Global Pulse

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  • Trump cancels Iran strikes, touts imminent deal

    Trump cancels Iran strikes, touts imminent deal

    On a Thursday that already carried high geopolitical and economic stakes, U.S. President Donald Trump upended global expectations with a sudden announcement: he had called off planned military strikes against Iran and claimed a historic peace deal to end the months-long U.S.-Iran war could be finalized and signed within days.

    The announcement broke as the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicked off in Mexico, sending immediate ripples through global financial markets. Major stock indices rallied sharply, while international oil futures dropped more than 3% — a clear market signal that investors welcomed the de-escalation of a conflict that has roiled energy supplies for months.

    In a social media post that quickly dominated global headlines, Trump stated that bilateral talks with Iranian officials had advanced to the highest levels of Iran’s leadership and received formal approval. “I have cancelled the scheduled strikes and bombings against Iran scheduled for this evening,” he wrote. “Time and place of the signing to be announced shortly.” He added that the core terms of the arrangement had already been signed off by the U.S. and its regional allies, most notably Israel, which joined Washington in launching the offensive against Iran back in February.

    The conflict, which began with a massive wave of joint U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on February 28 that killed long-time Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, entered a paused state under a temporary truce brokered in April. But negotiations for a permanent ceasefire and peace agreement had appeared deadlocked in recent weeks, with both sides trading escalating threats in the days leading up to Trump’s announcement. Just 24 hours before his Thursday announcement, Trump had threatened to intensify U.S. airstrikes and seize control of Kharg Island, Iran’s critical oil export terminal in the Persian Gulf.

    Iranian officials quickly pushed back against Trump’s claims of a finalized, approved deal. Hours after the U.S. president’s announcement, foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei stated that “Iran has not reached a final conclusion on the agreement.” Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency pointed out that Trump has now claimed an imminent deal 38 times over the past two months, advising that any statements from Trump on the topic should be treated as unsubstantiated until confirmed directly by Iranian authorities. When pressed by reporters on the Iranian pushback, Trump doubled down on his claim, saying “I understand the answer is yes” when asked if Iran’s new supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei had personally approved the deal.

    An official statement from the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that Netanyahu had spoken with Trump following the announcement, and that Trump had committed any final agreement would require Iran to remove all existing enriched nuclear material and dismantle its entire ballistic missile infrastructure program. Tehran’s municipal government also confirmed Thursday that the delayed funeral for former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will be held no earlier than late June, further adding to the atmosphere of ongoing uncertainty.

    Trump’s announcement suggests that months of quiet back-channel mediation led by U.S. partners Pakistan and Qatar may have produced tentative progress, despite the sharp public denial from Tehran. Even as hopes for peace rose, however, new reports of hostilities emerged: Kuwait announced Thursday that an Iranian strike targeted its territory, damaged an air defense radar installation, and forced a temporary closure of its airspace.

    Domestically, hardline factions on both sides have continued to undermine progress toward a deal. Earlier Thursday, amid escalating U.S. threats of new strikes, senior Iranian General Ali Abdollahi warned that any new American attack would draw a far harsher response than previous exchanges, warning that a widening of the war would spread instability across the entire Middle East. For ordinary Iranian civilians already reeling from months of conflict, that instability is already a daily reality. Majid, a 35-year-old Tehran pharmacist, expressed deep pessimism about the prospects of a final deal. “I am absolutely not optimistic about the agreement being finalized, because the gap between the two countries is too wide,” he said, blaming the ongoing deadlock on both Israel — which has exchanged frequent cross-border fire with Iranian forces in recent days — and hardline Iranian factions opposed to any compromise.

    The conflict has already hit the global economy hard. Earlier on Thursday, the World Bank downgraded its global growth forecast to its lowest level since the height of the coronavirus pandemic, explicitly citing the expanding economic fallout from the Iran war as a key driver of the downgrade. One of the most damaging ongoing economic impacts stems from Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the critical global chokepoint through which roughly 20% of the world’s daily oil and gas supplies pass. Iran’s newly established strait oversight body reaffirmed Thursday that the waterway “will be closed until further notice”, keeping ongoing pressure on global energy markets despite the post-announcement drop in oil prices.

  • Christian Pulisic is ready to shoulder the burden of US hopes in home World Cup opener vs Paraguay

    Christian Pulisic is ready to shoulder the burden of US hopes in home World Cup opener vs Paraguay

    IRVINE, Calif. — As the United States prepares to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup and kicks off its tournament campaign against Paraguay this Friday, Christian Pulisic finds himself in a rare, pressure-filled position: he is the undisputed generational star of the host nation’s men’s national team, carrying the expectations of an entire soccer-crazed country on his shoulders.

