Global Pulse

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  • 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.

  • Warrantless spying extension stalls in US Senate

    Warrantless spying extension stalls in US Senate

    In a surprising late-night vote that marked a major win for digital privacy protections, a Republican-led push to extend the controversial warrantless surveillance authority under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) failed to advance in the U.S. Senate Friday. Seven GOP senators broke with their party’s leadership to join all but one congressional Democrat in opposing the measure, delivering a critical setback to backers of the sprawling surveillance program just days before the existing authority is set to expire.

    Section 702, first enacted in 2008 and renewed multiple times since, grants the federal government broad power to conduct warrantless surveillance of electronic communications belonging to noncitizens located outside the United States. For years, however, civil liberties and privacy advocates have sounded alarms over systemic abuse of the law, documenting repeated instances where U.S. intelligence agencies have improperly used the framework to spy on American citizens, bypassing traditional court oversight required for domestic surveillance.

    The expiration of the current authorization is scheduled for next Friday, leaving congressional leaders and the White House with limited time to broker a new deal on the future of the program. Privacy campaigners immediately hailed the failed procedural vote as a landmark moment for civil liberties. Sean Vitka, executive director of the advocacy group Demand Progress, framed the result as a “resounding defeat for opponents of privacy,” emphasizing that the outcome makes clear no renewal of Section 702 can move forward without mandatory warrant requirements for accessing Americans’ data.

    “Clear majorities of Americans across the nation, and in Congress, do not want the government bypassing the courts to hoover up our private, personal data,” Vitka said. “If the White House and congressional leadership want to renew FISA, they have to stop ignoring this obvious fact and allow votes on real privacy reforms.”

    While privacy advocates celebrated the interim win, experts and observers noted the vote outcome was partially shaped by growing bipartisan backlash against former President Donald Trump’s recent nomination of Bill Pulte, a loyalist, to serve as acting director of national intelligence. Multiple senators who have previously supported extending Section 702 switched their positions to oppose advancing the bill in protest of the nomination.

    Elizabeth Goitein, co-director of the Liberty and National Security Program at the Brennan Center for Justice, called the blocked vote “an interim victory” but warned of the risks tied to putting the surveillance program under the control of a politically aligned unconfirmed intelligence leader. Goitein pointed out that Pulte, who currently leads the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), is already under investigation by the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office for allegations that he misused his position and access to government records to bring unsubstantiated mortgage fraud charges against people Trump views as political enemies.

    “If Pulte can do that with the limited access to Americans’ information he has as head of the [FHFA], imagine what he could do with all the authorities and capabilities of the intelligence community—including, of course, Section 702,” Goitein added. “What wouldn’t make sense? Handing Section 702 to whomever Trump could nominate in Pulte’s place without ensuring that they can’t use it as a tool for domestic spying.”

    Even prominent supporters of Section 702 came out against advancing the bill in the wake of the Pulte nomination. Sen. Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat who has long backed extending the surveillance authority, announced he would vote against moving the legislation forward, calling Pulte an “enormously bad choice” who is “grossly unqualified” for the top intelligence post.

    The failed vote sets up a high-stakes showdown over the coming week, as Washington policymakers weigh whether to advance targeted reforms that address longstanding privacy concerns, allow the existing authority to lapse entirely, or negotiate a last-minute deal to salvage the program before the current authorization runs out.

  • When will Taylor Swift get married – fans have some ideas

    When will Taylor Swift get married – fans have some ideas

    For Taylor Swift’s legions of loyal fans, nothing sparks a collective internet mobilization quite like a good mystery. Right now, that mystery is not a secret album drop or an unannounced tour date—it is the global superstar’s upcoming nuptials to Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, and the entire fandom is deep in a full-scale Easter egg hunt for every possible detail of the high-profile wedding.

    Swift, a 14-time Grammy-winner who built her decades-long career on strategically placing hidden clues for fans to decode in everything from album liner notes to social media posts, has remained characteristically coy about the wedding since the couple announced their engagement last August. That Instagram reveal racked up more than 37.5 million likes, and since that day, Swifties across the world have been poring over every hint, public appearance and past pattern to pin down a date, location and other key details of what many have dubbed America’s “royal wedding.”

