Global Pulse

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  • Slovenia’s new prime minister takes down Palestinian flag in pro-Israel turn

    Slovenia’s new prime minister takes down Palestinian flag in pro-Israel turn

    Within hours of being sworn in for his fourth term as Slovenia’s prime minister, Janez Jansa has upended the small European nation’s Middle East policy, starting with the immediate removal of the Palestinian flag that had flown outside Ljubljana’s central government building for two years.

    The swift, symbolic action immediately telegraphed a dramatic pro-Israel reversal for Slovenia, under a new leader long known for his close alignment with former U.S. President Donald Trump and hardline Israeli leadership. In a post to the social platform X on Friday, Jansa framed his administration’s approach as a “responsible” foreign policy “rooted in facts” — language widely interpreted as a deliberate rebuke of the previous government’s outspoken condemnation of Israeli actions in Gaza and commitment to upholding international law.

    Jansa’s pro-Israel stance is no new development. He has spent months criticizing his center-left predecessor Robert Golob, labeling the previous government’s formal recognition of Palestinian statehood illegal, openly endorsing Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, and repeating the unwavering mantra: “We stand with Israel”. He has also repeatedly called for relocating Slovenia’s Israeli embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a step that would directly contradict longstanding international consensus and international legal rulings that designate East Jerusalem as occupied Palestinian territory.

    The policy shift has been met with swift celebration from Israeli officials. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar personally thanked Jansa for the move and announced that Israel would open its first resident embassy in Ljubljana “without delay”.

    The reversal marks a stark break from the previous Golob administration, which held office for four years and emerged as one of the most outspoken European critics of Israel’s military actions in Gaza. Over 73,500 Palestinians have been killed in the besieged enclave since the escalation of conflict in October 2023, according to local health authorities. Golob repeatedly accused Israel of violating international law and perpetrating “clear genocidal acts” against Palestinian civilians in Gaza. Under his leadership, Slovenia became the first European Union member state to implement a full ban on all weapons trade with Israel, a move Golob defended as a moral obligation for responsible global powers.

    “People in Gaza are dying because humanitarian aid is systematically denied to them. They are dying under the rubble, without access to drinking water, food and basic medical care,” Golob stated when announcing the ban. “This is a complete denial of humanitarian access and a deliberate prevention of basic conditions for survival. In such circumstances, it is the duty of every responsible state to take action, even if it means taking a step ahead of others.”

    In May 2024, Slovenia joined Spain, Ireland and Norway to formally recognize Palestinian statehood, becoming one of the few Western European nations to take the step. The Golob administration went further in July 2025, imposing targeted sanctions on far-right Israeli government ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, and putting in place a travel ban on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces an active arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

    Reacting to the removal of the Palestinian flag, Golob told Slovenian daily newspaper Dnevnik that the new government’s very first official action “says more than a thousand words”. He argued the flag had stood not only as a symbol of solidarity with the Palestinian people, but as a representation of core values: justice, human dignity, compassion, humanity and peace. Golob condemned the policy reversal, saying it would write Slovenia onto a “shameful page of history”.

    Analysts expect Jansa to roll back nearly all of the previous government’s pro-Palestine policies in the coming weeks, with the formal revocation of Slovenia’s recognition of Palestinian statehood high on the new administration’s agenda.

  • Giant banquets rile radical left in France

    Giant banquets rile radical left in France

    Across provincial France, a viral trend of massive communal feasts has quickly escalated from a popular pastime into one of the country’s most heated pre-election political flashpoints. Last weekend, 3,500 attendees gathered in a sprawling hangar on the outskirts of Colmar, the picturesque medieval Alsace town famous for its half-timbered city center, for the latest installment of these massively popular banquets géants organized by events company Le Canon Français.

    For an €81 (£70) ticket, guests get a four-course menu of regional Alsatian specialties, unlimited local wine, and hours of collective sing-along camaraderie. Many male attendees adopt an unofficial uniform of berets and braces, while some women wear traditional local dress. Platters of charcuterie and choucroute are followed by regional cheeses and the iconic kougelhopf pudding, and between courses, crowds pause to belt out mid-20th century French classics from artists like Michel Delpech and Joe Dassin – songs that younger attendees in their 20s and 30s know by heart.

    But what started as a post-pandemic revival of communal dining has drawn fierce condemnation from France’s radical left party La France Insoumise (LFI), which claims the events have a hidden far-right agenda. LFI points to multiple red flags: documented allegations of racist chanting, insults directed at immigrant staff, and a menu centered heavily on pork, which the party argues is intentionally designed to exclude Muslim diners and vegetarians.

    Most notably, LFI highlights the financial backing of Pierre-Edouard Stérin, a billionaire ultra-conservative entrepreneur who made his fortune in the experience gift voucher sector. Stérin funds a prominent right-wing think tank that pushes an agenda of cutting immigration, rolling back abortion rights, and promoting France’s Christian heritage. Emma Fourreau, an LFI Member of the European Parliament, argues the involvement of Stérin is no coincidence. “If they were acting in good faith, Le Canon Français would never have accepted Stérin as an investor,” Fourreau explained. “That is because they share the same political ecosystem, whose aim is to bring the far right to power.” LFI calls the events a backward-looking caricature that does not reflect modern France’s diverse identity, and has successfully lobbied local authorities to cancel one planned banquet in the Brittany town of Quimper. French police have also opened a preliminary investigation into allegations of racial provocation at an April banquet held in Caen.

