Global Pulse

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  • Retiring Kentucky AD Mitch Barnhart won’t take new high-paying role at school

    Retiring Kentucky AD Mitch Barnhart won’t take new high-paying role at school

    In Lexington, Kentucky, a sudden reversal has unfolded around outgoing University of Kentucky Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart, who has walked back plans to take a high-profile, six-figure post-retirement position at the public institution just days after Kentucky’s governor openly questioned the school’s leadership and decision-making around the appointment.

    Barnhart and UK President Eli Capilouto released joint confirmations Thursday that the long-serving athletics leader will not step into the proposed role of executive-in-residence for the UK Sport and Workforce Initiative. According to previously released contract details, the position was set to pay Barnhart an annual salary of $950,000 running through August 2030.

    In his statement, Capilouto explained that Barnhart approached him earlier this week to share his worry that public debate over his planned future role had overshadowed the university’s core work. “Mitch and his family care deeply about this institution and our state, and they want the focus to return to the work that matters most for our students and the Commonwealth,” Capilouto said.

    Barnhart, who has held the position of athletic director since 2002 — making him the longest-tenured AD in the history of the Southeastern Conference — will still officially retire from his current role on June 30. Capilouto clarified that all contractual exit compensation for Barnhart will be covered by newly raised private donations, explicitly ruling out the use of general university funds, athletics department budgets, or money earmarked for Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) opportunities for student athletes.

    Barnhart echoed the sentiment that the ongoing controversy made the current moment a poor fit for the new role. “Work has already begun on the Initiative but recently it has become apparent that now is not the right time and we would never stand in the way of what we deem best,” he said.

    The about-face came only 48 hours after Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear issued a public statement voicing growing alarm over leadership decisions at the state’s flagship public university. Beshar said he was “losing confidence and growing increasingly concerned” about both Barnhart’s planned role and broader governance choices at UK. Beyond the proposed executive post, the governor’s criticism extended to another high-profile personnel decision: the appointment of a new law school dean who was the only finalist not recommended by the school’s faculty. Beshear specifically called out the undefined nature of Barnhart’s planned new position, noting it was a newly created role paying nearly $1 million per year with no clear set of core responsibilities.

  • Israeli soldiers looting homes in Lebanon on large scale, report says

    Israeli soldiers looting homes in Lebanon on large scale, report says

    An explosive new investigation published by Israeli newspaper Haaretz on Thursday has uncovered systemic large-scale looting of civilian property from homes and commercial establishments across southern Lebanon by Israeli soldiers, with the open approval and inaction of senior and junior military commanders. Multiple on-the-record testimonies from active-duty soldiers and officers paint a picture of rampant, unregulated theft that has become routine during Israel’s ongoing ground incursion into southern Lebanon, with stolen items ranging from everyday household goods such as televisions, sofas, carpets and paintings to motorbikes, cigarettes and construction tools. What makes the practice even more brazen, witnesses say, is that soldiers make no effort to conceal the stolen goods as they withdraw from occupied areas, openly loading pilfered property onto military vehicles in full view of command staff. One soldier described the scale of the looting as staggering, telling the outlet: “It’s on a crazy scale. Anyone who takes something – televisions, cigarettes, tools, whatever – immediately puts it in their vehicle or leaves it to the side. It’s not hidden. Everyone sees it and understands.” Testimonies uniformly confirm that military commanders have consistently failed to impose meaningful disciplinary action to halt the practice, despite having full knowledge of the ongoing theft. Many units see commanders completely ignore the looting, while others only issue token verbal condemnation without any follow-up penalties. One insider stated, “In our unit, they don’t even comment or get angry. The battalion and brigade commanders know everything.” Another witness recalled a single incident where a commander publicly yelled at soldiers found transporting looted goods in a military jeep and ordered them to throw the items away, but no further disciplinary or criminal action was pursued against the personnel involved. “Commanders speak against it and say it’s serious, but they don’t do anything,” another soldier summarized. In a formal statement provided to Haaretz, the Israeli military claimed it treats looting “with utmost severity” and maintains a strict ban on the practice, asserting that disciplinary and criminal proceedings are initiated when violations are confirmed. The army also noted that military police carry out routine inspections at the Israel-Lebanon border to intercept stolen property. But Haaretz’s reporting contradicts these official claims: the investigation found that many border checkpoints intended to catch looted goods at exit points from southern Lebanon have already been dismantled, while other planned checkpoints were never constructed at all. Soldiers told the outlet that this deliberate lack of enforcement is what has allowed the looting crisis to balloon to its current size. One soldier explained, “When there is no punishment, the message is obvious.” This latest revelation of widespread looting adds to a growing list of war crime accusations leveled against Israeli forces operating in Lebanon and Gaza since October 2023. Previous allegations include the deliberate destruction of civilian infrastructure, extrajudicial killings of non-combatants, and trespass on civilian property for recreational purposes. Just last week, viral footage emerged showing Israeli soldiers demolishing an occupied civilian home in southern Lebanon “in memory” of a fallen comrade, while a separate photograph showed a soldier preparing food inside an abandoned Lebanese civilian residence – both incidents drew widespread international condemnation. The current round of full-scale Israeli military operations in Lebanon began on March 2 this year, ending more than 12 months of intermittent violations of a November 2024 ceasefire agreement reached between Israel and Hezbollah. Since launching the expanded ground invasion, Israeli forces have pushed several kilometers inside Lebanese territory, establishing a self-declared “buffer zone” that extends roughly 10 kilometers into southern Lebanon. Israeli troops currently remain deployed across this zone, barring Lebanese civilians from returning to their native villages and ancestral homes. Even after the announcement of a U.S.-brokered 10-day truce last week, Israeli forces have continued to carry out airstrikes across southern Lebanon and systematically demolish civilian residential structures, according to on-the-ground reports.

