News of the World
Yesterday, 09:20 AM
USA
Quote:Vanessa Trump, the ex-wife of the president’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., revealed Wednesday that she has been diagnosed with breast cancer.
Trump, 48, shared the devastating “personal health update” in an Instagram post.
“I’ve recently been diagnosed with breast cancer,” she wrote. “While this isn’t news anyone expects, I’m working closely with my medical team on a treatment plan.
“I would like to thank my doctors for performing a procedure earlier this week on me.”
Trump said she is “staying focused and hopeful while surrounded by the love and support of my family, my kids, and those closest to me.”
“Thank you for your kindness and support it truly means more than I can express,” she added. “I kindly ask for privacy as l focus on my health and recovery.”
Trump’s social media post was flooded with well wishes, including one from the president’s eldest daughter, Ivanka Trump.
“Praying for your continued strength and a swift recovery. Love you mama,” Ivanka wrote, while half-sister Tiffany Trump liked Vanessa’s post.
Trump, who was married to Donald Jr., from 2005 to 2018, shares five children with ex-husband — 19-year-old Kai, 17-year-old Donald, 14-year-old Tristan, 13-year-old Spencer and Chloe, 11.
Vanessa Trump was photographed celebrating Kai’s prep school graduation in Florida last week with her ex-husband and family friends.
Well, the title should say "linked to someone posing as Tom Selleck" instead.
Quote:An elderly California couple found dead inside their country club home had reportedly been caught in a disturbing online scam involving someone posing as actor Tom Selleck before their deaths, according to a close friend.
Donald Whitaker, 80, and his wife Karen, 79, were discovered with traumatic injuries inside their home at Bermuda Dunes Country Club last Friday after Riverside County deputies responded to a welfare check shortly before noon.
Authorities have not revealed how the couple was killed, and no arrests have been made.
As investigators continue probing the double homicide, family friend Joy Miedecke says Karen had spent months sending money to an online scammer pretending to be Selleck.
Miedecke said the ordeal began after Karen posted a Facebook tribute to a deceased school friend.
Soon after, someone allegedly contacted her by text message claiming to be the Hollywood star.
“They found her phone number and they text messaged her and they said they were Tom Selleck,” Miedecke told News Channel 3. “And that they knew this girl and had dated her. And now we have something in common. And that started the whole thing.”
According to Miedecke, Karen initially sent small amounts of money through gift cards before the payments escalated.
“She was living and breathing this part of her life, and they were constantly texting her every single day, text after text, and people around her started noticing,” Miedecke said.
Friends and family tried repeatedly to stop the alleged scam.
Quote:Seattle’s lefty Mayor Katie Wilson admitted she was wrong to slam Starbucks and push for a boycott of the mega-coffee chain birthed in the Pacific City.
Wilson, 43, issued a terse mea culpa to the New York Times this week as questions swirl about whether the liberal Northwest city can attract and retain businesses, including Starbucks, which recently chose to expand its footprint in Tennessee.
The democratic socialist made waves last fall when she joined a barista union rally as mayor-elect and expressed her disgust with one of Seattle’s most recognizable businesses.
“I am not buying Starbucks, and you should not either,” she whined in November, according to KUOW.
But several months later, Wilson appeared to walk back her statement.
“Those comments were not productive in the sense that they caused more harm than good,” she told the New York Times.
Wilson also told the outlet she’s aware that everything she says could be used as possible anti-business missives, and she needs to have a “multidimensional relationship” with corporations like the coffee giant.
Starbucks recently revealed it was going to build a 2,000-person corporate office in Nashville, which fueled concern that the business could leave its hometown high and dry.
Seattle City Council Member Rob Saka told the Times he is “gravely concerned” about the loss of business.
“This is real,” he said.
Wilson insisted this week that her office and Starbucks have a good relationship, and the snub in favor of Nashville was not a surprise, the outlet reported. Starbucks was also a sponsor for a new tiny house homeless shelter that was announced earlier this month, according to KOMO.
“I want them here, and I believe they want to be here,” the mayor said.
Starbucks noted the plan for Nashville was an effort to expand in other parts of the country, the Times reported.
