Global Pulse

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  • Researchers discover where coyote who made epic swim to Alcatraz really came from

    Researchers discover where coyote who made epic swim to Alcatraz really came from

    A male coyote that captured national attention after reaching California’s Alcatraz Island by swimming across San Francisco Bay has upended researchers’ initial assumptions about his journey, with new DNA analysis revealing the animal swam nearly twice the distance experts originally estimated. The coyote’s unexpected January arrival on the site of the infamous former federal prison marked the first confirmed coyote sighting on Alcatraz in more than five decades, leaving both scientists and visiting tourists stunned.

    When the sighting was first reported, wildlife specialists assumed the coyote had set out from the city of San Francisco, a crossing of just over one mile. But new genetic testing completed on samples collected from the animal has traced his origins to Angel Island State Park, a full two miles away from Alcatraz, the National Park Service (NPS) announced in a public statement Monday. To date, the coyote’s current location remains entirely unconfirmed, despite weeks of targeted monitoring.

    National Park Service wildlife ecologist Bill Merkle noted that the team’s working hypothesis had long centered on a shorter crossing from San Francisco, due to the obvious reduced physical challenge of that route. “We couldn’t help being impressed by his accomplishment in making it to Alcatraz,” Merkle said in the release. “Coyotes are known to be resilient and adaptable, and he certainly demonstrated those qualities.”

    The extraordinary crossing was first captured on camera by tourists in late January, whose footage of the coyote pushing through cold, choppy Bay waters to reach Alcatraz’s shore surprised both researchers and local San Francisco residents. The animal quickly gained a fanbase online, with many people dubbing him “Floyd,” a nod to the fictional getaway driver for iconic outlaws Bonnie and Clyde.

    Shortly after the sighting, NPS officials set up a network of camera traps and audio recorders across Alcatraz to track the coyote’s movements. Officials also began planning efforts to capture and relocate the animal over concerns that the predator would prey on the island’s vulnerable native seabird colonies. To confirm the coyote’s origin, researchers collected track measurements and samples of the animal’s scat, which were sent for genetic analysis at the University of California, Davis. The lab results confirmed the coyote belonged to a well-documented coyote population already established on Angel Island, confirming his 2-mile starting point for the epic swim.

    The NPS’s release, headlined “Alcatraz Coyote Wasn’t a City Boy After All,” also noted that the San Francisco Bay Area is home to three separate, genetically distinct coyote populations, a testament to the species’ widespread adaptability across urban and wild landscapes. Despite weeks of intensive monitoring across Alcatraz, the coyote has not been spotted since the initial tourist sighting, and officials no longer believe he remains on the island.

    “We don’t know what happened to the coyote,” Merkle said. “But he proved himself an expert swimmer to get to Alcatraz, and I hope he made a successful swim back home to Angel Island.” Coyotes, which are native North American canids closely related to wolves, have spread across nearly the entire continental United States, and are now commonly spotted even in urban green spaces and upscale residential neighborhoods across San Francisco.

    In a separate recent development tied to Alcatraz, the island long nicknamed “The Rock” for its reputation as an unescapable maximum-security fortress made headlines again this spring when the Trump administration proposed a $152 million budget allocation to lawmakers that would fund rebuilding the shuttered penitentiary and reopening it as a modern high-security prison for the country’s most dangerous incarcerated people. The request covers the first year of construction costs for the project.

  • Koalas rescued from deep hole in Brisbane building site

    Koalas rescued from deep hole in Brisbane building site

    On a construction plot in the outer Brisbane suburb of Morayfield, a routine day of work took an unexpected turn for building crews when they stumbled on a heart-stopping surprise deep below ground. As workers readied the site to set a wooden support pole into a freshly dug 1.5-meter hole, a faint rustling of movement caught their attention. Stopping their work to investigate, they made a shocking discovery: two koalas, Australia’s most beloved native marsupials, were trapped at the muddy bottom of the excavation, unable to climb back out to safety.

    By the time the crew found the pair, the animals were already in critical condition. Covered from head to paw in thick mud, they had accidentally ingested large amounts of soil and developed hypothermia from being stuck in the cold, wet hole for an unknown period. Recognizing the urgent need for help, the workers quickly coordinated with local wildlife rescuers, who used safety nets to carefully lift the marsupials out of the deep hole without causing further injury.

    Named Fudge and Santino by rescuers, the two male koalas were immediately transported to Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital for emergency care. For between seven and nine weeks, the veterinary team provided round-the-clock intensive monitoring and life-saving treatment to pull the animals back from the brink. Wildlife advocates emphasized that the quick thinking of the construction crew was the key factor that gave Fudge and Santino a fighting chance at survival.

