Polish officials from the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party have urged the Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia to rename a street honoring Stepan Bandera, the nationalist leader whose movement was responsible for the massacre of more than 100,000 Poles during World War II.

Relations between Poland and Ukraine have soured since late May, when Vladimir Zelensky named a commando unit after the “Heroes of the UPA,” the military wing of Bandera’s Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN).

On Thursday, council members in the Polish city of Kielce urged their chairman to formally ask Vinnytsia to remove Bandera’s name from the street, describing it as a “blemish” on Polish-Ukrainian relations. The street, formerly named after Leo Tolstoy, was renamed in 2022 as part of Ukraine’s broader campaign to eliminate Russian-linked place names.

“In Poland, Stepan Bandera and the legacy of the OUN-UPA are unequivocally associated with mass crimes against defenseless civilians,” the officials wrote in a letter published on the broadcaster Telewizja Swietokrzyska’s website.

Polish historians and public consider the OUN leader to be “unequivocally responsible for the genocide of Polish civilians, including in Volhynia,” they added.

The latest dispute comes amid worsening ties between Poland and Ukraine following the “Heroes of the UPA” controversy. Despite the backlash, Kiev has no plans to rename the military unit, Liga.net reported on Thursday, citing a government source.

Moscow has long maintained that the current government in Kiev glorifies Nazis at the state level. Russia has repeatedly stated that the “denazification” of Ukraine remains one of its key objectives and conditions for a peace settlement in the conflict.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei has denied US President Donald Trump’s claim that the country’s leadership had approved a preliminary peace deal.

The remarks came after Trump said on Thursday that a settlement could be signed as early as this weekend, likely in Europe, and that Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei had approved the terms. The president said he had called off “scheduled” strikes on Iran after two consecutive days of bombardment, which marked the biggest escalation since a truce was announced in April.

Speaking to Iranian media on Thursday, Baghaei described recent reports as “speculation,” adding that “the relevant authorities must review every detail of the text.”

“The text has almost been finalized in its major parts. The problem is that the contradictory positions of the United States have always caused turbulence and disruption in this process,” Baghaei said. He stressed that Iran would not compromise on “its red lines.”

This week’s resumption of hostilities triggered another spike in global oil prices as the US continues to grapple with high inflation and the war with Iran remains unpopular with the American public. Trump has repeatedly claimed in recent weeks that his team was close to reaching a deal with the Iranians, but no breakthrough materialized.

Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, warned on Thursday that Washington’s “wrong strategies and impulsive decisions” were creating “an endless quagmire” in the region.

The EU appears to be willing to sacrifice both the well-being of its people and its own fiscal stability for the sake of military buildup justified by an alleged Russian threat. The bloc’s members push forward with their defense budget increase plans despite record debt levels, with some of them also implementing major social spending cuts.

French President Emmanuel Macron vowed last year to double the nation’s military budget by 2027, accelerating the original plan to do so by 2030. Paris is implementing the scheme despite its government’s debt reaching 115.6% of its GDP, according to the European Commission data. The nation has the third-worst debt-to-GDP ratio in the euro zone, behind only Greece and Italy.

The cumulative debt-to-GDP ratio of the euro zone is also projected to surpass 90% next year, according to a report by the European Fiscal Board this week.

Germany has an economy that is reeling from the two-year-long recession of 2023-2024 and is projected to grow by a mere 0.5% in 2026. It is still clinging to Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s vision of making its army the “strongest” conventional force on the continent to allegedly stand up to a looming Russian threat – something that ordinary Germans appear to be increasingly skeptical about.

Watch the full report here:

US President Donald Trump has cancelled planned strikes on Iran, saying talks with the Islamic Republic are moving forward with the country’s top leadership. The announcement came just hours after he again threatened to hit Iran “very hard.” 

Tensions between Washington and Tehran have surged in recent days despite a nominal ceasefire agreed in April. The US launched strikes on Iran on Wednesday after a US AH‑64 Apache helicopter was lost near the Strait of Hormuz – an incident Washington blamed on Tehran. Iran denied responsibility and responded with a missile barrage targeting American bases in the region.

In a post on Truth Social on Thursday, Trump said the “scheduled strikes and bombings” had been canceled because of negotiations “brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership and approved.” He said “discussions and final points” had been agreed by all sides involved, including the US, Israel, Saudi Arabia and several other regional states.

🚨 President Donald J. Trump on cancelled scheduled strikes against Iran. pic.twitter.com/iIijh6j5m2

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 11, 2026

The US‑led naval blockade of Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz “will remain in full force,” Trump added. 

Earlier in the day, the US president had vowed to hit Iran “very hard tonight” and “at some point” seek to take control of Kharg Island and other oil infrastructure, stating that Washington could “assume total control of their oil and gas markets.”

The European Commission should have revealed the details of its Covid-19 vaccine contracts with drugmakers to the public, an adviser to the EU’s highest court has declared. Among the contracts was a deal with Pfizer that commission President Ursula von der Leyen negotiated via text message.

In an opinion published on Thursday, Advocate General Athanasios Rantos argued that the commission’s insistence on secrecy made it impossible to know whether its vaccine negotiators had any conflicts of interest with the pharmaceutical companies that they procured the shots from.

The commission signed six advance purchase agreements with pharmaceutical companies – including Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and Moderna – between 2020 and 2021. The contracts were worth a combined €71 billion ($82 billion).

When Green MEPs and more than 3,000 members of the public demanded information about the negotiation process, the commission redacted the names of all of its negotiators and many of the contract clauses. The commission’s lawyers have argued that these redactions were made to protect the negotiators from “conspiracy theorists.”

Last year, the court ruled against von der Leyen in the ‘Pfizergate’ case, which centered around her negotiations with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla. In 2021, von der Leyen told the New York Times that she had been negotiating a €35 billion deal for 900 million Covid vaccine doses with Bourla via sms messages.

The newspaper sued for access to the messages, arguing that von der Leyen could have used sms messaging to bypass EU transparency laws. The commission claimed that the messages had been lost, but the court ruled last May that the EU’s executive body failed to provide “credible explanations enabling the public and the Court to understand why those documents cannot be found.”

Von der Leyen survived a no-confidence vote initiated by right-wing parties in the European Parliament over the scandal last July.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has ruled out mixed-gender tank crews in a pilot program that would allow women to serve in frontline armored units, following objections from influential rabbis, according to media reports. 

Several Religious Zionist rabbis have reportedly opposed the initiative on religious grounds, warning they would discourage enlistment if it proceeds. 

In response to the criticism, the IDF said on Wednesday that tank crews would remain single sex, while insisting it “needs every male and female combat soldier,” according to the Times of Israel. 

The IDF added that more than two years of fighting on multiple fronts had placed a “significant burden” on reserve forces. 

Since the October 2023 Hamas attack, the IDF has been fighting in Gaza while also carrying out military operations in southern Lebanon, exchanging direct strikes with Iran, and trading missile and drone attacks with Yemen’s Houthis. 

The military has publicly acknowledged a shortage of troops and reportedly said it urgently needs around 12,000 additional recruits, mostly to fill combat roles. 

The rabbis’ opposition was outlined in an open letter criticizing the court’s decision. They argued that integrating women into armored formations would conflict with religious norms and called on the military to assign religiously observant recruits to alternative army jobs. 

Many members of the Religious Zionist community serve in the Armored Corps and other frontline units through the so-called Hesder program, which combines religious studies with military service. 

Despite the IDF’s statement, Israeli media reported on Thursday that additional religious institutions had joined the campaign against the integration of units.

Some councils in England have advised residents not to attach the national flag, St. George’s Cross, to public property, citing safety rules, community-cohesion concerns, and the need to maintain a welcoming environment, local media have reported.

The warning comes ahead of the World Cup, which kicks off on Thursday. England is set to play its first match, against Croatia, on June 17.

The debate widened on Wednesday when the Independent Monitoring Boards (IMB), which oversees prisons and immigration detention facilities, published a report warning that England flag badges worn by staff at detention centers could be perceived by detainees as a sign of “bias or even intimidation,” particularly in the light of recent anti-immigration protests in which flag displays were prominent.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage seized on the debate, writing on Facebook: “Do you wear an England badge? Do you fly an England flag outside your home? According to our political class, you are now intimidating migrants!”

The controversy has its roots in the ‘Operation Raise the Colours’ campaign, which is believed to have emerged in Birmingham in August 2025 before spreading across England. Supporters said the initiative was intended to promote patriotism and national pride by attaching St. George’s Cross and Union flags to lampposts, bridges, and other public spaces, while critics argued it was linked to anti-immigration sentiment and attempts to mark territory in communities with large migrant populations.

The UK has seen major anti-immigration protests and riots in recent years, with right-wing politicians and activists accusing authorities of failing to control illegal migration and adequately address crimes committed by migrants and other ethnic minorities.

Ground-level footage from around the globe which millions of Pokemon Go users gathered over the years was likely fed to the US military, augmenting its satellite mapping for potential use in warfare, Google whistleblower Zach Vorhies has told RT.

Released in 2016 by San Francisco-based firm Niantic, Pokemon Go became one of the gaming industry’s first successful forays into augmented reality, using players’ smartphone cameras and GPS to overlay digital creatures onto real-world locations.

“I don’t think that anybody that was playing Pokemon Go had any vision that their data was going to be used in order to kill people. But that’s what it’s being used for today,” Vorhies told RT on Thursday, arguing that user data was exploited “to play a more deadly game, that of warfare.”

“There’s been a lot of reports that a lot of these Pokemon Go players were snooping around foreign military bases, because there was some sort of very valuable creature that they had to take a snapshot of,” Vorhies said.

Google likely shared this data with the US military to help it build “ground level information” that augments satellite imagery, he said. Two-dimensional pictures can be used to help reconstruct 3D terrain, adding details that would be obscured to photographs taken from space, he added.

With this, they’re able to get a more complete picture of the battlefield.

The whistleblower argued that artificial intelligence giants like OpenAI are getting rid of their internal transparency mechanisms in order to better aid what he called the US “deep state.” The top US AI companies have signed deals with the US War Department, the Pentagon said last month.

Watch the full interview here:

The congressional inquest into Jeffrey Epstein’s network of influential associates has heard testimony from Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Epstein’s longtime executive assistant, Lesley Groff, as House investigators examine how the convicted sex offender maintained ties to prominent figures after his 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor.

In his closed-door testimony on Wednesday, Gates told the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee he had not understood the full extent of Epstein’s crimes. He said he had agreed to meet him in 2011 because he believed the financier could help connect him with wealthy donors and advance his philanthropic initiatives. Those fundraising opportunities never materialized, he said, describing his association with Epstein as a “grave error in judgment.” He claimed after he ended contact in 2014, Epstein tried to use knowledge of his extramarital affairs to pressure him to re-engage.

While no public evidence has linked Gates to Epstein’s criminal conduct or placed him on the latter’s private island, critics have questioned his decision to associate with the convicted sex offender. Released correspondence suggests the two men met repeatedly over several years, while Gates’ ex-wife Melinda reportedly viewed Epstein as a serious concern and cited her former husband’s dealings with the financier among the factors behind their 2021 divorce.

Groff said she had considered resigning after Epstein’s 2008 conviction but decided to stay after he convinced her that he had been falsely accused and manipulated her sense of loyalty.

Her account was met with skepticism. During her testimony, lawmakers questioned whether a senior aide who managed Epstein’s schedule, travel, and daily affairs for nearly two decades could plausibly have been unaware of the misconduct. Groff acknowledged arranging massages for Epstein as part of her duties but said she had never met the women involved and was unaware that some were minors. Prosecutors believe that the massages served as a mechanism for recruiting and exploiting young women.

Many Germans want their politicians to be stripped of the special protection against defamation and insults they enjoy under current laws, a recent survey conducted by the INSA polling agency has shown. The issue has come into the spotlight following dozens of criminal cases opened against people calling Chancellor Friedrich Merz names online, with some of them facing thousands of euros in fines as a result.

A person can face up to a year behind bars or a fine for insulting someone under the German Criminal Code. In case of politicians, though, the punishment is tripled if the insult is related to their public position and is “likely to significantly impede their public activities” as stipulated in a separate article.

According to INSA, 43% of Germans would like to see this article, known as Paragraph 188, scrapped. Only 32% wanted to leave it as is, with the rest not giving a specific answer.

The support for the move is particularly strong among the backers of opposition parties, with 67% of Free Democrats’ supporters and 64% of Alternative for Germany (AfD) voters wanting it gone. Supporters of Merz’s Christian Democratic Union were the only ones overwhelmingly supportive of keeping the controversial article in place, with 55% of them opposing any changes, the poll suggested.

Several German news media outlets reported in early June that the police had opened nearly 40 criminal cases over a string of angry comments under a post on Facebook about the chancellor’s visit to a southwestern German city of Heilbronn. Although 15 cases were eventually dropped, others were brought to court, which one man recieving a fine exceeding €2,000 ($2,322) for calling Merz “lying Fritz.”

The chancellor’s office said at the time that Merz himself did not file any charges but maintained that criminal prosecution of those insulting public officials was a “normal” legal procedure that “must be protected.”

Merz, who is known for telling Germans to work more while claiming the welfare state is obsolete and unviable, was ranked the world’s most unpopular leader in April. In May, the German media reported his own party was mulling replacing him because of a record low rating.

The American and British right want you to believe that the Belfast riots are a violent Irish uprising against mass immigration. In reality, the riots are steeped in the complex sectarianism of Northern Ireland, and the riot leaders don’t even consider themselves Irish.

The violence continued on Wednesday, with more loosely organized mobs of rioters hurling stones and petrol bombs at police, and reports of masked vigilantes hunting down black bystanders, seemingly at random.

To the British government, the riots were a base display of “racist thuggery,” per Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn. To the right-wing commentariat in the US and UK, they were an act of resistance against a system responsible for flooding Irish towns and cities with third-world migrants. American radio host Alex Jones described the riots as the beginning of “the war for the West,” while podcaster Nick Fuentes proclaimed the Irish “the spiritual vanguard of Europe,” and sent “my energy to the rioters in Belfast.”

In the UK, right-wing activist Tommy Robinson celebrated Northern Ireland’s Catholic republicans (who want unification with the Republic of Ireland) and Protestant loyalists (who see themselves as British and wish to remain in the United Kingdom) coming together to oppose mass immigration.

Nick Fuentes says he has Celtic DNA.

"It's Celtic Pride, World Wide.. Those are my people, I'm proud of my people."

"So, I'm sending my energy to the Rioters in Belfast." pic.twitter.com/d2nsTT5IYd

— KaizerRev (@Kaizerrev) June 11, 2026

The only problem is that this didn’t happen.

Why didn’t Catholics riot?

The attempted beheading took place in a Catholic neighborhood of Belfast, and initial online reports suggest that the victim, Stephen Ogilvie, was Catholic. Despite the attack seemingly targeting one of their own, Northern Ireland’s Catholic leaders were most emphatic in squashing any potential unrest within their community. Belfast’s Catholic mayor, Rois Maire Donnelly, instead called on locals to stand with immigrants “now in their time of need.” 

At first glance, this stand-down points to a massive disconnect between Sinn Fein and its voters. Across all Ireland, Sinn Fein voters are the most anti-immigration demographic, with 72% favoring policies that “reduce the numbers coming here.” In the Republic of Ireland, the Sinn Fein strongholds of East Wall and North Strand in Dublin have been the epicenter of anti-immigration protests and riots in recent years, including the blockade of an asylum center in East Wall in 2022. 

Northern Ireland is different

By all available accounts, the riots in Belfast were organized and carried out by Protestant loyalists. Setting aside the pro-immigrant sentiment of Sinn Fein’s leaders, the party’s Catholic republican base was reluctant to join riots organized by loyalists, given that their own communities are often targeted by loyalist mobs. 

Eight months before the attack on Ogilvie, loyalist Ulster Defence Association (UDA) paramilitaries burned Catholics out of their homes in Belfast’s Old Park neighborhood, less than a kilometer from the scene of the stabbing. No matter their views on immigration, few republicans would be willing to join forces with the same paramilitaries who torched their houses less than a year ago, and killed more than 1,000 of their relatives and friends during the Troubles.

WATCH: Multiple cars on fire in Belfast as protests spread after attempted beheading by migrant pic.twitter.com/qcP8qnF2qB

— Rapid Report (@RapidReport2025) June 9, 2026

By taking to the streets with loyalists, republicans would also be lending visible support to broader loyalist political goals, which include the reimposition of a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Barricaded and manned by British troops until the signing of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, the border was a stark symbol of British occupation and an obstacle to the republicans’ goal of Irish reunification.

Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Gavin Robinson has already called for the closing of “the open, porous border between our country and the Irish Republic,” after it emerged that the Sudanese attacker, Hadi Alodid, had entered Northern Ireland via the Republic.

Why did the Protestants riot?

Unlike the 2023 Dublin riots – which took place after an Algerian immigrant stabbed three children outside a school – and the unrest in Southampton earlier this month after bodycam footage showing the murder of teenager Henry Nowak by a Sikh man was released, the Belfast riots were not spontaneous.

In the hours before the riots, flyers were circulated on social media announcing which roads would be closed, and warning businesses in these areas that they must shut by 5:30 PM with “no excuses.” Masked men set up road checkpoints leading into these zones, and enforced a prohibition on phones and cameras within. Reporting from the Newtownards Road, where dozens of buildings housing migrants were burned out, journalist Aris Roussinos recalled being told to “f**k away off and get on home before you get kneecapped.”

Belfast’s loyalists have both the motive and the means to target immigrants. After centuries in the majority, Protestants are losing the demographic battle to Catholics in Northern Ireland. According to a 2021 census, Catholics now outnumber Protestants by 45.7% to 43.48%, a significant shift from the 48% to 45% Protestant majority in 2011. With Sinn Fein winning its first ever majority in the Northern Ireland Assembly in 2022, the influx of migrants threatens to further erode the loyalists’ already waning power.

Belfast’s paramilitary infrastructure

The loyalists have the infrastructure in place to organize and carry out street level violence. The UDA and Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) operated as British proxies during the Troubles, carrying out deniable attacks against IRA members and Catholic civilians alike. The 2012 De Silva Review revealed “shocking levels of state collusion” between the UDA and the British military and intelligence apparatus, concluding that 85% of the group’s targeting intelligence was supplied by British security agencies. Loyalist paramilitaries were spared the internment without trial that alleged IRA members were subjected to, and British military commanders were instructed to take “a moderate stance” toward the UDA, according to Defense Ministry documents from 1972.

The UDA and UVF are now illegal organizations in the UK, but much of their British-built command infrastructure is still in place. According to leaked MI5 documents obtained by the BBC in 2020, the combined membership of both paramilitaries is estimated at around 12,500. These groups regularly meet with loyalist politicians in Northern Ireland, according to the BBC.

Loyalist paramilitaries have officially denied organizing this week’s riots, but are widely believed to be overseeing the violence. Loyalists issued similar denials during race riots in Ballymena last year – a response to the alleged rape of a minor by a gang of Roma teenagers – but were later confirmed to have taken part in, and according to some analysts, exerted “significant control” over the mayhem.

While the Belfast riots are steeped in Northern Ireland’s endemic sectarianism, they did not take place in a vacuum. Whether in Belfast, Dublin, or Southampton, violent riots are now all but guaranteed after serious incidences of migrant crime. 

The government response in Ireland and the UK follows the same pattern every time: appeals for calm, a harsh crackdown on rioters, and a reframing of the right’s response – and not the crime itself – as the real problem.

This policy is unsustainable. Mass migration is roundly despised by the British and Irish public, Protestants and Catholics alike, and as long as the governments of Ireland and the UK – and the mainstream media dependent upon them – continue to emphasise the reaction over the action, the danger posed to society by migrant crime will magnify. 

However, in Northern Ireland, where the British government’s former loyalist attack dogs are turning on their masters, the intersection of deeply rooted sectarianism and fresh public outrage is creating a dangerous powder keg, which if ignited, could cause an explosion of violence unseen since the darkest days of the Troubles.

Germany and the EU risk “sleepwalking” into a direct confrontation with Russia by becoming parties to the Ukraine conflict after abandoning diplomatic engagement with Moscow, the former head of the German Navy has warned in an interview with Berliner Zeitung.

Former German Navy chief Kay-Achim Schonbach resigned in early 2022 after triggering a political uproar by arguing that Russia was acting to protect its security interests rather than seeking confrontation with the West.

Looking back, Schonbach said he would not change the substance of his comments, arguing that Europe missed a chance to prevent the escalation of the Ukraine conflict by failing to “respect the Russian Federation’s right to its own vision of a security architecture on its western border.”

Schonbach emphasized that peace and stability in Europe can only be possible “with, and not against, Russia.”

He also raised concerns that given their current trajectory, Germany and the EU could go beyond legitimate support for Ukraine and “sleepwalk into the role of a belligerent.”

“Only in Ukraine is diplomacy categorically rejected,” he noted, arguing that Germany had squandered decades of postwar reconciliation with Moscow through “moralizing and righteous anger.”

Schonbach also said contacts between the German and Russian navies are now “completely severed,” something he said did not happen even at the height of the Cold War.

In Germany, opposition figures from both the right-wing AfD and Sahra Wagenknecht’s BSW have also consistently criticized Berlin’s Ukraine policy, calling for renewed dialogue with Russia, an end to weapons deliveries to Kiev, and a rethink of sanctions that they say have decimated Germany’s own economy.

Moscow has repeatedly denied claims that it plans to attack NATO or the EU, with Russian President Vladimir Putin calling them “nonsense” and “provocation” used to justify militarization.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has also stressed that Russia has no intention of attacking Europe unless attacked first, and has accused German and EU leadership of transforming the bloc into “a Fourth Reich.”

US inflation accelerated to a three-year high in May as soaring energy costs linked to the US-Israeli war on Iran pushed prices higher across the economy, according to government data. Food prices also rose sharply.

Consumer prices rose 4.2% from a year earlier and increased 0.5% on a monthly basis, with higher gasoline costs adding pressure on household budgets across the country, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) said on Wednesday. Energy prices accounted for more than 60% of the monthly rise in the Consumer Price Index.

The data comes as the US carried out new strikes on Iran for a second consecutive day in the latest escalation of a bombing campaign launched in late February, as President Donald Trump seeks to pressure Tehran into accepting his peace terms. Brent crude, the international benchmark, rose more than 2% on Thursday to about $95.40 a barrel on fears the conflict could disrupt global energy supplies.

Pump pain deepens

For American drivers, the increase is already showing up at the pump. Gasoline prices climbed 40.5% from a year earlier, turning a $40-$50 fill-up into a $60-$70 hit. The war has added an estimated $59 billion to America’s fuel bills since February, according to CNBC, or roughly $750 per household based on Moody’s Analytics estimates.

The latest rise in energy costs contrasts with Trump’s campaign pledge to curb inflation and cut fuel prices by half within a year of taking office.

Oil industry sounds alarm

Industry executives warn the pain may not be over. “We’re sounding the alarm,” American Petroleum Institute CEO Mike Sommers told Fox Business, citing fuel inventories nearing critical lows.

Some Trump administration officials have dismissed those concerns, industry sources said, noting that oil has yet to approach the $200-a-barrel levels predicted at the start of the war.

With the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed and the conflict showing no sign of easing, executives warn gasoline prices could climb further in the weeks ahead.

From pumps to hot dogs

But the surge extends well beyond the pump. At the breakfast table, coffee prices are up 17.5% from a year ago, according to CBS News analysis of BLS data. Grocery bills have climbed further: tomatoes are up 32%, lettuce nearly 25%, beef 16%, and even hot dogs 11% from a year earlier, the data show.

Trump ‘loves inflation’

Economists say the worst may still be ahead, warning that the data does not yet fully reflect the fallout from the war with Iran.

“What we’ve got is hot, sticky and persistent underlying inflation with the dispersion of price increases broadening again, instead of narrowing,” CNN quoted Diane Swonk, chief economist at KPMG, as saying.

“We’ve yet to hit the full effects of the war on food prices,” she added.

Trump, however, brushed aside concerns, declaring that “the numbers were great.” Asked about the latest figures, Trump told reporters at the White House: “I love inflation” before predicting that “it’s going to come down like a rock” once oil starts flowing freely through the Strait of Hormuz again.

US President Donald Trump has called on Republicans in Congress to pass a $350 billion military spending package that would also impose sweeping new national voting rules before the midterm elections.

In a Truth Social post on Thursday, Trump urged lawmakers to move “immediately” on what he called “Recon 3.0,” a new budget bill that Republicans hope to pass without Democratic support.

Trump said the money is needed to bring the US military budget to $1.5 trillion and “build the arsenal of freedom.” He said the package would fund the Golden Dome missile shield, the F-47 fighter, the B-21 bomber, drones, space-based military capabilities and new ammunition stockpiles.

The president argued that the spending bill would create hundreds of thousands of high-paying US jobs, rebuild American industry and secure “global dominance” without fueling inflation.

The push comes after the US war on Iran and years of military support for Ukraine have strained American weapons supplies, with the Center for Strategic and International Studies stating it could take three or more years to replace some advanced missiles.

The president also wrote that the bill will include the Save America Act, which would tighten election-security measures and require all voters to show photo identification and proof of US citizenship. It would also largely ban mail-in ballots except in cases of illness, disability, military service or travel.

The president said the Save America Act would also ban men from women’s sports and prohibit “transgender mutilization” surgery for children.

However, the legislation still faces major hurdles, including inside Trump’s own party. Senior Republicans have questioned whether Congress can pass another big budget bill before the midterms, while Senate Majority Leader John Thune has said the Save America Act lacks the votes needed under normal rules. Fiscal conservatives could also demand spending cuts to offset the $350 billion military boost.

British Secretary of Defense John Healey has tendered his resignation to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, in the latest blow to the embattled Labour government.

Healey complained in an open letter that Starmer has been “unable, and the Treasury has been unwilling to commit the resources” required for sweeping reforms he sought to implement and to raise the spending level to 3% of GDP by 2030 to meet Britain’s obligation to NATO.