  • Meta says it will cut 8,000 jobs as AI spending grows

    Meta says it will cut 8,000 jobs as AI spending grows

    Social media and technology conglomerate Meta is set to slash thousands of positions from its global workforce next month, as the company redirects massive financial resources toward its accelerated artificial intelligence development agenda. In an internal memo distributed to employees on Thursday, company leadership confirmed that the restructuring will eliminate approximately 10% of its current staff, equal to roughly 8,000 roles. In addition to the immediate layoffs, Meta will also scrap plans to fill thousands of additional open positions that were already posted as part of earlier hiring pipelines, according to the document.

    The primary driver behind the sweeping job cuts is a historic reallocation of corporate spending toward AI research and product development. Meta has projected that it will spend a total of $135 billion (equivalent to roughly £100 billion) on AI initiatives alone in 2026. Multiple sources familiar with the memo’s content confirm this annual spending figure matches the total amount Meta invested in AI over the entire previous three-year period combined. A Meta spokesperson officially confirmed the planned layoffs in a statement to media, but declined to offer additional commentary beyond the details included in the internal employee memo.

    The upcoming cuts do not come as a complete surprise to industry observers or Meta staff. In public remarks made back in January, Meta co-founder and chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg already signaled that another round of workforce reduction would be coming in 2026. Zuckerberg emphasized in those comments that AI tools have dramatically boosted productivity for teams that integrate the technology heavily into their workflows, noting that a single employee can now deliver on complex projects that would have required an entire large team just a few years ago. “I think that 2026 is going to be the year that AI starts to dramatically change the way that we work,” Zuckerberg said in January.

    Last week, Reuters first reported that Meta was preparing to cut more than 10,000 jobs across the organization in 2026. Thursday’s internal memo was first reported to the public by Bloomberg News. Even before the official announcement, Meta employees had been anticipating deep cuts for weeks: the company has already eliminated around 2,000 positions in two smaller, earlier layoff rounds this year, and the BBC had previously reported widespread anxiety among staff over further restructuring.

    Over the past several months, Meta’s strategic focus and budget priorities have shifted sharply toward accelerating the development of competitive generative AI models and workplace tools, as the company races to keep up with rivals in the fast-growing global AI sector. In a related move that has sparked internal backlash, Meta notified employees just this week that it will begin tracking and logging all employee interactions with work-issued computers, with the collected data intended to be used to train and refine the company’s internal AI models. One anonymous Meta employee described the surveillance policy as “dystopian,” particularly coming at the same time that thousands of workers are facing imminent layoffs. “This company has become obsessed with AI,” the employee told the BBC.