    After two months of dedicated care, the koalas made a full recovery, regaining their strength and returning to the healthy condition koalas need to thrive in their natural habitat. In a public update shared to Wildlife Rescue Queensland’s official Facebook page, a organization spokesperson confirmed the happy ending: both koalas were successfully released back into the wild landscape close to where they were originally rescued.

    “Thanks to the dedicated team at Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital, both boys have made a strong recovery and were able to be released back where they belong,” the post read. “Stay safe, Fudge and Santino.”

    The rescue comes as koala populations across Queensland continue to face growing pressure from urban development, which fragments natural habitats and increases the risk of human-wildlife conflict. This incident has drawn attention from local conservation groups, who have praised the construction crew for choosing to pause work and prioritize the animals’ lives, rather than proceeding with their scheduled task. Many advocates have highlighted this as an example of how increased awareness and quick action can help protect vulnerable native species as development expands into traditional koala territories.

  • Trump-Xi summit at best may codify new US-China coexistence rules

    Trump-Xi summit at best may codify new US-China coexistence rules

    Next week, when U.S. President Donald Trump travels to Beijing for a high-stakes meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the diplomatic choreography will follow the familiar, carefully scripted playbook for top-level bilateral encounters. Behind the polished ritualistic exchanges, crafted public reaffirmations and statesman-like rhetoric, however, lies an unavoidable reality: this meeting is not aimed at reconciling deep-seated differences, but at managing a rivalry that has become fundamentally structural, with the modest overarching goal of preserving fragile global stability.

    The United States and China together account for more than 42% of the world’s total gross domestic product, making them the dual anchors of the global supply chain network. This interconnected system is already reeling from disruptions triggered by protracted geopolitical conflicts in Europe and the Middle East, which have sent shockwaves through global commodity markets and threatened livelihoods and food security across every region of the world. Even so, analysts do not expect the upcoming summit to deliver any sweeping, utopian resolution to the U.S.-China rivalry. At most, the two leaders are expected to openly acknowledge the structural nature of their competition and commit to joint efforts to keep it contained.

    ### Moving Beyond Détente to Building Tacit Guardrails

    Cold War-era comparisons between current U.S.-China relations and 20th-century U.S.-Soviet ties often confuse rather than clarify the current dynamic. There is no path to the kind of wide-ranging détente that defused tensions between Washington and Moscow in the 1970s. Today, Washington and Beijing lack mutual strategic trust, have seen no ideological softening toward one another, and share no overlapping long-term strategic vision.

    Instead of formal détente, the two powers are now focused on developing unwritten “guardrails” — informal limits to escalation that can prevent small crises from spiraling into open, catastrophic conflict. Unlike the formal, codified arms control agreements that structured U.S.-Soviet relations in the Cold War, these new mechanisms will not be written into public treaties or celebrated in joint announcements. They will exist only as quiet, tacit understandings between the two sides.

    This incremental approach reflects a far more complex reality than the dominant narratives of either full détente or total decoupling can capture. Since 2022, Washington has built an extensive export control regime targeted directly at China, restricting access to cutting-edge semiconductors, artificial intelligence technology and other frontier technologies critical to future great power competition. Beijing has responded by leveraging its global dominance in critical raw materials including gallium and germanium, key inputs for semiconductor and clean energy manufacturing. Even amid this escalating technological standoff, however, deep economic interdependence between the two economies remains intact. Bilateral trade continues to flow at massive scale, financial linkages remain strong, and cross-border production networks remain deeply integrated by design.

    What has emerged from this dynamic is a stratified, complex form of interdependence: high, fortified barriers around technologies that will define future global power, while maintaining open trade and investment in sectors where mutual economic benefits still outweigh strategic risks. Full decoupling is neither economically feasible nor politically desirable for either side, so the core challenge now becomes restructuring guardrails to allow this limited interdependence to survive.

    ### Geo-Economics as the New Face of Geopolitical Rivalry

    In recent years, the center of gravity of the U.S.-China rivalry has shifted decisively from the military domain to the economic sphere. Export controls, targeted sanctions and the reorganization of global supply chains now serve as core instruments of strategic coercion, replacing traditional military posturing as the primary tool of competition. Economic tools are now regularly deployed to advance geopolitical goals, and the line between commercial policy and national security strategy has blurred almost beyond recognition. Trade policy is now inextricably tied to each side’s core national security doctrines.

    This transformation has created acute dilemmas for third countries across the globe. Governments now must carefully navigate between two competing great power ecosystems, each with constantly evolving rules of conduct and demands for strategic alignment. The choice is no longer a simple binary between aligning with Beijing or Washington; instead, states operate in a complex landscape where their policy autonomy is constrained, and the boundaries of strategic flexibility grow increasingly hard to define.