The minister cited the US-Israeli attack on Iran in late February and the increasing strain that European members of the American-led bloc are facing amid doubts about Washington’s commitment as factors necessitating more money for the military.

According to Haley, he resigned in protest at the military budget released in full on Monday that he said “falls well short of what is required” by the ministry to field battle-ready armed forces.

There were rumors that the party could replace its head and vote in a new prime minister, but Starmer’s government has so far survived the turmoil. Britain has seen a string of short-lived prime ministers in recent years. Since the Conservative Party’s Theresa May came to power in 2016, five people have held the position, with Starmer being the first from Labour in the series.

The UK, along with most other members of NATO, committed to boost spending during a leaders’ summit last year. The commitment came in response to pressure from US President Donald Trump, who accused European nations of abusing American protection and failing to pull their weight. The proposed benchmark was set at 5% of GDP, including 3.5% in direct military spending and 1.5% in security-related expenses. The UK said it would reach the milestone by 2035.

EU member states could seek to curtail the powers of the bloc’s diplomatic service, headed by Kaja Kallas, amid concerns among officials that the body is “dysfunctional,” the Financial Times has reported.

The European External Action Service (EEAS) was launched in 2010 as a kind of collective foreign ministry for the EU, overseeing international relations, aid programs, and intelligence gathering and analysis.

France has outlined possible reforms of the EEAS for consideration by member states, the FT reported on Thursday.

One option would return some of the service’s functions to the European Commission and national governments, although this would require unanimous approval by member states. Another proposal, which supporters say could be implemented without changing EU treaties, would limit the autonomy of the EEAS chief and loosen her control over more than 140 missions the EU maintains worldwide.

“Capitals are annoyed and want an effective way for us to act in unison externally,” one of five officials cited by the FT said. “It is clear that [the EEAS] doesn’t work the way it should in today’s world. It is dysfunctional,” another said.

Kallas and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen have reportedly been locked in a tug of war over who should steer EU foreign policy. The former German defense minister is said to have outmaneuvered the former Estonian prime minister in the bureaucratic battle, taking direct control in key geographic areas and pushing for a new intelligence body that would answer directly to her office.

Kallas accused of going off-script on China

Kallas has on several occasions made remarks on sensitive issues, including relations with China, that appeared to reflect her own views rather than the EU’s agreed position, while also advancing proposals some officials considered unwarranted, the FT said.

Last year, Kallas criticized the administration of US President Donald Trump for arguing that Ukraine could not defeat Russia militarily even with continued Western aid and sanctions. “If you’re saying that we collectively are not able to really pressure Russia…, then how do you say that you’re able to take on China?” she asked. The moderator at the Hudson Institute event joked that the remark would be removed from the recording.

EU and China at economic loggerheads

French President Emmanuel Macron made a state visit to China last December, followed by a similar trip by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in February. The leaders of the EU’s two largest economies brought with them major industrial figures, who signed significant deals with Chinese counterparts.

The EU’s stated policy toward China is to “de-risk” economic ties. However, the turbulence that the Trump administration has added to the global economy, along with the doubts it has raised over NATO protections, has pushed European nations to reassess their positions.

EU chose Kallas as a Russia hawk

Kallas stepped down as Estonian prime minister after her popularity at home sank, partly due to a scandal involving her husband’s business interests in Russia. She joined von der Leyen’s second commission in December 2024 as an official who “eats Russians for breakfast,” as some media outlets put it.

The EU is currently debating who should represent the bloc in any direct negotiations with Russia. When asked last month whether she wanted the role, Kallas said the debate itself was a Russian “trap,” adding that her job description is “in the treaties.”

Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, will run for office again in the election later this year, his Likud party has announced.

On Tuesday, ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl claimed that US President Donald Trump told him he was not sure if Netanyahu should seek another term.

“He’s had an amazing career. Does he want to continue?” the president said as cited by Karl.

According to the journalist, Trump described Netanyahu as “a wartime prime minister” and insisted that “we will very shortly win the war [against Iran] one way or the other.” 

Likud responded to the report by issuing a short statement on X on Wednesday, stating that “Prime Minister Netanyahu will run in the upcoming elections – and with God’s help, he will win.” 

Netanyahu, 76, who returned as prime minister in December 2022 after holding office from 1996 to 1999 and from 2009 to 2021, has also previously voiced plans to take part in the election.

A poll published by the Israel Democracy Institute on Tuesday suggested that 61% of Israelis do not want Netanyahu to run for office again. The same number of respondents also said that they were in favor of introducing a two-term limit for future prime ministers.

Netanyahu, who is currently on trial for corruption, has faced harsh criticism recently from his political opponents in Israel over the handling of multiple conflicts under his leadership.

They argue that the prime minister has failed to achieve his goals of eliminating Hamas in Gaza, neutralizing Hezbollah in Lebanon or containing Iran, despite his claims to the contrary.

US Marine veteran Graham Platner, who recently covered up a Nazi-style tattoo, has won Maine’s Democratic Senate primary and will face Republican Senator Susan Collins in November.

Platner, a progressive with no previous political experience, won 75% of the vote, garnering support from left-wing Democrats and attracting large crowds with firebrand rhetoric, including promises to “topple the oligarchy” and accusations that his future opponent serves the “Epstein class.” Other Democrats, however, have expressed concerns about whether Platner can defeat Collins in light of his numerous scandals.

Platner, who completed three tours in Iraq with the Marines and another in Afghanistan as a National Guardsman, long had the Totenkopf emblem – the Nazi skull symbol famously referenced in the “Are We the Baddies?” Mitchell and Webb comedy skit – tattooed on his chest.

The candidate said he was unaware of the symbol’s meaning when he got the tattoo in Croatia in 2007 while heavily intoxicated alongside fellow service members. He described it as “a terrifying-looking skull and crossbones,” noting that the National Guard prohibits tattoos that are “extremist, racist, sexist, or otherwise indecent.”

CNN: "[Graham] Platner referred to [his tattoo] as 'my Totenkopf,' which is a reference to the skull and cross bone used by Nazi SS units years before the controversy became public." pic.twitter.com/maQ6FnoEDM

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) June 5, 2026

In October 2025, Platner covered the tattoo with a different design – a Celtic knot featuring a wolf-like creature that some suggested resembled Fenrir, a wolf from Norse mythology. Critics argued that Nordic-inspired imagery is also popular among some far-right and white supremacist groups.

“If I was ever under the impression that it was a symbol associated with that ideology, I would not have gone through life taking photographs of myself,” said Platner, who describes himself as an anti-fascist.

The Democrat faced accusations of anti-Semitism after he made the refusal to take donations from the pro-Israeli lobby group AIPAC a campaign point. Collins, who is openly pro-Israel, collected almost 20% of her war chest from AIPAC, according to media estimates.

Sen. Susan Collins [R-Maine] has now received >$1.8 MILLION from AIPAC and the Israel lobby. #MESEN pic.twitter.com/edZdINfMhS

— AIPAC Tracker (@TrackAIPAC) June 10, 2026

Platner has also been criticized for old online posts in which he used homophobic slurs and argued that victims of sexual assault in the military should “act like an adult” and avoid getting “blacked out f*cked up.” He later apologized and attributed the comments to struggles with PTSD.

US President Donald Trump has endorsed Collins and branded Platner a “thug” who was “worse than any human being that has ever run for office.”

Trump’s approval rating remains near the lowest level of his political career as the campaign is dominated by concerns about the cost of living, rising energy prices, and the unpopular war with Iran.

A Texas jury has convicted 19-year-old Karmelo Anthony of first-degree murder and sentenced him to 35 years in prison for fatally stabbing fellow student Austin Metcalf during a high school track meet last April.

Anthony’s supporters argued that the case carried racial overtones and maintained the black teenager acted in self-defense during the confrontation with the 17-year-old Metcalf, who was white.

The unanimous verdict was returned on Tuesday at the Collin County Courthouse in McKinney. Anthony will be eligible for parole after serving at least half of his sentence.

The stabbing occurred on April 2, 2025, at a stadium in the Frisco Independent School District that was hosting a multi-school track and field meet. Witnesses told jurors that after it began to rain, Anthony sought shelter under a team tent belonging to another school, which Metcalf represented.

According to testimony, Metcalf approached Anthony and repeatedly told him to leave. Prosecutors said Anthony replied, “Touch me and see what happens,” while reaching into a bag.

During closing arguments, Collin County First Assistant District Attorney Bill Wirskye argued that the stabbing was unjustified and that Anthony had provoked the confrontation.

The defense, meanwhile, sought a reduced sentence under the state’s “sudden passion” provision. Attorney Mike Howard told jurors that Anthony had acted out of “fear and chaos,” arguing that Metcalf had “no legal right” to use force against him.

While the victim’s father, Jeff Metcalf, has repeatedly insisted the case was never about race or politics, some of Anthony’s supporters have continued to view it through that lens.

Emotions ran hot outside the Collin County Courthouse on Tuesday, where supporters of both sides engaged in heated verbal exchanges.

Karmelo Anthony’s grandmother, Toni Hayes shouted “Racist! Bias!” from the passenger side window of the black Acura as it slowly pulled away through the crowd outside the McKinney courthouse.pic.twitter.com/kNx70kbHTn

— Bella (@stockbella) June 10, 2026

Toni Hayes, Anthony’s grandmother, was heard shouting “Racist! Bias!” as she departed the courthouse in a vehicle, according to a video widely shared on social media.

Americans have become less likely to view a range of social behaviors as morally acceptable, according to a new Gallup poll.

Released on Tuesday, the survey found the sharpest year-on-year declines in acceptance of having a child outside marriage, birth control, gambling, sex between teenagers, and animal cloning.

Birth control remained the most widely accepted behavior tracked by Gallup, with 83% of respondents saying it was morally acceptable. However, support fell seven percentage points from 2025, reaching its lowest level since the question was first included in the survey in 2012.

Acceptance of having a baby outside marriage fell nine percentage points to 58%, while support for gambling dropped six points to 57%. The share of Americans who view sex between teenagers as morally acceptable stood at 35%, while acceptance of animal cloning declined to a record low of 27%.

Six behaviors have reached record lows in moral acceptability among Americans: birth control (83%), gambling (57%), the death penalty (52%), medical testing on animals (45%), changing one's gender (38%) and cloning animals (27%).

Birth control remains the most accepted behavior… pic.twitter.com/BsYJefz4QU

— Gallup (@Gallup) June 10, 2026

Despite the declines, majorities of respondents still considered several behaviors morally acceptable, including divorce (74%), sex between unmarried adults (65%), gay or lesbian relations (62%), embryonic stem-cell research (59%), buying and wearing animal fur (57%), and the death penalty (52%).

The poll also highlighted sharp partisan divides, with Democrats far more likely than Republicans to view abortion, gender transition, and gay or lesbian relations as morally acceptable, while Republicans were more supportive of the death penalty.

According to Gallup, Americans remain more accepting of most of the behaviors it tracks than they were two decades ago. However, the polling firm said the findings suggest that a decades-long shift toward greater moral permissiveness has largely leveled off and, in some cases, may be beginning to reverse. The survey was conducted among 1,001 adults nationwide between May 1 and May 17.

The absence of China’s top military leadership from this year’s Shangri-La Dialogue – a key annual inter-governmental security conference focused on the Asia-Pacific region – prompted predictable speculation about worsening US-China relations. Yet a more important development took place away from the conference hall.

Just hours earlier, American and Chinese military officials met in Hawaii under the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement to discuss maritime safety, crisis management, and ways to reduce the risk of incidents at sea. This was in line with the trend of Washington and Beijing rebuilding lines of military communication despite their strategic competition.

Rather than pursuing either liberal-globalist ambitions or a new Cold War against China, US President Donald Trump’s second-term administration appears to be advancing a strategy built on realism and balance-of-power politics.

The end of the globalist consensus

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue offered perhaps the clearest articulation of this approach.

Hegseth argued that the US has abandoned what he described as the “old toothless, utopian, and globalist course of foreign policy.” Meaning that appeals to universal values and abstract international norms are giving way to a foreign policy centered on national interests, military strength, and strategic realism.

For decades, many US allies relied heavily on American security guarantees while maintaining relatively modest defense capabilities of their own. Hegseth openly questioned this model, arguing that allies should become genuine security partners rather than long-term dependents.

From protectorates to partners

The Trump administration’s emphasis on burden-sharing is about more than budgetary concerns. It also acknowledges a deeper geopolitical reality. For three decades after the Cold War, the US occupied a uniquely hegemonic position in the Indo-Pacific. Today, however, China’s rise, India’s growing influence, and the increasing strategic weight of other regional powers are contributing to a more multipolar environment.

Rather than attempting to restore the conditions of uncontested primacy, Washington increasingly appears focused on preserving an advantageous position within this changing balance. The US remains, or at least still believes itself to be, the strongest military power in the region, but it is encouraging partners to assume greater responsibility for regional security.

This helps explain continued American support for military modernization among countries such as Japan, South Korea, Australia, the Philippines, and India. Critics often portray these efforts as evidence of containment directed against China, yet the Trump administration presents them as an effort to preserve a regional balance in which no single power can dominate the Indo-Pacific.

China remains central to this strategy. Hegseth expressed concern about the country’s growing military capabilities, but his remarks were notably less confrontational than much of the rhetoric that has characterized recent debates in Washington. He emphasized the importance of stable relations, fair trade, and continued military-to-military engagement.

It’s equally important to note what he did not emphasize. Taiwan, one of the most sensitive issues in US-China relations, played little role in his speech. The omission suggested an effort to manage competition without turning every disagreement into a geopolitical crisis.

The recently released US National Defense Strategy identifies four priorities: defending the US and the Western Hemisphere, including Greenland; deterring China in the Indo-Pacific; increasing burden-sharing among allies and partners; and revitalizing the American defense-industrial base.

While identifying China as the primary strategic challenge in the Indo-Pacific, the document also calls for expanded military dialogue, strategic stability, and mechanisms for de-escalation. The US Department of War even acknowledges China’s extraordinary rise and military achievements.

Importantly, the strategy does not seek China’s isolation or humiliation. Instead, it reflects a concern that if any single power were to dominate the Indo-Pacific, it could gain disproportionate influence over the world’s economic center of gravity.

Such an approach also reflects changing realities within the international order itself. The US is no longer operating in the largely unipolar environment of the 1990s. It is adapting to a world in which multiple major powers coexist and compete. Rather than attempting to preserve its slipping primacy, Washington appears to have shifted to maintaining a favorable balance that protects US interests.

China has a different view of the situation, however. It interprets the military modernization of US allies and partners in the region as evidence of continued containment or encirclement. These tensions are likely to persist. Actions that Washington sees as burden-sharing and balance-building will continue to be viewed in Beijing as militarization directed against China, and the ball is in the Washington’s court to convince Beijing otherwise.

Competition between the United States and China will undoubtedly continue, but America’s emerging strategy points to a search for equilibrium rather than dominance, and stability rather than escalation. If sustained, it could offer a more durable foundation for coexistence between major powers than either the hegemonic assumptions of the past or the confrontational mindset of a new Cold War.

Omar Artan, who was set to become the first Somali to referee a FIFA World Cup match but was denied entry by the US, has been honored as a national hero upon his return home.

The 34-year old was detained for some 11 hours by US immigration officials before being sent back to Istanbul, despite having all the necessary paperwork in place and being poised to become the first Somali World Cup referee.

The upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the US, Mexico, and Canada, has been beset by organizational concerns, including shifting US entry policies.

Last year, US President Donald Trump’s administration imposed a sweeping travel ban on citizens of 12 countries, including Somalia.

Artan touched down at Mogadishu’s airport on Wednesday and was greeted by hundreds of people, including local government officials and representatives of the Somali Football Federation. Some were waving national flags and carrying banners featuring photos of him.

Referee Mohamed Atan got a hero's welcome back in Somalia 🇸🇴 they might think they have broken him but they have created a new hero with many open doors for opportunities.

When one door closes another opens.He remains the best 👌referee from Africa@soka25east pic.twitter.com/tsFYQsVv7l

— Collins Okinyo (@bedjosessien) June 10, 2026

He thanked his compatriots for their support and vowed to officiate at the next World Cup.

In 2025, the Confederation of African Football named Artan the continent’s best referee of the year. He went on to make the list of 52 referees for the 2026 World Cup selected by FIFA.

The New York Times conducted a telephone interview on Tuesday, when the 34-year-old said he was in Istanbul, Türkiye awaiting a connecting flight. Artan recounted how he had arrived at Miami International Airport on Saturday with a valid visa, but was taken aside by border officials for 11 hours of questioning.

The Somali referee told the newspaper he had all the “right papers,” including documentation from FIFA, but was nevertheless put on a flight back to Istanbul, with no explanation forthcoming.

The NYT quoted the US Customs and Border Protection as confirming that the “traveler, a referee for the FIFA World Cup, was determined to be inadmissible due to vetting concerns.”

The publication suggested that Artan might have attracted particular scrutiny because a Somali national with a similar name is on a US sanctions list over his alleged ties to the Al Shabab terrorist group.

The US has carried out strikes in Iran for the second consecutive day as President Donald Trump seeks to pressure Tehran into accepting his peace terms.

Explosions and impacts were reported across southern and central Iran hours after US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said US Central Command (CENTCOM) “will be busy tonight.”

“Because President Trump said we will be hitting Iran hard – and we will be,” Hegseth told reporters.

The Pentagon chief said the strikes would target “key facilities” in Iran and added that Tehran “has an opportunity to make a deal” with Washington.

Despite Trump’s insistence that the sides were close to a deal, the negotiations had stalled for weeks, with both sides accusing each other of bad faith and ceasefire violations.

Last week, Iran threatened to suspend the talks in response to Israel’s continued airstrikes in Lebanon.

Tehran’s conditions for a peace agreement include the cessation of hostilities “on all fronts,” including Lebanon, where Israel has been waging a war against Hezbollah since early March. Israel and Iran exchanged strikes on Monday.

On Wednesday, the US launched strikes in Iran in response to what it described as the downing of an American AH-64 Apache attack helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran denied responsibility for the incident and responded with a missile barrage targeting US bases in the region.

This live feed is over.

Hostilities flared up on the Afghan-Pakistan border overnight as strikes by the Pakistani military killed 13 civilians, Afghan officials have said.

The strikes took place in the Afghan border provinces of Kunar, Khost, and Paktika, according to Zabihullah Mujahid, a government spokesman. It marks the deadliest episode in weeks, following a period of relative calm.

The Pakistani bombing claimed the lives of “11 children, one woman, and one elderly man,” Mujahid posted on X. Fourteen others were injured, he said, including women and children.

An AFP report quoting an unidentified official in Khost said a strike on a house in Spera district killed nine and wounded 11. Residents of a neighboring province said a separate attack claimed three civilians in Barmal district. The deceased were all children, a resident said.

Crime
Last night, the Pakistani military once again violated Afghanistan's airspace and bombed civilian homes in the provinces of Kunar, Khost, and Paktika.
As a result of these attacks, 11 children, one woman, and one elderly man were killed, while 14 other women
2/1

— Zabihullah (..ذبـــــیح الله م ) (@Zabehulah_M33) June 10, 2026

Pakistan has accused Afghanistan’s Taliban government of sheltering armed groups that conduct cross-border raids and terrorist attacks, including the bombing of a mosque in Islamabad in February that killed more than 30 people.Afghanistan has, in turn, accused Pakistan of “unforgivable war crimes.” Low-intensity clashes have continued on the Afghan-Pakistan border despite the two nations agreeing to a truce in late March.

Islamabad has repeatedly said its strikes in Afghanistan are aimed at insurgents carrying out attacks on its territory and that it does not target civilians.

But a United Nations report published last month put the death toll of Afghan civilians at 372 in the first three months of this year. It said 397 people have been wounded in the conflict.

A visit by a far-right lawmaker to an Arab town in northern Israel has sparked controversy after local leaders accused him of staging a political provocation and sought to block the trip. 

Knesset Education Committee chairman Zvi Sukkot of the Religious Zionism party traveled to Tuba-Zangariyye last week under heavy police protection to discuss what he described as “crime and violence” in the local education system.

The leaders of the predominantly Bedouin Arab town in the Galilee region, however, made clear he was not welcome, calling the trip a “racist” political stunt rather than an educational tour, and locked the gates of a local school ahead of his arrival. After being denied entry, Sukkot was filmed using an electric saw during a confrontation outside the school, and the footage quickly went viral. 

“What we least expected was for a member of the Israeli Knesset and the chairman of Israel’s Education Committee to behave in such a way,” Tuba-Zangariyye council head Muayyad Haib told RT, describing the visit as “extremely provocative” and saying it left some children “terrified.” 

Haib said residents opposed the visit because of Sukkot’s previous statements and actions toward the community, adding that the lawmaker proceeded with the trip despite the repeated objections of local officials. 

Sukkot has defended his actions and vowed to push for cuts to state funding for schools, arguing that the State of Israel should not invest “even one shekel” in such an education system. 

The incident has fueled a wider political row, with critics accusing Sukkot of seeking confrontation for political gain.

RT’s Charlotte Dubenskij takes a closer look at the events.  

Italy has launched a probe into far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s alleged mistreatment of multinational activists who took part in an aid flotilla bound for Gaza, days after a similar investigation was opened by France. It comes as the EU is considering sanctions on Ben-Gvir over the alleged abuse.

The scandal was triggered by the IDF’s interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla in May, an international civilian initiative set up to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza. Activists have repeatedly attempted to reach the Palestinian enclave over the years, but their vessels have ended up attacked, sunk, burned, bombed, or stopped by Israeli forces.

The enclave remains in dire need of humanitarian assistance. Nearly its entire population of approximately 2.1 million is displaced, while roughly 60% of Palestinians in Gaza have lost their homes during the latest war between Israel and Hamas.

The latest attempt to run the blockade was no exception – the ships were boarded by the Israeli military in international waters off Cyprus and over 400 activists were detained. The detainees were expelled after a few days in custody, alleging widespread mistreatment at the hands of the Israeli forces, including beatings, torture, sexual assault, and outright rape.

While Israel has repeatedly taken an extremely heavy-handed approach to those involved in such endeavors, the latest incident was further aggravated by the actions of Ben-Gvir. The minister showed up at a prison ship housing the detainees waving a large Israeli flag, taunting the kneeling and bound activists and urging the government to jail them for a long time. He also posted the video online.

Multiple nations have formally condemned the treatment of the Global Sumud Flotilla activists, with some also taking aim at Ben-Gvir. France banned the minister from entry days after he published his stunt, citing his “reprehensible actions towards French and European citizens.” Poland also imposed a travel ban on the minister, while Ireland last week barred Ben-Gvir, as well as extreme-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, from entering the country over the flotilla case and anti-Palestinian remarks. 

The Italian probe was openly mocked by the recalcitrant minister, who said he would not “shy away from one investigation or another and will continue to stand proudly alongside our fighters.”

“The land of the Boot has become the land of the flip-flop,” he added, referring to Italy’s geographical shape and an apparent shift in its position towards Israel.

The probes come as the EU is expected to consider imposing restrictions on the Israeli firebrand. The flotilla incident has also reignited the drive for broader measures against West Jerusalem, including the potential suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. 

While the sanctions against Ben-Gvir are expected to be discussed as soon as next week, it remains unclear whether the bloc will adopt them given the lack of consensus. The Czech Republic has vowed to block any anti-Israel initiatives even if it means opposing all the other member states.

“Hochmut kommt vor dem Fall” (arrogance precedes a fall) says a proverb every German knows. That, you may say, is little wonder, considering how the last two world wars started and ended.

But the saying is much older. It is rooted in Martin Luther’s punchy translation of the Old Testament (in the English King James Bible, the relevant passage reads “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall”). Clearly, the admonition not to preen and strut lest you stumble and fall flat on your silly, overbearing face is addressed to all of us, including, for instance, Americans and Israelis.

Yet recent events at the United Nations have highlighted the pertinence of – to use a term less harsh than arrogance – an over-optimistically biased lack of self-awareness to the case of contemporary Germany. Or to be precise, its political elites. Berlin, in essence, has been humiliated in public, before literally the whole world: Applying for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council, it lost the vote in the UN General Assembly.

The rotating non-permanent seats on the UN Security Council are, to put it mildly, not terribly powerful resources. Their value is at least as much a matter of political symbolism and prestige as of practical benefits. But it would be foolish to conclude that Germany’s defeat does not matter. On the contrary, it is precisely the fact that such a seat does not pack a mighty punch that makes the failure to obtain one even worse: How hard can it be? Obviously too hard for the current Berlin team.

Hence, ironically, although objectively the stakes were not that high, this is a massive setback and great embarrassment for official Germany. One reason is that a de facto routine has been broken. You might even say a tradition going all the way back to the last century’s Cold War. Since the 1973 admission as full UN members of both Cold War Germanies, East and West, first West then united Germany (in effect, West Germany after gobbling up its former rival), has held a non-permanent seat six times and, often forgotten now, the former East Germany once. This is Germany’s first ever failure to achieve what had come to look like the default: getting what it wants.

No wonder the Germans have been even glummer than when they lose a football match. Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, who had traveled to New York to lecture the world and score what looked like an easy win, deplored a “bitter defeat” (but is unwilling to do the right thing and resign).

The staid Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) noted a “resounding” debacle. Influential business newspaper Wirtschaftswoche registered a “harsh setback” for not only Wadephul but also his boss, Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Both – proud of their dull unanimity – have long sought to claim a larger international role for Berlin in Europe, as well as globally. Yet they find their iteration of Germany rejected by the closest thing to a world parliament as no German government has before.

Even worse, while international ‘leadership’ is clearly out of reach, as no one wants German leaders – who would have thought – even more modest ambitions seem unrealistic. An editorial in Spiegel, Germany’s Pravda of radical Centrism, despairs that Berlin might as well say goodbye to its dreams of playing “Mittelmacht” (a middle power) and has now arrived at the glorious status of “Kleinstaat,” literally meaning simply a small state, but in reality, if you know German mentality, a thing comical at best (when it happens to, say, Liechtenstein) and a tragic disgrace when it happens to Germany.