    Organizers and attendees reject these claims out of hand, dismissing the controversy as a politically motivated overreaction ahead of next year’s national elections. Le Canon Français was founded during the COVID-19 pandemic by two young entrepreneurs, Pierre-Alexandre de Boisse and Géraud de la Tour, who first began selling wine online to support a struggling vintner friend before expanding to small fundraisers for French heritage projects. The massive banquets, de Boisse argues, are just a revival of a centuries-old French tradition of communal popular feasts that once existed in every village across the country.

    “Nowadays people waste so much of their time alone, in their homes, on social media. They’ve lost the habit of being together and talking. What gives us the most pleasure is when we see the lawyer sitting next to the baker, chatting away,” de Boisse said. He denies all allegations of exclusion or extremist ties, noting the events have a publicly posted code of conduct all attendees agree to when purchasing tickets. He refutes claims the menu exclusively serves pork, and calls allegations of Nazi salutes at events completely unfounded. De Boisse also says he has never even met Stérin, who purchased a 30% minority stake purely because the events are profitable. While he acknowledges most attendees lean conservative, matching shifting voting patterns in rural France, he argues the events are focused solely on food and community, not political organizing.

    Attendees echoed this sentiment during the Colmar event. Many told the BBC they came for the food, drink, atmosphere, and chance to connect with friends, and none interviewed supported LFI’s claims of political ulterior motives. “None of this was an issue, but then Stérin became a shareholder and that gave the LFI an excuse to attack. Don’t forget there are elections next year,” said Quentin, an attendee from Besançon. On the ground in Colmar, the BBC observed no offensive language or behavior, and noted the crowd, while predominantly white, was not exclusively homogeneous. For organizers, the controversy has only amplified calls for left-wing politicians to step back. “I create jobs, I create happiness for the people who come to the banquets,” de Boisse said. “Why can’t they just leave us alone?”

  • Anthony Albanese waters down criticism of CGT as Australia signs new trade agreement with New Zealand

    Anthony Albanese waters down criticism of CGT as Australia signs new trade agreement with New Zealand

    In a high-stakes bilateral meeting held in Noosa on Saturday, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon moved to defuse fleeting speculation of cross-border tension, putting playful budget-related rivalry aside to sign a landmark new cooperation agreement set to deepen economic, security and strategic ties between the two nations.

    The minor diplomatic stir emerged earlier this year after Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers handed down the federal budget in May, which included a policy change to cut the 50% discount on the capital gains tax (CGT) concession for Australian businesses. New Zealand Finance Minister Nicola Willis quickly seized on the reform to pitch New Zealand as a more attractive destination for Australian entrepreneurs, saying in a public statement: “Australians looking to start or grow a business have an epic opportunity, and that opportunity is to do it in New Zealand.”

    Willis highlighted New Zealand’s existing no CGT policy, simple low-rate broad-base tax system, accelerated depreciation rules and pro-growth, deregulatory government agenda as key draws for cross-border investment. But both prime ministers moved quickly last weekend to frame the comment as nothing more than lighthearted banter, not a serious attack on Australian domestic policy.

    When asked about the exchange, Albanese laughed off any suggestion of lasting hostility, emphasizing the inherently playful nature of the decades-long trans-Tasman relationship. “We have a relationship which is often a bit tongue in cheek,” Albanese joked. “The Wahs (New Zealand Warriors), sign our players, but we have a few Kiwis in Australia too – 638,000 of them – or one in eight New Zealanders live here. It is a good relationship, occasionally there is a bit of cheekiness to the relationship and long may that continue.”

    Luxon echoed that sentiment, noting Willis’ comments were made in the context of New Zealand’s domestic political debate and had been taken out of context. “Her comments were really in the context of that debate domestically rather than commenting on the CGT here in Australia,” Luxon explained. “The Prime Minister covered it, it was done in good humour and yes it was cheeky, but what is important is we don’t comment on each other’s domestic economic policies because there are different contexts and history and she didn’t do that.”

    Beyond clearing up the minor rivalry, the core outcome of the meeting was the signing of a new bilateral agreement that lays out eight concrete policy actions designed to boost economic productivity for both nations. Luxon outlined that the deal will not only keep the two countries’ longstanding defence partnership adaptive to modern geopolitical challenges, but also deepen joint cooperation with Pacific island neighbors, strengthen technology-driven security and economic resilience, and expand trans-Tasman scientific research collaboration.