    Given this context, any lasting outcome from the Beijing summit will not take the form of a grand bilateral bargain or a formal, public treaty. Following the pattern of the previous Xi-Trump meeting in Busan, the summit is expected to produce a set of technical, opaque, yet highly consequential mutual understandings that leave room for varying interpretations by both sides.

    Recent frictions in the South China Sea and around Taiwan underscore the constant risk of inadvertent escalation between the two powers. The lack of a formal, codified crisis management mechanism only amplifies these risks. In this context, even the most modest agreements — for restored direct communication channels, shared operational protocols, or agreed thresholds for escalation — could have a transformative impact on regional and global security. After the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, the U.S. and Soviet Union moved quickly to establish de-escalation mechanisms to prevent accidental war. Today, U.S.-China relations require a similar, even if less formalized, framework of mutually accepted guardrails to reduce risk.

    ### The Impact of Divergent Leadership Styles

    The contrasting personal leadership styles of the two presidents add an extra layer of complexity to summit negotiations. Trump’s diplomatic approach is inherently transactional, focused on securing immediate, visible, tangible outcomes that can be marketed as political wins back home. By contrast, Xi’s approach is rooted in long-term strategic planning, embedded in a broader vision for China’s continued rise as a global power. This fundamental disconnect in negotiating priorities will shape the final outcomes of the Beijing meeting.

    Trump will arrive pushing for demonstrable, short-term gains: adjustments to bilateral trade balances, symbolic concessions from Beijing, or explicit security assurances on contentious issues. As host, Xi will calibrate his responses to ensure any concessions made align with China’s long-term strategic trajectories, and do not undermine core national interests.

    As a result, even the most successful agreements emerging from the summit are likely to be tactical, reversible arrangements. They will deliver useful short-term stabilization but will be insufficient to build a durable, long-term framework for managing competition. Any deals will also remain contingent on the personal dynamics of the two leaders, rather than being rooted in institutionalized cooperation that can outlast changes in leadership.

    The most consequential dimensions of the U.S.-China rivalry also extend far beyond their bilateral relationship. Across Asia, Africa and Latin America, states are increasingly being pulled into competing visions of development, governance and global connectivity. China’s Belt and Road Initiative has already built a significant physical and institutional presence across the developing world, embedding Chinese infrastructure standards and financing models in dozens of countries. The Trump administration has struggled to articulate a coherent alternative vision to the BRI, and has often resorted to coercive hard power tactics to counter Chinese influence, as seen in recent actions in Venezuela and Iran.

    For countries across the global south, the question is no longer which great power vision is normatively preferable, but which can deliver tangible, reliable economic benefits. In the end, the outcome of the U.S.-China rivalry will be determined not by deals struck in summits, but by the long-term global credibility of each power’s model.

    ### Selective Coordination for Competitive Coexistence

    Paradoxically, even amid deep structural rivalry, global systemic shocks can open limited space for targeted cooperation between the two powers. Issues including volatile global energy markets, emerging pandemic risks, transnational terrorism, and nuclear proliferation are all areas where Washington and Beijing share overlapping priorities, even as they compete in every other domain.

    The ongoing market disruptions tied to conflicts in the Middle East illustrate this dynamic clearly. For different strategic and economic reasons, both the U.S. and Chinese economies depend on stable global energy markets, and both are deeply vulnerable to extreme price volatility. Even without broader strategic alignment, these shared vulnerabilities can open narrow corridors for transactional, issue-specific cooperation.

    This dynamic aligns with what international relations scholars term “competitive interdependence”: a relationship marked by intensifying strategic rivalry alongside persistent economic and technological entanglements that neither side can fully unwind without inflicting massive damage on itself.

    The cumulative effect of these overlapping dynamics is that bilateral engagements will continue to face regular setbacks, full containment of China’s rise is practically impossible for the U.S., and full convergence of interests between the two powers has proven illusory. What remains is selective coordination to enable competitive coexistence.

    In this framework, bilateral stability does not come from deep mutual trust or shared ideological values. Instead, it emerges from a clear recognition of mutual vulnerability and the catastrophic costs of unconstrained escalation. The U.S.-China relationship today follows a simple logic: rivalry will persist, but it must be bounded by mutual necessity.

    ### What to Expect From the Beijing Summit

    Against this backdrop, the upcoming Beijing summit is not expected to resolve the core tensions at the heart of the U.S.-China rivalry. The Taiwan question will remain a deeply contested flashpoint, technological competition will continue to intensify, and long-standing mutual strategic suspicion will endure. What the summit may achieve is a modest, yet highly consequential outcome: it will buy valuable time for both sides to adjust to the new reality of structural competition.

    In an international system marked by widespread uncertainty and growing fragmentation, time is a critical strategic resource. Managed rivalry, for all its imperfections, is unquestionably preferable to unconstrained competition that risks open conflict.

