Escalating Geopolitical Tensions and Conflictsactive

The Russian leader proposes Schroeder. "Trump is eager to reach an agreement, but negotiations require time."

Last year, a military conflict erupted between India and Pakistan. Although a ceasefire agreement was reached a year ago, both countries have maintained a hardline stance, continuing to take countermeasures, and tensions remain high.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that he thought the Ukraine conflict was coming to an end. Russia’s 2022 ‌invasion of Ukraine triggered the most serious crisis in relations between Russia and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, when many people feared the world was on the brink of nuclear war. “I think that the matter is coming to an end,” Putin told reporters of the Ukraine war. Putin was speaking in the Kremlin after Russia held its ⁠most scaled-back Victory Day...

The Bahraini Ministry of Interior announced today, Saturday, the arrest of 41 individuals accused of being linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran. According to a statement released by the ministry on social media, "security services have uncovered an organization linked to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and the Wilayat al-Faqih ideology (a Shia political doctrine)." "Forty-one individuals from the main organization have been arrested, and legal proceedings are being completed against them," the statement on social media said. The arrests were reportedly based on investigations by the Public Prosecutor's Office in cases of "espionage with foreign entities" and "sympathy with Iranian aggression." The latter refers to Iran's retaliatory attacks against several Arab countries, including Bahrain, in response to the attacks launched by the United States and Israel on February 28th. While the Bahraini Ministry of Interior did not provide details about the identities of the 41 detainees, they did indicate that search and investigation operations are ongoing to identify more individuals involved with the organization. View this post on Instagram

Israel and Hezbollah have continued to trade fire despite a ceasefire deal being announced last month.

Frustration is growing among Trump supporters over delays in the launch of the Trump Mobile T1 smartphone, initially promised for 2025.

This was not only for security reasons, but primarily because the armed forces must focus their attention on the final defeat of the enemy in the special military operation, Russian president said

This Saturday, a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, proposed by the President of the United States, Donald Trump, began. The start of this truce was intended to coincide with Victory Day, which commemorates the arrival of the Russian army in Berlin and the fall of the Nazi regime in Europe. In a press conference held on this day, Russian President Vladimir Putin said, "We decided to celebrate it, but without a display of military equipment, because the armed forces must focus their attention on the final defeat of the enemy within the framework of the special military operation." In recent hours, photographs have been shared showing celebrations in Moscow, depicting a Red Square that is less crowded than usual. For its part, Ukraine issued a special decree, within the framework of this ceasefire, stating that drones would be prohibited from approaching the Red Square, and in what has been interpreted as ironic, they shared the exact coordinates of this area. President Trump announced this ceasefire on Friday, at which time he also announced that this measure would be accompanied by the exchange of one thousand prisoners from both sides. "Hopefully, this is the beginning of the end of a very long, deadly, and hard-fought war. Negotiations to end this major conflict, the largest since World War II, are ongoing, and we are getting closer every day," he stated through his social media platform...

During their talks, the Abkhaz leader invited the Russian president to visit the republic at any convenient time

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, reeling from a crushing local election defeat, faced a new setback to his leadership on Saturday when a former minister said she would challenge him for the top job if no one else stepped forward. Starmer’s Labour Party recorded the worst losses of a governing party in municipal polls since 1995, prompting a growing number of his ‌own lawmakers to call on him to quit. To try to shore up his position in the party earlier on Saturday, he named two influential...

The Russian leader stressed that Russia appreciates the personal participation of senior officials from Republika Srpska in the commemorative events marking the 81st anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War

Comedian Bill Maher criticized Democrats' criticism of President Trump's White House ballroom project on Friday. During an interview on "Real Time with Bill Maher" with Democratic Sen. John Fetterman (Pa.), the late-night host called the discussion surrounding the construction project "so stupid." "I don't care about the ballroom," Fetterman said. Maher replied, ...

