ marketed as civilian protection morphed instantly into a regime-change bombing campaign. This fluidity of purpose is the engine of the ‘policy of no return’. That is, by the time the original justification is exposed as a fabrication, the military footprint is permanent, and the target nation is locked into a cycle of chaos. The media validates each new shift without demanding accountability for the failures of the last, ensuring that the resulting blood and ruin are never linked back to the original architects in the public mind.

Politicians engineer the pretext, corporate media sanitizes the violence, and millions –predominantly in the Global South – pay with their lives and their heritage. True accountability will never come from quiet corrections issued years after a nation has been pulverized and its wealth looted. It begins by exposing these conflicts as the systematic dismantling of states to ensure a profitable, perpetual chaos that serves the ‘imperial directive’. If we refuse to dismantle the architecture of the lie today, we are simply preparing the ground for the next million victims tomorrow.

German schoolmasters of an earlier dispensation indulged the cruel sport of asking pupils in final examinations which disease had carried off Julius Caesar. The trap was designed to expose as a fool the candidate who could not answer, proof enough that Caesar’s assassination remained common knowledge long after antiquity itself had vanished.

In the postmodern age of unbounded electronic warfare, extrajudicial killing has assumed a more sinister, revolutionary form: not a mere relapse into barbarism, but a novel, mutant paradigm of violence that exceeds even the egregious transgressions of pagan antiquity.

Ex ante execution: The grammar of a novel transgression

There are pivotal moments in geopolitics when language itself begins to signal a deeper rupture. Israel’s lethal rhetoric emerges as a revealing instance.

Along a fatal arc of escalation, the Jewish State has crossed from killing subordinate commanders to eliminating the very apex of its adversaries’ leadership – first in Lebanon, then in Gaza, and ultimately in Iran, where sovereignty was reduced to a target and the supreme leader to a mark.

More ominous still are the announcements: Jerusalem has signaled that succession itself would not be spared, that even those yet unchosen are already slated for death.

A declaration that a state will kill not merely its enemies, but its enemies-to-be, that is, future officeholders not yet chosen, not yet acting, not yet accountable, inaugurates a moment of disjunction in the form of a stark conceptual shift: from targeting individuals to targeting roles, and the very idea of succession.

At its core, Israel’s posture can be characterized as a doctrine of pre-emptive or anticipatory assassination: Whoever becomes the next leader is treated as a legitimate target, regardless of his identity or individual conduct.

Yet the novelty of what may be termed “expectant extrajudicial elite execution” (EEEE) lies not in the removal of senior decision-makers as such, but in the extension of that logic forward in time, rendering the future occupant of the supreme office a present target.

This is where the standard security frameworks start to fray. Because once the threat applies not to a person but to a position, it becomes something more radical: anonymous role-based targeting.

In the case of such proleptic condemnation, violence is no longer justified by what a concrete individual has done, but by what future helmsmen are presumed to become. It is an institutionalized policy of unconstrained assassination and collective punishment transposed to leadership in the abstract, because the threat attaches not to a specific actor, but to the office itself.

From a legal standpoint, especially under human-rights law, such a posture can be categorized as an especially grave form of state-sponsored terrorism, precisely because such extrajudicial killing not only bypasses due process, but also severs punishment from individual culpability.

Supporters, however, invoke a different vocabulary, reducing such depersonalized, role-based assassination to mere deterrence signaling or psychological warfare: an attempt to make supreme authority so hazardous that no aspirant of ordinary prudence would accept it.

On this account, the strategic logic of elite deterrence seeks to magnify the hazards of political ascendancy to the point where succession itself becomes unstable. If holding an office carries an implicit death sentence, potential successors may simply refuse to assume power, and, ultimately, governance may wither.

Even those intrepid enough to accept the targeted office are thought to be diminished: forced into concealment, deprived of personal contact, and unable to project the charismatic presence on which power and influence often depends. Leadership then becomes spectral – formally present, yet politically half-absent – until followers may begin to wonder whether a leader exists at all.

Yet alongside these intended effects lie significant risks, especially if organizations replenish leadership faster and more adeptly than expected: Martyrdom may harden resolve, and successors may prove more formidable and radical than those they replace.

What appears in theory as a sequence of clean decapitations may, in practice, yield a hydra-like reality: like the mythic monster whose severed necks gave rise to new heads, each slain commander may generate successors more numerous, more elusive, and more lethally adept than the one removed.

Classical tyrannicide: The person, not the placeholder

Athens could dedicate an altar to the “unknown god”; it did not designate unknown tyrants for death.

Even before the advent of Christian moral thought, Greek and Roman debates on tyrannicide remained tethered to the person of the ruler, whose conduct, however contentiously judged, furnished the grounds for punitive action.

Judgment turned on imputed deeds, not on the office itself. The verdict was often disputed and divisive, yet still anchored in what the ruler had allegedly done and whether it warranted death.

What is at issue now is the radicalization of that logic: The future holder of an office, as yet unknown, is condemned in advance, irrespective of act or accountability. Such a paradigmatic leap, from striking down a tyrant to pre-emptively threatening any successor, would have strained even the comparatively permissive moral horizons of pagan antiquity.

The doctrine of tyrannicide has its roots in classical antiquity, where it was construed, however controversially, as a defense of the political community against unlawful rule.

In the Greek world, the killing of Hipparchus by Harmodius and Aristogeiton in 514 BC in Athens during the Panathenaea – the city’s sacred festival of Athena – was canonically enshrined as the founding myth of tyrannicide.

The conspirators’ violent deed came to be hallowed as an act of civic virtue, even as philosophers continued to dispute its moral warrant.

Plato’s Socrates warned that injustice must not be answered by injury, nor the city’s laws overthrown by private violence. Aristotle, less intent on moralizing tyrannicide than on diagnosing tyranny’s self-destruction, observed that the tyrant summons the very conspiracies that undo him, as his unjust treatment of his subjects breeds fear, contempt, anger, hatred, and revenge.

In truth, the deed that immortalized Harmodius and Aristogeiton belonged less to the assembly-ground of politics than to the theatre of passion.

As Thucydides stresses in the History of the Peloponnesian War (6.53–59), the joint deed sprang from private grievance rather than public principle; though premeditated, it was carried out in panic, and claimed not the ruling tyrant, Hippias, but his brother, Hipparchus.

Only later was this act of personal vengeance transfigured into a noble but deceptive legend. The narrative recast an impulsive killing as the iconic archetype of conscientious tyrant-slaying, thereby sanctifying an ignoble deed that sprung from private affront rather than public cause.

As an early illustration of extrajudicial killing’s perverse effects, this pseudo-tyrannicide neither ended the tyranny nor liberated Athens; it merely hardened the regime: Fear drove Hippias to intensify repression by putting many citizens to death.

Murder and memory: From the Peisistratids to the Ides of March

Taken together, the very genealogy of tyrannicide, corrupt before it became canonical, is tainted at the source: disreputable in motive, impious in setting, disastrous in consequence, and mendacious in memory.

Within the economy of the posthumous discourse, the exculpatory and legitimating myth functions as a stark foil, supplying the positive pole of a Manichaean opposition. This interpretive emplotment is ideologically useful precisely because it suppresses ambiguity, turning a muddled act of private violence into a metanarrative morality play of liberty against tyranny. For latter-day liberals in decadent Western circles, the erotic bond between Harmodius and Aristogeiton only deepens the aura of civic sanctity woven around the celebrated Tyrannicides.

Against this morally entangled backdrop, Thucydides’ nuanced judgment is all the more striking: The Peisistratid tyranny, he observes, was marked by unusual moderation: It taxed lightly – at a mere five percent, a rate that would make many modern taxpayers wistful – adorned Athens, secured its defense, endowed the temples, and otherwise left the city’s established laws largely intact, save for the dynastic precaution that a member of the Peisistratid family should always hold office.

Posterity schooled in the Whig myth of liberty smiled more readily on the Alcmaeonids, the rival aristocratic house, because democracy claimed them as ancestors.

Yet the record is less moral than memorial, for the Peisistratids were tyrants with achievements, while the Alcmaeonids were retrospectively anointed liberators with a stain: the old Cylonian sacrilege and curse, that is, the miasmatic slaughter of suppliants under the divine protection of Athena after Cylon’s abortive coup, an affair conventionally, though not securely, dated to 632 BC.

From Athens, the historical arc bent next to Rome, where political killing widened from the personal tyrant-slayer’s blow to the bureaucratic terror of proscription and, ultimately, to the most famous assassination of antiquity: the killing of Julius Caesar on the Ides of March in 44 BC.

The death of the dictator perpetuo remains so deeply lodged in cultural memory that German schoolmasters of a bygone age, formed in the venerable humanist tradition, forged ignorance of it into a badge of intellectual disgrace, taking for granted that every pupil – save the irredeemably obtuse – knew Caesar had not died of disease.

[To be continued]

US President Donald Trump has said he would consider withdrawing some American troops stationed in Italy and Spain, after making a similar threat toward Germany amid a deepening rift with Washington’s European allies over the war with Iran.

Trump threatened earlier this week to reduce the number of US troops in Germany, continuing to deride NATO as a “paper tiger” following the refusal of other member states to back the US-Israeli bombing campaign in the Middle East. On Friday, the Pentagon said it would withdraw around 5,000 of the roughly 36,000 active-duty service members from Germany.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said the US decision was “to be expected.” He maintained that intensive military cooperation between the two nations would continue, adding that the continued US military presence on German soil “is in our interest.” The minister also urged European NATO members to “assume greater responsibility” and said that Berlin was “on the right track” by seeking to enlarge its army and procure more weapons.

Asked by a reporter in the Oval Office on Friday whether he would consider removing troops from Spain or Italy, Trump replied: “Yeah, probably. Look, why shouldn’t I?”

Spain denied the use of a naval base near Cadiz for attacks on Iran and closed its airspace to US planes involved in the campaign. Italy similarly refused to allow the US to use an air base in Sicily.

Trump reiterated that he considers NATO ungrateful for US military support to Ukraine. “We helped them with Ukraine. You know, they made a mess out of Ukraine, a total mess,” he said.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has strongly criticized the bombing of Iran. “From my point of view, this war is illegal, it is a big mistake,” he said last month. In a recent op-ed in Le Monde diplomatique, Sanchez again condemned “the unilateral attempts by the United States to engineer regime change in Venezuela and now Iran – all without seeking even a veneer of international approval.”

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has said the war with Iran has added to instability in the Middle East and driven up energy prices. She also criticized Trump’s attacks on Pope Leo XIV over his opposition to the conflict as “unacceptable.”

US President Donald Trump has joked that American forces are behaving like pirates as he boasted about the capture of tankers and cargo ships attempting to breach the blockade of Iranian ports.

Oil prices surged past $120 a barrel this week for the first time since 2022, while Trump’s approval rating fell to 34%, a record low in Reuters/Ipsos polling.

Speaking at the Forum Club of the Palm Beaches dinner in Florida on Friday, Trump recalled how a destroyer fired at the Iranian-flagged cargo vessel Touska near the Strait of Hormuz on April 19 before it was boarded by US Marines.

“We took over the ship. We took over the cargo, took over the oil. It’s a very profitable business. Who would have thought we were doing that? We’re like pirates. We’re sort of like pirates,” Trump said, prompting laughter in the audience.

Trump on US Navy Seizing Ships:

It’s a very profitable business. We’re like pirates. pic.twitter.com/erWDQmJWnw

— Acyn (@Acyn) May 2, 2026

Iran has condemned the seizure as illegal, with a government source telling Press TV this week that US “piracy and banditry” would be met with an “unprecedented” response.

Trump said on Friday that he was “not satisfied” with Iran’s latest peace proposal and hailed the blockade as “incredible.”

An RT crew has filmed an airstrike in southern Lebanon as the Israeli military continued to pound targets despite a ceasefire declared last month.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) struck the town of Habboush on Friday, killing six people, including a woman and a child, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

“This comes just one day after Israel killed eight civilians in south Lebanon. Four of them were women, and two of them were children. All of this is happening during the ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel,” RT’s Ali Rida Sbeity said, reporting from Lebanon’s Tyre District.