And to be fair, there is something odd about Germany not even maintaining its very moderate clout and prestige at the UN. You don’t have to be a German nationalist to notice a discrepancy between Germany’s economic and demographic weight – both declining badly but still comparatively substantial – and its traditional role as a major player in at least the US vassal version of Europe on one side and its crass humiliation at the UN on the other.

In Europe, an economically stagnant but massively re-militarizing Germany has acquired a new profile as the single Western state most responsible for prolonging the Ukraine war – that is the massive abuse of Ukrainians as cannon fodder in a failed attempt to degrade Russia geopolitically after even the US has shed that role. But much of the world wants this war to end and has no misguided sympathy for the ultra-corrupt Zelensky regime.

Such international observers also note that Berlin is willing to humbly, perversely accept a massive attack on its vital infrastructure by precisely that Zelensky regime and, most likely, several of its NATO ‘allies’ as well. This repulsive mix of aggressiveness and a cowardly failure to protect elementary national interests cannot produce respect or sympathy. It certainly doesn’t say “vote for me, I am reliable.”

Then there is the pronounced German habit of lecturing the world but especially anyone not European or North American on, well, everything you can think of. China, for instance, when it doesn’t simply disinvite Germans as it very understandably now does, gets to hear daft, stale, and holier-than-thou sermons about ‘democratic values’ – from a country where a whole left-wing opposition party (the BSW) hasn’t made it into parliament due to extremely suspicious, systemic-looking miscounts.

And then, there is the icky submissiveness to the US, of course. Even while Berlin has managed to personally antagonize US President Donald Trump – not hard to do, admittedly – it also cannot find clear words about either the Iran war, where it loves to perversely blame and hector the victims in Tehran, or for instance, the harrowing of Venezuela and Cuba. Why would anyone entrust additional power to spineless weaklings?

There are specific solo performances as well: Wadephul’s predecessor Annalena Baerbock is infamous for her inanities, covering areas from elementary geometry (360 degrees and all that) to accidental declarations of war. Indeed, some Germans have long called her “cringe personified.” But is Wadephul really any better? He has just used his pre-voting speech at the UN – the job interview, in essence – to once again unfold his embarrassingly deranged pet theory that states which he deems rogue, for instance Iran, have no right to the protections of international law. Obviously intellectually absurd and shabbily motivated, such plain nonsense, which would make international law superfluous, from a trained lawyer who also happens to be a foreign minister makes Germany look stupid as well as dishonest.

Germany to the world: We are not sending our best to work with you. That’s not a great message when you would like the world to like and trust you because it reeks of haughtiness and disrespect. But there is a worse possibility. What if more and more of our fellow nations on this globe conclude that Baerbock and Wadephul actually are our best?

The Iranian military has been “completely defeated,” US President Donald Trump has claimed, warning Tehran it will “pay the price” for delaying a deal with Washington.  

The warnings came after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced missile and drone strikes on American military facilities in several Arab countries in retaliation for recent US attacks. US Central Command said the operations inside Iran were carried out after an AH-64 Apache helicopter was lost near the Strait of Hormuz, an incident it blamed on Tehran. 

Trump posted on Truth Social on Wednesday that Iran “is all talk and no action,” adding that “The Bully of the Middle East is DEAD!!!” 

He also accused Tehran of taking “too long to negotiate a deal that would have been great for them,” warning that it would now “have to pay the price.” 

Iran’s Military is a complete and total mess. Much of it, like their Navy and Air Force, doesn’t even exist anymore - They have been completely defeated. Iran is all talk and no action. The Bully of the Middle East is DEAD!!! They’ve taken too long to negotiate a deal that would… pic.twitter.com/wW9ULVRoMC

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 10, 2026

The exchange of fire marked the most serious escalation since a ceasefire was announced in early April. Efforts to turn the truce into a durable peace have stalled for weeks, with Washington and Tehran repeatedly accusing each other of violating its terms. 

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said the US strikes had jeopardized the negotiations and forced Tehran to “reassess” its participation. He accused Washington of undermining diplomacy through military action and “contradictory messages,” while blaming Israel’s operations in Lebanon for further damaging the process. 

Israel has intensified strikes in Lebanon against what it describes as Hezbollah targets. The IDF attacks reportedly killed at least eight people near Tyre and in Sidon on Wednesday. 

Trump has previously lashed out at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for derailing Iran talks, reportedly telling him during a phone call “You’re f***ing crazy. You’d be in prison if it weren’t for me.”  

The UK has accused Elon Musk of stoking tensions over his reaction to a knife attack which triggered anti-immigrant riots in Belfast.

Violence erupted in the Northern Irish capital on Tuesday night after a Sudanese asylum seeker allegedly carried out a stabbing attack which left a man blind in his left eye.

Masked gangs attacked homes, torched vehicles, and clashed with police, prompting authorities to urge calm.
A 30-year-old Sudanese man appeared in court on Wednesday charged with attempted murder. The incident comes amid an increasingly heated debate over immigration in Britain, fueled by a series of high-profile crimes involving foreign nationals.

Musk, a longtime critic of the UK government, posted on X ahead of the unrest: “Only by protesting REPEATEDLY and LOUDLY will there be any change!!”

He also shared a post from right-wing activist Tommy Robinson listing dozens of protest locations across the UK.

Labour Party Chair Anna Turley condemned Musk on Wednesday, claiming the billionaire was helping inflame tensions during the unrest.

“It’s appalling. Anyone that is seeking to drive and exploit a situation like this to drive their own political agenda is grievously wrong and doing damage,” she told LBC.

Turley said the tech mogul, commenting from “thousands of miles away,” did not have to live with the consequences of the unrest in Northern Ireland.

Last week, Starmer said Musk was trying to “whip up division” after the fatal stabbing of 18-year-old Henry Nowak.

Musk has made several posts about the case, which has triggered public outrage and protests in Britain, as well as a public apology from the prime minister.

Nowak was fatally stabbed in December by Vickrum Singh Digwa, a 23-year-old Sikh man, who falsely claimed to police that he had been the victim of a racist attack.

Footage released after Digwa’s sentencing showed officers handcuffing and dragging Nowak despite his repeated pleas that he had been stabbed and could not breathe. He later lost consciousness and died.

Musk was among those to allege that British police had treated Nowak differently because of his ethnicity.

Vladimir Zelensky is learning that even Ukraine’s most loyal backers may no longer be willing to overlook Kiev’s glorification of Nazi-backed nationalist figures – not even in the name of jointly opposing Russia.

Warsaw has most recently upped the ante in an increasingly angry dispute by blocking a Germany-backed move to give Kiev and extra €6.6 billion from a weapons program.

Warsaw, whose military and logistical support remains vital to Kiev’s war effort, has reacted with anger to Zelensky’s recent gestures honoring the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, known as the OUN and UPA. Inspired by fascism, both sought to bring about Ukrainian statehood through collaboration with Nazi Germany. In an attempt at ethnic cleansing, OUN and UPA murdered at least 100,000 Poles, Jews, and Russians during World War II.

Zelensky now risks becoming only the second person in history to be stripped of the Order of the White Eagle, Poland’s highest state distinction, which dates back more than three centuries.

What has triggered Polish outrage with Ukraine?

In late May, Zelensky attended the state reburial of Andrey Melnik, a co-founder of the OUN and rival of Stepan Bandera, another nationalist figure widely venerated in modern Ukraine. Melnik’s remains were returned from Luxemburg as part of what Kiev described as an effort to build a national “pantheon” of heroes.

Has Zelensky crossed a red line by honoring nazi collaborators?

Neither step was unprecedented in itself. Ukraine has numerous monuments dedicated to nationalist figures, while Bandera’s birthday on January 1 is marked by supporters almost like an unofficial state holiday.

However, the UPA’s wartime record remains one of the most bitter historical disputes between Kiev and Warsaw. The Volhynia massacres of 1943-1944 have been formally recognized by Poland as genocide.

Ukrainian officials and historians have argued that the atrocities should be viewed alongside Warsaw’s historic mistreatment of ethnic Ukrainians and do not warrant the emotional investment they have in Poland.

“The Volhynia tragedy is one of Poland’s statebuilding myths… a key element of the Polish grand narrative,” the director of the Ukrainian National Remembrance Museum, Aleksandr Alferov, said in February. “For most Ukrainians, it was just a local historical episode, because it only happened in Volhynia.”

The response in Poland to Kiev’s latest moves was unexpectedly sharp.

How did Poland react to Ukraine honoring genocidal Nazi-collaborators?

Criticism of Zelensky also came from across Poland’s political spectrum. Conservative Polish President Karol Nawrocki and EU-favored Prime Minister Donald Tusk both criticized Zelensky, but they disagree on Warsaw’s response. Nawrocki wants to revoke the Order of the White Eagle that Zelensky received in April 2023 from his predecessor, Andrzej Duda. Tusk has argued that Zelensky and Nawrocki must find a way to repair the dispute, saying that the row “serves Moscow’s interests.”

Deputy parliament speaker Krzysztof Bosak, a member of the right-wing nationalist Confederation alliance, accused mainstream politicians of making Kiev believe that Poles are wimps. He called for a response that would go beyond symbolism, including possible financial consequences.

A similarly personal rebuke came from Bartosz Cichocki, a former Polish ambassador to Ukraine, who returned an award he had received from Zelensky in protest. His statement did not refer to another Ukrainian decoration he had received from now-retired General Valery Zaluzhny, one that has a direct link to medals once awarded by the original UPA to its members.

Who was stripped of the award in the past?

The Order of the White Eagle was established in 1705, although Poland’s turbulent history and interruptions to its sovereignty repeatedly affected the order’s status. Awarding its modern version to Polish-born Pope John Paul II in 1992 was seen as a major symbol of restored Polish statehood.

Among the many Polish and foreign recipients, the honor has been revoked only once, and even then only temporarily. Wincenty Witos, an interwar prime minister, received the order in 1920. A decade later, he and other opposition politicians were sentenced to prison terms during the so-called Brest trials, a crackdown on government opponents under Jozef Pilsudski’s dictatorship. Witos’ award was revoked in 1932 and restored in 1939.

Could Zelensky’s award be withdrawn?

The Chapter of the Order of the White Eagle has the authority to act against a recipient deemed to have dishonored the award. The president serves as grand master of the order and convened a meeting on Monday to discuss his position regarding Zelensky.

Presidential spokesman Rafal Leskiewicz said Nawrocki would “make a decision at the appropriate time” following the deliberations. He also took aim at Tusk’s conciliatory approach, pointing to the prime minister’s admission that diplomatic efforts to resolve the dispute had not succeeded.

How have Ukraine and Poland tried to defuse the situation?

Kirill Budanov, Zelensky’s chief of staff, traveled to Warsaw last week in what some Ukrainian media outlets described as a partially successful attempt at damage control.

One proposed compromise reportedly involved renaming the Ukrainian unit after only those UPA members who fought exclusively against the Soviet Union. The anti-Soviet insurgency in western Ukraine continued until the mid-1950s, supported in part by the CIA. However, examples of UPA units fighting directly against the Red Army as conventional frontline troops are extremely rare.

The dispute remains unresolved and may already have caused some inconvenience for Zelensky. Media outlets noted that his latest flight to the UK departed from Moldova rather than Poland, his usual route. Warsaw has denied placing any restrictions on his travel.

Did Warsaw retaliate in significant ways?

Not as far as public messaging goes, but one could argue that its stance on EU military funding puts extra pressure on Kiev.

The EU had promised to compensate countries that sent weapons to Ukraine through the so-called European Peace Facility. Some €6.6 billion ($7.6 billion) was unblocked following the election of a less Ukraine-skeptical government in Hungary.

Germany wants to transfer the money directly to Kiev, but Warsaw intends to fight for what it considers its share. “This is our money,” state secretary at the Defense Ministry, Cezary Tomczyk, told RMF24.

Are there other grievances dividing Poland and Ukraine?

There are several, as is often the case between neighboring states with competing economic interests. The conflict with Russia has brought some of them into sharper focus.

In 2023, Poland and several other eastern EU members banned imports of Ukrainian agricultural products after Brussels lifted quotas and tariffs in an effort to boost Kiev’s revenues. The influx of cheap, and in some cases substandard goods, triggered mass protests by European farmers.

Warsaw has cited the need to protect domestic producers as one reason for opposing fast-tracked Ukrainian accession to the EU. Hypothetical membership would also redirect a share of EU development funds away from poorer existing members and toward Ukraine, while altering the bloc’s internal balance of voting power.

Why can’t Ukraine choose its own national heroes?

Ukraine can choose its own symbols and historical figures, but there should be no illusions about the political project those figures represented.

Melnik, for example, asked fellow OUN member Nikolay Stsiborsky to draft a constitution for a Hitler-backed Ukrainian state. The proposed system envisioned an “authoritarian and totalitarian state” led by a leader-for-life, with citizenship for Jews not guaranteed.

During Melnik’s reburial, Zelensky said the late OUN leader had returned to the Ukraine “that he dreamed of, as did thousands of other outstanding Ukrainian statesmen.”

The remark may have been a ceremonial platitude. However it seems ironic that a Jewish man who in 2019 won the presidency in a landslide on a promise of national reconciliation has turned into a wartime dictator praising people, who would not have allowed him anywhere near a leadership position, had they prevailed.

US spending on nuclear weapons surged by nearly a quarter in 2025 compared to the previous year, according to findings by an anti-nuclear watchdog.

In a report released on Tuesday, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) said the world’s nine nuclear-armed states spent nearly $119 billion on their arsenals last year – the equivalent of $3,768 every second. 

The US remained by far the biggest spender, pouring $69.2 billion into its nuclear arsenal – more than all other eight nations combined. Washington also recorded the largest annual increase, with spending rising 22% year-on-year, or $12.4 billion.

ICAN, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning group, said the increase reflects continued investment in modernizing and expanding nuclear arsenals amid mounting global tensions.

The nine nuclear powers have spent a combined $471 billion on their arsenals over the past five years, the group said. It added that a single day’s nuclear weapons spending in 2025 could have provided food for two million people for a year, while annual spending could have covered the UN’s regular budget for 32 years.

The report comes as the US is considering deploying its nuclear weapons to additional NATO member states in Europe, according to a Financial Times report last week. The outlet said US officials had discussed expanding the nuclear-sharing arrangement beyond its current participants. 

The US has stationed nuclear weapons in Europe under its nuclear-sharing program since the 1950s. B61 gravity bombs are currently believed to be deployed in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Türkiye, while control of the weapons remains with Washington.

Moscow has warned that any further expansion of NATO’s nuclear infrastructure toward Russia’s borders would trigger a response. Earlier this month, Russian Ambassador-at-Large Andrey Belousov reiterated a demand that all US nuclear weapons be withdrawn from Europe and the infrastructure supporting their deployment be dismantled.

Taiwan has launched approximately 36 US-supplied missiles into the water off the coast of mainland China, in a first-of-its-kind live-fire drill on the self-governing island’s west coast.

The exercise comes amid mounting tensions between Taipei and Beijing, which considers Taiwan sovereign Chinese territory.

The drills took place on Wednesday and involved the firing of reduced-range training rockets from US-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) into the Taiwan Strait.

According to Taipei, the exercise was meant to simulate an attack on an invading Chinese force and demonstrate HIMARS’ ability to “shoot-and-scoot” by avoiding counter strikes.

HIMARS has a range of up to around 300 km, meaning it could potentially hit targets in China’s southeastern Fujian Province across the strait.

Taiwan has ordered 29 HIMARS launchers from the US and has also been building up anti-ship and air defense systems.

During his meeting with US President Donald Trump in Beijing last month, Chinese President Xi Jinping described Taiwan as the most important issue in China-US relations and warned that mishandling it could push the two countries into “a very dangerous situation.”

Beijing considers Taiwan part of China and has consistently warned against separatism on the island. Xi has repeatedly said Beijing seeks peaceful reunification, but has refused to rule out the use of force if provoked.

In May, Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications released data showing that the number of children under the age of 15 in the Land of the Rising Sun had fallen to a new historic low: 13.29 million, which is 350,000 fewer than a year earlier.

To understand the scale and drama of what is happening, it is worth recalling that in 1950*, at the very beginning of Japan’s economic miracle, children under 15 made up 35.1% of Japan’s population. Half a century later, in 2000, the share of children had declined to 14.5%. Alarm bells rang in the country, measures were introduced, but the trend could not be reversed. And now, according to the results of 2025, the share of children in the total population has once again hit a new low, falling to just 10.8%.

The reduction of the number of children in Japanese society to what was once unthinkable is linked to falling birth rates, which in Japan are declining even faster than in the developed countries of America and Europe. The total fertility rate has fallen below 1.2 nationwide, while in Tokyo the average number of children per woman has dropped to just 0.99.

In turn, the fall in fertility is connected with the continual decline in the number of marriages. Over 45 years of uninterrupted decline in the number of children, younger generations of Japanese have themselves become far smaller. More importantly, an increasing number of young Japanese do not want to start any family at all, or even maintain stable sexual relationships.

And here we arrive at the root cause: Japan is a country of triumphant individualism. With the participation of American social-engineering strategists, Japan created a model of accelerated modernization built around a hollowed-out national tradition and a high standard of living as the central meaning-forming pattern of mass culture.

The results of the Japanese case, and of other social experiments – including alternatives to it – can be assessed using RT’s global Social Well-Being Index (SWI). According to the RT Index methodology, social well-being is determined by the production and preservation of life, as well as the minimization of social oppression. In other words, while in the West they compare who has more money and more opportunities for consumption, 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).

Read more here about the high standards, inherent contradictions, and uncertain prospects of social well-being in westernized Japan.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has published footage of missile launches it said were aimed at American military facilities in several Arab countries, describing the operation as retaliation for recent US attacks.

Tensions between Washington and Tehran have surged in recent days alongside a parallel escalation between Iran and Israel. US Central Command said it carried out strikes inside Iran on Tuesday after a US Apache military helicopter was lost near the Strait of Hormuz, an incident Washington blamed on Tehran.

The IRGC claimed the American strikes damaged a telecommunications tower on Sirik Island and destroyed two water reservoirs in the Bemani district. It said its response included attacks on the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain and four targets at Jordan’s al-Azraq air base, including hangars housing F-35 fighter jets.

Video released by Iran shows several missiles being launched at night. The IRGC said drones were also used in the operation and claimed that 21 targets were engaged in Kuwait, Jordan, and Bahrain, including a Reaper drone.

🔺 The IRGC released footage of long-range missile launches targeting U.S. positions in the region, in response to the U.S. strikes on southern Iran earlier in the day. The video showed claimed launches of Qadr, Emad, and Kheibar Shekan ballistic missiles — both solid and liquid… pic.twitter.com/6WWqiDavu7

— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) June 10, 2026

Jordan’s military said it intercepted five ballistic missiles, with footage of the incident appearing online.

Five Iranian ballistic missiles were shot down over Jordan.#Jordan pic.twitter.com/grkEEWasMZ

— Middle East Observer (@Mid7East) June 10, 2026

Kuwaiti officials also reported intercepting aerial targets, while air raid sirens were heard in Bahrain, according to media reports.

Earlier, Iran hit targets in Israel, saying the strikes were retaliation for Israel’s continued invasion of southern Lebanon and attacks on Beirut. West Jerusalem later responded with strikes of its own, despite calls by US President Donald Trump not to escalate further.

Tehran considers Israel’s operation in Lebanon a breach of a ceasefire announced by the US and Iran in April, which was presented as part of an effort to reach a peace agreement. Trump has argued that “moderate” shooting does not amount to a violation of a Middle East truce.

The European Commission has demanded that Meta – which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp – give competitors’ AI assistants free access to its messaging and social media platforms.

The interim measure will remain in place until the conclusion of an antitrust investigation against the American tech giant, the EU’s main executive body said in a statement on Tuesday.

Meta could face a fine of up to 10% of its global annual turnover if found guilty of abusing its market power to undercut its rivals.

The probe into Meta was launched in December 2025 when artificial intelligence developers from the US, France and Spain complained about the California-based company’s decision to block access to its WhatsApp for Business application programming interface (API) to all competitors.

Only its own Meta AI remained connected to the messaging app, which has over 3.3 billion active users worldwide. It’s also integrated into Meta’s social media platforms, Facebook and Instagram.

Meta now has five working days to make the use of WhatsApp for Business API free, like it used to be before October 2025, according to the European Commission.

EU antitrust chief Teresa Ribera said that the body acted to “preserve choice for citizens across Europe on the AI assistants they want to use with WhatsApp, without that decision being made for them.”

The measure will also “safeguard competition in the growing market for AI assistants, by preserving a key entry point to reach consumers in Europe – WhatsApp – and allowing AI companies to innovate, scale up and reach their full potential,” Ribera added.

A Meta spokesperson said in an-email to Reuters that the company disagrees with the order and is planning to appeal against it.

“The European Commission has decided that OpenAI and some of the largest companies in the world can use the paid-for WhatsApp Business product for free. This is regulatory overreach subsidized by the many European companies that pay,” the spokesman stressed.

The US and Israel carried out their latest strikes on Iran and Lebanon in a deliberate effort to sabotage the ongoing peace talks, former CIA analyst Larry Johnson has told RT.

On Wednesday local time, the US struck Qeshm Island and targets in southern Iran in response to the crash of a US AH-64 Apache attack helicopter off the coast of Oman – an incident US President Donald Trump blamed on Iran. Tehran, however, has refused to confirm that it was responsible for the crash.

“If they are alive, why does Donald Trump launch strikes on Iran when they are supposedly in the midst of peace talks? The only reason I can come up with is that he did it deliberately to sabotage the talks,” he said.

Trump has been pressured by “the Zionist crowd” and pro-Israel politicians such as US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, Johnson said.

“They are insistent on destroying Iran. They don’t want a deal with Iran,” he stated.

Johnson said Israel’s airstrikes on Beirut on Sunday were also aimed at provoking a conflict with Iran.

“Too much progress was being made during the peace talks for the neocons and for Israel, so they did everything in their power to sabotage it. I think this is going to lead to a new round of escalation that can go on for a week or two,” he said.

Children in Cuba are dying amid acute shortages of essential medical supplies caused by US-imposed economic sanctions, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has said.

The island nation has endured daily blackouts and severe fuel deficits in recent months after Venezuela, once Havana’s main oil supplier, stopped crude shipments under pressure from the US in early 2026. This was preceded by the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by American commandos in January.

US President Donald Trump has since repeatedly stated that he intends to “take” Cuba “one way or another.”

Turk described the plight of ordinary Cubans as “unacceptable,” warning that “children are dying because doctors lack access to essential medical supplies and medicines,” as quoted in a statement issued on Monday. According to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), infant mortality in Cuba has doubled to 9.9 per 1,000 births, with childhood cancer survival rates down from 85% to 65% since the US imposed a fuel blockade on the Caribbean country.

“Critical medical services such as oncology, dialysis, and maternal health are under severe strain,” with essential medicines in “critical short supply,” the report warned.

“Such severe sanctions packages that target entire sectors of an economy and produce broad, indiscriminate and harsh effects on populations are incompatible with basic principles of international human rights law,” Turk charged.

Last month, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla accused the US of meting out “collective punishment” in that Cubans are being subjected to conditions “that violate their human rights and cause pain, suffering, and anguish.”

Axios, citing several anonymous US officials, reported in late May that the White House was looking to further ramp up the pressure on Cuba in the hope that worsening economic conditions would eventually lead to regime change.

Russia, China, Mexico, and several other countries have been supplying Cuba with humanitarian aid. Moscow sent a shipment of around 700,000 barrels of crude oil in late March.

A US federal judge has struck down President Donald Trump’s $100,000 fee on new skilled-worker visas, ruling that the White House could not impose the charge without approval from Congress.

The fee applied to new H-1B visa petitions filed on behalf of foreign workers outside the US. The program allows American employers to hire specialists from abroad for up to six years, and is capped at 65,000 new visas a year, with another 20,000 available for applicants with advanced degrees. It is widely used by major technology companies.

Trump has argued that the system has been abused by companies seeking to replace American workers with lower-paid foreign labor. In September, he ordered a $100,000 surcharge on new applications, saying the measure would protect US jobs and national security.

On Monday, US District Judge Leo Sorokin ruled in favor of 20 states that challenged the policy. He said the $100,000 payment was effectively a tax, “regardless of what the payment is called,” and that the administration had no authority to impose it.

The lawsuit was led by California and joined by other states that argued the fee was unlawful and would harm schools, universities, hospitals and other public institutions that rely on skilled foreign workers.

The H-1B program has long divided US policymakers. Supporters say it helps companies fill specialized roles, while critics have argued that it allows corporations and staffing firms to undercut American workers and suppress wages.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup, set to kick off on Thursday, has already been overshadowed by political disputes and concerns over the tournament’s organization. Immigration rows, travel restrictions, and ticketing complaints have emerged as major flashpoints ahead of the opening match. Here is what we know so far. 

When does the World Cup start?

The 2026 FIFA World Cup begins on June 11 and concludes on July 19. A record 48 teams will take part, with the top two sides from each of the 12 groups and the eight best third-placed teams advancing to the knockout stage. 

Where is the World Cup taking place?

The tournament is being co-hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico, marking the first World Cup to be staged across three countries. Matches will be held in 16 cities across North America, with the final set to be played at New York-New Jersey Stadium. 

How have US entry policies affected participants? 

The World Cup is taking place against a backdrop of tighter US immigration controls and travel restrictions that have affected some participants. 

Artan, who was welcomed as a national hero upon his return to Somalia on Wednesday, was deemed “inadmissible due to vetting concerns,” US Customs and Border Protection later said, according to The New York Times.

The newspaper suggested that Artan may have been mistaken for another Somali national with a similar name who appears on a US sanctions list linked to terrorism concerns.

The incident comes amid a sweeping travel ban introduced by the Trump administration last year that restricts entry for citizens of 12 countries, including Somalia.

Iraq’s national team also encountered entry difficulties. While all players were ultimately admitted, captain Aymen Hussein was reportedly detained and questioned for nearly seven hours after arriving in Chicago. The team’s official photographer, Talal Salah, was denied entry. 

