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Cuba lost the source for around half its fuel needs when US forces snatched Venezuela’s president in a stunning January raid, with his successor complying with US pressure not to aid the island.
pgnewser
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US President Donald Trump has paused the rotation of US soldiers in Lithuania in a move likely to alarm NATO allies. The US Army has cancelled the planned deployment of around 4,000 troops from the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, to central and eastern Europe, while Lithuanian officials say the United States has also paused its troop rotation to the region.
Lithuanian Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas told LRT RADIO, Lithuania’s state-funded public broadcaster: “The rotation was paused to evaluate how the US will distribute its capabilities in Europe. This is the information we have so far, and we are awaiting clarification; once we have more news, we will be able to provide further information.”
The decision is expected to fuel growing concern among NATO allies over America’s long-term military commitment to Europe amid the ongoing war in Ukraine. However, Kaunas insisted Lithuania, Poland and the Baltic states remain “exemplary allies” that continue to meet both NATO and US defence expectations.
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The ‘cloud-native’ architecture of the last decade is built on a 20-year-old assumption: that state
lives in the database, and compute is stateless. If you want to scale, you scale the database
vertically (get a larger machine) [1][1] or design the database schema around partition the data
and you scale your application servers horizontally (add more
boxes). Any request can hit any server, the loadbalancer doesn’t care, and the database is the
single source of truth.
LLMs and agents are quietly violating this assumption, and making this architecture increasingly
hard to work with. Not all at once, but in three subtle ways:
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For decades, scientists believed the Japanese population largely descended from two ancient groups: the Jomon hunter-gatherers who lived in the archipelago for thousands of years, and later migrants from East Asia who brought rice farming and new technologies to Japan.
But a major genetic analysis from researchers at RIKEN’s Center for Integrative Medical Sciences suggests the picture is far more complicated.
Using whole-genome sequencing on more than 3,200 people from across Japan, the team found evidence supporting a third ancestral group tied to northeastern Asia and possibly linked to the ancient Emishi people. The findings, published in Science Advances, add powerful support to the increasingly discussed “tripartite origins” theory of Japanese ancestry.
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TAIPEI, Taiwan – President Trump is in Beijing for high-stakes talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The president is expected to confront Xi over China’s support of Iran.
The Chinese leader is sending a strong message of his own, challenging U.S. policies on Taiwan.
But the war with Iran especially looms large as the two leaders meet, with President Trump expected to press Xi over China’s support for Tehran.
“You’ve got to remember, China is supporting everything to Iran that it needs in this war except combat personnel. It is a comrade in arms. It is an enemy combatant,” said Gordon Chang, with Gatestone Institute.
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Xi Jinping warned Donald Trump that tensions over Taiwan could push the US and China towards “clashes and even conflicts”, according to Chinese state media reports on their closed-door meeting in Beijing.
According to a readout published by Xinhua, Xi told Trump that if the Taiwan issue is “handled well”, relations between the two countries could maintain “overall stability”.
But he cautioned that mishandling the issue would place the wider US–China relationship in “great jeopardy”.
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Key Takeaways
- Stanford School of Medicine has removed diversity, equity, and inclusion language from its website following a DOJ investigation into its admissions practices, prompting concerns about whether the changes are substantive or merely cosmetic.
- The medical school rebranded its diversity offices but maintained programs aimed at health disparities, leading some experts to criticize these actions as superficial and potentially misleading.
- Federal pressure has shifted the dynamics around DEI in higher education, pushing institutions to reconsider their diversity policies, which previously relied on government mandates for justification.
Stanford School of Medicine quietly removed diversity, equity, and inclusion langua
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Chinese President Xi Jinping had stern words for President Trump on Taiwan as they met in Beijing on Thursday, warning of potential “clashes and even conflicts” if the issue isn’t “handled properly,” according to Chinese state media.
During their summit, the two leaders are seen as aiming to stabilize their trading relationship after last year’s trade war. They’re also grappling with uncertainty over the United States’ war with Iran. But the issue of Taiwan loomed large.
The closed-door session lasted roughly two hours and 15 minutes. The White House characterized the meeting as “good.”
After the Virginia Supreme Court threw out a new congressional district map that eliminated four GOP seats, progressives want to purge the court and replace it with more loyal progressives. The plan is to lower the mandatory retirement age of judges to below the youngest member of the VA Supreme Court so they can put progressive activists in to take their place.
Immigrations and Customs Enforcement have been using a Palantir tool to track far more than illegal aliens, critics allege. ICE has over 20 million people worldwide in a database that some suspect includes American citizens.