    A key highlight of the new agreement is the opening of new opportunities for New Zealand businesses to bid on major infrastructure projects tied to the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games, a development expected to lift tourism and infrastructure profiles across both countries. Luxon had already held separate talks with Brisbane 2032 Olympic Committee leaders earlier to advance New Zealand industry participation in the massive infrastructure overhaul underway for the Games. That overhaul includes a new $3.8 billion, 63,000-seat stadium in Victoria Park, major upgrades to existing sporting venues including The Gabba, the Queensland Tennis Centre and Netball Centre, and the National Aquatic Centre, alongside public transit upgrades to the Brisbane Metro and new green river crossing projects.

    Albanese emphasized that the deepened partnership comes at a critical moment, amid widespread global political and economic volatility that makes close regional cooperation more important than ever. He called the meeting one of the most productive bilateral engagements of his prime ministership, noting that extensive pre-meeting preparation ensured the talks delivered tangible outcomes. “We’re very sharp, and a lot of work went into the preparation, clearly, to make sure it was a very effective use of our time,” he said.

    The meeting underscores the enduring closeness of the trans-Tasman economic relationship: Australia is New Zealand’s third-largest trading partner, while New Zealand ranks as Australia’s seventh-largest. As of 2025, two-way investment between the two countries totals $308 billion, while annual two-way trade in goods and services surpassed $38 billion, making the partnership one of the most economically significant for both nations.

  • Negative views of Israel soar across 36 countries since Iran war, survey finds

    Negative views of Israel soar across 36 countries since Iran war, survey finds

    A new global public opinion survey released by the Pew Research Center reveals a dramatic year-over-year surge in negative attitudes toward Israel and its Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu across every major region of the world, including Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. The poll, which gathered responses from adults across 36 nations between February 8 and May 13 this year, found that clear majorities in 32 out of the 36 surveyed countries hold either somewhat or very unfavorable views of the Israeli state. Only four nations — India, Ghana, Nigeria, and Kenya — recorded majority favorable opinions of Israel.

    Aggregated data from the full survey set shows a median 67% of respondents globally hold unfavorable views of Israel, compared to just 25% who report a favorable opinion. The highest levels of disapproval were recorded in Turkey, Pakistan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, the West Bank, and occupied East Jerusalem, with 97% of Turkish respondents and 83% of Japanese respondents holding unfavorable views. Even in majority Anglophone nations long considered sympathetic to Israel, majorities now hold negative views: 60% in the United States, 65% in Canada, 79% in Australia, and 69% in the United Kingdom.

    All ten European countries included in the survey also posted majority unfavorable ratings. Sweden and Spain tied for the highest share of negative views at 78% each, while Hungary recorded the most favorable views among European nations — even there, 54% of respondents held an unfavorable opinion of Israel.

    Pew researchers and analysts link the sharp spike in negative attitudes to two ongoing conflicts: the long-running Israeli military campaign in Gaza that began in October 2023, and the more recent outbreak of hostilities between Israel and Iran that began on February 28 of this year, overlapping with the survey’s fieldwork period. The Iran conflict has had far-reaching global economic ripple effects, particularly after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz — a critical global energy chokepoint through which roughly 20% of the world’s total oil supply passes. While global public opinion had already hardened against Israel over the Gaza campaign over the past three years, the escalation of hostilities with Iran triggered a significant new surge in negative views, researchers found.

    The Gaza conflict, which has been labeled a genocide by hundreds of leading international scholars, major human rights organizations, and dozens of national political leaders, has already killed at least 73,000 Palestinians since October 7, 2023, according to updated counts from local authorities. United Nations assessments estimate that Israeli bombardment has damaged or destroyed 81% of all residential and infrastructure structures across the Gaza Strip, with total reconstruction and recovery damages estimated at $18.5 billion. While last year’s Pew survey already recorded significant negative fallout from the Gaza campaign, the latest data shows a clear additional uptick in unfavorable views linked to the new conflict with Iran.

    Across nearly all surveyed nations, the share of respondents holding unfavorable views rose between 7 and 10 percentage points year-over-year. South Korea recorded the largest single jump at 10 percentage points, while Nigeria saw a 9-point increase in negative views. Germany, Italy, Argentina, Poland, the United Kingdom, and the United States all recorded increases of between 7 and 9 percentage points.

    The survey also identifies a clear ideological divide in attitudes toward Israel, particularly in high-income nations: respondents who identify with left-of-center political positions consistently hold more negative views of Israel than their right-of-center counterparts. This gap is widest in the United States, where 83% of self-identified liberals hold negative views of Israel, compared to just 37% of self-identified conservatives. Survey authors note that this ideological divide is far less consistent across middle-income countries.

    Negative attitudes toward Israel are closely mirrored in global opinions of Prime Minister Netanyahu. Only two surveyed countries — the Philippines and Kenya — recorded majority confidence in Netanyahu’s ability to handle global affairs appropriately. In every other nation included in the poll, majorities reported little or no confidence in the Israeli leader. Just as with views of the country itself, the past year has seen a prominent increase in the share of global respondents who have lost confidence in Netanyahu’s leadership.