This Saturday, the 9th, in a ceremony to be held in Riviera Maya (Mexico), Guillermo Francella will join the same group that already includes his fellow Argentinians Ricardo Darín and Cecilia Roth, as well as figures like Sônia Braga, Antonio Banderas, Diego Luna, Carmen Maura, and Benicio del Toro. The organizers of the Platino Awards have announced that the Argentinian actor will receive the Platino Honorary Award at the 13th edition of the awards, recognizing his career spanning over four decades in film, television, and theater. "Above all, this is a recognition of the path I've taken, and that has a different kind of significance," Francella said at a press conference on Friday, the day before receiving the award at the main event where this year's winners will be announced. "I feel fulfilled, satisfied, and happy with the support I receive, and when I have the opportunity to receive an honor like this, it's the best thing that can happen to me. It really moves me," he expressed, also mentioning his close friendship with Enrique Cerezo, president of EGEDA and executive president of the Platino Awards. During the event, he discussed the versatility of his roles and his desire to connect with the audience. This is a point he had previously mentioned during the promotion of "Homo argentum" (2025), the successful film composed of 16 vignettes in which he played all the roles. "I believe what has motivated me the most is to take risks in every..."

UN condemns confrontation in occupied West Bank as 'appalling and emblematic of the dehumanisation of Palestinians'.

Russia and Ukraine on Saturday accused the other of violating a a three-day US-brokered ceasefire, which coincides with Russia's World War II victory celebrations. No major strikes were reported by the warring sites.

He also hoped that the Iran conflict would end as soon as possible but that if it did not then everyone would lose out.

46 in custody in Paris over banned far-right and anti-fascist marches

The cruise ship will arrive on the island of Tenerife, part of the Canary Islands of Spain, officials said. All of the passengers will then be evacuated to their home countries.

Efforts are ongoing to extinguish a forest fire in the Polissia Nature Reserve in the Zhytomyr region, with rescuers monitoring smoldering hotspots using drones.

He is resuming negotiations with Vance in Pakistan. Araghchi stated: "The United States is making excessive demands."

The base, set up for special forces and search-and-rescue teams, was almost discovered early in the conflict.

According to Corriere della Sera: "Rome wasn't there when we needed it. Should we withdraw troops? I am considering it."

In Damascus, the Lebanese prime minister and the Syrian president discussed issues including security, transportation, and energy.

The U. S. State Department this week sanctioned three Chinese companies it accused of aiding Iran in its war against the U. S., the latest in the back-and-forth between the two countries just days before President Donald Trump will meet with China’s leader Xi Jinping in a high-stakes confab in Beijing. The State Department accused the firms — Meentropy Technology (Hangzhou) Co., Earth Eye and Chang Guang Satellite Technology Co. — of “providing satellite imagery that enables Iran’s military strikes against U. S. forces in the Middle East,” according to a fact sheet issued on Friday. “The United States will continue to take action to hold China-based entities accountable for their support to Iran and ensure Iran cannot reconstitute its proliferation-sensitive programs following Operation Epic Fury,” the State Department wrote. “The targeting of U. S. service members and partners will not go unanswered.” The timing of State’s move to sanction those Chinese firms underscores the administration’s frustration with Beijing’s public narrative of wanting to see the conflict in the Gulf end while providing ongoing assistance to Iran’s military. That includes exports of some parts essential to Tehran’s weaponized drone program, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday. The sanctions will also likely boost Trump’s leverage in his meeting with Xi in which he is expected to press the Chinese leader to push Tehran toward a deal that will reopen the Strait of Hormuz to normal shipping traffic. The administration also issued sanctions Friday against 10 other entities and individuals in countries including Belarus, Iran and the United Arab Emirates that it said are “enabling efforts by Iran’s military to secure weapons.” The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Trump will depart for Beijing in just under a week, alongside a delegation of U. S. CEOs primed to stake out deals with the country’s geopolitical rival. U. S. defense officials, meanwhile, worry the taxing conflict with Iran could give Xi leverage in negotiations with Trump next week. Friday’s penalties against China mark just the latest escalation in tensions. Last week, China’s Ministry of Commerce issued a ban on the enforcement of or compliance with separately-issued U. S. sanctions on five Chinese oil refineries accused of purchasing oil from Tehran, according to the state-run Xinhua News Agency — the first such block invoked since China implemented a national policy prohibiting compliance with international measures it deems “unjustified” in 2021. But the president has expressed confidence that he and Xi have the relationship and common ground needed to work together on the Middle East. “That’ll be one subject,” he said in an Oval Office press conference last week. “But he’s been very nice about this. In all fairness, he gets like 60 percent of his oil from Hormuz. I think he’s been very respectful. We haven’t been challenged by China.”

