Russian former president Dmitry Medvedev early on Thursday mocked French President Emmanuel Macron's warning that Russia posed a threat, saying the French leader posed no threat at all and would not be missed once he stepped away from public life.

"Russia has become, as I speak to you and for years to come, a threat to France and Europe, says Macron," Medvedev, now deputy head of Russia's Security Council, wrote in English on the X media platform.

"Micron himself poses no big threat though. He'll disappear forever no later than May 14, 2027. And he won't be missed," he added, misspelling the French president's name.

Macron, in a television address on Wednesday evening, said Europe had to face up to the threat from Russia and proposed a discussion on extending the protection offered by France's nuclear arsenal to its European partners.
"Russia has become a threat for France and Europe," Macron said, adding that "to watch and do nothing would be madness."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called his meeting at the White House last week "regrettable" on Tuesday and said he is ready to pursue peace under President Donald Trump's leadership.

Zelenskyy made the concession in a lengthy statement posted to social media on Tuesday, saying Ukraine "is ready to come to the negotiating table." He added that last week's meeting "did not go the way it was supposed to be," and he said "it is time to make things right."

"My team and I stand ready to work under President Trump’s strong leadership to get a peace that lasts," Zelenskyy wrote.

"We are ready to work fast to end the war, and the first stages could be the release of prisoners and truce in the sky — ban on missiles, long-ranged drones, bombs on energy and other civilian infrastructure — and truce in the sea immediately, if Russia will do the same. Then we want to move very fast through all next stages and to work with the US to agree a strong final deal," he added.
"We do really value how much America has done to help Ukraine maintain its sovereignty and independence. And we remember the moment when things changed when President Trump provided Ukraine with Javelins. We are grateful for this," the statement continued.

A Chinese PhD student was found guilty Wednesday in a London court of drugging and raping 10 women in England and China, as police warned there could be more than 50 other victims.

Zhenhao Zou, 28, was convicted of the attacks between 2019 and 2023 following a monthlong trial at the Inner London Crown Court. He was convicted of 11 counts of rape, with two of the offenses relating to one victim.

After more than 19 hours of deliberations, jurors concluded Zou raped three of the women in London and seven in China.

Police have only been able to identify two of the victims and said after the verdict that more than 50 other women may have fallen victim to Zou, which would make him one of the worst sex offenders in U.K. history.
Using hidden or handheld cameras to record the attacks, Zou filmed nine of the attacks as “souvenirs” and often kept a trophy box of women’s belongings.

Zou, a mechanical engineering student who was doing his PhD at University College London, claimed that the sexual interactions were consensual. He will be sentenced on June 19.

Lesotho's government says it is shocked by US President Donald Trump saying that "nobody has ever heard of" the southern African nation.

Trump, addressing the US Congress in his first speech since his return to the Oval Office, made the reference as he listed cuts made to what he said was wasteful expenditure.

"Eight million dollars to promote LGBTQI+ in the African nation of Lesotho, which nobody has ever heard of," Trump said, eliciting laughter from some US lawmakers.
A spokesperson for Lesotho's foreign affairs department told the BBC that Lesotho enjoyed "warm and cordial" relations with the US.
Lesotho is one of the biggest beneficiaries of the US's African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa), which gives favourable trade access to some countries to promote their economic growth.

According to the US government, the two countries traded goods worth $240m (£187m) in 2024, mostly exports from Lesotho to the US, in particular textiles and clothing.
Lesotho's Foreign Affairs Minister Lejone Mpotjoane said it was "shocking" to hear a head of state "refer to another sovereign state in that manner".

"To my surprise, 'the country that nobody has heard of' is the country where the US has a permanent mission," Mpotjoane told the BBC.

US President Donald Trump issued what he said was a “last warning” to Hamas to release all of the hostages in Gaza immediately – in a move that came just hours after the White House confirmed it was negotiating directly with the militant group.

“Release all of the hostages now, not later, and immediately return all of the dead bodies of the people you murdered, or it is OVER for you,” Trump posted on Truth Social on Wednesday, soon after meeting eight freed hostages at the White House.

Trump wrote that he would send Israel “everything it needs to finish the job,” and warned that “Not a single Hamas member will be safe if you don’t do as I say.”

The comments came just hours after the US confirmed reports that it was negotiating directly with Hamas about hostages and the Gaza ceasefire, in a move that goes against its tradition of not talking to groups it considers terrorist organizations.
The United States, which designated Hamas as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in 1997, traditionally does not speak with terrorist organizations, though there have been exceptions – both the Obama and Trump administrations negotiated with the Taliban, which was designated a terrorist organization in the wake of 9/11.

