Washington could seize Tehran’s resources like it did in Venezuela, the US president has said US President Donald Trump has claimed that Washington could either end its war with Iran or remain in the country and “keep the oil.” Trump has repeatedly threatened to take over the Islamic Republic’s oil infrastructure, prompting Iranian officials to describe the plan as delusional. Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Trump said the conflict, which has dragged on for more than six months, could end “right after” the November 3 midterm elections and claimed Iran “wants to make a deal so bad” and was “calling constantly.” Iran has repeatedly dismissed claims it is seeking negotiations as “fabrications,” adding that Washington is mistaking diplomacy for “dictation.” Read more ...
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US diesel prices have hit a new record, soaring past $6 per gallon this week US President Donald Trump has blamed Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky for the ongoing diesel price shock, saying it was a result of Kiev’s attacks on Russian refineries. The national average price of diesel hit more than $6 per gallon on Friday, up from approximately $5.85 last week. The price has climbed some 60% compared to the same period last year, when diesel fuel cost some $3.71 per gallon. Market experts have mainly linked the hike to the conflict in the Middle East and the reignited hostilities between the US and Iran, which have prompted a renewed rise in crude oil prices. Trump, however, insisted that this was not the case, telling reporters while on a visit to Ireland that the diesel price spike was actually related to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The US president said he had already raised the issue with the Uk...
The group’s independent course and commitment to international law appeals to countries around the world, the Russian president has said International interest in BRICS “continues to grow” as the group’s values and independent approach attract countries around the world, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday. Speaking at a BRICS Outreach/BRICS Plus session that concluded its 18th summit in New Delhi, Putin pointed to the broad participation in the meeting as evidence of its growing appeal. “Our basic values and ideals, such as commitment to an independent and autonomous course and the desire to resolve problems collectively based on international law and the key provisions of the UN Charter, appeal to many around the world,” he said. BRICS has expanded significantly beyond its original five members – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – in r...
Industry leaders are backing closer oversight of increasingly powerful artificial intelligence models OpenAI chief Sam Altman and xAI owner Elon Musk have backed calls to immediately slow the development of increasingly powerful AI models. Their statements came after Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei warned that AI could outpace human control and cause catastrophic damage within months. Four days ago, researcher Jacob Coxon publicly resigned from Anthropic, accusing both the company and his previous employer, OpenAI, of racing towards self-improving super-intelligence without “acting responsibly.” He also claimed that the technology could “kill us all” by the end of the decade. In a 3,800-word essay published on his personal website on Saturday, Amodei, who co-founded Anthropic with his sister Daniela in 2021, outlined “serious” dangers, including loss of control over AI sys...
Moscow and Kiev remain divided over territory despite progress on security and ceasefire mechanisms, Jared Kushner has said The territorial dispute between Moscow and Kiev remains the main obstacle to ending the Ukraine conflict, Jared Kushner, US special envoy and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, has said. His comments came after he and fellow envoy Steve Witkoff traveled to Moscow and Kiev for high-level talks on ending hostilities. Speaking via video link at the annual YES 2026 conference in Kiev on Friday, Kushner said that Moscow “wants to discuss a way to resolve” the conflict, but “the hardest issue is still territory,” partly because the question is to a degree dictated by a battlefield situation that remains highly dynamic. “Seeing the advancement in the technology and the way that the battlefield has happened is, I think, beyond the expectation of both si...
Israeli insiders have described the targeting and profiling of Palestinians as “a video game” and “insanely fun” A new documentary alleging that Israel relied on powerful AI tools to kill thousands in Gaza has sent shockwaves through the Venice Film Festival, with one of the film’s insiders describing planning airstrikes as “insanely fun.” The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has categorically rejected the film’s portrayal, insisting that the whistleblowers cannot be verified. The 80-minute-long film NAZA, which premiered on Thursday, is built around testimony from 24 anonymized Israeli military and intelligence insiders. Its title alludes to an Israeli military shorthand for expected “collateral casualties” in an attack. The film, which was made by two Israeli Oscar-winning filmmakers, Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, received a roughly 25-minute standing ovation – the...
Earlier, two modeling agents accused of working with the late sex offender had been found dead amid the investigation French investigators have identified more “potential recruiters” who may have helped convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein obtain victims in France and elsewhere, a top prosecutor has announced. Speaking to France Inter on Thursday, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau gave an update on two investigations launched by her office in February after the release of millions of Epstein-related documents in the US. One probe is focused on human trafficking, including alleged recruitment, while the other covers possible money laundering and tax fraud. Epstein, who had extensive contacts among the international elite, died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges. His death was officially ruled a suicide but fueled conspiracy theories that he was mur...