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N. Y.) expressed confidence on Saturday that Democrats can still win back the House of Representatives, despite a recent redistricting loss in Virginia.  “We’re going to take back control of the House of Representatives,” Jeffries told MS NOW’s Ali Velshi. “We’re going to continue to make clear to the American people…

The Kremlin leader stated: "We are fighting against an aggressive force armed by NATO."

Keir Starmer set to face challenge as former minister says she will trigger race if no cabinet minister comes forward UK politics live – latest updates MPs from Labour’s left are expected to urge Ed Miliband to consider a leadership bid in the coming days, as Keir Starmer faced the prospect of a definite challenge from his MPs next week. Following grim results for Labour in elections on Thursday, former minister Catherine West said that if no cabinet ministers went public by Monday, she would launch a bid to end the impasse. Continue reading...

Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has shown little sign of abating, with Hezbollah also continuing to attack Israeli troops, and both sides accusing the other of violating a U. S.-brokered truce.

New York Times White House Correspondent Maggie Haberman said on Friday that President Trump and former President Biden share a common “disconnect” with voters when it comes to messaging on the economy. “Certainly, there has been a similarity in terms of how President Biden and how President Trump have handled how voters feel about their…

The BBC's Russia editor reports from a Red Square with none of the military hardware which the Kremlin normally showcases to project power internationally.

Marco Rubio clashes with reporters over Iran ceasefire

The Prime Minister is relying on the experienced figures of Brown and Harman. Trump congratulates the Scottish leader.

Ukrainian company EDRONE has showcased its Baton drone interceptor system designed to protect critical infrastructure at the SAHA 2026 defense exhibition in Istanbul. The unmanned aerial system was presented in two configurations – fixed-wing and copter-type.

Livestock theft is becoming a problem in German agriculture, with entire herds disappearing overnight in some cases. In addition to financial losses, the offences also have an emotional impact on farmers. Investigators believe that organised gangs from abroad are involved.

Keir Starmer’s party has less experience in ousting leaders than the Conservatives

The WHO chief has reassured Tenerife residents, as Spanish authorities prepare to receive the MV Hondius, the cruise ship at the center of the hantavirus outbreak.

As a temporary ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia comes into effect, residents across Ukraine reflect on the enduring toll of war and the uncertainty of peace. In Zaporizhzhia, mourners at a World War II memorial drew parallels between past and present suffering, while others in Kharkiv and Kyiv expressed cautious hope mixed with deep scepticism that the brief pause in fighting could lead to meaningful negotiations.

This Saturday, the United Kingdom announced the deployment of its destroyer, HMS Dragon, to the Middle East in preparation for a possible operation aimed at protecting maritime transport in the Strait of Hormuz, according to a statement. The HMS Dragon, of the British Royal Navy, is an air defense vessel, and in March, it was sent to the Eastern Mediterranean following the start of the conflict with Iran to assist in the defense of Cyprus. This strategy would be part of a multinational operation to protect maritime transport in the strait. "The pre-positioning of HMS Dragon is part of a prudent planning process that will ensure the United Kingdom is prepared, as part of a multinational coalition led jointly by the United Kingdom and France, to secure the strait when conditions allow," a spokesperson for the British Ministry of Defense said, according to the Reuters news agency. The protection of the Strait of Hormuz has become one of the central issues of the conflict, which began on February 28 with Israeli-American airstrikes on Iran.

A large-scale forest fire is ongoing in the Chornobyl exclusion zone in the Kyiv region, with firefighters working to extinguish flames that have already spread over an area of 1,200 hectares.

The Russian president added that he was very pleased to welcome his counterpart Thongloun Sisoulith to Moscow

Germany, France, Belgium, Ireland, and the Netherlands will send planes to evacuate their citizens aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship ​hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak, Spain's interior minister said on Saturday, adding that transport will also be arranged by the European Union, the US and the UK for the remaining passengers.

Emissions understated by factor of five in Essex plans for tech giant, while Greystoke’s Lincolnshire plans show similar error Developers working for Google have significantly misstated how much carbon two proposed AI datacentres will contribute to the UK’s total emissions in planning documents reviewed by the Guardian. The tech company wants to build two huge datacentres – one 52-hectare (130 acre) project in Thurrock and another at an airfield in North Weald, both in Essex. To do so, developers are required to submit planning documents calculating how much carbon these projects will emit as a proportion of the UK’s total carbon footprint. Continue reading...