    Pulisic joins an exclusive, shortlist of elite global talents who have landed this exact confluence of skill, stardom, and timing when their home country hosts soccer’s biggest tournament. Past names on that list read like a who’s who of modern soccer royalty: Zinedine Zidane, who led France to a 1998 World Cup title on home soil; Michael Ballack, who anchored host Germany’s 2006 squad; and Neymar, who carried Brazil’s hopes as the home nation in 2014.

    Pulisic’s teammates and coaching staff are acutely aware of the massive burden he carries. For nearly a decade, he has been framed as the face of American men’s soccer, the groundbreaking talent that turned a historically middling soccer nation into a growing competitor on the global stage. Teammates across the roster openly acknowledge that all eyes — from the pitch to the sold-out stands — will remain fixed on Pulisic, with fans and peers alike hoping his decade of proven success at top European clubs will lift the U.S. to unprecedented heights on home soil.

    “I can’t even imagine the weight that’s on his shoulders,” said 27-year-old Bournemouth midfielder Tyler Adams, Pulisic’s long-time midfield partner. “From such a young age, he was the hope of American soccer.”

    Now 27, Pulisic refuses to shrink from the bright spotlight that will burn brighter than ever across the tournament’s coming weeks. In comments Thursday at the U.S. national team’s Orange County training base, he reaffirmed that this high-stakes moment is exactly what he has spent his entire career working toward.

    Unlike his early years in the national program, when he was the lone elite talent carrying the team’s aspirations, Pulisic says he feels no extra pressure heading into the World Cup. In fact, he argues the weight on his shoulders may even be lighter than it has been in years past, thanks to the depth of talent that has emerged around him in recent seasons.

    “I don’t feel a difference in weight. I’m not sure. Maybe less,” Pulisic said. “I just feel like there’s so many good players around me. I genuinely don’t feel like I have to do anything on my own. I’m going to give it the best I can. I want to help the team, and they expect a lot out of me, but with the guys I have around me, it makes it a lot easier for me.”

    Pulisic’s status as the center of U.S. World Cup hopes dates back longer than this tournament cycle. When the World Cup was first awarded to the North American bloc of the U.S., Canada, and Mexico eight years ago, Pulisic was already the rising star of American soccer. A native of Hershey, Pennsylvania, he broke into the senior national team as a 17-year-old prodigy, becoming the first homegrown U.S. talent to earn consistent playing time and stardom at Europe’s top clubs.

    Over the past 10 years, he has built a resume unrivaled by any active American player: after cutting his teeth at Borussia Dortmund, he transferred to Chelsea in 2019, where he became just the second American to win the UEFA Champions League in 2021. He moved to Serie A’s AC Milan in 2023, where he remains a key contributor for one of Europe’s top clubs. While the U.S. national program has struggled for consistent progress through his career, and Pulisic even endured an 18-month goal drought with the national team that only ended in late May, he still stands as the Americans’ most consistently dynamic playmaker.

    Adams, who has shared the pitch with Pulisic since the winger’s 2016 senior debut, recalled watching the teenage prospect immediately become the team’s most irreplaceable player. Even after that 2016 campaign ended in devastating failure — the U.S. failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup — Pulisic quickly emerged as the foundation of the program’s rebuild.

    “(Pulisic was) the best player on the field at 17 years old, and the person that they rely on, (and) it’s been since then that they’ve relied on him,” Adams said. “Now, we have weapons around him to kind of relieve that, but he’s a star. Not just for the U.S. national team, but in world football. He’s that good. We rely on him in big moments, but that being said, I hope he doesn’t feel the pressure to carry it all. Just to be himself and grow into each game.”

    Pulisic made his first World Cup appearance in Qatar four years ago, where he notched one goal and one assist as the U.S. exited in the knockout round after scoring just three total goals across four matches. This time around, he says the home-field advantage brings a unique sense of comfort, with family and fans able to cheer the team on close to home.

    “It feels similar, but with a bit of that comfort of being in America,” Pulisic said. “It feels great having the people you love around you. It makes it that much more special.”

    New U.S. head coach Mauricio Pochettino, who took over the program in late 2024, has worked to build an aggressive, attack-minded squad centered around Pulisic’s creative strengths, while intentionally spreading responsibility across the roster to reduce reliance on the star. Two prolific Europe-based strikers, Folarin Balogun and Ricardo Pepi, will make their World Cup debuts this tournament, with the expectation that they will share the scoring load that once fell entirely to Pulisic.

    Pochettino emphasized that while Pulisic will play a critical role for the U.S., the team’s collective culture and identity matters more than any individual star.