Senior retired military commanders are sounding the alarm over Iran’s nuclear capabilities and are calling on President Donald Trump to throw U.S. support behind Israel. In a letter issued by Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA) and signed by 77 retired U.S. generals and admirals, they say it’s "time to let Israel finish the job against the Iranian axis."

The letter, which was issued just hours ahead of President Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress, asserts that a nuclear Iran would be a threat to U.S. national security. They warn that there is not much more time to stop Iran’s "march to the bomb," and say the Islamic Republic cannot be allowed to "cross the nuclear threshold."

"What Israel seeks from the United States is support to ensure the maximum effectiveness of its actions and manage the risk of Iranian retaliation. We should provide it expeditiously," the letter says.
The former leaders say that they do not take military action lightly and that diplomacy would be "preferable," but they doubt that Iran will participate in the talks in good faith.

"Repeated negotiations with Iran over two decades have led to one dangerous result: The world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism now stands on the cusp of developing the world’s most dangerous weapons."

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said vitamin A may help with the measles outbreak.
Vitamin A is used worldwide to treat children with measles, but it doesn't prevent infection.
Researchers have raised concerns that touting vitamin A mirrors anti-vaccine talking points.

In his response to the US measles outbreak, the new secretary of health, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has raised eyebrows by touting vitamin A as a possible treatment.
At least 146 people have been sickened and one child has died from the disease, which is spreading in West Texas and New Mexico.

Kennedy, who has opposed vaccine mandates, addressed the outbreak in an op-ed for Fox News. While he acknowledged that the MMR vaccine protects against the disease, he did not explicitly urge Americans to get vaccinated, saying "the decision to vaccinate is a personal one."
Kennedy also said the CDC released new guidance on using vitamin A as a potential treatment for measles, adding that a well-balanced diet "remains a best defense against most chronic and infectious illnesses." In a subsequent Fox News interview, he suggested treating measles with cod liver oil, a supplement high in vitamin A and vitamin D.

It didn't go down well with public health workers.

Twelve Chinese nationals, including mercenary hackers, law enforcement officers and employees of a private hacking company, have been charged in connection with global cybercrime campaigns targeting dissidents, news organizations, U.S. agencies and universities, the Justice Department announced Wednesday.

A set of criminal cases filed in New York and Washington add new detail to what U.S. officials say is a booming hacking-for-hire ecosystem in China, in which private companies and contractors are paid by the Chinese government to target victims of particular interest to Beijing in an arrangement meant to provide Chinese state security forces cover and deniability.

The indictments come as the U.S. government has warned of an increasingly sophisticated cyber threat from China, including a hack last year of telecom firms called Salt Typhoon that gave Beijing access to private texts and phone conversations of an unknown number of Americans, including U.S. government officials and prominent public figures.

One indictment charges eight leaders and employees of a private hacking company known as I-Soon with conducting a sweeping array of computer breaches around the world meant to suppress speech, locate dissidents and steal data from victims. Among those charged is Wu Haibo, who founded I-Soon in Shanghai in 2010 and was a member of China's first hacktivist group, Green Army, and who is accused in the indictment of overseeing and directing hacking operations.

New Zealand will replace Phil Goff as High Commissioner to the UK following comments he made regarding US President Donald Trump.
The comments are “deeply disappointing,” a spokesman for Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in an emailed statement Thursday in Wellington. “They do not represent the views of the New Zealand government and make his position as High Commissioner to London untenable.”
Goff made comments at an event in London earlier this week that questioned Trump’s understanding of history, contrasting him with Winston Churchill in the lead up to World War II.

“President Trump has restored the bust of Churchill to the Oval Office. But do you think he really understands history?” Goff reportedly said.

Goff took up the role of High Commissioner — which is an ambassadorship within Commonwealth countries — in January 2023. He spent 35 years as a Labour Party politician including leading the party to an election loss in 2011. He was also mayor of largest city Auckland for six years through 2022.

Peters has “asked the Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade to now work through with Mr Goff the upcoming leadership transition at the New Zealand High Commission in London,” the spokesperson said.

A "disgrace." A "clown" whose "slur" was disrespectful to war heroes. "JD Dunce."

