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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday would not rule out the possibility of a future military invasion of Greenland and Panama, suggesting to lawmakers the Pentagon may have plans for such a future strike.

Appearing before the House Armed Services Committee, Hegseth asserted the department “plans for any particular contingency” and said, “I think the American people would want the Pentagon to have plans for anything.”

Pressed by Republican lawmakers to dismiss the possibility of such a U.S. military attack on Greenland or Panama, Hegseth reiterated that the “Pentagon has plans for any number of contingencies” and that officials “look forward to working with Greenland to ensure that it is secured from any potential threats.”

Democrats on the panel scoffed at those answers.
“I don’t think the American people voted for President Trump because they were hoping we would invade Greenland,” said committee ranking member, Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash. “The message this sends to the rest of the world is one that the U.S. is purely in it for itself, and does not care about alliances.”

Space Force commander fired after email DOD says ‘undermined’ JD Vance.

The issue of possible U.S. military intervention to take over Greenland, Panama, Canada and other allied territories has been a point of concern for months among critics of President Donald Trump.

On social media and in White House comments, Trump has stated multiple times that Denmark should surrender control of Greenland for the good of global security, and that Canada should become the 51st state in the American union.

Administration officials have downplayed those comments.
Hegseth, in his first appearance before the committee, avoided directly responding to the claims, but said the United States government has significant interest in protecting the areas from Chinese influence or manipulation.

Earlier this week, Denmark’s Parliament approved legislation to allow new U.S. military bases on Danish soil, broadening an existing previous military agreement between the countries.

But Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen in recent months has vowed to oppose any U.S. efforts to take over the Danish territory.

The Pentagon, meanwhile, is likely to shift Greenland from U.S. European Command to U.S. Northern Command, the military body responsible for defense of the American homeland, Mexico and Canada.

The change itself only involves redrawing the maps of U.S. combatant commands and handing over responsibility for the military forces in Greenland, but it has caused angst among some in Denmark who think the administration is trying to draw the territory closer to America.

NIGERIA-
June 12th: A Day for Reflection and Resolve – Nigeria’s Unfinished Journey Towards Democracy and Unity.
#June12 #NigeriaDemocracyDay #RememberMKO #NeverForget

June 12th is not just a date on Nigeria’s calendar—it is a solemn reminder of a people’s unyielding hope for democracy and justice. Just like the scars left by the Nigerian Civil War of 1967–1970, June 12th demands national reflection and courage to build a future that heals old wounds. For Nigerians at home and abroad, this date represents both a tragedy and a triumph—a stolen mandate, a silenced voice, and yet, a powerful turning point in our democratic history.

Why June 12th Matters

On June 12, 1993, millions of Nigerians went to the polls in what is widely regarded as the freest and fairest election in the country’s history. Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola, a business mogul and philanthropist, was poised to lead the nation as president. However, the military regime under General Ibrahim Babangida annulled the results, plunging Nigeria into political turmoil.

For many Nigerians, especially in the South-West, this was more than electoral injustice—it was the suppression of a national dream. But more importantly, it sparked a pro-democracy movement that forced the military back into the barracks and birthed the Fourth Republic in 1999.

In 2018, the Nigerian government declared June 12th the official Democracy Day, replacing May 29th. This act was a long-overdue recognition of the sacrifices made in the pursuit of democratic freedom. Yet, the spirit of June 12th continues to call for more than just a holiday. It calls for national soul-searching.

Parallels With the Civil War (1967–1970)

Just like June 12th, the Nigerian Civil War was a defining chapter. It was born out of deep political mistrust, ethnic division, and failed dialogue. Over 1 million lives were lost, and while the war ended with the slogan "No victor, no vanquished," its wounds still linger.

Both events—June 12 and the Civil War—stemmed from crises of representation and inclusion. Both are reminders that Nigeria's unity must never be taken for granted, and that when justice is delayed or denied, the consequences echo across generations.

For Nigerians at Home: The Call to Action-

Nigeria’s democracy, though over two decades old, still struggles with credibility, corruption, voter apathy, and insecurity. On June 12, we must ask ourselves:

Are we living the ideals of that historic election?

Is our government truly reflective of the people’s will?

Do we treat every Nigerian, regardless of ethnicity or religion, as an equal stakeholder in the national project?

This is a time to demand accountability from leaders, to organize peacefully, and to resist tribal divisions. June 12 reminds us that democracy is not a destination—it is a fight we must renew every day.

For the Diaspora: The Role Beyond Borders

To Nigerians abroad, June 12th is not a memory left behind—it is a legacy to carry forward. You are ambassadors of Nigerian resilience and intelligence.

Whether you're in the UK, US, Canada, the UAE, Germany, or South Africa, you have the power to:

Support democratic institutions and civic education back home.

Advocate for good governance and human rights in international forums.

Invest in youth-driven innovation and development initiatives.

Challenge the narratives that paint Nigeria as a land of only corruption and chaos.

Many in the diaspora have tasted what functional governance looks like—use that perspective to challenge mediocrity and demand better for your homeland.

June 12: Not Just a Remembrance, But a Recommitment-
Let us not allow June 12th to become a ceremonial date devoid of meaning. It is a mirror to Nigeria’s past and a map to her future. It teaches us that true power lies not in government houses or military tanks, but in the collective will of a people ready to stand for justice.

Conclusion
From the gunfire of the Civil War to the silent disenfranchisement of June 12, Nigeria has walked through fire and survived. But survival is not enough—we must now thrive. Whether at home in Lagos or Kano, or abroad in Houston or London, this June 12, let us reflect, remember, and rise—together.

Because if democracy was once stolen from us, we must never again let it slip away.
And if unity was once torn apart, we must now weave it back with every choice we make.

By Jo Ikeji-Uju
https://corkroo.com/
https://afriprime.net/

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the sanctions imposed Tuesday by Britain and other nations against two Israeli cabinet members accused of repeatedly inciting violence against Palestinians.

"These sanctions do not advance US-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home, and end the war" in Gaza, Rubio said in a statement.

Britain's foreign ministry earlier announced that Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir will be banned from entering the UK and will have any assets in the country frozen.

Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway also imposed fresh measures against the ministers, as the Israeli government faces growing international criticism over the conduct of its conflict with Hamas.

The sanctions mark a break between the five countries and Israel's closest ally, the United States, with Rubio urging partners "not to forget who the real enemy is" and to stand "shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel" against Hamas.

Ben Gvir and Smotrich "have incited extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights," the foreign ministers of the five countries said in a joint statement.

"These actions are not acceptable. This is why we have taken action now –- to hold those responsible to account," they added.

A UK government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Canada and Australia had also imposed sanctions, while Norway and New Zealand had implemented travel bans only.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar slammed the sanctions as "outrageous."

- 'Horrendous language' -

Smotrich and Ben Gvir are part of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's fragile ruling coalition.

Both have drawn criticism for their hard-line stance on the Gaza war and comments about settlements in the occupied West Bank, the other Palestinian territory.

Smotrich, who lives in a West Bank settlement, has supported the expansion of settlements and has called for the territory's annexation.

Last month, he said Gaza would be "entirely destroyed" and that civilians would "start to leave in great numbers to third countries."

Ben Gvir has also called for Gazans to be resettled from the besieged territory.

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the pair had used "horrendous extremist language" and that he would "encourage the Israeli government to disavow and condemn that language."