  • China can build humanoids at scale. The hard part is finding enough buyers

    China can build humanoids at scale. The hard part is finding enough buyers

    The global humanoid robot sector is undergoing rapid evolution, with Chinese manufacturers emerging as dominant players in mass production and market deployment, even as industry observers warn of persistent gaps between manufacturing capacity and real-world commercial demand. Against a backdrop of aging domestic populations and rising labor costs across major economies, Chinese robotics startups are positioning humanoid robots as a transformative solution for everything from industrial logistics to consumer household services, drawing strong early interest from both public and private buyers.

    China and the United States currently split leadership in the global race to develop this emerging market, which Morgan Stanley estimates could grow to a $5 trillion valuation. While the U.S. maintains an edge in developing the high-performance artificial intelligence that acts as the advanced “brain” for humanoid systems, China leverages its status as the world’s manufacturing hub to lead in mass production capability, hardware supply chains, and the collection of real-world data required to train robot models.

    Chinese startups are already logging thousands of orders for their humanoid products, spanning government agencies, state-owned enterprises, and private commercial clients. Shanghai-based AI humanoid developer Matrix Robotics, led by former Tesla engineer Allan Zhang, counts roughly 1,000 orders for its flagship MATRIX-3 model, a 5.6-foot-tall robot with precision-controlled manipulator hands priced at approximately $99,000 per unit. Zhang revealed at a recent Macao robotics expo that clients include major coffee chains and hospitality groups, and while the firm has only produced a few hundred units to date, it has the capacity to scale output to 5,000 units annually in 2025 if demand holds.

    Shenzhen-based EngineAI offers a more affordable full-sized humanoid model, with a basic configuration priced at 180,000 yuan ($26,600), targeted at roles including security patrols, museum tour guides, and public performance displays. The company’s brand and marketing head Issac Li says the firm’s next core goal is to expand deployment into more diverse everyday operational scenarios. Leading Chinese manufacturers AGIBOT and Unitree already dominated global shipments in 2025, with each delivering more than 5,000 units that year, compared to just a few hundred or fewer from top U.S. competitors like Figure AI and Tesla. Unitree, one of the sector’s standouts, reported 1.7 billion yuan ($250 million) in 2024 revenue and a net profit of over 278 million yuan ($41 million), marking it as one of the few profitable players in the young industry.

    China’s industry growth has also received substantial backing from national policy. The country’s 2026-2030 five-year plan explicitly names humanoid robotics as a key frontier technology to develop, and by 2025, China was home to more than 140 humanoid robot manufacturers producing over 330 distinct models. Data from Barclays shows Chinese humanoid robots already account for roughly 85% of global supply, and Morgan Stanley projects that annual Chinese sales will more than double in 2025 to around 28,000 units. Industry analysts forecast that widespread adoption will drive down average costs from $46,000 in 2024 to roughly $21,000 by 2050, with Chinese models already selling for 20% less than comparable foreign alternatives on average thanks to localized supply chains, with some entry-level models priced below $6,000.

    Despite this rapid production expansion, industry experts and even government regulators warn that significant hurdles remain before widespread commercialization can be achieved. As early as 2024, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology publicly warned of the risk of industry overcapacity and a market bubble, given the slow pace of viable commercial application development. Most analysts agree that current demand lags far behind existing manufacturing capacity, with most humanoid robots still designed for demonstration rather than reliable functional work in unstructured, unpredictable real-world environments.

    “The use cases of these robots are still so limited,” notes Chibo Tang of venture capital firm Gobi Partners, which invests in early-stage robotics startups. “Without the demand and without that scale from the market, these companies are not able to really go into mass production sustainably.” Samm Sacks, a senior fellow at U.S.-based think tank New America focused on Chinese technology, explains that the core economic barriers remain steep: humanoid robots are still costly to manufacture, prone to operational breakdowns, and only able to function reliably in highly controlled environments. “There’s a long way to go to get to a level of functionality where people will actually feel comfortable having them in their homes providing care for elderly or children,” Sacks added.

    While industry leaders identify industrial logistics as the most near-term viable commercial market for humanoids, many factories across China and the globe already rely on cheaper, more specialized non-humanoid robotic arms for repetitive single tasks, reducing immediate demand for full humanoid systems. The challenge of commercialization is not unique to China: startups in the U.S. and Japan have also struggled to secure consistent bulk buyers for their humanoid models in industrial and service settings.

    Beyond cost and functionality, developers also face the hurdle of accumulating sufficient high-quality diverse real-world data to train robots to handle multiple complex tasks. Eric Guo, founder and CEO of Shenzhen-based AI² Robotics, notes that building a large enough dataset spanning a wide range of public and private scenarios will take years of scaling. “The mass production capability in the robotic area is still at the very early stage,” Guo said.

    Even with these challenges, deployment of humanoid robots in real-world Chinese settings has accelerated sharply over the past year, aided by greater public openness to new technology compared to many other markets. Ye Tian, a former Apple engineer and CEO of Chinese robotics startup RoboScience, notes that Chinese consumers are “used to this rapid change in terms of technology,” creating a more receptive market for early-stage testing.