The Russian president made the remarks as world leaders gather in New Delhi for the 18th BRICS Summit following a day of bilateral talks and a major business forum BRICS is “not against anyone” but focused on the development and prosperity of its members, Russian President Vladimir Putin said, as world leaders gathered in New Delhi for the grouping’s 18th summit. Putin made the remarks at the BRICS Business Forum on Friday, part of a packed program of bilateral talks and discussions on trade, investment, energy, and global challenges, before the leaders’ meeting formally opened on Saturday. “BRICS’ work is not directed against anyone,” Putin said. “It is aimed at only one common goal: the sustainable development and prosperity of our countries and peoples.” Putin said the group seeks to unlock its members’ potential through “business dip...
The BRICS Summit puts India’s strategic autonomy to the test as New Delhi balances close ties with Russia against its Western partnerships The 18th BRICS Summit, opening in New Delhi on Friday, will test not only the geopolitical resilience of the largest grouping in the non-Western world, but also the maturity of Indian diplomacy. India has set itself an extraordinarily difficult task of trying to pour the oil of reconciliation onto the increasingly stormy waters of world politics. The theme of its 2026 BRICS presidency, “Building for Sustainability, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainable Development,” might sound hopelessly optimistic as the Ukraine conflict and sanctions against Russia continue, the US and Iran remain locked in confrontation, Western pressure on China is growing, Africa and Latin America face what BRICS countries regard as neo-colonial practices, and while trade and techno...
The US AI giant identified researchers tried to use Claude to increase transmissibility of dangerous pathogens, possibly for military use Anthropic says it has caught scientists using its AI models for research that could help develop biological weapons, including work aimed at making dangerous pathogens more transmissible and harmful. Five cases of biological researchers using Claude raised serious security concerns, according to a company threat intelligence report published on Thursday. One case, to be carried out at a military research institute, involved gain-of-function research aimed at making the chikungunya virus more transmissible and better able to evade the immune system. Another scientist used Claude while researching highly dangerous bird flu and ways the virus could adapt to mammals. Other cases involved work on viruses related to smallpox and the redesign of dangerous toxins. Anthropic s...
The Polish PM was joined by three other European leaders in warning that Brussels’ policies are squeezing industry amid its Russian energy divorce and military buildup The EU can forget about competitiveness while energy prices remain prohibitively high, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has warned, urging Brussels to avoid policies that push costs higher. Tusk spoke on Thursday at a press conference of the Visegrad Four (V4) – Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic – a Central European grouping that coordinates regional interests within the EU. “We can put aside the dream of competing with China or the US as long as energy prices here remain at their current levels,” Tusk said. “The EU cannot afford to remain naive for even one more day when it comes to various ambitious policies. We must protect our industry.” Tusk mentioned EU energy and climate mea...
Intelligence alerted the authorities to plans for a mass crossing a day before tens of thousands entered the exclave, according to newly declassified files Spanish intelligence warned of plans for migrants to breach Ceuta’s border by land and sea just a day before tens of thousands of people poured into the enclave from Morocco, newly declassified documents show. The revelations have fueled accusations that Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s government failed to give the full story about what it knew before the crisis. The small Spanish territory on the North African coast has faced severe pressure since more than 70,000 people crossed from Morocco in late July. Most have since returned or been sent back, but thousands remain, straining local services and fueling criticism of Madrid’s handling of the crisis. Ceuta Mayor-President Juan Jesus Vivas warned that the enclave is “on ...
Western Europe also endured its hottest summer ever recorded, as heatwaves and drought battered the region, according to Copernicus Global heat hit an all-time high in August, with temperatures averaging 16.96C worldwide, according to the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. Western Europe suffered its hottest summer on record, as heatwaves, drought, and wildfires battered the region. August 2026 was 1.65C hotter than the 1850-1900 average, a period commonly used as the benchmark for temperatures before large-scale industrial warming, Copernicus said on Thursday. It was the hottest August in records dating back to 1940 and effectively matched July 2023, the previous all-time monthly high, with less than 0.01C separating them. “Humans haven’t seen temperatures as hot as today for, arguably, at least the last 100,000 years,” Samantha Burgess of the European Center for Medium-Range...
The reported attack on the base in Jordan came amid a renewed standoff over the Strait of Hormuz Multiple US military aircraft were damaged in an Iranian strike on a key American airbase in Jordan, CBS reported on Wednesday, citing sources familiar with the matter. The attack reportedly took place overnight on Tuesday and targeted Muwaffaq Salti Air Base near Azraq, about 100 km northeast of Amman, a major hub for US air operations in the region. One A-10 Thunderbolt, known as the Warthog, suffered severe wing damage, while around eight F-15s were lightly damaged but returned to service, according to the report. No US personnel were killed. US forces reportedly fired more than 30 Patriot interceptors during the attack. Jordan said it intercepted 18 Iranian missiles, with two falling in unpopulated areas and causing no casualties. US Central Command has not confirmed the reported damage. It has, however,...