Footage circulating online shows members of Senegal’s squad undergoing extensive security checks upon arrival in the US, including pat-downs and metal detector screening. Senegal is among the countries affected by Washington’s latest travel restrictions. 

Separate video appeared to show former Italy captain and Ballon d’Or winner Fabio Cannavaro undergoing lengthy security screening after landing in the country. 

Fabio Cannavaro, World Cup winner, former Italy captain and ballon d’or winner being searched like a suspected drug mule in the US. pic.twitter.com/rK7brpFama

— Aaron Bastani (@AaronBastani) June 9, 2026

How has the Middle East war affected Iran’s participation? 

Iran’s World Cup campaign has been complicated by heightened tensions with Washington and the broad US sanctions regime imposed on the country. 

Visas for the Iranian squad were reportedly approved only days before the tournament after months of uncertainty, while some members of the delegation are still said to be awaiting travel documents. The team has since moved its tournament base from Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico. 

Adding to the controversy, Iran’s football federation said this week that its official allocation of World Cup tickets had been revoked just days before the opening match. The federation accused organizers of breaching the principle of equal treatment for participating nations. 

FIFA said it remained in contact with the Iranian federation following the team’s arrival in Mexico. 

Are fans struggling to attend the tournament?

Travel difficulties have not been limited to teams and officials. Supporters’ groups from several countries have reported problems entering the US, citing visa delays, enhanced screening procedures, and high rejection rates.

Fan organizations across Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America have voiced particular concern. Supporters from Jordan, Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, Ghana, Senegal, Ivory Coast, and Tunisia have reported difficulties navigating US entry requirements, while citizens of Iran and Haiti face some of the strictest restrictions. Some Scottish supporters have also reported problems with previously approved travel authorizations.

“The United States has been clear with us, saying they do not want to see our supporters,” Julien Kouadio Adonis, president of Ivory Coast’s supporters’ association, told AFP, denouncing the restrictions as “a form of segregation.”

Human rights groups have also voiced concern over immigration enforcement during the tournament. Amnesty International has called on FIFA to ensure supporters can attend matches without fear of discrimination or arbitrary restrictions. Some Haitian fans have told reporters they are reluctant to travel to the US due to concerns about possible detention or deportation, even as Haiti prepares for its first World Cup appearance since 1974. 

Outrageous ticket prices

FIFA is facing scrutiny from the attorneys general of New York and New Jersey over allegations of “impossibly high” prices, artificial scarcity, and misleading information about ticket availability and seat locations. Its use of demand-based pricing and resale fees has also drawn criticism. 

While FIFA has promoted the expanded 48-team tournament as its most accessible World Cup yet, consumer advocates and supporters’ groups argue that soaring prices are putting many matches out of reach for ordinary fans. 

Fans seeking tickets for the 2026 tournament have reported prices ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars. Some group-stage tickets have been listed for more than $4,000, while seats for the final have appeared on resale platforms for significantly higher amounts. 

Could the controversies affect the tournament?

FIFA has largely distanced itself from disputes over visas and immigration, saying such matters fall under the authority of host-country governments and maintaining that preparations remain on schedule. 

US President Donald Trump has described the event as being on course to become “the most successful World Cup” ever, while the White House World Cup Task Force has pledged to deliver “the largest, safest and most welcoming sporting event in history.” 

Human rights organizations and supporters’ groups, however, have questioned whether those commitments can be met, arguing that travel restrictions, immigration concerns, and ticketing controversies risk undermining the tournament’s goal of bringing together football fans from around the world.

Forcing fans not to fly flags in the name of inclusivity

Shortly before the opening game of the tournament on Thursday, British media reported that some councils in England advised fans not to attach St George’s Cross flags to public property, citing concerns ranging from safety and community cohesion to maintaining a welcoming environment.

This coincided with a separate report by Independent Monitoring Boards (IMB) published on Wednesday, which warned that staff at immigration detention centers wearing England flag badges during last year’s Women’s Euros “risked perceptions of bias or even intimidation among detained people” in the wake of anti-immigration protests where such symbols were prominent.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage seized on the controversy, writing on Facebook on Thursday: “Do you wear an England badge? Do you fly an England flag outside your home? According to our political class, you are now intimidating migrants!”

Anti-immigration riots broke out in Belfast on Tuesday night after a knife-wielding Sudanese asylum seeker allegedly attacked a man in the Northern Irish capital.

The incident occurred amid a heated debate over migration policies, fueled by a string of crimes involving foreign nationals across the UK.

Buses and cars were set ablaze as police urged the public to remain calm.

Videos from the scene showed vehicles engulfed in flames.

🚨 BREAKING: A bus has been set on fire in Belfast amid protests over the attempted beheading of a man pic.twitter.com/FX8maCMalK

— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) June 9, 2026

🛑LIVE a burning car can be seen rolling down the road.#belfast #news #riot pic.twitter.com/nzxM8mz4Hl

— RTI OSINT (real time intelligence) (@RTI_imtel) June 9, 2026

Other footage shows a burning car rolling down the street.

Angry mobs set several homes on fire and vandalized bus stops with anti-Islam graffiti.

According to reports, crowds roamed the streets in parts of the city, attempting to break into homes of suspected migrants.

Groups of men are going ‘door to door’ “hunting migrants” setting fire to known HMO’s in Belfast… pic.twitter.com/jxr0Rczctm

— Pippa B 🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🚜 ❤️ 🇺🇸 (@pippaisright) June 9, 2026

The unrest followed a viral video from Monday showing a knife-wielding assailant pinning another man to the ground in the middle of a street. Several bystanders intervened, saving the victim, who suffered multiple stab wounds.

The UK has seen major anti-immigration protests and riots in recent years, with right-wing politicians and activists accusing authorities of failing to control illegal migration and adequately address crimes committed by migrants and other ethnic minorities.

In 2024, large-scale riots broke out in Southport, northwest England, after a man of Rwandan origin fatally stabbed three girls at a dance studio. The incident resulted in a rash of arrests for social media posts which allegedly stirred up racial hatred.

Earlier this month, demonstrations were held in memory of Henry Nowak, a university student killed by a British Sikh man in 2025. Public outrage intensified after police body-camera footage was released showing officers at the scene handcuffing the mortally wounded Nowak rather than his attacker, Vickrum Digwa.

Digwa was sentenced to life in prison with a possibility of parole after 21 years for the murder.

The US said it has launched strikes in Iran in response to what it described as the downing of an American AH-64 Apache attack helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said US President Donald Trump had ordered “self-defense strikes… in response to yesterday’s downing of a US Army Apache helicopter.”

“The mission is a proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression,” CENTCOM said in a statement on X.

Iranian broadcaster Press TV reported that several projectiles struck the strategic island of Qeshm near the narrowest part of the Strait of Hormuz, which hosts a military base and a key oil terminal. Strikes were also reported in other parts of Iran’s southern Hormozgan Province.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces began launching self-defense strikes against Iran at 5 p.m. ET today at the Commander in Chief’s direction, in response to yesterday’s downing of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter. The mission is a proportional response to unjustified Iranian…

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) June 9, 2026

Earlier on Tuesday, CENTCOM said the helicopter had crashed off the coast of Oman while patrolling the area and that its two pilots had been rescued.

Tehran has not directly confirmed the US claim that the helicopter was shot down, with Al Jazeera citing a senior Iranian diplomat as saying “there was no deliberate attack” on the aircraft.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X that US forces operating near Iranian territory “are at constant risk on account of their own human errors, plain accidents, or potentially being caught in crossfire.”

Shortly after the latest US strikes, Araghchi warned that Iran “will leave no attack or threat unanswered.”

“Leave our region if you want to be safe,” he wrote on X.

Despite its defeats on the battlefield, the U.S. opted to test our determination.

Our Powerful Armed Forces will leave no attack or threat unanswered.

Leave our region if you want to be safe.

History of the Persian Gulf has many chapters on dire fates of intruding outsiders. pic.twitter.com/O17GGtklxA

— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) June 9, 2026

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) later said it had targeted the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, as well as a US airbase in Jordan.

The latest escalation comes as Trump again claimed that his administration was close to reaching a deal with Iran and said the US would achieve a “total victory” within days or weeks.

Iran threatened to suspend negotiations last week after Israel carried out airstrikes in Lebanon, where nearly 3,700 people have been killed since the IDF resumed its military operation in response to attacks by Hezbollah. Tehran’s peace terms with the US include the cessation of fighting “on all fronts,” including Lebanon.

Trump has since held several heated phone conversations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, urging him to hold off on further strikes in Lebanon.

The number of armed conflicts underway around the globe reached its highest level since World War II in 2025, according to a study published on Tuesday by the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO).

Researchers found there were 65 state-based conflicts – involving at least one government actor – the highest number since systematic records began in 1946. The report estimates that about 245,000 people were killed in battle-related violence last year, making it one of the deadliest years in recent decades.

“The world today is … far more fragmented,” the researchers said, describing an “unprecedented” number of simultaneous wars fueled by both long-running crises and new outbreaks of large-scale fighting. They cited the escalation of the Ukraine conflict, Israel’s war in Gaza and the civil war in Sudan.

Ukraine should compensate Germany for the 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines, the co-leader of the right-wing party Alternative for Germany (AfD), Alice Weidel, has said.

German investigators have attributed the explosions, which crippled the pipelines built to transport Russian gas to Germany, to a small group of Ukrainian operatives. The alleged ringleader was extradited to Germany from Italy last autumn.

Moscow has repeatedly questioned Berlin’s account of the attack, arguing that such a sophisticated operation could not have been carried out by a handful of divers in NATO-monitored waters without state backing.

Speaking at a party event on Tuesday, Weidel rejected German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s proposal to grant Ukraine associate membership in the European Union, describing the country as a “bottomless pit” that is already heavily reliant on foreign financial assistance.

“Germany has already transferred more than €100 billion to Ukraine over the past four years alone,” she said.

Weidel argued that Kiev should first explain its role in the Nord Stream sabotage.

“The flow of payments should actually be moving in the opposite direction. Ukraine must pay reparations to the Federal Republic of Germany, because we have suffered enormous damage – and so has Europe as a whole – from the loss of cheap Russian fossil fuels,” Weidel added.

The co-leader of the AfD also called for an immediate halt to German military and financial assistance to Ukraine, urging Berlin to focus instead on facilitating negotiations between Kiev and Moscow and restoring dialogue with Russia.

According to several recent opinion polls, the AfD is currently Germany’s most popular political party. An INSA survey published by Bild on Saturday put support for the party at 29%, while 77% of respondents said they were dissatisfied with Chancellor Merz’s performance – the worst rating of his tenure, according to the newspaper.

The long-delayed €100 billion ($116 billion) project to develop a fully European next-generation fighter jet for NATO members has been formally abandoned.

Despite citing the need to counter a perceived threat from Russia and strengthen Europe’s military, France and Germany have failed to overcome years of industrial and political disagreements over a project intended to reduce Europe’s reliance on US-made military hardware.

Was the cancellation of the project a surprise?

Not really. The fate of the Future Combat Air System, or FCAS, had been uncertain for months.

In February, Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken said the project, in which Belgium held observer status, was already “dead.”

SCAF is dood aldus de Duitse bondskanselier @bundeskanzler in deze podcast. Er komt geen Frans-Duits zesde generatie jachtvliegtuig.

België was observator in het programma. We zullen onze positie herbepalen.

Ivm de nucleaire afschrikking begrijp ik echt niet waarom Europese…

— Theo Francken (@FranckenTheo) February 18, 2026

On Monday, media outlets reported that the industrial deadlock surrounding the proposed replacement for France’s Rafale jets, the Eurofighters used by Germany and Spain, and potentially US-made F-35s, had finally ended with the manned fighter component being dropped. Official confirmations soon followed.

“It was an ambitious, large European project that has now shattered against reality,” German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said. “In the end, one must distinguish between head and heart in this matter.”

In other words, FCAS has joined the growing list of European defense initiatives that failed to meet their original expectations.

What was FCAS?

FCAS was launched in 2017 by French President Emmanuel Macron and then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Its stated goal was to deliver a sixth-generation advanced combat aircraft sometime after 2040. At the time, a source at a major European defense firm said the proposed jet would have to “have capabilities to match or exceed that of the F-35” to win over potential buyers and justify the investment.

The aircraft was meant to operate alongside new drones and a “combat cloud” information network. Participants now hope those elements can still be preserved and folded into future national aircraft programs.

“The actual core of FCAS is to be continued as a European system,” a French official told Agence France Presse, suggesting that parts of the project may still produce some return on the money already spent.

Given Macron’s personal role in launching FCAS, the collapse of its central component is being seen as a major setback for his political legacy. According to Handelsblatt, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz informed the French president last week that the fighter jet project had no viable future.

Why did FCAS stall?

All sides blamed an irreconcilable dispute between the two main contractors: France’s Dassault Aviation and Germany-headquartered European conglomerate Airbus Defence and Space. The disagreement centered on workshare and governance.

Both Berlin and Paris insisted that the industrial dispute did not reflect the broader state of relations between the two countries. Macron and Merz invited mediators in March, but those efforts reportedly collapsed the following month, leaving the final decision to their defense ministries.

Why did the contractors quarrel?

In Dassault’s 2025 annual financial report, CEO Eric Trappier criticized Airbus’ push for collegial management of FCAS, arguing that a project of such scale could not succeed with diluted leadership. He said the French company possessed the unique expertise needed to deliver the aircraft.

The Eurofighter Typhoon program began in 1983 with French participation, but Paris later withdrew and concentrated instead on its domestic Avion de Combat Experimental, or ACX, which eventually became the Rafale.

One of the major points of contention with the Eurofighter was incompatible national requirements. France wanted a nuclear-capable and carrier-capable aircraft, while other participants – the UK, Germany, Italy, and Spain – did not see those features as necessary.

That same divide ultimately undermined the FCAS program.

What is the future of European-made NATO jets?

Germany’s fighter jet effort could also involve Sweden’s Saab, the maker of the Gripen fighter jet. Berlin reportedly views the Swedish firm as far easier to work with than Dassault.

Germany needs foreign partners, as it has not independently developed a fighter jet since World War II. The only exception is the experimental EWR VJ 101 vertical takeoff aircraft, which never progressed beyond the prototype stage.

Northern Irish police have arrested a Sudanese asylum seeker over a brutal stabbing attack in Belfast on Monday. Graphic video footage showed locals intervening as the attacker plunged a kitchen knife into his victim’s neck.

The attacker, who is in his 30s, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said on Tuesday. His victim, who is in his 40s, suffered stab wounds to his back, face, and eyes, and has been hospitalized in serious condition.

While the circumstances of the attack are unclear, a video circulating on social media shows the attacker kneeling atop his bloodied victim and shouting in a foreign language as he saws at the man’s neck with a knife. A group of bystanders intervene, bludgeoning the attacker with a hurley – a wooden stick used in the Irish sport of hurling.

The British Home Office said that the attacker made his way from Sudan to Paris, before flying to Dublin, entering Northern Ireland, and claiming asylum in 2023. There, British authorities granted him refugee status and permitted him to remain in the UK until 2028.

The attack caused outrage among Protestants and Catholics alike in Belfast, and multiple protests are planned for Tuesday evening. Politicians and the PSNI have appealed for calm while the case is investigated, and Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn has promised that the suspect will be deported if found guilty.

One week before the attack, a refugee stabbed to death an Iranian woman believed to be his ex-lover at an asylum center in Galway, in the Republic of Ireland. Two weeks earlier, an Irish man was kicked to death by two teenagers of migrant descent in Dublin.

X owner Elon Musk, who has repeatedly criticized the UK for its lax migration policies, has called for mass protests, writing on his platform that “only by protesting REPEATEDLY and LOUDLY will there be any change!!”

Iran has downed a US AH-64 Apache attack helicopter over the Strait of Hormuz, US President Donald Trump has claimed, pledging to retaliate for the incident “of necessity.”

Earlier on Tuesday, the US Central Command said the helicopter “went down” off the coast of Oman while “patrolling regional waters.” The military did not name the cause for the destruction of the aircraft, stating only that its two pilots were rescued around two hours later, and that the incident is under investigation.

Iran has so far kept silent despite its apparent policy of widely publicizing interception of hostile aircraft in repeated run-ins with the US military amid a shaky ceasefire. Trump, however, squarely pinned the blame for the destruction of the helicopter on Tehran, pledging to retaliate. 

“There were two pilots involved, both are safe and uninjured. Nevertheless, the United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack,” Trump wrote on his TruthSocial platform.

Ahead of Trump’s announcement, media reports indicated the US military investigation had not been able to establish whether the destruction of the aircraft was intentional. An unnamed US official told Axios the helicopter collided with an Iranian drone in mid-air. The ensuing rescue operation involved maritime drones for the very first time, CENTCOM spokesman Tim Hawkins told the outlet.

Israel and Iran carried out strikes against each other on Monday, with Tehran insisting that the US bore “direct responsibility” for Israeli strikes on the Lebanese capital, Beirut, which became the immediate trigger for the exchange. Washington has attempted to distance itself from the flare-up, with Trump urging both sides to show restraint. The US leader threatened Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with the withdrawal of military support, telling Axios in a phone interview on Monday that “if [Netanyahu] went back to war with Iran, he might find himself fighting alone.”

Bulgaria’s new government has announced it will halt weapons deliveries to Ukraine, signaling a major policy shift for the NATO and EU member, which has been supplying arms to Kiev since the escalation of the conflict in 2022.

The conflict cannot be resolved on the battlefield, Bulgarian Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov told reporters on Tuesday, arguing that Ukraine’s primary challenge is a shortage of personnel rather than weapons.

“What we are witnessing is a war of attrition, and no matter how much weaponry is amassed, its only result is the loss of human lives,” he said, as quoted by AP.

According to Stoyanov, it is time to sit down at the negotiating table “to seek a just peace that is defined by both sides.”

Ukraine has faced persistent manpower shortages throughout the conflict with Russia despite repeated mobilization drives. Kiev has increasingly relied on compulsory conscription to replenish its ranks amid troop shortages, desertions, and draft evasion. The campaign has been marred by reports of forced recruitment, while thousands of military-age men have left the country to avoid being drafted.

New Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev, whose Progressive Bulgaria party won the April election, has long been a vocal critic of Brussels’ policy on Ukraine. During his tenure as president between 2022 and 2025, Radev opposed Bulgaria’s embargo on Russian energy, blocked a proposal to send armored vehicles to Ukraine, and consistently advocated for a negotiated settlement to the conflict.

The debate over direct engagement with Moscow has gained momentum within the EU in recent weeks. Several European leaders have floated the idea of appointing a senior envoy to engage with Russia amid concerns that the bloc has been sidelined in previous US-led diplomatic initiatives.

The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum has once again emerged not only as Russia’s premier business gathering but also as one of the clearest reflections of the profound changes reshaping the global economy and international politics.

Increasingly, the spotlight at SPIEF falls on the countries of the Global South, whose influence in world affairs continues to expand. This trend is particularly visible in Russia’s engagement with the Arab world. In recent years, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar have each served as the forum’s guest country. This year, that role was entrusted to Saudi Arabia. This underscores both the remarkable progress in Russian-Saudi relations and the Kingdom’s growing importance in global politics, energy markets, and international finance.

Saudi Arabia brought one of the most prominent foreign delegations to the forum. including high-ranking government officials, leaders of sovereign investment funds, executives of major state-owned enterprises, and representatives of the Kingdom’s business community. Among the most notable participants was Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud, who has played a pivotal role in developing energy cooperation between Moscow and Riyadh and is widely regarded as one of the principal architects of the OPEC+ framework.

Economic ties

According to Saudi officials, approximately 30 agreements were signed on the sidelines of the forum, covering areas ranging from energy and investment to education, tourism, and humanitarian cooperation. A few months earlier, during high-level talks in Riyadh, Russian and Saudi representatives reached nearly 90 separate agreements involving government agencies, corporations, and business associations. These figures illustrate the growing depth of bilateral engagement and the increasingly dense network of economic ties connecting the two countries.

The current stage of cooperation carries particular symbolic significance. In 2026, Russia and Saudi Arabia mark one hundred years since the establishment of diplomatic relations. Their relationship dates back to 1926, when the Soviet Union became one of the first countries in the world – and the first non-Arab state – to recognize the newly established Saudi Kingdom under King Abdulaziz Al Saud. For Riyadh, this recognition was of considerable importance at a time when the young state was seeking international legitimacy. A century later, that historical milestone has acquired renewed relevance amid the rapid development of relations between the two nations.

For Russia, participation in these transformative processes offers significant opportunities. Economic ties between the two countries have expanded considerably in recent years. Bilateral trade has approached the $4 billion mark, while Russian exports to the Kingdom continue to grow steadily. Grain, fertilizers, metallurgical products, chemicals, and agricultural goods have become key pillars of trade. Russia is gradually strengthening its position as an important partner in Saudi Arabia’s efforts to enhance food security.

Energy, however, remains the cornerstone of the relationship. Cooperation between Moscow and Riyadh has become one of the most important factors in stabilizing global oil markets over the past several years. Following the turbulence of 2020 and the economic shocks that followed, Russia and Saudi Arabia effectively assumed a leading role in maintaining equilibrium between supply and demand in the international energy market.

Both countries remain among the world’s largest oil producers. According to OPEC data, Russia produced an average of 9.129 million barrels of oil per day in 2025, compared with 9.197 million barrels per day the previous year. Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, increased production from 8.978 million barrels per day in 2024 to 9.472 million barrels in 2025. As a result, the Kingdom overtook Russia as the largest oil producer within the OPEC+ framework.

Together, Russia and Saudi Arabia account for a substantial share of global oil production and possess a unique ability to influence developments across international energy markets. Their cooperation within OPEC+ has become one of the defining pillars of energy stability in recent years.

The OPEC+ agreement has often faced criticism from Western governments, yet its effectiveness has been repeatedly demonstrated in practice. Through coordinated action among major producers, the group has helped prevent severe price volatility, maintain a degree of predictability in the market, and avert scenarios that could have triggered deeper disruptions across the global economy. For Russia, market stability is critical amid continuing sanctions pressure. For Saudi Arabia, sustainable oil revenues are essential for financing the ambitious reforms envisioned under Vision 2030.

At the same time, bilateral cooperation extends beyond crude oil. Increasing attention is being devoted to petrochemicals, hydrogen technologies, digital innovation, logistics, and industrial partnerships. Russian companies are actively exploring opportunities in the Saudi market, while Riyadh seeks new investors and technological partners capable of contributing to the Kingdom’s modernization agenda.

Saudi Arabia has shown particular interest in Russian expertise in nuclear energy, information technology, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, agriculture, and advanced engineering solutions. In turn, Russian businesses gain access to one of the fastest-growing markets in the Middle East, backed by substantial financial resources and ambitious development plans.

Humanitarian cooperation is also increasing. Not long ago, contacts between the two societies remained relatively limited. Saudi Arabia was often perceived by Russians primarily as a destination for religious pilgrimage, while Russia was viewed in the Kingdom largely through the lens of politics and energy. Today, that picture is changing rapidly. Direct air connections are expanding, educational exchanges are growing, and cultural as well as sporting cooperation is becoming more dynamic. Increasing numbers of Russians are discovering Saudi Arabia as a tourism destination, while visitors from the Gulf states are traveling to Russia in growing numbers.

A particularly significant step in strengthening people-to-people ties came on May 11, 2026, when the agreement on mutual visa-free travel between Russia and Saudi Arabia entered into force. Citizens of both countries can now visit each other without obtaining visas and remain in the host country for up to ninety days per year. It’s a genuinely historic achievement for Russian-Saudi relations. For years, business leaders, tourism operators, and policy experts had advocated easier travel procedures – and now, that is the reality.

Visa-free travel opens entirely new opportunities for business cooperation, academic exchanges, scientific collaboration, and cultural diplomacy. Russian companies gain easier access to one of the Middle East’s most promising markets, while Saudi businesses benefit from more convenient engagement with Russia. Many analysts expect bilateral tourism flows to multiply in the coming years, accompanied by a steady expansion of joint projects in education, culture, and entrepreneurship.

The agreement was concluded on the eve of the centenary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, serving as a powerful symbol of mutual trust and demonstrating that bilateral relations are increasingly rooted not only in politics and energy but also in direct interaction between people.

Saudi Arabia’s political importance for Russia is difficult to overstate. The Kingdom remains the leading power of the Arab world and one of the principal centers of Islamic civilization. It is home to Mecca and Medina, two of Islam’s holiest cities. Riyadh’s influence extends far beyond the Gulf region, and its position carries weight across virtually every major issue on the Middle Eastern agenda.

Russian and Saudi views converge on many international issues. Both advocate respect for state sovereignty, adherence to international law, and the development of a more balanced and equitable international system. Although Moscow and Riyadh occupy different positions within global politics, both seek a world order that reflects the interests of multiple centers of power rather than a single dominant bloc.

Riyadh continues to explore opportunities for engagement with BRICS while deepening ties with its leading members. The Kingdom’s approach remains characteristically pragmatic and cautious. Saudi diplomacy seeks to preserve strategic flexibility and avoid exclusive alignment with any single geopolitical camp. Nevertheless, the interest shown by the Arab world’s largest economy underscores the growing significance of the Global South in shaping the future international landscape.

Stability above all

Saudi Arabia’s position on regional security is equally noteworthy. Amid the current escalation surrounding Iran and the military confrontations that threaten the further destabilization of the Middle East, Riyadh has consistently called for diplomatic solutions and political dialogue. Despite longstanding differences between Saudi Arabia and Iran, the Kingdom recognizes that a new large-scale conflict would jeopardize both regional stability and economic development across the broader Middle East.

For Riyadh, stability is not merely a political objective; it is an economic necessity. The success of Vision 2030 depends on long-term predictability, foreign investment, and a favorable international environment. This reality explains why Saudi diplomacy has increasingly emphasized mediation, dialogue, and compromise. In many respects, this approach aligns with Russia’s own preference for political and diplomatic solutions to regional crises.