Those were some of the headlines published by Britain's tabloid newspapers Wednesday after U.S. Vice President JD Vance said that an American economic deal in Ukraine was a "better security guarantee" for a potential peace deal with Russia "than 20,000 troops from some random country that hasn’t fought a war in 30 or 40 years."

Vance made the comments in an interview on Monday night with the Fox News host Sean Hannity after Britain and France pledged troops to a peacekeeping force in Ukraine. Vance has since insisted he did not "even mention the U.K. or France," adding that both had "fought bravely alongside the U.S. over the last 20 years, and beyond."

He said it was "absurdly dishonest" to claim he disparaged either country, or its troops.
However, the vice president did not specify which "random" country or countries he was referring to in his interview with Fox News and no other countries have publicly offered to send troops to Ukraine.

His comments sparked a strong reaction in Britain and France, with opposition politicians and veterans in both countries saying he was dishonoring hundreds of troops killed fighting alongside U.S. forces in Afghanistan and Iraq.

“JD Vance is wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong,” said Nigel Farage, the leader of the right-wing Reform U.K., an anti-immigration opposition party. Farage is longtime ally of President Donald Trump.

“We stood by America all through those 20 years putting in exactly the same contribution," he said.

Hundreds of diplomats at the State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development have written a letter addressed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio protesting the dismantling of USAID, saying its demise would undermine U.S. leadership and security and create a power vacuum which China and Russia could exploit.

In a cable expected to be filed with the department's internal "dissent channel," which allows diplomats to raise concerns about policy anonymously, the diplomats said the Trump administration's January 20 freeze on almost all foreign aid also endangers American diplomats and forces overseas while putting at risk the lives of millions abroad that depend on U.S. assistance.

More than 700 people have signed onto the letter, a U.S. official speaking on the condition of anonymity said.
"The decision to freeze and terminate foreign aid contracts and assistance awards without any meaningful review jeopardizes our partnerships with key allies, erodes trust, and creates openings for adversaries to expand their influence," said the cable.

The BBC's director general told MPs he decided to pull a documentary from iPlayer about children's lives in Gaza because he "lost trust" in it.

The BBC has already apologised over "serious flaws" in the making of Gaza: How to Survive a War Zone, after it emerged its 13-year-old narrator was the son of a Hamas official.

Tim Davie said he removed the film while concerns raised about the boy's connections to Hamas - which is proscribed as a terrorist organisation in the UK - were investigated.
The independent company behind the film has said it asked if the boy had any Hamas connections but none were disclosed. The BBC has also said the corporation should have done more to uncover the link.
Davie said on Tuesday the BBC had received about 500 complaints that the film was biased against Israel and another 1,800 over its removal from iPlayer.

Hoyo Films, the independent company that made the documentary for the BBC, has said it is "cooperating fully" with the BBC to "help understand where mistakes have been made".

The initial internal review by the BBC found Hoyo had paid a member of the boy's family "a limited sum of money for the narration".

Concerns were raised when it aired last month because it centred on a boy called Abdullah - who it later transpired is the son of Hamas's deputy minister of agriculture.

"There were specific concerns – specific questions – about the father of the boy. And as we dug into it, we found out we were not told," Davie told the Culture, Media and Sport select committee on Tuesday.

Rescuers found the wreckage of a Philippine fighter jet and the bodies of its two pilots on Wednesday in a mountainous region in the country’s south where they had been deployed on a nighttime mission to fight communist guerrillas, military officials said.

The FA-50 jet lost communication during the combat mission with other air force aircraft after midnight Tuesday before reaching a target area in southern Bukidnon province. The other aircraft were able to return safely to an air base in central Cebu province after carrying out assaults, military officials said.

The FA-50 jet was deployed with other air force aircraft to provide combat support to troops battling dozens of suspected New People’s Army guerrillas near Cabanglasan town in Bukidnon, the military said.

"It was a total wreck,” regional military commander Lt. Gen. Luis Rex Bergante said of the fighter jet’s wreckage, which he said was found by Filipino special forces in a jungle on Mount Kalatungan in Bukidnon.
A regional military spokesperson, Lt. Col. Francisco Garello, said without elaborating that the bodies of the two air force pilots were found near the wreckage.

Pilots can eject from the supersonic jets in case they encounter any problems but the Philippine air force said it remained unclear if the two pilots aboard the FA-50 ejected as it plummeted.

'We're all afraid': Austria moves to deport Syrian refugees...
Syrian refugee Khaled Alnomman said he made a big effort to integrate since he fled to Austria 10 years ago, learning to speak German fluently, getting a job as a bricklayer and applying for citizenship.