    This upcoming round of layoffs is the latest in a series of workforce reductions that Meta has carried out since 2022. Across multiple restructuring rounds over the past three years, the company has already cut tens of thousands of positions from its payroll. After the initial 2022 and 2023 layoffs, Meta resumed hiring through 2025, and by the end of last year, the company’s total headcount was roughly back to the level it stood at before the first round of cuts. The upcoming cuts, when finalized next month, will be Meta’s largest single layoff since the major 2023 restructuring, underscoring the severity of the company’s strategic pivot toward AI.

  • Why a bitter political feud has left a former Zambian president unburied 10 months after his death

    Why a bitter political feud has left a former Zambian president unburied 10 months after his death

    Nearly a full year after his passing, the body of former Zambian head of state Edgar Lungu remains interred unburied in a South African mortuary, trapped in a bitter high-stakes feud that has gripped two southern African nations and drawn international attention to a long-simmering political rivalry. Lungu, 68, died on June 5 last year at a South African hospital while receiving treatment for an undisclosed illness, but what should have been a period of national mourning has devolved into a months-long legal and political standoff over where and how he will be laid to rest.

    The core of the dispute stems from deep-seated animosity between Lungu’s family and current Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema, Lungu’s long-time political adversary. According to Lungu’s relatives, the former president’s explicit final wish was that Hichilema be barred from any proximity to his funeral. Citing this instruction and ongoing safety concerns rooted in their political conflict, the family has insisted on burying Lungu on South African soil, refusing government calls to repatriate the remains for an official state funeral. The Zambian government, by contrast, has argued that a state burial for a former head of state is a matter of national interest, and has already reserved a plot for Lungu at the national cemetery reserved for former Zambian leaders, which has sat empty for 10 months. The government launched a formal legal case to secure custody of Lungu’s remains shortly after his death, derailing a planned funeral service the family had organized in South Africa last June, forcing mourners in funeral attire to abandon the service and attend an emergency court hearing.

    The bitter rivalry between Lungu and Hichilema stretches back more than half a decade across Zambia’s turbulent democratic landscape. The two men faced off in the tightly contested 2016 presidential election, where Lungu narrowly defeated Hichilema to retain the presidency. Just one year later, Hichilema was arrested and charged with treason after he allegedly refused to yield his vehicle to Lungu’s presidential motorcade; he spent four months in prison before the charges were dropped, following widespread international condemnation of the arrest as a politically motivated attack. When Hichilema defeated Lungu to win the 2021 presidential election, Lungu alleged that the new administration targeted him for harassment, claiming he had been effectively placed under house arrest and blocked from leaving the country to seek urgent medical care. Hichilema’s government has repeatedly denied these allegations. Ultimately, Lungu reportedly slipped away unnoticed to a local airport, purchased a last-minute ticket, and traveled to South Africa for treatment, where he died weeks later.

    In the legal battle that followed, a South African court ultimately ruled in favor of the Zambian government, ordering that Lungu’s remains be turned over for repatriation by the agreed date of May 12. But a dramatic new twist erupted earlier this week, turning a simmering dispute into a full-blown constitutional and legal crisis. On Wednesday, the Zambian government announced that it had taken custody of Lungu’s body from the private Pretoria funeral home where the family had stored it, with assistance from South African law enforcement authorities, and had moved it to a separate facility ahead of repatriation. But within hours, the South African court intervened, issuing an emergency order demanding that the body be returned immediately to the family’s control. The court ruled that the early seizure of the remains constituted direct contempt of court, as it violated the court’s timeline for the handover set for May 12.

    The fallout from Wednesday’s actions has set the stage for a new phase of legal confrontation. The court has ordered both Zambian government representatives and the South African authorities who assisted in moving the body to appear in court to explain why they should not face contempt of court charges. The bizarre, morbid standoff has become a subject of widespread public fascination in both Zambia and South Africa, shining a harsh spotlight on the deep political divides that continue to shape Zambia’s post-election landscape more than two years after Hichilema took power.

