Escalating Global Tensions and Political Unrestactive

Korean prisoners of war in the 1950s were subjected to early MK-ULTRA experiments while in American custody, according to recently declassified CIA documents which confirm these experiments for the first time. The only reporting that previously referenced Koreans being used as guinea pigs for these experiments was journalist John Marks’s landmark 1979 book, The Search for the “Manchurian Candidate.” Using CIA documents, Marks traced the now-infamous MK-ULTRA project to its start, when it was known as Project Bluebird. In the book, Marks describes how, in October 1950, 25 unnamed North Korean POWs were chosen as the first test subjects to receive “advanced” interrogation techniques, with the overt goal of “controlling an individual to the point where he will do our bidding against his will and even against such fundamental laws of nature as self-preservation.” While MK-ULTRA is best known for its invasive experimentation — like LSD dosing and torture — the documents confirm Korean POWs were the unwitting subjects of less splashy attempts at mind control, like being subjected to polygraph tests, with plans for other invasive testing. The declassified documents, which the National Security Archive released between December 2024 and April 2025, are available through a special collection titled “CIA and the Behavioral Sciences: Mind Control, Drug Experiments and MK-ULTRA.” The National Security Archive website states that the collection “brings together more than 1,200 essential records on one of the most infamous and abusive programs in CIA history.” The first reference to “Project Bluebird” in the NSA’s collection is an office memorandum from April 5, 1950. Addressed to CIA Director Roscoe H. Hillenkoetter, the document lays out the project’s goals, required training, and budget, all while emphasizing that knowledge of Project Bluebird “should be restricted to the absolute minimum number of persons.” The memo includes detailed plans for interrogation teams trained to utilize the polygraph, various drugs, and hypnotism “for personality control purposes.” These teams were to be made up of three people: a doctor (ideally a psychiatrist), a hypnotist, and a polygraph technician. The memo clarifies that while the doctor and technician would need to undergo approximately five months of training, the Inspection and Security Staff’s own department hypnotist could be made available immediately. In a later memo from February 2, 1951, there are inquiries into acquiring six “hypospray” devices: experimental instruments designed to covertly inject sedatives through the skin via “jet injection.” There’s a request to investigate modification of a “tear gas pencil” and other “devices of unestablished action,” such as the “German ‘Scheintot’ [sic] (appearance of death) pistol.” This declassified 1951 CIA memo on Project Bluebird, a precursor to MK-ULTRA, details its interest in testing “hypospray” technology. Screenshot: CIA/National Security Archive The project’s proposed budget of $65,515 accounted for team salaries and equipment like syringes, towels, and film cameras. The budget also allots $18,000 for “Transportation,” and while the actual offshore locations are redacted, a write-up of a CIA meeting held one year later specifically notes a “project in Japan and Korea in which the Army had used a polygraph operator along with a team of psychiatrists and psychologists on Korean POWs.” Although the initial proposal for Project Bluebird mostly emphasized the potential for “personality control,” it’s clear that CIA officials were also interested in broader, more ambitious outcomes. One document summarizing a “special meeting” between U. S., British, and Canadian intelligence services notes the CIA’s desire to research “the psychological factors causing the human mind to accept certain political beliefs” and “determining means for combatting communism,” “‘selling’ democracy,” and preventing the “penetration of communism into trade unions.” Another meeting held on May 9, 1950, called for “the Surgeon General of the Army to place on the search list of the Nuremberg Trials papers request for information on drugs, narcoanalysis, and special interrogation techniques.” There were requests for other tests that, at the time, were deemed “impossible for security reasons.” According to a memo from September 18, 1951, this included “experiments on the outside with SI inducted over the telephone.” The writer explains that this over-the-phone hypnosis has, so far, been “universally successful,” however testing along agency lines was yet to be approved. One declassified memo emphasizing the importance of the project gets more detailed, citing “specific problems which can only be resolved by experiment, testing and research.” Unlike the lists of supplies necessary for Project Bluebird, the “specific problems” officials hoped to explore in the experiments offer a uniquely intimate perspective into the bureau’s interests. A few examples of these “problems” include: “Can we create … an action contrary to an individual’s basic moral principles?” “Could we seize a subject and in the space of an hour or two … have him crash an airplane, wreck a train, etc.?” “Can we ‘alter’ a person’s personality? How long will it hold?” “Can we guarantee total amnesia under any and all conditions?” This last question surrounding drug-induced amnesia would prove incredibly relevant months later, when the first team of Project Bluebird technicians arrived in Japan to carry out initial tests. According to Marks, these men “tried out combinations of the depressant sodium amytal with the stimulant benzedrine on each of four subjects, the last two of whom also received a second stimulant, picrotoxin.” The team was attempting to induce a state of medically administered amnesia, and according to their reports, the experiments proved successful enough to pursue further tests. Two months later, according to Marks’s book, the Project Bluebird team began testing more “advanced” interrogation techniques on 25 North Korean prisoners of war in Japan. This declassified CIA memo from April 5, 1950 recounts the budget and personnel requested to carry out these secret experiments. Screenshot: CIA/National Security Archive Notably absent from these declassified documents is any proof that similar experiments were undertaken by enemies of the U. S. The central animating myth behind MK-ULTRA and Project Bluebird is the narrative of the American soldier who returned home after months of imprisonment by enemy forces, only to be revealed as a hypnotized double agent. Throughout the Korean War, American moviegoers were screened films starring and narrated by future president Ronald Reagan. These films showed American troops being psychologically tortured by Chinese and North Korean soldiers until dangerous, anti-democratic ideals were implanted in their minds without their knowledge. Related Inside the Archive of an LSD Researcher With Ties to the CIA’s MKUltra Mind Control Project The knowledge most Americans have about these experiences are based on a work of fiction: Richard Condon’s 1959 political thriller, “The Manchurian Candidate.” In Condon’s book (and its two film adaptations), an American soldier returns home with a secret, one that he himself isn’t even aware of. While held captive by North Korean and Chinese soldiers, the American POW was brainwashed by enemy troops, unknowingly turning him into a sleeper assassin with the goal of being “activated” to kill a presidential nominee. Throughout these declassified documents are numerous reminders that the Korean War’s label as “The Forgotten War” serves, in part, as intentional obfuscation. As Project Bluebird transformed into Project Artichoke and later MK-ULTRA, the CIA’s goals seemed to shift into one of beating the enemy at their own game. Essentially, programs surrounding psychological experiments were deemed necessary evils after our own troops were coming home hypnotized and transformed by our enemies. While this narrative offers a convenient excuse for why the CIA developed programs like Bluebird in the first place, one declassified document tells a different story. This declassified CIA account of a meeting on August 8, 1951, confirms that Korean POWs were the subject of these experiments.  Screenshot: CIA/National Security Archive In a 1983 witness testimony from CIA chemist Sidney Gottlieb, who led the MK-ULTRA experiments, he recalls receiving confirmation that, after thorough investigation, there was no evidence any American POWs were subjected to drug-induced hypnosis at any point during the Korean War. “As I remember it,” Gottlieb said, “[The report] basically said that they felt that the techniques the Chinese and/or the Koreans used were not esoteric. … [They] didn’t depend upon sophisticated techniques used in drugs and other more technical means.” Additionally, a 1952 memo to Allen Dulles reinforces the CIA’s willingness to fund these experiments without any proof that enemy countries were undergoing similar research: “We cannot accept this lack of evidence as proof.” In one of the more revealing moments from the entire collection of documents, the CIA’s Morse Allen recounts a conversation with an agency employee about the effectiveness of interrogating individuals through hypnosis. “Individuals under hypnotism will give information,” Allen writes, “but … it could not always be regarded as accurate, since fantasy and even hallucinations are present in certain hypnotic states.” Reading the lengthy budgetary sheets for drugs, syringes, polygraph machines, and hypnotists, paired with the details of Marks’s book, one’s imagination begins trying to fill in the gaps, drifting into fantasy. It’s an experience uniquely fitting for research into the CIA’s pursuit of technology aimed at erasing facts, experiences, and memories. Throughout these declassified documents are numerous reminders that the Korean War’s label as “The Forgotten War” serves, in part, as intentional obfuscation. People, histories, and crimes are rarely forgotten on accident, and what these disclosures clearly demonstrate is that there remains a world of difference between the forgetting of history and its swift, coordinated erasure. The post CIA Ran MK-ULTRA Experiments on Prisoners of War in U. S. Custody, Declassified Docs Confirm appeared first on The Intercept.