Quote:A woman allegedly tied to Minnesota’s massive “Feeding Our Future” scandal has been charged in a daycare fraud scheme after being featured in a viral video by influencer Nick Shirley, authorities said.
She is accused of pocketing millions of dollars meant for children’s meals.
Fahima Egeh Mahamud was charged Wednesday with wire fraud and conspiracy to defraud the United States, according to court documents.
Earlier this year, Mahamud was indicted for her alleged role in the initial $250 million “Feeding Our Future” scheme.
Prosecutors allege she enrolled Future Leaders Early Learning — a Minneapolis daycare where she served as CEO — into the federal child nutrition program, falsely claiming to serve thousands of meals at her childcare center.
In addition to her involvement in the nutrition program fraud, Mahamud was federally charged Wednesday with a secondary scheme to defraud the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), which provides daycare assistance to low-income families.
Between October 2022 and December 2025, she allegedly submitted over 13,000 fraudulent claims to CCAP totaling approximately $4.6 million.
Prosecutors state the claims were fraudulent because she falsely certified that she had collected mandatory co-payments from families, which is a material requirement for federal reimbursement.
The Future Leaders Early Learning center was featured in Shirley’s viral video, FOX 9 Minneapolis reported, which showed him visiting apparently empty, Somali-run childcare centers in and around Minneapolis while alleging widespread fraud.
The video served as a catalyst for an immediate and aggressive multiagency crackdown by the Trump administration.
Quote:An Air France flight was blocked from entering US airspace and instead diverted to Canada over fears of one passenger’s exposure to the Ebola outbreak in Africa.
Air France Flight 378 was scheduled to land at Detroit Metro Wayne Airport in Michigan late Wednesday afternoon before it changed course for Montreal Trudeau International Airport in the Canadian city.
US officials stopped the flight from entering the country after it was revealed a passenger from the Democratic Republic of Congo was allowed to board “in error,” the US Customs and Border Protection told CBS News.
“Due to entry restrictions put in place to reduce the risk of the Ebola virus, the passenger should not have boarded the plane,” a CBP spokesperson told the outlet. “CBP took decisive action and prohibited the flight carrying that traveler from landing at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, and instead, diverted to Montreal, Canada.”
The Air France flight was flying in conjunction with Delta Airlines during the change in arrival location.
Air France confirms that, at the request of US authorities, Flight AF378 was diverted to Montreal Airport after a Congolese passenger on board was denied entry into the United States,” and Air France spokesperson told WXYZ. “There was no medical emergency on board, and like all airlines, Air France is required to comply with the entry requirements of the countries it serves.”
Ongoing outbreaks in Eastern and Central Africa have forced government agencies to adjust protocol and restrict travel from anyone who has visited the affected region into the US.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Homeland Security implemented Monday heightened measures, including enhanced travel screening, restricted entry and public health measures to prevent Ebola from entering the country.
Quote:A sinkhole found on a LaGuardia Airport runway Wednesday led to flight delays, as workers scrambled to make repairs, officials said.
The pit was discovered around 11 a.m. near Runway 4/22 as the Port Authority conducted its daily morning inspection of LaGuardia’s airfield, the agency said.
The runway was quickly shut down as emergency construction and engineering crews descended on the site to complete repairs and determine the cause of the sinkhole “as quickly and safely as possible,” according to a spokesperson.
The Port Authority cautioned travelers to expect disruptions.
“The Port Authority is in close communication with airlines and airport partners and will continue providing updates as conditions evolve,” the rep said.
“Travelers should expect delays and cancellations, particularly with forecast thunderstorms expected later today, and are strongly encouraged to check directly with their airlines for the latest flight status information.”
Several passengers at the travel hub told The Post their flights made wonky detours to work around the runway closure, delaying their landings.
“We flew around Manhattan in a weird direction. Lately, with all the mishaps and near misses at major airports, I’m thankful they found it before a plane went into it. I hope there were no injuries,” said Kit Deason, an IT manager from Alabama who flew Southwest.
“The pilot said that there were delays because the planes were ‘single file lining up at LaGuardia’. They didn’t say a sinkhole. I’m a firefighter, so I know if they’re shutting down runways, there’s a problem,” added Ryan Mastian, who flew American Airlines from Indianapolis to meet up with Deason.