    Trump and Xi do not view each other as reliable partners, and there is little prospect that this meeting will change that fundamental dynamic. At a deeper level, they are rivals by design: leaders of two great power systems whose long-term trajectories are fundamentally at odds, but whose peaceful coexistence is the only viable option for both sides and for the world. The understandings they reach in Beijing will not end their rivalry. At best, they will clearly define its boundaries. For now, that is likely the most the world can hope for from this high-stakes meeting.

    *This analysis is by Swaran Singh, Professor of International Relations at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi.*

  • Rubio rising? Duel with Vance for 2028 heats up

    Rubio rising? Duel with Vance for 2028 heats up

    The quiet jockeying for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination burst into public view this week, as a high-profile turn at the White House briefing podium catapulted Secretary of State Marco Rubio into the center of speculation about a post-Trump GOP future, intensifying his implicit rivalry with Vice President JD Vance.

    On Tuesday, 54-year-old Rubio stepped in to fill in for White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who is currently on maternity leave. Standing before a packed room of Washington journalists, he handled a range of pressing foreign policy questions covering Iran, Cuba, and U.S.-China relations with a relaxed, affable demeanor that stood in stark contrast to the combative, invective-laden appearances former President Donald Trump often delivers from the same podium. Even as he joked about the chaotic scrum of reporters waving for his attention — telling the crowd “this is chaos” — Rubio appeared at ease, weaving in personal asides and pop culture references that won over many in the room and won viral praise online. A self-described hip-hop fan, he even dropped a line from Cypress Hill’s iconic track to describe Iran’s leadership, calling them “insane in the brain.”

    Conservative voices were quick to hail the performance as a breakout moment for Rubio. “Rubio just wrapped up his FIRST White House Press Briefing, and he absolutely knocked it out of the park,” conservative influencer Nick Sortor posted on X, adding “This man is a SERIOUS contender for 2028.”

    The moment could not have been more different for Vance, 41, Rubio’s most likely competitor for the 2028 nomination, who was hundreds of miles away from Washington that day, campaigning across the heartland and headlining a Republican fundraiser in Oklahoma.

    For months, public polling has shown Vance holding a substantial lead over other potential candidates among registered Republican voters. Neither Vance nor Rubio has officially announced a 2028 presidential bid, and Rubio has repeatedly downplayed speculation, describing the vice president as a friend and saying publicly he would not challenge Vance if he enters the race. Trump, who remains the undisputed leader of the MAGA movement, has also not yet publicly named a preferred heir to his political legacy.

    But behind the scenes, Washington speculation has grown in recent weeks that Trump is increasingly leaning toward supporting Rubio over Vance. Prediction markets have already reflected this shift, with Vance’s odds of securing the nomination dropping sharply over the past month.

    Vance’s political profile holds clear appeal for the MAGA base: his personal story of growing up in poverty in an Appalachian community ravaged by the opioid crisis was seen as a perfect fit for Trump’s working-class political brand. But he has repeatedly struggled to connect with broad swathes of the Republican electorate, and many hardline Trump supporters still view him with suspicion. That distrust dates back to 2016, when Vance compared then-candidate Trump to Adolf Hitler; as an anti-interventionist former Marine, he has also kept a notably low profile amid Trump’s recent military operations against Iran, a stark contrast to Rubio’s long record as a foreign policy hawk.

    Rubio has earned Trump’s public praise for his handling of recent military actions in Venezuela and Iran, and this week it was Rubio, not Vance — a devout Catholic convert — that Trump sent to meet newly installed Pope Leo XIV amid escalating tensions over Iran. Even the official White House X account seemed to signal implicit support for Rubio on Tuesday, promoting his briefing with the teasing caption “Another job?” and sharing his photo across dozens of administration channels.

    Vance, for his part, was far from idle during his time out of Washington. His itinerary included a stop in Iowa, the critical early nominating state that first launched Trump to the GOP nomination in 2016 and will carry outsize influence in the 2028 primary. His Oklahoma fundraising stop also highlighted a less-discussed advantage he holds: his role as finance chief for the Republican National Committee, a position that lets him build loyalty and support across party infrastructure at a time when many establishment Republicans still have not fully embraced his candidacy. He also made a stop in his home state of Ohio, where he previously served as a U.S. senator, to vote in a state primary, where his 10-year-old son Vivek cast a mock vote between the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy — a moment Vance shared with reporters, joking that his son picked the Easter Bunny by a comfortable margin.

