Global Pulse

标签： Asia

亚洲

  • Sichuan pandas protected by eco-friendly power lines

    Sichuan pandas protected by eco-friendly power lines

    Nestled within the bounds of China’s Giant Panda National Park, the Ya’an region of Sichuan province has emerged as a global stronghold for wild giant pandas, and a groundbreaking infrastructure upgrade is now safeguarding both the endangered animals and their critical habitat. Local power sector officials announced this Wednesday that years of targeted, environmentally conscious modifications to power transmission networks have eliminated once-common threats including wildlife electrocution, habitat fragmentation, and vegetation-triggered wildfires in key panda habitats.

    As one of China’s five pioneering national parks, Giant Panda National Park spans vast swathes of southwestern China, with the Ya’an section covering 5,936 square kilometers — 27 percent of the protected area’s total size. This region is uniquely important to giant panda conservation: it is home to 340 wild giant pandas, boasting the highest population density of the vulnerable species anywhere on the planet. For decades, aging overhead power lines posed hidden risks to both wildlife and the ecosystem: uninsulated lines could electrocute wandering animals, while encroaching bamboo and tree growth near lines raised persistent wildfire risks that threatened both panda habitats and local communities.

    To address these hazards, the Ya’an branch of State Grid Sichuan Electric Power Co has led a systematic retrofitting project focused on balancing human energy needs with wildlife protection. To date, the utility has completed upgrades on three separate 10-kilovolt power lines stretching a combined total of nearly 2.8 kilometers across core protected zones within the park. Beyond adding protective insulation to eliminate electrocution risks, the project has also integrated cutting-edge intelligent monitoring infrastructure along all upgraded routes. These connected systems allow grid workers to track potential hazards in real time, from vegetation overgrowth to equipment faults, ensuring consistent, reliable power access for local residents and economic development while minimizing human disturbance to the fragile panda ecosystem. Since the completion of the first phase of upgrades, no safety or environmental incidents linked to the power infrastructure have been recorded, marking a major success for coexistence between energy infrastructure and biodiversity conservation.

  • In pics: Crested ibises thrive at breeding center in Shaanxi

    In pics: Crested ibises thrive at breeding center in Shaanxi

    Every year between March and June, the rolling woodlands and wetland enclosures of the Crested Ibis Captive Breeding and Conservation Center in Yangxian County, Shaanxi Province, hum with new life. As of June 4, 2026, dozens of endangered crested ibises can be seen nesting, foraging, and raising newly hatched chicks across the center’s carefully constructed habitats, capping off decades of groundbreaking conservation work for one of the world’s most iconic threatened bird species.

    Once on the very edge of extinction, the crested ibis has become a global benchmark for successful species preservation, and the Yangxian breeding center sits at the heart of that recovery effort. To give captive-bred birds the best chance of survival after release into the wild, center designers rejected traditional sterile captive enclosures in favor of carefully engineered environments that mimic the ibises’ natural native habitats. By recreating the combination of wetlands and forested areas the species relies on in the wild, and providing natural prey including wild loach, small fish, and freshwater shrimp, the center gives young ibises the space to develop critical survival skills that many captive-bred animals never learn: how to hunt for their own food, build sturdy nests, and navigate open spaces in flight.

    To date, this approach has delivered extraordinary results: the Yangxian center alone has successfully bred nearly 1,000 crested ibis chicks, providing a steady stream of healthy birds for rewilding programs across the country. The impact of this work extends far beyond the boundaries of the Shaanxi breeding center, according to newly released data from the Shaanxi Provincial Forestry Bureau. By the end of 2025, the global crested ibis population had crossed the 12,000 individual threshold, a staggering increase from the mere seven wild birds discovered in Yangxian in the 1980s. What is more, the species’ native habitat range has expanded to more than 20,000 square kilometers, and wild crested ibis populations can now be found across 15 Chinese provincial-level regions, steadily reclaiming much of their historic natural range.

  • ‘Extremely intelligent’ bear on the run in Japan after injuring four people

    ‘Extremely intelligent’ bear on the run in Japan after injuring four people

    A dangerous, unusually intelligent wild bear remains on the loose in northeast Japan more than a day after it injured four local residents, with local authorities confirming that the animal outsmarted search teams by unlocking and opening a window to escape captivity.