    Industry insiders remain optimistic about long-term potential, even as they acknowledge near-term headwinds. Lian Jye Su of technology research firm Omdia argues that as the technology matures, humanoids will increasingly take over heavy-lifting and repetitive mundane tasks in warehouses, factories, and ports. Matrix Robotics’ Allan Zhang adds that humanoids can also fill critical gaps in dangerous or labor-short sectors, and predicts a massive untapped consumer market for robots that handle household chores across hundreds of millions of Chinese homes. Early consumer tests already hint at both the potential and remaining flaws: Beijing content creator Yang Ning, who recently tested a robotic cleaning helper that could sort shoes, fold laundry, and replace garbage bags, called the demonstration “amazing” but noted the model was still inefficient, too large, and difficult to maneuver in small living spaces.

    Looking ahead, Omdia forecasts that annual shipments of advanced humanoid robots could surpass 1 million units by the early 2030s, as costs fall and functionality improves, turning a niche experimental sector into a global technology staple.

  • ‘Traitor’ – Elmo in hot water with New Yorkers over Knicks NBA finals

    ‘Traitor’ – Elmo in hot water with New Yorkers over Knicks NBA finals

    New York City is buzzing with unprecedented enthusiasm right now, as the iconic hometown New York Knicks make their long-awaited return to the NBA Finals, competing for the league’s highest championship trophy. For the first time in 27 years, the franchise has advanced to the title round, drawing widespread celebration across the city that never sleeps—from raucous street gatherings to packed, cheering watch parties in local bars, particularly after the Knicks secured their opening victory against the San Antonio Spurs in the best-of-seven series.

    But even in a city swept up in basketball fever, one beloved local character’s take on the matchup has landed him in the middle of a very public social media firestorm. Elmo, the famous red children’s puppet from *Sesame Street*—the show whose fictional set is rooted in Manhattan—posted a mild, upbeat comment on X earlier this week that read: “Elmo hopes both teams have fun!”

    That neutral statement was enough to enrage Knicks fans, who blasted Elmo for what they labeled “fence-sitting” on the high-stakes matchup. Diehard supporters took to social media in droves, with some labeling the character a “traitor” and dozens of viral posts lashing out at his refusal to pick a side. Even among the more tempered responses, fans reminded the puppet of his New York roots. “Elmo don’t forget the streets that raised you,” one fan wrote. Another added, “Elmo, you can’t both sides this one.”

    The backlash even extended to official New York City government agencies, who jumped into the fray to side with the fans. The New York City Police Department’s official X account poked fun at Elmo, drawing a parallel between the character and the unlicensed Elmo impersonators that often solicit photos from tourists in Times Square. “Just like in Times Square, we think this Elmo is an imposter,” the department wrote. The city’s Department of Transportation went a step further, joking that it would remove the official Sesame Street street sign installed in Upper Manhattan during former Mayor Bill de Blasio’s tenure.

    After facing a wave of online vitriol, Elmo responded Thursday with a characteristic tongue-in-cheek joke that played on the name of his opposing team: “KNICKS that last message! Elmo didn’t mean to SPUR you on!”

    This is far from the first time the iconic children’s character has found himself at the center of unexpected social media controversy. First introduced to *Sesame Street* audiences in 1980, Elmo is best known for promoting kindness and inclusivity to young viewers, but he has a long history of viral online moments. In 2022, his long-running on-show feud with Rocco, his friend’s pet rock, sparked a wave of global memes centered on Elmo’s over-the-top frustration that the rock was framed as capable of human activities like eating cookies and using the bathroom. In 2024, a simple, innocent post from Elmo asking “How is everybody doing?” drew thousands of sarcastic, world-weary responses from adults dealing with the stresses of daily life. Just last year, Elmo’s official X account was compromised by unknown hackers, who posted disgusting antisemitic and racist content along with political messages targeting former President Donald Trump and demanding the release of sealed documents related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The *Sesame Street* production team quickly condemned the hack and removed the harmful posts.

    Now, as the Knicks continue their championship run, fans are making it clear they expect Elmo to fall in line and back the home team. One fan summed up the city’s mood, writing online: “This is how serious NY is taking this Finals. Elmo had to retract his statement cause the city was like you a New Yorker.”

  • North Korean leader Kim showcases new warship ahead of visit by China’s Xi

    North Korean leader Kim showcases new warship ahead of visit by China’s Xi

    In a high-profile display of advancing military ambitions just days before Chinese President Xi Jinping’s scheduled visit to Pyongyang, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has overseen sea trials of a recently repaired 5,000-ton guided-missile destroyer and doubled down on pledges to build out a nuclear-capable navy, according to state-run media reports released Saturday.

    The vessel in question, the Kang Kon, underwent operational capability tests on Thursday, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) confirmed. Kim was joined during his inspection by his teenage daughter Kim Ju Ae, whose growing public presence has reinforced widespread speculation among South Korean intelligence officials that she is being prepared as Kim Jong Un’s eventual successor.

    During his remarks to military personnel and shipbuilders, Kim emphasized an urgent push to accelerate naval modernization, framing a robust nuclear-armed maritime force as a core pillar of North Korea’s overall nuclear deterrence strategy. He stressed that the country’s navy must be equipped to deliver a lethal, unpredictable strike against rival forces both on and beneath the sea at any time. The expansion of naval capabilities, Kim noted, is a central priority outlined in the five-year defense development plan adopted by the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea at its congress earlier this year. That blueprint, he added, calls for constructing larger 10,000-ton-class destroyers and advancing development of classified underwater weapons systems.