Lebanese state media reported a series of new Israeli strikes in at least four different locations in the country's south late Saturday, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered his military to attack Hezbollah following alleged ceasefire breaches. Attacks earlier in the day reportedly killed six people, despite a recently extended ceasefire.

Officials had locked the city down, anticipating talks between U. S. and Iranian delegations. But they didn’t happen. “What did I close my business for?” one business owner asked.

"It's provocative to say that they are fueling antisemitism, and it aims to increase tensions," the ANPI (National Association of Italian Partisans) continues. "We were expelled in a shameful way," denounces the president of the Jewish community of Milan.

European leaders rushed to condemn political violence on Sunday after a gunman stormed a security checkpoint and opened fire at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner the night before, sparking chaos and forcing U.S. President Donald Trump and guests to be evacuated. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen took to X to say that she was “relieved” Trump and attendees were safe, adding: “Violence has no place in politics, ever.” European Council President António Costa called the scenes at the dinner “deeply unsettling,” while praising the “swift action of law enforcement” in securing the venue. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas struck a similar tone, warning that “political violence has no place in a democracy,” and noting that an event meant to celebrate a free press “should never become a scene of fear.” National leaders echoed the message. U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was “shocked by the scenes” Saturday night in Washington, decrying any attack on democratic institutions and press freedom as unacceptable. Spain’s Pedro Sánchez condemned the attack, writing: “Violence is never the way.” Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also expressed “full solidarity” with Trump and those present, warning that “no political hatred can find space in our democracies” and that leaders “will not allow fanaticism to poison the places of free debate and information.” Authorities said a “lone actor,” armed with a …

President Isaac Herzog of Israel has decided not to issue a pardon to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his corruption case at this time, and instead will seek mediation, officials say.

International efforts to mediate between the United States and Iran were in the balance on Sunday, after President Donald Trump canceled his envoys' planned trip to Pakistan for talks. Trump said there was no point "sitting around talking about nothing" and dismissed Tehran's negotiating position, but added that Iran had revised its proposal within minutes of his decision.

Casualties were reported in the border region of Sumy and the city of Dnipro.

A controversy has erupted following the expulsion of the Jewish community from the parade. The president of the Jewish community of Milan has launched a strong attack.