    “Of course he needs to be an important player for us in the competition,” Pochettino said. “(But) I think what we’ve learned after a year and a half is that the badge of the national team and the culture with this country is more important than any name, any player or any coach. That is a principal thing that we (believe), and from there, if you have talent and quality, you can perform on that platform.”

    Still, with his first World Cup knockout round exit behind him, Pulisic understands the U.S. needs to hit the ground running on home soil, starting with Friday’s opener against a tough Paraguay side. For the veteran star, past tournament experience has helped calm his nerves, even as the spotlight grows larger than ever.

    “It has that big-game feel, for sure,” Pulisic said. “But in some ways, I feel a little bit more relaxed because I’ve been there before. We’ve played in a match like this. I think the experience has calmed me down a little bit.”

  • ‘Once in a lifetime’ – Mexico fans share excitement as World Cup kicks off

    ‘Once in a lifetime’ – Mexico fans share excitement as World Cup kicks off

    As the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicked off its opening match for the Mexican national team at the iconic Azteca Stadium, thousands of elated supporters filled the streets surrounding the venue, describing the electric atmosphere as a ‘once in a lifetime’ experience they would never forget. The BBC caught up with dozens of ticket-holding fans moments after the final whistle, where Mexico secured a dominant 2-0 victory over South Africa to launch their tournament campaign on a high note.

    Supporters clad in the team’s signature green, white, and red jerseys packed the plazas and sidewalks outside the stadium, waving flags, singing traditional chants, and embracing one another in celebration. Many fans traveled hundreds of miles from across Mexico to attend the opening match, with some telling reporters they had saved for years to secure their spot at the legendary venue, which has hosted two World Cup finals in its history.

    Azteca Stadium, one of the most recognizable soccer stadiums in the world, provided a dramatic backdrop for the opening clash. From the opening kickoff, the crowd roared nonstop, creating a wall of noise that pushed Mexico’s players to secure the two-goal advantage. Even after the match ended, fans lingered outside the stadium to share their joy with friends, family, and reporters, emphasizing that the combination of hosting a World Cup match at Azteca and opening with a win made the moment unforgettable.

    For Mexican soccer, this opening victory marks a promising start to what fans hope will be a deep tournament run. The energy outside the stadium reflected the widespread optimism across the country, as supporters turn their attention to the nation’s next group stage match, with hopes of continuing their winning momentum.

  • The parents whose boys play in two World Cup teams

    The parents whose boys play in two World Cup teams

    For football fans across Scotland, picking a team to cheer on at the 2026 FIFA World Cup is a straightforward choice. But for one Aberdeenshire family, the tournament brings a once-in-a-lifetime joyous dilemma: two sons, wearing the jerseys of two different nations, both competing on soccer’s biggest global stage.

    Jack and Heather Souttar, lifelong football lovers from the small village of Luthermuir, are packing their bags this week to travel across the Atlantic to the United States, where their middle son John will make his World Cup debut starting for Scotland, while their youngest son Harry lines up for Australia. The unique situation is a dream come true for the proud parents, even as it requires careful logistics to pull off.

    John and Harry are both professional centre-backs, who cut their teeth in the Scottish football system before moving to top clubs across the United Kingdom. John, who earned his first Scotland cap in 2018, currently plays for Glasgow Rangers after previous stints at Dundee United and Heart of Midlothian. Harry, who got his Australian eligibility through Heather, who was born in the country, has been a mainstay of the Socceroos squad since 2019, and currently plies his trade at Leicester City following spells at Stoke City and Dundee United. What makes the 2026 tournament extra special is that it marks John’s first appearance at a World Cup, while Harry already featured for Australia at the 2022 Qatar edition.

    The logistical challenge for Jack and Heather is significant: their sons’ two opening round group stage matches are separated by 3,000 miles and six days of travel across the U.S. The couple have already planned for the first two matches, but say they are keeping their plans flexible, holding out hope that both Scotland and Australia advance deep into the tournament, requiring them to travel further to continue cheering on both boys.

    Far from the family being torn between loyalties, the Souttars say their support for both sons is equal. “It’s a big thing, I suppose. We want to support both kids and both countries. Then the ball’s in the air for the rest of it,” Jack said in an interview, adding that the brothers share a warm, friendly rivalry rather than any bitter competition. Though they occasionally scrapped as children, the pair are close, regularly discussing matches and supporting one another through the ups and downs of professional football.

    Football has been woven into the Souttar family’s life for generations. Jack himself played for Brechin City in his youth, and all five of his children – oldest son Aaron, followed by Mhiran, John, Ailsa and Harry – grew up playing the game and following it closely. Over decades, Jack and Heather logged thousands of miles driving across the UK to watch their sons play at youth and professional levels, a commitment they never saw as a burden.