  • Iran principlists call for ships to be seized in Straight of Hormuz: Press review

    Iran principlists call for ships to be seized in Straight of Hormuz: Press review

    In the wake of the United States’ imposition of a naval blockade against Iranian ports, hard-line political and media voices within Iran have drawn up aggressive proposals to counter the move, including seizing international vessels in the strategically critical Strait of Hormuz and pushing Yemen’s Houthi movement to shut down the equally vital Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

    These calls came just hours after former US President Donald Trump made a Wednesday announcement of a unilateral extension to a ceasefire on offensive operations targeting Iran. On that same day, Tehran-based conservative newspaper Kayhan dedicated its front page to the provocative headline “The response to the US naval blockade is to close the Bab al-Mandeb Strait,” and ran a full editorial written by its editor-in-chief Hossein Shariatmadari, a political figure long known to have close ties to Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

    In his editorial, Shariatmadari argued that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Iran’s elite paramilitary force, should maintain a continuous blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which roughly a fifth of the world’s oil supplies pass daily. He further called for Iran to seize cargo from international shipping to collect what he framed as rightful compensation for war damages caused by the US and Israel.

    “Given the inaction of the UN Security Council and the United Nations’ clear dependence on arrogant global powers, it is our legal right to collect the compensation we demand through seized assets,” Shariatmadari wrote. He added, “We should seize US-owned vessels currently located in the Strait of Hormuz, and confiscate US-owned oil and goods transported even on non-US flagged vessels as compensation for our losses.”

    Hard-line principlist lawmaker Seyyed Mahmoud Nabavyan echoed Shariatmadari’s aggressive tone, dismissing any suggestion that the US naval blockade could be addressed through ongoing diplomatic negotiations. “Talking with the Washington is pure harm,” Nabavyan stated, adding, “Lifting the naval blockade is our undeniable right, and we will achieve that by force regardless. This matter has no connection to negotiations.”

    Concurrent with these statements, the IRGC confirmed it had intercepted three vessels traversing the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, seizing two of the craft that were attempting to pass through the strategic waterway.

    Beyond geopolitical tensions with the US and Israel, a separate controversy has been roiling domestic discourse around BBC Persian in recent months, with growing criticism that the outlet’s coverage unfairly favors supporters of Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s deposed former Shah. Critics claim the BBC Persian television channel and its digital platforms have given outsize visibility to monarchist opposition voices, who have publicly backed US and Israeli military action against the Iranian government.

    The wave of criticism reached a new peak last week after independent media researcher Mazdak Azar published the results of a study analyzing BBC Persian’s coverage of January’s anti-government protests in Iran, which were violently suppressed by Iranian security forces. Azar examined roughly 4,500 user-generated videos of the protests shared on Persian-language social media platforms, finding that only 17 percent of these clips included pro-Pahlavi slogans. By comparison, nearly 30 percent of protest-focused videos broadcast by BBC Persian featured such pro-monarchist messaging.

    Azar noted that his study is limited to social media content, but stressed that many of BBC Persian’s television news and analytical programs have framed Pahlavi as a leading public figure behind the nationwide protest movement. This alleged amplification of Pahlavi aligns with a previous report from Israeli newspaper Haaretz, which revealed that after the 12-day war in June 2025, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government sponsored a covert campaign that used fake Persian-language social media accounts to inflate perceptions of Pahlavi’s popularity among the general Iranian public.

    In another development tied to the recent conflict, the targeted assassinations of two senior Iranian establishment figures—Ali Larijani and Kamal Kharrazi—have sparked widespread speculation about Israel’s strategic motives for the killings. Larijani was a central leader in Iran’s national security apparatus and previously led the country’s nuclear negotiations with world powers. Kharrazi served as Iran’s foreign minister between 1997 and 2005, and remained an influential senior foreign policy advisor to the former supreme leader long after leaving cabinet.

    Iranian reformist newspaper Etemad published a report highlighting the two men’s longstanding roles in past Iran-US negotiations and their potential influence on any future diplomatic talks. The outlet argued Israel likely targeted the pair, who it described as “diplomatic strategists,” to weaken Iran’s negotiating position and reduce the likelihood of any future nuclear or security agreement between Tehran and Washington.