FRANCE 24 looks back at previous attempts on US President Donald Trump's life since July 2024.

To toughen how Congress polices itself, a bill would prohibit members from receiving pensions if they are convicted of crimes including rape and sexual assault.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ratings are falling, and citizens are voicing despair, with the war in its fifth year, talks stalled and sanctions biting deeper.

WASHINGTON.- In a matter of weeks, Donald Trump has gone from describing the military intervention in the Middle East as a "small excursion" to urging caution and urging people not to rush things. "We were in Vietnam for 18 years," the president justified, while on his usual daily social media blitz, he dismissed those who believe he is "eager" to end the conflict. "I have all the time in the world, but Iran doesn't," he stated. This was a challenge that seemed to ignore the growing calls for an end to the war, both within the United States and even within his own Republican Party, where concerns are growing about its impact on upcoming midterm elections in November, which are rapidly approaching. "I hope we are moving towards a strategy for ending this, in order to preserve our security interests and lower the price of gasoline," said Republican Senator Josh Hawley (Missouri), expressing concern. "Time is running out," he warned. He was just one of the dissenting voices within the ruling party as the conflict continues and its consequences increasingly weigh on the pockets of Americans. As the military operation against Iran approaches its 60th day – with renewed diplomatic efforts to reach an agreement – the internal pressures on Trump are intensifying, fueled by Republican nervousness, record-high disapproval ratings for his administration, and turbulence in…

Sounds of gunshots rang out at the annual White House Correspondents' Dinner just as guests tuck in their first course. Among the chaos and confusion, people took cover by laying on the ground. While most were evacuated later, some escaped as soon as the first shots were fired.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Sunday that he was "shocked" by a shooting at the annual dinner of the White House Correspondents' Association. US President Donald Trump was unharmed, and other top White House officials were evacuated after a man armed with guns and knives stormed the lobby and opened fire. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.

In the span of a few days earlier this month, developments that usually sit in separate policy compartments began to converge. Abu Dhabi’s crown prince arrived in Beijing as President Xi Jinping used the visit to set out China’s four-point position on the Iran war. Pakistan, now central to keeping US-Iran diplomacy alive, said no date was fixed for the next round of talks. Washington escalated pressure on buyers of Iranian oil and the banks handling related funds. Reports circulated of yuan use...

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the shooting incident at the annual White House Correspondents' Dinner. Meanwhile, fresh clashes have erupted in Manipur. DW has more.

From the first shots to President Trump's emergency press conference, here's a blow-by-blow account of what actually went down during the shooting incident.

Once a niche destination, Central Asia is quickly emerging as a key market for Chinese travellers, supported by robust traffic growth, expanding air links and deeper economic ties under Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative, according to analysts. Data from the Civil Aviation Administration of China showed that passenger traffic to Central Asia grew 59.3 per cent in 2025 from a year earlier, marking one of the fastest growth rates among all regions tracked, said Mayur Patel, commercial and industry...

The shooting on Saturday night of a Secret Service agent at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner raises questions yet again about the protection afforded to America’s political leaders at a time of increased political violence. Hundreds of agents from several law enforcement agencies were tasked with protecting the annual bash, which US President Donald Trump headlined this year. Yet a suspect with a shotgun and other weapons ‌managed to get just a floor above the Washington...

Chancellor Friedrich Merz has sparked controversy by describing Germany's state pension as no more than "basic cover." What did he mean by that? And how does Germany compare internationally?

The prime minister said, "You never hear from… the people who are supportive, loyal, and just want to get on with the job." Good morning and welcome to today's live coverage of UK politics. Despite several calls for his resignation from within his own party, Keir Starmer told the Sunday Times that the "vast majority" of the Labour party are supportive of his leadership. Continue reading...

The annual White House Correspondents' dinner was disrupted by gunfire on Saturday evening, causing an emergency evacuation of US President Donald Trump and his administration officials while attendees sheltered under tables. The gunman, who has been detained, reportedly told officials he wanted to shoot members of the Trump administration.

Russia has often been accused of carrying out cyberattacks and acts of sabotage across Europe, allegations that Moscow has repeatedly denied.

"Within the controlled area" outside the event venue, the perpetrator was apprehended.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer insists he’ll remain in the job and lead the Labour Party into the next elections, even as the controversy over his appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the US refuses to die down.

Security footage posted by President Donald Trump on social media appears to show the shooting suspect running toward White House Correspondents' dinner. Moments later, officials evacuated the area as gunshots were reported outside the ballroom.

Discrepancy in forecasts raises questions over government planning for net zero One vision of the UK’s future involves a decarbonised economy powered by clean, renewable energy. Another involves making the UK an AI superpower. The government departments responsible for these two visions do not appear to have agreed on their numbers. Continue reading...

Two people were killed in the Donetsk region over the past 24 hours as a result of enemy shelling in Druzhkivka and Oleksievo-Druzhkivka.

US President Donald Trump was quickly escorted to safety from the White House Correspondents' Dinner after gunshots were heard at the venue.

Efforts to resume peace talks over the Iran war stalled after US President Donald Trump canceled a planned trip by his top envoys and the Islamic Republic said it won’t negotiate so long as it’s being threatened.

Keir Starmer’s Labour Party is projected to lose seats nationwide in UK local and regional elections on May 7.  Nowhere will that sting more than in the race for the Welsh Senedd.