    Notably, the KCNA report did not include direct commentary from Kim on North Korea’s longstanding regional rivals, the United States and South Korea, even as tensions over Pyongyang’s nuclear program remain high and inter-Korean diplomatic engagement remains frozen.

    The reveal of the warship trials comes on the heels of two linked developments that have underscored shifting regional geopolitics: the official confirmation of Xi Jinping’s Monday visit to North Korea, and the recent unveiling of what South Korea’s military assesses is a new uranium enrichment facility for nuclear weapons production. During his visit to that undisclosed site, Kim pledged to grow North Korea’s nuclear arsenal “at an exponential rate,” a declaration that experts interpret as a deliberate move to solidify Pyongyang’s status as a recognized nuclear weapons state ahead of high-level talks with Beijing. Xi’s upcoming trip marks a key step in China’s efforts to strengthen diplomatic and economic ties with its isolated, nuclear-armed neighbor, at a time when Kim has increasingly deepened his military and political alignment with Russia, including the provision of troops and military hardware to support Moscow’s campaign in Ukraine.

    The Kang Kon is the second 5,000-ton-class destroyer North Korea has unveiled since 2023, following the launch of the Choe Hyon. Kim previously celebrated the Choe Hyon’s development as a transformative step that extends the operational range and preemptive strike capacity of North Korea’s nuclear force. State media says both vessels are engineered to carry a full suite of weaponry, including anti-aircraft systems, anti-ship missiles, and nuclear-capable ballistic and cruise missiles. However, independent defense analysts have raised persistent questions about the ships’ actual operational effectiveness.

    The Kang Kon’s journey to sea trials has been marked by setback: the vessel suffered significant damage during a botched launch ceremony at the northeastern port of Chongjin in May 2023, a failure Kim publicly condemned as “criminal.” Pyongyang announced the ship had been repaired and relaunched in June 2023, but outside experts continue to cast doubt on whether it is fully combat-ready. Despite the setback, Kim has already ordered the construction of two additional 5,000-ton-class destroyers to expand the navy’s conventional and nuclear strike capacity.

  • Biden cabinet secretary advances in California governor race

    Biden cabinet secretary advances in California governor race

    As vote counting stretches on across California, the nation’s most populous state, former Biden administration health secretary Xavier Becerra has emerged as the presumptive candidate advancing to the November general election for governor, with the race for the second spot on the ballot still too close to call.

    U.S. political journalism outlets confirm that Becerra, a veteran California politician who previously led the state as attorney general, is set to claim one of the two top spots in Tuesday’s nonpartisan primary election, a requirement to move forward to the general contest. Two candidates remain locked in a tight battle for the second slot on the November ballot: Steve Hilton, a British-American former conservative television host running as a Republican, and Tom Steyer, a billionaire Democratic climate activist.

    With roughly 23 million registered voters casting ballots across the state, final results are not expected for weeks. The delay stems from the large volume of mail-in ballots, a staple of California’s election system that often pushes final result confirmation well past election night. A total of more than 60 candidates appeared on the primary ballot, a majority of whom identify as Democrats, all vying to replace incumbent Governor Gavin Newsom, who is barred from running again by state term limits.

    The winner of the November general election will take charge of one of the largest subnational governments in the world, overseeing a multibillion-dollar annual budget, a workforce of thousands of state employees, and hundreds of separate state agencies that touch every aspect of California life.

    A native son of California, Becerra has built a decades-long career spanning both state and federal office, holding seats in Congress before serving as state attorney general and later U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services under President Joe Biden. If he wins the general election in November, he will make history as California’s first Latino governor since 1875, a milestone for a state where Latino residents account for roughly 41% of the total population.

    Becerra has centered his primary campaign on his long record of public service, highlighting his experience working across both state government in Sacramento and federal institutions in Washington, D.C. to deliver for California constituents. Key policy pledges from his campaign include a firm commitment to push back against any policy agenda put forward by former President and 2024 Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, as well as a promise to freeze rising insurance and utility rates for working and middle-class Californians.

    Becerra’s path to front-runner status was cleared earlier this year when Democratic U.S. Representative Eric Swalwell dropped out of the race in April. Swalwell, who also resigned his congressional seat amid public allegations of sexual assault and misconduct—allegations he has repeatedly and vehemently denied—had been widely seen as the clear frontrunner for the Democratic nomination for months leading up to his exit. His departure from the race left the Democratic field wide open, creating internal rifts within the party as no replacement frontrunner immediately emerged in the deep-blue state, which has been controlled by Democratic governors since 2011.

    This cycle’s gubernatorial contest has already made history as the most expensive in California’s record, driven by massive independent advertising spending from Steyer and major backing from Silicon Valley donors for another Democratic contender, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan. As county election officials continue to process the remaining uncounted ballots, political observers across the state are watching closely to see which candidate will claim the second spot and set the stage for a high-stakes general election this fall.