Sbeity said IDF aircraft and drones were flying at low altitude, and an airstrike was carried out near the area where he was reporting. Israel has previously issued evacuation orders for 24 villages in the area.

IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said on Wednesday that there was “no ceasefire” with the armed group Hezbollah despite the US-mediated truce between Israel and Lebanon which was reached on April 16.

Under the agreement, Israel promised to halt offensive operations in Lebanon but reserved the right to defend itself against “planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks.”

Hezbollah, which boycotted the negotiations last month, has demanded that the IDF halt all troop movements and return to positions it held before early March, when it began firing rockets at Israel in support of Iran.

An Israeli soldier was killed and three others were wounded in a Hezbollah drone attack in southern Lebanon on Thursday.

The US has warned several European countries, including the UK, Poland, Lithuania, and Estonia, to expect delays in deliveries of American-made weapons because the war with Iran has depleted stockpiles, the Financial Times reported late on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.

The reported move comes as US President Donald Trump has become increasingly critical of NATO for refusing to back the American-Israeli war with Iran.

The UK, Poland, and the Baltic states have been among the most vocal supporters of Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.

Poland and the Baltic states also rely on foreign military aid as part of what they describe as efforts to strengthen the bloc’s eastern flank. Russian President Vladimir Putin, however, has said that his country would not attack a NATO member unless it is attacked first.

Trump has lashed out at European leaders, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, for criticizing his war effort and refusing to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

“We got no help – zero! – from NATO. You know, we spent trillions of dollars on NATO – we got no help. We didn’t need it, but we got none,” Trump said in a speech in The Villages, Florida, on Friday. He went on to describe NATO as a “paper tiger,” and dismissed claims that the US was not winning the war with Iran as “treasonous.”

Russian journalist Vladimir Solovyov has accused Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of betraying the interests of her own voters by following the EU line on Ukraine and Russia in an interview with Il Fatto Quotidiano published on Wednesday.

“I don’t have any problem with Signora Meloni,” Solovyov said. “Italian people, they have problem with Signora Meloni. Donald Trump, he has problems with Signora Meloni.”

The TV host claimed Meloni had “changed her position on Russia and Ukraine completely” after winning the election. He argued that Rome’s current policy has hurt Italian businesses, tourism, and consumers.

“What’s in the best interest of Italian people?” Solovyov asked, pointing to “high oil prices,” a “bad economic situation,” and the loss of Russian markets and tourism. “Is it worth it?”

He also questioned whether Italy remains “the Italy of Berlusconi” or has become “the Italy of immigrants” who “don’t respect your culture, your history, your language,” asking whether this is “the right price to pay for European Nazi solidarity.”

The interview followed Solovyov’s sharp criticism of Meloni on his show earlier in April. His remarks prompted a strong response in Rome, where Italy’s Foreign Ministry summoned Russian Ambassador Aleksey Paramonov to lodge a formal protest, describing the comments as “extremely serious and offensive.” Paramonov, in turn, called the move unusual, stressing that Solovyov was speaking in a personal capacity and does not represent official Russian policy.

Watch the full interview here:

The US-Israeli war on Iran has already been “terminated,” and the Trump administration believes it does not need an extension from Congress to continue the fighting, the Associated Press has reported, citing sources.

The report comes as a deadline mandated by the 1973 War Powers Act rapidly approaches. The legislation limits any military action launched by the president without congressional authorization to 60 days. 

The White House insists that, for the purposes of the law, “the hostilities that began on Saturday, February 28, have terminated,” an unnamed senior administration official told AP on Friday. Tehran and Washington reached a two-week ceasefire on April 7, with the truce extended indefinitely since then.

The assessment echoes the stance voiced by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth during hearings in the Senate on Thursday. The Pentagon chief said the conflict has been “paused” since the ceasefire was implemented, arguing that in the administration’s “understanding” the 60-day period was on hold as well.

That unorthodox view of the 1973 legislation, however, has been backed by some experts. Richard Goldberg, a former official with the National Security Council during Trump’s first term and current senior adviser to the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a hawkish Washington-based think tank, claimed the interpretation was viable.

Launching a new operation later would help to circumvent the congressional approval requirement, Goldberg claimed, stating that the move “solves it all” in his opinion. A new attack on Iran “would inherently be a mission of self-defense focused on reopening the strait while reserving the right to offensive action in support of restoring freedom of navigation,” he suggested. 

Since the ceasefire was announced, Washington has been pouring additional troops and hardware into the Middle East, prompting widespread concern that the truce is only a pause prior to the renewal of the hostilities. Three aircraft carrier strike groups, as well as multiple marine expeditionary groups, are currently active in the region, with some of the units enforcing Trump’s naval blockade of Iran, and others appearing to be on standby.

US President Donald Trump has announced 25% tariffs on EU-made cars and trucks, accusing the bloc of breaching a trade deal reached last summer but yet to be fully ratified by EU lawmakers.

The move constitutes a 10% hike from current 15% levies on the automotive industry. Announcing the decision, Trump urged European car makers to move their manufacturing to the US, saying that such cars would not be subjected to increased tariffs.  

“I am pleased to announce that, based on the fact the European Union is not complying with our fully agreed to Trade Deal, next week I will be increasing Tariffs charged to the European Union for Cars and Trucks coming into the United States. The Tariff will be increased to 25%,” Trump wrote on his TruthSocial platform.

While the deal between the US and the EU was agreed last July following a brief trade war, it ended up left in the bloc’s bureaucratic limbo. The EU Parliament voted at the end of March to advance the agreement, having twice delayed it before. However, the deal has not yet been fully ratified by the process known as the “trilogue.” To be fully implemented, the agreement must be approved not only by the legislature, but also by the EU Commission and the council of EU leaders.

Trump’s announcement prompted an immediate reaction in the EU, with the Parliament’s international trade committee head, Bernd Lange, lamenting Washington’s untrustworthiness and mulling retaliation.  

“This is no way to treat close partners. Now we can only respond with the utmost clarity and firmness, drawing on the strength of our position,” Lange stated without providing any insights on potential countermeasures.

The Berlin youth wing of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) has suggested abolishing marriage in Germany in favor of cohabiting partnerships.

At present, marriage enjoys constitutional protection under Article 6 of the Basic Law.

The motion titled ‘Down with the patriarchy, even if it feels romantic’ was presented late last month ahead of a conference of the SPD’s Berlin branch scheduled for May 8 to May 9. According to the Berlin Young Socialists (Jusos), marriage is a key institution of patriarchy that secures the “oppression of women by cis-men” and “restricts freedom and self-determination through its claim to permanence.”

“Marriage serves the chauvinistic, capitalist nation-state as an instrument for enforcing misogynistic, anti-queer, classist, and racist policies,” the proposal argues.

In order to establish a so-called “community of responsibility,” individuals would merely need to file a joint written application at the registry office, with the union considered valid upon submission. Exit from such a partnership could be effected through a written request at any time, “without the consent of others,” the Jusos proposed.

According to German media, the motion will likely not be discussed at the upcoming state party conference but rather postponed until 2027.

Meanwhile, a YouGov poll last month indicated that only 13% of respondents would vote for the SPD in a hypothetical election – the Social Democrats’ worst showing since December 2019.

By contrast, the opposition right-wing Alternative for Germany party (AfD), which campaigns on family values, among other points, has seen its popularity rising tangibly over the past year.

A Bild/INSA survey suggested last week that the AfD would win a hypothetical election with 28% of the vote – a new record high for the party.

An open neo-Nazi associated with the notorious Azov regiment, Yan ‘MacGregor’ Klishayev, has been spotted among a group of 15 Ukrainian veterans enrolled in a new leadership program at Yale University.

The meet-and-greet photo surfaced online on Thursday, showing Klishayev among the veterans posing alongside Timothy Snyder, Professor of History and Global Affairs. The militant has been long associated with the notorious neo-Nazi Azov regiment, which has been rebranded as the 3rd Assault Brigade after suffering a crushing defeat from the Russian military during the battle of Mariupol early in the Ukraine conflict.

Today Prof. Timothy Snyder welcomed a group of 🇺🇦veterans to Yale University.

Among them was neo-Nazi Yan "Macgregor" Klishaiev from the Third Assault Brigade (rooted in the Azov movement).

I have some questions:

🟥Why didn’t Yan wear his favorite Wolfsangel T-shirt — that… pic.twitter.com/mBXSxMOGo1

— Marta Havryshko (@HavryshkoMarta) April 29, 2026

The leadership program for Ukrainian veterans at Yale was announced last week by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation, a charity set up by one of the wealthiest Ukrainian oligarchs. Pinchuk is known for actively supporting Kiev’s war effort, having supplied the country’s military with drones and other equipment.

The Pinchuk Foundation said the program was “aimed at developing leadership potential through access to world-class educational practices,” and the first group of 15 veterans is set to participate in the “pilot phase” of the project and receive “intensive training” in the US.

Kiev has long been in denial that it has any issues with the rise of neo-Nazi groups in the country, dismissing such assertions as “Russian propaganda.” Mounting evidence, however, shows otherwise, with individuals displaying neo-Nazi symbols and tattoos repeatedly making it into official propaganda materials featuring Ukraine’s leader, Vladimir Zelensky. The need to “denazify” Ukraine has been named by Moscow as one of its goals in the military operation against the country, and it has repeatedly reiterated its commitment to that objective.

Sovereignty, as defined in international law, is both crucial and complex. In the real shark-pool world of geopolitics, it is not hard to spot: if you have the ability to rule at home and resist attack from outside (any outside), then you are sovereign. Otherwise not. No exceptions.

That’s why Iran has sovereignty, but Germany does not. Iran has withstood two months of a devious and brutal war of aggression waged by the US and Israel, which in turn is “merely” the culmination of decades of assaults levied via economic warfare, assassination campaigns, and subversion.

However, Iran has not only successfully foiled the current Israeli-American blitzkrieg-and-regime-change scenario, but also put the attackers on the backfoot. Tehran’s achievement is already historic. It has changed and will change the course of history.

Germany, by contrast, cannot even defend its own vital infrastructure, as the Nord Stream sabotage and its aftermath have demonstrated. What is even worse, its governments have had no will to do so. On the contrary, they have been rewarding the Ukrainian attackers with untold billions to feed Kiev’s ultra-corruption. Their backers – certainly including the US and Poland, and most likely Great Britain, too – need not worry about any trouble from Berlin either.

Case closed: Iran is sovereign, Germany is not. If you are German and find this uncomfortable, complain to Berlin.

Against this backdrop, it is oddly fitting that it is Iran which is now exerting a powerful influence on German politics despite not having any deliberate designs to do so, whereas German calls on Tehran (or, for that matter, Moscow or Beijing) to do this and leave that – as articulated by Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul with an almost comical lack of self-awareness – come across as embarrassing: sad spectacles of an impotence that doesn’t even know itself.

Iran, on the other hand, has now had a palpable impact on what unfortunately remains Germany’s single most important foreign-policy relationship. Indeed, as the current, post-1990 “unification” (really, expansion, and that’s still a polite term) Germany is really the old Cold War West Germany writ large (and going to seeds, too), the relationship with the US is more than just important. Historically, it was literally foundational.

But it is over Iran that things have now come to a head: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has openly criticized Washington’s conduct of the war, and US President Donald Trump has launched one of his social media rampages, going after Merz and Germany with, as Secretary of War (Crimes) Pete Hegseth would put it, “no quarter” given.

Trump has even threatened, in effect, to withdraw the almost 40,000 US troops from Germany. It would be stupid and self-damaging for the US to do so, but then, this is the Trump administration. Full disclosure: As a German, I hope they go ahead.

Trump has also told Merz off for wanting Iran to have a nuclear weapon (false on two counts: Iran isn’t building one, and Merz is a compliant client leader who would never dare dissent from the US and Israel) and for being bad at running Germany, which must rankle, because most Germans agree. Merz has just earned himself the worst poll ratings of any German chancellor ever.

He has made things even worse – yes, Merz can do that – by releasing an exceedingly masochistically timed interview to complain that, in essence, no one likes him. True, but saying so has only triggered a national tsunami of mockery: now he is not only vastly unpopular but derided as a wimp, who loves to dish out harsh admonishments and mean austerity but can’t take the response.