The youngest of his four children was born in Austria and the others feel more Austrian than Syrian having grown up in the Alpine country.

But as they celebrated the fall of the Assad regime in January, their lives were turned upside down when they received a letter from the Austrian authorities saying they wanted to revoke their refugee status.

"It's like a knife stab to the heart," the 42-year-old told AFP, visibly holding back the emotion.
Anti-migrant feeling has been surging in Austria, further fuelled when a Syrian was arrested last month for killing a 14-year-old boy in a suspected Islamist stabbing attack in the southern city of Villach.

Even though another Syrian refugee was hailed a hero for driving his car at the knifeman to stop the attack, Alnomman said it was a "catastrophe" for Syrians in the EU country. "It is really bad for us. Because of this idiot, now we all have to pay."

- Mass random checks -

Several European countries froze asylum requests from Syrians in December after the Assad dynasty was ousted after almost 14 years of bloody civil war that drove 12 million people from their homes.

But Austria -- which hosts almost 100,000 Syrians -- went even further. It halted family reunifications and started procedures to revoke the refugee status of some 2,900 people, according to the latest figures.

Small arsenals, high costs, and production backlogs have been a hindrance as Europe arms Ukraine.

Denmark found a way to get Ukraine weapons that bypassed these issues.

It funds the weapons manufacturing in Ukraine so they reach soldiers faster and for a lower cost.

A NATO ally figured out a method to get weapons to Ukraine quicker and cheaper and without drawing from Europe's already-low stockpiles.

Its approach may become a lot more important as the US hits the brakes on Ukraine aid, putting the burden squarely on the shoulders of the war-torn country's European partners.

Denmark announced a new plan last year to spend aid money on making weapons in Ukraine. The plan, now referred to as the "Danish model," is aimed at helping Ukraine fight back against Russia's invasion.
The project, which means weapons come from Ukraine itself instead of European stockpiles and manufacturers, is designed to work around key problems for Europe in the provision of weaponry: slowly producing expensive equipment and not having enough in their own arsenals to spare.

In 2024, the model finalized procurements for weaponry, including artillery systems and missiles, worth more than $550 million, according to Denmark's defense ministry, with funding coming from other sources including Sweden, Iceland, and accrued interest on frozen Russian assets.

Tesla sales in Germany dropped an astonishing 76 percent in February compared with last year.

That's extremely bad news for the electric vehicle maker on its own, but even more striking because of what it represents: that Germany, a major aggressor and perpetrator of genocidal horrors under the 20th century's Nazi regime, is turning its back on CEO Elon Musk after he performed two Sieg Heil salutes at Donald Trump's post-inuguration celebration and made tasteless Holocaust jokes on his social media platform.

As the New York Times reports, figures by the German Association of the Automotive Industry show that sales in the European nation have fallen for two months in a row, in a clear sign that Germans are increasingly fed up with Musk's embrace of far-right ideologies.

And who could blame them? Musk's support of Germany's highly divisive AfD political party has caused a major uproar in the country, with residents furious over the richest man in the world directly meddling with the country's February elections.

President Donald Trump's aggressive approach toward Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is highly controversial, but it may be the best way to negotiate an end to a war that has killed hundreds of thousands of people and enters a fourth year locked in a blood-soaked stalemate.

Trump and Vice President JD Vance demonstrated an America-first strategy in their contentious meeting with Zelenskyy on Friday at the White House. Unfortunately, most Democrats and even some Republicans are too blinded by their hatred of Trump to see that as a good thing.

Here's the key moment in the heated Oval Office exchange. "Mr. President, Mr. President, with respect, I think it's disrespectful for you to come into the Oval Office and try to litigate this in front of the American media," Vance said to Zelenskyy. "You should be thanking the president for trying to bring an end to this conflict."

Zelenskyy responded, "First of all, during the war, everybody has problems. Even you. But you have nice ocean and don't feel now, but you will feel it in the future."

Both Ukraine and the US are attempting to hold a new round of negotiations after last week's fractious White House meeting.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who country has been fighting off a full-scale Russian invasion for three years, said in his nightly video address: "Today our teams - those of Ukraine and the US - have started to prepare a meeting."

His head of the presidential office, Andriy Yermak, had spoken to US National Security Advisor Michael Waltz on the phone, Zelensky said.

The first results of talks may be available as early as next week, Zelensky announced, but it remained unclear who would take part in a possible meeting.
Ukrainian head of state clashed with US President Donald Trump and his Vice President JD Vance at the White House.