    “I think the big thing is that it was never a task for us,” Jack said. “We trained at Dundee twice a week. Then we were going down to Glasgow twice a week and training down there… We were all over the country supporting them and, to be fair, we both really enjoy football. It was excellent. We didn’t want to be grumpy parents. We treated it as a holiday.”

    This World Cup is not the first time the Souttar family has had a chance to watch Scotland compete at the tournament. In 1998, the last time Scotland qualified for the World Cup before 2026, Jack traveled to France with 10-year-old Aaron, while a toddler-aged John stayed home with Heather, who was heavily pregnant with Harry. Heather never got to make that 1998 trip, and joked that she has waited 28 years for her turn to attend a World Cup with her family. “I never made it. I was very pleased that they went and I said ‘well, I’ll go to the next one’,” she said. “But here we are, 28 years later for the next one. I’ve waited a while.”

    This year, a group of four generations of extended Souttar family and friends will travel to the U.S. with Jack and Heather, who has organized the entire trip. The only absence will be Aaron, the oldest brother, who passed away in July 2022 at the age of 42 after a multi-year battle with motor neurone disease. Both John and Harry have spoken publicly about how Aaron shaped their careers and served as a role model for them growing up.

    One of the biggest questions the Souttars have been asked is what will happen if Scotland and Australia both advance far enough to face each other in a knockout match, pitting brother against brother on the world stage. But Jack says the family’s love for both sons will not change, no matter the outcome. “I don’t think, because we’re from Scotland, our feelings for Harry are any less. We’re just so proud – as any parent would be – for their kids doing well. In any sport or any walk of life,” he said.

    For Heather, the 2026 World Cup is about more than just football: it is a chance to build new, lasting memories for the whole family, after 28 years of waiting. “On the football side we’ll have new stories, because we’ve heard the France ’98 stories for years, so we’ll have lots of new stories and new memories for all the family,” she said. “Memories and stories forever and that’s all you can want for families, isn’t it?”

  • World Cup 2026: Tournament kicks off under shadow of politics and restrictions

    World Cup 2026: Tournament kicks off under shadow of politics and restrictions

    The 2026 FIFA World Cup, the most prestigious tournament in global football, kicked off Thursday amid a wave of controversy that has pitted the joy of the world’s game against systemic issues ranging from harsh visa restrictions and exploitative dynamic pricing to overt political interference from the Trump administration. What was billed as a historic first tri-nation co-hosting effort between the United States, Mexico and Canada has instead been defined by barriers for teams, officials and fans, particularly those from Global South nations. Play opened with the host Mexico facing 2010 World Cup winner South Africa in Mexico City, followed by a Group Stage clash between South Korea and Czechia. The North American leg of the tournament gets underway on Friday, with Canada’s opening match against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the afternoon and the United States taking on Paraguay in the evening. Of the tournament’s 104 total matches, 78 will be held across the U.S., while Canada and Mexico will host 15 matches apiece.

    Even before the opening kickoff, political tensions spilled onto the pitch. Thousands of protesters gathered at Mexico City’s Estadio Ciudad de Mexico ahead of the opening ceremony, drawing attention to the politicized landscape surrounding the event. But the most high-profile controversy has centered on actions by the Trump administration, which has enacted sweeping entry restrictions and targeted vetting that has disrupted teams and officials across the globe. Just days before the tournament began, U.S. border officials barred entry to Somali referee Omar Artan, one of 52 officials selected to officiate matches, who was stopped during a so-called “routine inspection” at Miami International Airport despite holding a valid U.S. visa. Artan, who would have made history as the first Somali referee at a men’s World Cup and was named 2025 Confederation of African Football Referee of the Year, was held for 11 hours of intensive questioning where he provided all required FIFA and supporting documentation before being detained and deported back to Somalia via Istanbul. The U.S. currently enforces a near-total travel ban on Somalia.

    Artan’s exclusion is not an isolated case. Iran, which is also under a full Trump-era travel ban, requested that all of its team’s matches held on U.S. soil be relocated to Mexico amid heightened security tensions tied to the U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran. The request was initially rejected, before officials eventually allowed Iran to base its team in Mexico – but imposed a punishing requirement that the entire squad enter and exit the U.S. on the same day as each of their fixtures, eliminating any chance for proper pre-match acclimatization and preparation. Multiple members of Iran’s support staff were also denied visas entirely. U.S. officials publicly stated the restrictions were intended to prevent Iran from “abusing this system to sneak terrorists into the United States under false pretences.”