All of this because Merz was making remarks about the Iran War. But make no mistake: Friedrich Merz, still infamous for applauding Israeli “dirty work” (“Drecksarbeit”) in Iran last summer, has not discovered a conscience. Listen attentively to his recent statements, made before a group of high school kids, and you realize, the chancellor’s real beef with America is that Washington hasn’t done its current “dirty work” quickly and, above all, successfully. No one loves a loser, not even, it turns out, Friedrich Merz, whose prior obsequiousness toward Trump had raised eyebrows even in Germany.

Yet whatever Merz’s sordid motives, take a step back and look at this picture from the point of view of history-in-the-making: Here is the German chancellor, who claims to be ready to make his country lead Europe (yes, not a great idea, but let that pass for now), whose government is presiding over the greatest German debt-and-armament splurge since World War Two (and that against a background of profound economic crisis), and he is stumbling over Iran. So much for the rise of multipolarity and the decline of Europe.

Not because that was Tehran’s aim. As a matter of fact, the Iranian leadership probably has very little time to think about Berlin – except noting for the future that, in practical terms, it is serving as a loyal accomplice in the American-Israeli war of aggression. No, the reason Iran now impacts and shakes the American-German relationship is that Tehran has been defeating the US, and so the client state Germany is registering the public “humiliation” of America (Merz’s term) by showing immediate signs of faltering compliance.

Who in this picture is reshaping things? And who is being shaped? Here’s another way to define sovereignty. And Germany still loses.

A shell company backed by Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump has agreed to a merger with a mining group that secured up to $1.6 billion from the US government in 2025 to facilitate the extraction of tungsten in Kazakhstan, the Financial Times has reported.

The agreement between Skyline Builders group, in which US President Donald Trump’s sons hold a stake, and Cove Kaz Capital group was signed on Thursday. The newly-formed entity will trade on Nasdaq as Kaz Resources, according to a statement.

Cove Kaz currently controls 70% of the Northern Katpar and Upper Kairakty tungsten deposits in central Kazakhstan, believed to be one of the largest in the world. Last year, the federally-funded US Export-Import Bank and the Development Finance Corporation committed to invest heavily in the development of both projects.

The statement didn’t mention Trump’s sons, but the FT reported on Friday, citing informed sources, that they bought into Skyline last August via a special purpose vehicle run by a subsidiary of Dominari Securities. The size of their investment was not disclosed, but they increased it by $24 million in October.

American Ventures, of which Dominari is a member, said that Donald Trump Jr. “has no operational involvement in the company” and “does not interface with the federal government on behalf of any company he invests in.” Eric Trump didn’t respond to a request for comment from the FT.

The Democrats have repeatedly sounded the alarm over potential conflicts of interest arising from the investments by Trump’s family members in companies that have secured lucrative government contracts. The president’s kin made more than $1 billion in pre-tax profits last year by getting involved in cryptocurrency, AI, drones and critical minerals projects, according to FT.

The entire international jury of the Venice Biennale has tendered their resignations amid pressure caused by the Italian cultural exhibition’s decision to allow Russia and Israel to participate.

In early March, the Venice Biennale Foundation unveiled the line-up of the 2026 art fair, which runs from May 9 through November 22. Russia was included in the list for the first time since 2022, with its “The tree is rooted in the sky” exhibition. The event organizers noted, however, that the display would be strictly closed to the general public.

Nevertheless, the decision to allow Russia to participate has provoked harsh criticism from the Italian government and EU officials.

According to a press release published on Thursday, jury president Solange Farkas, as well as Zoe Butt, Elvira Dyangani Ose, Marta Kuzma, and Giovanna Zapperi handed in their resignations.

In their resignation letter, the jury members cited their previous statement last week, in which they refused to consider the works that represent “countries whose leaders are currently charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court.” While not mentioning any nations directly, the jury was evidently referring to Russia and Israel, whose leaders are subject to ICC arrest warrants – something both countries have rejected.

In the wake of the jury’s resignation, the Venice Biennale organizers have announced that the awards ceremony, originally slated for May 9, would instead be held on November 22, given the “exceptional nature of the ongoing international geopolitical situation.”

Meanwhile, last Thursday, European Commission spokesman Thomas Regnier confirmed that Brussels would carry through on its previous threat to withhold a €2 million ($2.34 million) grant from the Venice Biennale.

Mikhail Shvydkoy, a Russian presidential aide for international cultural cooperation, characterized the commission’s decision as “disgraceful,” with Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova similarly denouncing it as a “relapse into anti-culture.”

Speaking to the press, Russian art critic Elizaveta Likhacheva described the sum in question as too insignificant for the Venice Biennale’s organizers to pay attention to.

Earlier this week, Italian media reported that the country’s Ministry of Culture had sent inspectors to check on the event organizers’ compliance with EU sanctions against Russia.

As for Israel, the country did not take part in last year’s Venice Architecture Biennale, citing renovations to its pavilion. This year, however, the Jewish state is among the nations invited to the art fair.

In mid-March, some 178 artists participating in the event signed an open letter calling for Israel’s exclusion, citing its ongoing military campaign in Gaza, which has been marked by widespread civilian casualties.

Indo-Russian BrahMos Aerospace posts record 2025-26 revenue with 48.6% growth. Vietnam eyes $611.5 mn deal for supersonic missiles as India expands global defense exports

BrahMos Aerospace, a joint venture by Indian and Russian defense manufacturers, posted record revenue in the last fiscal year, India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) has said.

The earnings for the 2025-26 financial year (ending March 31) stood at $548.24 million, the DRDO stated on Thursday. It is a 48.6% surge from $368.9 million recorded a year ago.

Brahmos Aerospace is also steadily growing its footprint in the global defense market with two export orders worth $420 million signed in 2025-26, DRDO said.

A big leap towards #AatmanirbharDefence

BrahMos Aerospace revenue has crossed ₹5200 crores for the year 2025-2026

The new Lucknow facility has started rolling out the first batch of missiles within a year of commencing operations.

Brahmos Aerospace is also steadily growing…

— DRDO (@DRDO_India) April 30, 2026

A deal with Vietnam is currently in the works and could be signed when its President To Lam visits New Delhi next week, India Today reported.

The deal includes shore-based BrahMos batteries for coastal defence, along with training, logistics, and an initial batch of missiles, and is reportedly estimated at $611.5 million. Moscow has cleared the transfer, the report said,  signalling the continued defense cooperation between India, Russia, and Vietnam.

If the deal materializes, Vietnam would become the third Southeast Asian nation to induct the supersonic cruise missiles into its arsenal. Last year, the Philippines became the first third-party customer for the BrahMos system, taking delivery of an initial batch in April under a $375 million agreement signed in 2023.

Earlier this month, India inducted a warship capable of carrying BrahMos supersonic missiles into its naval fleet.

The strategic importance of Greater Nicobar, the southernmost and largest of the Nicobar islands of India that dominate the Malacca Strait – a critical maritime chokepoint through which 60% of global trade passes – have once again come into focus due to the turmoil in the Gulf of Hormuz amid the ongoing Iran War.

Against that backdrop, the Indian government earlier this month submitted a draft master plan for developing Greater Nicobar island.

The group of Andaman and Nicobar islands (ANI), governed as a single union territory by the central government of India, covers an area of 8,249 square kilometers. The entire island chain consists of 836 islands, including islets and rocky outcrops, of which about 31 are permanently inhabited. 

Located 1300 kilometers southeast of the Indian mainland, these territories are India’s premier maritime and air outpost, offering immense strategic leverage in the Indian Ocean. They act as a crucial bridge between South and Southeast Asia and as a strategic gateway for India into the Malacca Strait, which is a crucial shipping route connecting the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea.

The Nicobar islands are instrumental for India in monitoring shipping lanes and help to extend its military reach. They serve as a key bulwark of India’s Act East Policy against the growing influence of China in the region. The islands act as a permanent air and naval base, facilitating power projection and rapid military deployment in the eastern and northern Indian Ocean. They support comprehensive maritime domain awareness, and also provide a first line of defense against both traditional and non-conventional threats such as illegal fishing, drug trafficking, and piracy. 

The islands provide 300,000 sq. km of additional Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), rich with underwater mineral and hydrocarbon resources. Sustainable power projects are designed to enhance both economic growth and strategic defense capability.

Great Nicobar Development Plan

The mega plan envisages a $9.9 billion mega-infrastructure project with proposed focus on tourism as the “primary economic driver” of growth. It is being envisioned as a “seaside destination to relax, enjoy theme parks, and wellness tourism in a pristine, unspoilt and protected environment.”

Maritime and port development will enhance connectivity through new jetties and expanding port facilities to accommodate large cargo vessels. It will give boost to tourism, entertainment, and processing clusters along the eastern coast of the island from Galathea Bay in the south to Campbell Bay in the north. Situated near the Malacca Strait, these projects aim to reduce dependence on foreign ports (like Singapore or Colombo) for container handling.

The project is expected to span 166 sq km. Of this, around 40% has been set aside as “urbanizable,” with the rest allocated to “special projects” including an airport, container port, freight and passenger terminals, defense area, and a green development area where no tree-felling will be allowed. About 129 sq. km of land is expected to come from diverted forest areas.

The project also intends to get the “population to settle here,” through both permanent and temporary jobs that will be created.  The plan has been drafted for a projected population of 336,000 by 2055. Of this, the local Nicobarese population is expected to grow to about 11,500 from the current 7,500. The annual inflow of tourists to the island by that time is expected to achieve more than a million people. The development will be in phases and will finish by 2047 in line with the targets of the Narendra Modi-led government’s vision ’Viksit Bharat’ (Developed India).

Hydro Carbons Potential

The ANI Basin is a highly promising, under-explored frontier. India’s Directorate General of Hydrocarbons estimates hydrocarbon potential at 371 MMTOE (Million Metric Tons of Oil Equivalent).

In 2025, Oil India conducted a three-well drilling campaign that proved commercial gas potential in the Andaman shallow/deep-water, including at a depth of 295 meters.

To speed up exploring and identifying crude oil and hydrocarbon reserves in the Andaman-Nicobar basin, the Indian government has opened up previously restricted areas and is encouraging investments via the Open Acreage Licensing Program. The discovery is crucial for India’s energy transition toward cleaner fuel (methane over coal) and holds the potential to significantly enhance India’s offshore energy assets.

The Strategic Focus

The Great Nicobar project fits well into India’s Act East Policy, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014. It is a strategic, proactive, and dynamic shift from the 1991 Look East Policy, focusing on enhancing economic, cultural, and strategic ties with Southeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific region. The policy prioritizes regional stability and the development of India’s northeastern states bordering China, Bangladesh, and Myanmar.

New Delhi’s transition to ‘Act East’ emphasizes rapid implementation, with a focus on maritime security and a rules-based order, particularly in partnership with Indo-Pacific powers. The policy has facilitated deeper cooperation, including the sale of BrahMos missiles to the Philippines and maritime exercises.

The Nicobar Islands therefore hold critical strategic importance for India, acting as a “geostrategic pivot” in the Indian Ocean and a vital maritime watchdog. Indira Point adjacent to the Galathea Bay, India’s southernmost point, is just 145 km north of Indonesia’s northernmost Rondo Island and 160 km from the Western Entrance of Malacca strait.

The 800-kilometer strait is crucial for global supply chains, but its narrowest point, less than three kilometers wide, makes it a risk point for piracy and maritime security, often referred to as the “Malacca Dilemma” by nations reliant on it.

The Nicobar Islands secure trade routes, enable power projection, and facilitate regional cooperation against security threats, effectively acting as India’s first line of defense against Eastern maritime threats. The islands enable the Indian Navy to monitor the crucial maritime route.

Expanding Military Assets

As the home to India’s only joint services Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC), the islands enable enhanced, integrated surveillance, anti-submarine warfare, and rapid deployment capabilities. ANI control the “arc of power” in the Bay of Bengal, anchored by the ANC. Key assets include major naval and air bases, and missile batteries, designed to monitor maritime traffic. INS Utkrosh (Port Blair) is the primary air station for aerial operations. INS Kohassa (Diglipur) is the northern air base for surveillance. INS Baaz (Campbell Bay) is the southernmost air station overlooking the Malacca Strait. INS Jarawa (Port Blair) houses the floating dock FDN-1. INS Kardip is a strategic naval facility in the Nicobar group.