    Local law enforcement and wildlife management teams launched an urgent manhunt, or rather a bear-hunt, immediately after the series of attacks were reported. However, the animal’s unexpected problem-solving ability caught officials off guard: after tracking the bear to an enclosed space, search teams arrived to find it had freed itself by maneuvering a latched window open, leaving responders empty-handed.

    The four injured victims have already received medical attention for their wounds, though local officials have not released detailed information on their current conditions as of the latest update. Authorities have issued a public safety warning to all residents in the affected region, urging people to avoid traveling alone in wooded or rural areas, keep all residential doors and windows securely locked, and contact emergency services immediately if they spot the bear rather than attempting to confront or capture it on their own.

    Wildlife encounters have become increasingly common in parts of Japan in recent years, as expanding human development encroaches on traditional bear habitats, leading more animals to wander into populated areas in search of food. This particular incident has drawn extra attention due to the bear’s demonstrated higher-than-expected cognitive ability, which has made the search operation far more challenging for responders.

  • Asian shares drop, with South Korea’s Kospi down more than 5%

    Asian shares drop, with South Korea’s Kospi down more than 5%

    A widespread sell-off of artificial intelligence-linked stocks pulled major Asian equity markets sharply lower on Friday, triggered by underwhelming quarterly forecasts from top U.S. technology firms that stoked broader investor jitters over the red-hot AI sector. The sharp downturn in Asia came on the heels of mixed closes on Wall Street Thursday, where weakness in big tech was offset by gains across other sectors that pushed the Dow Jones Industrial Average to a fresh all-time high.

    The market volatility began Thursday when U.S. chip giant Broadcom posted quarterly results that matched analyst expectations, but its revenue guidance for the current quarter fell short of investor projections. The shortfall sent its share price plummeting 12.6% by market close, dragging down other major players across the AI and tech ecosystem. U.S. memory chip manufacturer Micron Technology dropped 7.7%, while cloud cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike Holdings shed 3.8% in Thursday trading. Even with the tech sector pullback, the benchmark S&P 500 still managed a 0.4% gain, and the Dow Jones climbed 1.7% to set a new record close. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite bucked the broader upward trend, dipping just 0.1% by the closing bell.

    When Asian markets opened for trading Friday, investors moved quickly to offload AI and tech holdings, sparking steep declines across the region. South Korea’s benchmark Kospi index led the losses, falling 5.1% to 8,185.62 by midday trading, a dramatic pullback after the index roughly doubled over the past 12 months on the back of booming demand for its leading chip manufacturers. SK Hynix, one of the world’s largest memory chip producers and a key supplier to AI hardware supply chains, plunged 8.4%, while industry peer Samsung Electronics shed 5.4% in morning trading.

    Japan’s Nikkei 225, which has also hit repeated record highs in recent months driven by tech gains, slipped 1.2% to 66,532.35, with leading chip equipment manufacturer Tokyo Electron falling 7.2% to lead the downturn. The decline came even as separate government data released Friday confirmed Japanese real wages have risen for four consecutive months, a positive macroeconomic signal that failed to offset AI-related market jitters. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index declined 0.8% to 25,047.83, while mainland China’s Shanghai Composite Index bucked the regional trend to gain 0.4% to close at 4,075.31. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.5% to 8,639.50, Taiwan’s Taiex index gave up 1.5%, and India’s Sensex posted a minor 0.2% gain.

    Beyond equity markets, global oil prices stabilized Friday after falling sharply in the previous session, as investors continued to weigh persistent Middle East geopolitical risks against tentative hopes for a diplomatic breakthrough that would reopen critical energy shipping lanes. International benchmark Brent crude rose 0.4% to $95.42 per barrel, after dipping to $95.03 on Thursday. U.S. benchmark crude ticked 0.1% higher to $93.15 per barrel, still far above the roughly $70 per barrel price recorded before the outbreak of the latest regional conflict.