  • ‘We simply do not know’: Storm provide sobering update on Eli Katoa as superstar forward faces uncertain future

    ‘We simply do not know’: Storm provide sobering update on Eli Katoa as superstar forward faces uncertain future

    The Melbourne Storm have delivered a critical update on the recovery journeys of two key first-team players, forward Eli Katoa and veteran Tui Kamikamica, both sidelined by serious, career-threatening health incidents in recent months. For 26-year-old Katoa, a two-time Dally M Second-Rower of the Year, the club has confirmed he will not take the field at all during the 2026 NRL season, as he continues to work with a team of specialists and neurosurgeons to map out a potential long-term return to contact rugby league.

    Katoa’s health crisis dates back to a November 2025 Test match for Tonga against New Zealand, where he sustained multiple traumatic head impacts. A heavy collision before the match already should have ruled him out of action, but the star forward was permitted to play, and suffered two additional blows to the head that left him with life-threatening brain bleeding requiring emergency surgery. He has not played a professional match since that day.

    In the months following his emergency surgery, Katoa has progressed to taking part in low-intensity, non-contact training drills, and remains a constant presence around the club daily. Still, club leadership confirmed that his recovery is moving slower than hoped, and any return to contact training — the first required step to a full playing comeback — remains uncertain. The earliest possible return fans could see Katoa back on the field would be the 2027 NRL season, and that outcome is still far from guaranteed.

    “Eli won’t play this year,” Melbourne Storm chief executive Justin Rodski confirmed to NewsWire. “He’s still going through his recovery process and continuing to try to build up through a training point of view, but it’s all non-contact. He’ll continue to work with his specialists and neurosurgeons around a plan for phasing him back into more and more training. In terms of when that is and whether or not that includes contact training in the near future, we simply do not know so we just have to be patient and continue to listen to the medical experts.”

    Rodski emphasized that the club is prioritizing Katoa’s long-term health over a rushed return to the field, noting the star’s unwavering drive to get back to playing. “Eli is so keen to get back out there and play. He’s at training and the club every day, but we can’t rush his return and we need to ensure that we’ve done everything right and followed the medical process,” Rodski said. “I think over the coming months we’ll start to get a clearer picture on what that could look like, and hopefully there is a path to return to some contact training at some point down the track. But at this stage we’re still waiting to get that confirmation.”

    The club has rallied around Katoa as he navigates an uncertain recovery, Rodski added. “We’ve been getting around him and giving him all the support he needs because it’s hard for any player being on the sidelines. For Eli, having the uncertainty on what that actually looks like makes it even more difficult. We couldn’t have more respect for a person because he’s such a wonderful leader in the organisation. We’ve missed him on the field, but it’s been great to have him around off the field. We’re all hopeful that we get some positive news over the coming months that there’s a plan for his return.”

    The Katoa announcement comes just after the Storm confirmed another devastating season-ending injury: representative winger Xavier Coates suffered a full Achilles rupture during a training session that will rule him out of all 2026 matches.

    For Kamikamica, the club’s other sidelined forward, there is more cautious optimism for a 2026 return. The veteran forward suffered a stroke after the Storm’s round four loss to the North Queensland Cowboys earlier this season, and has since resumed full training as he works toward clearance from medical experts.

    “Tui is so keen to get back out there, but we’re waiting on further medical advice to give him the all clear,” Rodski said. “He’s back into training, he’s around the club, he’s energetic and passionate as ever to return, but he’s gone through a serious ordeal so we need to make sure that we’ve done everything right to tick every box from a medical point of view to clear him to be able to play again this season. Unfortunately, we don’t know when that might be, and he’s still going through some testing. Until we’ve got that medical approval and clearance, he’s just going to continue to train and be around the club.”

  • Maersk is still shipping weapons parts to Israel despite denial, new report says

    Maersk is still shipping weapons parts to Israel despite denial, new report says

    A joint investigation released Monday by the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) and Oxfam Denmark has thrown into sharp question public claims from Danish shipping conglomerate Maersk that it has refused to transport weapons to Israel since the outbreak of the 2023 Gaza conflict. The investigation, the centerpiece of the grassroots #MaskOffMaersk accountability campaign, alleges that Maersk has overseen the consistent shipment of critical small arms parts and large explosive components to top Israeli weapons manufacturers, in direct contradiction of the firm’s stated policies.

    According to the report’s authors, the shipments include small-caliber bullet and rifle parts identical to those used in the 2024 killing of 6-year-old Palestinian child Hind Rajab, a death that drew international outcry, as well as thousands of other civilian casualties in Gaza. The cargo also includes empty casings for the 900-kilogram MK-84 “bunker buster” bombs that the Israeli military has deployed extensively across Gaza and southern Lebanon.

    Investigators cross-referenced shipping records and official bills of lading to trace a steady stream of components from 10 suppliers – nine based in the United States, and one in India – to Israeli defense contractors via Maersk-owned vessels. The largest intended recipient is Elbit Systems, Israel’s biggest weapons manufacturer, which acquired former state-owned defense producer IMI Systems in 2018. Between October 2023 and July 2025 alone, the report documents more than 1.42 million kilograms of bullet cores and brass cartridge casing cups shipped from three U.S. firms to IMI, parts destined for 5.56 mm and 7.62 mm rifle ammunition, the standard rounds used by Israeli infantry forces.