The runway snafu also snarled some people’s travel plans, including those hoping to board connecting flights.
Quote:The widower of a Barnes & Noble shopper who was allegedly stabbed to death by a deranged homeless man is suing the owner and managers of the Florida shopping mall and the book giant.
Jorge Loncharich’s wife, Rita, was murdered following a “recurring pattern” of disturbing incidents at the shopping center, according to a wrongful death lawsuit filed on his behalf on Tuesday in Palm Beach County Circuit Court.
The 65-year-old was reading a magazine at the Barnes & Noble while Christmas shopping when she was killed in a frenzied knife attack by a mentally ill homeless man on the evening of Dec. 22, 2025, according to officials.
Antonio Moore, who was 40 at the time of the attack, had arrived in Florida just days earlier after boarding a bus from Georgia, according to an affidavit.
The Barnes & Noble branch at the Legacy Place shopping center in Palm Beach Gardens saw more than 60 documented police incidents in less than five years, according to the lawsuit filed by Morgan & Morgan P.A. on behalf of Loncharich.
These included 16 calls coded as “Unwanted Guest,” 23 shoplifting calls, nine for “Suspicious Person,” eight welfare checks, four suspicious incidents, and 14 general police calls, according to the lawsuit, citing Palm Beach Gardens PD records.
Legacy Place and the Barnes & Noble location specifically also had a long-standing pattern of criminal activity, loitering, trespassing, and confrontations involving transient and homeless people, the complaint alleges.
“Defendants, their agents, employees, and/or servants, had actual or constructive knowledge of a history of criminal activity on and in the vicinity of the premises… and knew or should have known that there was a likelihood for criminal conduct,” the complaint states.
The suit, which seeks damages exceeding $50,000 and a trial by jury under the Florida Wrongful Death Act, names four defendants: property owner LSREF6 Legacy LLC, property manager Trademark Property Company Florida, on-site property manager Ana Torres, and store operator Barnes & Noble, Inc.
Quote:Three people are dead, and nearly 20 first responders in New Mexico were hospitalized for exposure to an “unidentified substance” on Wednesday, according to authorities.
New Mexico State Police arrived at a residence in Mountainair around 11:00 a.m. to assist the Torrance County Sheriff’s Office with a suspected overdose involving an unknown substance.
After entering the home, cops grimly discovered four unidentified people unresponsive. Three of the four people have since died, authorities added.
Eighteen first responders who arrived at the property were exposed to the substance and began experiencing symptoms, including nausea and dizziness, police said.
The remaining occupant and the slew of emergency workers were rushed to the University of New Mexico Hospital, where they are “currently being quarantined, evaluated, and monitored,” the department continued in a statement.
Two of the first responders are currently in serious condition.
“Albuquerque Fire Rescue HazMat teams are assisting at the scene in efforts to identify the substance involved. At this time, investigators believe the substance may be transmitted through contact and do not believe it to be airborne,” the statement said.
Officials stressed there is no current threat to the public, and a secure perimeter has been established around the home.
“We ask the public to avoid the area and keep all affected individuals and first responders in their thoughts,” cops wrote.
Quote:Texas officials have ordered a Muslim university in the Dallas area to shut down after accusing the school of illegally offering degree programs without state approval.
In a May 6 letter sent to TexAM University at Dallas, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board said that the entity “must immediately cease advertising, offering, and enrolling students in degrees or programs of study until it has applied for and been granted a Certificate of Authority.”
The letter alleged that TexAM University at Dallas “is operating a ‘university’ that ‘offer[s] STEM degree programs’ both online and ‘at the Richardson campus.’”
The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board wrote that, following a review, it found that TexAM is not compliant with Texas laws and regulations.
“TexAM’s advertising and postings via its website indicate that your entity publicly holds itself out as offering in the State of Texas STEM degree programs, including a master’s degree in Artificial Intelligence and admissions to bachelor’s degree programs in computer science, IT, cybersecurity, and health informatics,” the letter read.
On Monday, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced that he was suing TexAM University at Dallas for “unlawfully presenting itself as a university, offering degrees it is not authorized to grant, and misleading prospective students about its legitimacy.”