    When asked directly if his briefing room turn was a trial run for a 2028 presidential bid, Rubio declined to comment. He knows better than most that two years is an eternity in American politics, pointing to the 2016 race where another former secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, suffered a shocking upset loss to Trump. For now, Rubio seems content to enjoy his newfound viral momentum, keeping his long-term political ambitions close to the vest — even when it comes to joking about his recent viral turn as a wedding DJ over the weekend, where he was spotted manning the decks during a reception while Iran negotiations were ongoing. When asked what his DJ stage name would be, Rubio grinned and told reporters: “My DJ name? You’re not ready for my DJ name.”

  • To stay or risk the ‘Road of Death’ – Ukrainian civilians trapped in frontline city

    To stay or risk the ‘Road of Death’ – Ukrainian civilians trapped in frontline city

    Nestled on the eastern left bank of the Dnipro River in southern Ukraine, the occupied frontline city of Oleshky has become a prison of war for its roughly 2,000 remaining residents. Cut off by destroyed bridges, heavily mined roads, and constant crossfire between Russian and Ukrainian forces, the city’s population faces a deepening humanitarian emergency that has left them dependent on scarce aid deliveries from volunteer groups.

  • Mexican BTS fans go wild as concerts grow near

    Mexican BTS fans go wild as concerts grow near

    As the highly anticipated return of South Korean K-pop supergroup BTS draws near, Mexican fans have erupted in collective excitement, turning public spaces across Mexico City into vibrant hubs of celebration ahead of the band’s first string of shows in the country following a nearly four-year hiatus.

    The countdown to the trio of concerts—scheduled for May 7, 9 and 10 in the Mexican capital—kicked off with a lively pep rally on Paseo de la Reforma, one of the city’s most iconic central thoroughfares. Hundreds of fans gathered here, bouncing in sync to BTS’s chart-topping hits, clapping along and cheering as they prepped for the upcoming shows. Attendees tried on band-themed temporary tattoos, posed for photos next to a towering black-and-white poster of all seven members, and bonded over their shared love for the group.

    Jude Pelaez, one of the dancers who participated in the May 3 pre-concert event, told Agence France-Presse that gatherings like this are more than just fun—they help fans build the right energy ahead of the shows. “Like everyone here, I’m so happy,” Pelaez said. “We do these types of events to emotionally and psychologically prepare ourselves, and to prepare the energy and vibe of the place. That makes Mexico different.”

    The BTS fervor that has taken hold of Mexico extends far beyond one-off public rallies, weaving its way into everyday life for fans of all ages. For many young supporters, the band’s message of self-acceptance and authenticity has created a welcoming community where anyone can be themselves. Sixteen-year-old Mare Sousa, who studies K-pop choreography at a local dance studio with roughly 30 other students, says BTS mania is defined by this open, inclusive spirit: “everyone is free to be who they are.” At the studio, students arrive early to rehearse choreography in front of the mirror before class even starts, and often spend break times helping each other perfect tricky steps, according to instructor Ginna Montoya, 22.

    Even many parents have embraced their children’s passion for BTS, drawn to the group’s positive messaging that stands out from some of Mexico’s most popular local music genres. Lucio Campos, a father whose 15-year-old daughter Ana is a devoted fan, decided to take Korean language classes at the South Korean cultural center after Ana asked to travel to Seoul for her birthday. Campos said he appreciates BTS’s core mission of encouraging healthy, intentional living among young people—a stark contrast he noted to the often violent or hypersexualized themes common in reggaeton and narcocorridos, a popular Mexican subgenre that glorifies drug trafficking. “BTS was born with the idea of transmitting healthy questions for young people,” Campos explained. “Their war cry is ‘let’s live life, let’s live it healthily, let’s live well,’ and obviously this fascinates me.” For Ana, the impact is even more personal: “BTS taught me to love myself,” she said, flipping through a photo album filled with band memorabilia and motivational quotes.

    Demand for BTS’s Mexico City shows has been unprecedented: all 135,000 tickets available to the public sold out in mere minutes, leaving tens of thousands of fans empty-handed and desperate for more dates. Even Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum stepped in to help, urging her foreign ministry to send an official letter to South Korean President Lee Jae Myung to request that the band add additional performances in the country. Sheinbaum said the South Korean leader was “very open” to the request and agreed to forward it to BTS’s production team, but no new concert dates have been announced as of yet. On secondary ticketing platform StubHub, resold tickets are currently being scalped for as much as $13,000 apiece, a testament to the extreme demand for the shows.

    BTS’s global comeback, which launched in March 2025, comes after the group paused group activities for nearly four years to allow all seven members to complete their mandatory South Korean military service. For the South Korean government, the band’s global popularity has become a major soft power asset: officials cite a 26-nation study that found 82% of respondents hold a favorable view of South Korea, a shift widely attributed to the global spread of K-pop led by BTS.