DHS told 404 Media, “U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is committed to achieving the nation’s mandate to clear the backlog of illegal aliens who pose a threat to the security of our communities. Like other law enforcement agencies, ICE employs various forms of technology while respecting civil liberties and privacy interests.”
Canadians are asking questions after learning in a foreign interference trial that the Canadian Royal Mounted Police have a secret security agreement with the Chinese Communist Party. The suspicion is that Canada’s cops are enforcing CCP laws against CCP dissidents living in Canada.
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The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer defied calls to resign on Tuesday, telling ministers he would “get on with governing” despite a “destabilizing” 48 hours of growing calls to set out a timetable for his departure after an election drubbing.
At a meeting of his cabinet team of ministers, Starmer, in the top job for less than two years, repeated that while he took responsibility for one of his Labour Party’s worst election defeats, there had been no official move to trigger a leadership contest.
“The past 48 hours have been destabilizing for government and that has a real economic cost for our country and for families,” Starmer told ministers, according to his Downing Street office.
“The country expects us to get on with governing. That is what I am doing and what we must do as a Cabinet.”
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President Donald Trump scored a major win Tuesday after the Senate confirmed Kevin Warsh to the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, clearing the way for the former central banker to potentially become the next face of the Fed.
The Senate voted 51-45 to confirm Warsh to a 14-year term on the Fed’s seven-member board, putting one of Trump’s preferred economic voices in position ahead of a separate vote later this week on whether he will officially replace outgoing Fed Chair Jerome Powell.
The confirmation marks a pivotal moment in Trump’s long-running battle with Powell over interest rates and monetary policy. Trump has repeatedly blasted Powell for refusing to slash rates more aggressively, once calling him a “moron” and a “stubborn mule” as the White House pushed for looser policy to stimulate growth.
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Iran’s regime has executed a renowned 29-year-old aerospace scientist, as Tehran’s increasingly brutal internal crackdown intensifies amid growing fears of infiltration, sabotage, and covert warfare targeting the country’s military and scientific infrastructure.
Erfan Shakourzadeh was accused of spying for the CIA and Israel’s Mossad.
Iranian authorities hanged Shakourzadeh on Monday after convicting him on espionage charges.
However, human rights groups say Shakourzadeh’s conviction was based on forced confessions extracted through torture.
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A newly released NewsGuard/YouGov poll found that nearly one-quarter of respondents believe the assassination attempt targeting President Donald Trump and members of his cabinet at last month’s White House Correspondents’ Association dinner was staged. 45% believed it was real, and 32% were unsure.
Broken down by party affiliation, 34% of Democrats said they believed the incident was staged, compared with 23% of independents and 13% of Republicans.
The national survey of 1,000 Americans was conducted by YouGov from April 28 to May 4. It was commissioned and published by NewsGuard, a company that rates online media outlets for reliability.
About 1 in 4 Americans think the April shooting at the White House correspondents’ dinner was staged according to a new survey.
Roughly 1 in 3 Democratic respondents said they believed the event was staged, compared with about 1 in 8 Republicans. https://t.co/h30QujSIO2
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) May 11, 2026
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The two companies have also been charged with misdemeanor violations of the Clean Water Act, Oil Pollution Act, and Refuse Act for the discharge of pollutants into the Patapsco River.
The Department of Justice announced on Tuesday that two overseas corporate entities and a superintendent face federal charges for their role in the deadly collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, which occurred after the Dali container vessel collided with the structure.
The Singapore-based Synergy Marine Pte Ltd and India-based Synergy Maritime Pte Ltd, as well as 47-year-old Radhakrishnan Karthik Nair, an Indian national who worked for both companies as the technical superintendent for the Dali, have been charged with “conspiracy, willfully failing to immediately inform the U.S. Coast Guard of a known hazardous condition, obstruction of an agency proceeding, and false statements,” the Department of Justice said.
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Kuwait accused Iran of attempting a covert strike on a strategically vital island earlier this month, alleging that operatives linked to Tehran’s Revolutionary Guard tried to infiltrate a Chinese-backed port project in a move that threatens to reignite the already volatile Middle East conflict.
The explosive accusation surfaced Tuesday just hours before President Donald Trump was set to depart for Beijing for high-stakes talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, where the ongoing Iran war and global energy turmoil are expected to dominate discussions.
Iran has not publicly responded to Kuwait’s allegations. But the accusation adds to mounting fears that the fragile ceasefire in the region could collapse at any moment as tensions continue boiling across the Persian Gulf.
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Tens of thousands of workers marched through central Brussels on Tuesday as unions staged a nationwide strike against the Belgian government’s fiscal reform plans.