In a press release, Paxton said that TexAM University at Dallas also “adopted branding and a name ‘confusingly similar’ to Texas A&M University.”
“TexAM has repeatedly disregarded Texas law, misrepresented its authority to grant degrees, and risked deceiving students about its legitimacy,” Paxton said. “My office will not allow illegal, unaccredited degree mills to operate in Texas.”
In their letter, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board said that by May 8, TexAM University at Dallas was required to sign an attached letter and return it to the agency confirming the entity had ceased its offerings.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Shahid A. Bajwa, founder and chairman of the board of trustees at Texas American Muslim Institute for Technology said, “We just learned that Attorney General’s office has filed Lawsuit for non-compliance. They sued our Institute and personally me, along with two other Members/Directors of the Non-Profit corporation, for $1 Million. We fail to understand how the following facts of compliance were overlooked and not even mentioned in the Lawsuit. Still, we are ready to discuss and resolve any misunderstanding.”
Quote:Seven pro-Palestine protesters are on trial in San Francisco this week, accused of bringing one of the nation’s most iconic bridges to a grinding halt, and if convicted, they could spend up to 15 years in prison.
The case centers on an April 15, 2024 demonstration in which all southbound traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge was brought to a standstill for more than four hours, triggering major disruption across San Francisco’s main entry point.
Inside the courtroom Wednesday, prosecutors told jurors the incident was not a peaceful inconvenience but a deliberate obstruction of a major public roadway.
“This case is simple,” Assistant District Attorney Angela Roze told the jury, backing her argument with video evidence from the scene that showed officers on the bridge interacting with Sarah Cantor, who identified herself as the “police liaison” during the protest.
The footage also captured protesters blocking the roadway in vehicles as officers coordinated around the scene.
Roze said the actions were unmistakable.
“The evidence that you see is exactly what the defendants did,” she continued. “There is no question that they obstructed a thoroughfare.”
She also drew a firm boundary between political belief and criminal conduct.
“While you may agree with their cause, and it may be an important one, it does not excuse breaking the law.”
The defense is expected to argue the opposite, that the blockade was driven by moral urgency over the war in Gaza and carried out only after other forms of protest failed.
Public defender Nuha Abusamra told jurors, “There was no legal alternative at this point.”
She added, “It was time for civil disobedience.”
Abusamra also said her client River Allen and others were willing to “move to make a lane,” referring to the bridge’s movable median barrier, in an attempt to allow emergency access through the shutdown.
Another defense attorney, Katy Isa, said her client Conrad DeJesus “had no other choice but to get involved,” pointing to what she described as constant exposure to conflict imagery “coming through his feed every day, morning, noon and night.”
The legal fight follows a turbulent aftermath from the same protest.
Quote:Five members of California’s parole board were reappointed by top Democrats despite a furious backlash over the release of child predators under the state’s controversial elderly parole program.
Commissioners William Muniz, Michael Ruff, Rosalind Sargent-Burns, Mary Thornton and Jack Weiss were approved by the Senate Rules Committee on Wednesday over Republican objections, and now head to a full Senate vote.
The panel – all appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom – faced intense scrutiny from GOP lawmakers over a string of high-profile releases, including convicted child abusers and sex offenders.
That includes the parole of David Allen Funston, 64, who prosecutors said kidnapped and molested at least eight children – seven girls and one boy – after luring them with Barbie dolls and candy.
In March, commissioners also freed Gregory Lee Vogelsang, 57, who had been serving a more than 300-year sentence for sexually abusing children as young as five.
Another case involved Roberto Antonio Detrinidad, 39, who was released despite a life sentence for breaking into a San Francisco apartment and sexually assaulting a sleeping woman.
Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones blasted the decisions, saying they had “badly shaken” confidence in the board.
“Mr. Vogelsang acknowledged that his sexual attraction to children is always going to be there,” Jones said.
“As a board member, can you explain how factors like age, time served, and good behavior can outweigh a public safety risk when an inmate admits ongoing sexual attraction to children?” he asked.
UNITED KINGDOM
Quote:King Charles III was mistakenly declared dead by a UK radio station Tuesday in a shocking on-air blunder that left listeners stunned before the station suddenly went silent.