Trump and Vance accused Zelensky of not really wanting peace and the meeting broke up before a planned raw materials and security exchange agreement was due to be signed.

In the meantime, the US has suspended arms aid and intelligence support for Ukraine. Zelensky sent a letter to Trump on Tuesday trying to reset relations, which the US president said he appreciated.

The U.S. has paused intelligence-sharing with Ukraine, CIA Director John Ratcliffe said on Wednesday, piling pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to cooperate with U.S. President Donald Trump in convening peace talks with Russia.

The suspension, which could cost lives by hurting Ukraine's ability to defend itself against Russian missile strikes, followed a halt this week to U.S. military aid to Kyiv. It underscores Trump's willingness to play hardball with an ally as he pivots to a more conciliatory approach to Moscow from previously strong U.S. support for Ukraine.

The pressure appears to have worked, with Trump on Tuesday saying he received a letter from Zelenskiy in which the Ukrainian leader said he was willing to come to the negotiating table.

Mexico's government may look for other trade partners, the nation's president said on Wednesday, after the United States slapped tariffs on its southern neighbor.

President Claudia Sheinbaum said that Mexico could shift trade alliances "if necessary," referring to the possible continuation of the tariffs.

U.S. President Donald Trump's new 25% tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada took effect on Tuesday, along with fresh duties on Chinese goods, standing to seriously alter supply chains and long-standing trade partnerships.

Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are scheduled to speak on Wednesday, a source told Reuters. Sheinbaum is tentatively set to have a phone call of her own on Thursday with the U.S. leader about the tariffs, she said in her daily morning press conference.

Russia on Wednesday asked how Ukraine could attend potential talks on ending their three-year war when a Ukrainian decree from 2022 rules out negotiations with President Vladimir Putin.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “is still legally prohibited from negotiating with the Russian side,” Dmitry Peskov noted during a daily call with reporters.

Zelenskyy expressed readiness Tuesday to negotiate peace with Russia as soon as possible, and Peskov called that “positive." However, “the details have not changed yet,” the Russian spokesman added, apparently referring to the decree.

Ukraine's government did not immediately comment.

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The Chinese CCP officials often talk like kids, for more than 20yrs saying same thing "reunification" with Taiwan and motherland that means Taiwan in his fatherland why then they want to unite with motherland.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang said on Wednesday China would "firmly advance" the push for "reunification" with Taiwan while opposing external interference, and strive to work with regular Taiwanese to realize the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

China claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, despite the objection of the government in Taipei, and has ramped up its military pressure against the island in recent years, including holding several rounds of major war games.

"We will firmly advance the cause of China's reunification and work with our fellow Chinese in Taiwan to realise the glorious cause of the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation," Li wrote in his annual work report to China's parliament.
"They want to reiterate their agenda of the 'big exchange across the strait'," the official said, pointing out the paragraph on Taiwanese people as a sign of possible ramping up of China's tactics to bolster Beijing's reach abroad including co-opting Taiwanese through various exchanges including culture and religion.

"But they only allow cross-strait exchanges that serve their political agenda and block those who don't. It's obvious that those exchanges are just political means."

A lack of childcare, dense bureaucracy and uncertain residency prospects are major obstacles for Ukrainian refugees seeking to integrate in Germany, a new study released on Monday found.

The study, conducted by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) and the Institute for Employment Research (IAB), also found that Ukrainian refugees are under greater psychological strain than the rest of the population, likely due to their experiences of war and fleeing their country.

The study is based on a representative survey of Ukrainian refugees conducted between July 2023 and January 2024.

It found that the lack of childcare provided by the state was a major obstacle for Ukrainian refugees seeking employment in Germany, who are predominantly women. Problems finding a job and getting professional qualifications recognized were also mentioned frequently by respondents.
More than half of those surveyed said they wanted to stay in Germany permanently. This figure varies depending on when people arrived in the country, with 60% of those who arrived between the end of February 2022 and the end of May 2022 saying they want to stay permanently, compared to 69% of those who arrived after May 2022.

Some 90% of those surveyed said an end to the war would be a prerequisite for returning home, while 60% cited an improvement in the economic situation in Ukraine as an important factor in their decision.

The U.S. Army is set to roll out its Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW), known informally as Dark Eagle, to its first operational unit by the end of fiscal year 2025, a defense official reportedly confirmed.
This announcement comes after considerable delays due to challenges faced during the weapon's testing phases.