    For months, global energy markets have been roiled by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow strategic waterway that carries roughly a fifth of global oil and natural gas supplies. The ongoing conflict has stoked fears that sustained energy disruptions will fuel global inflation and drag down economic growth across major economies. Even as strong corporate earnings and AI-driven enthusiasm have pushed many major stock indexes to multi-year or record highs, repeated volatility linked to Middle East tensions has created ongoing uncertainty for global investors.

    Last week, American and Iranian negotiators reached a tentative framework to extend a ceasefire, but a final agreement has yet to be signed. Complicating prospects for a permanent end to hostilities, the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah rejected the latest proposed ceasefire between the Lebanese and Israeli governments earlier this week, raising fears of a wider regional escalation. In a note to clients, ING commodities strategists Warren Patterson and Ewa Manthey noted that the oil market has so far traded on expectations that a diplomatic deal will quickly reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but they warned that market hopes for a rapid breakthrough may be “overly optimistic” given the lack of tangible progress in negotiations.

    In currency markets, minor fluctuations were recorded in early Friday trading. The U.S. dollar dipped slightly to 159.97 Japanese yen, down from 160.03 yen in the previous session. The euro edged marginally higher to $1.1614, up from $1.1610 at Thursday’s close. AP Business Writer Stan Choe contributed reporting to this article.

  • Australian cockroach kingpin caught with 100,000 illegal insects in record bug bust

    Australian cockroach kingpin caught with 100,000 illegal insects in record bug bust

    In what Australian authorities have described as the largest seizure of prohibited exotic invertebrates in the nation’s history, more than 100,000 illegally kept live cockroaches have been confiscated from a commercial breeder in New South Wales, officials confirmed Friday. The operation, carried out in May, targeted a breeder operating in the regional city of Bathurst, taking two prohibited species off the black market: Madagascar hissing cockroaches and dubia cockroaches, with a total estimated street value of 200,000 Australian dollars, equal to roughly $142,000 US.

    Among the two species seized, the Madagascar hissing cockroach stands out for its extraordinary size: classified as one of the largest cockroach species on Earth, adult specimens grow between 2 and 3 inches long, far larger than the common native Australian cockroach which only reaches between 0.9 and 1.4 inches in length. Official government photos show the glossy brown invasive invertebrate is actually bigger than an average adult person’s finger.

    Australia is already a nation where cockroaches thrive, with its warm, subtropical climate supporting hundreds of native species across the country. But these two introduced species are banned entirely under Australian law: import, possession, breeding and commercial sale of Madagascar hissing and dubia cockroaches are all criminal offenses, regardless of how the specimens were originally obtained.

    Local Bathurst snake catcher Stefanie Lesser, who has experience dealing with exotic wildlife in the region, explained the illegal black market demand for these large insects to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. She noted the roaches are primarily sold as a low-cost, convenient feed source for pet reptiles. Because of their large size, reptile owners require far fewer individual insects to feed their lizards and snakes, making the illegal roaches an attractive alternative to regulated feed options. In response, environmental officials are urging reptile and other exotic pet owners to turn to legal alternatives such as crickets or native wood roaches instead of purchasing prohibited invasive species.

    Australia maintains some of the strictest biosecurity border controls in the world, designed to protect its unique native wildlife, $100 billion agriculture and horticulture industries from destructive invasive pest outbreaks. Anyone caught smuggling undeclared or prohibited animal, insect or plant material into the country faces fines reaching thousands of Australian dollars, and can face criminal prosecution for repeat or large-scale offenses.

    In an official statement, the Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water emphasized that these exotic cockroach species have never undergone formal environmental risk assessment for introduction to Australia. If they were to establish wild populations, they could pose multiple threats to local ecosystems: they may carry and spread novel diseases to native invertebrate species, outcompete native cockroaches for resources, and disrupt local food chains, putting vulnerable native wildlife populations at risk. Authorities have warned that anyone found illegally possessing the prohibited invertebrates will face prosecution, though a department spokesperson confirmed no charges have been filed against the Bathurst breeder as of the announcement. All 100,000 seized cockroaches will be humanely euthanized to eliminate any risk of escape or release into the wild.

  • Bear escapes capture by opening factory window in Japan, police say

    Bear escapes capture by opening factory window in Japan, police say

    A remarkable and unnerving manhunt is underway in Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan, after a wild brown bear that injured four people pulled off a brazen escape from an electronics factory where authorities had cornered it — outsmarting multiple capture attempts through feats of clever problem-solving that have left local officials stunned.