    The only crumb of context Swift has shared so far came during an appearance on the BBC’s *Graham Norton Show*, where she hinted the event would be large with an extensive guest list—offering no further specifics to satisfy public curiosity. The BBC has reached out to Swift’s team for additional comment, but no new details have emerged.

    This intentional ambiguity has sent internet communities, pop culture analysts and diehard fans spinning out a wide range of theories, from grounded speculation to wildly far-fetched conjecture. For years, Swift’s carefully crafted approach to fan engagement has trained her audience to hunt for hidden foreshadowing in every choice she makes, from outfit choices to website design. But the superstar has long made it clear that personal life milestones are off-limits for Easter egg culture, leaving many fans connecting dots that may not even exist.

    Joanna Weiss, a journalist, co-author of *Taylor Swift: Album by Album* and a Swiftie since the release of 1989, explained that Swift’s unique relationship with her fame is what makes this moment so fascinating. “The way she’s able to build a fandom and a community and seed it with the clever things that she does on the internet made me really appreciate her, not just as an artist, but as a business person, cultural figure, and someone who understands how to navigate and manipulate the culture,” Weiss said.

    The most common speculation centers on the wedding date, with most fans guessing the ceremony will take place this summer, before Kelce returns to NFL training camp in mid-to-late July. Drawing on Swift’s well-documented love of numerology—she has integrated her favorite number 13, a nod to her December 13 birthday, into every era of her career from track listings to tour markings—fans have floated a number of dates that add up to the iconic number. Popular guesses include June 7 (written 07-06 in the U.S., which sums to 13), June 13 (a Saturday, the traditional peak wedding date, and the number itself), and July 6 (06-07, which also adds to 13). Other theories point to July 3 or 4, tying the wedding to both the U.S.’s 250th Independence Day celebration and Swift’s annual tradition of hosting large Fourth of July parties at her Rhode Island coastal estate.

    Caitlin Curley, a marketing student at the University of Galway and member of the university’s Swiftie Society who has followed Swift since 2008’s *Fearless*, notes that any leaked date could be a deliberate decoy to protect the couple’s safety and privacy. “For safety and security reasons, if there was to be a date leaked, it might be because it’s a decoy date. It would drag people’s attention elsewhere,” Curley explained.

    Beyond the date, fans have dissected every other possible detail of the big day: from whether Swift will opt for a romantic lace traditional gown or pair a bridal look with cowboy boots as a nod to her country music roots, to whether Kelce will have a custom groom’s cake, to how Swift’s three beloved cats will be incorporated into the ceremony. Ari Perez-Mejia, a professor, podcaster and long-time Swiftie, joked that fans are already wondering if feline companions Benjamin Button or Olivia will have a role carrying the rings.

    Unlike the tabloid frenzy that has surrounded the wedding, many long-time fans emphasize that their speculation comes from a place of joy, not entitlement. Kristie Frederick Daugherty, a poet, author and Swiftie, told the BBC that across the Swift-centric forums she participates in on Facebook, Instagram, Reddit and Substack, fans overwhelmingly respect Swift’s desire for privacy. “They’re not opining out of entitlement but out of excitement for a singer who has grown up alongside her fans… conjecture has been in the spirit of joy for a person they love finally getting her happy ending,” she said.

    That respect has not stopped less restrained parties from capitalizing on the hype: online prediction markets have launched wagers on the date and location, tabloids have run conflicting anonymous reports about leaked invitations and venues, and gossip about the A-list guest list has spread wildly across social media.

    Guesses about the wedding venue have also hit fever pitch, with multiple cities and states thrown into contention. Swift owns property across multiple U.S. states, and has close personal ties to London, New York City and Nashville, all of which are frequently named as contenders. Kansas City, Missouri, where the couple first met, is also a popular guess, as are the couple’s home states of Pennsylvania (Swift’s birth state) and Ohio (Kelce’s home state).

    A recent viral rumor that Swift had paid another couple to switch their wedding date at a Rhode Island venue near her estate was debunked earlier this month, and a Rhode Island congressman confirmed the singer had “passed” on hosting the event in the state.