The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum is about far more than the participation of a large foreign delegation or the signing of another package of agreements. It reflects the remarkable evolution of Russian-Saudi relations over recent years. Energy, investment, trade, technology, education, tourism, and humanitarian cooperation have together created a solid foundation for deeper engagement between the two countries.

A century ago, Moscow was among the first capitals to recognize the young Saudi state. Today, Russia and Saudi Arabia approach the centenary of diplomatic relations as influential actors in an increasingly multipolar world. The Kingdom’s role as the leading Arab guest at SPIEF reflects concrete projects, multi-billion-dollar investment plans, joint efforts to stabilize global energy markets, and a shared determination to build relations based on mutual respect, pragmatism, and long-term strategic vision.

Israel has struck the historic city of Tyre in Lebanon, targeting the Christian quarter for the first time after ordering a partial evacuation. The attack has heightened local concerns over the fate of the city’s revered Biblical heritage sites.

According to Reuters, eight people were killed in a single strike on Tyre’s eastern edge on Tuesday.

The Christian quarter, located in the city’s northwest, had been excluded from previous Israeli warnings and had sheltered people displaced from elsewhere.

The Israeli military issued the blanket evacuation order after claiming that Hezbollah militants were hiding in the quarter, a claim disputed by its residents, local officials, and the Lebanese army.

One of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited cities and a UNESCO World Heritage site, Tyre is mentioned repeatedly in both the Old and New Testaments. It was a major center of the ancient Phoenician kingdom, which supplied materials for the construction of Solomon’s Temple, believed to have stood on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, the site of the Al-Aqsa compound, one of Islam’s holiest sites.

Last month, Israel issued an expropriation order covering the village of Nabi Samwil in the occupied West Bank, home to what is believed to be the tomb of the Prophet Samuel, a figure revered in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Palestinian officials and religious leaders have condemned the move as an attempt to erase Muslim heritage and strengthen Israeli control over contested holy sites.

Watch RT’s Charlotte Dubenskij report from Nabi Samwil below.

The US and World Cup organizers have withdrawn Iran’s allocation of fan tickets just days before the tournament is set to begin, the country’s football federation has said.
The last-minute decision has left thousands of Iranian supporters who had already made travel arrangements unable to attend their team’s matches.

The World Cup kicks off on Thursday, with Iran set to face New Zealand and Belgium in their opening two Group G matches in Los Angeles on June 15 and June 21 respectively, before taking on Egypt in Seattle on June 26.

“The United States has once again acted to obstruct the presence of Iranian supporters at the stadiums hosting the national team’s three group stage matches,” the Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI) said in a statement on Tuesday.

The federation said its ticket allocation had been withdrawn in an “unexpected move,” leaving it unable to provide “even a single ticket” to supporters of the national team.

FFIRI described the decision as “contrary to the spirit governing international competitions and the principle of equality among participating countries.” It added that the move raised “serious questions about the interference of non-sporting and political considerations” in the organization of the World Cup.

Iran’s federation called on FIFA and tournament organizers “to uphold the principles of neutrality, fairness, and established regulations” and to ensure Iranian supporters could attend the matches.

Tehran has said visa issues had prevented around 15 administrative and management staff in its delegation from entering the US, while Iran’s team was forced to abandon plans to base its World Cup training camp in Tucson, Arizona, and instead set up in the Mexican border city of Tijuana.

All Iranian players were granted US visas last week, 10 days before their World Cup opener, although several members of the delegation’s support staff were still denied entry. An unnamed US official told Reuters last week that Washington had issued “the visas necessary for Iran to compete in the World Cup.”

The US Department of War has added dozens of Chinese companies, including tech giant Alibaba, search engine Baidu, and electric vehicle maker BYD, to a blacklist of entities it claims are aiding Beijing’s military.

China has condemned the move, accusing Washington of targeting Chinese businesses.

The Pentagon’s so-called 1260H list, updated on Monday, includes 188 Chinese firms, up from around 130 last year. The list identifies companies that Washington claims are linked or contribute to the Chinese military under Beijing’s “military-civil fusion” strategy.

The designation does not impose full sanctions, but bars listed firms from future US defense contracts and is widely seen as a warning to investors and American companies.

Direct Pentagon contracts with listed firms are set to be prohibited later this month, while restrictions on buying their products or services through third parties are due to take effect in 2027, Reuters reported.

Beijing condemned the decision on Tuesday, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian saying China “firmly opposes” the US “overstretching the concept of national security” and using “discriminatory lists” to target Chinese businesses.

China has repeatedly accused the US of using national security claims to contain its economic rise and undermine its leading companies.

Several of the targeted firms have also rejected the designation. Alibaba, China’s largest e-commerce company, said there was “no basis” for including it on the list, insisting it is “not a Chinese military company nor part of any military-civil fusion strategy.”

Baidu called the accusation “entirely baseless,” while BYD said it firmly opposed being labeled a military company and would use legal means to defend its interests.

The updated list comes less than a month after US President Donald Trump met Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing for talks aimed at managing tensions between the world’s two largest economies. The summit produced no major breakthrough, but both sides agreed to continue dialogue and manage disputes over trade, technology, and security.

US President Donald Trump has confirmed media reports of a US Army Apache attack helicopter going down near the Strait of Hormuz amid Washington’s efforts to curb oil shipments by Iran.

The Apache choppers are one of the key aircraft used by the US military to enforce the blockade of Iranian ports, which had been imposed by Washington to pressure Tehran into agreeing a peace deal and restoring traffic through the strait. The key waterway, which the Iranians control, accounts for some 20% of the global crude oil trade.

“The pilots are fine, nobody injured,” Trump told journalists when asked about the incident on his way back from the third game of the NBA finals in New York late on Monday.

The Apache, which has been in service since the mid-1970s, is usually operated by two airmen.

The New York Times first reported the crash earlier on Monday. The newspaper did not say whether the helicopter had been brought down by hostile fire or suffered a technical malfunction.

In early April, Washington confirmed that two MC-130J Hercules transport planes, four MH-6 Little Bird helicopters, an A-10 Thunderbolt and an MQ-9 Reaper drone had been destroyed during an operation to recover the pilot of an F-15E Strike Eagle that had been downed by Iranian forces. Iranian officials have, at various points during the conflict, claimed that additional US aircraft were shot down, but many of those assertions have not been acknowledged by Washington.

Israel and Iran carried out strikes against each other on Monday in the worst escalation since the start of the April ceasefire between Washington and Tehran. The Iranian authorities claimed that the US bore “direct responsibility” for Israeli strikes on the Lebanese capital, Beirut, which triggered the exchange.

Despite those developments, Trump claimed that “we’re very close to having a very, very good, strong, powerful deal” with Iran that could be signed in “two or three days.” 

Tehran has rejected American demands to give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, while insisting on sanctions relief, the unfreezing of its assets, and an end to Israeli military operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon even before a final agreement is reached.

The US will declare “total victory” over Iran within two weeks, President Donald Trump has said, claiming Tehran was “willing to give us everything.”

Trump made the remark on Monday, hours after Iran and Israel agreed to halt their most intense fighting since an April ceasefire. Earlier that day, Iran declared an end to its attacks on Israel but warned it would respond with “crushing” force if Israeli military operations in Lebanon continued.

“We’ve been a very tough team, and I think we are winning that battle, but you’re really going to win it over the next two weeks when we declare total victory,” Trump stated during a tele-rally for Republican Senator Lindsey Graham.

“It’ll be a total victory, it will happen very soon, and oil prices will come tumbling down,” he added.

According to Trump, Iranian officials are seeking a “very good deal” and are prepared to give the US “everything,” including a pledge not to pursue a nuclear weapon.

Trump’s latest prediction is far from his first. Since announcing an Iran ceasefire in April and declaring the sides were “very far along” toward an agreement, the US president has repeatedly insisted a deal was imminent. Over the past two months, Trump has said or suggested at least 37 times that a breakthrough was near or that Tehran was eager to strike an accord, according to CNN estimates, yet no deal has materialized.

The Iran conflict has also featured in discussions between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

During an April phone call, Putin backed Trump’s decision to extend the ceasefire with Iran, saying it could create an opportunity for negotiations and help stabilize the Middle East.

Putin also warned of “inevitable, extremely harmful consequences” not only for Iran and its neighbors but for the wider international community if the US and Israel resumed military action. A ground operation inside Iran would be “unacceptable and dangerous,” he added.

Vladimir Zelensky has criticized British political party Reform UK for removing Ukrainian flags from public buildings in Britain, warning that such actions can ruin a “big friendship.”

The Ukrainian leader made the comments in an interview with The Guardian during a visit to London on Sunday, where he met Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Asked about the decision by Reform-controlled councils – 24 out of over 350 in the UK – to remove foreign symbols outside British public buildings in the UK, including the Ukrainian flag, Zelensky urged the party to “put it back.”

“Sometimes little, small mistakes can break a big friendship or huge contacts,” Zelensky warned.

A Reform spokesman has defended the decision, telling GB News that it was “entirely reasonable” to support Ukrainians while also believing that only domestic flags should be flown from public buildings in Britain.

Nigel Farage’s party has insisted that only the St. George’s and Union Flags should be flown outside buildings it controls, noting that displaying foreign flags amounts to nothing more than “virtue signalling,” and that British lawmakers should instead focus on improving life in the UK.

Under Reform there will be no foreign flags flown above our public buildings.

Your reaction to this only demonstrates why you lost in the first place. https://t.co/mi8Je2WF24

— Nigel Farage MP (@Nigel_Farage) May 16, 2026

In his interview, however, Zelensky insisted that continued financial support for Ukraine is “in the interests of the UK,” claiming that it contributes to “security in Europe.”

During the same interview, Zelensky also revealed that he had pressed UK Prime Minister Starmer over the frozen proceeds from Russian tycoon Roman Abramovich’s £2.4 billion ($3.2 billion) sale of Chelsea FC. Zelensky insisted that the money, which London had earmarked for humanitarian purposes in Ukraine, should be handed over to Kiev, which would use it to buy anti-ballistic missiles from the US.

The funds remain in limbo amid a long-running dispute over how they should be used. Abramovich, who was sanctioned by London in 2022, has reportedly sought to direct the proceeds toward victims of the conflict on both sides.

Moscow has repeatedly condemned Western military and financial support for Ukraine, arguing that it only prolongs the conflict. Russian officials have singled out London as one of Kiev’s key backers, accusing the UK of pushing for more weapons, sanctions, and aid while obstructing efforts to reach a settlement.

US President Donald Trump threatened to withdraw support for Israel during a tense phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Axios has reported.

Trump has held several heated phone conversations with the Israeli prime minister since Iran announced last week that it was suspending talks with the US over repeated Israeli strikes in Lebanon.

Iran’s conditions for a peace agreement include the cessation of hostilities on “all fronts,” including Lebanon, where nearly 3,700 people have been killed since early March, when Israel resumed strikes in response to attacks by Hezbollah.

Israel and Iran exchanged strikes on Sunday and Monday for the first time since a ceasefire was reached in April, following an Israeli strike in Beirut.

BBC North America editor Sarah Smith said Trump told her by phone on Monday that he had urged the Israeli leader to “use common sense,” adding that he was “very close to signing a very powerful deal” with Iran.

Multiple reports said Trump tried to persuade Netanyahu not to retaliate after Iran launched 11 missiles, all of which were intercepted. According to Smith, Trump said Netanyahu told him that Israeli missiles “were already on the way” by the time they spoke.

“They are neither committed to a ceasefire nor believe in dialogue,” he wrote on X on Sunday.

Iran has accused the US president of starting the war entirely at Israel’s behest, echoing some of Trump’s domestic critics. Trump, however, has argued that he “calls the shots” and recently said that Israel would have no choice but to accept whatever terms he agreed upon with Iran.

The International Criminal Court has suspended its chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, pending further proceedings over allegations of sexual misconduct.

In a statement on Monday, The Hague-based court said Khan had been suspended with immediate effect pending a final decision by the Assembly of States Parties.

The court said the decision was based on a report by the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), the underlying evidence, written submissions, and advice from an ad hoc panel of experts.

While the court said related documents would remain confidential, Reuters, citing a diplomatic source, reported that the bureau of the ICC’s executive body had ruled that Khan committed “serious misconduct” and recommended removing him from office. He had already taken voluntary leave last year.

The allegations first emerged in 2024, when AP reported that Khan was accused of coercing a female aide into a sexual relationship. Khan has denied any wrongdoing. 

According to the New York Times, UN investigators found evidence that Khan had engaged in “non-consensual sexual contact” with a staff member, but judges initially ruled that the findings did not meet the “beyond a reasonable doubt” standard. The investigation reportedly continued in April, with both sides allowed to submit additional evidence.

In March 2023, the ICC issued warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and the country’s top children’s rights official, Maria Lvova-Belova, on charges of the “unlawful transfer” of children from Ukraine. Russia rejected the allegations, saying it had evacuated children from a war zone and reunited them with their families whenever documentation was available.

In November 2024, the court issued warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes in Gaza. Netanyahu dismissed the warrants as “absurd and false.”

Last year, the US imposed sanctions on Khan over his role in authorizing an investigation into the conduct of American troops in Afghanistan and issuing what Washington described as “baseless” arrest warrants for Israeli officials.

Award-winning football referee Omar Artan, the first Somali national to officiate at a FIFA World Cup finals tournament, has been denied entry to the US.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the US, Mexico, and Canada, has faced scrutiny well before kickoff over a range of organizational concerns, including shifting US entry policies and strict regulations that have led to lengthy match suspensions due to weather alerts and other disruptions.

The latest controversy emerged on Monday when Artan was refused entry and turned away at Miami International Airport despite holding a valid US visa. The Somali referee was forced to return to Istanbul, Türkiye, where he has been based, according to Ciise Aden Abshir, a senior adviser to Somalia’s Ministry of Youth and Sports and a former national team captain.

“Omar Artan is among Africa’s most respected referees and deserves the support of the entire football community,” Abshir told AFP. “Denying him entry to the United States and preventing him from officiating scheduled matches harms not only him personally but also undermines football’s commitment to fairness, merit, and the spirit of fair play,” he added.

“FIFA is not involved in host-country immigration processes, including visa adjudications, and has been informed by the authorities that Mr. Artan’s status will not be changed at this time,” a spokesperson for world football’s governing body told AFP.

No clear reason was immediately known for denying entry for the referee, who became the first Somali national to be picked for the World Cup finals. The decision is likely related to the Trump administration’s broad ban on immigration and visa processing imposed on Somali nationals.

The US has taken other hostile steps against the African nation, moving early this year to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for people originating from the country.

In a separate incident, the national team of Senegal was subjected to extensive searching on the runway immediately after they exited their plane. Footage circulating online shows the team’s members being patted down by law enforcement officials and checked with metal detectors. Senegal is another African nation that is on Trump’s travel ban list as well.

Over the weekend, an apparent abrupt policy change in US entry rules affected dozens of Scottish fans days before the start of the tournament, where the Scottish national team will make an appearance for the first time in nearly three decades. Multiple fans found their applications to the US Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) abruptly switching from “approved” to “pending” or “travel not authorized.” An approved ESTA is usually valid for two years and allows multiple entries, while UK nationals are allowed to stay in the US for up to 90 days without a visa.

The current debate in Canada over Indigenous rights, language revitalization, and the restoration of original place names, especially in British Columbia, is deeply rooted in historical truth, constitutional reality, and the lived experience of Indigenous peoples who have survived centuries of systemic efforts to erase our presence.

Over 95% of British Columbia remains unceded territory, land that was never surrendered through treaty. When British Columbia joined Canada in 1871, the provincial government refused to recognize Aboriginal Title or negotiate treaties across most of the province. This is a historical and constitutional fact.

After devastating epidemics of smallpox and other European diseases swept through our communities, colonial governments concluded that Indigenous peoples had been so weakened that we could no longer mount effective resistance.

They believed we were a vanishing race. It was this assumption that led them to seize vast territories by force of arms, without treaties or consent. This was not a lawful process. It was an illegal occupation of sovereign Indigenous lands, enforced by police and military power.

The recent formal recognition of Haida Aboriginal Title across all of Haida Gwaii, 10,180 square kilometers, by British Columbia and Canada stands as powerful confirmation of what Indigenous peoples have always maintained: Our Indigenous titles were never lawfully extinguished, and where we made treaties, they have been broken.

For instance, the Nuxalk Nation on British Columbia’s central coast saw its population collapse from over 30,000 to around 300. The Tsleil-Waututh Nation near Vancouver was reduced from over 10,000 to fewer than 20 people.

In the Arctic, the Canadian government slaughtered the sled dogs of the Inuit, forcibly relocated families from their traditional territories, and confined them to permanent settlements.

This deliberate destruction of their self-sufficient way of life continues to echo today. The Inuit of Nunavut suffer the second-highest suicide rates in the world, surpassed only by the Inuit of Greenland, with rates approximately ten times the Canadian national average, accompanied by devastating levels of alcohol and drug abuse.

Before colonization, our societies had no alcohol, no drugs, no locked doors, and no prisons. We lived in relative peace and harmony, especially compared to the endless wars raging across much of the rest of the world at the time.

The arrival of colonization introduced cultural genocide, a systematic attempt to destroy our languages, spiritual practices, governance systems, and ways of life.

The church-operated, Canada-funded residential school system formed a central part of this assault. For over a century, more than 150,000 Indigenous children were forcibly removed from their families and communities.

The discovery of over 200 unmarked graves at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in 2021, followed by almost 3,000 suspected unmarked graves yet to be excavated at other former school sites across Canada, has forced Canada, as well as the Catholic, Anglican, and United Church of Christ, to confront the true horror of what took place at their hands.

The intergenerational trauma created by these continues to devastate our communities to this day. Indigenous women and girls are vastly overrepresented among Canada’s missing and murdered women. Indigenous people make up around 5% of Canada’s population, yet account for one-third of all adults incarcerated in Canadian prisons.

This is the predictable result of generations of deliberate cultural annihilation.

The return of some original sacred place names has sparked discomfort among some Canadians. Yet it is rarely mentioned that the vast majority of place names in British Columbia were imposed by the colonial authorities to honor British royalty and colonial officials.

British Columbia itself, Vancouver Island, the former Queen Charlotte Islands, the provincial capital of Victoria, and countless cities, rivers, and mountains across the province all bear names given by colonial power.

For Indigenous peoples, restoring sacred, original Indigenous place names is not an attack on Canada. It is a modest but meaningful step toward correcting a long history of cultural erasure and genocide.

For Indigenous peoples, however, DRIPA represents a long-overdue commitment by the province to align its laws with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). Canada has endorsed UNDRIP, as have nearly all 193 United Nations member states.

Canada signed 70 historic treaties with Indigenous nations. Like its southern neighbor, which signed and subsequently broke over 370 treaties, Canada has repeatedly failed to honor its own treaty commitments and obligations.

Despite this painful history, Indigenous peoples across Canada and the Americas are rising. We are reclaiming our languages, revitalizing our cultures, reasserting our laws, and stepping forward once again as the rightful caretakers of these lands and waters. This resurgence is not about domination or revenge. It is about healing, justice, reconciliation, and restoring balance.

Reconciliation cannot be built on contempt, sarcasm, or denial of history. It must be grounded in truth, humility, and mutual respect. Indigenous rights are not privileges handed down by the state. Indigenous rights flow from our original, unsurrendered sovereignty and our sacred responsibilities to these lands and waters that have sustained us since time immemorial.

We can and should have honest disagreements about policy and implementation. But we cannot build a shared and truthful future by minimizing or mocking the suffering of the Indigenous Peoples of Canada and the Americas.

Several thousand demonstrators took to the streets of Berlin on Monday, calling for the resignation of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

The rally drew participants from across Germany, many of whom traveled to the capital in organized car convoys, according to local media. Organizers said they registered 10,000 attendees, while Berlin police estimated the crowd at around 4,000.

Demonstrators marched with German flags and carried placards bearing slogans such as “Not my chancellor” and “Merz must go.”

Local authorities said the protest remained peaceful and concluded without incident.

The rally was organized by the non-partisan group Project M1llion, which says it brings together a broad coalition of disaffected Germans, including farmers, tradespeople, business owners, logistics workers, laborers, pensioners, and mothers – “all the people who realize that something is terribly wrong here.”

On its website, the movement promotes an 11-point platform that includes the “resignation of the current federal government and immediate new elections.” It also calls for an end to financial support for “any kind of warring party.”

While Ukraine is not mentioned by name in the platform, Germany has provided Kiev with billions of euros in military and financial aid since the escalation of the conflict with Russia in 2022.

Public discontent with Merz appears to be deepening. An INSA poll published by Bild on Saturday found that 77% of Germans are dissatisfied with the chancellor’s performance – the worst rating of his tenure, according to the newspaper. His coalition government with the Social Democratic Party is viewed similarly negatively, with 78% of respondents expressing dissatisfaction.

The survey suggests the frustration extends beyond the opposition, with many CDU/CSU and SPD supporters also unhappy with the government’s performance.

“A government that can’t even convince its remaining voters is doomed to fail. The level of dissatisfaction far exceeds what is typical in the second year of a new federal government’s term,” INSA head Hermann Binkert told Bild.

NATO has launched a new experimental unit to test assorted unmanned systems in the Arctic, as the US-led bloc continues to increase its military presence in the region.

The bloc has consistently cited an alleged Russian threat to justify its Arctic buildup. Moscow has rejected the claims, arguing that the region’s militarization has been driven by NATO’s own actions and pledging to respond accordingly to activity in the Arctic, where Russia controls more than half of the coastline.

The latest NATO initiative was unveiled over the weekend as the research vessel Alliance departed La Spezia, Italy, launching Task Force X-Arctic (TFX-Arctic). The experimental unit is set to operate through 2026 and into next year, with the stated aim of demonstrating how uncrewed systems can provide persistent multi-domain situational awareness across the North Atlantic, the Arctic, and the High North. The deployment builds on experience gained from a similar task force launched in the Baltic Sea last year.

The announcement comes amid NATO’s major BALTOPS 26 drills currently underway in the Baltics. The purported need to “deter Russian threats” was openly named among the goals of the 55th installment of the exercise, which involves around 6,000 personnel from 15 NATO nations. This year, the exercise is being led for the first time by an in-house command-and-control structure, Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum, headquartered in the Netherlands, rather than being helmed by the US.

Last week, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova suggested the “insane myths about the Russian threat” in the Arctic and elsewhere have been drummed up by the leaders of NATO members to explain to their populations “why they must spend even more on militarization and allocate additional funds to address imaginary problems rather than real challenges and threats related to resolving economic and social problems.”

French prosecutors have been ordered to review all ongoing complaints involving violence against minors after the murder of an 11-year-old girl exposed major failures in the justice system.

Last week, police discovered the body of a girl named Lyhanna in an abandoned grain silo in southwestern France shortly after she disappeared near Fleurance. Authorities have since arrested 41-year-old Jerome B., whose daughter went to the same school as Lyhanna, as the primary suspect.

The case has sparked nationwide outrage after it emerged that Jerome B. had faced multiple allegations of sexual violence, including against minors, but was never convicted, with the cases either dropped, dismissed, or left unresolved.

Following public anger, French Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin announced on Monday that prosecutors have been given until July 14 to examine all 70,000 ongoing formal complaints involving child victims, designating it as an “absolute priority.”

Darmanin has described the case as a “terrible failure” by the state and the justice system, saying in a public apology on Friday that the judiciary had failed Lyhanna’s family and promising an inspection report within 15 days.

French President Emmanuel Macron has also condemned what he called “unacceptable” lapses in the justice system and asked the government to determine what went wrong.

Around 6,000 people joined a silent march in Lyhanna’s hometown of Fleurance on Sunday, while child protection and feminist groups have called for demonstrations outside courts and the Justice Ministry, with some critics calling for Darmanin’s resignation.

Officials, however, have urged against making the judiciary the sole scapegoat for broader institutional failures. Frederic Chevallier, president of France’s National Conference of Public Prosecutors, pointed to chronic staffing problems, noting that the country has roughly three prosecutors per 100,000 inhabitants.

According to the French Interior Ministry, minors accounted for nearly 58% of all sexual violence victims recorded last year.

The world is likely to face further global shocks in the foreseeable future, with no respite in sight, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva has warned.

Appearing on Bloomberg’s podcast ‘Leaders with Francine Lacqua’ on Monday, Georgieva expressed concern that “we are not completely internalizing yet that this is how the world is going to be.”

“We are not going to get to a place where shocks are gone,” she added.

The IMF chief said, “we collectively did not appreciate the backlash against globalization.” She noted that communities around the world have been “hollowed out because their jobs disappeared and there was not enough attention to them,” warning that the rapid introduction of AI into business and production processes could exacerbate these trends.

In its World Economic Outlook released in mid-April, the IMF downgraded its global growth forecast for 2026 from the previous projection of 3.4% to 3.1%, citing the steep rise in oil prices caused by the US-Israeli war against Iran.

By contrast, the forecast for Russia saw an upward revision of 0.3 percentage points compared to the IMF’s January estimate.

The US-Israeli war against Iran and the country’s retaliatory strikes across the Middle East sent global oil prices sharply higher. Hostilities in the region have disrupted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global oil and gas supplies.

Faced with rising energy prices, officials across the EU have suggested restoring energy ties with Russia. Brussels, however, has refused to walk back its plan to completely phase out Russian fossil fuels by 2027.

Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev predicted last month that the EU and UK would be deluged by the “energy crisis tsunami.”

There’s an old treaty that, if you have signed up to it, says that you can’t spread nuclear weapons. So, if you don’t have any nukes and you sign the treaty, you can’t get any. Simple as that. You’d think.

But leave it to the West, with all its ‘values’ and ‘rules-based order’ to, you know, not really break the rules. Just bend them a little. Bend them so much, in fact, that just breaking them would be more honest and less embarrassing.

The agreement we are talking about is, of course, the 1968  Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), according to the International Atomic Energy Agency “the centerpiece” – no less – of much that is good, beautiful, and eminently reasonable. Namely “global efforts to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, to promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and to further the goal of nuclear disarmament and general and complete disarmament.” Germany, for instance, is a long-standing signatory.