    The incident began on Tuesday night, when the young male bear first wandered into a local steel manufacturing facility. It attacked four workers before moving a short distance to a neighboring electronics factory, where authorities quickly moved in to contain the animal. What followed was a series of failed capture attempts that exposed just how adept the bear was at navigating human-made obstacles.

    First, a team of wildlife officials attempted to tranquilize the bear with a dart, but the shot failed to immobilize the animal before it retreated into a hidden corner of the factory. Next, food traps baited with fresh fruit and honey were set — but the bear easily accessed and consumed the bait without triggering any of the trap mechanisms, city officials confirmed. Before its Wednesday escape, witnesses even spotted the animal using its front paws to twist open a factory faucet to drink water, an unexpected display of dexterity.

    In a final attempt to coax the bear out into an open area where it could be safely captured, officials turned off all factory lights Wednesday night. Instead of stepping into the waiting traps, the bear made its move to freedom: investigators now confirm the bear slipped the latch on a closed window, pushed it open fully, and fled the facility under the cover of darkness.

    Fukushima Mayor Yuki Baba described the animal as “extremely intelligent” in comments to Kyodo News Agency, a assessment backed up by the bear’s string of evasive maneuvers. Authorities had already authorized the use of lethal shooting to stop the bear if it posed an immediate public threat, but police opted not to take that step inside the factory due to the large quantity of flammable materials stored on site that could have ignited, creating a far larger hazard.

    As of Thursday, local authorities have launched a large-scale search operation for the runaway bear, deploying drones to comb the surrounding wooded and residential areas for any sign of the animal. Out of an abundance of caution, all local schools switched their classes to remote-only learning for the day, while residents have been urged to stay indoors and avoid travel after dark.

    Speaking to reporters after the escape, Mayor Baba expressed public accountability for the failed capture, saying “It’s not that we neglected our response efforts, but we are left with regret.”

    This incident comes amid a growing public safety crisis across Japan, where encounters and attacks by wild bears have been rising steadily for years. Last year alone, the country recorded a record-high seven fatalities from bear attacks, as changing climate patterns and habitat loss push bears deeper into populated human areas in search of food. Historically, most bear encounters spike in autumn, when the animals fatten up before entering hibernation — this early-June incident has raised new concerns about shifting animal behavior that could put more communities at risk through the spring and summer months.

  • China cracks down on violence and misogyny in viral micro dramas

    China cracks down on violence and misogyny in viral micro dramas

    In a sweeping regulatory move targeting one of the world’s fastest-growing digital entertainment sectors, China’s State Administration of Radio and Television has launched a two-month national campaign to purge low-quality, harmful content from the country’s domestic micro drama industry. The regulatory push orders provincial-level authorities to conduct full inspections of domestic micro drama production work, with the stated goal of cultivating a “clean and healthy” creative and viewing ecosystem for the format.

    The campaign specifically targets eight categories of non-compliant content, the regulator confirmed in an official statement released this week. These prohibited problematic materials include soft pornography, content that promotes distorted attitudes toward marriage and romantic relationships, and productions that glorify excessive materialism through ostentatious displays of wealth. The crackdown also extends to content featuring feudalistic themes, graphic violent revenge plots, clickbait vulgar titles, and works that violate intellectual copyright laws.

    As a short-form serialized entertainment format designed exclusively for mobile viewing, micro dramas have exploded in mainstream popularity across the globe over the past half-decade. The format’s signature fast-paced, high-storytelling plots, which frequently center on viral tropes ranging from secret billionaire romance to forbidden cross-class relationships, are engineered to hold continuous viewer attention and drive binge-watching. But this rapid growth has come with persistent criticism: many low-budget micro dramas rely on sensationalist, exploitative content including gratuitous violence and overly sexualized character writing to boost views.

    Under the new regulatory framework, local governing bodies are tasked with carrying out spot checks on micro drama production companies operating within their jurisdictions. Any production found to violate the new content guidelines will be required to complete prompt rectification to address identified issues. Beyond local inspections, the national media regulator will also conduct its own centralized spot checks, and plans to update and strengthen long-term industry regulations based on findings collected during the two-month campaign.