The LRHW is designed as a strategic weapon with a range of approximately 1,725 miles.

U.S. Army's hypersonic missile
This system comprises a ground-launched missile equipped with a hypersonic glide body alongside the necessary transport, support, and fire control equipment.

With speeds exceeding 3,800 miles per hour, the missile can soar to the edge of the Earth’s atmosphere, evading current air and missile defense systems before delivering its payload with little warning.
In its operational capacity, the LRHW aims to counter Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2/AD) strategies, neutralize long-range enemy capabilities, and target high-value objectives.

The Army’s collaboration with the Navy is integral to the LRHW's development, which features the Common Hypersonic Glide Body (C-HGB) and a 34.5-inch booster developed by the naval forces.
Mach 5-
The C-HGB, meanwhile, is said to be based on an alternate re-entry system that the Army developed in conjunction with Sandia National Laboratories.

Syrian security forces searched for suspects in the city of Latakia on Tuesday, residents said, after two defence ministry members were killed in an attack blamed by state media on remnants of Bashar al-Assad's ousted government.

The coastal region of Latakia area has emerged as one of the main security challenges for Syria's Islamist-led government as it works to consolidate control after seizing power in Damascus in December.

Assad drew support from among the region's Alawite minority, to which his family belongs.

The Syrian state news agency SANA, citing a security source, reported that two members of the defence ministry had been killed in the Datour area of Latakia by "groups of Assad militia remnants", and that security forces had mounted a campaign to arrest them.
Bursts of gunfire were heard through the night as government security forces deployed in the Datour district of Latakia.

A senior security official in the area told Reuters there had been an increase in hit-and-run attacks on security patrols and checkpoints in several towns in Latakia province over the last two weeks, blamed on former army personnel in hiding.

A top official at the US Agency for International Development was put on leave after issuing a scathing memo blaming Trump political appointees for the US government’s inability to conduct lifesaving humanitarian work.

The official warned the Trump appointees’ moves will “no doubt result in preventable death, destabilization, and threats to national security on a massive scale.”

The memo from Nicholas Enrich, the acting administrator for global heath at USAID, details “obstacles” put in place by “political leadership at USAID, the Department of State, and DOGE” that have prevented the agency from implementing waivers for lifesaving assistance. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has repeatedly claimed he issued such waivers to exempt the assistance from a sweeping foreign aid freeze put in place in late January.

“These actions individually and in combination have resulted in the U.S. Government’s failure to implement critical lifesaving activities,” Enrich wrote in the memo dated February 28

The killing of an elderly South Texas rancher and U.S. citizen by a suspected cartel explosive, the Trump administration is promising to continue being "ruthlessly aggressive" in responding to cartel threats to Americans.

After 74-year-old U.S. citizen Antonio Céspedes Saldierna was killed in the blast, National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes told Fox News Digital that the administration will be relentless in working to fully secure the border.

He said that President Donald Trump’s recent designation of eight cartels – including MS-13, Venezuelan criminal group Tren de Aragua and several Mexican cartels – as foreign terrorist organizations, "makes clear his intention to treat violent cartel members exactly as they should be treated – as terrorists."

Hughes did not offer any specifics on whether the administration is considering a military response to the suspected cartel killing but noted that the "administration has proven to be ruthlessly aggressive in pursuing criminal gangs that threaten our homeland."

World’s only privately owned F-16 gets invisible AI wingman that exists only in code.
Top Aces, the sole commercial operator of F-16 aircraft specialized in advanced air combat training, has made a significant announcement that could reshape the adversary air (ADAIR) sector.

In partnership with EpiSci, Coherent Technical Services Inc. (CTSi), and Seger Aviation LLC, the company has introduced a novel AI-driven autonomous constructive wingman customized for the Red Air industry.

This innovation is intended to simulate sophisticated adversary aircraft's flight characteristics and maneuvers within a live-virtual-constructive (LVC) training framework.

World’s only privately-owned F-16
Russ Quinn, the President of Top Aces Corp., who brings experience as a U.S. Air Force veteran and former Aggressor pilot, commented on the development.
“The launch of a constructive wingman is a significant step forward and represents a new standard in the ADAIR field. By incorporating AI-driven wingmen, we aim to enhance training effectiveness, creating more complex and challenging scenarios for Beyond Visual Range (BVR) targeting. At the same time, this feature allows pilots to train against live, agile 4th Generation fighters,” he stated.