  • Europe’s first commercial robotaxi service rolls out in Croatia

    Europe’s first commercial robotaxi service rolls out in Croatia

    After years of development and testing in global markets, Europe has welcomed its first commercial autonomous robotaxi service, launching in the heart of Zagreb, Croatia, after a nearly month-long initial rollout. Developed by local mobility firm Verne – with backing from global ride-hailing giant Uber and autonomous driving technology from Chinese industry leader Pony.ai – the service has been operating 10 self-driving vehicles for pre-vetted users across the Croatian capital since April 8.

    While commercial autonomous taxi services have operated in China and the United States for several years, European markets have been slower to open to the technology, with multiple mobility and tech firms still competing to be the first to roll out a fully functional commercial offering across the continent. Verne’s long-term goal is to launch a completely driverless service, but the phased rollout currently keeps a trained human operator in the driver’s seat for emergency intervention if required.

    During a test ride with an AFP journalist this week, the system performed reliably through typical Zagreb traffic, with the on-board operator never needing to take control of the vehicle. The only interruption to the smooth journey came when an oncoming passenger car veered out of its lane, prompting the robotaxi’s autonomous system to trigger an immediate, safe stop, which was followed by a calm audio alert to passengers. Verne country operations head Filip Cindric, who accompanied the test ride, noted that even with Croatia’s often unpredictable urban traffic and complex intersection layouts, around 90% of all completed trips require zero human intervention. So far, the service, which has already racked up tens of thousands of kilometers of operation, has recorded zero collisions, and 90% of active users have rated the experience four or five out of five stars, according to internal company data. Currently, only 300 pre-approved users have access to the service, which explains why sightings of the autonomous vehicles on Zagreb streets have been rare in the weeks since launch.

    For the initial phase, the robotaxis only operate across a limited service area covering central Zagreb, select southern districts of the city, and routes surrounding Zagreb Airport. Verne CEO Marko Pejovic explained that the company is prioritizing careful, incremental expansion rather than rapid rollout, adding that new service zones will only be added after extensive real-world testing and validation to confirm the system’s reliability in local conditions.

    Priced at a low 1.90 euros ($2.32) per ride – a rate designed to attract early users and gather valuable feedback – the service has already seen far stronger public interest than anticipated, with approximately 4,000 potential users currently on the waiting list for access. Pejovic noted that the introductory price will increase gradually as the service expands its fleet and service area.

    Like traditional rideshare services, the robotaxis are booked through Verne’s dedicated mobile app. Each vehicle is outfitted with a full suite of autonomous navigation hardware, including multiple high-resolution cameras, lidar laser sensors, and radar systems to map surroundings and detect obstacles in real time.

    Founded in 2019, Verne already has plans for far-reaching expansion beyond Zagreb. The company confirmed it is already in active discussions to launch the service in 11 additional cities across the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the Middle East, with 30 more cities under consideration for future rollout. In Zagreb itself, the company aims to transition to fully driverless operations by the end of 2024, pending final approval from local transport regulators. Cindric emphasized that the slow progress of autonomous taxi rollout across major European cities speaks to the complexity of the technology, noting that “if it were that easy, it would already exist in London or some other major European city,” adding that the company is proud that small Zagreb has beaten much larger European hubs to become the first to launch a commercial service.

  • Fresh UAE attacks blamed on Iran draw new reality in the Gulf

    Fresh UAE attacks blamed on Iran draw new reality in the Gulf

    Just hours after the United Arab Emirates’ top energy leader declared the country had “emerged stronger” from months of regional conflict, and as thousands of delegates gathered in Abu Dhabi for an economic summit aimed at reviving investor confidence, emergency missile alert notifications blared across smartphones nationwide.

    The Monday strikes — the first to hit the UAE since a shaky truce took effect last month — delivered a brutal wake-up call to a nation that had already begun rebuilding its sense of normalcy. While Iran issued a categorical denial of involvement on Tuesday, the incident has shredded fragile hopes for a swift return to pre-conflict stability and laid bare the extreme fragility of the current ceasefire across the Gulf.

    Within hours of the attacks, schools across the UAE suspended in-person instruction just two weeks after welcoming students back to classrooms. In the preceding weeks, life had slowly crept back to routine: foreign residents, who make up 90% of the country’s population, had begun returning after earlier departures, crowds flocked back to Dubai’s iconic man-made Palm Jumeirah beaches, and restaurants across the emirate had restored full service.

    One anonymous food and beverage industry executive shared their experience with AFP, describing a sudden shift in tone during a meeting where leaders were preparing to reverse war-era pay cuts. “We literally just slammed our faces into our hands and sat in silence for a solid minute,” they said. “There was an overall feeling of… exhaustion, of disbelief that this might start again.”