    Additional shipments identified in the report include MK-84 bomb casings from U.S. defense giant General Dynamics, 230-kilogram MPR-series general-purpose bomb parts from Elbit Systems of America, and mortar system components from four additional U.S. suppliers. India’s Sri Kaliswari Metal Powders also used Maersk vessels to ship aluminum powder for explosive manufacturing to Israel, according to the investigation.

    “Their actual practice is to completely ignore the policies that they have on the books,” Nadya Tannous, international coordinator for the #MaskOffMaersk campaign, told Middle East Eye in an interview. “Our question to Maersk is: What’s a weapon? You don’t ship weapons, so what is a weapon?”

    When reached for comment by Middle East Eye on the report’s allegations, Maersk reiterated its longstanding public position: “From the outset of the conflict, we have maintained a strict policy of not shipping weapons or ammunition to Israel. As the conflict escalated, we have further enhanced our screening and acceptance procedures and implemented additional compliance measures. Our compliance processes for military-related cargo are based on EU, US, and Danish laws including the Wassenaar Arrangement, the EU’s common military list and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations as well as UN resolutions.”

    Elbit Systems, which generates roughly $2 billion in annual revenue and employs 20,000 people globally, supplies approximately 85 percent of Israel’s drones and land-based military equipment. The Gaza health ministry reports that at least 72,980 people have been killed and 173,170 wounded in Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza, and UN Special Rapporteur for Palestine Francesca Albanese noted in a 2024 report that Israeli defense firms including Elbit have reaped massive profits from the conflict, describing the Gaza war as a “profitable venture” for the sector. Elbit has long been a target of pro-Palestinian activism across Europe and North America over its ties to Israeli military operations.

    Unlike many other pro-Palestinian campaigns targeting corporate ties to Israel, the PYM-Oxfam Denmark report does not call for a broad boycott of Israel. Instead, the campaign is explicitly calling for a global consumer and industry boycott of Maersk, and demanding immediate policy change from the shipping giant. Tannous emphasized that the campaign is part of a broader push to hold corporations accountable for facilitating what pro-Palestinian activists and numerous international legal experts have labeled genocide in Gaza.

    “We don’t want policy statements, we want material change from the company,” Tannous said. “This campaign is part of a larger nexus of accountability for the Israeli government and the Israeli military. It falls within the corporate accountability campaign for those corporations that facilitated the genocide.”

    The report lays out three clear demands for Maersk: immediately halt all shipments of weapons components to Israel, conduct comprehensive independent human rights audits of all global operations, and end all commercial activity that supports Israeli military operations, warning that continued shipments leave the company open to charges of complicity in war crimes and genocide in Gaza.

    This is not the first time Maersk has faced public pressure over its links to Israeli military activity. Protests have been held consistently outside the firm’s Copenhagen headquarters for more than two years, with a large demonstration held just last month over Maersk’s role in resupplying Israel amid its multi-front regional conflicts. Multiple countries have already moved to restrict military cargo shipments to Israel, with Spain banning the use of its ports for military-bound cargo to Israel in May 2024.

    Tannous noted that Maersk’s near-ubiquitous presence in global port infrastructure makes the company a fair target for collective action by people of conscience around the world. “Maersk is everywhere, right? They’re in every port, for the most part, they use our roads, they use our bridges, they use our public infrastructure,” she said. “What does it mean for us as people of conscience around the world, who majority understand and know that this genocide is ongoing, it’s wrong… to not lose hope in terms of being able to actually affect change for those in power? We demand accountability. There are many methods to do that, and we hope that this report is one of the ways of offering really valuable and precise information.”

    Public records show Maersk’s leadership has sent mixed signals on its military cargo policies in recent months. In March 2025, Maersk’s CEO told shareholders that the firm never transports weapons to active conflict zones, but allows other types of military-related cargo – though he declined to clarify the exact distinction between the two categories. The company has also not publicly revised its policy on transporting components for F-35 fighter jets, which the Israeli Air Force has used extensively to bombard residential areas of Gaza. In a July 2025 statement, Maersk only noted that the full F-35 supply chain is controlled by a coalition of partner governments, an argument that echoes previous framing used by other firms tied to weapons exports to Israel.

    That same July 2025 statement did include one major concession: Maersk announced it would reassess all commercial ties to firms linked to illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, a move that came after months of sustained pressure from pro-Palestinian activists. The company stated it already adheres to international standards for responsible business practice, and will align any operational changes with guidance from the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). The OHCHR first published a database of firms operating in and profiting from illegal Israeli settlements in 2020, naming more than 100 companies that contribute to human rights abuses against Palestinians.

    In the same July statement, Maersch also pushed back against Albanese’s 2024 report on corporate complicity in human rights abuses in Palestine, claiming her report drew on unvalidated third-party data.