France, Germany, Belgium, Ireland and the Netherlands will send planes to repatriate their citizens on the Tenerife-bound cruise ship hit by a hantavirus outbreak, Spain said on Saturday. The European Union is sending ​two additional planes for the remaining European citizens, Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said during a briefing in Madrid. The U. S. and Britain, meanwhile, are arranging planes and contingency plans for non-EU citizens from countries unable to send air transport. Hantavirus is a disease typically spread by infected rats. As of Friday, there were a total of six confirmed cases of a hantavirus variant — named the “Andes” subtype — linked to the cruise ship and two probable cases, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The Andes subtype is the only variant known to spread among humans. The WHO has sought to calm fears that the outbreak could trigger a global health emergency on the scale of Covid-19. The Spanish government’s plans to let the cruise ship, the MV Hondius, arrive in Tenerife have provoked controversy, including among Canary Islands leaders. The ship will anchor off Tenerife without docking. Passengers will then be ferried to the industrial port of Granadilla and transported in “sealed, guarded vehicles, through a completely cordoned-off corridor” before being repatriated directly to their home countries, according to WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Ghebreyesus is set to travel to Tenerife with Spain’s interior and health ministers to coordinate the arrival of the cruise ship. Ghebreyesus addressed the people of Tenerife directly via social media on Saturday, acknowledging their fears while stressing that “this is not another Covid.” “The current public health risk from hantavirus remains low,” Ghebreyesus said. Ghebreyesus intends to “stand alongside the health workers, port staff, and officials who are making [the operation] happen, and to personally pay my respects to an island that has responded to a difficult situation with grace, solidarity, and compassion.”

Sri Lankan authorities arrested a senior Buddhist monk on Saturday for the alleged sexual abuse of an underage girl, police said, marking the highest-profile case involving clergy in the country. Pallegama Hemarathana, 71, was arrested at a private hospital in the capital Colombo where he had sought treatment over the weekend amid an investigation into the alleged abuse of the 11-year-old girl in 2022. The crime is alleged to have taken place at a highly venerated temple in Anuradhapura, around...

More than 100 passengers and crew members were affected by a norovirus outbreak on board the Caribbean Princess cruise ship, which had departed from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, according to U.S. health authorities. According to a report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), at least 102 passengers and 13 crew members experienced symptoms associated with the gastrointestinal virus during the 14-day cruise in the Eastern Caribbean. The main symptoms reported include vomiting and diarrhea, which are characteristic of norovirus, a highly contagious disease that often spreads rapidly in enclosed spaces such as cruise ships. The ship, operated by Princess Cruises, departed on April 28 from Fort Lauderdale and was carrying more than 3,100 passengers and 1,100 crew members. In response to the outbreak, the company activated health protocols that included isolating affected individuals, reinforcing cleaning and disinfection measures, and collecting samples for analysis. "We quickly disinfected all areas of the ship and added additional health measures during the voyage," Princess Cruises said in a statement reported by U.S. media. The company also stated that once the cruise ship arrives at Port Canaveral, Florida, on May 11, the vessel will undergo a thorough cleaning and disinfection process.

As the May 14-15 summit between President Trump and Xi Jinping approaches, the U. S. is racing to freeze the Iran crisis before it weakens their hand at the table, while China's leverage increases and Saudi Arabia diversifies its security relationships.

At the early stage of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, decisive support for Kyiv from Berlin was constrained by close political and business ties with Russia, fears of nuclear escalation, and the prevailing belief in an “invincible Russia,” as well as German politicians’ reluctance to critically reassess their own past policy toward Moscow.

Authorities say individual jumped fence at Denver International Airport in Colorado before being struck.

The faction is made up of ultra-conservative politicians, clerics, and media figures who strongly support the ideology of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday voiced confidence of victory in Ukraine as he oversaw a military parade on Red Square commemorating the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II – a show that didn't include heavy weapons for the first time in nearly two decades. Security was tight in Moscow as Putin and several foreign leaders attended the parade, which was scaled down even as a US-brokered three-day ceasefire eased concerns about possible Ukrainian attempts to disrupt the festivities.

In an interview with Corriere, following Marco Rubio's visit to Rome, he stated: "Moving troops from Italy? I'm still considering that."