Conservative television broadcasters are getting bigger under Donald Trump — and thanks to his top communications regulator, they may get enhanced power to mute the president’s critics. The Federal Communications Commission’s approval of a $6.2 billion merger between the TV station owners Nexstar and Tegna is one step toward agency chair Brendan Carr’s goal of boosting local broadcasters’ market heft, a shift that can help them counter the programming decisions of networks such as NBC and ABC. For his next move, Carr is considering ways to make it easier for local stations to preempt network programs without triggering breach-of-contract penalties, he told POLITICO after the FCC’s March 26 meeting. “There’s a very healthy feedback loop when the local broadcasters could not just communicate their concerns to the national programmers but if need be, actually preempt,” said Carr, who has repeatedly expressed a desire to return to an era when stations had greater leverage against the networks. “I think we were better off. We’ve lost that.” FCC spokespeople didn’t respond to a request for comment this week about Carr’s plans or any concerns about the politics involved. Under confidential contracts between the networks and their affiliate stations, stations can face financial consequences if they preempt programming more frequently than the terms allow. Other repercussions could include the loss of valuable network programs such as football games or even an end to their status as network affiliates. Carr has said those contracts have become unduly restrictive — and he has prodded network executives about what he called their attempts “to extract onerous financial and operational concessions” from stations. Meanwhile, Carr’s team is reviewing possible ways the FCC can intervene to help local TV station owners — including, he said, a presumption intended to ensure that local broadcasters can preempt network programs without risking the loss of their affiliate agreements. The additional preemption leeway could be especially powerful in the hands of a station owner such as Nexstar, which under the merger would become the nation’s largest TV broadcaster, owning 259 stations that reach about 80 percent of U. S. households. And it would be yet another move by Carr to check the power of networks that Trump accuses of liberal bias. Nexstar and fellow conservative broadcaster Sinclair already flexed their muscles in September by refusing for nine days to air Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show on ABC, amid criticism by Carr and other Republicans for his remarks about the killing of pro-Trump activist Charlie Kirk. Making it even easier for stations to preempt the networks would help rebalance the media ecosystem, said Daniel Suhr, a conservative lawyer heading the Center for American Rights whose advocacy largely aligns with the FCC chair’s views. “Preemption is really a tool to reflect the values of individual markets that wouldn’t appreciate the content from Hollywood and New York, who find it offensive or insulting,” Suhr said. “It is important at key moments, like we saw with Kimmel. And it’s one tool that does give affiliates some real leverage.” The FCC’s search for a “censorship backdoor” is motivating efforts to enhance local stations’ power over national programming, lone Democratic Commissioner Anna Gomez told POLITICO. | Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images Democrats see politics at play. “When the FCC’s campaign to cancel Jimmy Kimmel failed thanks to the loud, public outcry from local communities, the agency quietly went looking for a censorship backdoor,” Anna Gomez, the lone Democratic commissioner, told POLITICO in a statement Friday. “That’s why it is suddenly very interested in using affiliate broadcasters to indirectly pressure networks into dropping programming it dislikes.” Gomez lamented the agency’s “obsession with how broadcasters cover this administration.” A growing giant The merger between Nexstar and Tegna, which the FCC approved last month, is on hold as a federal judge in California considers a legal challenge by Democratic state attorneys general and the satellite broadcaster DirecTV. But it’s gotten a vocal endorsement from Trump. “We need more competition against THE ENEMY, the Fake News National TV Networks,” Trump wrote on Truth Social in February. He added: “GET THAT DEAL DONE!” U. S. District Judge Troy Nunley extended his stay on the deal last week, leaving the merger in limbo as Nexstar appeals to the 9th U. S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Public interest groups and the conservative cable company Newsmax are separately challenging the FCC’s approval, contending it would hurt media diversity and local journalism and result in higher cable fees. Nexstar has already closed the deal and taken ownership of Tegna, but it says it is complying with the judge’s directives to keep the two companies’ assets separate for now. As part of the FCC’s approval, Carr waved a congressionally imposed cap that says no station owner should be able to reach more than 39 percent of U. S. households. One result of a supersized Nexstar could be more episodes like last year’s standoff over Kimmel, which flared after the ABC host suggested in his monologue that Kirk’s alleged killer had been a member of the “MAGA gang.” (Instead, officials in Utah, where the killing occurred, suggested that the suspect espoused “leftist ideology.”) Carr leaped into the fray, telling a conservative podcaster that Kimmel’s remarks could violate the FCC’s rarely enforced rules against news “distortion,” putting ABC’s affiliate stations at risk of fines and loss of their broadcasting licenses. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Carr said at the time. “These companies can find ways to change conduct to take action, frankly, on Kimmel or, you know, there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.” Within hours, Nexstar and Sinclair said they would refuse to air Kimmel’s show, and ABC suspended the program for six days. Kimmel returned to the airwaves after the network and its parent company Disney faced a viewer boycott amid criticism that they were bowing to pressure from Trump. Days later, Nexstar and Sinclair also restored Kimmel to their line-ups without any apparent concessions from the comedian. But under the changes Carr is contemplating, station owners would have an easier time waging a prolonged protest against shows they object to. In the months since the Kimmel controversy, Carr has repeatedly expressed an interest in making it easier for stations to preempt the networks. “Over the years, folks have told me they have interest in doing it, but they haven’t felt like the FCC’s got their back — they haven’t felt like they would have the ability to do it,” he told POLITICO in November. “We should look at ways of strengthening the right to preempt.” In a letter last summer to Comcast co-CEO Brian Roberts, Carr wrote that “Americans no longer trust the national news outlets to report fully, accurately, and fairly,” citing the results of a Gallup survey and remarks by Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos. In contrast, Carr said, “Americans largely hold positive views of their local media outlets, including local broadcasters.” Carr’s push against national programming echoes Trump’s attacks on what the president views as “fake news,” and accusations that some TV hosts suffer from “Trump Derangement Syndrome.” The FCC chief has separately opened investigations into or threatened a range of media companies including NBC, CBS, ABC and public broadcasters like NPR and PBS for a mix of alleged offenses, including running afoul of “equal time” rules for interviewing political candidates. Last month, Carr threatened to revoke the licenses of broadcasters he accused of “running hoaxes and news distortions.” And just this week, he opened the door toward requiring warning labels on TV shows that include discussion of transgender people or gender identity, a frequent target of Trump’s policies. Nexstar CEO Perry Sook, meanwhile, has sharpened his own rhetoric amid the quest to get his merger approved. In a merger commitment letter filed with the FCC last month, Sook complained that “national media organizations increasingly dictate the news agenda.” And on stage this week at a broadcast conference, Sook dismissed the idea that Nexstar is a “behemoth” in a marketplace with rivals like Google and Netflix. He accused the Democratic attorneys general suing to stop the merger of playing politics in a midterm year. Anxiety swirling The prospect of GOP-friendly broadcasters removing content that Trump or his allies view as biased is unsettling parts of the industry, and even some conservatives who say the government shouldn’t meddle in the commercial relationships between networks and their affiliates. It could also further inflame Democrats’ accusations that Carr is abusing his office to muzzle Trump’s critics. Carr’s agenda could expose him to legal action given its apparent political underpinnings, said Stuart Benjamin, who co-directs the Center for Innovation Policy at Duke Law School. “There’s a very serious question about the FCC chair using his regulatory authority to favor some companies over others, in significant part based on his sympathy for their ideology,” Benjamin said. “And that is just not consistent with the First Amendment.” The conservative-leaning group Americans for Tax Reform warned Carr in December against interfering with how local stations handle national programming — a scenario it said is at odds with Trump’s deregulatory agenda. And the Conservative Political Action Coalition Foundation, in its December response to Carr’s request for comments on local broadcasters’ removal of national content, warned that the FCC should intervene in broadcast practices only when there is clear public harm. “The strength of America’s video marketplace lies in its diversity: diverse voices, diverse technologies, and diverse business models,” the group said. “Heavy-handed regulatory expansion threatens that diversity by curtailing the flexibility that has produced tremendous gains for consumers.” Carr has said allowing local broadcasters more freedom to remove national content harkens back to the way the relationship between the two used to work, with prominent examples of extensive preemption throughout the 20th century and as recently as the early 2010s. That period included instances when local stations would run primetime specials by televangelist Billy Graham, or when a Salt Lake City station whose owners have ties to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints refused to air “Saturday Night Live” over concerns about its appropriateness. Meanwhile, national networks such as NBCUniversal have warned that federal meddling in their affiliate agreements with local stations could drive premium programming to streaming platforms such as Amazon Prime and Netflix. Some communications policy veterans suspect that Carr, as with many of his initiatives, may be seeking to sway the marketplace without imposing any formal rule changes. “I think what he probably is trying to do is influence some of the behavior,” said Jeff Westling, a senior scholar of innovation policy at the International Center for Law & Economics think tank and former legal fellow in Carr’s office. “Just use some of that jawboning style to get the outcomes that he wants.” Still, Westling said Carr should be careful about complicating the terms of private affiliate agreements — a road that could risk unraveling key parts of broadcast TV. “I just worry that if you impose some of those onerous restrictions on them,” he added, “you really try to meddle with it, you’re go…