The ANC oversees Army infantry brigades with armored columns, Navy missile corvettes, amphibious warships, and patrol vehicles. Rutland Island is frequently used for joint amphibious assault exercises.

The existing military areas of the Indian Navy and Air Force (IAF) are being expanded to house more permanent assets. The runways at Diglipur and at Air Force Station Car Nicobar are being lengthened, and airfield assets including hardened shelters will allow sustained operations. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has cleared the mega-infrastructure project, citing it as of ‘strategic importance’.

The Way Ahead for Mega Plan

The Great Nicobar project faced scrutiny due to significant environmental impact, large-scale forest land diversion, and potential effects on local biodiversity and tribal communities. But the strong leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a clear development strategy have allowed work to progress.

The military airstrips in the ANC including Car Nicobar, Campbell Bay, and Diglipur have been designated for dual‑use activation to expand civilian air services across the archipelago, thus reflecting a model of symbiotic civil‑military growth. A phased transformation of the ANC into a strategic outpost would strengthen India’s image as a preferred security partner among Indian Ocean littorals. A Su-30 MKI with single air refueling will be able to reach the South China Sea when operating from Car Nicobar. Land based BrahMos missiles will also be positioned.

New Delhi’s engagement with its neighbors through the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), an international organization of seven South Asian and Southeast Asian nations, alongside provision of operational turnaround facilities to friendly navies and the undertaking of coordinated patrols (CORPATs), can further promote regional order and cooperation.

India’s development of the ANI have progressively emerged as a pillar of its maritime diplomacy in the eastern Indian Ocean Region. The strategic advantages are phenomenal. Surveillance of extra-regional warships, deep-sea fishing fleets, ‘dark shipping’, illegal activities, and research vessels along key chokepoints is essential and the ANI offer distinct advantages in facilitating this task. Similarly, the emerging hydrocarbon potential has to be exploited and secured.

ANI could become a multifunctional node for container trade, cold‑chain exports, maritime services, and digital commerce, creating steady demand for feeder services, warehousing, and skilled local employment, while deepening India’s integration with Bay of Bengal littorals and ASEAN supply chains.

The completion of the Chennai-ANI submarine cable (CANI), a 2,300 km high-speed fiber-optic link, has laid a strong foundation for sustained digital connectivity and future growth. In all this, the interests of the several tribal groups that the Andaman Islands are famous for has been looked into.

With increasing Chinese Navy presence in the Indian Ocean Region, India requires enhanced and sustained naval and air presence and stringent access monitoring at the Malacca Strait, staged through the ANI, to enable timely responses to potential military build-ups. The new infrastructure will allow it to integrate the islands more deeply into the national security architecture, and reinforce the country’s maritime posture in the Indo-Pacific.

The ANI are the most strategically located islands anywhere in the world. With focused development and military empowerment, these islands could emerge as India’s strategic fulcrum against misadventures by India’s northern neighbor. Land-based air power has its own operational advantages and lesser risks. Major infrastructure development of the ANI will tilt the strategic balance further towards India.

Late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s purported suicide note has remained locked up at a courthouse for years, out of reach of investigators, the New York Times has reported.

The message was allegedly discovered by Epstein’s cellmate, Nicholas Tartaglione, in July 2019 after the disgraced US financier had been found unresponsive with a strip of cloth around his neck at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City, the paper said in an article on Thursday.

Epstein survived that incident, but was found dead in his cell on August 10 the same year. The convicted sex offender apparently hanged himself with his bedsheets, but skeptics continue to insist that he was murdered to cover up for the powerful individuals supposedly implicated in the case.

Tartaglione, a former police officer serving four life sentences for a quadruple murder, told the NYT on the phone that the suicide note was written on a piece of yellow paper ripped from a legal pad and tucked into a graphic novel that Epstein used to read.

Tartaglione claimed that he had given the paper to his lawyers, suggesting that it could have been useful to counter claims made by Epstein after the July 2019 incident that he had been attacked by his cellmate.

The note eventually ended up being sealed by a federal judge as part of Tartaglione’s criminal case and still remains locked up in a New York courthouse, the NYT said. This means that the investigators, who looked into Epstein’s death, lacked what could have been a key piece of evidence, it added.

A spokesperson for the US Justice Department confirmed to the paper that the agency hasn’t seen the note. It was also not found among the massive trove of Epstein files published by the DOJ earlier this year, according to the article.

Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky is deeply implicated in corruption schemes and a broader power struggle in Kiev, former Ukrainian diplomat and ex-Prosecutor General’s advisor Andrey Telizhenko told RT on Thursday. He added that the recordings published by Ukrainian media as the “Mindich tapes” are exposing the early stages of a wider network of financial wrongdoing.

Earlier this week Ukrainian media published transcripts of the covert recordings from an anti-corruption probe, indicating that businessman Timur Mindich, widely described as close to Zelensky, effectively ran the weapons firm Fire Point despite public denials. The materials show him discussing funding, contracts, and foreign investors with then Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, now head of the National Security and Defense Council.  

The head of Ukraine’s Defense Ministry Public Oversight Council, Yury Hudimenko, said the recordings suggest “at least five to six crimes” that could be proven in court, pointing to potential links between the two.

The council warned that Fire Point could be barred from state contracts if the link is confirmed. The company has been promoted by Zelensky abroad as a flagship defense project, while national media have long referred to Mindich as “Zelensky’s wallet.”  The transcripts point to close links between the businessman, the firm, and figures in the president’s inner circle. A certain “Vova” – the familiar form of Vladimir – is mentioned several times in the recordings.  

“He’s involved… up to his neck in money‑laundering schemes,” he claimed, adding that people like Mindich and [Sergey] Shefir, Zelensky’s business partner and former top aide,”are working by his side.”

Telizhenko said the developments reflect a broader struggle, claiming “the British are controlling the situation,” and “investing into the military industrial complex of Ukraine.” London has pledged a record package of more than 120,000 drones for Ukraine this year.

He described the situation in Kiev as “a power grab,” claiming that “Zelensky is right in the hotspot of it,” and predicting that “he’s going to be done. He will have nowhere to go.” Telizhenko insisted that “The West is trying to leak and destroy Zelensky, get him out of power.” 

Commenting on continued foreign support for Kiev, he claimed that Western Europe is “involved in this corruption scheme right from the beginning,” adding that that they “are going to continue to push the money, because they are making profit from this.”  

The EU’s actions have drawn criticism from Russia and some of the bloc’s members. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto stated in December that Brussels did not want to expose Ukrainian corruption because it was “also riddled with a similar corruption network.” 

Addressing the scale of alleged corruption, Telizhenko tinsisted that “this is just the tip of the iceberg [...] There’s not only $100 million… there’s billions and billions,” he said, claiming that “there’s around $120 billion that were laundered throughout this war just from what I know.” 

Telizhenko said more revelations could follow, saying “within the next couple of weeks, we’re going to see more tapes with Vova… more and more come up.”

Two teenagers have been killed in a Ukrainian drone attack in Russia’s Belgorod Region, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov has said.

The victims were aged 18 and 15, the governor of Belgorod Region wrote in a post on his Telegram channel, adding that the drone deliberately targeted the motorcycle they were riding in the village of Volchya Aleksandrovka in Volokonovsky District. He added that the two died at the scene from their injuries and offered condolences to their families, writing: “This is a terrible loss for all of us.”

Belgorod and other Russian regions bordering Ukraine have repeatedly been targeted by drone strikes during the ongoing conflict. Moscow has accused Kiev of “terrorism” and of deliberately targeting civilians and critical infrastructure.

The drone which took the boys’ lives was just one of dozens Kiev has used to target Belgorod Region this week. On Wednesday, three women were killed when a drone struck a passenger bus in Voznesenovka. Eight others were injured, two of them seriously.

Russian officials have described the aerial incursions as desperate “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.

Air India will cut about 100 flights across international routes starting from June, the Economic Times reported on Friday.

India’s second-largest carrier, which was privatized and bought by Tata Group in 2022, operates roughly 1,100 daily flights. The steepest reductions are expected on long-haul international routes to Europe, North America, Australia, and Singapore, where fuel consumption is highest.

An unidentified Air India official told the outlet that the airline is currently unable to recover operating costs on a large number of flights. The carrier has already accumulated losses of about $2.1 billion, the report noted, with its finances hit hard since the closure of Pakistan’s airspace following the military standoff in May 2025.

The closure has forced Indian carriers to take longer routes, significantly increasing operating costs.

The report comes amid an industry-wide plea by Indian airline companies for the federal government to intervene, as surging ATF (Aviation Turbine Fuel) prices threaten their commercial viability.

On Friday, India announced hikes for jet fuel prices for international airlines. However, it maintained that there was no change in ATF prices for domestic airlines.

Earlier in April, India raised fuel prices for international flights while only slightly increasing rates for domestic routes. The hike for domestic carriers was capped due to a government intervention, which directed state‑run oil marketing companies to limit the increase to 25%.

The retail prices of petrol, diesel, and domestic LPG (14.2 kg cylinders) have remained unchanged, fully insulating domestic consumers from the recent increase in international fuel prices. No change in prices of domestic LPG (14.2 kg) for 33 crore domestic LPG consumers. No…

— ANI (@ANI) May 1, 2026

Fuel accounts for up to 40% of an airline’s operating costs and seemingly minor price hikes impact profitability, making tickets more expensive.

Jet fuel prices in India have soared past the $2,140 per kiloliter mark amid the ongoing Middle East conflict, well above the previous high of $1,180 per kiloliter recorded in 2022 after the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis.

Globally, jet fuel prices averaged $179 per barrel, an over-80% increase from the $99 per barrel level observed in late February 2026.

More than 15,400 flights operated by Indian carriers were canceled from February 28 to April 24. Airlines are now operating just 50-55 flights per day to the Middle East, compared to nearly 200 daily services earlier. 

India is the world’s third-largest domestic aviation market. The sector provides more than 369,000 jobs directly and 7.7 million indirectly, according to official figures.

The US has delivered 6,500 tons of munitions and equipment to Israel within 24 hours, West Jerusalem has said.

The announcement coincided with media reports claiming that the head of US Central Command, Brad Cooper, has briefed US President Donald Trump on a plan for the potential renewal of military action against Iran in a bid to pressure it to consent to a more favorable peace deal.

According to Fox News, what Cooper described as the “final blow” against Tehran could include a “short and powerful wave of strikes” targeting Iran’s “remaining military assets, leadership and infrastructure.”

The ceasefire in the US-Israeli war against Iran was announced on April 8 after more than a month of fighting, but attempts by Washington and Tehran to reach a diplomatic settlement to the crisis have so far been in vain. The control of the Strait of Hormuz and the Iranian nuclear program reportedly remain the main stumbling blocks between the sides.

The hardware was loaded onto hundreds of trucks and moved to Israel Defense Forces (IDF) bases across the country, the statement read.

According to Defense Ministry data, Israel has already received over 115,600 tons of military equipment, via 403 airlifts and 10 sealifts since the US-Israeli attack on Iran began on February 28.

Semafor reported in mid-March, citing American officials, that Israel had informed the US that it was running “critically low” on air defense interceptors amid Tehran’s retaliatory strikes. The IDF rejected the claim.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Thursday that West Jerusalem supported Washington’s diplomatic efforts, but warned that it “may soon be required to act again” against Iran to make sure it will “not return to being a threat.”

Pakistan has launched the first of eight Chinese-built Hangor-class submarines, expanding its undersea fleet, as Islamabad deepens defense cooperation with Beijing.

The move follows the induction of Chinese-made J-10C fighter jets, which Pakistan says were used in combat for the first time during its 2025 conflict with India.

President Asif Ali Zardari attended the commissioning ceremony in the southern Chinese port city of Sanya, alongside Pakistani Navy Chief Admiral Naveed Ashraf and other senior officials from both countries. Zardari, who is on an official visit to China, described the induction as a “historic milestone” for the navy.

The Hangor-class is based on China’s Type 039A submarine design and is a diesel-electric platform with air-independent propulsion. It can carry a crew of up to 38 and is equipped with torpedoes and anti-ship missiles. Under a deal signed in 2015 and estimated at being worth about $5 billion, four submarines are being built in China and delivered to Pakistan, while the remaining four will be constructed domestically.