New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters insisted the measures were not directed against the Israeli people or government.

"Rather, the travel bans are targeted at two individuals who are using their leadership positions to actively undermine peace and security and remove prospects for a two-state solution," he said in a statement.

- 'Violence must stop' -

The UK foreign ministry said in its statement that "extremist settlers have carried out over 1,900 attacks against Palestinian civilians since January last year."

It said the five countries were "clear that the rising violence and intimidation by Israeli settlers against Palestinian communities in the West Bank must stop."

"Measures today cannot be seen in isolation from events in Gaza where Israel must uphold international humanitarian law," the ministry said.

It added that the five nations "support Israel's security and will continue to work with the Israeli government to strive to achieve an immediate ceasefire in Gaza."

Britain had already suspended free-trade negotiations with Israel last month and summoned Israel's ambassador over the conduct of the war.

It also announced financial restrictions and travel bans on several prominent settlers, as well as two illegal outposts and two organizations accused of backing violence against Palestinian communities.

Is time running out for Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu?

Wherever Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu looks, trouble seems to be looming.

Criticism of his government’s war on Gaza is mounting, with charges of genocide and war crimes coming from both foreign leaders and former Israeli prime ministers.

Internationally, Israel is looking increasingly isolated, as images of the starvation it is inflicting on Gaza flood global media.

Domestically, Netanyahu faces deep criticism of a war many believe he is only prolonging to stay in power.

Legally, the prosecution in his corruption trial has begun its cross-examination of him, while politically, he is facing a possible collapse of his governing coalition.

Netanyahu has never seemed so embattled in his career, but is this really the end for Israel’s longest-serving prime minister?

Here’s what we know....
Just how unpopular is Netanyahu with the Israeli public?
Very, and it’s growing.

Netanyahu has long been accused of manipulating the war in Gaza for his political ends, an accusation that gained new momentum since March, when Israel broke the ceasefire with the Palestinian group Hamas, further endangering the captives held in Gaza.

In late May, a poll for Channel 12 television showed a majority of Israelis thought Netanyahu cared more about retaining his grip on power than returning the captives.

Most of the protests held in Israel have focused on the captives taken during the Hamas-led assault of October 7, 2023, and how extending the war for political motivations endangers them.

But recently, a small but significant number of Israelis have also protested against the intense suffering their government is inflicting upon the people of Gaza. In addition to an open letter from the country’s academics denouncing Israel’s devastation of Gaza, a growing number of photographs of Palestinian children are being held by demonstrators as part of wider Saturday night protests against the war in Tel Aviv.

Even members of the military are growing unhappy with the war in Gaza.

As reports of reservists refusing to fight increased, open letters by current and former officers in various divisions appeared, calling for an end to the war.

What political criticism of Netanyahu has there been?
Two of Israel’s former prime ministers have recently publicly criticised Netanyahu.

Ehud Barak, a former general and prime minister from 1999 to 2001, said in Time magazine that Netanyahu must choose between a deal brokered by United States President Donald Trump to free the captives and end the war, or continuing with his politically motivated “war of deception”.

Ehud Olmert, prime minister from 2006 to 2009, wrote in Haaretz that Israel was guilty of having committed war crimes in Gaza and that: “This is now a private political war.”

“A sane country does not wage war against civilians, does not kill babies as a pastime, and does not engage in mass population displacement,” former general and leader of the Democrats party, Yair Golan, told local radio station Reshet Bet.

He was referring to the stated plans of far-right ministers like Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to expel Palestinians from Gaza in order for Israelis to settle it.

Olmert added on Tuesday that Trump should tell Netanyahu that “enough is enough”.

What is the threat to Netanyahu’s coalition?
For years, Israel has been divided over the conscription of its ultra-Orthodox youth, who were exempt from military service if they were full-time students in religious schools or yeshivas.

In June 2024, Israel’s Supreme Court ruled that the exception could no longer apply, fulfilling a longstanding demand by secular Israelis who protested against the double standard.

But the leaders of the two ultra-Orthodox parties in the ruling coalition, Shas and United Torah Judaism (UTJ), are threatening to collapse the government unless it passes legislation that would override the Supreme Court decision.

It is unclear whether elections would result in a parliament more sympathetic to the ultra-Orthodox, but recent developments, like plans to increase the number of conscription notices to ultra-Orthodox students, have pushed the issue to the fore.

How internationally isolated has Israel become?
Arab and European leaders have become increasingly vocal in their criticisms of Netanyahu and the war.

However, for now at least, he still has the vital support of the US and President Donald Trump.

In early May, Saudi Arabia and the Arab League slammed Netanyahu after he suggested that expelled Palestinians would be able to settle in Saudi territory.

Later the same month, Canada, France, and the United Kingdom, who had all previously supported Israel’s war on Gaza, issued a statement describing the level of human suffering in the enclave as “intolerable”.

Spain and Ireland, which, along with Norway, recognised a Palestinian state in May 2024, have also called for action to be taken against Israel and the Netanyahu government.

The UK, along with Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway, also announced on Tuesday that they would impose sanctions on Smotrich and Ben-Gvir.

How long Netanyahu will keep Trump’s support, however, is not clear, as speculation that the mercurial US president may be tiring of Netanyahu is widespread and growing.

And his legal problems?
Netanyahu has been embroiled in multiple corruption investigations since 2019. If he is found guilty, he faces jail, possibly up to 10 years.

His trial, which began in 2020, has faced numerous delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic and, more recently, the war on Gaza, which he is accused of extending and at times exacerbating precisely to avoid his trial.

Critics also say he is extending the war to avoid being held accountable for his government’s failings during the October 7 attack.

So, is time up for Benjamin Netanyahu?
Controversy and scandal have followed Netanyahu throughout his political career, and opposition to his rule is growing within Israel and parts of the West, yet he may still survive, observers say.

However, to do so, Netanyahu must retain US support for his government while sustaining a war that Trump appears to want ended.

“I don’t know if Netanyahu can come back from this,” one of his former aides, Mitchell Barak, told Al Jazeera in May.

“There’s a lot of talk about Netanyahu being at the end of his line … They’ve been saying that for years, and he’s still here … but I can’t see any more magic tricks that are available to him.”

International pressure has increased again on Israel. Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway say they have imposed sanctions on two far-right Israeli government ministers for allegedly “inciting extremist violence” against Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich face asset freezes and travel bans. They are champions of expanding Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Settler violence there has spiked since the start of the war in Gaza, where the ministers have been the most vocal in support of hardline policies.

Meanwhile, Israel's navy attacked docks in Yemen’s rebel-held port city of Hodeida, likely damaging facilities that are key to aid shipments to the hungry, war-wracked nation. This is the first time Israeli forces have been involved in attacks against the Iranian-backed Houthis, who have launched missiles and drones targeting Israel during its war on Hamas in Gaza.

Inside Gaza, Palestinian health officials and witnesses said Israeli forces fired toward crowds making their way to a food distribution point run by an Israeli and U.S.-supported group, killing three people and wounding scores.

And Israel deported activists including Greta Thunberg, the Foreign Ministry said, a day after the military seized their Gaza-bound ship protesting Israel's restrictions on aid to the territory.

Here's the latest:

UK and others sanction Israeli ministers for ‘inciting violence against Palestinians’

Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway have imposed sanctions on two far-right Israeli government ministers for allegedly “inciting extremist violence” against Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich face asset freezes and travel bans from the five countries. They are champions of expanding Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

The five countries’ foreign ministers said Tuesday that Ben-Gvir and Smotrich “have incited extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights."