    Teams from other nations that fall under U.S. travel restrictions have also faced heightened, discriminatory security measures. Senegal’s national team underwent extensive baggage inspections directly on the airport tarmac upon arrival, while the Uzbek squad was greeted at their U.S. training facility by drug-sniffing dogs and mandatory security screenings. Senegal is subject to a partial U.S. travel ban. An Iraqi player was detained at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, and the Iraqi team’s official photographer was barred from entering the country entirely.

    On the eve of the tournament opening, U.S. President Donald Trump – who has previously been awarded the FIFA Peace Prize – made a stunning announcement that the U.S. would launch military strikes against Iran and invade its territory, amplifying global security fears just as the tournament got underway. When asked about the ongoing visa disputes impacting World Cup participants, Trump only stated that the cases were under review, adding “We’re working on it very closely to make sure the right people come into our country.”

    Beyond political and visa chaos, the 2026 tournament has been marred by exorbitant ticket pricing that has priced out all but the wealthiest fans, a crisis amplified by the introduction of “dynamic pricing” for the first time in World Cup history. The new model allows ticket platform algorithms to adjust prices in real time based on consumer demand, pushing costs to unprecedented levels. As of the tournament’s opening day, the cheapest available ticket for the U.S.’s opening match in Los Angeles stood at $1,183, while the next U.S.-based fixture between Qatar and Switzerland carries a minimum entry price of roughly $614. Even for a lower-demand Group Stage match between Haiti and Scotland in Massachusetts, the cheapest available seat costs just under $650. A high-profile clash between top-ranked Brazil and Morocco in New Jersey will see fans pay a minimum of $1,633 just to attend.

    Unlike past World Cups held in South Africa, Brazil, Russia and Qatar – which offered subsidized ticket rates for local residents – the U.S. has implemented no federal program to make tickets affordable for average fans. While prices in the U.S. are the highest across the three host nations, even opening match tickets in Mexico during the second round of sales in April 2026 ranged from $3,000 to $10,000, according to CNN reporting. Minor price cuts have emerged in the days leading up to kickoff, but volatile price fluctuations have left costs far out of reach for most casual fans. Leading U.S. sports outlet The Athletic has labeled the 2026 ticket pricing structure an outright “rip-off.”

    Visa restrictions have created additional layers of barriers for international fans hoping to attend. The U.S. already maintains one of the strictest visa application regimes in the world, requiring visitors from Global South nations to disclose extensive financial records, full employment histories, next-of-kin details, attend mandatory in-person interviews and pay hundreds of dollars in application fees just to be considered. The Trump administration has added a new requirement for extensive social media vetting of all non-immigrant visa applicants, ostensibly to screen for national security threats, but critics argue the process is used to exclude applicants with political views that conflict with the administration’s agenda.

    Unlike the 2018 World Cup in Russia and the 2022 tournament in Qatar, both of which implemented simplified special entry processes for ticket holders, the U.S. has created new hurdles that disproportionately impact fans from lower-income countries. In December 2025, Trump added 39 nations to the U.S. travel ban, including four participating World Cup nations: Haiti and Iran were placed under full entry bans, while Senegal and Ivory Coast face partial restrictions. The administration also imposed a mandatory visa bond scheme requiring travelers from 50 nations to pay deposits ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 to the State Department before receiving a visa, though the rule was partially rolled back in mid-May to exempt ticket holders and team staff from participating nations including Algeria, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Senegal and Tunisia.

    Advocates and rights groups have criticized FIFA for failing to push back against these discriminatory restrictions, arguing the global governing body has effectively legitimized the U.S.’s policies. Even FIFA’s much-promoted “once-in-a-lifetime 2026 World Cup Final experience” package, which includes tickets and accommodation, is only open to legal residents of 16 countries – explicitly excluding residents of co-host Mexico from entering.

    Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House Task Force on the 2026 FIFA World Cup, defended the administration’s policies in December 2025, telling reporters “I’ve known the president for 25 years. The president does not rule out anything that will help make American citizens safer.”

    Tensions extend far beyond entry restrictions, with rights groups warning that even fans and officials with valid visas face risks of detention, invasive questioning and aggressive immigration enforcement during their stay. The issue gained attention after a father of two was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during a FIFA Club World Cup match in New Jersey in July 2025. In late April 2026, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) issued an official national travel advisory warning foreign visitors of the risks of entering the U.S., including arbitrary detention and deportation, invasive social media screening, racial profiling, suppression of free speech, widespread surveillance, and even the risk of inhumane treatment or death in U.S. detention facilities.