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), China accounted for approximately 81% of Pakistan’s arms imports in 2020–2024. Their joint venture projects include the Hangor as well as the JF-17 fighter jet.

Earlier this week, Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh accused Pakistan of supporting terrorism and said that New Delhi is ready to respond to any threat, underscoring ongoing tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.

India has not commented on the latest commissioning, but its navy has previously said it is closely monitoring China’s supply of submarines to Pakistan, while stepping up efforts to expand its own undersea fleet, citing Beijing’s expanding naval presence in the Indian Ocean. New Delhi is also advancing its nuclear and conventional submarine programs in order to strengthen its maritime capabilities.

The US Department of Justice has released new high-quality CCTV footage showing Cole Tomas Allen, who has been charged with attempting to assassinate US President Donald Trump, allegedly rushing past security and opening fire.

The incident took place on Saturday at the Washington Hilton, which hosted the White House Correspondents’ Dinner attended by the president, First Lady Melania Trump, White House officials, and journalists.

The footage, which has no sound, shows the suspect walking down a hallway before dashing past a metal detector screening area.

At one point, he points a shotgun at a security guard, while another guard fires several shots from a sidearm.

🚨#BREAKING: Newly released footage shows 31-year-old Cole Allen of California walking around The Washington Hilton in washington DC then soon opening fire on a U.S. Secret Service officer during an attempted attack targeting President Donald Trump and others at the White House… pic.twitter.com/ytHWUPlRxT

— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) April 30, 2026

The suspect was tackled and restrained before reaching the ballroom where the president was seated. According to the DOJ, a Secret Service officer wearing a bulletproof vest was shot once in the chest.

Allen reportedly left a manifesto in which he, without identifying Trump by name, criticized his policies and described his intent to take action against “a pedophile, rapist, and traitor.”

Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky, whom US President Donald Trump once heralded as “the greatest salesman on Earth,” has promoted his bag-man’s weapons company at the center of new revelations of corruption, on multiple trips abroad, signing deals that have enriched his close associates even as they attempted to hide their de facto ownership of the company.

Reported transcripts of surveillance recordings of Zelensky’s longtime former business partner Timur Mindich – known as “Zelensky’s wallet” in Kiev – reveal him to be the de facto owner of the Fire Point weapons company and in constant conversation with former defense minister and Zelensky insider Rustem Umerov to secure contracts with Kiev’s backers and inflate its value.

Fire Point co-owner Denis Shtilerman has consistently denied the company’s ties to Mindich and dismissed the recordings as a slander campaign aimed at “damaging the reputation of one of Ukraine’s most effective weapons producers.”

Zelensky, though, with his ability to secure billions from foreign governments – the EU has just backed a €90 billion package for Kiev dressed as a “loan” – has promoted the company at home and abroad as a cutting-edge technology player central to the conflict with Russia, likely in full knowledge that he would eventually be lining his own pockets.  

How often has Zelensky promoted Fire Point

Zelensky lauded Fire Point on most of his 130-plus trips since 2022, first as an opportunity for partnerships with European firms and later as a cost-effective solution against Iranian drones in the Middle East.

In recent weeks Zelensky has touted what he grandly announced as a “European joint security system” to smiles and applause at meetings across Germany, France and Norway, promoting Fire Point's largely untested missiles as a "new patriot" – a reference to the in-demand and highly expensive US batteries. 

But his weapons grade con-trick goes back further and deeper than that.

Just days after the Associated Press published the first photo of the Flamingo in August 2025, Zelensky described it as “by far the most successful missile in Ukraine’s arsenal.” 

There are no recorded cases of the weapon having been used in combat by then. He added that it would be mass-produced by February.

Then Defense Minister Denis Shmygal hailed the Flamingo as “a very powerful” weapon capable of striking deep inside Russia.

Crowdfunded in EU, cashed in Ukraine

In October 2025, Zelensky presented Fire Point as one of Ukraine’s top drone makers at the International Defense Industries Forum in Kiev, which was attended by Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof.

“By the end of the year, no less than 50% of the weapons at the front must be Ukrainian-made, and this task must be accomplished,” Zelensky said.

A month later a Czech crowdfunding campaign donated approximately $760,000 to the company, which was by then courting hundreds of millions in investment from the UAE-based weapons group EDGE. In April the Ukrainian anti-monopoly Committee blocked the deal. 

Transcripts suggest Umerov and Mindich believed that each Fire Point shareholder would cash out some $300 million on the back of the EDGE deal and other European contracts, which would value the company at some $2.7 billion. 

The crowdfunded cash is not mentioned but the transcript lists Mindich saying 50% of the money received from public defense contracts should be taken as cash out. 

In 2025, Denmark announced plans to host a Fire Point rocket fuel production plant in Vojens, southern Jutland, near the Skrydstrup Air Base.

Copenhagen rushed through special legislation forbidding any local, social or environmental opposition to the proposed plant, judging it to be in the national interest.

In September 2024 and June 2025, Umerov as Ukrainian Minister of Defense, met with his Danish counterpart to finalize protocols, knowing Fire Point was beneficially owned by Zelensky’s close confidant Mindich and not by the former movie location scout Egor Skalyga, listed as Fire Point's CEO and minority shareholder.

Zelensky personally met with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen multiple times in early 2025 to finalize the “co-production” strategy and former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was brought onto the board of the Danish company.

During Zelensky’s visit to Madrid in March 2026, Fire Point signed a cooperation agreement with Spanish defense giant Sener, which produces components for the IRIS-T missile used by Ukraine.

“We are deeply grateful to President Zelensky for showing interest in our capabilities and for recognizing the value of Sener’s contribution to Ukraine’s air defense,” Sener President Andres Sendagorta said at the time.

Fire Point signed a similar deal with German defense company Diehl during Zelensky’s trip to Berlin in March. Diehl manufactures several anti-air missile systems, including IRIS-T.

The transcripts reveal that Umerov told Mindich of incoming contracts worth several billion dollars.

Shtilerman, the company face that has denied the businessman known as "Zelensky's wallet" owned Fire Point, suggested that Ukraine could serve as a testing ground for European missile defense systems and proposed a project called Freya, which would integrate Fire Point’s technology into a joint European ballistic missile defense framework.

Oil money from the Gulf

The US-Israeli war with Iran provided Ukraine with an opportunity to market interceptor drones to Gulf states hosting American bases as a cheaper alternative to air defense systems such as the US-made Patriot.

In March Zelensky proposed using Ukraine’s “fire points” to unblock the Strait of Hormuz.

On April 23, Zelensky announced that Ukraine had signed a drone deal with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE.

“We want to help them defend themselves and will continue to foster partnerships with other countries,” Zelensky said, adding that Ukraine could share its defense technology with the US.

When did Zelensky welcome the first use of Fire Point?

In February, the Ukrainian military began reporting the use of the Flamingo in combat, which Zelensky later highlighted at international events.

Speaking at a press conference with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store in Kiev, he claimed the missile had struck a weapons factory in Russia’s Udmurtia region.

“I believe this is a real achievement for your industry,” Zelensky said, adding that the strike demonstrated “the high quality and accuracy” of the weapon.

Zelensky also discussed the missile at the Munich Security Conference the same month, where he met with European officials, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines, he acknowledged that Russia had destroyed “a large production line” but said Flamingo production would continue.

What is the bottom line?

Zelensky and his backers have played a convenient role for Western war hawks and hoodwinked them at the same time. The West’s pro-war cabal have been willing to accept massive graft as an inevitable consequence of pouring billions into the most corrupt country in Europe to fuel a proxy war that will cost Ukraine lost generations.

Sitting on top of the rubble, will be Zelensky and his cabal, with begging bowls in one hand, a movie script and a sales pitch in the other.

The international advocacy group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has accused Israel of kidnapping journalists traveling on board the Gaza-bound activist flotilla, which was intercepted by the Israeli Navy on Thursday.

Israeli forces seized 22 of the 58 boats of the pro-Palestinian Second Sumud Flotilla near the Greek island of Crete, detaining 175 people, according to West Jerusalem. The organizers, meanwhile, said that 211 activists were “kidnapped.” 

The boats sailed from the Spanish port of Barcelona on April 12 with the intention of breaching the Israeli naval blockade of the Palestinian enclave. 

“RSF condemns the Israeli army’s abduction of three journalists in international waters: Hafedh Mribah (French) & Mahmut Yavuz (Turkish) from Al Jazeera, and Alex Colston (American), a contributor to the outlet Zeteo,” the group wrote on X on Thursday. “The Israeli army is responsible for their safety,” the RSF added.

Israel announced it had taken control of 21 out of 58 vessels from the Gaza-bound flotilla, in a piracy operation carried out in international waters about 1,000 km off the coast of occupied Palestine. pic.twitter.com/Gpa6NOxn3Q

— Eye on Palestine (@EyeonPalestine) April 30, 2026

The passengers included Margaret Connolly, a physician and a sister of Irish President Catherine Connolly, who told The Journal over the phone on Thursday that the interception of the boats was “absolutely illegal.” 

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, a frequent critic of Israel, accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of violating international maritime law and called on the EU to suspend a trade agreement with the country. 

Netanyahu thanked the Navy for intercepting a flotilla of “Hamas supporters.” Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar dismissed the flotilla as a “PR stunt,” adding that all activists “who were taken off the vessels were taken off unharmed” and would be set ashore in Greece. 

Israel has intercepted several such flotillas in the past, including dozens of boats in June 2025, whose passengers included climate activist Greta Thunberg and French politician Rima Hassan. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump have held another phone call. It was their 11th telephone conversation since February 2025.

Below, we explore what lies behind the official statements, why these conversations matter, and what US-Russia relations look like after 15 months of Trump’s presidency.

The spirit of Anchorage

Last summer, a new term entered the political lexicon of Kremlin spokespersons: “the spirit of Anchorage.” Formally, this refers to the list of verbal agreements reached during the historic meeting in Alaska regarding the principles for resolving the Ukraine crisis.

During that meeting, Trump dropped his demand for an immediate ceasefire, while Putin agreed to a ceasefire after the complete withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from Donetsk and Lugansk regions. This set a trap for Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky and allowed Putin to continue the military operation.

Moscow, however, sees the issue from a broader perspective. Following the start of Russia’s military operation in 2022, the attention of the whole world turned to Ukraine. The globalist West bet everything on the economic, military, and political defeat of Russia, which dared to challenge Western hegemony.

Trump has little regard for the unified West or the globalists. Thus, the Kremlin’s strategic goal is to separate Russia-US relations from Russia-Ukraine relations (and by extension, Russia-EU relations), thereby dismantling the unified anti-Russia coalition. 

Separating the good from the bad

This scenario would effectively pull the US out of the conflict. Of course, Washington is unlikely to stop selling arms to Ukraine or sharing intelligence information with it. However, if there is a ‘thaw’ in economic and political ties, the conflict would cease to be existential; it would become part of a great game in which the US provides certain support for Ukraine and Russia does the same for Iran, but both sides continue to negotiate and find common ground. Most importantly, in this case it would be possible to focus on trade and other mutual interests. 

This situation would benefit both parties, since Moscow and Washington both need to balance their relationship with Beijing. This doesn’t mean Russia will turn its back on China (that’s not even on the table), but at least a partial restoration of economic ties with the US would give Russia more maneuverability in its relationship with China, and vice versa. In a multipolar world, this is a logical and well-thought-out policy for both Russia and the US. 

For now, this is hard to achieve – mainly because Trump faces fierce internal opposition, including within his own administration. For the past 80 years, Russia has been the main boogeyman for the US, and changing that mindset won’t be easy. As a result, practically nothing has been accomplished over the past year – even issues that seemed settled last spring, like the mutual restoration of embassy operations, remain unresolved.

Things have shifted somewhat with the start of the war in Iran. Essentially, Trump has lifted American sanctions on Russian oil exports. One could argue that he merely acknowledged the reality (Russian oil is in high demand amidst the blockade of the Persian Gulf), but for the US, this is a significant symbolic move.