Hamstring tear will keep Salah out for four weeks, but he will be fit for Egypt at the World Cup, Ibrahim Hassan says.

On April 1, the National Bureau of Statistics of China released the latest GDP rankings for the country’s various provinces and municipalities. The data showed consistent growth across major metropolises, but also revealed a significant geographic shift in the Chinese economy. The data ranked Jiangsu and Zhejiang first and third, respectively, among Chinese provinces by […] The post Geocultural forces reshaping China’s economic map appeared first on Asia Times.

He is a 31-year-old engineer from California who worked part-time as a teacher.

Hong Kong's initial public offering (IPO) market has raised over HK$140 billion (US$17.87 billion) as of April, maintaining its global lead, according to the city's financial chief. He also indicated a renewed effort to develop gold trading in response to increasing demand for risk diversification. Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po stated on Sunday that Hong Kong remained the world's leading IPO fundraising hub as of last week, citing the growing number of high-quality companies utilizing the city's robust financing infrastructure.

The enemy attacked four districts of the region. One person was killed, and four others were injured.

President says incident, in which Secret Service agent was saved by bulletproof vest, was ‘totally shocking to me’ White House correspondents’ dinner shooting – follow live Donald Trump said on Saturday night he initially thought that the sound of a gunman charging a security checkpoint at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner was a tray falling, in his first remarks about what was going through his mind as the incident unfolded. “Actually, it was totally shocking to me, and that never changes,” Trump said, appearing to refer to the assassination attempt against him at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and a second incident on his golf course in Florida during the 2024 presidential campaign. Continue reading...