Protesters carried banners opposing pension reforms, rising fuel prices and austerity measures while chanting and making noise through the city centre.
Demonstrators were also seen holding signs criticising Prime Minister Bart De Wever and other government figures.
The strike disrupted public transport and air travel across Belgium as unions called for pressure on the government over planned economic measures.
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Agitators shouted “fascist” and obscenities over the weekend outside a Portland, Oregon, hotel where they believed FBI Director Kash Patel was staying, according to Fox 12 Oregon and several posts on social media. Patel was reportedly attending a friend’s funeral.
The agitators gathered outside the Sentinel Hotel in downtown Portland. Some of the videos were posted on social media on Saturday; others were posted on Sunday.
Portland (May 9) — @Tommy4Trump420 was assaulted at a protest outside the Sentinel Hotel where leftists allege that Kash Patel is staying. The conservative streamer has been repeatedly assaulted and has had his home and vehicles vandalized.pic.twitter.com/NDoMVHWAtV
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Hassan Abbas could face up to five years in prison after “pleading no contest to four felonies: disrupting public services, unlawful distribution of an abortion-inducing drug, identity fraud, and deception to obtain a dangerous drug,” according to Lucas County Prosecuting Attorney Julia R. Bates.
Bates “announced that Hassan-James Abbas, 32, reached a plea agreement May 6, 2026, before Judge Joseph McNamara.”
According to the Ohio Bar Association, “By entering a no contest plea, he does not accept guilt but acknowledges that facts laid out by prosecution in charging documents are true,” Samira Asma-Sadeque reported for People Magazine.
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EXCL: Zubir Ahmed, health minister and another close ally of Wes Streeting, quits calling for Keir Starmer to step aside.
Feels like the Streeting bid could be on
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Iran warned on Monday that its armed forces were prepared to “teach a lesson” to any aggressor after US President Donald Trump rejected Tehran’s latest counterproposal aimed at preserving the fragile Middle East ceasefire.The sharp exchange further raised tensions in the region and rattled global energy markets already strained by disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical oil shipping routes.Trump, speaking to reporters in Washington, said the ceasefire was on “massive life support” after dismissing Iran’s response to a US-backed proposal as “TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE”.
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Even if it wasn’t obvious before, it’s certainly been abundantly clear since the start of President Trump’s second term in office that Democrats have no qualms whatsoever about fanning the flames using outright lies and purposeful deception to the point it spurs their outrage mobs to take violent action in the name of “democracy” and “social justice.”
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Two Israeli soldiers were sentenced to several weeks in military prison for desecrating a statue of the Virgin Mary in southern Lebanon, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has said.
Last week, a photo surfaced showing a service member hugging the statue in the predominantly Christian village of Debel, near the Israeli border, and placing a cigarette in the statue’s mouth. The image sparked outrage on social media and prompted an official investigation.
On Monday, IDF spokeswoman Ariella Mazor said the soldier posing with the statue and the soldier filming him were sentenced to 21 and 14 days behind bars, respectively.
“The IDF views the incident with great severity and respects freedom of religion and worship, as well as holy sites and religious symbols of all religions and communities,” Mazor wrote on X.
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The White House is escalating pressure on China over what U.S. officials describe as Beijing’s economic and material support for Iran and Russia ahead of President Donald Trump’s upcoming summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Senior administration officials said President Trump has already confronted Xi multiple times over China’s role in helping sustain adversarial regimes through oil purchases, dual-use exports, and sensitive technologies tied to military programs.
A senior administration official told reporters Sunday that Trump has discussed with Xi “the revenue that China provides to both those regimes and therefore as well as dual use goods, components and parts, not to mention the potential of weapons exports.”
“I expect that conversation to continue,” the official added during a White House briefing previewing Trump’s trip to Beijing.
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Israel’s military has killed six people in an air raid on a house in southern Lebanon, the latest violation of a United States-brokered truce that has only ever existed on paper.
The Israeli attack on Monday night targeted a house in the Kfar Dounin municipality, some 100km (60 miles) south of Beirut, Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) said.
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WASHINGTON: The United States government on Monday (May 11) announced sanctions against three people and nine companies, including four based in Hong Kong and four in the United Arab Emirates, for aiding Iran’s shipment of oil to China.
The ninth company is based in Oman.
The Treasury move follows sanctions announced on Friday on individuals and companies aiding Iranian purchases of weapons and components used to make drones and ballistic missiles.
It comes days before US President Donald Trump’s planned meeting with Xi Jinping, where he is expected to press the Chinese leader to help resolve the standoff with Iran and reopen the critical Strait of Hormuz.