    The ACLU has also raised concerns about the rights of people already residing in the U.S., particularly those protesting the Trump administration’s immigration policies. In late May, workers at Inglewood, California’s SoFi Stadium – which will host multiple World Cup matches – publicly demanded that ICE have no involvement in the tournament. Workers raised alarms that FIFA may be sharing personal data of staff and attendees with ICE and foreign intelligence agencies. “We cannot celebrate the World Cup while workers, tourists, immigrant families, and local communities are made to feel unsafe. Los Angeles should be a city of welcome – not fear,” Yolanda Fierro, a SoFi Stadium worker and member of Unite Here Local 11 trade union, said in a statement.

    Activists stress they are not calling for a boycott of the tournament, but rather for all visitors to prepare for the risks they may face. “It is a call for precaution – for awareness of risks, for preparation, and for safety planning,” explained Jamil Dakwar, director of the ACLU’s human rights program.

  • Argentina’s inflation slows to 8-month low in a boost for President Milei

    Argentina’s inflation slows to 8-month low in a boost for President Milei

    BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Fresh economic data released Thursday has delivered a rare glimmer of good news for Argentine President Javier Milei, as the country’s inflation rate cooled for the second straight month in May, following nearly a year of unrelenting price hikes that threatened to erode the libertarian leader’s core policy progress.

    Government statistics agency INDEC reported that consumer prices climbed 2.1% in May compared to April, a figure that Economy Minister Luis Caputo celebrated as the lowest monthly inflation rate recorded in eight months. However, the annual inflation rate ticked upward slightly to 33.2% this May, a statistical shift driven by an unusually low 1.5% monthly inflation reading in May 2025, which marked a seven-year low at the time.

    Since that 2025 low, prices have remained persistently high, squeezing household budgets across the country and stoking widespread public discontent with Milei’s administration. The government is already grappling with overlapping crises: a string of high-profile corruption scandals, and a deep economic downturn hitting labor-heavy sectors including retail and manufacturing.

    Breaking down May’s price movements, communications services saw the steepest increase at 3.4%, driven by rising phone and internet bills. Education costs followed close behind, while food prices accelerated 2.5% year-over-year, continuing to put pressure on low- and middle-income households.

    Beyond the inflation data, the Milei administration secured another vote of confidence from global markets this week: major credit ratings agency S&P Global announced late Wednesday it had upgraded Argentina’s sovereign credit rating to stable B-, up from the CCC tier widely considered to signal high risk of sovereign default. The upgrade cited the government’s consistent track record of meeting debt repayment obligations.

    Milei publicly celebrated the dual wins on social media, sharing the INDEC inflation report and praising Caputo — who goes by the nickname “Toto” — with the enthusiastic comment, “Let’s goooooo Toto!”

    While the credit upgrade still leaves Argentina well below investment grade status, it marks a key step forward for Milei’s long-term policy goal of restoring the crisis-prone Argentine economy’s access to global capital markets. It has been six years since Argentina defaulted on its foreign debt for the ninth time in the country’s modern history.

    Milei took office in late 2023 on a promise to crush Argentina’s long-running sky-high inflation and reverse decades of chronic fiscal deficits. More than two years into his term, his sweeping austerity and deregulation agenda has delivered tangible progress: the country has posted a rare budget surplus, won over skeptical international investors, and brought annual inflation down from the 200% peak it hit when he first took office to the current 33% reading.

    Yet significant headwinds remain that threaten to undermine Milei’s agenda. Even with slowing inflation, the cost of living in the capital Buenos Aires is now comparable to major European capitals, and price growth continues to outpace real wage gains for most workers. Unemployment has crept upward as thousands of workers have been laid off from domestic industries that cannot compete with a flood of cheap imported goods.

    Compounding economic pressures, corruption scandals — which Milei vowed to eliminate when he campaigned for office — have eroded public support even as the administration cuts funding for core public services including education, health care and social assistance.

    The most recent controversy involves Milei’s top aide and cabinet chief Manuel Adorni, who is currently under investigation for alleged illicit enrichment. Investigators are probing Adorni’s lavish travel, including an all-cash luxury trip to Aruba, and high-value real estate purchases that appear out of line with his modest public salary. On Wednesday, Adorni admitted to hiding $500,000 in undeclared savings and unreported cryptocurrency investments, deepening the political scandal.

  • Police investigate ‘8647’ written in grass on US national mall

    Police investigate ‘8647’ written in grass on US national mall

    U.S. law enforcement authorities have launched an investigation into an unusual, large-sized marking etched into the grass of Washington DC’s National Mall that spells out the numerical sequence 8-6-4-7, a code that has become associated with anti-Donald Trump rhetoric in recent political discourse.