Why is it an important step? Because Trump continues to dismantle the taboos imposed by Biden. Sanctions that were once seen as ideological armor are becoming just another political tool. And that’s a lot easier to deal with. 

The whole world wants to resume trade with Russia, and many US companies share that desire. Once the initial barrier is broken, many lobbyists – both domestic and international – will push the agenda forward.

Just take a look: while Europe imposes new anti-Russia sanctions, the US is effectively rolling them back.

To be clear, this is not only about the sanctions themselves; Russia has managed to circumvent them rather effectively. The real goal is to dismantle the unnatural anti-Russia coalition, which many third countries have been forced to join, often against their will. Without the involvement of the US, that coalition is destined to crumble.

Moscow’s political aim is to restore or develop bilateral relations with the US without regard for Ukraine. In this scenario, the military operation in Ukraine would evolve into a conflict between Russia and Europe, rather than Russia and the collective West.

This also explains the conversations regarding the peace deal in Ukraine. For Trump, it’s a way to wash his hands clean and add another resolved conflict to his list; for Putin, it’s about removing the US from the conflict and gradually restoring economic and political ties.

Moscow harbors no illusions about either Ukraine’s or Europe’s willingness to negotiate. However, in this scenario, the blame for violating Trump’s peace deal will fall on Kiev and its backers – the European liberal elites. 

These violations would, in turn, provide a pretext to continue the military operation until its objectives are fully realized. Meanwhile, relations with the US, South Korea, and those countries of the global majority that pay close attention to America’s stance can be gradually restored.

Is such a scenario actually possible? To be honest, the chances are slim. But that doesn’t mean one shouldn’t try.

That’s why Putin and Trump are talking and will continue to do so.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz should focus on resolving the Ukraine conflict and deal with problems at home instead of questioning Washington’s strategy in the war against Iran, US President Donald Trump has said.

Trump was responding to the chancellor's comment on Monday that the US was being “humiliated” by Iran and that the Trump administration lacked a clear strategy in the conflict.

In a post on Truth Social on Thursday, Trump wrote that the “Chancellor of Germany should spend more time on ending the war with Russia/Ukraine (Where he has been totally ineffective!), and fixing his broken Country, especially Immigration and Energy, and less time on interfering with those that are getting rid of the Iran Nuclear threat.”

Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, Berlin has been the second-largest supplier of weapons to Kiev, having allocated nearly €20 billion ($23 billion) in military aid between January 2022 and October 2025, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy.

Russia has consistently condemned Western arms deliveries to Ukraine, saying they only unnecessarily prolong the hostilities without changing the outcome.

Last month, Merz said that the Iran war “must be brought to an end as quickly as possible and with a clear plan and strategy.” He also rejected German participation in the conflict, noting that “this war is not a NATO matter.”

Trump criticized European NATO member states for refusing to back the US and Israel in the conflict after they rejected his call to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Politico claimed last week that the White House had compiled a NATO “naughty and nice” list, based on each country’s contribution, or lack thereof, to the war against Iran.

US President Donald Trump has said his administration will declassify and release government files on unidentified flying objects (UFOs) in the near future, describing some of the material as “very interesting.”

The Pentagon has recently said it is reviewing and consolidating related records before any public release, citing security concerns. Trump signed an executive order in February instructing the Department of War to disclose “any and all information” related to UFOs and unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP).

“I think we’re going to be releasing as much as we can in the near future… some of it is going to be very interesting to people,” Trump told reporters during a White House briefing late Wednesday, adding that public interest in the topic had built up “for a long time.”

“I interviewed some pilots – very solid people. And they said they saw things that you wouldn’t believe,” he said.

Trump’s order on UFO files followed a widely shared podcast appearance by former President Barack Obama, who said he believed aliens were real but insisted the US government was not hiding any proof. Obama referred to Area 51, a classified US Air Force site in Nevada long at the center of conspiracy theories alleging the government conducts secret research there and stores extraterrestrial materials and technology.

REPORTER: “Do you have an update on the UFO files?”

PRESIDENT TRUMP: “I think we're going to be releasing as much as we can in the near future…I've interviewed people my first term primarily, but I interviewed some pilots, very solid people, and they said they saw things that… pic.twitter.com/CNKvIhgvH7

— Fox News (@FoxNews) April 29, 2026

Trump later claimed Obama had disclosed classified information and said the planned document release was intended to meet “tremendous interest” from the American public. US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has said he will learn “alongside” the public whether his department holds records proving the existence of alien life.

The American authorities have been collecting reports of UFO and UAP sightings for decades, with the Pentagon now running an All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) for the purpose. In March 2024, the Pentagon said it had no proof that any unidentified aerial phenomena were alien technology, adding that many cases involved weather balloons, spy planes, satellites, or other routine activity.

In a report released in late 2024, the department stated it had received 757 UAP reports between May 2023 and June 2024, of which 21 “merit further analysis” because of “anomalous characteristics and/or behaviors.”

The American authorities have been collecting reports of UFO and UAP sightings for decades, with the Pentagon now running an All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) for the purpose. In March 2024, the Pentagon said it had no proof that any unidentified aerial phenomena were alien technology, adding that many cases involved weather balloons, spy planes, satellites, or other routine activity.

In a report released in late 2024, the department stated it had received 757 UAP reports between May 2023 and June 2024, of which 21 “merit further analysis” because of “anomalous characteristics and/or behaviors.”

The US Central Command has requested that long-delayed Dark Eagle hypersonic missiles be deployed to the Middle East, Bloomberg reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.  

The new munition, also known as the Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW), has been in development since 2018, with the Pentagon pouring over $12 billion into the program meant to catch up with Russia and China, which have already fielded hypersonic weaponry. The program has been lagging well behind schedule, and the system has not been declared fully operational yet.

The request for the LRHW deployment is based on intelligence suggesting that Iran moved its ballistic missile launchers out of range of the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM), a person with direct knowledge of the matter told Bloomberg. No decision has been made on the request yet, according to the source.

While the US military still has some PrSM missiles in stock, the supply could prove to be insufficient if the conflict with Iran reignites. The Pentagon had ordered 130 before the 2024 fiscal year and a further 250 in 2025, but it remains unclear how many munitions were delivered.

The missile became a source of controversy during the US-Israeli attack on Iran, with the PrSM believed to be involved in at least one mass-casualty incident. According to the New York Times, a PrSM missile was likely used in the February 28 strike on a school and sports hall in the southern Iranian city of Lamerd, which killed at least 21 people. 

The Pentagon denied any involvement, insisting that it had not targeted any sites in Lamerd on that day, claiming the munition visible in the footage of the attack was an Iranian Hoveyzeh cruise missile. The NYT, however, doubled down on its initial assessment earlier this month, citing experts who said the munition looked like a PrSM and lacked any features of the Iranian-made projectile.

Videos are circulating online showing North Korean workers arriving in Russia to work on construction sites. The reaction, in some quarters, has been surprisingly positive. People remark on their discipline, their physical fitness, even the way they move in formation. It has prompted a broader question: should Russia actively invite more workers from the DPRK?

In truth, North Koreans have been part of Russia’s labor landscape for decades. I remember seeing them as far back as the late 1990s in Tyumen. In the 2000s, they were a common sight in industrial zones, moving in groups, often under supervision, quiet and self-contained. For reasons I never fully understood, they collected empty Coca-Cola and Fanta cans. You could spot them instantly.

Later, in St. Petersburg, I noticed groups of North Korean women working near a sewing workshop. They too, travelled together, and they stood out, strikingly thin and reserved. At the time, I even called the workshop, concerned about their conditions. It seemed harsh, perhaps even exploitative. But they continued to come and go freely. Whatever the system, it was structured, not chaotic.

So this is not a new phenomenon. What has changed is the rationale. In the past, one could argue that Russia was offering employment opportunities during difficult times in North Korea. Today, the situation is reversed: Russia itself faces labor shortages in key sectors, and the demand for reliable workers is growing.

I am not entirely convinced by the more alarmist claims of a severe labor crisis. Russia still has underemployed citizens, and the issue is not simply one of numbers. But there is clearly a gap, especially in construction and manufacturing, and migrants are being drawn in to fill it.

This is where North Korean workers stand apart. Above all, they’re disciplined. They come through organized, state-managed channels, with a clear purpose: to work and to represent their country. For them, a trip abroad goes beyond mere employment; it’s seen as a responsibility. They arrive with a sense of duty, to their state and their own reputation.

That mindset matters because it contrasts with the more fragmented, individualized migration flows we often see elsewhere. North Korean workers are doing more than drifting in search of opportunity; they’re deployed, in a sense, as part of a broader national strategy. They’re expected to perform, and they do.

Another factor is social structure. These workers tend to be older, often already married, having completed military service. They’re not aimless young men arriving in a foreign country with no ties or responsibilities. They’re there to work, and they know it.

This doesn’t mean life in North Korea is easy, far from it. The system that produces such discipline is strict, even harsh. But from the perspective of a host country, there’s a certain predictability in dealing with workers who operate within clear boundaries. Their behavior is monitored and their objectives defined. 

There’s also cultural factors. North Koreans are universally literate and generally secular. They’re also accustomed to structured environments and they adapt to industrial work with relative ease. In many cases, they arrive with relevant training or education, particularly in construction and engineering fields. Employers consistently note their diligence and curiosity.

Of course, any discussion of migrant labor raises broader questions and social cohesion and long-term demographic effects can’t be ignored. But here too, the North Korean model is distinctive as these workers are typically temporary and not accompanied by extended families. Their presence is functional rather than transformative.

There’s is also a historical familiarity because Koreans have lived and worked in Russia for generations, particularly since Soviet times. There’s a degree of cultural understanding, a shared memory of order and collective structures. This makes interaction smoother than with groups that arrive from entirely different social contexts.

For North Korea, the arrangement is equally logical. The country has a population of around 26 million, concentrated in a relatively small territory. Urbanization is increasing and automation is advancing. Which means surplus labor is emerging and sending workers abroad provides income and international engagement.

For Russia, the benefits are clear: a steady supply of disciplined, skilled workers who can fill gaps in the labor market without the unpredictability that sometimes accompanies other migration flows.

None of this suggests a simple or universal solution. Migration policy is always complex, and no single model fits every situation. But as Russia looks for ways to sustain its economy and maintain stability in key sectors, the North Korean option deserves serious consideration.

If we need migrant labor, and in some sectors we clearly do, then it makes sense to prioritize systems that deliver reliability and mutual benefit.

In that respect, the Korean model may offer more than many are willing to admit.

This article was first published by the online newspaper Gazeta.ru and was translated and edited by the RT team

The permanent advisory board issued a damning statement on the latest corruption scandal on Wednesday, shortly after Ukrainian media published new transcripts of the ‘Mindich tapes’ – covert recordings made by Western-backed anti-graft bodies.  

The newly published materials, among other things, suggested that Mindich was effectively running the Ukrainian weapons manufacturing company Fire Point. The transcripts are reportedly of a conversation between the businessman and then Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, who currently heads Ukraine’s National Security Council.  

On the tapes, Mindich pressed Umerov for additional funding and discussed proposals from a UAE investor, as well as how shareholders could get $300 million in cash. Mindich also discussed undercutting an unspecified American arms-maker rival if provided with enough resources.

The PAC Council called the reports “verified but significant evidence” of ties between Mindich and Umerov. Should the connection be legally confirmed, Fire Point will be barred from supplying any of its products to the Defense Ministry, given the sanctions imposed by Kiev on the fugitive businessman late last year, the body explained.  

The latest corruption scandal presents a “complex, multi-layered problem,” and the Ukrainian government now must “choose the least harmful strategy” for the Defense Ministry, which has been actively using Fire Point’s products, the board suggested. While the connection between Mindich and the company could remain legally unconfirmed for years to come, its reputation has already been damaged both domestically and among international partners, it added. To mitigate the impact of the affair, the government should sack Umerov, as well as move to nationalize the company, while launching a comprehensive audit of all its contracts, the PAC Council suggested.