Thunberg speaks after Israel deports her.

Activist Greta Thunberg has arrived in France after being deported from Israel. She says the conditions she and other activists faced as they tried to sail to Gaza “are absolutely nothing compared to what people are going through in Palestine and especially Gaza right now.”

Israel seized their boat on Monday. Thunberg says they were well aware of the risks. “The aim was to get to Gaza and to be able to distribute the aid," she said in Paris.

She said the activists would continue trying to get aid to Gaza, where experts have warned of famine under Israeli restrictions on supplies into the territory of over 2 million people.

Israel says the U.K. is sanctioning 2 Cabinet ministers

Israel says it has been informed that the United Kingdom will sanction two of its Cabinet ministers. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar did not provide their names in public remarks.

It appears the sanctions will target Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, two far-right champions of Israeli settlements in Palestinian areas. Ben-Gvir and Smotrich both acknowledged the sanctions on social media, and Smotrich confirmed he was a target.

Israeli police arrest 13-year-old, accuse him of carrying out tasks for Iran

Israeli police arrested a 13-year-old, accusing him of taking money to carry out tasks for Iran.

A statement from the police and the domestic security agency Shin Bet Tuesday said the teen had been contacted on the messaging app Telegram by “Iranian elements,” without elaborating.

Police say the teen, a resident of Tel Aviv, was asked to take pictures of Israel’s missile defense system Iron Dome, a task he did not carry out. They also accuse him of spraying graffiti at the behest of his Telegram contact.

The teen was released on house arrest after being questioned, police said.

Over recent months, Israel has arrested several people in connection with what it says are attempts by Iran and others to pay Israelis to spy on facilities and officials.

Gaza aid ship’s organizers call activist detentions arbitrary

The group behind the Gaza-bound ship that Israel seized says that four of its passengers, including Greta Thunberg, have been deported.

The remaining eight are being detained while waiting to appear before a judge. They are expected to be deported within days.

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition called on the Israeli authorities to release the passengers without deportation. It said their legal team will argue that the ship’s interception was unlawful and the detentions arbitrary. Lawyers will also demand that they be allowed to complete their mission to Gaza, the group said in a statement.

Remains of Thai hostage who was held in Gaza to be flown to Thailand

The Foreign Ministry of Thailand says that the remains of a Thai laborer who was taken hostage by Hamas will be sent back to Thailand on Tuesday.

Nattapong Pinta came to Israel to work in agriculture. Israel’s government said he was seized during Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack from a kibbutz in southern Israel and killed early in the war.

Israel said Saturday it had retrieved his remains in an operation in southern Gaza.

Spanish activist slams Gaza-bound boat’s interception after being deported by Israel

Sergio Toribio, a Spanish activist who was on the Gaza-bound ship seized by Israel, arrived in Barcelona Tuesday after being deported.

Speaking to reporters upon his arrival, he slammed Israel’s interception of the boat.

“It is unforgivable, it is a violation of our rights. It is a pirate attack in international waters.” he said.

He continued: “We weren’t doing anything wrong, we were just carrying provisions as a symbolic gesture.”

Spanish media described Toribio as a 49-year-old ship mechanic.

Israeli military says it intercepted a projectile fired from Gaza Strip

The Israeli military says it intercepted a projectile fired from the northern Gaza Strip that set off air raid sirens in nearby Israeli communities.

There were no reports of casualties or damage.

Rocket fire from Gaza has grown rare as Israel’s 20-month military campaign has depleted the military capabilities of Hamas, which fired thousands of rockets during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that ignited the war.

Palestinians say Israeli forces fired toward crowd near Gaza aid site, killing 3

Palestinian health officials and witnesses say Israeli forces fired toward crowds making their way to a food distribution point in the Gaza Strip early Tuesday, killing three people.

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Awda Hospital in central Gaza, which received the casualties, said two men and a child were killed and at least 130 were wounded. The Associated Press spoke to two witnesses who said Israeli forces fired toward the crowds at around 2 a.m. hundreds of meters (yards) from the aid site.

Experts and humanitarian aid workers say Israel’s blockade and military campaign have pushed Gaza to the brink of famine.

Around 130 people have been killed in a number of shootings near aid sites run by a new Israeli and U.S.-backed organization. The Israeli military has acknowledged firing warning shots on previous occasions at people who it says approached its forces in a suspicious manner.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which runs the sites, says there has been no violence in or around the distribution points themselves. But it has warned people to stay on designated access routes and paused delivery last week while it held talks with the military on improving safety.

French foreign minister says 1 detained French activist signed expulsion order and will leave Israel

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Tuesday that one of the detained French activists who was on a Gaza-bound ship intercepted by Israel signed an expulsion order and will leave Israel on Tuesday for France.

The other five refused and will await court decisions in the coming days. In a separate post on X, Barrot said the five will face a “forced expulsion.”

All six received consular visits overnight around 3 a.m., he said, as did the other activists aboard the ship.

The French detainees were transferred overnight to a detention center in the Israeli city of Ramle, he said, and may receive another consular visit there.

Israel deports Greta Thunberg after seizing the ship she was on

Activist Greta Thunberg is being deported from Israel, Israel’s Foreign Ministry said Tuesday, after the Gaza-bound ship she was on was seized by the Israeli military.

In a post on X, the Foreign Ministry shared a photo of Thunberg on a plane, saying that she was headed for France.

Thunberg was one of 12 passengers on board the Madleen, a boat carrying aid destined for people in war-torn Gaza.

The activists said they were protesting the ongoing war and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Israel says such ships violate its naval blockade of Gaza.

Foreign Office staff told to consider resigning if they disagree over Gaza.

More than 300 Foreign Office staff who raised concerns about potential UK "complicity" in Israel's conduct in Gaza were told if they profoundly disagreed with government policy they could consider resigning.

The staff letter, seen by the BBC, was sent to Foreign Secretary David Lammy last month.

In it, officials questioned the UK's continued arms sales and what they called a "stark… disregard for international law" by Israel.

The Foreign Office said it had systems for staff to raise concerns and added the government had "rigorously applied international law" in relation to the war in Gaza.

The reply to the staff letter was sent from Sir Oliver Robbins and Nick Dyer, the two most senior civil servants in the Foreign Office.

They told the signatories: "[I]f your disagreement with any aspect of government policy or action is profound your ultimate recourse is to resign from the Civil Service. This is an honourable course."

The response was met with "outrage" according to one official who signed the letter.

"[There is] frustration and a deep sense of disappointment that the space for challenge is being further shut down," said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The officials' letter signed on 16 May was at least the fourth such document sent by concerned civil servants to ministers and Foreign Office managers since late 2023.

The BBC understands the signatories represent a wide range of expertise across Foreign Office departments, embassies and missions including in London and overseas.

The letters have reflected the scale of the civilian death toll in Gaza, Israel's restrictions on aid supply and Israeli settlement expansion and settler violence in the occupied West Bank, among other issues.

Staff are also said to feel disquiet that many of their warnings have not been acted on, and those whose jobs it is to implement decisions could be liable in any future legal proceedings against the UK government.

The 16 May letter said: "In July 2024, staff expressed concern about Israel's violations of international humanitarian law and potential UK government complicity. In the intervening period, the reality of Israel's disregard for international law has become more stark."