    Throughout the ongoing regional conflict, the UAE has borne the brunt of more Iranian-aligned attacks than any other country. Strikes have targeted U.S. interests, critical energy infrastructure, civilian sites, and major tourist landmarks. Even with the UAE’s high rate of interception of incoming drones and missiles, the attacks shattered the Gulf’s long-held reputation as a haven of stability, driving away international tourists at the height of the peak travel season.

    Now, the persistent threat of renewed violence hangs over the entire Gulf economy, not just the UAE’s core oil and gas sector, putting long-term economic diversification plans across the region at serious risk. Data from S&P Global Market Intelligence already reflects growing strain: “The UAE non-oil private sector signalled a further loss of momentum in April, with operating conditions showing their weakest performance for more than five years,” noted senior economist David Owen.

    For weeks, Gulf nations have remained stuck in a limbo between war and peace, with diplomatic talks stalled and the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz — through which roughly 20% of the world’s oil supplies pass — remains effectively closed to most commercial traffic. For many residents and business leaders, intermittent security alerts may be the new normal. “This might become a new reality where every now and then we have a few alerts,” the F&B executive said, adding that the UAE’s economy is uniquely dependent on both tangible stability and public perception of safety.

    Emirati political scientist Abdulkhaleq Abdulla framed the dynamic simply: “Whenever they are angry against America or Israel or anything, they could, they will shoot at us and probably we are their prime target.”

    Middle East security expert HA Hellyer, of the London-based Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies, outlined three core reasons the UAE remains Iran’s top target. First, it is a leading U.S. ally in the Arab world and one of the few Arab states to normalize diplomatic ties with Israel, putting it firmly in Iran’s crosshairs. Second, its status as a diversified global business and tourism hub means any attack carries outsized regional and international ripple effects. Third, its geographic proximity to Iran makes it a far easier target for drone and missile strikes than more distant Israel.

    Hellyer added that Iran may also be targeting the UAE to deepen existing divides among Gulf Cooperation Council states, compounding a public rift between the UAE and Saudi Arabia that emerged in December over Yemen policy. Today, the Gulf’s two largest economies remain divided over both the ongoing regional conflict and approach to Iran: the UAE has taken a far more hawkish stance, demanding maximalist concessions in any potential peace deal, while Saudi Arabia has backed diplomatic mediation efforts led by Pakistan.

    The latest attacks, blamed on Iran by the UAE, carry new risks of escalation, Hellyer warned: Abu Dhabi has already signaled it will deepen its security and diplomatic ties with both the U.S. and Israel. This puts further distance between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, which has shifted its perspective on regional security since normalization talks with Israel collapsed after the outbreak of the Gaza war. Unlike the UAE, which has faced far more frequent Iranian attacks, Riyadh has concluded “the risks of action as being greater than the risks of inaction and the Emiratis view it in the opposite direction,” Hellyer explained.

  • Arsenal on cusp of history after reaching Champions League final

    Arsenal on cusp of history after reaching Champions League final

    For 20 long years, Arsenal football club has dreamed of a return to the biggest stage in European club football. On Tuesday night, that dream became reality, as a 1-0 second-leg semi-final victory over Atletico Madrid at the Emirates Stadium sealed the Gunners’ spot in the 2025 Champions League final — their first appearance in the showpiece match since a heartbreaking defeat to Barcelona back in 2006.

    The decisive moment came in the first half, when winger Bukayo Saka tucked home a close-range finish to secure a 2-1 win on aggregate for Mikel Arteta’s side. The full-time whistle triggered wild celebrations: 60,000 cheering fans packed into the north London stadium, while a frenzied Arteta joined his players for an emotional lap of honour, his high-energy celebration matching the momentous occasion.

    The win leaves Arsenal on the cusp of something no side in the club’s 140-year history has ever achieved: a domestic and European double. With three remaining Premier League fixtures against West Ham United, Burnley and Crystal Palace, three wins will hand the Gunners their first English top-flight title since Arsène Wenger’s iconic Invincibles side went unbeaten to claim the crown in 2004.

    Once the Premier League title race with closest contender Manchester City concludes, Arteta’s squad will travel to Budapest on May 30 to compete for their first ever Champions League trophy. Their opponent will be either defending champions Paris Saint-Germain or Bayern Munich, with PSG holding a 5-4 aggregate lead heading into Wednesday’s second leg in Munich. Ironically, it was PSG who knocked Arsenal out of the Champions League at the semi-final stage last season.

    The electric atmosphere began hours before kickoff, when thousands of Arsenal supporters gathered outside the Emirates to greet the team bus, waving red flares, unfurling club flags and roaring defiant words of encouragement for the side. In the aftermath of the win, Arteta said that energy had shifted the entire mood around the club, and he urged his players to channel that momentum across their final four matches of the season.