Radio Caroline, which broadcasts across parts of England, accidentally triggered its “Death of a Monarch” protocol due to what station bosses later described as a “computer error.”
Regular programming abruptly stopped before presenters announced that normal broadcasts had been suspended following the “death” of the 77-year-old monarch.
“This is Radio Caroline. We have suspended our normal programs until further notice as a mark of respect following the passing of His Majesty King Charles III,” the broadcast said, according to The Telegraph. “This is Radio Caroline. His Majesty King Charles III has passed away. As a mark of respect, we will play continuous, suitable music until further notice.”
“God Save the King” then played over the airwaves before the station fell silent for roughly 15 minutes.
Station manager Peter Moore later apologized and blamed the mistake on a computer error.
“Due to a computer error at our main studio, the Death of a Monarch procedure, which all UK stations hold in readiness while hoping not to require, was accidentally activated on Tuesday afternoon (May 19), mistakenly announcing that HM the King had passed away,” Moore wrote in a Facebook statement.
“Radio Caroline then fell silent as would be required, which alerted us to restore programming and issue an on-air apology.”
“We apologize to HM the King and to our listeners for any distress caused,” he added.
The on-air announcement sparked confusion among some listeners, who later took to social media to describe their reactions.
“I dashed indoors shouting to the missus ‘He’s dead! Charlie is dead!’ She looked puzzled,” one listener wrote after the mix-up.
“I heard this on my car stereo as I was just leaving work and for a moment i had to ask myself whether it was true or just a sick joke,” another listener said.
“It did give me a bit of a shock, but I accept these mistakes can happen and was glad to find out it wasn’t true,” a third added.
The station did not say exactly how long the false report remained on air before staff realized what had happened.
Quote:“Father Ted” writer Graham Linehan has received a groveling apology from Britain’s largest police force eight months after he was arrested by armed cops for social media posts critical of the transgender issue.
Linehan, 57, was taken into custody by London’s Metropolitan Police as he arrived at Heathrow Airport last September and told his X posts were hate speech, after a transgender former cop reported him.
Scotland Yard finally accepted it was a mistake and apologized for the arrest that sparked a storm of criticism.
A five-month investigation found that “the service provided was not acceptable and recognize the distress and impact this matter has caused Mr. Linehan,” Inspector Matt Hume, from the department’s directorate of professional standards, wrote in a report obtained by the Telegraph.
However, none of the five armed officers who arrested Linehan will see any punishment beyond “learning “through reflection,” the Telegraph said.
However, the Met said it will change how it handles hate-crime allegations with high-profile people, according to the report.
Lineham said Sunday that “the ‘apology’ I received from the police, doesn’t sound like an apology.”
He quoted a part of it as stating: “The Met concluded that while the arrest was lawful, aspects of the investigation were flawed and misunderstood, with officers focusing on the anti-transgender nature of Linehan’s posts and inadequately on the alleged incitement to violence.”
Linehan was arrested over three posts he made on X back in April 2025, including one that read: “If a trans-identified male is in a female-only space, he is committing a violent, abusive act. Make a scene, call the cops and if all else fails, punch him in the balls.”
CUBA
Quote:The USS Nimitz aircraft carrier and its accompanying warships entered the Caribbean Sea Wednesday as part of an apparent effort by the Trump administration to apply pressure on Cuba from all directions.
“Welcome to the Caribbean, Nimitz Carrier Strike Group!” US Southern Command posted on X.
The strike group includes the Nimitz aircraft carrier, its air wing – F/A-18 Super Hornets, EA-18G Growlers, E-2D Hawkeyes, C-2A Greyhounds and MH-60R/S Sea Hawks – the USS Gridley destroyer and the USNS Patuxent replenishment oiler.
US Southern Command touted the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group as “the epitome of readiness and presence, unmatched reach and lethality, and strategic advantage.”
“USS Nimitz has proven its combat prowess across the globe, ensuring stability and defending democracy from the Taiwan Strait to the Arabian Gulf,” US Southern Command added.
The arrival of the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group comes on the same day the Justice Department unsealed a criminal indictment against former Cuban President Raul Castro, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered a Spanish-language message to the Cuban people, offering them a “new relationship” with the US.