It went on to list the killing by Israeli forces of 15 humanitarian workers in March and Israel's suspension of all aid to Gaza in the same month "leading many experts and humanitarian organisations to accuse Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war".

It said the UK government's position had contributed to "the erosion of global norms", citing continued weapons exports and the visit to London in April by Israel's foreign minister Gideon Sa'ar "despite concerns about violations of international law".

It added that, "supported by the Trump administration, the Israeli government has made explicit plans for the forcible transfer of Gaza's population".

In their response on 29 May, Sir Oliver and Mr Dyer told the staff the department wanted to see "healthy challenge" as part of the policy-making process and had already set up a "bespoke Challenge Board" and regular listening sessions with employees to hear concerns in this policy area.

They wrote that officials were entitled to their personal views, but added it "might be helpful" to "remind" them of mechanisms available to those uncomfortable with policy.

It went on to list a series of ways staff could raise issues, before adding that resignation was an "ultimate recourse" and "honourable course" for those with profound disagreements over government policy.

"[T]he bargain at the heart of the British Civil Service is that we sign up to deliver the policies of the Government of the day wholeheartedly, within the limits imposed by the law and the Civil Service Code," it said.

A former official who saw the correspondence described the response as "obfuscation".

"This… simply provides the government with supposed 'plausible deniability' for enabling breaches of international law," said the former official who also spoke on condition of anonymity.

They said that the FCDO and broader civil service seemed unable to learn the lessons of the past, referring to the 2016 Chilcot Report recommendations following the inquiry into the Iraq war.

Chilcot criticised the emergence of an "ingrained belief" within senior levels of the UK policy community over the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. His recommendations led to civil service reforms designed to challenge "groupthink" and empowering officials to speak out about policy concerns.

The UK government's position is that Israel is "at risk" of breaching humanitarian law. Israel has previously said it operates according to international law. Palestinian rights groups have rejected this, taking evidence to several legal cases brought internationally.

In September, Foreign Secretary David Lammy announced the suspension of around 30 arms export licenses to Israel, out of a total of about 350, citing a "clear risk" they might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law.

It came weeks before the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant as well as the military commander of Hamas.

Israel's government has consistently rejected allegations it has committed war crimes in Gaza, calling the ICC's decision "antisemitic", while the US Department of State last week announced sanctions against four ICC judges for "transgressions against the United States and Israel".

In a statement, the FCDO said the job of civil servants was to deliver on government policies and provide professional, impartial advice as set out in the Civil Service Code.

"There are systems in place which allow them to raise concerns if they have them," said the spokesperson. They added: "Since day one, this government has rigorously applied international law in relation to the war in Gaza. One of our first acts in government was to suspend export licences that could be used by the Israeli Defence Forces in Gaza…

"We have suspended direct exports of F-35 parts for use by Israel, and we categorically do not export any bombs or ammunition which could be used in Gaza," added the spokesperson.

On 19 May the UK issued a joint statement with France and Canada threatening "concrete actions" against Israel if it did not stop its renewed military offensive and lift aid restrictions.

Bannon: Musk should be ‘deported from the country immediately’

MAGA insider and former White House adviser Steve Bannon called on President Trump to investigate Elon Musk’s immigration status and deport the South African tech billionaire after the bitter implosion of the president’s relationship with Musk on Thursday.

“They should initiate a formal investigation of his immigration status because I am of the strong belief that he is an illegal alien, and he should be deported from the country immediately,” Bannon, a frequent critic of Musk, told The New York Times on Thursday.

Musk and Trump spent much of Thursday afternoon trading barbs after their dispute over Trump’s agenda-setting One Big Beautiful Bill Act erupted into a blistering public feud.

During an appearance on his “Bannon’s War Room” live webcast, Bannon continued to lob attacks at the former head of the White House’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

“Elon Musk is illegal, and he’s got to go,” Bannon said. “He’s illegal? Deport immediately.”

“You’re going to ship these other people home. Let’s start with the South Africans, OK?” he added, alluding to the Trump administration’s sweeping immigration crackdown.

Musk, one of the largest donors to Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign at roughly $250 million, was born and grew up in South Africa before he emigrated to Canada and later moved to the U.S., where he became a citizen while growing his tech empire, which includes SpaceX, the social platform X, Tesla and other endeavors.

The Washington Post reported last year that Musk worked in the country illegally before gaining citizenship, prompting questions from Bannon and others about whether Musk’s citizenship is legal.

Bannon also noted Musk’s reported drug usage as potential ammo for prompting his deportation. The New York Times reported last week that Musk’s alleged use of ketamine and other substances on the campaign trail sparked concerns in Trump circles, but Musk denied the claims.

“The drug thing is going to be investigated,” Bannon said.

Trump and Musk’s relationship began to sour in recent days as Musk lashed out over the Trump-backed megabill currently under review in Congress. Musk called it a “disgusting abomination,” while Trump pushed back and defended the bill.

Bannon said he supports Trump’s latest suggestion that Musk’s massive government contracts should be pulled.

“It needs dramatic action. I would pull all the contracts immediately,” Bannon said.

He also blasted Musk’s abrupt and abrasive attacks against Trump, which escalated Thursday to a series of accusatory posts on his X platform that attempted to link Trump to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and claim credit for Trump’s election win.

“President Trump empowered him more than anyone has ever been empowered in this government, had his back, promoted this guy, even when people like me said, ‘You’re making a mistake. This is a bad guy. He’s going to turn on you. He’s not with us. He’s also totally incompetent,'” Bannon said on War Room. “Then as soon as President Trump comes out today, and President Trump saying it in the nicest way possible about the bill … the guy gets up and starts tweeting the most vicious stuff you can tweet.”

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Less Than 10 Russian Bombers Destroyed In Ukraine’s “Shock Attack”; Kyiv Mostly Struck Defunct Aircraft: Russian Claims

Ukraine’s recent drone attack on four Russian Air Bases, where scores of bombers were destroyed, not only shocked Moscow but also led to a rewriting of the rules of modern warfare. But, how many bombers did Russia lose?

Firstly, the Ukrainian narrative!

Kyiv used inexpensive drones at the weekend to destroy Russian nuclear-capable bombers worth billions of dollars in an operation carried out after months of planning.

“Spider’s Web” dealt a blow to Russia more than three years after it invaded Ukraine, and the operation will now be studied closely by militaries around the world as a new strategy in asymmetric warfare.

Ukraine said it destroyed $7 billion worth of Russian aircraft parked at airbases thousands of kilometres across the border, mainly Tu-95 and Tu-22 long-range strategic bombers.

While the attacks at Belaya deep in Siberia and Olenya on the Kola Peninsula in the Arctic Circle are unlikely to change the course of the war, they will limit Moscow’s ability to launch long-range missile strikes against Ukraine.

Yohann Michel, a researcher at the French university Lyon-3, said the loss of the aircraft was “a serious blow to Russian offensive capabilities”.

“The main impact could be felt in several weeks’ time with a reduction in the number of sorties by the rest of the fleet” due to difficulties in finding spare parts for the Soviet-era planes, which are no longer in production, he told AFP.

Maxim Starchak, a fellow at the Centre for International and Defence Policy at Queen’s University in Canada, said it would take Russia a long time to replace the lost aircraft.

“Russia is extremely slow and inefficient in developing new aircraft for its nuclear forces,” he told AFP.