The U. S. is imposing new sanctions on more than a more dozen individuals and entities based in the Middle East and China, accused of helping prop up Iran’s war effort. The State Department on Friday announced sanctions against three Chinese entities that allegedly provided satellite imagery of U. S. facilities in the Middle East to Tehran:…

In the assembly hall, a choir of young people sang the Italian national anthem, followed by speeches from La Russa and Fontana.

Labour's collapse and Reform UK's breakthrough in Thursday's local elections reflect the rapid fragmentation of the political landscape in Europe's oldest democracy.

US President Donald Trump’s landmark visit to China comes as the Iran war disrupts global energy supplies, fuels economic uncertainty and adds fresh strain to Washington-Beijing ties. In the latest part of a series examining how rivalry, interdependence and geopolitical crises are reshaping the relationship between the two powers, we look at how Trump’s weakened hand could tilt summit talks. When next week’s summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping was first...

More than 80 years after they occurred, the events of World War II are still hotly debated in Russia and Poland.

Until February 24, 2022, Soviet victims of World War II were almost entirely and mistakenly identified exclusively with Russia in German society and politics, while Ukraine and Belarus – the main arenas of the Nazi war and the Holocaust – were marginalized.

Approximately 100 ships, either registered in Hong Kong or locally managed or owned, are currently stranded in the strategically important Strait of Hormuz due to the conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran. This situation has left an estimated 2,300 seafarers trapped, according to an industry leader. Richard Hext, chairman of the Hong Kong Shipowners Association, told the South China Morning Post on Friday that it is very risky to navigate vessels through the strait due to the potential for attack, even though the US and Iran have recently...

The United Kingdom announced that it will "reposition in the Middle East" a destroyer, the HMS Dragon, currently in the Mediterranean, in preparation for a future international mission to protect maritime transport in the Strait of Hormuz. The initiative is a response to a need for "rigorous planning," ensuring that the United Kingdom is ready "to guarantee the security of the strait, when conditions allow," as part of an international coalition co-led with France, according to the British Ministry of Defense. The security of the Strait of Hormuz is a key element of the conflict that began on February 28 with Israeli-American airstrikes on Iran, which were halted thanks to a ceasefire that came into effect on April 8. The near-blockage of this waterway, through which 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas previously flowed, has become a major concern globally, causing fuel supply problems in Asia, difficulties for airlines, and inflation in Europe. Iran intends to impose fees for transit through the Strait of Hormuz, a position strongly opposed by the United States in the name of freedom of navigation. The Islamic Republic has attacked ships in the area in retaliation for the Israeli-American offensive. The blockade is twofold, as Washington has also imposed a naval blockade since April 13.

Russia’s scaled-down Victory Day celebrations highlighted mounting security concerns and the strain of the war in Ukraine, according to Chatham House analyst Grégoire Roos. Speaking to FRANCE 24, Roos said tighter security, internet shutdowns and fears of Ukrainian drone strikes created an atmosphere “closer to wartime protection” than national triumph, even as President Vladimir Putin continues to retain broad public support.

Leone met with a delegation from Senegal, stating that "hate speech poisons the social fabric."

HMS Dragon will be dispatched ahead of an international mission to protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, Britain's Ministry of Denfense said.

Passengers were evacuated safely after the plane struck a person and an engine then caught on fire A Frontier Airlines plane hit a person on the runway of Denver’s international airport during takeoff, sparking an engine fire and forcing passengers to evacuate, authorities said. The plane, headed to Los Angeles, “reported striking a pedestrian during takeoff” at about 11.19pm on Friday, the Denver airport’s official X account wrote. Continue reading...

In an interview with Corriere, he declined to comment on the relocation of operations from Germany to Eastern Europe.

China and France must respect each other’s core interests, particularly the one-China principle, and strengthen a strategic partnership “free from external interference”, top diplomat Wang Yi said during talks with a senior adviser to the French president on Friday. Wang, director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, held talks in Beijing with Emmanuel Bonne, diplomatic adviser to the French president, according to China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Wang said the...

The head of the "International Arbitration Institute," a new organization established under China's leadership to resolve international disputes through mediation, announced that it had resolved a maritime dispute between China and Singapore. This move appears to be an effort by China to emphasize its commitment to resolving issues through dialogue and to shape a global order that favors its interests.