And yet, Germany and five other NPT signatories who belong to America’s NATO client system have nuclear gravity bombs on their (formally, at least) sovereign territory, and their air forces stand ready to carry them to targets which would be – surprise, surprise – in Russia. The little piece of shyster-level legal sophistry used to cover for this obvious breach of the Non-Proliferation Treaty is called – wait for it – “Nuclear Sharing.” Sweet, isn’t it? The world – or, perhaps, just Europe – may end in a man-made big bang of fire and fallout, but, as they say in kindergarten ‘sharing is caring.’

By the way, it is obvious – and would have been to men such as Clausewitz, York (both with some serious delay, admittedly), or Bismarck – that, for instance, German officers worth their salt would have to prepare secret emergency plans for rapidly seizing those nuclear weapons on German territory from our American ‘allies.’ Without bloodshed, if possible; or with, if necessary.

But back to the specific arrangements adding up to this great sharing in anticipated self-annihilation. They are quite complicated; this is modern life, after all. If we go, we go with a bang and a lot of bureaucracy. But their essence is simple: You, sort-of-sovereign country X (say, Germany), station US nukes on your territory, which inevitably makes you a target for retaliation in (nuclear) kind. But while you are making yourself a target, those nukes remain under the full control of Washington (so much for that sovereignty).

Guarded by American troops – whose real mission is, of course, to keep the compliant clients from laying their grubby hands on them – these nukes sit ready for American orders to be used. Yes, formally, there’s some mumbo-jumbo about a ‘dual key,’ but everyone not badly dropped on their head when in their nappies knows that’s BS. As a French officer has just confirmed to Le Figaro, France’s conservative paper of record, in reality, “there’s only one key” and – as in every decent organized-crime outfit – only one man will decide: the US president.

Then, in case the American capo di tutti capi gives his end-of-days order, you, country X, will have the privilege to take these American nukes to Russia. Once your – not American – planes drop American nukes on Russian troop concentrations and bases or, say, Kaliningrad or St. Petersburg, just sit tight and wait for the response. It would come, even if it were the last thing they ever did. Because that’s the way the world works. Also, they have told us so.

With things set up so neatly to cheat the NPT, you would think that everybody is hunky-dory, as that old mafiosi Tony Soprano would have said. Yet far from it. In reality, the US is loudly considering expanding the “nuclear sharing” scheme, and several European states – including some for whom mere SNOWCAT-ing clearly is just not good enough – seem eager to get their own local pile of US nukes.

At the same time, as everyone acknowledges frankly, these fresh nukes for Europe are supposed to make up for Washington withdrawing its conventional forces from the old continent. What a message: “Dear Euro vassals, we won’t stay around to fight and die with you, but we are happy to make more of you bases and delivery boys for our nukes. Hope you feel safer now. (Oh, and also, we’d love to sell you more of our overpriced F-35s, US kill switches included, that you’ll need for your bombing runs against Russia when we whistle. Deal?)"

In a normal world – or to be precise, a normal Europe – the answer to such American generosity would have to be a resounding ‘f*ck off’ (in plain American English). But Europe’s elites are not sane and so Europe is very far from normal. There seems to be a real eagerness to keep doing what America wants, European interests be damned.

That’s why the so-called ‘NATO 3.0’ project associated in particular with ‘brain-of-the-Pentagon’ Elbridge Colby is likely to proceed just fine. Its essence is simple: Fewer US troops, key capacities, and conventional arms for Europe, so that Washington can shift its weight against China. Apart from the grandly strategic, there’s the personal: That Colby’s father, while working for the CIA, helped lose the Vietnam War may play a role in shaping his son’s priorities.

Russia, if things ever went that far, is extremely unlikely to play along with this NATO 3.0 strategy, obviously. On the contrary, once US nukes land on its troops, bases, and cities, whether launched from and through European vassals or the American mainland, Moscow is likely to hit back at both.

Yet the real mystery here is not how Washington has arrived at adopting such a transparently fragile strategy. Looked at from the big, group-think blob on the Potomac, it may appear worth a try. What is truly baffling is why anyone in Europe would agree. The catastrophic disadvantages are just too obvious. Painting more targets on Europe’s back, distributing nuclear weapons further east when NATO’s eastward expansion is precisely what caused the Ukraine War, sending yet another antagonizing signal to China that Europe is straining to do what it can just to help the US pressure Beijing, and, last but not least, setting Europe up for a large-scale re-run of what the West has just done to Ukraine: a devastating proxy war.

Europe does not need even more “nuclear sharing” with the unreliable, irrational, and aggressive US. It needs decoupling from its abusive and exploitative masters in Washington. If its leaders wish to share, how about doing some hard thinking about the economic and security interests their countries clearly share with both Russia and China? But then, Europe’s leaders don’t think. And when they do, then not on behalf of their own peoples. What a shared misery.

Bangladesh has lauded the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, built with Russian support, as a “monument to cooperation” between the two countries.

At a meeting in Moscow on Monday, Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman and his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, also discussed steps to strengthen cooperation between the two countries.

The Russian-backed $12.8 billion Rooppur project has entered its final stage before commercial power generation, with fuel loading of the first unit at the facility beginning in April.

Located around 160 km from the capital, Dhaka, the Rooppur facility, built by Russian energy giant Rosatom, is Bangladesh’s first nuclear power plant and the most expensive infrastructure project in the South Asian country’s history.

Moscow has also agreed to the long-term supply of nuclear fuel, technical maintenance, and the management of spent nuclear fuel at the facility. Bangladesh relies on imports for roughly 95% of its energy needs.

Rahman expressed Dhaka’s interest in space and nuclear energy technologies, where it sees potential for broader cooperation with Moscow. “Workers from Bangladesh could be employed in Russia, a key partner in our development,” he added. 

Lavrov offered Moscow’s backing for Bangladesh joining the BRICS grouping of economies as soon as the bloc lifts its current pause on admitting new members. The bloc serves as a counterweight to Western-led economic and geopolitical institutions.

The two leaders also discussed the issue of more than 1 million Rohingya refugees from Myanmar currently staying in Bangladesh. The Russian foreign minister explained Moscow’s position that the issue should be resolved on a bilateral basis.

“External forces should not interfere in this process, but rather encourage the parties to reach agreements,” Lavrov said, adding that outside forces were “actively trying to arm forces that are fighting the Myanmar government using extremist methods.”

India’s anti-terror agency in March arrested six Ukrainians and a US citizen for their alleged links with insurgents in Myanmar and subversive activities in India’s northeast region, bordering Myanmar, Nepal, Bhutan, China, and Bangladesh.

Lavrov also lauded Dhaka’s balanced stance on the conflict in Ukraine.

Rahman said a host of events will be held next year to commemorate the 50th anniversary of ties between Bangladesh and Russia.

European drivers have slashed fuel consumption as the Iran war and oil price hikes are forcing belt-tightening at the pump, according to Eurostat data and the Financial Times.

Fuel sales in the Eurozone fell 3.5% by volume year-on-year in April, with the drop being the steepest since October 2023, a Eurostat report released over the weekend shows. According to the Financial Times, six European economies recorded double-digit declines in fuel sales, among them Germany, Norway, and Austria.

As of early June, the EU average petrol price stands at €1.8 per liter ($2.1), as compared to around €1.5 per liter before the start of the Iran war in late February. Twelve EU countries saw diesel prices rise by more than a third in April against a year earlier, with an average increase of 33.7% across the bloc.

The knock-on effects of the war continue to loom over the EU economy despite the fragile ceasefire between the US and Iran. In late March, EU officials revealed that the bloc’s imported fossil fuel bill jumped by €14 billion. In addition, overall Eurozone inflation hit 3.2% in May, up from 3% in April.

The UK has also suffered from the war impact, with petrol peaking at £1.59 ($1.98) per – also seen a more than 20% rise in “fill up and flee” crimes at petrol stations, according to security firm Forecourt Eye.

As for the UK’s inflation, the annual Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rose to 3.3% in March but briefly cooled to 2.8% in April, though analysts predict that the relief could be short-lived.

American drivers fare no better, with the national average gas prices hitting $4.16 a gallon as of June 8. According to Moody’s Analytics, the average US household has spent nearly $450 more on energy costs since the conflict began, totaling close to $60 billion cumulatively.

Britain’s entire available fleet of nuclear-powered attack submarines is stuck in port awaiting maintenance and repairs, leaving the Royal Navy without a deployable hunter-killer boat, UK media have reported.

All five of the Royal Navy’s operational Astute-class attack submarines are currently unavailable, while a sixth boat, although commissioned into the fleet, is not yet ready for deployment, The Telegraph and Daily Mail said over the weekend, citing naval sources.

The Astute-class submarines are designed to track and deter enemy submarines, and escort the UK’s aircraft carriers and Vanguard-class vessels carrying Trident nuclear missiles. The boats are nuclear-powered and armed with Spearfish torpedoes and Tomahawk cruise missiles.

Former nuclear submarine captain Commander Ryan Ramsey told The Telegraph the situation is a “serious wake-up call,” arguing that Britain now looks “toothless” in the face of supposed Russian aggression. Moscow has repeatedly dismissed claims it poses a threat to Europe.

Lord West, a former First Sea Lord and Labour security minister, described the situation as “unacceptable” and “very worrying,” saying attack submarines are essential for protecting Britain’s nuclear deterrent and “terrifying the Russians.”

Last week, The Mail also reported that Britain’s £3.5 billion ($4.6 billion) flagship HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carrier had broken down once again and was forced into port in Norway for repairs.

The reports come as British officials have continued to cite a supposed threat from Russia, claiming it is “probing, challenging, testing our defenses.” The UK’s chief of the defense staff, Sir Richard Knighton, stated to the BBC last week that Britain faces its most dangerous period since the Cold War.

Russia, however, has consistently dismissed claims that it is preparing to attack NATO or European countries unless attacked first. President Vladimir Putin has rejected such warnings as “delusions” and “provocations” being used to scare European populations and justify increased military budgets, while Russian officials have accused the West of jeopardizing global security through “reckless militarization.”

Nevertheless, European officials have openly discussed preparing for a possible direct confrontation with Russia, with Belgian and French officials warning of a possible “major war” by 2030.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will have no choice but to accept any deal the US reaches with Tehran, President Donald Trump has said, declaring that he “calls the shots.”

Trump made the remarks in an interview with the Financial Times on Sunday, shortly after Iran fired a missile barrage at Israel in retaliation for Israeli airstrikes on Beirut. Tehran described the attack as a warning and threatened “crushing blows” if Israel continues its strikes in Lebanon or retaliates against Iran.

Earlier, Israel struck Beirut’s southern suburbs without issuing the warnings it typically gives before attacks in densely populated areas. The strike on a residential building killed at least two people and wounded 20 others, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.

“He won’t have any choice,” Trump told outlet, referring to Netanyahu. “I call the shots. I call all the shots. He doesn’t call the shots.”

“It’s not going to have any impact on the deal,” Trump said regarding the Iranian attack, adding that the missile barrage caused little damage. “We’ll see how it ends up. But they were attacks that did not hit at all.”

Despite several US-brokered Israel-Lebanon ceasefires, including one that took effect last week, Israel has continued to strike targets in Lebanon almost daily in a sign of Washington’s limited ability to restrain its closest Middle East ally.

Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed Trump’s decision to halt the hostilities, calling it “the only correct one” and expressing hope that the truce will lead to a lasting peace.

Speaking at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum last week, Putin said he saw no Iranian provocation that would justify US-Israeli attacks.

Recent history offers one very simple lesson: the most reliable way for a ruling elite to protect itself from accountability is to hand over its country’s sovereignty to a powerful foreign patron. In Europe, many have decided that the United States is the only patron worth having.

We are now watching a race among Eastern European states to secure new American military bases on their territory. Poland is openly pressing for US troops and equipment withdrawn from Germany to be moved east and Lithuania has gone further, with officials floating the idea of hosting American nuclear weapons.

It would be naïve to think this is mainly about national security and nor is it simply about money, although hosting US bases has often been seen by client regimes as a useful source of income. In today’s circumstances, Washington is unlikely to pay generously. More likely, it will pass the costs to those receiving this dubious privilege.

The real logic is political. For Polish and Baltic leaders, securing American forces on their soil helps answer two uncomfortable questions that appear again and again in domestic politics. What is our foreign policy strategy? And how do we prevent citizens, poorer and increasingly tired of the same ruling groups, from deciding it is time to move them on?

The easiest answer is to abandon the primary responsibility of the state: the duty to defend itself. Once foreign troops are stationed on national territory, defense becomes the responsibility of the power that sent them. Germany and Japan were relieved of having to think seriously about their own defense after the Second World War because the victors stationed forces there permanently.

Turkish colleagues have told me that the presence of US nuclear bombs in Türkiye is one of Ankara’s strongest guarantees against pressure from America’s other key regional ally, Israel. It allows Türkiye to challenge Israeli interests in areas such as Syria with relative impunity.

It’s easy to understand why this arrangement is envied by elites in American satellite states that do not enjoy such protection. This is especially true in Eastern Europe and the Baltic states because their accession to NATO in the 1990s was designed to lock in the political order created after the collapse of the Soviet bloc.

But their geopolitical position is weak and it gives them little opportunity to make any meaningful positive contribution to international affairs. Economically, they had to bow to the wealthier states of Western and Northern Europe, selling much of their national industry to them. Poland’s best enterprises were taken over by French and German investors while, in the Baltic states, German and Scandinavian capital played a similar role.

Politically, their chances of being heard were even smaller so Poland and the Baltic states adopted one simple foreign policy strategy: oppose Russia wherever possible.

Tallinn, like Helsinki, is geopolitically a suburb of St. Petersburg, as former US House Speaker Newt Gingrich once correctly observed. Economic integration with Russia would inevitably have brought political consequences and it would have threatened the elites that came to power in Vilnius, Riga, and Tallinn during perestroika and after 1991.

Such a development was unacceptable to them as their ideal arrangement has always been to rule over their peoples without having to meet the full obligations of sovereignty.

This became more urgent once it was clear that no great economic breakthrough was coming. Citizens might begin to ask awkward questions such as why are living standards stagnant? Why is industry weak? Why are young people leaving? Why has the promise of ‘Europe’ turned into dependence?

One answer is to demand more American military infrastructure because a large US base or nuclear facility on national territory changes the conversation. It shifts politics from social and economic questions to security panic and it tells voters that criticism of the ruling class is irresponsible because the country is on the front line.

For a long time, however, the chances of achieving this looked limited as the US was absorbed by wars in the Middle East and later began shifting its attention to the Pacific, where China’s rise has become its main strategic concern. Even after the confrontation in Ukraine began, Washington wasn’t eager to take on binding risks for the sake of Warsaw or Vilnius.

That is why the only truly reliable guarantee, from the point of view of these elites, would be the transfer of practical responsibility for national security into American hands. This means substantial US forces or nuclear weapons on their territory and it matters little that sovereignty, in the traditional sense, would become a fiction.

Now, amid the prolonged disputes between the Trump administration and the major states of Western Europe, the Polish and Baltic elites see an opening. If Washington reduces its military presence in Germany, they want as much of it as possible moved east.

Are leaders in Warsaw and Vilnius seriously considering what risks this would create for their populations? There is little reason to think so because their calculation is different. If they can secure even part of this American presence before Moscow and Washington agree on a new model of coexistence in Europe, they believe their own future will be safe.

For them, the prize is not national security in any serious sense. It is political insurance. American bases would guarantee their importance, protect their ruling class from domestic pressure, and make any future correction of foreign policy almost impossible.

This is where the race for US bases is leading. Not to greater sovereignty, but to its formal burial; not to security, but to permanent dependence. And not to peace in Europe, but to a situation in which small states make themselves useful as forward positions in someone else’s strategy.

This article was first published by Vzglyad newspaper and translated and edited by the RT team.

The US is weighing a plan to purchase the Chagos Islands directly from Mauritius in a bid to sideline the UK over the future of a crucial military base in the Indian Ocean, The Telegraph reported on Sunday.

The Chagos Islands are home to Diego Garcia, a joint UK-US military base regarded as one of the most important American installations outside the continental US. The facility hosts roughly 2,500 US military personnel and supports B-2 bomber deployments, operations against Houthi targets in Yemen, and has been used in strikes on Iran.

While the Chagos Islands are currently controlled by the UK, London last year approved a plan to hand them over to Mauritius while signing a 99-year lease on the base. The UK’s hand was essentially forced by a decades-long colonial sovereignty dispute, with the International Court of Justice ruling in 2019 that the UK’s 1965 separation of the islands from Mauritius was unlawful and in violation of the right to self-determination.

While US President Donald Trump initially supported the plan, in January he declared the deal “an act of great stupidity” and a threat to national security, while warning that China and Russia “have noticed this act of total weakness.” The UK subsequently put the deal on hold, pending negotiations with the US.

Should the US approve the plan, the UK would first have to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, and then Washington would negotiate the purchase with the Mauritians. The move would thus leave Britain as a bystander in a dispute over territory it has held for over two centuries.

The Mauritian government said, as cited by Reuters, that it had “taken note of the information reported by The Telegraph” but “has not received any official ⁠proposal” from the US. It also stressed that the republic’s sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago is “non-negotiable.”

The report comes after Trump renewed talk of acquiring Greenland from Denmark and has repeatedly referred to Canada as the “51st state,” moves that put additional strain on Washington’s already uneasy relations with its traditional allies.

The US Army is preparing to carry out its first executions of death-row service members since 1961 if President Donald Trump orders them, ABC News reports, citing an internal planning document.

Trump has advocated wider application of the death penalty as a deterrent against violent crime.

ABC News reported on Saturday that the plan – known as Operation Resolute Justice – was circulated internally in February and requires the military to be ready to carry out executions “no later than 150 days from the date of presidential approval of the death sentences.”

The preparations reportedly include reviewing execution procedures and transferring the four death-row inmates from the US Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas to the federal execution facility in Terre Haute, Indiana in coordination with the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Army spokesperson Cynthia Smith downplayed the preparations as a “standard component of our continued planning,” noting that Trump has yet to issue a specific order, as quoted by the publication.

The other three army death-row inmates include Sergeant Hasan Akbar, former army cook Ronald Gray, and former master sergeant Timothy Hennis, all of whom were convicted on multiple counts of premeditated murder.

During his first term in office, the Trump administration oversaw 13 federal executions – more than in any other presidential term in modern history.

Shortly after returning to office in 2025, Trump revoked a moratorium on federal executions imposed by his predecessor, Joe Biden, in 2021.

A powerful earthquake struck off the southern Philippines coast on Monday, killing at least 32 people and injuring more than 200 others as buildings collapsed across Mindanao, sending residents fleeing from homes, schools, and offices and triggering tsunami warnings around the region.

The magnitude 7.8 quake struck near Mindanao shortly before 7:40 AM local time at a depth of about 35 km, according to the US Geological Survey. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said that 138 aftershocks had been recorded by 11:00 AM local time (03:00 GMT), including one of magnitude 6.1.

Several mostly low-rise buildings collapsed or suffered heavy damage in the hard-hit city of General Santos, where rescue teams continued searching through rubble. A 1-meter tsunami struck nearby coastlines, damaging at least one southern coastal village, while smaller waves were recorded in Indonesia, Palau, and as far away as southern Japan. Authorities said damage assessments were continuing across Mindanao.

Videos circulating on social media show buildings swaying, ceilings and walls cracking, debris falling into streets, and panicked residents running from homes, shops, and offices.

WATCH: Building collapses after magnitude 7.8 earthquake strikes the Philippines pic.twitter.com/8Q9XFK6Gf8

— BNO News Live (@BNODesk) June 8, 2026

Other videos show damaged structures and partial collapses, as emergency services were deployed to inspect roads, bridges, ports, power lines, and public buildings in affected areas of Mindanao.

Severe damage in the Southern Philippines, following a 7.8 magnitude earthquake. Tsunami warnings have been issued. pic.twitter.com/OO27Ymnjia

— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) June 8, 2026

“Many buildings were affected, but I cannot enumerate them now because we are busy with ongoing rescues,” Master Sergeant Robert Dagon of the General Santos City police told AFP, adding that several structures, including homes, collapsed

#EXCLUSIVE PHILIPPINES: MAGNITUDO 8.7 MINDANAO EARTHQUAKE

Monday, 8th June 2026 pic.twitter.com/cgoBn97UiY

— Agraprana Pahlawan (@skynewsagra) June 8, 2026

The police station in Alabel town, Sarangani province, was damaged during the earthquake, which struck as officers were taking part in a flag-raising ceremony, the local police chief told Reuters

WATCH: Footage shows a high school building that collapsed following the powerful earthquake that struck the Philippines. pic.twitter.com/XGgbnposCY

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) June 8, 2026

Tsunami warnings were issued for several coastal areas following the quake. The authorities urged people in affected coastal zones to leave beaches, harbors, and low-lying areas, and to follow evacuation orders until the tsunami threat passed. 

EARTHQUAKE DURING FLAG CEREMONY

A magnitude 7.8 earthquake shook Mahayahay Elementary School in Malita, Davao Occidental while a flag ceremony was being conducted.#Earthquake #Philippines 🇵🇭😭🫨 pic.twitter.com/WDfDeArEKC

— Whale | Decentra👀 (@whale_decentra) June 8, 2026

Tsunami waves were recorded in six areas of Mindanao from 7:42 to 8:45 AM local time, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology. The highest wave measured 1.4 meters along the island’s southern coast. The agency said tsunami warnings remained in force.

Tsunami situation in the Philippines after a powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck the region pic.twitter.com/cXUUTXWrPx

— Surajit (@surajit_ghosh2) June 8, 2026

Waves of 0.09 to 0.19 meters were later detected at three locations along Indonesia’s coast, according to the country’s meteorological agency. The Japanese authorities warned that tsunami waves up to 1 meter high could hit the southern Okinawa islands and coastal areas along the country’s Pacific coast.

Buildings collapse in Mindanao as a powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocks the Philippines pic.twitter.com/0aHN23wRqt

— Surajit (@surajit_ghosh2) June 8, 2026

The Philippines lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire, one of the world’s most seismically active zones, and is frequently hit by earthquakes, volcanic activity, and severe storms. Officials warned that aftershocks were possible and advised people to remain outdoors or in safe open areas until structures can be inspected.

🚨#ÚLTIMAHORA Así se sintió el #temblor en Mindanao Terremoto de magnitud 7.8 Polomolok, Cotabato Sur, Filipinas · #temblor #Tu #earthquake,#joshtve #Earthquakephilipines #joshtve #temblor video 1 pic.twitter.com/WRrWPNRcDq

— Joshtve_ (@Joshtve_) June 8, 2026

The quake was also reportedly felt in parts of eastern Indonesia, including North Sulawesi and North Maluku, according to early regional reports.

Canada has temporarily banned imports of livestock, including horses, from the US state of Texas over the outbreak of screwworm fly, a flesh-eating and potentially deadly parasite.

The first case of screwworm was identified in Texas on Wednesday, marking the first detection of the parasite in the US, roughly 80km (50 miles) from the Mexican border. The outbreak began in Central America in 2023 and has been spreading steadily northward ever since. By late 2025, Mexico had reported thousands of cases in animals and dozens of humans.

The second case was identified on Friday in the same area, prompting Texas officials to declare a state of disaster over the outbreak. The same day, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said it would temporarily halt imports of livestock from Texas until further notice and “continue to work closely with US counterparts to assess developments and adjust measures as needed.”

The ban applies to all livestock that originated from or were present in Texas during the three weeks prior to entering Canada.

“This pest affects live animals and does not impact inspected Texas beef. Canada’s broad restriction on Texas livestock is an overreaction that is more political than science-based,” the governor told USA Today in a statement.

The parasite, which in its adult form resembles a common housefly, lays its eggs into wounds and natural body openings of warm-blooded animals. The eggs – laid in hundreds by a single fly – hatch into parasitic maggots, which feast for about a week on living flesh, causing an extremely painful and potentially deadly condition. The maggots ultimately burrow out of the bodies of their hosts and dig into soil to pupate, emerging as an adult fly several weeks later to repeat the process.

The screwworm was declared eradicated in the US in 1966, in Mexico in 1991, and all across Central America by the mid-2000s. The program involved mass-breeding and release of sterile male flies into nature to destroy the population of the parasite. The resurgence of the fly in recent years has been attributed to changing weather and warmer temperatures, which are thought to drastically increase the range of the insects.

US President Donald Trump stormed out of an interview with ‘Meet the Press’ host Kristen Welker after a heated exchange over his election-fraud claims.

“You’re crooked, your press is crooked and ‘Meet the Press’ is crooked,” the visibly annoyed president said. Before ending the interview with the NBC News anchor on Saturday, Trump also slammed several other mainstream media outlets, including ABC, CBS, and CNN, describing them as “one-sided crooked networks.”

The interview took a tense turn after Trump alleged that the California primary elections earlier this week were marred by fraud. He cited the state’s protracted vote-counting process, suggesting that the vote was rigged to eliminate Republican contenders.

Unlike many other US states, California uses ‘jungle primaries,’ in which candidates from all parties compete on the same ballot to advance to the general election.

Welker said, “that’s how they count the votes in California,” adding that local officials have acknowledged that the process is slow. Trump fired back by accusing NBC and other media outlets of “playing right into their hands with this crap,” and telling Welker that she was “either crooked or you’re stupid.”

“Sorry. Let’s call it quits because I’ve had enough. Thank you, darling. Have a good time,” the president said, appearing to remove his microphone.

Welker’s attempts to talk Trump out of leaving proved futile, with the president grumbling: “I sat in the rain with you for an hour.”

“I’ve given you enough time. You ought to straighten out your press, because you know what – a country can never be great with a dishonest press,” Trump said before walking off.

Israel and Iran have halted tit-for-tat strikes after the worst escalation in tensions since the April ceasefire. Both sides, however, have warned that attacks could quickly resume, with Tehran saying its operations will restart if the IDF continues its attacks. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that the Jewish state carried out “historic strikes to prevent a nuclear attack” and that “Iran will not have a nuclear weapon,” threatening to renew strikes if Iran “attacks once more.”