The drones, launched from trucks near air bases deep inside Russia, destroyed or damaged aircraft parked in the open.

Congratulating Ukraine’s Security Service chief, Vasyl Malyuk, President Volodymyr Zelensky said it had taken 18 months of preparation for the 117 drones to be concealed inside trucks near the airbases, and that all the Ukrainian agents had safely left Russia.

Michael Shurkin, a former CIA officer, said Ukraine’s operation was likely to have struck fear into militaries across the world, adding that potential targets for such drone attacks could include refineries, ballistic missile silos or military bases.

“This technology is akin to stealth technology: The threat is difficult to detect both because it emerges near the target and is too small and too low to be picked up by sensors designed to catch aircraft or missiles,” said Shurkin, director of global programs for the consultancy 14 North Strategies.

Ukrainian military analyst Oleksii Kopytko said anyone delivering a pizza or driving a horse-drawn cart could present a danger. “The organisers and main perpetrators are essentially untraceable,” he said.

A French arms manufacturing executive said Ukraine could have even trained AI algorithms to recognize aircraft or guide drones in case of jamming.

“New tools are forcing us to completely rethink defence systems and how they are produced,” said the executive, who asked not to be named.

“It opens up possibilities that we hadn’t even imagined.”

Zelensky “just proved that he and Ukraine are more than able to pull aces out of their combat fatigue sleeves,” said Timothy Ash, an emerging market economist focused on Russia.

The attacks exposed Russia’s air base vulnerabilities, providing a significant morale boost for Kyiv after months of being on the defensive in the conflict.

“The protection of military air bases does not meet security requirements,” said Starchak. “The dispersal of military aircraft across different airfields did not help either.”

Russia’s vast size is also a disadvantage in this regard.

“Usually, the vastness of Russia’s territory is an advantage; you can hide your bombers thousands of kilometres away where they would be safe,” said Michel.

“The problem is that this means you have to monitor thousands of square kilometres, which is simply impossible.”

The attacks dealt a blow to Moscow’s nuclear triad of ground, sea, and air-launched missiles, said Starchak.

If it were possible to target an airbase, it is also possible to hit bases hosting nuclear submarines, Starchak said.

“An attack on long-range aircraft bases is a potential threat to the entire nuclear triad, which can be easily hit, thereby weakening it to the point that it cannot respond with a nuclear strike.”

John Herbst, senior director of the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center, stated that Ukraine’s operation provided US President Donald Trump with leverage against Russian President Vladimir Putin in their quest for a settlement.

“It is a strong counter to the dubious ‘common wisdom’ that the war is moving inevitably in Moscow’s favour,” wrote the former US ambassador to Ukraine.

Counter Reports
Ex-IAF fighter pilot and Russia expert, Vijainder TK Thakur, believes that Ukraine might have mostly struck “Christmas Trees,” and not combat-ready Bombers.

He writes: What Zelensky touts as an 18-month masterstroke of planning is increasingly looking like a miscalculated, amateur effort.

Ukraine seems to have worked off a flawed assumption: that anything parked on a Russian tarmac was a functional military aircraft. In reality, of the ~200 Tu-95MS strategic bombers the Soviet Union built, Russia’s Aerospace Forces operate only around 60.

The rest—roughly 140—have long been relegated to open-air storage, stripped for spare parts. Ukrainian planners apparently believed these mothballed aircraft would be kept out of sight in hangars, while operational bombers would be conveniently left in the open.

The reality is precisely the opposite: Russia stores both retired and active aircraft out in the open. As a result, most of the Ukrainian drone strikes targeted what are effectively “Christmas Tree” decoys—hulks with no engines, no fluids, and no combat value.

Footage released by Ukraine itself shows hits on A-50s without engines and multiple strikes that triggered no fires, betraying the absence of combustible fluids. A real operational Tu-95MS would at least leak hydraulic or lubricating oil, even if empty of fuel.

Zelensky’s “strategic success” may have been little more than a fireworks show on a junkyard.

The following post by the FighterBomber Telegram Channel (closely linked with the Russian Air Force and the Kremlin), Google translated into English, explains what might have happened.

=== Translated Post ===

“The hohols posted a more detailed video of drone attacks on our five airfields, well, nothing new was added. As I said earlier, the number of destroyed planes is in the single digits. Not in the dozens.

By the will of fate, the overwhelming majority of planes attacked by the hohols were non-flying aircraft from the “iron row”. They could have attacked monuments on pedestals with the same success and effectiveness.

Fuel burns in planes; there is nothing else to burn. But when it burns, even the concrete nearby burns. The holes in the sides directly indicate that they are scrap metal, empty, and without fuel.

Of course, no one refuels faulty, written-off aircraft. They have the fattest layer of tires, because they are parked, the best for a photo report.

You will get tired of carrying tires on an aircraft that flies. Yes, in theory, of course, they can be restored and turned into a combat aircraft, but by that logic, monuments can also be restored. Attacked in Belarus at the beginning of the SVO by the same drone, our A-50, after a hellish explosion and a spectacular video, flew away to Russia under its power a couple of hours later and continued to carry out combat missions a little later.

Here, you only need to count those sides that are burning.” And, unfortunately, quite a few of them burned. And as I said on the stream, our long-range and strategic aviation did not receive critical losses as a result of this attack. But if such a blow is repeated…!

Trump ‘Pitches’ F-47 Aircraft, Golden Dome Defense Shield To Its Closet Ally In Indo-Pacific Region: Media

US President Donald Trump has reportedly discussed two big-ticket military programs with one of his closest allies in the Indo-Pacific: the Golden Dome defense shield and the F-47 sixth-generation aircraft.

Trump discussed potential collaboration with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba during a phone call in May 2025 regarding the development of technology for the Golden Dome missile defense shield, Nikkei Asia reported. Japan is reportedly exploring support for the initiative, the report claimed.

Citing unidentified sources, the Japanese publication said that the two nations will likely collaborate on systems meant to intercept inbound threats. The report did not provide specific details about the discussions that took place between the two leaders.

Trump announced plans for the “Golden Dome” system in May 2025, saying it would cost around $175 billion and would become operational by the end of his term in 2029.

However, experts say the scheme faces huge technical and political challenges, and could cost far more than he has estimated in the public announcement. For instance, the Congressional Budget Office earlier estimated that the US might have to spend up to US$542 billion over 20 years to develop and launch the network of space-based interceptors under the program.

The US President may now be seeking potential partners who could share the cost of developing and operationalizing the Golden Dome, as well as developing sophisticated interceptors to counter missile threats.

Japan, on the other hand, could be a significant contributor to the system, given its previous experience in developing interceptors. Additionally, it could contribute funding or resources, such as research and development (R&D) or manufacturing, to offset costs.

Unveiling plans for the Golden Dome last month, Trump disclosed that Canada was interested in participating in the program. He said that while it “automatically” makes sense to include Canada in the new defence system, Canada will have to pay its fair share.

However, the President may have just thrown cold water over that potential collaboration by once again calling for Canada to become the 51st state of the United States of America.

“I told Canada, which very much wants to be part of our fabulous Golden Dome System, that it will cost 61 billion Dollars if they remain a separate, but unequal, Nation,” Trump posted on his Truth Social network on May 29. “But (it) will cost ZERO DOLLARS if they become our cherished 51st State. They are considering the offer!”