    “Beyond their formal institutional positions, the two men were symbols of ‘wise conservatism’ and ‘strategic realism’ for Iran,” Etemad wrote. The paper described Larijani as a unique “bridge” capable of translating the Iranian government’s policy positions into language more accessible to Western governments, while Kharrazi acted as a “compass” for Iranian foreign policy—a trusted advisor whose backing was critical for any major diplomatic push toward new negotiations. Etemad concluded that the assassinations were deliberately intended to eliminate the core “think tank” that would guide any future Iran-US talks.

    For many Iranians, the most searing reminder of the war’s human cost is the death of seven-year-old Makan Nasiri, who was killed on the first day of the conflict in a US double-tap strike targeting the Shajarah Tayyiba school in Minab. Makan has become a national symbol of the dozens of children and school staff killed in the attack.

    Due to the extreme intensity of the airstrike, only fragmented body parts were recovered from the rubble for most victims. Makan is the only victim whose remains were never found—all that was recovered from the site was one of his shoes and torn pieces of his favorite blue sweater. In an interview with Sharq daily, Makan’s mother described the 15 hours she and other families spent digging through the debris searching for surviving children.

    “Many people were trapped under the rubble, but not a single child came out alive. We stayed there from 11:30 in the morning until 2:30 the next day. Everyone that was pulled out was already dead… most were in pieces,” she said.

    Official casualty figures published by Sharq put the total death toll from the strike at 156 people, including 120 school students, 26 female teachers, seven visiting parents, one school bus driver, one local clinic worker, and a six-month-old unborn child. In recent days, Persian-language media outlets have widely shared a personal home video showing gentle moments from Makan’s life with his family, amplifying public grief across the country.

    This piece is a compilation of reporting from Iranian press outlets, and has not been independently verified for accuracy by Middle East Eye, the original publisher of this press review.

  • China tightens food safety checks ahead of May Day, Dragon Boat Festival holidays

    China tightens food safety checks ahead of May Day, Dragon Boat Festival holidays

    As two major public holidays approach, Chinese food safety regulators have launched a nationwide campaign to tighten regulatory oversight and enforcement, moving proactively to mitigate potential food safety hazards and guarantee a secure dining experience for consumers across the country.

    In an official notice released recently, the Food Safety Office of the State Council called on local regulatory bodies at all levels to make advance arrangements and ramp up inspections across every link of the national food supply chain, spanning from primary production and wholesale distribution to retail and food service, ahead of the peak holiday consumption surge that typically accompanies the May Day and Dragon Boat Festival breaks.

    The notice directs regulators to prioritize high-priority categories of food products, including staple goods with mass consumption, seasonal specialty items tied to the holidays, viral food products trending on social media and e-commerce platforms, and commercial health foods. Alongside targeted product checks, supervisory efforts will also be intensified at key high-traffic locations, including agricultural product wholesale markets, national retail chain outlets, and the country’s largest online e-commerce platforms.

    Under the new regulatory requirements, food producers and distributors are mandated to strictly uphold their primary legal responsibility for the safety of their products. For their part, regulators will increase the frequency and depth of on-site inspections, and launch a targeted crackdown on common violations. These prohibited activities include manufacturing and selling counterfeit or substandard food products, running deceptive false advertising campaigns for food items, and the unauthorized use of unapproved or illegal food additives.

    Special supervisory focus will also be placed on the food service sector, particularly large chain restaurant brands, catering services provided to organized tourist groups, and high-traffic online restaurants that rely heavily on food delivery orders. One key area of scrutiny is the growing problem of unregulated “ghost kitchens” — delivery-only food operations that lack compliant physical dining facilities and proper operating permits, which have been linked to repeated food safety outbreaks in recent years.

    Institutions that provide group meal services to large numbers of people, including primary and secondary schools and other public organizations, are required to reinforce internal food safety management protocols and conduct comprehensive proactive risk assessments to address potential hazards before they cause harm. Local authorities have also been assigned the task of tightening oversight over large group banquets commonly held in rural areas during holiday seasons, a measure designed to prevent large-scale foodborne illness outbreaks that have occurred in past holiday periods.