The strike group’s arrival also comes a week after CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to the communist island to meet with top Cuban officials.
The Trump administration plans to keep the carrier strike group in the region for at least a few days as “a show of force” and not for major military operations, a US official told the New York Times.
The USS Iwo Jima amphibious assault ship, the USS Fort Lauderdale amphibious transport ship, the USS Lake Erie guided-missile cruiser and the USS Billings littoral combat ship have also been operating in the Caribbean Sea in recent days, according to the US Naval Institute’s fleet tracker.
Cuba is “on our mind,” President Trump told reporters Wednesday after Castro was hit with murder and other charges stemming from the deadly 1996 shootdowns of two civilian planes over international waters.
“It’s very important,” Trump said of the indictment. “It was a very big moment for people, not only Cuban Americans, but people who came from Cuba, that want to go back to Cuba, see their family in Cuba.”
Quote:Former Cuban president Raul Castro and five others were indicted for the murder of four US nationals who assisted Cuban refugees in the 1990s, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announced Wednesday.
Blanche told a news conference in Miami that a federal grand jury handed up the charges against Castro, 94, on April 23 for directing the 1996 shootdown by Cuba’s air force of two planes operated by Brothers to the Rescue, an exile-run humanitarian group.
The regime’s fighter jets fired air-to-air missiles at two unarmed civilian Cessna aircraft carrying Carlos Costa, Armando Alejandre Jr., Mario de la Peña and Pablo Morales, killing all four, who were US nationals. Three were American citizens.
Brothers to the Rescue was founded in 1991 to help Cuban migrants “stranded or lost at sea” while attempting to flee the island’s Communist regime, according to the 19-page unsealed indictment.
Castro and his co-defendants have been charged with conspiring to kill US nationals, two counts of destruction of aircraft and four counts of murder in the Feb. 24, 1996, incident.
At the time, Castro was serving as head of Cuba’s armed forces under his brother, then-President Fidel Castro.
“For nearly 30 years — 30 years — the families of four murdered Americans have waited for justice,” Blanche said. “They were unarmed civilians and were flying humanitarian missions for the rescue and protection of people fleeing oppression across the Florida Straits.”
“For the first time in nearly 70 years, senior leadership of the Cuban regime has been charged in this country … for acts of violence resulting in the deaths of American citizens,” he added. “Nations and their leaders cannot be permitted to target Americans, kill them, and not face accountability.”
The indictment drew parallels to the federal charges levied against Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, who was captured by US special forces from his Caracas compound in a daring Jan. 3 operation to face narco-trafficking and firearms charges in New York City.
Himes on Raul Castro: He Might Have Broken Law, Trump Admin. Did ‘Illegal Actions’ on ‘Drug Runners’
Quote:On Wednesday’s broadcast of CNN’s “Situation Room,” Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT) discussed possible legal action against Raul Castro and said that “Legal accountability is critical. And, by the way, the Trump administration people may think about that as they undertake illegal wars and illegal actions, for example, the double-tap strike on the two individuals, the drug runners who were clinging to a sinking boat.” And “It is possible that Raul Castro undertook criminal activities, not a concept that would be entirely foreign to the occupant of the Oval Office himself.”
Guest host Jim Sciutto asked, “Given that this might be following a Venezuela model here, would you support Castro’s indictment first and removal later, if the administration were to support that?”
Himes answered, “Well, I would say this: Legal accountability is critical. And, by the way, the Trump administration people may think about that as they undertake illegal wars and illegal actions, for example, the double-tap strike on the two individuals, the drug runners who were clinging to a sinking boat. Accountability is important for everybody. We care about justice. And so, in fact, if there’s a case to be made against Raul Castro, let the facts play out. What is not okay is us deciding that we are going to use the military to enforce global laws. That’s not what the military is for. And so, again, the president has talked for a very long time about going after Cuba. It is possible that Raul Castro undertook criminal activities, not a concept that would be entirely foreign to the occupant of the Oval Office himself. But the use of American military force is not okay, and it is certainly not okay when it is not approved by the United States Congress, as the Constitution demands.”
Quote:Many Cubans hope the US indictment against former president Raul Castro announced Wednesday will usher in the collapse of the entire Communist regime.