For Japan, the Golden Dome would be an enticing offer, particularly since it has been grappling with an enhanced missile threat from China, North Korea, and Russia.

Japan and the US have previously collaborated on ballistic missile defense and are currently working together on the development of a hypersonic missile interceptor, known as the Glide Phase Interceptor (GPI).

However, the Golden Dome might help Japan in more ways than one.

Citing unidentified sources, the report stated that Japan could use its participation in the Golden Dome initiative as a bargaining chip to obtain concessions in ongoing trade talks with Washington.

Trump has threatened to impose a 24% tariff on Japan starting next month unless a bilateral agreement can be reached.

Japan has been disgruntled by a 25% tariff on cars, trucks, and key auto parts that took effect in April. Additionally, Trump has increased the duties to 50% on all imported Japanese aluminum and steel. Both these tariffs could significantly weaken the Japanese economy.

Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba has stated that bilateral conversations on trade expansion, non-tariff measures, and economic security are ongoing. At the same time, the administration is also considering an increase in its purchases of US military hardware, as well as collaboration on rebuilding and repairing US warships in Japan.

The Golden Dome would, thus, fit perfectly in this scheme if the Japanese government seriously considers it.

F-47 Also On Offer To Japan
A report published in the Japanese publication Asahi Shimbun last week stated that Donald Trump randomly brought up the F-47 in a call with Shigeru Ishiba last month. Sources in the Ishiba administration told the newspaper that the call took place on May 23 and was organized at Trump’s request.

Trump said the “47” in “F-47” is a good number, and asked Ishiba to concur, in what can only be described as typical Trump fashion of conversation. He also heaped praises on the F-22, which the US never sold to Japan due to the sensitivity of that technology, even though the latter wanted it. Trump then went on to talk about the F-55, an upgraded, twin-engine F-35 variant that he proposed during a presser in Qatar recently.

The President then asked Ishiba if he wanted to see the amazing fighter jets that the United States had, adding that he would get the “best” for Japan.

The report stated that Trump only casually inquired of Ishiba whether Japan was interested in purchasing US-made fighter jets and did not explicitly urge Japan to do so.

Nonetheless, the Trump administration has made no bones about its intention to pitch the aircraft in the export market.

During the F-47 announcement, Trump said that U.S. allies “are calling constantly” to obtain an export version of the NGAD fighter. We will sell it to “certain allies … perhaps toned-down versions. We’d like to tone them down about 10 percent, which probably makes sense, because someday, maybe they’re not our allies, right?”
The F-47 offer comes as Tokyo might be unhappy with its own Global Combat Air Program (GCAP), a sixth-generation combat jet being pursued jointly by Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom.

Reuters reported on May 30 that Japan is growing doubtful that the GCAP will meet its 2035 rollout target, potentially forcing Tokyo to fill air defense gaps with upgrading existing fighters or purchasing new jets.

The fear of GCAP delays arises as China accelerates the testing of two sixth-generation fighter jet prototypes, namely the J-36 and the J-50. If China inducts a sixth-generation fighter by 2030, the capability gap between Japan and China will widen.

According to an infographic recently posted on X by US Air Force chief, General David Allvin, the F-47 is anticipated to become operational between 2025 and 2029—more than a decade before the GCAP’s rollout date if delays are factored in.

Since the end of the Second World War, Japan has only purchased American fighter jets and has been a loyal and important customer for the US, which explains why Trump would want it to consider the American F-35s instead. A purchase of the American sixth-generation fighter would also boost interoperability between the two allies, particularly in the volatile Indo-Pacific region.

Trump’s trade policy is making China great again — at the US’s expense, new global analysis finds

President Donald Trump’s trade tariff policy has seen America’s favorability plummet while China’s has risen, a new global analysis has found.

Since Trump entered office in January, “the overwhelming majority of countries simultaneously exhibit worsening views of the United States and improving views of China,” according to the analysis by technology research firm Morning Consult, and first reported by Axios.

America’s drop in favorability among the 41 countries surveyed comes as fewer visitors are traveling to the U.S. in part because of the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration policies.

The analysis as of the end of May found China had an 8.8 net favorability rating versus –1.5 for the USA. By comparison, in January 2024 the U.S. was above 20 while China was in the negative.

“This is a first since our tracking began, and includes many of America’s most important economic and military partners, in a clear blow to U.S. soft power,” Morning Consult’s report said.

America’s favorability fell to a new low on Trump’s so-called “Liberation Day,” which the president’s global tariffs caused the markets to hit historic lows before he ordered a 90-day pause one week later.

“America’s global standing fell to a tracking low just after Washington’s reciprocal tariff announcements on April 2, 2025, which tipped net favorability of the United States into negative territory for the first time since January 2022,” according to the report.

The data is based on surveys from 41 countries, including Canada, Mexico, the U.K., France and Russia.

At the end of April, only 13 countries held more favorable views of the U.S. than China, compared to 29 countries surveyed at the start of the year.

A “silver lining,” according to the report, is that “America’s global standing has recently begun to rebound” since Trump put a pause on the reciprocal tariffs. America’s rating also ticked up slightly after Trump reduced tariffs on China last month from 145 percent to 30 percent.

The trade war between the two countries has resumed again after Trump accused China of violating the terms of the agreement in a post on Truth Social.

“The bad news is that China, perhaps not surprisingly to some, HAS TOTALLY VIOLATED ITS AGREEMENT WITH US,” Trump said Friday. “So much for being Mr. NICE GUY!”

China hit back Monday and also accused the U.S. of doing the same after the Trump administration revealed plans to revoke the visas of Chinese students and attempts to curb China’s access to the most advanced computer chips.

“These practices seriously violate the consensus” of what was agreed in talks in Geneva two weeks ago, the Commerce Ministry said.

Harvard has become a top Chinese Communist ‘Party school’

The Trump administration’s effort to revoke visas for Chinese college students has intersected with its legal battles with Harvard University.

As the State Department moves to limit Chinese student visas, the Wall Street Journal has released a report detailing the university’s alleged ties to the Chinese Communist Party, citing the university as a favored institution for China’s political elite.

Chinese Communist elites attended Harvard: WSJ
According to the Journal, a 2014 article from the Shanghai Observer referred to Harvard as the party’s top “overseas party school.”

“If we were to rank the Chinese Communist Party’s ‘overseas party schools,’ the one deserving top spot has to be Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government,” the online platform run by the city’s main party newspaper said.

The report cites a training program from the 2000s called “China’s Leaders in Development.”

What to know as Trump ramps up his student visa crackdown

Harvard’s website describes the program as designed to help senior local and central Chinese government staff better address China’s “national reforms.”

The report names several high-ranking party figures who have studied at Harvard, including a former vice president of China who attended a training program at the university’s public policy school in 2002, a retired vice premier who received a master’s from Harvard in public administration in 1995, and a current party member who took part in a short-term Harvard program in 1999.

It also claims that Chinese President Xi Jinping’s daughter attended Harvard under an alias in the early 2010s, which was allegedly known to some staff members.

Harvard has not responded to the Wall Street Journal’s report.

A wide range of global leaders — including Canada’s new Prime Minister Mark Carney, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and multiple Taiwanese presidents — have also studied at Harvard.

Judge extends block on international student ban
In federal court, a judge recently extended a block on the Trump administration’s attempt to revoke Harvard’s ability to enroll international students.

