Republican Mitch McConnell has blasted Donald Trump, claiming he has continued Joe Biden’s strategy of failing to meet Kiev’s needs The US must expand its support for Ukraine if it wants to preserve its status as a global superpower, Republican Senator Mitch McConnell has claimed. The veteran lawmaker and former Senate majority leader criticized military officials in the administration of President Donald Trump for carrying out his policy of shifting the burden of Ukraine assistance onto European NATO allies in an op-ed published by the Washington Post on Tuesday. Americans “can’t learn from a war… if they can’t properly observe it,” McConnell wrote. He called for more “military trainers” to be sent to Ukraine so they can “witness the conflict up close” and better understand the use of drones in modern warfare. China, he asserted, “is doubtless watching [the current armed conflict] closely as it refines its military investments and plans.” “If we’re keen on remaining the world’...
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Ray Dalio’s warning comes amid a consumer price hike triggered by the Iran war and an economic downturn The US has slipped into stagflation for the first time in decades, billionaire hedge fund boss Ray Dalio has said. The assessment comes despite the Federal Reserve’s insistence that the term overstates the current crisis, caused in large part by the war on Iran. Dalio, who founded the Bridgewater Associates hedge fund and is famed for correctly predicting the 2008 financial crisis, made the remarks in a wide-ranging interview on Monday, offering his take on US monetary policy and the Iran war, which he said is contributing to a sweeping breakdown in the global order. “We are certainly in a stagflationary period,” he said. He also warned the US Federal Reserve against cutting interest rates at this point, arguing that “you will lose your credibility.” Read more Middle East war fallout hits consumers worldwide Stagflation is a toxic combination of stagnant economic growth, hi...
All of the victims were women who were traveling in a rear carriage that was struck from behind by another train Two trains have collided on the outskirts of Indonesian capital Jakarta, killing 15 people, all women. The crash occurred on Monday when a long-distance train struck the rear carriage of a stationary commuter train at Bekasi Timur station. The carriage was reserved for women, a common feature on Indonesian trains aimed at preventing harassment. The emergency teams completed the evacuation of victims from a damaged commuter car on Tuesday, state railway operator PT Kereta Api Indonesia said. A total of 84 people were injured and hospitalized, while the bodies of the victims were transferred for identification. Mohammad Syafii, head of Indonesia’s search and rescue agency, said the evacuation was a “delicate process” due to crushed train cars and trapped passengers. “There are no further casualties,” he said, adding that specialist teams were deploye...
The continent’s expenditure has risen by an estimated 14%, as Russia accuses the EU of reckless militarization European military spending helped to propel global defense expenditure to a record high of almost $3 trillion in 2025 despite the US decreasing its outlay, according to a report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) released on Monday. Worldwide military expenditure rose 2.9% in real terms last year to reach $2.887 trillion, marking the 11th consecutive annual increase and lifting the global military burden to 2.5% of GDP, the report said. SIRPI experts explained the trend by citing several ongoing conflicts and persisting geopolitical tensions. The entire European continent accounted for the largest regional increase, with spending rising 14% to $864 billion. SIPRI linked the surge to the Ukraine conflict, a standoff with Russia, and “the ongoing pursuit of European self-reliance alongside increasing pressure from the United States to strengthen b...
They met every requirement, but delays, opacity and ‘missed’ options shut Russian junior gymnasts out before they could compete The Russian junior group in rhythmic gymnastics will not be able to take part in the 2026 European Cup. The reason is unrelated to sporting results, injuries, or any decision by the athletes to withdraw. Participation became impossible because of prolonged administrative procedures connected with obtaining neutral status, followed by a refusal of registration by European Gymnastics. Young athletes who followed every rule were left out because of bureaucratic hurdles put up by different organizations that failed to coordinate. The Russian Gymnastics Federation submitted documents for neutral status starting March 25, with additional names added through early April. They didn’t sit back and wait for a reply either – they sent repeated requests asking World Gymnastics to speed things up, including direct outreach to its president. Still, approvals came in piec...
Tehran has proposed reopening the Strait of Hormuz first, and then focus on nuclear talks, according to the report Iran has made the US a new proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the war – postponing nuclear negotiations to a later stage to break the deadlock in the high-stakes talks, Axios reports, citing sources. An unnamed US official and two other sources familiar with the matter told the outlet that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi mentioned the plan during back-to-back visits to Islamabad, informing the Pakistani, Egyptian, Turkish, and Qatari mediators that Iran’s leadership has no internal consensus on how to address Washington’s nuclear demands. The US has insisted that Iran dismantle its nuclear program and hand over all of its enriched uranium. The proposal, which was delivered to the White House via Pakistani intermediaries, reportedly focuses on extending the ceasefire or even ending the war, as well as lifting the US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz,...