Dissidents on the island and exiles in the US welcomed the historic charges — for murder over the downing of two aid jets in 1996 — saying while most of the island starves under choking sanctions, the political elite and military continue to syphon aid and lead normal lives.
In Havana, Ranses Mones Quintero, 32, told The Post he welcomed the criminal charges, saying: “We are happy and hopeful. And if there has to be blood, if Cubans have to die to get rid of the government, then we’re prepared. People are just tired of waiting for change.”
In Havana, Ranses Mones Quintero, 32, told The Post he welcomed the criminal charges, saying: “We are happy and hopeful. And if there has to be blood, if Cubans have to die to get rid of the government, then we’re prepared. People are just tired of waiting for change.”
However, presently he’s most worried about where he’s going to find medication to treat his pneumonia.
“There’s nothing here,” he said, explaining he survives on remittances his family sends from the US, from which the government takes a portion of that cash.
“There’s no medication, no work and we only have electricity for a couple of hours a day.”
Castro, 94, was charged along with five others with seven counts of murder, conspiracy to kill US nationals and destruction of aircraft over the destruction of the Brothers to Rescue jets by Cuban MiG-29 fighter planes in 1996.
CHINA
Quote:China’s Xi Jinping rolled out the red carpet for Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday as they traded veiled jabs at the US just days after Beijing hosted President Trump — but failed to reach a breakthrough pipeline deal for Moscow.
Xi and Putin met in Beijing to sign more than 40 cooperation agreements surrounding trade, technology and media exchanges.
Putin specifically highlighted the deals made in the energy sector, alluding to Russia’s role in propping up China during the American war in Iran.
“Amid the crisis in the Middle East, Russia continues to maintain its role as a reliable supplier of resources, while China remains a responsible consumer of these resources,” Putin said, taking a jab at the economic upheaval caused by the conflict.
Russia’s oil exports to China grew by 35% in the first quarter of 2026, with Moscow serving as one of the biggest exporters of natural gas to Beijing, a Putin aide said.
Xi made his own apparent remarks against the US as he slammed a world order under “unilateralism and hegemonism.”
“The world faces the danger of reverting to the law of the jungle,” the Chinese president said as he positioned his country to serve as a competing global influencer.
Both leaders also addressed each other as longtime friends during the meeting, touting the bilateral trade between the two nations that reached around $228 billion in 2025, according to Xinhua news agency.
But among the agreements signed, there was no visible progress made on the prospective Power of Siberia 2 natural gas pipeline that Russia has promoted to boost exports to China.
The planned 1615-mile pipeline would carry 50 billion cubic meters of gas annually to China, but the means of financing, delivery of the fuel, and its price system remains unresolved.
Quote:WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland Security is coming under pressure to sequester shipments of Labubu dolls coming into the US due to forced labor concerns.
A test found that 16 of 20 of Pop Mart’s plush monster toys were comprised of some cotton from Xinjiang, where China is accused of carrying out human rights violations against the Muslim Uyghur population.
The heads of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation and State Armor, both China hawk groups, urged DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin to stop imports of those products in response.
“The forced labor system that feeds Pop Mart’s supply chain is setting records. In 2025 alone, Chinese authorities carried out 3.36 million ‘labor transfers,'” the heads of the two groups wrote to Mullin and Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday.
“Worker consent is rendered structurally impossible by the system’s design,” they added. “The scale of Pop Mart’s U.S. market makes the urgency acute. Pop Mart has announced plans to expand its U.S. retail footprint and membership base.”
The test identifying the ties to Xinjiang was commissioned by the Campaign for Uyghurs. The New York Times later confirmed the results independently.
The US bans imports from Xinjiang, a region also known as East Turkistan, due to alleged human rights abuses against the Uyghur Muslim population, including accusations of internment camps, sterilization, forced labor, and more.
State Department officials have classified the alleged human rights abuses there as genocide.
Pop Mart CEO Wang Ning had been defensive of Xinjiang cotton, previously blasting Adidas for vowing to avoid the region, alleging that the company had “baselessly smeared Xinjiang for violations of human rights” and “seriously hurt the feelings of the Chinese people.”