    In addition to routine on-site supervision, the campaign will expand the scope and frequency of random food safety sampling inspections throughout the holiday period. Targeted laboratory testing will be carried out on high-risk food products and seasonal holiday staples, most notably zongzi — the traditional glutinous rice dumplings that are the centerpiece of Dragon Boat Festival celebrations across the country.

    To further strengthen public protection, the notice also calls for the optimization and expansion of accessible consumer complaint and incident reporting channels, ensuring that members of the public can quickly report suspected food safety issues and have their legitimate rights and interests effectively protected throughout the holiday season.

  • Turkey opts for silence on von der Leyen remarks to avoid straining EU ties

    Turkey opts for silence on von der Leyen remarks to avoid straining EU ties

    A controversial comment from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen that grouped Turkey with Russia and China as a source of potential malign influence has sparked behind-the-scenes diplomatic maneuvering, with Ankara opting for an unusually muted response rather than the sharp public rebuke many observers expected, Middle East Eye has confirmed.

    The incident unfolded during a speech Monday at an event celebrating the 80th anniversary of German newspaper Die Zeit in Hamburg. Von der Leyen argued that failure by the European Union to expand its bloc would leave neighboring nations vulnerable to falling under the sway of external powers, specifically naming Russia, Turkey and China as sources of influence that would work against European interests. The remark marked an unprecedented public framing of Turkey — a NATO ally and official EU candidate country — as a hostile force targeting European unity, triggering immediate diplomatic unease in Ankara.

    Brussels moved swiftly to contain the fallout, releasing an official clarification within 24 hours that walked back the phrasing. A commission spokesperson emphasized Tuesday that Turkey is “unquestionably an important partner” to the EU, noting that von der Leyen’s comment was intended only to acknowledge Turkey’s significant geopolitical influence, geographic size and regional ambitions, not to draw an equivalence between Ankara and Moscow or Beijing.

    The clarification reaffirmed Turkey’s status as a key economic and political partner, highlighting its central role in high-profile strategic projects including the EU’s Connectivity Agenda and the Trans-Caspian Middle Corridor. It also underscored long-standing cooperation on migration management and restated Turkey’s position as a critical NATO ally and ongoing EU accession candidate, cementing its role as a core diplomatic interlocutor for the bloc.

    According to a senior Turkish official speaking to Middle East Eye on condition of anonymity, the Brussels clarification has been sufficient to satisfy Ankara, which has no intention of issuing a formal public criticism or condemnation of von der Leyen’s comments at this stage. Turkish leadership has little appetite for open confrontation with the EU right now, the official added.

    The decision to remain publicly silent has surprised many analysts, given Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s history of forceful, public pushback against perceived slights from European leaders. Multiple overlapping geopolitical and economic factors explain the restrained approach, which aligns with a broad shift in Turkey’s foreign policy dating back to 2023, when Ankara began actively pursuing improved relations with Europe and other NATO allies.

    Economic pressures top the list of priorities driving the shift. Turkey’s economy has faced years of sustained strain, with high inflation and weakening investor confidence already exacerbated by regional instability stemming from escalating conflict in the Middle East, which has eroded Turkish central bank reserves. An open diplomatic crisis with the EU would further damage investor sentiment, a risk Ankara is unwilling to take at this juncture.

    A second key factor is a pending draft EU regulation that would prioritize “Made in Europe” automotive and green technology products in public procurement processes. The policy introduces mandatory minimum local content requirements for key green goods — including electric vehicle batteries, solar and wind energy components, and zero-emission vehicles — to strengthen European domestic manufacturing. Under the new framework, the lowest bid will no longer be the sole deciding factor in awarding public sector contracts.