Harvard, Trump court battle — and polarizing debate — continue

The administration has given Harvard 30 days to submit evidence challenging the proposed plan, which would limit international enrollment to 15%.

Harvard has criticized the plan as a threat to academic freedom after school leaders pushed back against ending diversity, equity and inclusion programs and addressing pro-Palestinian rallies.

In the most recent school year, Harvard hosted more than 6,700 international students, including approximately 1,200 from China.

European Tourist Arrival To U.S. “Drops” Under Donald Trump; Are Harsh American Policies Impacting U.S. Tourism?

Are Donald Trump’s stringent immigration policies, expansive tariffs, and nationalist rhetoric deterring European tourists from visiting the United States?

The number of visitors to the United States from Western Europe in March fell by 17 percent from the same month a year earlier, but then picked up 12 percent in April, according to the US tourism office.

The German Travel Association (DRV) said the number of Germans going to the United States dropped 28 percent in March, but then bounced back by 14 percent in April.

The association’s spokesperson, Torsten Schäfer, said that the Easter holidays fell later this year than in 2024, which may have impacted the figures.

“There’re practically no requests in recent months to change or cancel reservations,” Schaefer said. However, he noted “a rise in queries about entry requirements into the United States”.

At the end of March, several European countries urged their nationals to review their travel documents for the United States, following several high-profile cases of Europeans being detained upon arrival and subsequently deported.

Anecdotally, there are signs of Europeans opting not to visit Trump’s America.

“The country I knew no longer exists,” said Raphael Gruber, a 60-year-old German doctor who has been taking his family to Cape Cod in Massachusetts every summer since 2018.

“Before, when you told the immigration officer you were there for whale-watching, that was a good reason to come. But now, they are afraid of everything that comes from outside,” he told AFP.

Referring to invasive electronic checks at the US borders, he added: “I don’t want to buy a ‘burner’ phone just to keep my privacy”.

In Britain, Matt Reay, a 35-year-old history teacher from Northamptonshire, said he had scratched the United States off his list, preferring to go to South America, where his “money would probably be better spent”.

“It feels like, to be honest, that there’s a culture that’s built in the US in the last kind of 12 months, where as a foreign visitor, I don’t really feel like I’m that welcome anyway,” he said.

Reay said he felt “insulted” by both Trump’s tariffs on British exports to the United States and comments by Trump’s vice president, JD Vance, about Britain as “a random country”.

Trump’s public belittling of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a White House visit in February was also “outrageous”, he said.

According to the US tourism office, however, the number of British visitors to the United States in April increased by 15 percent year-over-year, following a 14 percent decline in March.

Oxford Economics, an economic research firm, attributed the March decline partly to the Easter dates this year, along with a stronger US dollar at the time, which made the United States a more costly destination.

However, it primarily highlighted “polarising rhetoric and policy actions by the Trump administration, as well as concerns around tighter border and immigration policies.”

Didier Arino, head of the French travel consultancy Protourisme, said April traffic to the United States might have picked up because European airlines were offering discounted flights.

“You can find flights, especially for New York, at 600 euros ($680),” he said.

In Germany, Muriel Wagner, 34, said she was not postponing a summer trip to Boston to see a friend at Harvard—a U.S. university embroiled in a legal and ideological struggle with Trump’s administration.

“I’ve been asked if the political situation and trade war with the US has affected our trip,” the PhD student said in Frankfurt.

But “you can’t let yourself be intimidated”, she said, adding that she was keen to discuss the tensions with Americans on their home turf.

Protourisme’s Arino said that, as “the mood has sunk” regarding the United States, potential tourists were rethinking a visit.

On top of the “financial outlay, being insulted by the US administration for being European, that really robs you of the desire” to go there, he said.

He estimated that the “Trump effect” would reduce the number of French tourists visiting the United States this year by a quarter.

A body representing much of the French travel sector, Entreprises du Voyage, said the number of French visitors to America dropped eight percent in March, and a further 12 percent in April. It is estimated that summer departures to the United States would drop by 11 percent.

According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, covering major tourism operators, the US tourism sector — already reeling from Canadians and Mexicans staying away — could lose $12.5 billion in spending by foreign visitors this year.

Canada remains the leading source of tourists, with approximately 20.5 million visitors in 2024. Proximity, shared borders, and strong economic ties make the U.S. an accessible destination for Canadians.

Mexico ranks second, sending around 17 million tourists. Improved airline connectivity and a growing Mexican middle class have fueled this surge. Many Mexican visitors head to border states like Texas and California. Medical tourism also plays a key role in surging numbers.

The UK remains a prominent contributor, with about 4.04 million visitors in 2024. British tourists are drawn to urban centers like New York City and Los Angeles, as well as theme parks in Florida.

India has emerged as a significant player, with 2.2 million visitors in 2024. This growth reflects India’s booming middle class. Indian tourists, including a notable proportion of students and business travelers, tend to favor destinations in the Midwest and along the coast.

Germany sent approximately 1.7 million tourists to the U.S. in 2024. German visitors are attracted to national parks, cultural sites, and major cities. However, economic challenges in Germany, partly due to U.S. trade policies, have led to a decline in bookings compared to previous years.

President Donald Trump put Russian President Vladimir Putin on notice, and issued some harsh words to China and their ongoing trade negotiations during his 19th week in office.

"What Vladimir Putin doesn’t realize is that if it weren’t for me, lots of really bad things would have already happened to Russia, and I mean REALLY BAD. He’s playing with fire!" Trump wrote in a Truth Social post Tuesday morning.

Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia and former Russian president, responded in kind and issued his own words of caution to the U.S.

"Regarding Trump's words about Putin ‘playing with fire’ and ‘really bad things’ happening to Russia. I only know of one REALLY BAD thing — WWIII. I hope Trump understands this!" Medvedev wrote.

Trump’s remarks come as Russia has ramped up its attacks against Ukraine in recent weeks, and as the U.S. has sought to distance itself from the conflict between the two countries. Meanwhile, Trump said on Wednesday that time is limited for Putin to get serious about coming to the negotiating table and engage in peace talks. Otherwise, the U.S. might adopt a different approach, he said.

"We’re going to find out whether or not he’s tapping us along or not, and if he is, we’ll respond a little bit differently, but it will take about a week and a half to two weeks," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday.

Here’s what also happened this week:

Trump accused China of violating an initial trade agreement that Washington and Beijing were hashing out in May. Following those negotiations, both countries agreed that the U.S. would cut down its tariffs against Chinese imports from 145% to 30%, and China would reduce its tariffs against U.S. imports from 125% to 10%.

But Trump said that China hasn’t followed the terms of the agreement, without disclosing specifics.

"The bad news is that China, perhaps not surprisingly to some, HAS TOTALLY VIOLATED ITS AGREEMENT WITH US," Trump said in a social media post Friday. "So much for being Mr. NICE GUY!"

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said after Trump’s post in an interview with CNBC that China had failed to remove its non-tariff barriers, as outlined in the deal.

"The United States did exactly what it was supposed to do, and the Chinese are slow-rolling their compliance which is completely unacceptable and has to be addressed," Greer said on Friday.

Meanwhile, China pressed the U.S. to reverse course and urged the U.S. to address its own mistakes.

"China once again urges the US to immediately correct its erroneous actions, cease discriminatory restrictions against China and jointly uphold the consensus reached at the high-level talks in Geneva," Chinese embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu said in a Friday statement.