    So far, very few details about the guest list have been confirmed. Long-time close friends like Selena Gomez and frequent collaborator Jack Antonoff are widely expected to attend, but neither has confirmed their participation. Even public figures who have close ties to the couple, like Queer Eye star Antoni Porowski (Kelce’s brother-in-law’s friend) and BBC Radio 1 host Greg James (who was personally invited by Swift during her latest album promo), have declined to share any details. So far, only singer Benson Boone and actress Suki Waterhouse have publicly confirmed they will attend, offering no additional context. Fans are also speculating whether Blake Lively, Swift’s one-time close friend who recently drew the singer into her legal dispute with *It Ends With Us* co-star Justin Baldoni, will receive an invitation.

    Many fans hold out hope that a small number of devout long-time fans might receive invitations, pointing to Swift’s history of inviting superfans to private events at her homes. There is also widespread speculation about the bridal party, with many guessing Gomez and Swift’s childhood friend Abigail Anderson Berard, who has appeared in multiple of Swift’s music videos, will fill key roles.

    Dani Winchester, an event planner and co-host of the *Taylearning* podcast, says most fans enjoy the lighthearted speculation around the wedding, but the problem arises when people forget Swift is a private person, not a public spectacle to dissect. “We don’t mind the gamification of Taylor Swift, as it were. It can be fun to speculate – what will the dress look like, who might be a bridesmaid, how big will the wedding be?” Winchester said. “The problem is when people forget that Swift is a real person, and not a video game character.”

    To protect her privacy, many fans speculate Swift could send invitations at the last minute, potentially even notifying guests the day of the wedding to prevent details from leaking ahead of time. While wedding watchers remain skeptical that any concrete details will emerge before the event, Swift’s fanbase plans to continue hunting for clues drawing on everything they have learned about the singer over her decades-long career.

    Even so, most fans told the BBC they are perfectly happy to wait for Swift to share details on her own terms after the wedding is over. “We only enter her personal life in ways that she invites us to,” said Victoria Morton, co-founder of TSwift Dance Party Canada. Though she added that the entire global fan community remains “tremendously excited and waiting on every little detail.”

  • Argentina expands hantavirus probe, sending teams to trap and test rats in Mendoza

    Argentina expands hantavirus probe, sending teams to trap and test rats in Mendoza

    BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – In the wake of an unusual hantavirus outbreak that sickened passengers on an Atlantic cruise ship last month, Argentine health authorities announced Friday they are broadening their investigation into the origins of the virus, launching new field work in the western province of Mendoza even as they wait for critical lab results from tests in the southern city of Ushuaia.

    The rare event that hit the MV Hondius has already killed three people, infected 11 confirmed cases, and put repatriated passengers from more than 20 nations into targeted quarantine. Experts say untangling the outbreak’s origin will fill key gaps in knowledge about the little-studied Andes hantavirus, a strain carried by wild rodents that is endemic to parts of Argentina and Chile. Unique among hantaviruses, the Andes variant is the only one known to spread from person-to-person in some scenarios, making it a particularly high priority for study.

    The first known victims of the outbreak were a Dutch tourist couple who died in April, shortly after disembarking from the cruise which departed from Ushuaia, the southernmost major city on the South American continent located in Tierra del Fuego. Reconstructing the chain of infection has proven challenging, and health officials have acknowledged it may never be possible to pinpoint exactly where the couple contracted the virus before they boarded the vessel. Still, epidemiologists are combing through travel histories, activity timelines and infection data from all confirmed cases to map out how the virus moved through the ship.

    Current working hypotheses among Argentine researchers point to the male tourist being exposed to infected rodent urine or droppings during the couple’s multi-month road trip across Argentina and Chile, before the cruise departed. The standard incubation period for Andes hantavirus ranges from roughly three weeks up to two months, aligning with the timeline of the couple’s travels. The couple visited Malargüe, a city in Mendoza’s famous wine-growing region, during the final leg of their Argentine journey before traveling south to Ushuaia to catch the cruise.

    Shortly after the outbreak was confirmed, Argentina’s national Health Ministry flagged Ushuaia as a potential origin site, sending researchers from the country’s top public health laboratory, the Malbran Institute, to collect wild rodent samples from forested areas around the city. But local officials in Ushuaia — a tourism hub that brands itself as the “End of the World” — have pushed back aggressively against the suggestion. Local authorities note that while Andes hantavirus infects a few dozen people annually in Patagonian regions further north, the pathogen has never been detected in Ushuaia or the broader Tierra del Fuego archipelago. As of Friday, lab results from those Ushuaia rodent samples are still pending.