    Erdogan and Turkish Trade Minister Omer Bolat have lobbied heavily in recent weeks to secure access for Turkish companies to EU supply chains under the new rules, citing the existing EU-Turkey Customs Union as legal basis for favorable treatment. Turkish officials are currently drafting amendments to Ankara’s own public procurement laws to meet EU demands for reciprocal access, which would allow European firms to compete on equal terms in Turkish public tenders in exchange for Turkish firms gaining access to European procurement markets. Barcin Yinanc, a prominent columnist for Turkish outlet T24, noted that the EU has already made this reciprocal requirement clear to Ankara: unless Turkey opens its own procurement market to European competitors, Turkish firms will be locked out of the new EU scheme.

    Oguz Arikboga, a Netherlands-based Turkish academic with decades of experience working with EU institutions, argues that Turkey’s restrained response stems from broader strategic goals beyond the procurement dispute. “Ankara is currently in a position where it wants to tread carefully on the international stage and avoid escalation, having solidified its role as a mediator and key regional player,” he explained. “In the current international climate, it is seeking deeper cooperation on different files with all actors – not least with the EU. With the upcoming NATO summit in Ankara and COP31 climate summit in Antalya, it is not keen on escalating the situation.”

    Arikboga also noted that Ankara’s approach is shaped by its ambition to integrate into Europe’s evolving security architecture amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and growing transatlantic friction between the United States and the EU. Against a backdrop of U.S. skepticism toward NATO commitment from the Trump administration, Turkey has expanded joint defense investment partnerships with European powers, most notably Italy, making improved political ties with the EU a strategic priority.

    The academic added that von der Leyen’s misstep has further weakened her standing across Europe: “Although what she said about Turkey is not a fringe view in many EU political circles, the fact that she said it and failed to anticipate the consequences will further damage her credibility.”

    Internal divisions within the EU over the comments have already emerged. On Wednesday, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, who currently holds the rotating presidency of the EU Council, publicly backed von der Leyen’s original framing, reminding audiences that Turkey has occupied northern Cyprus since 1974, with Turkish forces still deployed on what the EU recognizes as European sovereign territory.

    By contrast, European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Marta Kos struck a conciliatory tone during an address to the European Parliament this week, reaffirming Turkey’s outsized strategic importance to the bloc. “We need Turkey in light of the changing geopolitical realities in Europe and the Middle East,” Kos said, adding that Turkey is already the EU’s fifth-largest trading partner, with bilateral trade volume twice that of the EU’s trade with either Mercosur or India.

  • Huangshan’s fish lantern culture wins over intl influencers

    Huangshan’s fish lantern culture wins over intl influencers

    In a vivid display of cultural exchange that bridges traditional Chinese heritage and global digital influence, a group of international content creators got a hands-on immersion into one of Anhui’s lesser-known cultural treasures during a visit to Zhanqi Village in Shexian County, Huangshan on April 21. What started as a sightseeing tour quickly transformed into an interactive cultural experience, as the digital influencers stepped out of their observer roles and into the heart of the village’s centuries-old fish lantern dance tradition. Under the guidance of local inheritors of the folk art, the group learned the dance’s signature detailed footwork, precise posture requirements, and the intricate rhythmic coordination that turns a collection of glowing lanterns into a synchronized, captivating performance. The visit reached a joyful, unexpected climax when the group adapted one of the world’s most iconic rock anthems for the occasion. Using the traditional wooden drum that normally sets the rhythm for fish lantern dance performances, they put a folk cultural spin on Queen’s legendary classic *We Will Rock You*, blending Western popular music with thousands of years of Chinese folk performance tradition. This spontaneous fusion moment highlighted how traditional Chinese culture can resonate with global audiences, turning a casual cultural visit into a demonstration of cross-cultural connection that is already being shared across international social media platforms. The Zhanqi fish lantern dance is a centuries-old intangible cultural heritage practice in rural Anhui, held during traditional festivals to pray for good harvests, peace and prosperity. The visit of international influencers is part of broader efforts to showcase China’s regional folk culture to global audiences, creating new pathways for cultural exchange outside of major tourist hotspots.

  • Woman killed by bear in Polish forest, son and local government say

    Woman killed by bear in Polish forest, son and local government say

    A tragic wildlife encounter has left a 58-year-old woman dead after a brown bear attack in a remote forested mountain area of southeastern Poland, local authorities and the victim’s family have confirmed. The fatal incident unfolded near the small town of Płonna, located in the Bieszczady region – an area home to the vast majority of Poland’s small wild brown bear population – when the woman and her 27-year-old son were exploring the woodland separately.