NATO
Quote:Poland’s defense minister said no decisions have been made to reduce the number of American troops in the country and recent US moves may only temporarily delay their deployment, after meeting US Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Christopher Mahoney.
Vice President JD Vance told reporters on Tuesday a US troop deployment to Poland had been delayed, but that it was not accurate to say the troops were being withdrawn from Europe.
Poland was earlier alarmed by reports the Pentagon had canceled plans to deploy 4,000 US troops in the country.
Officials tried to reassure Poles that this was not the case.
“Decisions that are made in the US and their consequences may temporarily delay the deployment of US forces to Poland, which is exactly what we said–that there was no decision to reduce them, only a temporary suspension,” Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz told reporters after meeting Mahoney.
Earlier this month, the Pentagon said it would withdraw 5,000 troops from NATO ally Germany, in part due to a widening rift between US President Donald Trump and Europe linked to the Iran conflict.
Poland says its role as a hub for military and other supplies to Ukraine, following Moscow’s full-scale invasion, has made it a target for Russian spies gathering intelligence and carrying out acts of sabotage.
The country plans to spend 4.8% of its GDP on defense this year, the highest percentage in NATO, and underlines it has always been a loyal partner to the US.
“Poland is a model ally,” Kosiniak-Kamysz said, adding it was working together on “plans for the deployment of American forces in Europe.”
"For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ," 1 Thessalonians 5:9
Maranatha!
The Internet might be either your friend or enemy. It just depends on whether or not she has a bad hair day.
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![[Image: SP1-Writer.png]](https://www.save-point.org/images/userbars/SP1-Writer.png)
![[Image: SP1-Poet.png]](https://www.save-point.org/images/userbars/SP1-Poet.png)
![[Image: SP1-PixelArtist.png]](https://www.save-point.org/images/userbars/SP1-PixelArtist.png)
![[Image: SP1-Reporter.png]](https://i.postimg.cc/GmxWbHyL/SP1-Reporter.png)
My Original Stories (available in English and Spanish)
List of Compiled Binary Executables I have published...
HiddenChest & Roole
Give me a free copy of your completed game if you include at least 3 of my scripts!
Just some scripts I've already published on the board...
KyoGemBoost XP VX & ACE, RandomEnkounters XP, KSkillShop XP, Kolloseum States XP, KEvents XP, KScenario XP & Gosu, KyoPrizeShop XP Mangostan, Kuests XP, KyoDiscounts XP VX, ACE & MV, KChest XP VX & ACE 2016, KTelePort XP, KSkillMax XP & VX & ACE, Gem Roulette XP VX & VX Ace, KRespawnPoint XP, VX & VX Ace, GiveAway XP VX & ACE, Klearance XP VX & ACE, KUnits XP VX, ACE & Gosu 2017, KLevel XP, KRumors XP & ACE, KMonsterPals XP VX & ACE, KStatsRefill XP VX & ACE, KLotto XP VX & ACE, KItemDesc XP & VX, KPocket XP & VX, OpenChest XP VX & ACE
Maranatha!
The Internet might be either your friend or enemy. It just depends on whether or not she has a bad hair day.
My Original Stories (available in English and Spanish)
List of Compiled Binary Executables I have published...
HiddenChest & Roole
Give me a free copy of your completed game if you include at least 3 of my scripts!
Just some scripts I've already published on the board...
KyoGemBoost XP VX & ACE, RandomEnkounters XP, KSkillShop XP, Kolloseum States XP, KEvents XP, KScenario XP & Gosu, KyoPrizeShop XP Mangostan, Kuests XP, KyoDiscounts XP VX, ACE & MV, KChest XP VX & ACE 2016, KTelePort XP, KSkillMax XP & VX & ACE, Gem Roulette XP VX & VX Ace, KRespawnPoint XP, VX & VX Ace, GiveAway XP VX & ACE, Klearance XP VX & ACE, KUnits XP VX, ACE & Gosu 2017, KLevel XP, KRumors XP & ACE, KMonsterPals XP VX & ACE, KStatsRefill XP VX & ACE, KLotto XP VX & ACE, KItemDesc XP & VX, KPocket XP & VX, OpenChest XP VX & ACE