    The new phase of investigation launching next week will bring together specialists from the Malbran Institute and biologists from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who will conduct rodent trapping and testing in Malargüe, Mendoza between June 8 and 12. Malbran Institute director Claudia Perandones met with CDC representatives in Buenos Aires Friday to finalize plans for the field work. Teams will work in full protective gear to collect blood samples from captured rodents, before shipping the samples back to the main Malbran lab in Buenos Aires for analysis. Officials confirmed full test results could take up to four weeks to complete.

    Global health officials have stressed that the outbreak does not represent a major pandemic risk. The World Health Organization has stated that the overall risk of widespread sustained transmission of Andes hantavirus remains low. Even so, the variant has sparked global concern due to its mortality rate, which can reach 30% among infected people, and the current lack of specific antiviral treatments or approved vaccines for the disease.

  • I wanted to quit Eurovision twice – then won it, says Bangaranga singer Dara

    I wanted to quit Eurovision twice – then won it, says Bangaranga singer Dara

    The 2026 Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna has made history, as Dara, the Bulgarian performer behind the viral hit *Bangaranga*, delivered a landslide victory that secured Bulgaria its first ever champion title in the iconic global contest. What makes the story of this landmark win even more compelling is that Dara nearly walked away from the competition twice before stepping onto the Vienna stage, opening up in a recent interview with BBC Newsbeat about how her struggle to protect her mental health nearly cost her the historic win.

    Dara, an already established 27-year-old artist, first considered turning down the opportunity after she raised concerns over unsatisfactory terms in her initial contest contract. Even after resolving that issue, the anxiety of stepping into the Eurovision spotlight hit her immediately after she was officially announced as Bulgaria’s first contest entry since 2022. Recently diagnosed with ADHD, Dara said the pressure of the high-stakes competition left her physically overwhelmed: “I was shaking in my bed,” she recalled, adding that she spent three hours trying to calm her frayed nerves after the announcement. Fearing that the intense competition schedule would worsen her symptoms, she questioned whether she was worthy of the spot, and worried that pushing through would cause long-term damage to her mental wellbeing that she would never recover from.

    Long known as one of the most high-pressure events in global entertainment, Eurovision pushes participating artists to their limits, requiring them to navigate a grueling packed rehearsal schedule, intense public scrutiny, and a global audience of hundreds of millions. Even former contestants have highlighted the mental toll of the experience: when 2024 United Kingdom representative Olly Alexander was asked what advice he would give to future competing artists by commentator Graham Norton, he simply replied, “Get yourself a really good therapist.”

    Against this backdrop, Dara credits the professional mental health support she received after her ADHD diagnosis with giving her the tools to stay in the competition and ultimately thrive. Working closely with her therapist, she learned strategies to feel grounded in crowded, high-pressure environments, and developed a personal routine of breathing exercises, drawing, journaling, and meditation to keep herself centered amid the chaos. By the time she stepped onto the Vienna stage, that preparation had paid off: “I’ve never felt more calm on stage, more secure,” she said of her performance.

    That poised, personality-filled performance was exactly what won over global voters. Going into the contest, Dara was ranked as a little-known outside favorite, but her quirky, polished performance of *Bangaranga* — which featured sharp, clever choreography and one of the most memorable hooks in recent contest history — earned her a record-breaking points margin, delivering one of the most decisive victories in Eurovision history. Even as votes from across the continent poured in, Dara said she remained centered: “I opened my heart and just kept repeating, ‘Thank you God for putting me on that stage and for these people around me.’”

    Within days of her victory, Bulgarian national broadcaster BNT confirmed that Sofia, the country’s capital, will serve as the host city for the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest, a historic milestone for the small Eastern European nation. When Dara returned to Sofia, she was greeted by thousands of cheering fans who gathered to welcome their first Eurovision champion home. The singer will play a central role in planning and promoting next year’s host city celebrations.

    Despite the global fame and historic achievement that now cement her place in Eurovision’s hall of fame, Dara says her definition of long-term success has nothing to do with career milestones. Looking ahead, the singer says her top priorities are far more personal: “I want to have kids some day,” she said. “I want to be healthy and that is much more important than being successful in my career. Being successful as a human being is pretty big on my list.”