    Details of the attack emerged from accounts provided by the victim’s son, who was on a phone call with his mother when the encounter began. A firefighter who responded to the emergency told Polish news channel TVN24 that the son heard his mother scream “Bear, bear!” before the connection cut out abruptly. After raising the alarm, emergency teams set out for the remote site, but first responders faced significant delays: rough, uneven terrain and spotty mobile phone coverage slowed access to the area where the attack occurred.

    Local emergency services spokesperson Paweł Giba confirmed that the first alert came in around 10:30 a.m. local time (8:30 a.m. GMT). By the time fire crews and police reached the woman, she had already succumbed to her injuries. Responders found she had suffered severe, extensive lacerations to the head, according to the on-scene firefighter.

    Local police sergeant Anna Oleniacz offered a slightly different account to Polish news outlet Onet, saying the son had stepped away from his mother briefly moments before the attack. When he returned and found her injured, he immediately called for emergency support. The victim’s other son told TVN24 that the encounter was likely accidental: he believes his mother unknowingly stepped on the bear, which was resting on the forest floor, where its dark fur blended in with surrounding mounds of earth. “Once it hits, there’s no escape,” he told the network.

    Investigators were on site by Thursday afternoon to document the incident and confirm the cause of death. Izabela Jurkowska-Hanus, district prosecutor for Sanok – which oversees the affected Bukowsko Commune – told TVN24 that as of Thursday afternoon, there was no evidence pointing to any cause of death other than the bear attack.

    Local forestry officials confirmed that the mother-son pair had been in the forest to collect shed antlers, a common activity during the annual spring stag shedding season. Wojciech Jankowski, spokesperson for the Lesko Forest District where the attack happened, explained that spring is a time when brown bears, which have just emerged from months of hibernation, often venture close to residential areas and popular walking trails in search of food. “This was an unexpected encounter for both the bear and the human,” Jankowski noted.

    In response to the fatal incident, Bukowsko Commune issued an urgent public warning via social media, urging local residents and visitors to avoid all nearby forest areas until further notice.

    Poland is home to an estimated 100 wild brown bears in total, with roughly 90% of that population residing in the Bieszczady Mountains. Deadly conflicts between brown bears and humans are extremely rare in the country: the last recorded fatal bear attack in Poland dates back to 2014, local media reports confirm.

  • World’s tallest bridge draws thrill-seekers to Guizhou canyon

    World’s tallest bridge draws thrill-seekers to Guizhou canyon

    Tucked between the steep, forested slopes of Southwest China’s Guizhou Huajiang Grand Canyon, a record-breaking engineering marvel has redefined extreme leisure travel in the region: the 625-meter-high Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge, the tallest bridge on the planet. Since welcoming its first visitors last September, this innovative infrastructure project has rapidly evolved from a technical achievement to one of Guizhou’s most popular travel landmarks, drawing thousands of adventure enthusiasts and casual sightseers alike every month.

    What sets this bridge apart from other tourist-focused infrastructure is its range of experiences tailored to different comfort levels. For hardcore thrill-seekers, the bridge caters to adrenaline cravings with one-of-a-kind bungee jumping opportunities and a unique, rail-free edge walkway that lets visitors step right to the edge of the 625-meter drop for unobstructed, heart-pounding views of the roaring river and jagged canyon cliffs thousands of meters below. For casual travelers who prefer a more relaxed visit, the bridge offers gentle walking paths along its main steel frame, where visitors can feel the mountain breeze drift up from the canyon while enjoying a cup of coffee against the backdrop of sweeping panoramic views of Guizhou’s dramatic karst landscape.

    The bridge’s rapid rise to fame underscores Guizhou’s ongoing strategy to turn its unique mountainous geography into a competitive advantage for tourism development. What began as a groundbreaking infrastructure project has become a major economic driver for local communities, creating new jobs in hospitality, guiding, and tourism services while putting the remote Huajiang Grand Canyon on the global adventure tourism map.