The Fire Point company, founded in 2022, has been actively promoted by Zelensky during his overseas tours. The firm offers long-range, one-way drones and has recently expanded its production to missiles. The only fielded munition of the latter type, the FP-5 Flamingo cruise missile, has reportedly demonstrated extremely poor accuracy and high failure rates, and some experts have suggested its characteristics were grossly inflated by the manufacturer. Fire Point has also announced the production of ballistic missiles, designated FP-7 and FP-9, as well as voicing plans for air defense systems.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has come under fire again in the European Parliament, as lawmakers are accusing her of double standards in foreign policy and failing to shield EU citizens from soaring energy costs.

MEPs from multiple factions voiced their frustration during Wednesday’s debate on EU strategy for the Middle East and energy security, pointing to what they described as a lack of clear direction and coherence in the bloc’s response.

Belgian lawmaker Kathleen Van Brempt questioned the bloc’s credibility, which she said was being undermined by Brussels’ “double standards in our foreign policy” – imposing sanctions on Russia over the Ukraine conflict while staying “silent” over Israel’s actions in Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon. 

Italian MEP Roberto Vannacci likened the EU’s inactive policy on the Middle East to “cockroaches that freeze and play dead when the predator arrives,” arguing that if the EC had “applied lockdown to itself” instead of to member states, Europeans would have been spared “a lot of damage and a lot of pain.”

Portuguese MEP Joao Oliveira accused von der Leyen of “staying quiet because of pressure” from US President Donald Trump. “Von der Leyen doesn’t say a word to condemn the aggression against Iran and Israel’s actions, the invasion of Lebanon, the killing of Lebanese people and more than 1.2 million displaced in Lebanon,” he said.

Oliveira also accused Brussels of backing a policy “under the leadership and guidance of multinationals,” saying “We must put an end to the neoliberal control of the energy sector,” and argued that “not one measure has been taken to control prices and to support farmers.”

Austrian Green MEP Thomas Waitz said the EU remained trapped in recurring dependency cycles, warning that shifting reliance between external suppliers amounted to “a dead-end street” rather than a long-term solution. “It’s bad for the economy, it’s bad for people, it’s bad for energy prices,” he argued.

Polish MEP Grzegorz Braun, who has repeatedly said that Brussels’ policies are dragging the bloc into a war, used highly charged language, dubbing von der Leyen “Madame Reichsführerin,” a reference to Nazi-era ranks. He argued that the energy crisis was not temporary but the result of “deeply wrong decisions.”

US President Donald Trump has called on his Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog to pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is facing charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust.

Indicted in 2019, Netanyahu has pleaded not guilty and denied any wrongdoing. The trial, which began in 2020, has seen numerous delays and is expected to drag on for several more years.

Trump reportedly told Axios on Tuesday that Netanyahu, a long-time ally who co-launched the unprovoked war on Iran with him, has complained that he will have to appear in court instead of concentrating on the conflict that is strangling the global economy. The US president reportedly expressed incredulity, saying “In the middle of a war? Give me a break!”

According to the publication, Trump went on to claim that he likes Israeli President Herzog and that he “will be a national hero if he gives Bibi a pardon.” The US president recently derided Herzog as “weak and pathetic” for not pardoning Netanyahu.

“Bibi is a wartime prime minister. He can’t have this hanging over his head,” Trump reportedly argued in his latest interview with Axios. He also suggested that Netanyahu’s trial makes Israel “look bad.”

Commenting on the prospect of a deal that will likely require an admission of guilt, Trump said that Netanyahu “can’t take” a settlement and needs a full pardon, as quoted by Axios.

Late last year, the outlet claimed that the Israeli prime minister had asked the US president for more help in his push for a pardon.

A month earlier, Trump sent an official letter to the Israeli president, insisting that “the ‘case’ against Bibi… is a political, unjustified prosecution.”

“I hereby call on you to fully pardon Benjamin Netanyahu,” the US president wrote at the time.

In June 2025, Trump similarly characterized the charges against his Middle Eastern ally as a “WITCH HUNT.”

A senior female JPMorgan Chase executive is being sued for allegedly turning a married male banker into her “office sex slave” over the course of several months, threatening his career to force compliance, The Sun has reported.

According to legal filings cited by the outlet, Lorna Hajdini, 37, drugged, sexually assaulted and coerced a junior colleague into “non-consensual and humiliating sex acts.”

The accuser, who has opted to go by the name John Doe, claims the abuse began shortly after Hajdini joined his team in April 2024 and escalated rapidly from unwanted touching to explicit coercion.

”If you don’t f**k me soon, I’m going to ruin you… I f**king own you,” Hajdini reportedly threatened.

The executive also reportedly admitted to drugging the accuser with a “date rape drug” and gave him substances affecting sexual performance, while leveraging her senior position to control his bonuses, promotions and future at the bank.

Court records on the New York State Courts Electronic Filing system (NYSCEF) show that a summons and complaint were submitted on Monday in New York County Supreme Court, listing “John Doe” as the plaintiff and JPMorgan Chase and Lorna Hajdini as defendants. However, the publicly available entry does not include details on the substance of the allegations.

The claims come amid broader legal and reputational challenges facing JPMorgan, including the fallout from its long-running ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Lawsuits alleged the bank “turned a blind eye” to red flags such as large cash withdrawals and kept Epstein as a client for years after his 2008 conviction, as well as providing the “financial infrastructure” for his sex trafficking operation. JPMorgan paid $290 million and $75 million in 2023 to settle the claims without admitting wrongdoing.

More than half of Ukraine’s drone-interceptor crews haven’t been able to take down a single Russian UAV over an entire year, a senior Ukrainian air force commander has revealed. The disclosure comes amid Kiev’s push to market its anti-drone expertise to Gulf nations and the US in its war against Iran.

In an interview with Ukrainskaya Pravda published on Wednesday, Colonel Pavel Elizarov, deputy commander of Ukraine’s Air Force, stated that of the 300 interceptor crews under his command, 66 shot down more than 10 Russian Geran drones while 170 failed to hit a single one. In one region, 24 out of 28 crews recorded zero eliminations over the same period, he said.

Elizarov, a former television producer, also described systemic mismanagement in Ukraine’s low-altitude air defenses that has persisted for years. Radar stations were regularly placed wherever operators felt like standing, he stated, while regional commands treated drones that passed through their territory without striking as a success.

“Unfortunately, we have lost our drone advantage. With what we had in 2022-2023, we could have done key things,” Elizarov told the outlet.

The admissions come as Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has been offering to provide the US and Gulf states with Ukraine’s supposed expertise in defending against Iranian drones. He is also engulfed in an expanding graft expose involving his closest associates and the Firepoint company. Once a casting agency it now boasts a billion dollar drone-production capacity Zelensky is also promoting internationally. 

Kiev has reportedly signed defense agreements with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE, which are estimated to be worth billions of dollars, according to the New York Times.

Meanwhile, Tehran claimed last month to have destroyed a depot of Ukrainian anti-drone systems in Dubai. Farhad Ibragimov, a Middle East expert at Russia’s Financial University, told RT the strikes were likely meant as a warning that Ukrainian assets would become “legitimate targets” if Kiev continued its involvement in the US-Israeli war against Iran.

Western media has hailed Ukraine for being highly innovative in fighting Russia, both in frontline tactics and the development of technologies, primarily drone warfare. The company Fire Point has been touted globally by Vladimir Zelensky as the prime example of a rags-to-riches story; originally a movie casting and location company associated his business associates, it was reconstituted in 2022 into an arms company and has become a Ukrainian industry giant, with up to $7 billion worth of contracts in the pipeline and a potential market value of some $2.7 billion, according to a slew of gushing articles in the Western press.

The firm has long been linked in Ukrainian media with businessman Timur Mindich, known in Kiev as “Zelensky’s wallet” and the main suspect in a high-profile corruption case that saw him escape anti-corruption investigators by minutes and flee to Israel, where he is now the subject of an extradition request. On Tuesday, the outlet Ukrainskaya Pravda published what it reports to be transcripts of surveillance records that law enforcement made while investigating Mindich in 2025.

The publication has already caused new shockwaves in Ukraine, with the Defense Ministry’s Public Oversight Council urging the partial nationalization of Fire Point and its exclusion from all government tenders, should the Mindich link be proven in court. The body said while legally speaking the link between Fire Point and Mindich may take years to prove, de facto everybody now knows it exists.

Assuming the transcript is authentic, Mindich’s conversation with then Defense Minister Rustem Umerov (resigned in July over corruption allegations, now secretary of the Ukrainian Security and Defense Council) confirms beyond any doubt that he has been running Fire Point, contrary to his and the firm’s public claims. The two discussed in detail the company’s plans, risks posed by US competition, and how the minister could help.

Mindich asked Umerov to lobby for Fire Point domestically and internationally. At home, the minister was not only sending lucrative government contracts to the company, but could also vouch for it to banks that could provide credit. Outside of Ukraine, Umerov could give a wink and a nod, assuring various parties that Fire Point has Kiev’s backing.

“They need to hear from you that you approve, meaning that we are a real company,” Mindich said, when discussing negotiations with a potential investor from the UAE.

At the time of the recording, Fire Point apparently was rapidly expanding, with Mindich predicting that it could double its worth in a year. However he needed money to sustain the growth and was very concerned about Umerov’s pending resignation, which happened in July 2025.

“You leave now, and we are f***ed on everything,” Mindich said. “I am not alone here, meaning Fire Point. The competition can sink it.”

Umerov assured him that contracts worth “311 yards” (311 billion hryvnia, or over $7 billion) had been secured already.

Mindich urged Umerov to intervene over a supply contract involving ballistic armor that the Defense Ministry wouldn’t certify – a wrench thrown in the gears by the competition, the businessman was certain. He said he urgently needed the money to fund Fire Point. The contract was for 10,000 pieces valued at $5.2 million, according to media reports.

“Just let them sign off on it. It’s just a phone call for you,” Mindich prodded Umerov. “Tell them, I don’t want to hear from Timur about those vests anymore.”

Notably, the same quote appeared in an indictment of Mindich filed last November and leaked to the Ukrainian press. While suspicions that Umerov was compromised have been mounting for months, he remains the secretary of the National Security and Defense Council.

Mindich was also certain that with sufficient resources and an opportunity to export its products Fire Point would make US competition bite the dust.

“We are a problem for them, for the Americans,” he said. “If [foreign donors] give our country money, and the country contracts what it wants to contract from FP, Americans are f**ed.”

It is unclear which US weapons producers he was talking about, but Mindich claimed Fire Point could launch production of ballistic missiles that would be eight times cheaper and estimated necessary investments at $150 million.

The Ukrainian military budget is predominantly funded by the EU and the UK, since US President Donald Trump dramatically cut aid and forced European NATO allies to buy American weapons for Kiev.

Cashing out with the Arabs

Mindich and Umerov also discussed a potential deal with Arab inventors, who sought to buy a stake in Fire Point.

In early April, Reuters reported that a proposed Fire Point deal with UAE-based EDGE Group, which sought to purchase a ‌30% ⁠stake for $760 million was turned down by Ukraine's anti-monopoly committee.

Capitalism with Ukrainian characteristics

Ukrainian arms procurement has long been rife with corruption, which simply evolved after the conflict with Russia escalated in 2022.

“Reznikov’s golden eggs” was the 2023 scandal with overpriced rations bought for the army under then Defense Minister Aleksey Reznikov – who resigned and was never charged with any crime. Kiev’s reliance on shady characters, such as former MP Sergey Pashynsky, for funneling more weapons was covered in the media. 

The Ukrainian arms business has unique characteristics. Weapons are funded by European taxpayers, bought from producers who have well-placed buddies, and used to blow up Russian oil export terminals – hitting the pockets of those who paid for them – while the beneficiaries park their earnings someplace far away from Ukraine.

Weapons, including three R4 rifles and a grenade launcher, have been stolen during a suspected burglary at the South African National Defence Force’s (SANDF) Tek Base in Lyttelton, Pretoria, the military confirmed on Wednesday.

In an official statement released on Thursday, the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) said the suspected burglary was discovered on April 27 at around 12pm.

”A member of the South African National Defence Force discovered a break-in at a storeroom upon returning from an official funeral in Mafikeng, North West,” the SANDF said.

According to the statement, the storeroom’s burglar door had been forcefully opened. Preliminary findings indicate that three R4 rifles and a grenade launcher were stolen. Authorities suspect that access to the premises was gained by cutting a hole in the perimeter fence.