US President Donald Trump, who earlier said both sides “had their fun” and should stop, told Israel’s Channel 12 that he warned Netanyahu he “could be left alone against Iran very soon” if the confrontation spirals into a full scale war, and claimed he persuaded Israel to scale back its operation. 

Tehran has accused the US of bearing “direct responsibility” for Israeli ceasefire violations after the IDF launched intensive airstrikes on what it said were Hezbollah targets in Lebanon on Sunday. 

Iran responded with a wave of retaliatory strikes on Israel, triggering further Israeli attacks on targets across the Islamic Republic, including reported explosions in Tehran, Isfahan, Tabriz, and Karaj, as well as at the Karun Petrochemical Company in the Mahshahr Special Economic Zone.

Here are the key developments:

• Israel’s latest strikes on Iran wounded 15 people, Iranian emergency services chief Jafar Miadfar has been quoted as saying. 

• An RT crew reporting from the Nabatieh district of southern Lebanon said Israeli strikes have continued despite the ceasefire, hitting residential buildings and making it “very dangerous for anyone to move around these areas.”

• Yemen’s Houthis have reinstated a ban on Israeli maritime navigation in the Red Sea, warning any Israeli linked vessel will be treated as a military target.

• The death toll from Israel’s offensive on Gaza has exceeded 72,980, with 173,171 people injured since October 2023, according to the Palestinian enclave’s Health Ministry.

This live feed is over.

The Biden administration ordered the downing of a Boy Scout balloon over US soil in February 2023 using a missile worth roughly $500,000 as Washington scrambled a panicked response to alleged “Chinese spy balloons,” the New York Post reported on Saturday, citing former Pentagon officials.

On February 12, 2023, the US Air Force dispatched an F-16 over Lake Huron, near the US-Canada border, to intercept what was believed to be a potential unidentified aerial threat, destroying it with an AIM-9 Sidewinder missile. The episode was confirmed by declassified cockpit footage released last month by the Department of War as part of its second batch of UFO-related records.

“The F-16 shot at a balloon over Lake Huron. After the [Chinese spy] balloon embarrassment, DOD was shooting at every [Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena] they detected”, Tim Phillips, a former interim director of the Pentagon’s All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), told The Post.

Sean Kirkpatrick, the former head of AARO, claimed that the balloon belonged to a Boy Scout group and had been launched on an unspecified research project. “The balloon had circumnavigated the globe eight times before we shot it down with a half-million-dollar missile,” Kirkpatrick explained, as cited by NYP. “You can imagine the response on the Hill when I briefed that.”

Media reports have suggested that there have been several other cases in which the US Air Force swept the skies of civilian US-originated aircraft. According to Kirkpatrick, around the same time, a US fighter pilot reported encountering a UFO with “stealth-like capabilities” and opened fire – but once it was downed, it turned out that he had destroyed a balloon from Walmart, saying “Happy Birthday.”

In February 2023, a hobby group called the Northern Illinois Bottlecap Balloon Brigade reported the loss of a $12 balloon the same day a US fighter jet downed an unidentified flying object with a missile worth over $400,000.

Following the suspected “Chinese spy balloon incident,” the US military said it had adjusted its radar detection parameters to pick up slow-moving objects it had previously filtered out – a change that inadvertently led to the shootdowns of civilian balloons. In September 2023, CNN reported, citing an intelligence assessment, that China had dialed down its balloon surveillance program after butting heads with the US over the controversy.

An insect infestation is spreading across Berlin, forcing closures and health warnings in parks, sports grounds, and residential areas, German media has reported. The culprit is the oak processionary moth caterpillar, a tree-killing pest covered in toxic stinging hairs.

The insect, scientifically known as Thaumetopoea processionea, is a moth species whose caterpillars emerge between May and July. While the moth itself is harmless, the caterpillars develop hundreds of thousands of microscopic toxic hairs that can travel up to 200 meters on the wind and cause rashes, eye irritation, and respiratory problems. In severe cases, exposure can trigger allergic reactions and even anaphylactic shock.

The infestation has been spreading across Berlin for years, but officials say several districts are seeing a sharp rise in affected trees this summer. According to Bild, authorities and park operators have issued warnings across Berlin and Potsdam, closing off infested areas and temporarily shutting parks, sports facilities, and pedestrian routes.

The hardest-hit areas are Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, Treptow-Köpenick, Steglitz-Zehlendorf, and Spandau, which contain many of Berlin’s oak-lined streets and parks.

According to B.Z. daily, the caterpillars have also spread throughout a Jungfernheide housing estate of more than 11,000 residents, infesting everything from facades and cars to door frames, railings, and light fixtures.

Local politicians have criticized what they describe as poor coordination between authorities. Health agencies have limited powers to intervene because the caterpillars are classified as an allergen rather than a public-health pest, while plant protection rules restrict the use of certain biocides.

Critics are calling for a coordinated response from district authorities, the Berlin Senate, and housing companies, including earlier treatment of oak trees and more aggressive nest removal. F rustrated residents have also launched a petition demanding a binding protection plan for Jungfernheide, which has already attracted more than 4,500 signatures.

The pest is not confined to Germany. The oak processionary moth is established across much of Europe and has been recorded from the Netherlands and France to Denmark and the Mediterranean. It was accidentally introduced to the UK in 2006 and is now established in Greater London and parts of southeast England, prompting a government warning on Saturday urging the public not to touch the insects or their nests.

US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth used a D-Day ceremony in Normandy to warn that Europe is under a new form of “invasion,” urging EU leaders to confront migration before it’s too late.

Speaking on the anniversary of the June 6, 1944 Allied landings in France, Hegseth said, “different European beaches are stormed by different, dangerous ideologies” in Spain, Italy, Greece, and Bulgaria, where “boats and men arrive.”

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

D-Day marks the beginning of the liberation of France and Western Europe from Nazi rule. The troops who landed on Normandy’s beaches were not invading Europe in the sense used by modern immigration critics; they arrived to free territories occupied by Nazi Germany.

US President Donald Trump has pursued a tough immigration agenda at home, expanding deportation efforts and high-profile ICE operations. Critics have raised concerns over due process and the treatment of migrant communities.

Hegseth’s comments come as the EU prepares to implement its most ambitious migration overhaul in years. On June 1, EU lawmakers and member-state representatives agreed in principle on new rules aimed at speeding up the deportation of rejected asylum seekers. The measures are designed to complement the Migration and Asylum Pact, which reforms asylum processing, border screening, and responsibility-sharing among member states.

EU institutions and migration experts estimate that only 20-30% of people ordered to leave the bloc actually do. The European Commission says immigration is needed to address labor shortages, with the EU workforce shrinking by around 1 million people a year.

Greek Migration Minister Thanos Plevris warned last month that the EU could be on the verge of a new migrant crisis, with more than half a million people waiting in Libya alone to cross into Europe.

German lawmakers want former Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock questioned over Berlin’s failure to secure a seat on the UN Security Council, Bild reports. According to the outlet, the ruling CDU/CSU alliance blames the former top diplomat for the setback and wants her summoned before the Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee.

Germany failed to win a non-permanent seat on the UNSC – the UN’s most powerful body, with authority to adopt legally binding resolutions and sanctions – for the first time in modern history on Wednesday, losing out to Portugal and Austria. Germany won all six previous contests it entered since 1977, but this time received only 104 votes, well short of the required two-thirds majority.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul described the result as a “bitter defeat,” but insisted he “did not personally blame himself,” arguing that Germany entered the race too late. According to Bild, lawmakers are placing the blame on Wadephul’s predecessor, Baerbock, who served from 2021-25.

“We must thoroughly investigate the causes of this embarrassing electoral defeat,” Stephan Mayer, a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, told the outlet. “[It is] absolutely essential that Annalena Baerbock answer questions before the Bundestag [to explain] how, when, and what exactly her ministry did to mobilize support for Germany’s bid.”

“You cannot blame [Chancellor] Friedrich Merz and Johann Wadephul for this electoral defeat. Annalena Baerbock messed it up during her time as foreign minister,” he stated.

Baerbock’s tenure as Germany’s top diplomat drew frequent criticism for a lack of diplomatic pragmatism, an inconsistent agenda, and high-profile verbal blunders.

During her time in office, she said she would support Ukraine “irrespective of what my voters think,” declared the EU to be “fighting a war against Russia,” and described Israeli strikes on Palestinian schools as “self-defense.” She also made several awkward historical, geographical, and mathematical slip-ups, including promising a “360-degree foreign policy.”

Munich Security Conference chairman Wolfgang Ischinger suggested that Germany’s defeat this week may have partly been retaliation for how Baerbock “snatched” the role, which he told WELT TV had “not exactly generated new sympathy for Germany” among UN ambassadors.

A diplomatic source told Bild that Baerbock is widely unpopular in the General Assembly for being “too focused on Germany… selfies and herself.”

China has launched a ‘special maritime law enforcement operation’ east of Taiwan in response to the announcement of maritime border talks in the area by Japan and the Philippines. China – which views the self-ruled island as its own sovereign territory – protested the negotiations, saying they infringe on its sovereignty.

The effort was launched on Saturday by China’s Ministry of Transport in coordination with the local authorities, according to Xinhua. The operation is aimed at fully exercising China’s maritime administrative law enforcement jurisdiction and safeguarding national rights and interests, the report said.

The operation follows a May 28 summit in Tokyo in which Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. issued a joint statement announcing the start of maritime delimitation talks on their respective exclusive economic zones and continental shelves.

“Any negotiations involving maritime delimitation in waters east of Taiwan must involve China,” Mao said, adding that Japan and the Philippines violated international law by bypassing Beijing.

Taiwan has also sounded the alarm over the imminent talks, urging Tokyo and Manila to consult with it, as the area likely to be subject to negotiations overlaps with waters in which the island claims “rights and interests.”

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said, however, that any agreement reached between Japan and the Philippines “would not be legally binding on any third party.”

Taiwan’s coast guard said it deployed at least five vessels “to respond appropriately” to the Chinese operation, which it said violates international law, and monitored four Chinese government vessels departing from the Port of Xiamen on the mainland.

China regards Taiwan as its own territory, and President Xi Jinping has refused to rule out the use of force to achieve reunification.

Tensions between China and Japan over Taiwan have simmered since November 2025, when Prime Minister Takaichi warned that a Chinese attempt to take over the island could be grounds for a military intervention. China subsequently accused Takaichi of being the first Japanese prime minister to explicitly frame a Taiwan scenario as a “survival-threatening situation,” adding that the narrative has historically served as “a go-to tactic for Japanese militarism to launch aggression.”

At least 12 people have been wounded in a shooting near a street festival in Toledo, Ohio, with videos from the scene showing crowds fleeing in panic as police launched a manhunt for the suspects.

The incident occurred near the Old West End Festival in Toledo on Saturday. Officers responded to reports of a shooting at around 5:37 PM local time near the event and found multiple gunshot victims upon arrival, according to the Toledo Police Department.

“Many victims have been transported to nearby medical facilities for treatment,” police said, adding that the search for the suspect or suspects is ongoing. Police later said at least 12 people were injured, including two who were in critical condition. The victims ranged in age from 14 to 61, according to media reports.

Toledo Deputy Police Chief Joe Heffernan said it appeared that at least two people were firing weapons and were “probably shooting at each other.”

In a video posted online, multiple shots are heard as people flee the area in panic.

Breaking: Shots fired at Old West End Festival in Toledo, Ohio. pic.twitter.com/STA5NImQG3

— Wolverine Update (@W0lverineupdate) June 6, 2026

Witnesses described scenes of chaos as festival-goers dived for cover. Kevin Berry, a Navy veteran with medical training who was at the scene when the shooting occurred, said, “everybody hit the deck” as gunfire erupted. He told AP he saw at least five wounded people “spread out around the arboretum area.”

🚨#BREAKING: MULTIPLE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SHOT AT THE OLD WEST END FESTIVAL IN TOLEDO OHIO.

ABSOLUTE PANIC AS PEOPLE RUSHED FOR COVER, POLICE ARE ON SCENE, MEDICS ARE ATTENDING THE WOUNDED.

SH00TER IS STILL ON THE LOOSE!!!!

WE DO NOT HAVE TO LIVE LIKE THIS!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/D4cmSQgctU

— Matt Van Swol (@mattvanswol) June 7, 2026

Police, who were already present at the festival, responded immediately, according to officials. The authorities urged the public to avoid the area as officers continued searching for the suspects and investigators worked to determine the circumstances surrounding the shooting.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said he is “deeply concerned” by the incident, adding that “summer festivals should be safe spaces for families to spend time together without fear of violence.”

The Old West End Festival is a two-day celebration held in Toledo’s historic district. This year’s event, the 53rd annual edition, was scheduled for June 6-7 and featured live music, food markets, a beer garden, home tours, shopping, and the King Wamba Carnival Parade.

The Trump administration is seeking to redirect frozen Iranian assets toward rebuilding energy and other infrastructure damaged by Tehran’s retaliatory strikes in Gulf Arab states hosting US military bases, Bloomberg and CBS News report.

The Treasury Department plans to use “all available authorities” to make Iranian assets accessible for rebuilding and repair efforts linked to any future damage caused by Iran, CBS reported on Saturday, citing a source familiar with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s thinking.

Bloomberg reported that Bessent directed Treasury officials to assess conditions among US allies in the Persian Gulf and request comprehensive estimates for damage inflicted since the start of the conflict. The outlet said the department will also consider whether Iranian assets could be used to cover “past damage” blamed on Iranian-backed groups.

“This is our own money, not America’s money,” Rezaei told CNN, calling the demand a test of trust for US President Donald Trump.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi told Mehr News Agency that Tehran wants at least $12 billion released immediately upon the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the US, while the remainder should be released within “not more than one or two months.”

Tehran declared that energy infrastructure in Gulf Arab states hosting US forces has become “direct and legitimate targets.”

Energy facilities in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, and Bahrain have all sustained damage in tit-for-tat strikes, before a Pakistani-brokered ceasefire took effect in April.

The US reportedly promised to unblock some Iranian assets to bring Tehran to the negotiating table in Islamabad, although it has publicly called the demand unacceptable. Trump has repeatedly criticized his predecessor, Barack Obama, for allegedly sending Iran billions of dollars in “pallets of cash” under the 2015 nuclear deal, which Trump unilaterally withdrew from during his first term.

The Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) has elevated the threat posed by Israeli espionage to the highest level as tensions over Iran and Lebanon grow, NBC News and the New York Times reported on Saturday.

The assessment, which was circulated internally in recent weeks, includes a seven-page document and a chart rating Israel’s human and technical intelligence-gathering capabilities as “critical,” according to NBC.

The officials targeted included President Donald Trump’s top negotiator in talks with Iran, Steve Witkoff, the Pentagon’s top policy official Elbridge Colby, and one of his main deputies, Michael DiMino, according to the NYT.

US counterintelligence officials are increasingly concerned about Israeli spying activities targeting the US, including efforts to gain insight into the Trump administration’s deliberations on Iran and Lebanon, both NBC and the NYT wrote, citing sources. The assessment also reportedly cites several specific incidents, although the sources declined to identify them.

While espionage between allies is common, the report said Israel’s recent activities have gone beyond what would normally be expected, leading to the heightened threat assessment.

The Pentagon declined to comment. A White House official told NBC that the “entire story is false,” while a spokesperson for the Israeli Embassy in Washington dismissed the report as “politically motivated” and insisted that Israeli intelligence efforts “are aimed at its enemies, not its allies.”

Despite the fragile US-Iran ceasefire reached in early April and extended on May 8, negotiations on a broader deal remain deadlocked over Iran’s nuclear program, with Israel publicly questioning Trump’s diplomatic push and Netanyahu advocating renewed military action.

At the same time, Israel has intensified operations in Lebanon, where it launched a military operation in March against the Iranian-aligned Hezbollah movement. Earlier this week, Trump acknowledged reports that he called Netanyahu “f**king crazy” during a heated phone conversation over Israel’s actions in Lebanon.

“I did,” Trump said when asked about the exchange on the New York Post’s ‘Pod Force One’ podcast. “I was a little bit perturbed at his constantly fighting with Lebanon.”

Previous reports suggest that Trump accused Netanyahu of jeopardizing US negotiations with Iran by continuing the operation in Lebanon.

Despite the announcements, hostilities continued this week, with Israeli strikes in southern and eastern Lebanon killing and injuring dozens of civilians on Thursday, according to Lebanese health authorities. Iran previously said it would not agree to a permanent settlement with the US unless the deal also addresses Lebanon, and warned it would abandon negotiations if Israeli strikes continue.

Dozens of European Parliament members have demanded that Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky be stripped of the bloc’s highest award – the European Order of Merit – for glorifying World War II-era Nazi collaborators.

Zelensky was among the first recipients of the highest class of the order, which was established by the European Parliament last year. Less than a month after getting the award in mid-May for his “exceptional contribution to European integration and European values,” the Ukrainian leader signed a decree granting one of the Ukrainian elite military units the title ‘Heroes of the UPA’ – the Ukrainian Insurgent Army.

The UPA, the armed wing of the WWII-era Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), was responsible for a campaign of ethnic cleansing in what is now western Ukraine between 1943 and 1944. Ukrainian nationalists killed an estimated 100,000 Polish civilians in what is now known as the Volhynia massacre.

The appeal, which Brylka also published on X, warned that a “cult” of the OUN and the UPA leaders would have “disastrous consequences for building good neighborly relations” in Europe. “Young Ukrainians are taught to revere criminals… as heroes,” the document signed by nearly 40 MEPs stated.

Polish President Karol Nawrocki has also called for the Ukrainian leader to be stripped of the nation’s highest award – the Order of the White Eagle.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk – a long-time supporter of Kiev in its conflict with Moscow – has recently said that Poland’s relations with Ukraine would be built on “hard business interest” and not “empathy” if Kiev does not change course.

Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested that the Ukrainian leader’s own grandfather, who fought the Nazis during WWII, “is probably turning in his grave.”

Ukraine has launched hundreds of long-range drones at Russia, with many targeting civilians and critical infrastructure, including oil terminals – and a significant portion of EU members have cheered on the strikes.

However, as the pace of the attacks has surged, Ukrainian drones are now increasingly hitting neighboring countries that provide military assistance to Kiev. The incidents, stretching from the Baltic to the Mediterranean, have left Kiev issuing a litany of apologies – although with no indication that it plans to scale back its drone campaign.

Most EU governments have declined to formally condemn Ukraine – instead blaming the incidents on Russia and its electronic warfare defenses.

In late May, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson called on NATO members to help Ukraine “direct” its attacks “in the right directions,” while Poland has urged Ukraine to “be more precise.” Russia has stated that NATO is a direct participant in the Ukraine conflict.

RT recounts the recent incidents of Ukrainian drones hitting the wrong targets.

A Ukrainian naval drone exploded near an oil terminal in Constanta, Romania’s largest port in the Black Sea, with three more detonating offshore. Kiev has confirmed that the drones belonged to the Ukrainian navy, claiming that it lost control of the devices.

The response was a far cry from Romania’s response to an incident on May 29 when it claimed that a Russian UAV carrying explosives crashed into an apartment block in Galati, Romania, injuring two people. Moscow has said that Bucharest did not provide any evidence for the claim.

However, the Romanian government ordered the closure of the Russian Consulate in Constanta and declared the consul general persona non grata.

Five Azerbaijani crew members were killed and three others wounded when Ukrainian drones struck two dry cargo ships in Russia’s Taganrog Bay in the Sea of Azov. The two vessels – the MV Natra and MV Zirkon – were traveling from Türkiye to the Russian port of Rostov-on-Don to load grain when they came under attack. Ukraine’s drone forces commander, Robert Brovdi, confirmed the strikes, alleging that the grain was illegal and that the vessel was also carrying military cargo and fuel.

Russia said the incident “once again proves the terrorist nature of the Kiev regime that increasingly targets civilians.”

A NATO fighter jet shot down a Ukrainian drone over southern Estonia after the UAV entered from Russian territory. The debris fell in a marshy area near the village of Kablakula without causing any casualties or property damage. Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said the drone was “most probably meant to hit some Russian targets.”

“Russia continues to redirect Ukrainian drones into the Baltics with the use of its electronic warfare,” it said.

Finland temporarily closed Helsinki-Vantaa Airport on May 15 after a suspected drone incursion was detected, with nearly 2 million residents in the southern part of the country receiving emergency instructions.

On May 7, two Ukrainian drones crossed into Latvian airspace from Russia and struck an empty fuel depot in the city of Rezekne, around 40 km from the Russian border, with no casualties. Then-Defense Minister Andris Spruds at the time called the incident regrettable but understandable.

Later that month, Spruds’ party withdrew from the coalition, and Silina herself resigned, leading to the collapse of the government.

In early May, Reuters reported that a local fishing vessel discovered a Ukrainian-made sea drone near the island of Lefkada in the Ionian Sea. The Greek authorities later confirmed that the UAV was Ukrainian and lodged a diplomatic protest.

In response, Kiev apologized, attributing the incident to “circumstances brought about by ongoing Russian aggression.”

Two Ukrainian drones crashed near the southern Finnish city of Kouvola on March 29, with one confirmed to have carried an unexploded warhead. Two days later, a third Ukrainian drone was subsequently found on the ice of Lake Pyhajarvi near the Russian border, also carrying a suspected warhead.

Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen said Finland takes the issue of stray Ukrainian drones “very seriously.” Kiev once again apologized and attributed the deviations to Russian jamming.

Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky and Finnish President Alexander Stubb spoke by phone, though Stubb’s office confirmed that scaling back Ukrainian strikes near Finnish territory was not discussed.

On March 25, Estonia and Latvia both reported drones entering their airspace from Russia. In Estonia, a drone – later identified as Ukrainian – struck the chimney of a power station in the northeastern village of Auvere.

The same morning, a second Ukrainian drone entered from Russia and crash-landed in the Latvian village of Dobrocina, and two days prior, another Ukrainian drone crashed into Lake Lavysas in the Varena district of Lithuania. The Baltic authorities concluded that the drones were targeting Russian oil infrastructure in the region and veered off course due to electronic warfare measures.

Bottom line

The long string of incidents involving Ukrainian drones – often carrying explosives – typically follows the same pattern: Kiev apologizes and blames Moscow, while EU capitals nod along or turn a blind eye.

There have also been no calls to revisit the assistance Western countries provide Ukraine, despite the aid evidently contributing to the raids, which have the potential to kill EU citizens.

Scientists have baked sourdough bread using ancient yeast harvested from a 5,300-year-old mummy’s insides and skin, according to Eurac Research.

The Italian-based research center reported on Wednesday that its scientists discovered several strains of cold-resistant yeast from the Copper Age mummy nicknamed Otzi the Iceman, which was found in the Italian Alps in 1991.

Scientists examined microorganisms found on Otzi’s skin, in his digestive tract, and in meltwater from inside the mummy.

“We’ve already conducted initial, though not yet systematic, experiments − with good results. We tried to make a sourdough starter with it,” microbiologist Mohamed Sarhan said. “We made some really good dough with it.”

After around two weeks of being fed flour, the yeast strain adapted to a dough environment, he said. As Otzi was preserved at around -6 C (21.2 F), “these yeasts are remarkable because they are adapted to very cold temperatures,” he added.

The newly discovered strains could offer advantages for the modern food industry, allowing fermentation at refrigerator temperatures and during transportation, saving energy, Sarhan said.

Bread is currently one of the obvious applications we’re considering; another is beer – we’ve already discussed this with experts.

In an even older resurrection of ancient organisms, in 2023, scientists in Russia revived a female roundworm that had lain dormant in Siberia’s permafrost for 46,000 years.

The Bank of England’s decision to remove historical figures such as Winston Churchill from banknotes came after research commissioned by the regulator concluded that they were “elitist and divisive,” The Telegraph reported on Friday.

The central bank announced in March that it would end its use of historical figures, with the next series of banknotes set to feature UK wildlife. It said that the move followed public consultations in which nature-themed designs received the strongest support and argued that wildlife imagery would be harder to counterfeit than faces.

According to the newspaper, however, the decision was ultimately shaped by an internal study commissioned from market research firm Savanta. It reportedly found that figures such as wartime leader Churchill, World War II codebreaker Alan Turing, and novelist Jane Austen were “contentious and not representative of the UK’s cultural and natural diversity.”

Savanta advised replacing portraits with nature, arguing that historical figures projected “a backward-looking vision of the UK” and were viewed as “imperialistic,” “potentially divisive,” and “elitist.”

The firm also warned that landmarks and historic architecture could prove controversial, with Georgian and Victorian-era buildings deemed high-risk due to links to “colonialism/slavery.” Even some nature-themed symbols were considered problematic, including the White Cliffs of Dover over alleged association with immigration concerns.

Savanta reportedly urged the regulator to frame the move “as a positive evolution that enhances banknotes, rather than a ‘censorship’ or ‘cancellation’ of history,” but the decision has sparked accusations of precisely that.

Critics argue that the move is part of Britain’s broader “diversity overhaul.” Over the past decade, major UK institutions have increasingly reassessed the legacies of empire and colonialism. The National Trust linked dozens of historic properties to slavery and colonialism in a 2020 report, while the BBC, Civil Service, and Armed Forces have rolled out diversity initiatives. Local authorities have also renamed streets and reviewed monuments associated with colonial-era figures.

Executives from leading AI companies have joined biotechnology experts in an urgent call to mandate safety screening for synthetic DNA purchases. In a public letter addressed to the US Congress, the signatories argue that rapid advances in AI could increase the risk of biological weapons being developed.

The appeal published earlier this week was signed by Google DeepMind’s Demis Hassabis, OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Anthropic’s Dario Amodei, and Microsoft AI’s Mustafa Suleyman and Eric Horvitz. They were joined by dozens of experts from the biotech, DNA synthesis, and national security fields.