    For context, the two-digit number “86” has long circulated as American slang meaning to forcibly remove or eliminate a person or thing. Current Trump administration officials have publicly asserted that the full 4-digit sequence, which ends in 47—Trump’s official designation as the 47th U.S. president—functions as a coded call to incite violence against the sitting president.

    The U.S. Park Police confirmed in an official statement that officers first responded to a formal report of vandalism at the site at approximately 11:30 a.m. Eastern Time Thursday, which translates to 16:30 GMT. As of the latest update, investigators have not yet confirmed what caused the discoloration of the grass that created the visible numbers. Officials confirmed that grass samples have been collected for forensic testing, and the probe remains active and ongoing.

    Photographs captured at the site show clear markings for the numbers 8, 6, and 7, but the third digit 4 is faint and not distinctly visible in existing imagery. The location of the marking places it just a short distance from the National World War II Memorial, one of the most visited historic landmarks on the National Mall.

    This ongoing investigation comes at a moment of already heightened political tensions, as federal prosecutors are currently pursuing criminal charges against former FBI Director James Comey over a separate social media post that featured the same 8-6-4-7 sequence arranged out of seashells on a beach. Comey faces multiple felony charges tied to allegations that the post constituted a criminal threat to kill President Trump. Comey has forcefully denied all wrongdoing, dismissing the prosecution as a blatant politically motivated attack targeting his opposition to the Trump administration.

    The coded number sequence has been adopted repeatedly by Trump’s political opponents over the course of his second term, appearing at multiple anti-administration protests across the country. The faded marking on the National Mall, which is most notable for the clear visibility of the leading 8 compared to the other three digits, emerged amid a high-profile citywide beautification initiative for federal monuments and public spaces that is being personally led by Trump. The initiative includes $13.1 million in allocated funding—equal to roughly £9.6 million—for renovations to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, as well as a controversial plan to construct a large commemorative arch decorated with gilded sculptures of iconic American symbols including lions and eagles.

  • Trump names new spy chief after pushback over previous pick

    Trump names new spy chief after pushback over previous pick

    U.S. President Donald Trump has tapped Jay Clayton, the top federal prosecutor for the Southern District of New York, to serve as the nation’s highest-ranking intelligence chief, filling a vacancy that opened after his first nominee failed to win congressional support over insufficient intelligence experience.

    Clayton, who currently holds the top prosecutorial role in one of the country’s most high-profile judicial districts, is already overseeing a number of major national and international cases. Most prominently, he leads the drug trafficking prosecution against former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. His office has also taken charge of reviewing documents tied to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and prosecuted an Iraqi national charged with planning terrorist attacks on U.S. soil on behalf of the Iranian government.

    Before taking on his current role as U.S. Attorney, Clayton held leadership positions at the top-tier global law firm Sullivan & Cromwell, and previously chaired the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the federal regulator that oversees U.S. stock markets. In a public post shared to his social platform Truth Social, Trump lauded Clayton’s professional standing, noting that “Few people anywhere in the Legal Community are respected at the level of Jay.” He also urged the U.S. Senate to move quickly to approve the nomination.

    The nomination comes after Trump’s initial pick for the role, Bill Pulte, faced widespread bipartisan pushback on two key fronts: Pulte had no prior professional experience in intelligence gathering, and lawmakers raised alarms that he had abused his position as director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency to target Trump’s political opponents. Pulte was accused of making criminal referrals for alleged mortgage fraud against individuals Trump deemed enemies, though none of those referrals have resulted in convictions. The nonpartisan Government Accountability Office has since launched an investigation into whether Pulte altered FHFA’s investigative processes to carry out the political targeting.

    The outgoing director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, will wrap up her tenure on June 30, leaving a pressing timeline for Senate confirmation. Unlike the first nomination, Clayton’s pick has already earned bipartisan praise from key Senate lawmakers. Republican Senate Whip John Thune described Clayton as “a very qualified professional with a great skill set for managing a complex problem set.” Mark Warner, the top Democratic member of the Senate committee that will hold a confirmation vote on Clayton, also endorsed his qualifications, calling him “very qualified.”

    According to reporting from The New York Times, CIA Director John Ratcliffe had publicly advocated for Clayton to take the lead of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which oversees all 18 U.S. federal intelligence agencies, making it the country’s top civilian intelligence leadership role.

  • Elon Musk’s SpaceX valued at nearly $1.8tn ahead of record share sale

    Elon Musk’s SpaceX valued at nearly $1.8tn ahead of record share sale

    Elon Musk’s aerospace and artificial intelligence firm SpaceX has secured $75 billion in pre-initial public offering (IPO) funding from global financial institutions, positioning the company for what is projected to be the highest-valued public stock debut in history when trading opens Friday on the Nasdaq exchange.