No agreements have been reached regarding the next round of negotiations, Russian presidential aide

Woman recovered after volcanic eruption on remote island, while operation to find two missing Singaporeans goes on Rescuers on Saturday recovered the body of an Indonesian woman who was caught in a volcanic eruption on Mount Dukono on Indonesia’s remote island of Halmahera, as search operations continued for the bodies of two Singaporeans, officials said. The dead hikers were among 20 who set out to scale the 1,355m (4,445ft) volcano in defiance of safety restrictions and became stranded when Dukono erupted early on Friday, spewing a thick ash column about 6 miles (10km) into the air. Continue reading...

Insurgent parties like Reform U.K. saw a surge in support at the polls this week. However, the British electoral system was not designed for a multi-party democracy.

Rhun ap Iorwerth, a former journalist, led his party to the most seats in the Welsh Parliament, ousting the Labour Party, which had long held sway, and beating Reform U. K.

Russian President Vladimir Putin presided over a pared-back Victory Day celebration on Saturday in Moscow’s Red Square, as a three-day ceasefire in the war in Ukraine appeared to hold. The annual May 9 parade to commemorate the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War II was held under heavy security amid fears of Ukrainian attacks. For the first time in years, no armored vehicles or ballistic missiles featured in Putin’s Victory Day parade. Ahead of the celebrations, Moscow and Kyiv agreed to a three-day ceasefire and prisoner exchange mediated by the United States, U. S. President Donald Trump said on Friday. The ceasefire is to run from Saturday to Monday to facilitate the transfer of 1,000 prisoners of war from each side, Trump said on social media. Speaking to the crowd Saturday morning, Putin invoked the sacrifices of the Second World War to rally support for his soldiers fighting in Ukraine. “The great feat of the generation of victors inspires the warriors carrying out the tasks of the special military operation today,” the Russian leader said, using the Kremlin’s euphemism for his invasion of Ukraine. “They stand against an aggressive force armed and supported by the entire NATO bloc,” Putin said. “And despite this, our heroes move forward. Victory has always been and will always be ours,” he said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy quickly signaled his support for the ceasefire on Friday, thanking Trump for helping coordinate the agreement. “I thank the President of the United States and his team for their productive diplomatic involvement,” Zelenskyy said. “We expect the United States to ensure that the Russian side fulfills these agreements.” Both Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of violating past ceasefire agreements on multiple occasions. Russia declared a brief ceasefire to commemorate Orthodox Easter in April, which allowed the two countries to exchange 175 prisoners of war. But both sides claimed the other launched attacks during the ceasefire window.

The BBC's Russia editor reports from Moscow, where the annual Victory Day display was quieter than usual.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed a positive outlook on his meeting with Pope Leo XIV earlier this week, despite tensions between the White House and Vatican over the Iran conflict. “The holy father is a spiritual leader, first and foremost. I mean, that’s his role to play, and obviously the church has always interacted…

The UK will deploy one of its warships to the Middle East as part of planning for a European-led mission to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz once there’s a stable ceasefire.

Warsaw has recorded an unprecedented number of hybrid attacks on its territory since 2024, Poland’s internal security service (ABW) said in a report published this week. Amateur spies once used by Russian intelligence services have laid the groundwork for more complex operations, according to a researcher who has been following the emergence of these “single-use agents”.

Kremlin Spokesman noted that both the path toward a peace agreement on Ukraine and "the path with Iran that the United States still has to go through" are lengthy processes full of highly complex details

Demonstrators are opposed to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s efforts to build up military power and move the country away from its pacifist identity.

The U. S. military on Friday said its forces struck and “disabled” two Iranian-flagged oil tankers to stop them pulling into an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman. The attacks on the ships near the Strait of Hormuz cast more doubt on a tenuous ceasefire that the Trump administration insists is still holding. Washington is awaiting Tehran’s response to the latest U. S. proposals on a peace deal. “U. S. forces in the Middle East remain committed to full enforcement of the blockade of vessels entering or leaving Iran,” said U. S. Central Command commander Brad Cooper in a written statement. Recent days have seen the U. S. and Iran exchange fire, despite a monthlong ceasefire which U. S. President Donald Trump maintains is “still in effect.” U. S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said the U. S. was expecting a response from Iran on a peace proposal, with media reports quoting him on Friday as saying: “We’re expecting a response from them today at some point … I hope it’s a serious offer, I really do. … The hope is it’s something that can put us into a serious process of negotiation.” Trump has warned the U. S. would “knock [Iran] out a lot harder, and a lot more violently,” if Tehran does not accept a peace deal. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Friday accused the U. S. of opting for a “reckless military adventure” every time a “diplomatic solution is on the table.” “Is it a crude pressure tactic? Or the result of a spoiler once again duping POTUS into another quagmire?” he wrote on X. “Whatever the causes, outcome is the same: Iranians never bow to pressure.”