Bangkok has threatened indiscriminate deportation for foreign troublemakers, after meeting the Jewish state’s envoy Israel must do more to explain to its nationals how they are expected to behave in Thailand, according to remarks by Bangkok’s foreign minister, Sihasak Phuangketkeow. Sihasak, who also serves as deputy prime minister, met Israeli Ambassador Alona Fisher-Kamm on Tuesday following a series of scandalous and potentially criminal incidents involving Israeli nationals that have stirred tensions in Thailand. “Thailand is a country that welcomes tourists. But welcoming tourists does not mean that visitors, regardless of nationality, can do whatever they want in Thailand,” the minister told the press. “Visitors must understand and respect Thai culture and traditions,” just as Thai tourists must when traveling abroad. Fisher-Kamm, who indicated ahead of the meeting th...
Evan Hubinger says the company still has no clear plan to keep superintelligence under human control There is a more than 10% chance that artificial intelligence could wipe out humanity within the next ten years, a senior Anthropic researcher has warned amid mounting concerns over increasingly powerful systems slipping beyond human control. Evan Hubinger, who works on aligning advanced AI systems with human interests, made the assessment after fellow Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon resigned over fears that leading tech companies are racing toward systems they may not be able to keep in check. “We really do earnestly believe AI could kill all humans,” Hubinger wrote on X on Wednesday. “I personally think it is >10% within the next decade.” He added that Anthropic is “trying its best” but still does not have a plan for safely controlling superintelligence and is ...
The Israeli prime minister made the decision under pressure from the US, the agency’s sources have said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the removal of illegal settler outposts in the occupied West Bank, Reuters has reported, citing two people familiar with the matter. Netanyahu made the demand under pressure from Israel’s main ally, the US, which recently expressed concerns over the rise in attacks on Palestinian homes by the Jewish settlers, the agency said in an article on Sunday. It was not immediately clear when the demolitions would start, it added. The Israeli outlet Ynet claimed earlier that the prime minister had instructed that some 100 outposts, built without permission from the Israeli government, be brought down. According to data from the Israeli NGO Peace Now, there are some 340 outposts erected on Palestinian land in the West Bank, along with 146 settlements form...
Budapest earlier ordered ten Russian diplomats to leave Moscow will deliver a “harsh and painful” response to Hungary’s expulsion of ten Russian diplomats, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has warned. The remarks were in response to Budapest’s decision to expel ten members of Russia’s diplomatic mission over alleged activities deemed “unacceptable for diplomats” under the Vienna Convention. “The response to the Russophobic lobby in Budapest will be harsh and painful,” Zakharova said on Tuesday. Hungarian Foreign Minister Anita Orban announced the decision on Tuesday. She said the Russian ambassador had been informed that, “according to the assessment of the Hungarian authorities,” the diplomats had engaged in activities incompatible with their status. Orban did not specify the alleged activities or say how long the...
A baby and two teenagers are among the victims of the bombardment, RT’s Steve Sweeney has reported from the scene Dozen of civilians were killed in Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon over the weekend, RT’s Steve Sweeney has reported. Attacks by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on the neighboring country are continuing despite a US-mediated ceasefire, which has been in force starting late June. More than 4,000 people have been killed and over 12,000 wounded by the IDF in Lebanon since March, according to the authorities in Beirut. In his report from Lebanon’s Nabatieh area on Tuesday, Sweeney said a baby and two teenagers were among the 22 people who lost their lives in a “bloody aggression” by Israeli forces between Friday evening and the early hours of Monday. The Lebanese Heath Ministry later released updated figures, saying that 27 civilians were killed and 69 others wounded dur...
Thousands attended the funeral despite threats from the EU to revoke Belgrade’s membership bid Thousands of people gathered in Belgrade on Monday to pay their respects to former Bosnian Serb military commander Ratko Mladic before his burial, which took place without formal state or military honors. Supporters carrying Serbian flags and photographs of Mladic gathered outside the Church of St. Luke, where his coffin was displayed ahead of the funeral service. He was later buried beside his daughter at a nearby cemetery. Mladic commanded Bosnian Serb forces during the 1992-1995 war that broke up Yugoslavia. In 2017, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) convicted him of genocide for targeting Bosnian Muslims, Croats and other groups. Mladic died in The Hague on August 27 at the age of 84 while serving a life sentence. His remains were returned to Serbia last week on a governm...