    In an official filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), SpaceX confirmed it sold newly issued shares at a fixed price of $135 apiece, matching the valuation estimate the company released publicly last week. At this share price, the company’s total market capitalization upon listing will reach nearly $1.8 trillion.

    The landmark valuation carries historic personal ramifications for Musk, already the world’s wealthiest individual. If the $1.8 trillion valuation holds after trading opens, Musk will become the first person in recorded history to amass a personal net worth exceeding $1 trillion.

    While the final opening share price will be determined by open market auction dynamics, industry observers are already predicting overwhelming investor demand for SpaceX stock. Interest from both large institutional investment funds and individual retail investors is widely expected to outpace supply of available shares, which could push the traded price above the $135 pre-IPO level.

    Multiple Wall Street analysts have already set bullish target prices for the stock that exceed the $135 baseline. Global financial services firm Oppenheimer, for example, released a research note Thursday projecting SpaceX’s share price will climb to $190 once public trading is underway. If the share price holds at or above $135, SpaceX will immediately rank among the top 10 most valuable publicly traded companies in the world.

    Market analysts also note that SpaceX’s IPO is being closely watched as a critical test case for other large unlisted technology firms eyeing public offerings in 2025. Leading artificial intelligence developers Anthropic and OpenAI, both of which currently carry private valuations approaching $1 trillion, have publicly confirmed they are on track to launch their own IPOs later this year. The outcome of SpaceX’s debut will likely set a precedent for market appetite for large high-growth private tech companies going public.

  • As Colts wrap up minicamp, Cam Bynum turns focus to helping Filipinos affected by earthquake

    As Colts wrap up minicamp, Cam Bynum turns focus to helping Filipinos affected by earthquake

    INDIANAPOLIS — Fresh off the Indianapolis Colts’ three-day mandatory minicamp, starting safety Cam Bynum is already preparing for a far different mission than preparing for the upcoming NFL season: joining disaster relief efforts in the Philippines, a nation that holds deep personal meaning for him.

    Bynum’s ties to the Southeast Asian archipelago run far deeper than casual connection. His mother Jen is of Filipino descent, he owns property in the country, and his wife Lalaine is Filipino — the pair even held their wedding there in March 2023. Long an advocate for the Philippines’ national flag football program, cross-Pacific trips during NFL offseasons have become a regular tradition for Bynum and his family. This year, however, the trip will center on recovery, not relaxation, after a devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit the country.

    The powerful offshore quake, one of the strongest to strike the Philippines in 50 years, hit near the southern province of Sarangani on Monday. Official data puts the death toll at at least 37, with tens of thousands of residents displaced from their homes. While Bynum said he counts himself lucky that all of his family and close friends in the affected region escaped unharmed, many have lost their homes to the destruction.

    “A week from now, I’m tied up here filming content for the NFL, which delays my departure a bit,” Bynum explained Thursday after practice. “But as soon as that wraps up, I’m heading straight for the Philippines. I’m grateful to have this window of time off before training camp to go there and actually contribute to the recovery.”

    Bynum, who grew up in California and played college football at the University of California, Berkeley before being drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the fourth round of the NFL Draft, is entering his second season as a key contributor to the Colts’ defensive secondary, even amid widespread roster changes made by the team this offseason. He has long been open about celebrating his Filipino heritage; two years ago, he shared a public video dinner with his mother and other family members where he discussed Filipino cultural traditions and beloved cuisine.

    With the Colts’ training camp set to kick off in just one month, Bynum’s trip will require careful balancing of his professional football preparation, personal rest, and new relief work. Through the Bynum Faith Foundation, the organization he founded, he will help coordinate community outreach and rebuilding projects in the earthquake zone.

    His daily routine will look familiar in some ways: he plans to stick to his workout schedule, holding 7 a.m. training sessions at a facility used by Filipino Olympic athletes, and even using local flag football players as a scout team to stay sharp for the upcoming season. But any leisure time that would usually be spent at beaches or with family will be redirected to highlighting the quake’s damage and amplifying the stories of affected communities.

    “Through our foundation, we’ll be running multiple outreach missions to map out exactly what the affected areas need most,” Bynum said. “Right now, communities are still without power, they don’t have access to clean water after all the pipes broke in the quake. My goal is to bring more attention to the destruction that’s happened, so we can reach as many people in need as possible.”

    He added that he has already been inspired by the collective response to the disaster in the Philippines. “This is a community effort, everyone is pitching in to lift each other back up,” he said. “You see people coming together through this terrible hardship, and that’s just the spirit of the Filipino people.”