The European Union (EU) has urged the Iranian regime to take "all necessary measures" to ensure that the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Narges Mohammadi, receives "definitive and urgent" medical attention after more than a week of hospitalization in the cardiac care unit of a hospital in Zanjan. "The European Union is deeply concerned by reports indicating the serious state of health of the human rights defender and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Narges Mohammadi, who is currently detained in Iran," said Anouar El Anouni, the European spokesperson for foreign affairs, in a statement. The spokesperson added that the EU urges "the Iranian authorities to immediately take all necessary measures to ensure that Narges Mohammadi receives, definitively and urgently, the appropriate medical care." He also reiterated that the charges against Mohammadi "are based solely on her legitimate and peaceful defense of human rights, and we continue to call for her immediate and unconditional release." Narges Mohammadi, a journalist and human rights advocate, is serving a seven-and-a-half-year sentence for various charges. According to her defense team, she has lost approximately 20 kilograms during her imprisonment and is experiencing difficulty speaking. The Mohammadi Foundation, based in Paris, announced that since April 24th, Mohammadi has been experiencing recurrent episodes of intense chest pain, palpitations, and severe fluctuations in blood pressure.

Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer is under growing pressure after Labour suffered major setbacks in local elections across England, while also struggling in Wales and Scotland as Reform UK continued to gain support. The results have raised fresh questions about Starmer’s leadership less than a year after leading Labour back into government. France 24’s Gavin Lee speaks to James Lyons, who served under Starmer in Downing Street and previously worked as political editor at the Daily Mirror and The Sunday Times.

USCIS data suggests a rise in visa denials for skilled immigrants, influenced by previous administration policies.

According to him, reaching a peace agreement between Moscow and Kiev is "a very long path filled with very complex details"

PM’s wife, accompanying him to the polls, follows a long line of women to mobilise the jacket when stakes are high Not a white flag but a cream blazer was what Victoria Starmer chose to wear to accompany her husband, the prime minister, to vote on Thursday morning. She follows in a long line of women who have mobilised the power blazer at high-stakes moments. Starmer’s, which looks much like a £1,690 ivory Alexander McQueen crepe design, comes hot on the lapels of another. In episode one of the new series of Amandaland, Amanda wears a beige double-breasted iteration in a high-stakes fictional moment: to give a toe-curling talk about her (not shallow) lifestyle brand Senuous as part of careers week at her kid’s school. Earlier in the week, the Princess of Wales launched the Foundations for Life report wearing a creamy beige high-waisted Roland Mouret suit. Continue reading...

Reaching an agreement, a peace agreement, is a very long path with complex details, the Kremlin spokesman said while commenting on remarks by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio that the US is ready to mediate Russian-Ukrainian negotiations only if there is progress

The amendment to the charges would allow for a broadening of the investigative methods. The search efforts have resumed.

The "Victory Day" parade on Red Square in Moscow, held on the morning of May 9, lasted around 45 minutes, making it one of the shortest in modern Russian history.

Ankara has voiced alarm at Cyprus’s announcement that France will deploy soldiers on the Mediterranean island. The move has fuelled Turkish fears of encirclement, as Cyprus and Greece continue to deepen defence ties with Turkey’s rival Israel.

I co-commissioned the Gaza Genocide Tapestry which will be displayed at the Venice Biennale. Here's the story behind it.

Labour party loses more than 1,400 English council seats and crashes out in Welsh and Scottish parliament votes • UK politics live – latest updates Keir Starmer, the British prime minister, is facing increasing pressure to set a date for his departure after elections across much of the country resulted in massive losses for his ruling Labour party. With the bulk of results now counted after voting on Thursday, Labour had lost more than 1,400 representatives from English councils, the local government structures that deliver many neighbourhood services. Continue reading...

The Russian president said his troops “are resisting an aggressive force that is being armed and supported by the entire NATO bloc.”

The Nobel Peace Prize is currently held. "The charges against Mohammadi are based solely on her legitimate and peaceful activities in defending human rights."