The UK is moving ahead with a landmark plan to ban cigarette sales for anyone born after 2008, aiming to create a 'smoke-free generation'. Public reaction is mixed: some welcome it as a good step for public health, while others raise concerns about personal freedom.

The United States' alignment with Israel, France's exclusion and the disregard for the United Nations undermine current negotiations with Lebanon just as much as they did in 1983, writes historian Jean-Pierre Filiu in his column.

Fuel prices in Europe rose rapidly following the US–Israel strike on Iran and peaked shortly afterwards. While prices declined moderately after the ceasefire, both diesel and petrol remain notably higher than pre-strike levels.

“I hate to say I’m honored,” the president says of his repeated brushes with violence, including two assassination attempts during his 2024 campaign.

WASHINGTON.- On Thursday morning, Washington time, a high-ranking Iranian official wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that the country's fighters were hidden in coastal caves near the Strait of Hormuz, preparing to "devastate the aggressors." Read the full statement here.

It’s midnight. A call was made to Malaysia’s Fire and Rescue Department about a forest fire in Tanjung Bungah, Penang. Firefighters rushed to the scene only to discover there was no such blaze. the department gets a prank call every other day. Many of these calls are usually made about an hour before or after midnight. Its exasperated director general Nor Hisham Mohammad is now calling for a multiprong approach to deal with the problem. “There should be stricter enforcement, use of technological...

Gunshots fired at media gala with Trump; attacker arrested.

Writing more than 2,000 years ago, the Greek historian Plutarch gave us an eloquent description of what modern historians now call “micro-militarism.” When an imperial power like Athens then, or America now, is in decline, its leaders often react emotionally by mounting seemingly bold military strikes in hopes of regaining the imperial grandeur that’s slipping through their […] The post Trump’s war: the kind of military misadventure that ends empires appeared first on Asia Times.

The British royals are set to arrive on Monday for a visit hosted by President Trump, with a garden party, an address to Congress and a banquet on the schedule.

The problem with ‘windfall’ taxes is that the relatively small amount raised is often not worth the long-term cost

Project Prometheus, the latest AI group, will be establishing a presence in the UK capital as part of its global expansion.

India has reportedly signed a deal to buy Russian missiles that target support aircraft as its arch-rival Pakistan and China continue to integrate their aerial weapons profiles. Russia has cleared the export of around 300 R-37M ultra-long-range air-to-air missiles in a US$1.2 billion deal, according to media reports. Malaysia-based news platform Defence Security Asia said deliveries of the missiles could begin within 12 to 18 months. India is also developing its own Astra Mk 2 and Mk 3 missiles,...

Region’s sovereign wealth funds review their portfolios as Middle East war heightens economic strain

Clearing mines from Gulf waterway will take weeks even if US navy receives help from reluctant European allies

Kremlin crackdown targets even loyal publishing houses

Killhouse is based on real-life story of civilian couple saved from battlefield by Ukrainian drone operators It is being billed as Ukraine’s answer to Saving Private Ryan, updated for an age of drones. The war movie Killhouse is an action thriller which shows off the latest in battlefield technology. Released this week, it features cameos by figures well known in Ukraine, including the nation’s former military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov. One missing person is Donald Trump. The film is conveniently set in 2024, when Washington and Kyiv were allies. Continue reading...

The U.S. government is reinforcing the border wall with Mexico and now describes it as a "smart" one. Following the 2025 passage of Donald Trump's "Big, Beautiful Bill," which includes a $46.5 billion budget package for border infrastructure construction, the United States is expanding and erecting new 32-ft-high steel bollard walls (nearly 10 meters), transforming water barriers, building roads, improving lighting, and installing high-tech detection tools such as infrared cameras and motion sensors. In addition, the area will be constantly monitored by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

The century dawned with an impressive constellation of traditionally forged progressive leaders in Europe: Blair, Schroeder, D’Alema, Jospin, Guterres and Kok among others. The president of the European Commission was Romano Prodi and the managing director of the IMF was Michel Camdessus, a Frenchman who had ties to his country’s socialists and who, alongside Parisian consensus figures like Delors and Lamy, had a profound influence on the post-1989 world. In the United States, Bill Clinton was in power. The second quarter of the 21st century, however, dawns with a bleak outlook for European progressives, who hold executive power in only two major countries: the United Kingdom and Spain. What happened? Seguir leyendo

UK's smoke-free generation law: Five key questions

A video shows Erika Kirk crying as she is being escorted away after a shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday, April 28.

Donald Trump said the suspect was armed with “multiple weapons” and identified the individual as being from California.

The directive includes criticism of Israel as a factor that can disqualify immigrants from receiving green cards.

After shots at a DC hotel during the WHCD, social media pushed “staged” claims and named a suspect, but officials have not confirmed any details or identity.

White House press secretary's viral video before the Correspondents' Dinner sparks speculation about a shooting incident.

British farmers have delivered another batch of 38 off-road vehicles to Ukraine’s military as part of the Pickups for Peace initiative.

CNN, the American news network, reported breaking news that President Trump left the venue of the White House Correspondents' Association dinner after a loud noise was heard. President Trump had been seated on the stage, but security personnel rushed to surround him. It was reported that President Trump was safe. Subsequently, armed security personnel were deployed on the stage, maintaining a heightened state of alert. At the venue, attendees briefly panicked and crouched under their tables. The details of what happened at the venue are currently unknown.

Journalists were hiding under tables, and the man who fired the shots has been arrested.