Synthetic DNA refers to artificially produced genetic material that can be ordered online and shipped much like other laboratory supplies. Although the letter is addressed to Congress, the signatories stressed that the issue is global, as synthetic DNA can be purchased and transported across borders.

“The ability to order synthetic DNA online has accelerated vaccine development, powered basic research, and made it possible for small teams to access capabilities that used to be confined to major institutions,” the letter reads.

Although synthetic DNA has a wide range of legitimate uses, including the development of life-saving medicines, engineering microorganisms, and even storing vast amounts of digital data, it also carries risks, according to the appeal. In theory, malicious actors could order DNA sequences designed to recreate dangerous pathogens, the signatories warned.

They also called for mandatory record-keeping to help trace suspicious activities. Beyond aiding investigations, the authors argued that simply knowing orders are traceable could deter misuse.

The authors said the underlying threat is not new, but argued that the unprecedented pace of AI development is changing the equation. Today’s AI systems, they noted, can already outperform PhD-level virologists on questions involving highly complex laboratory procedures.

As these systems improve, they warned, the knowledge and skill barriers that have historically limited access to biological weapons could be significantly eroded.

A Turkish-flagged fishing boat sank after being attacked in the Black Sea off the coast of Crimea, leaving one crew member dead and four others injured, Türkiye’s Coast Guard has said.

In a statement on X, the Coast Guard Command said the trawler DURU 67 came under attack on Friday near Sevastopol. A nearby fishing boat, BURAK KAYA, rescued five wounded crew members from the sinking vessel and headed for the Turkish port of Inebolu. One sailor, who was in critical condition, died during the journey.

Following a distress call, the Coast Guard dispatched a rescue vessel carrying a medical team. The ship reached BURAK KAYA around 7:00 PM local time, 115 nautical miles north of Inebolu within Türkiye’s search-and-rescue zone.

The deceased sailor and four injured crew members were transferred aboard, where they received medical treatment before being taken to a hospital in Kastamonu. The local health authorities said the victims mainly suffered shrapnel wounds.

Crimea, along with the former Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, and Zaporozhye, overwhelmingly voted to join Russia in 2014 and 2022, but Kiev and its Western backers continue to regard the territories as “annexed.”

Ukrainian forces routinely target Russian oil depots, supply routes, shipping, and port infrastructure in the area, often using naval drones and Western-supplied long-range missiles. On Thursday, drone attacks on the peninsula, including the port city of Sevastopol, killed at least four people and wounded ten others. Two more people were injured in a strike on Sevastopol on Saturday.

In March, the Turkish tanker Altura was reportedly struck by drones near the Bosphorus. Last month, maritime security company Tribeca reported drone attacks on three tankers in the Black Sea near Türkiye’s northern coast.

The Turkish government has condemned the Ukrainian attacks in the Black Sea. Foreign Ministry spokesman Oncu Keceli issued a warning last autumn after the Kairos and Virat tankers – also allegedly part of the ‘shadow fleet’ – were struck inside Türkiye’s exclusive economic zone, saying the attacks “posed serious risks to navigation, life, property, and environmental safety in the region.”

Protesters marched through central Budapest on Friday, chanting “traitor” as they denounced Prime Minister Peter Magyar over the EU Migration Pact.

When Magyar appeared on a balcony of his Tisza party’s headquarters waving a Hungarian flag, the crowd booed and chanted “Dirty Tisza,” demanding his resignation, local media have reported. Magyar later estimated the crowd at about 1,000 people.

Demonstrators claim the Prime Minister, who assumed office last month, secretly agreed to implement the pact in exchange for billions in EU funds, speculation that intensified after he and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a political agreement on May 29 to unlock the €16.4 billion.

The funds had been frozen since 2022, when the Commission accused then-Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government of corruption and rule-of-law violations. Orban, a long-time critic of EU policies on issues such as migration and Ukraine aid, accused Brussels of political blackmail.

Critics also allege that the deal would require Hungary to build a migrant transit facility for 8,000–10,000 people near its southern border.

Magyar has repeatedly stated that Hungary “will not accept any pact or allocation mechanism” on asylum and migration. However, Hungarian media have noted he has remained largely silent on the issue in recent weeks. According to Hungary Today, one condition tied to the release of EU funds is believed to be a reversal of Orban’s opposition to the pact.

Following the protest, Magyar dismissed the demonstrators on Facebook as “frenzied, inarticulate, shouting fellow citizens,” arguing they were effectively protesting EU funds allocated to Hungary.

The pact establishes a common EU framework for migration and asylum procedures. It introduces a system of “mandatory solidarity,” under which each member state is obliged to either accept a certain number of migrants, provide operational support, or pay €20,000 ($23,000) per person they refuse to take in.
The legislation has been controversial across the bloc, with Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia also rejecting the pact’s solidarity principle.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has slammed UK politicians over what she described as attempts to score points on existing racial divisions, warning that it risked pushing the country towards a “civil war.”

Speaking in an interview with the BBC aired on Friday, Badenoch reacted to the murder of Henry Nowak, an 18-year-old Polish-British university student, who was stabbed five times by Vickrum Digwa, a 23-year-old Sikh. The incident took place in Southampton in December 2025, but gained a national spotlight only recently.

When police arrived, Digwa falsely claimed he had been the victim of a racist assault, with police initially believing his account. Body-cam footage released after sentencing showed officers handcuffing the dying student as he repeatedly told them he had been stabbed and could not breathe.

Badenoch insisted that Britain “is not a racist country,” but acknowledged that “we are now seeing more and more hostility to people of every ethnicity, whether they’re English or not English.”

However, she insisted that the real driver of tension was politicians using racial divisions to harvest votes and importing these conflicts into communities that had previously been spared from them.

“Parties which do that, politicians who do that, they may get to benefit in the short term, but in the long term, that’s how you end up with civil war,” Badenoch warned.

While Badenoch did not name specific politicians, one of those who seized on the controversy was Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, widely known for his anti-immigration agenda. Farage called for “pure cold rage” in response to the incident.

Reform UK is currently polling at around 27%, with Labour and the Conservatives tied at roughly 18% each. Meanwhile, Badenoch herself became the Tory leader after former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s landslide defeat in the general election in 2024, which was in large part caused by the party’s identitarian and cultural policies as well as a failure to deliver on immigration promises.

The culture war has long plagued British politics, with one of the most notable instances coming in August 2025 when “Operation Raise the Colours” saw activists tying Union Jacks and St. George’s Cross flags to lampposts across England. While the protest was framed as an expression of patriotism, some Labour-run councils disagreed, ordering the flags to be removed over concerns that they were sowing division – a move that drew furious condemnation from Reform UK.

Ukraine has asked Brussels to exclude military-aged Ukrainian men from temporary protection measures, EU Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner has said, according to Deutsche Welle. Kiev has been seeking to replenish troop numbers amid mounting manpower shortages.

Tens of thousands of Ukrainians have fled abroad to avoid conscription since the conflict with Russia escalated in 2022. As of spring 2026, 4.33 million Ukrainians were living under temporary protection in the EU, including up to 1 million men of fighting age, according to Eurostat data.

The issue was raised as EU member states discussed extending temporary protection for Ukrainians beyond its current March 2027 expiry date. Most member states reportedly support prolonging the scheme until 2028.

The Ukrainian authorities have repeatedly said they want individuals of military age to be returned from abroad. Ukraine announced a general mobilization shortly after the escalation of the conflict in 2022, barring men aged 18 to 60 from leaving the country. Last year, Kiev relaxed the restrictions, allowing men aged 18 to 22 to cross the border.

Around a quarter of Ukrainians living under temporary protection in the EU are men aged 18 to 64, according to statistics.

In recent months, several member states, including Poland, Germany, Denmark, the Czech Republic, and Hungary, have moved to curb social programs for Ukrainian migrants.

Moscow has accused Kiev’s Western backers of waging a proxy war against Russia “to the last Ukrainian.”

Bots and AI agents now generate more web traffic than humans, according to data from internet infrastructure company Cloudflare. CEO Matthew Prince has described the development as a major turning point in the history of the web.

Recent Cloudflare Radar data shows that automated bot requests account for roughly 57% of traffic to ordinary webpages across a selection of websites using the company’s services, compared with about 43% generated by humans.

“Welp, that happened faster than I predicted,” Cloudflare co-founder and CEO Matthew Prince wrote on X on Wednesday. He stated that he had expected automated traffic to overtake human activity only in 2027, but that “agentic traffic” has grown rapidly enough for bots to pass humans “for the first time in the Internet’s history.” 

The shift is primarily being driven by AI agents – automated systems that browse, retrieve, and process web content on behalf of users. While a human might visit a handful of websites before making a purchase or researching a topic, an AI agent can scan thousands of pages in order to produce an answer or complete a task.

The trend has revived debate over the “dead internet theory,” the idea that much of online activity is increasingly generated by bots, automated accounts, and AI systems interacting with other machine-made content.

The rise of bot traffic has also threatened the internet’s advertising-based business model. Since bots do not click on ads, concerns have been raised about whether websites may eventually charge AI agents for access to content.

Meanwhile, researchers have also noted that large parts of the older web have been disappearing. A 2024 Pew Research Center study found that 38% of webpages that existed in 2013 were no longer accessible a decade later, fueling concerns that the open web is being transformed from a space built around human browsing into one increasingly dominated by automated systems.

NASA temporarily moved its astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) into an evacuation spacecraft on Friday after an air leak was detected in one of the modules, while Russian cosmonauts worked to repair it.

According to NASA spokeswoman Bethany Stevens, “out of an abundance of caution,” members of the agency’s Crew-12 mission were instructed to don their spacesuits and take shelter inside a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft – a vessel used for transport missions to and from the ISS – while repairs were carried out.

Russian space corporation Roscosmos said that two potential leak sites had been identified during routine pressure checks inside the transfer chamber of the Zvezda service module, known as PrK, a key component of the station. One was quickly fixed using a special sealant, while preparations began to repair the second site in the conical section of the compartment.

Stevens said that NASA and Roscosmos have long monitored cracks in the Zvezda module and have been working together to determine the cause of recurring pressure losses. She added that Roscosmos decided to undertake an extensive repair operation after the latest leak was detected. Reuters, citing a senior NASA official, reported that the leak rate had doubled from roughly half a kilogram of air per day to nearly a kilogram earlier this week.

The Zvezda service module transfer tunnel, known as PrK, has suffered from cracks and leaks for some time, and has been mitigated by Roscosmos as much as possible to date. The cracks have always been a concern that NASA watches very closely. NASA and Roscosmos have been working…

— Bethany Stevens (@NASASpox) June 5, 2026

Roscosmos stressed that the situation posed no threat to either the crew or the station’s onboard systems, adding that pressure aboard the ISS remained stable and within normal operating parameters.

Launched in 1998, the ISS is operated by five space agencies from Russia, the US, Europe, Japan, and Canada, with day-to-day operations coordinated by NASA and Roscosmos. Seven crew members are currently aboard the station, including Russian cosmonauts Sergey Mikaev, Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, and Andrey Fedyaev; NASA astronauts Chris Williams, Jessica Meir, and Jack Hathaway; and European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot.

Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) has said it targeted American military assets in the region, after the US Department of War carried out strikes against Iranian installations on Qeshm Island and in the coastal county of Sirik.

US forces intercepted “four Iranian one-way attack drones” launched toward the Strait of Hormuz, US Central Command said on X on Friday, claiming the drones posed “an immediate threat to regional maritime traffic.”

“US forces subsequently struck Iranian coastal surveillance radar sites in Goruk and on Qeshm Island to defend against further attacks,” CENTCOM said. It added that US forces remain “postured to respond to unjustified Iranian aggression in self-defense.”

Iran retaliated hours later, targeting “two US air bases in Kuwait and the remaining important facilities in the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet in Bahrain” with ballistic missiles, according to the IRGC. Both countries reported that their air defenses engaged incoming threats, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

🚨The IRGC simultaneously attacked US Bases in Kuwait and Bahrain in retaliation for US strikes.

IRGC seemingly used multiple Ballistic Missiles (SRBM / MRBM). Possibly Kamikaze Drones (Loitering Munition) were launched as well. https://t.co/PyibP3mynN pic.twitter.com/3wavK0FqdR

— Saikiran Kannan | 赛基兰坎南 (@saikirankannan) June 6, 2026

The incident closely resembled the exchange of fire earlier this week, when the US targeted Qeshm in what CENTCOM described as “self-defense strikes on an Iranian military ground control station.”

Qeshm Island lies in the Strait of Hormuz off Iran’s southern coast, near the entrance to the Persian Gulf. Shipping through the crucial oil and gas maritime artery has effectively been blocked since the US-Israeli attack, with Iran threatening US-linked vessels and the US targeting Iranian-linked shipping.

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the ceasefire with Iran remained in effect despite the latest exchanges. “It’s a different part of the world,” Trump told reporters. “I’d say in that part of the world, ceasefire is when you’re shooting in a more moderate manner.”

Google has agreed to pay SpaceX $920 million per month for AI compute capacity through June 2029, according to the space-tech company’s filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

The arrangement is worth almost $30 billion over the full period and covers the rental of “approximately 110,000 NVIDIA GPUs, CPUs, memory, and other related components,” Business Insider reported on Friday.

Google told the outlet that the contract is intended to meet demand for Gemini Enterprise, its agentic AI platform, and described SpaceX as a long-time Google Cloud partner.

SpaceX said in its filing that the contracts allow it to monetize unused compute capacity while keeping the option to reallocate capacity for internal use. The space company, which merged with Elon Musk’s X and xAI in January, generated nearly $4.7 billion in revenue and lost almost $4.3 billion in the first quarter of 2026.

The AI agreements have become a major selling point ahead of the company’s highly anticipated $1.77 trillion public listing next week.

The US military reportedly used Anthropic’s Claude during the operation to kidnap Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro. In Iran, Palantir software which relies heavily on Anthropic’s AI workflows reportedly selected a girls’ elementary school in Minab as a valid target, based on outdated, human-compiled maps.

The US Department of War announced deals with SpaceX, OpenAI, Google, NVIDIA, Reflection, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, and Oracle on May 1 to deploy their AI systems for “lawful operational use.” The systems are to be integrated into the US Department of War’s classified 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 German Armed Forces could see their operational capabilities severely limited by a growing repair backlog caused by a critical shortage of spare parts, according to media reports citing internal documents from a key military maintenance provider.

The situation is particularly serious for heavy equipment, the newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) and public broadcasters WDR and NDR reported this week, citing data from HIL, the state-owned company responsible for much of the military’s repairs.

Only around half of Germany’s PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzers, Marder infantry fighting vehicles, and Boxer armored personnel carriers were operational as of May, the outlets reported, citing HIL sources. The remaining equipment was reportedly stuck in lengthy maintenance and repair cycles.

A HIL report cited by the media stated that the lack of long-term supply contracts makes obtaining enough spare parts almost impossible. The situation is so serious that some “essential weapon systems” could face permanent “limitations to their operational readiness.”

The report further states that the Defense Ministry constantly prioritizes short-term repair demands that are “primarily aimed at quick, externally observable effects.” The ministry did not comment on the reports.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government is pursuing a major military buildup, citing the supposed Russian threat, which Moscow has dismissed as “nonsense.” Since taking office in May 2025, Merz has stepped up support for Ukraine and vowed to make the German military Europe’s strongest conventional army.

A demonstration in the Belgian capital against controversial cuts to education spending has descended into violence. It comes against the backdrop of mounting opposition to the government’s efforts to balance the budget. 

What began as a largely peaceful protest by thousands of students and teachers in central Brussels on Thursday later turned violent, with hooded individuals reportedly setting fires, damaging property and clashing with police. Some social media users posting videos on X claimed the unrest had been fueled by groups of migrant youths who infiltrated the demonstration.  

Protestors were opposed to a package of austerity measures put forward by Belgium’s French Community government, which oversees French-language education. The reforms would raise annual university tuition fees for most students from €835 ($964) to around €1,194 and require some secondary-school teachers to take on additional classroom hours without extra pay. 

Officials say the measures would save €300 million and help address a budget deficit projected to reach €1.9 billion. The roughly 35% increase would bring fees more closely into line with those at Flemish universities, according to the government. 

🇧🇪 Absolute chaos today in Brussels…

Scooters on fire, bus stops wrecked, fireworks being launched at police, thick smoke covering parts of the city center.

It was a student protest. 84-88% of Brussels’ youth are of foreign origin. Go figure.pic.twitter.com/AGdu24iGkd

— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) June 4, 2026

The package has sparked months of opposition from students, teachers, and trade unions, who argue that the changes will make higher education less accessible and place additional pressure on already overstretched staff. 

Despite the protests, the Parliament of the French Community approved the bill on Friday after more than 14 hours of debate, paving the way for the reforms to take effect. French Community government leader Elisabeth Degryse defended the measures as necessary to address the region’s financial challenges. 

Calls for new demonstrations circulated on social media ahead of the vote, while local media reported that police had been deployed to several locations across the Belgian capital.  

The latest unrest follows months of anti-government protests in Brussels against austerity measures, as Belgium tries to rein in public spending while increasing military expenditure in line with NATO commitments. 

The budget squeeze also comes amid an EU-wide energy crisis following the bloc’s reduction of Russian oil and gas imports, which has contributed to higher costs for consumers. Supply chain disruptions linked to the Middle East conflict have further exacerbated the situation.

The European Union’s new migration rules, agreed upon in principle by lawmakers and state representatives, will allow EU countries to transfer rejected asylum seekers to third countries if they cannot be returned to their countries of origin. They also introduce stricter rules for dealing with illegal migrants, especially those considered a security risk.

The media has called it “historic,” “hardline,” and the “strictest-ever migration law” as politicians behind their lecterns spoke of control and the defense of borders. Yet in truth, the EU has once again promised to become tougher while preserving the structures that produced the migration crisis in the first place. New procedures, databases, and regulations have appeared, but the underlying incentives have remained largely intact. The result resembles many political spectacles of recent years: a performance designed to reassure anxious voters while preserving the economic and ideological foundations of the existing system. The gap between rhetoric and reality has become one of the defining characteristics of contemporary Western politics.

The same pattern can be observed across the Atlantic. Donald Trump returned to office promising the strongest immigration enforcement campaign in American history. His supporters anticipated deportation operations on a scale never previously attempted. Yet the reality has proved considerably more modest. Immigration enforcement agencies continue to conduct highly publicized arrests that generate dramatic footage for television and social media. A worker removed from a restaurant kitchen, a raid on a warehouse or construction site – all good for cameras and for political supporters to receive confirmation that action is taking place. Yet the larger economic machinery that attracts millions of migrants continues operating. Businesses that employ illegal labor rarely face penalties severe enough to transform their calculations. The availability of employment remains the primary magnet drawing people across borders. A government genuinely committed to ending illegal immigration would focus relentlessly on employers, labor contractors, and industries dependent on cheap foreign labor. However, such measures would provoke opposition from powerful economic interests. Consequently, symbolic enforcement often proves more attractive than structural reform.

Welfare programs support those who struggle to establish themselves economically. These expenses rarely appear on corporate balance sheets – instead, they get distributed across the broader population through taxation and public expenditure. This contradiction led the French thinker Alain de Benoist to formulate one of the most incisive observations in the entire debate: “One who criticizes capitalism while approving of immigration, of which the working class is its first victim, would do better to remain silent. One who criticizes immigration while remaining silent regarding capitalism should do the same.” The statement captures a reality that many ideological camps prefer to avoid. Immigration and capitalism frequently function as partners within the same economic system, and any serious analysis of one eventually encounters the other.

Back in Western Europe, governments routinely announce crackdowns on illegal immigration while simultaneously preserving the economic and demographic model that depends on continuous inflows of foreign labor. Public discussion frequently centers on boats crossing the Mediterranean or migrants entering through other irregular routes – images that dominate news coverage because they are visually dramatic. Yet illegal immigration represents only one component of a much larger phenomenon. The overwhelming transformation of Western Europe has occurred through legal channels. Work permits, family reunification programs, student visas, humanitarian admissions, labor recruitment schemes, and various residency pathways have altered the demographic composition of entire societies. A politician can reduce small boat arrivals while expanding legal immigration quotas. Statistical reports may then suggest success even as overall migration continues at historic levels.

Italy provides an instructive example. Giorgia Meloni rose to power promising a fundamental break with previous migration policies. Her electoral success depended heavily on public dissatisfaction with mass immigration. Yet her government subsequently approved hundreds of thousands of additional work permits for non-European migrants in response to labor shortages. Nearly half a million new non-EU work visas were authorized over a multi-year period even while the government continued presenting itself as a champion of immigration control. Supporters emphasized efforts against illegal arrivals, while employers welcomed access to additional labor, and the demographic trajectory remained largely unchanged.

In Germany, for instance, the debate often focuses on deportations, especially concerning Syrian refugees. Political leaders have discussed large-scale returns now that Syria’s civil war has ended. Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated that hundreds of thousands of Syrians could eventually return and suggested that most Syrian refugees would participate in rebuilding their homeland. Yet such declarations immediately encounter practical realities. Successful deportation requires cooperation from the receiving country, transportation infrastructure, administrative capacity, diplomatic agreements, legal proceedings, and substantial financial resources.

Likewise with the EU’s new migration agreement, statistics reveal the scale of the challenge. European authorities acknowledge that only a fraction of individuals ordered to leave actually depart. New regulations attempt to improve this rate, but the administrative burden of removing vast populations would dwarf almost any peacetime governmental undertaking in modern European history. Still, many advocates of remigration speak as though a future government could simply issue an order and reverse decades of demographic change.

The deeper issue extends beyond migration policy altogether. Mass immigration functions primarily as a symptom rather than a cause. Civilizations with strong confidence, coherent identities, stable institutions, and clear collective purposes rarely experience sustained demographic transformation against the wishes of their populations. Migration becomes politically decisive when governing elites lose faith in cultural continuity and begin treating populations primarily as economic units. Labor shortages, declining birthrates, fiscal pressures, aging societies, and ideological universalism combine to create a system that continuously demands replacement populations. The immigrant arrives after the transformation has already begun, and serves as visible evidence of deeper processes unfolding beneath the surface.

Modern Europe differs profoundly from ancient Rome, yet it has developed certain key structural similarities. Economic systems require workers and welfare states need contributors, but birthrates remain low across much of the continent. Political elites emphasize economic growth and labor supply, while business organizations lobby for additional workers. Governments, in turn, expand legal migration channels, which then leads to public opposition. To quell that opposition, governments announce new enforcement measures without addressing the root causes of migration. Economic demand repeatedly overwhelms political promises, and systems adapt to maintain flows that leaders publicly criticize, but privately accommodate.

The US House of Representatives has passed a bill on imposing new sanctions on Russia and expanding Ukraine aid, with the move being largely driven by Democrats and 18 Republicans breaking party ranks. However, even the bill’s supporters conceded that the legislation was more of a symbolic gesture as it is facing an uphill battle in the Senate and a likely veto from US President Donald Trump.

The so-called Ukraine Support Act, introduced by Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY) in April 2025, passed Thursday with 226 votes for and 195 against.

If agreed by Congress, it would authorize over $1 billion in emergency security and reconstruction funding and $8 billion in direct loans to Ukraine, impose mandatory escalating sanctions on Russian financial institutions and energy companies, levy a 500% tariff on Russian imports, and establish a Ukraine Reconstruction Trust Fund.

The bill made its way to a vote after its supporters pulled a rare legislative maneuver called a discharge petition, which allowed them to bypass the Republican leadership – including the speaker and committee chairs – who were opposed to the move.

“If you support this bill, then clearly you are not interested in peace because the consequences would tie the hands of this president and could lead to future hostilities that would bleed over into Europe,” Republican congressman Keith Self said.

Rep. Brian Mast, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, was equally dismissive, calling it “a cudgel to fight against President Trump” and “an unserious bill that was crafted basically a year-and-a-half ago.”

According to CNN, Speaker Mike Johnson privately urged members to vote against the bill, asking them to give Trump more time and space to negotiate with Russia.

While the bill has cleared the House, its further prospects are dim. Republican congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, one of the legislation’s supporters, admitted that “it’s probably not going to get 60 votes in the Senate, but it’s going to hopefully force the Senate to address the issue.”

Trump has been opposed to providing unconditional support to Ukraine, with most of the US military aid currently being paid for by Kiev’s backers in the West through the PURL mechanism.

Moscow has dismissed all Western sanctions as “illegal,” noting that the US restrictions “are harmful for building ties.” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has also noted that Moscow has seen no progress toward a Ukraine settlement nearly a year after the Putin-Trump summit in Alaska.

“The Russian leadership accepted [American] proposals [on Ukraine]. And since then, we have not seen any progress, no desire to convince Ukraine to accept these American proposals,” he added.

DNA testing has confirmed that a body found in southwestern France is that of Lyhanna, an 11-year-old girl who disappeared last week, prosecutors said. The case sparked a nationwide search and a growing political row over failures in the justice system.

The confirmation came a day after search teams discovered the body in an abandoned grain silo near Fleurance in the Gers region, where Lyhanna was last seen on May 29.
Police were led to the site by a tip that the suspect in custody previously worked there, Gers region prosecutor Olivier Naboulet said in a statement on Friday, as cited by AP. More autopsy work is needed to determine the cause of death, he added.

The suspect, Jerome B., 41, whose daughter went to the same school as Lyhanna, was arrested.

He acknowledged that he gave the girl a ride but claimed he dropped her off near a local swimming pool – a version of events prosecutors described as inconsistent.

Prosecutor Clemence Meyer said one case involving a teenager was dropped in 2018 after the girl said the relationship was consensual. Another complaint alleging the rape of a child under 15 was dismissed in 2024 due to lack of evidence. A separate complaint filed in August 2025 alleged the rape of a young girl in 2024-2025.

President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday that he was shocked, acknowledging “a dysfunction” in the system. He said he asked the government to investigate what went wrong.

Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin is expected to convene all public prosecutors in Paris on Monday to review the handling of these cases.

Anne-Cecile Mailfert of the Women’s Foundation said the case exposes deep failures in France’s response to sexual violence.

“The system doesn’t work,” she said, calling for comprehensive reform.