Canada also could receive protection from Trump’s so-called Golden Dome — if it becomes part of the U.S. Trump has long pushed for Canada to become the 51st state, along with expressing interest in acquiring Greenland and the Panama Canal.

"I told Canada, which very much wants to be part of our fabulous Golden Dome System, that it will cost $61 Billion Dollars if they remain a separate, but unequal, Nation, but will cost ZERO DOLLARS if they become our cherished 51st State," Trump said

Automakers in the United States, including Tesla, must build entire vehicles including all their parts in the country instead of manufacturing parts abroad, President Donald Trump said on Friday.

The comments from Trump, at a press conference marking Tesla CEO Elon Musk's last official day at the White House as a senior adviser, were in response to a question on tariffs hurting companies such as Tesla that import auto parts from other countries.

"He's going to end up building his whole car here. Pretty much he does," Trump said referring to Musk. "All of the manufacturers will build their parts here too."

"It used to bother me they make a part in Canada, a part in Mexico, a part in Europe, and sent all over the place, and nobody knew what the hell was happening," Trump said. "But over the next year, they've got to have the whole thing built in America. That's what we want."

Germany's foreign minister threatened unspecified measures against Israel on Tuesday and said Berlin would not export weapons used to break humanitarian law, as he and Chancellor Friedrich Merz delivered their most severe rebuke yet over Gaza.

Germany, along with the United States, had long remained in support of Israel's conduct since the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas, even as Israel became increasingly isolated internationally. Its about-turn comes as the European Union is reviewing its Israel policy and Britain, France and Canada also threatened "concrete actions" over Gaza.

Speaking to broadcaster WDR, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul warned Germany's historic support for Israel must not be instrumentalised, as massive air strikes and shortages of food and medicines had made the situation in Gaza "unbearable".

Vance Says America Will Keep Its Nose Out of Other Countries’ Business...
Really..? Can America do that after many years they have been doing same thing over and over in many countries in the name of democracy.
The US has set its sights on Canada and Greenland, accused Europe of stifling free speech, and unleashed a trade war across the globe.

But Vice President J.D. Vance on Friday insisted that the Trump administration had ended a decades-long approach to foreign policy by no longer meddling in other countries’ affairs.
Naval Academy’s graduation ceremony in Annapolis, Vance hailed the president’s recent trip to the Middle East, which came under scrutiny over the acceptance of a 747 jet from the Qatar government, as a success.

He said most of the headlines focused elsewhere, the most striking part of the trip, was “the break from the precedent set by America’s founding fathers” and the “return to a strategy grounded in realism and protecting our core national interests.”

https://www.siecindia.com/...

The premier of Canada’s oil-rich province of Alberta said Monday she will hold a referendum on separation from Canada next year if a citizen-led petition reaches the required number of signatures.

Speaking on a livestream address, Danielle Smith said she personally does not support the province leaving Canada and expressed hope of a “path forward” for a strong and sovereign Alberta within a united Canada.

“Should Ottawa, for whatever reason, continue to attack our province as they have done over the last decade, ultimately that will be for Albertans to decide," she said. "I will accept their judgement.”

Smith’s announcement comes just one week after Prime Minister Mark Carney led the Liberal Party to a fourth consecutive federal government. It also comes as U.S. President Donald Trump continues to threaten Canada with tariffs and talk of the country becoming the 51st state.

“America wants our land, our resources, our water, our country”, declared Mark Carney in his victory speech, after Canada’s general election this week delivered his Liberal Party a plurality of seats in parliament. “These are not idle threats. President Trump is trying to break us so that America can own us”, Carney continued, promising that Trump’s oft-repeated plans to absorb Canada as America’s 51st state are “never, ever going to happen”.

Trump’s apparent designs on Canada, which appeared to begin with a social media post calling Carney’s predecessor Justin Trudeau “governor Trudeau”, weighed heavily on the country’s election. The Conservatives still polled their best results since the 1980s, and Carney will have to lead a minority government, but the spectacle of a foreign leader looming so decisively over the elections of a major democracy is Ruritanian to the point of comedy.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday said the U.S. was meeting with many countries, including China, on trade deals, and his main priority with China was to secure a fair trade deal.

Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he had no plans to speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping this week, but U.S. officials were speaking with Chinese officials about a variety of different things.

Asked if any trade agreements would be announced this week, Trump said that could "very well be" but gave no details.

Trump's top officials have engaged in a flurry of meetings with trading partners since the president on April 2 imposed a 10% tariff on most countries, along with higher tariff rates for many trading partners that were then suspended for 90 days. He has also imposed 25% tariffs on autos, steel and aluminum, 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico, and 145% tariffs on China.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said his country would “never” yield to the United States as he declared victory in federal elections early Tuesday, following a campaign overshadowed by relentless provocations and steep trade tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump.

The Liberal Party leader issued a stunning rebuke to Trump as he sent a message of unity to a divided nation, promising to “represent everyone who calls Canada home.”

“As I have been warning for months, America wants our land, our resources, our water, our country. But these are not idle threats. President Trump is trying to break us so that America can own us,” Carney said, as he hailed a remarkable reversal in fortune for his party. “That will never ever happen.”

Carney reiterated statements he made on the campaign trail about the vastly changed nature of Canada’s relationship with the United States.

America’s top diplomat was questioned on Sunday about Donald Trump’s reasoning for repeatedly calling for Canada to join the United States as the 51st state.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday where moderator Kristen Welker asked him if the administration was actually taking any steps to make Trump’s vision a reality.

The president has made his opinion clear: he wants Canada to join the United States and suggested his administration would also acquire the Danish-held territory Greenland by any means.
The secretary of state gave his own translation of the president’s remarks on the matter:
“What the president has said, and he has said this repeatedly, is he was told by the previous prime minister that Canada could not survive without unfair trade with the United States, at which point he asked, ‘Well, if you can't survive as a nation without treating us unfairly in trade, then you should become a state.’ That's what he said.”

Americans China made you consumer pig..
The Trump administration's tariff war with China is most often seen through the lens of the economy.
But to many economists, the bigger threat is that Trump's global trade gambit will erode the United States’ main source of global authority: the long-term geopolitical relationships it has cultivated over nearly a century.

Trump argues steep tariffs will bring manufacturing jobs back to the United States from places like China as well as Mexico and Canada. But experts fear his radical turn from decades of trade practices and his erratic policy announcements will upend the balance of world power and leave the U.S. in a weakened position.

“American dominance was based on being at the center of an incredibly close set of alliances, not based on the unilateral power of the United States,” said Jason Furman, professor of the Practice of Economic Policy at Harvard Kennedy School and former chair of then-President Obama’s Council of Economic Advi

All about negative reports about Trump....
For international tourists, traveling to the United States is looking less inviting these days.

The combination of President Donald Trump’s trade policies and hostile rhetoric toward much of the rest of the world are creating a chill in international travel to the U.S. That shift might have a significant economic impact, with one Wall Street firm projecting U.S. revenue could collapse by as much as $90 billion this year when combined with reduced travel and U.S. product boycotts.

Tourism from Canada has seen the biggest drop-off after Trump targeted the country directly through trade restrictions and indirectly by suggesting that the northern neighbor and close ally could become the “51st state” of the U.S.

Traveler data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection shows visitors coming across the northern border down 12.5% in February year over year, and off 18% for March.