After an hour’s drive through the jungle of Borneo, you reach more jungle. Your rental van from the Balikpapan city airport shakes precariously, navigating a partial bridge washout. A roadside sign admonishes against poaching the endangered sun bears. By hour three you’ve arrived at Indonesia’s new capital, which is due to start taking over from gridlocked, polluted and seaward-sinking Jakarta in 2028. Welcome to Ibu Kota Nusantara, known locally as just Nusantara or IKN. Eventually, if all goes...

A long-standing and widely-circulated rumor that the Forbidden City in Beijing uses 600,000 tonnes of pig's blood each year to dispel evil has been debunked. The liquid is actually used as a form of adhesive which is painted on the famous palace's signature red walls and pillars, according to a recently published book. The book "Sitting under the Roof of the Forbidden City: Answering 50 Questions about the Forbidden City" is written by Zhou Qian, a researcher at the palace for 20 years who is also...

Iranian officials have questioned how they can trust the US after US forces began blockading Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz.

At the age of 16, David Foenkinos suffered a cardiac arrest and spent several weeks in that precarious state where life can be sustained or lost in the same instant. When he awoke, he was no longer the same person; he knew he wanted to be a writer. Many years later, already a recognized author and a man in his fifties, he published a novel in which a young woman named Clara experiences a similar ordeal. The difference is that she awakens with the gift of clairvoyance instead of the gift of writing. "Everyone Loves Clara" is the title of the new book by the French author, which is being published in Chile by Alfaguara. The novel is based on his experience, we said, but also on his visit to a non-Catholic cemetery in Rome, with his daughter, where he saw a sculpture called "Angel of Sorrow." This marble sculpture, created by the American William Wetmore Story for the tomb of his wife, Emelyn, who died in 1894, represents the devastation caused by the loss of a loved one. With its wings and its body inclined, it embodies the grief associated with death. This pain, rendered in stone, deeply moved the man and inspired him to explore the idea of a novel in which one could return from the dead. And not only return from death, but also write about it, because Clara's father, Alexis, a banker, turns to literature to cope with the experience and enrolls in a writing workshop led by the writer Ruprez. "I was amazed by that sculpture," Foenkinos tells Culto. "In fact, it's..."

President Donald Trump and other top leaders of the United States were evacuated from an annual dinner of White House correspondents on Saturday night after an unspecified threat. There did not immediately appear to be any injuries. The Secret Service and other authorities swarmed the banquet hall as guests ducked under tables by the hundreds. “Out of the way, sir!” someone yelled. Others yelled to duck. More to follow...

The surge in optical module stocks reflects a deeper shift in AI infrastructure: the bottleneck is no longer computing power alone, but how that power is connected.

2026 has become a major year for IPO fundraising among leading AI players. At the end of 2025, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang spent US$20 billion to acquire the IP and talent of AI chip startup Groq. In April 2026, The Information reported that OpenAI will purchase more than US$20 billion worth of chips from AI chip startup Cerebras. These two amounts are nearly identical; Nvidia for acquisition, OpenAI for procurement. Although seemingly isolated events, they are symmetrical moves.

On the 25th, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy met with Azerbaijani President Aliyev, and they agreed to strengthen cooperation in areas such as defense.

Trump says Iran did not make a satisfactory offer as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi departs Pakistan.

An air accident occurred this Saturday at the Sevilla estate, located in the Obero village, within the jurisdiction of Masagua, Escuintla, Guatemala, resulting in the death of the pilot of an aircraft used for agricultural spraying. According to a report from the 9th Company of the Volunteer Fire Department, the emergency was reported at approximately 9:00 a.m. (local time), prompting an immediate response to kilometer 94, inside the Sevilla estate. Upon arriving at the scene, rescuers assessed the pilot of the aircraft, who was unfortunately found to have no vital signs. The aircraft involved in the accident, a Thursh with registration TG-BUA, was performing spraying operations when it crashed. The impact was so severe that it prevented any rescue attempts, confirming the death of the sole occupant. Victim of the Tragedy Later, in a press release, the Directorate General of Civil Aeronautics (DGAC) announced that, upon being notified of the accident, a team of investigators was immediately dispatched to analyze the scene and gather evidence to determine the cause of the incident. The DGAC stated that the deceased pilot was identified as Luis Guillermo Jurado Muñoz, who was performing his professional duties at the time of the accident. In its statement, the DGAC expressed its condolences…

A new wave of bombardments has been reported overnight, even as a recently extended ceasefire with Hezbollah appeared to fray amid mutual accusations of violations.

Ukraine will continue its educational programs for students from Azerbaijan.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger (R) on Friday thanked President Trump for meeting with her and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) to discuss wildfire recovery efforts, but noted that other states are "in line" requesting assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Barger told CNN's Elex Michaelson that she spoke with lawmakers about...

New USCIS training materials indicate that green card applicants may face increased scrutiny over political expressions,

This Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for a "strong attack" against the Shia militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon, despite a ceasefire that has been in place since April 16th. The decision was communicated through a brief statement from the Prime Minister's office and comes after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported that they activated alarm sirens in Shtula, in northern Israel, on Friday, after detecting rocket launches from Lebanon. The military stated that they managed to intercept the rockets and that they killed three Hezbollah members. Furthermore, in response to these attacks, the IDF announced that they had struck military structures belonging to Hezbollah in the areas of Khebert Selem, Deir Aames, and Touline in southern Lebanon. During these hours, reports also emerged of two projectiles being launched from Lebanon towards Israel, which the military described as "a serious violation of the ceasefire agreements by Hezbollah." Previously, Netanyahu spoke in a video posted on his social media, stating that "we maintain complete freedom of action against any threat, including emerging ones." He also blamed Hezbollah for sabotaging negotiations that had begun with the Lebanese government. Meanwhile, from Lebanon, the national news agency reported several Israeli attacks in the south of the country, including in the city of Haddatha and the town of Safa al-Batikh.