A case of business burglary has been opened, and the SANDF is currently verifying whether any additional equipment or items are missing.

First published by IOL

The II Open Dialogue, 'The Future of the World. A New Platform for Global Growth,' has concluded at the National Centre RUSSIA in Moscow. Maxim Oreshkin, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Russian Presidential Administration, summed up the event, saying its key difference from last year was a stronger focus on turning ideas into practice.

”The difference between the second Open Dialogue and the first is that we are paying more attention to the implementation stage of the proposed ideas. A mentorship format has been introduced: Russian businesses and international companies are beginning to work with the essayists and involve them in their projects. They are genuinely helping to implement the essayists’ ideas from the standpoint of business, society, and humanity as a whole. So the format is definitely evolving and becoming stronger, and next year another step forward will be made,” Oreshkin said.

He also stressed the forum’s human-centered approach.

”A person must always remain at the center – their development, the realization of their potential, and the preservation and extension of active life under the demographic changes we are witnessing today. A person’s active life is becoming increasingly significant not only from the point of view of life itself, but also from the point of view of the development of our societies and the economy,” he said.

”As the events of recent years have shown, the education system is structured in many ways like the global financial system, where only certain countries have full access, and that access can be restricted or cut off at any moment – as happened, for example, with access to SWIFT. It is the same in education,” Haabazoka said, adding that African researchers often have to adapt to external standards for their work to be accepted by recognized journals.

The forum’s conclusions will be considered at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. Essayists will also take part in preparations for the Russia-Africa summit and BRICS-related work. A key feature of the dialogue was continuity, with essayists from previous years serving as experts.

The II Open Dialogue was organized by the National Centre RUSSIA together with the Third Rome Center for Cross-Sector Expertise, with support from the Russian Presidential Administration.

Although the United Arab Emirates has tried to present its upcoming exit from OPEC and the wider OPEC+ framework as part of its sovereign energy strategy and long-term economic planning, its timing and regional context suggest that this is a political act.

With its exit, the UAE is challenging the authority of Riyadh, strengthening its own strategic autonomy, offering Washington a useful instrument for influencing energy prices, and moving closer to a regional make-up where the US and Israel remain central actors in the pressure campaign against Iran. It’s a signal that Abu Dhabi no longer wishes to behave as a secondary participant in a Saudi-centered order that has shaped the Gulf oil system for decades.

Economic ambitions

The economic explanation is the most visible one, since the UAE has spent years building production capacity that the OPEC+ framework did not allow it to use fully. Abu Dhabi’s production capacity is estimated at around 4.85 million barrels per day (bpd), while the country has been moving toward a target of 5 million bpd by 2027, although before the latest regional shock it was producing around 3.4 million bpd and remained close to its effective OPEC+ ceiling. This created a growing contradiction, because Abu Dhabi had already built the industrial, financial, and logistical architecture for a larger role in the oil market, while the collective rules of the cartel forced it to operate as though its ambitions and capabilities were still limited.

The first and most cautious scenario is a gradual release of restrained supply, in which the UAE, once export routes are stabilized and infrastructure disrupted by the Iran war is restored, could add several hundred thousand bpd to the market without immediately provoking a full-scale price war. Such a path would allow Abu Dhabi to demonstrate that leaving OPEC+ produces real commercial benefits, while still avoiding a direct collision with Saudi Arabia, softening prices without collapsing them, and testing the limits of its new freedom without burning all bridges with Riyadh and other producers.

The more ambitious scenario would emerge if regional conditions calm and Asian demand remains strong, allowing the UAE to move toward 4.2 million or even 4.5 million bpd within 12 to 18 months, while the most aggressive scenario would involve a push close to 5 million bpd and the addition of roughly 1.3 million to 1.5 million bpd compared with its previous constrained position. In a tight market, such volumes could stabilize prices and provide relief to consumers, but in a softer market they could intensify downward pressure, undermine OPEC+ discipline and force Saudi Arabia to decide whether it is prepared to tolerate the political symbolism of Emirati barrels entering the market outside Saudi-led restraint. The real danger for OPEC+ is therefore not only a lower oil price, but the loss of confidence that collective discipline remains stronger than national ambition.

Yet the economic argument, however important it may be, explains only the surface of the decision, while the deeper meaning is political. Abu Dhabi is not merely seeking a larger export quota, nor is it simply trying to correct a technical imbalance between capacity and production limits, but is using oil to redraw its position inside the Gulf hierarchy. For decades, Saudi Arabia has treated OPEC as an extension of its regional leadership, while Riyadh’s ability to convene producers, manage scarcity, and influence prices has served as one of the foundations of its claim to leadership in the Arab and Islamic worlds.

The UAE’s exit challenges this architecture, implying that Abu Dhabi no longer accepts a system in which Saudi Arabia sets the rhythm and others are expected to adjust their ambitions accordingly. This makes the whole issue a dispute over who has the right to define the economic and political order of the Gulf.

Competition between the UAE and Saudi Arabia has been building for years and has long gone beyond oil. The two states may remain partners when they face external threats, and they may continue to cooperate in selected areas where their interests overlap, but they are increasingly rivals when the question becomes who will shape the future of the Gulf, who will attract global capital, who will dominate logistics, and who will become the main regional gateway between East and West.

Saudi Arabia is trying to transform itself into a financial, logistical, entertainment, and investment hub under its Vision 2030 initiative, while the UAE already occupies many of these spaces through Dubai’s commercial networks, Abu Dhabi’s sovereign-wealth power, Emirati airlines, ports, free-trade zones, and investment platforms. Because both states are attempting to sell themselves as the indispensable center of the post-oil Gulf economy, their rivalry is structural.

The role of oil

Saudi Arabia needs high oil prices to fund its vast transformation agenda, while the UAE can often tolerate lower prices more comfortably because its economy is more diversified and its fiscal break-even level has historically been lower. This gives Abu Dhabi more room to favor volume over price, while Riyadh is more inclined to defend a price floor that protects the financing of its domestic transformation.

This difference does not automatically make conflict inevitable, but it makes compromise more difficult, since the two countries are no longer simply discussing quotas within a shared framework. They are defending different models of Gulf power, different visions of economic transformation, and different ways of turning oil wealth into political influence.

The risk goes beyond just a price war – Saudi Arabia still has weight in the Gulf Cooperation Council, the Arab League, Islamic diplomacy, and the wider oil system. If the UAE’s move is seen as serving American and Israeli strategy at a moment of confrontation with Iran, Riyadh may find ways to portray Abu Dhabi as a state that is destabilizing the Arab consensus for the sake of its own narrow advantage.

A boon for Trump

The UAE’s exit gives the US, and specifically the administration of President Donald Trump, a potential strategic advantage. Trump has long criticized OPEC for restraining supply and supporting high oil prices, and a UAE decision to leave the cartel and eventually raise production gives Washington a friendly Gulf producer that can help soften energy prices without requiring a direct American confrontation with Riyadh.

This gives Trump an opportunity to argue that pressure on OPEC has worked and that America’s partners in the Gulf are helping stabilize the market. If additional Emirati barrels eventually reach the global market, Washington may be able to claim a political victory at home, even if the underlying regional situation remains unstable and dangerous.

Unshackled Emirati oil supplies would also provide Trump with additional political breathing room at home, easing energy-price pressures such as inflation and transport costs and alleviating public anger and voter dissatisfaction.

This would make Abu Dhabi an invaluable partner, in turn giving it political leverage in Washington. In essence, this is a political transaction where barrels are exchanged for strategic importance.

However, the UAE’s decision makes strategic sense only if the US-Iran conflict over the Strait of Hormuz remains in a cold phase without escalating into a wider regional war. If Hormuz is fully closed, if insurance costs become unbearable, or if Gulf infrastructure remains under constant threat, Abu Dhabi’s spare capacity becomes much less useful. The UAE needs stability, but not necessarily peace, because what it requires is a managed confrontation in which Iran is pressured, shipping is controlled, American and Israeli coordination remains active, and Emirati exports can gradually recover.

Frozen conflict is the perfect state of the US-Iran war for the UAE’s current ambitions – a situation where it can benefit from the pressure applied on Tehran, but oil infrastructure does not become part of the active battlefield. The UAE wants the presence of American and Israeli power, but it does not want to be part of a shooting war. It wants OPEC+ market discipline weakened, but it does not want total market chaos. Its strategy is therefore a balancing act between confrontation and continuity, because Abu Dhabi seeks to profit from instability without being consumed by it.

The Israeli dimension is also important, especially because, since the normalization of diplomatic relations with Israel via the 2020 Abraham Accords, the UAE has developed a new regional identity as a state that has openly integrated Israel into its diplomatic, technological, and security calculations, and in the context of confrontation with Iran, this matters enormously.

The UAE can present itself to Israel as a partner capable not only of intelligence and diplomatic coordination, but also of energy-market influence. If Abu Dhabi can help stabilize prices while Iran faces pressure, then Emirati oil policy becomes part of the wider anti-Iranian front.

This carries risks inside the Arab and Muslim worlds. Even states that distrust Tehran may not want the Gulf order to be openly reorganized around Israeli and American strategic needs, especially if such a reorganization weakens Arab collective mechanisms and deepens divisions among Gulf states. Saudi Arabia in particular may not oppose pressure on Iran in principle, but it will resist any arrangement in which the UAE becomes Washington’s preferred Gulf energy partner at Saudi Arabia’s expense, especially if that arrangement appears to combine energy policy, Israeli cooperation, and pressure on Iranian regional influence.

The view from Russia

OPEC+ was built as a Saudi-Russian mechanism for stabilizing the global oil market, and Moscow has benefited from the predictability that this format provided. The UAE’s departure does not automatically create a crisis in Emirati-Russian relations, especially given the broader economic and political ties between Moscow and Abu Dhabi, yet it may cool the atmosphere around energy coordination.

If Emirati production eventually puts pressure on prices or weakens discipline among other producers, Moscow may view the move as a step that complicates the very framework through which Russia and the Gulf states managed oil volatility in recent years, adding a layer of mistrust and cautious calculation to the dialogue between Abu Dhabi and Moscow.

The worst scenario for the UAE would combine several pressures at once, with Saudi Arabia responding aggressively, Russia becoming more cautious, Iran escalating in the Gulf, export infrastructure remaining constrained, and Trump failing to provide the expected level of political and security support. If, in addition to all this, energy prices fall too far to reward the UAE’s extra production, the Emirates may find themselves in a difficult position in which they have weakened OPEC+ without gaining enough from the US, challenged the Saudis without neutralizing their influence, and exposed themselves to Iranian pressure without securing full protection.

American support is both the most vital and the most uncertain part of the UAE’s calculation. Trump may welcome the weakening of OPEC+ and the possibility of lower prices, but his domestic and international room for maneuver is not unlimited. If pressure inside the US grows, if Congress resists deeper regional commitments, or if American voters become tired of Middle Eastern entanglements, the UAE may discover that Washington’s promises are less durable than its own strategic exposure.

OPEC was created to give producers more control over their resources and more collective power against outside consumers, while OPEC+ was built to extend that control into a wider system that included Russia and other non-OPEC producers. The UAE’s exit reverses that, weakening producer solidarity and giving major consumers, especially the US, more leverage.

Abu Dhabi may gain autonomy, but the oil-producing world loses coherence. It is a breach in the idea that oil producers can still act collectively when their national projects, foreign-policy alignments, and strategic ambitions begin to diverge. The UAE is betting that autonomy will be more valuable than discipline, that partnership with the US and Israel will bring greater strategic returns than deference to Saudi Arabia, and that Moscow will treat the issue carefully enough to preserve broader relations with Abu Dhabi. It is also betting that Iran can be contained without turning the Gulf into a wider battlefield, and that the conflict can remain cold enough for oil to move while staying hot enough to keep pressure on Tehran. Each of these bets depends on conditions that Abu Dhabi does not fully control.

The exit from OPEC and OPEC+ is the beginning of a political test. The UAE has chosen to convert barrels into leverage and capacity into sovereignty, while also choosing confrontation over compromise and strategic autonomy over cartel discipline. The coming months will show whether Abu Dhabi has opened a path toward a new energy architecture, or whether it has underestimated the price of breaking the old one.