    “Everybody can feel a shift in energy, in belief, in everything,” Arteta told reporters post-match. “Let’s use it in the right way and understand that the margins and the difficulty of what we are trying to achieve are huge, but that we have the ability and the conviction to do it. I’m really going to enjoy it tonight, everybody is enjoying this moment now. But the high is not too high and the low is not too low. My job is to be quite stable. We have an incredible game against West Ham, a really tough one, and we’re going to have four days to do that.”

    It has been more than two decades since Wenger’s Invincibles cemented their place in English football history, and in the years following the 2006 Champions League final defeat to Barcelona, the club drifted away from the pinnacle of the sport. But Arteta, who took over as the club’s first team manager in 2019 for his first senior managerial role, has spent six years rebuilding the bond between players, fans and the club’s historic identity — a project that looked uncertain during a four-year trophy drought that followed Arsenal’s 2020 FA Cup win.

    This season, the rebuilding work has come to fruition, putting Arsenal on the brink of erasing the pain of three consecutive second-place finishes in the Premier League. Arteta hailed the contribution of the club’s supporters, who he said created an unmatched atmosphere that pushed the team over the line against Atletico.

    “It was an incredible night. We made history again together and I cannot be happier and prouder for everybody that’s involved in this football club,” he said. “The supporters were with us for every ball. They made it special and unique, and I have never felt it like that in this stadium. We knew how much it meant to everybody, we put everything on the line, the boys did an incredible job.”

    Looking back at his tenure at the club, Arteta admitted he never could have imagined getting this close to such historic glory when he first took the job. The side didn’t even qualify for European competition when he first arrived, making their run to the Champions League final even more remarkable.

    “They are the ones that have to make these kind of performances. I didn’t really imagine it because we weren’t in Europe at the beginning. This is a big achievement,” he said. “We have been building little by little. We believed in what we wanted to do. Now we have to maintain it.”

  • Rolling Stones announce July 10 release of new album ‘Foreign Tongues’

    Rolling Stones announce July 10 release of new album ‘Foreign Tongues’

    The Rolling Stones, one of the most influential and enduring British rock bands in music history, made an exciting announcement Tuesday that their 25th full-length studio album, titled ‘Foreign Tongues’, will hit global music platforms and retail shelves on July 10. This upcoming release arrives less than three years after the band’s 2023 record ‘Hackney Diamonds’ — a project that broke commercial records by claiming the number one spot on album charts across more than a dozen countries and earned widespread critical praise from music critics worldwide. Notably, ‘Hackney Diamonds’ itself was the band’s first new studio collection in 18 years, marking a highly anticipated comeback that far exceeded industry expectations. Alongside confirming the official release date via an online announcement Tuesday, the legendary group also dropped the album’s first lead single, ‘In The Stars’, giving fans an early taste of the new material.

    A behind-the-scenes video shared to the band’s official Instagram channel offered audiences a glimpse into the recording process, capturing founding members Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, both 82 years old, alongside 78-year-old bassist Ronnie Wood as they collaborated in the recording studio. A public promotional event hosted in New York by comedian Conan O’Brien brought the three band members together to open up about their creative process for the new album, with exclusive previews of several unreleased tracks played for attendees.

    Speaking at the event, Jagger emphasized that the band still finds deep joy in creating new music, saying, “We’re still having a lot of fun. It’s a lot of fun, but also a lot of concentration.” When O’Brien complimented Jagger’s still-powerful, clear vocals — noting that many performers’ voices weaken with age, while Jagger’s remains “absolutely impeccable” and full of force — Jagger joked with the audience, “Well, I was taking a lot more drugs in 1968,” before sharing the straightforward secret to his vocal longevity: “The secret is practice… it’s simple.”

    Andrew Watt, one of the producers tapped to work on ‘Foreign Tongues’, opened up about the experience of collaborating with the iconic band in an interview with AFP, calling the project the highlight of his career. “I had the time of my life. I’m the biggest fan in the world,” he said.

    While the band did not officially announce a supporting concert tour during the New York event, multiple media outlets have confirmed that tour plans were considered by the band’s management team but ultimately scrapped over concerns about the health risks associated with extensive touring for the band’s aging members. The new album will feature high-profile guest appearances from two music legends: former Beatles bassist and solo star Paul McCartney, and The Cure’s frontman Robert Smith.

    The official announcement came after weeks of growing fan and industry speculation that a new record was on the way. Last month, the band quietly released a limited-edition vinyl-only single under the alias The Cockroaches — a pseudonym they have used for decades to play unannounced secret shows. The track, titled ‘Rough And Twisted’, was sold exclusively at select record stores in the UK priced at exactly £10.07, a detail that led sharp-eyed fans to correctly predict the July 10 release date long before the official confirmation.