Lebanese state media reported a series of new Israeli strikes in the country’s south on Saturday night, after attacks earlier in the day killed six people despite a recently extended ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hezbollah. The new attacks followed orders from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the military to “forcefully attack Hezbollah targets” after the army accused it of breaching the truce. Lebanon’s health ministry had said earlier that “Israeli enemy strikes on a...

Negotiations are at a standstill. Meanwhile, the Israeli Prime Minister has reignited tensions with Hezbollah.

In the world of mathematics, the United States is becoming an outlier. The International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) – the world’s most important mathematics conference and the venue for awarding the prestigious Fields Medal – is facing worldwide opposition because the US is hosting this year’s event in Philadelphia in July. More than 2,300 mathematicians from at least 76 countries have signed an online petition to “move the 2026 ICM out of the US” and “commit not to participate in the ICM...

President Trump said his administration received a new proposal from Iran after he canceled a U. S. delegation’s trip to Islamabad for a second round of peace deal talks.   “They gave us a paper that should have been better. And interestingly, immediately, when I canceled it, within 10 minutes, we got a new paper that was…

In Jerusalem, the protest ended in clashes between demonstrators and police

For the first time, President Trump is attending the White House Correspondents' Dinner, the annual gala for the media that has been held in Washington for over a century.

On the 25th, Iranian Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian concluded meetings with Pakistani Prime Minister Sharif and other officials in Pakistan, before traveling to Oman, his next destination. Subsequently, on the same day, U.S. President Trump announced the cancellation of plans to send U.S. special envoy Witkoff and others to Pakistan, indicating a lack of progress in the negotiations.

Chief property and security officer Ian Collard set to submit written answers to foreign affairs committee questions A key figure in the row over Peter Mandelson’s appointment as UK ambassador to Washington will not appear before a parliamentary committee of MPs to give evidence. Dame Emily Thornberry had requested that Ian Collard speak to the foreign affairs committee (FAC) on Tuesday, but confirmed on Saturday that he would submit written answers instead. Whether he felt under pressure to deliver Lord Mandelson’s clearance, after Sir Olly said there was an “atmosphere of pressure” and “constant chasing” from Downing Street. Whether he had seen the cover form for Lord Mandelson’s vetting by UK Security Vetting (UKSV), the agency responsible for checks on candidates for sensitive posts, in which it had ticked two red boxes – meaning they had “high concern” and recommended “clearance denied or withdrawn”. If he was asked by anyone in the Foreign Office, Downing Street or the Cabinet Office for advice about whether Lord Mandelson required vetting for the post given he was a member of the House of Lords. If he advised on how Lord Mandelson should be treated during the period between his appointment being announced and his clearance coming through. Continue reading...

Iran had earlier said there were no plans for a direct meeting with a US delegation led by Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

Gianandrea Gaiani, military expert and editor-in-chief of the Analisi Difesa portal, says that at the same time, within the alliance, member states are increasingly acting independently

DNA is the key that defines how all living beings, including humans, function. Its four letters, A, T, G, and C, form the recipe for building and maintaining life in each cell. This Saturday, April 25th, is DNA Day, commemorating the moment when scientists James Watson and Francis Crick described the double helix structure of DNA in the journal Nature. This happened in 1953, and over time, evidence emerged that the British researcher Rosalind Franklin played a crucial role in this discovery: she obtained X-ray diffraction images, particularly the famous Photo 51, which allowed them to see the actual shape of DNA. This year, World DNA Day is filled with excitement due to a groundbreaking discovery. A group of scientists from Stanford University in the United States discovered a new way to synthesize DNA in bacteria. This advancement changes what was previously thought to be possible. Pujuan Deng, Hyunbin Lee, Carlo Armijo, Haoqing Wang, and Alex Gao were part of the team that published the findings in the journal Science. They suggested that bacteria can synthesize double-stranded DNA without copying a previous template, using specialized proteins. In this way, they revealed a new, natural way to create DNA. In an interview with Infobae, Dr. Gao from the United States explained: "What surprised us the most was that the Drt3b protein was able to synthesize a molecule called poly(AC). We didn't expect it to be possible..."

Pope Leo said he has seen the letter from the parents of more than 100 children killed in the strike, which a preliminary inquiry found resulted from a mistake by the U. S. military.

Pope Leo said he has seen the letter from the parents of more than 100 children killed in the strike, which a preliminary inquiry found resulted from a mistake by the U. S. military.

Lawyers say El Gamal family detained by Trump administration hours after returning home from 10-month detention.

The recent deaths of five US House members, including 80-year-old David Scott, have sparked debate on age limits in Congress.

Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao on Saturday vowed to build ships after his predecessor, John Phelan, was fired this week amid President Trump’s push for accelerated shipbuilding. Cao posted a video to social media listing his priorities to service members in the Navy, starting off with taking “care of your needs and make sure you…