    China’s domestic micro drama industry has already matured into a multi-billion-dollar commercial sector, with Chinese-made micro dramas amassing huge global audiences across markets from other East and Southeast Asian countries to parts of Africa. Recognizing the format’s massive profit potential, producers in major content-producing markets including South Korea and the United States have already begun investing in dedicated micro drama production studios to capture a share of the booming global market. The Chinese regulator emphasized that the crackdown holds “great significance for creating a healthy content ecosystem” that can support the sustainable long-term growth of the micro drama sector.

  • Chinese leader Xi Jinping will travel to North Korea next week in first visit since 2019

    Chinese leader Xi Jinping will travel to North Korea next week in first visit since 2019

    BEIJING — In a high-stakes diplomatic move that underscores shifting power dynamics in Northeast Asia, Chinese leader Xi Jinping will embark on a two-day state visit to North Korea next week, officials from both nations confirmed Friday. This trip will mark Xi’s first visit to the isolated nuclear-armed country in almost seven years, coming as Beijing seeks to reinforce its long-standing close ties with Pyongyang amid Pyongyang’s growing alignment with Moscow.

    North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has over the past several years deepened partnerships with countries opposed to U.S. influence, most notably expanding military cooperation with Russia to supply conventional arms and troops for Moscow’s campaign in Ukraine. But over the past 12 months, Kim has also prioritized repairing and strengthening economic and diplomatic relations with China — North Korea’s largest trading partner and primary source of international aid.

    As North Korea draws closer to Russia, Xi’s upcoming trip is a deliberate effort by Beijing to reaffirm its historic influence over Pyongyang and protect its core strategic interests in the Northeast Asian region, explained William Yang, an Asia analyst with the International Crisis Group.

    Official statements from Chinese and North Korean state media confirm the visit will run from Monday through Tuesday. Xi’s most recent trip to North Korea took place back in June 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic prompted Xi to sharply curtail his international travel; his last overseas engagement before this was a November 2024 trip to South Korea for the APEC summit, where he met with U.S. President Donald Trump.

    A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson framed the visit as a step forward for bilateral relations and regional stability. “The traditional friendly and cooperative relations between China and the DPRK have continued to develop in a sound and stable manner, bringing tangible benefits to both countries and their peoples,” said spokesperson Mao Ning, using the official abbreviation for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

    The announcement comes just weeks after Xi hosted both U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin for back-to-back high-level meetings in Beijing, and one day after North Korea publicly unveiled a new facility widely believed to be a uranium enrichment plant for nuclear weapons production — a claim Pyongyang has not officially confirmed. During an inspection of the site, Kim laid out plans to rapidly expand North Korea’s nuclear arsenal at an exponential rate.

    Regional security experts say the deliberate timing of the facility’s unveiling is no coincidence: Kim aims to lock in North Korea’s status as a recognized nuclear weapons state ahead of Xi’s visit. Kim’s long-term goal is to secure international acceptance of North Korea’s nuclear program in order to pressure the global community to lift harsh U.N. economic sanctions imposed in response to Pyongyang’s banned nuclear and missile development programs. Analysts note Kim ultimately intends to enter arms reduction talks with the U.S. only after securing recognition as a nuclear state, with the goal of winning concessions in exchange for partial nuclear concessions.

    Kim has prioritized expanding his country’s nuclear stockpile and delivery systems since high-stakes denuclearization talks with then-U.S. President Trump collapsed in 2019. Trump has repeatedly stated he is open to restoring diplomatic talks with Kim, but Pyongyang has refused to negotiate until Washington drops its demand for full denuclearization as a precondition for any dialogue.

    Diplomatic observers around the world will be closely watching the visit to see what position China takes publicly on the long-standing international demand for North Korean denuclearization.

    The most recent high-level encounter between the two leaders came back in September, when Kim traveled to Beijing to participate in a major Chinese military parade alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin and other foreign heads of state. At that meeting, Xi and Kim pledged ongoing mutual support and expanded bilateral cooperation.

    Both Russia and China, which hold permanent veto power on the U.N. Security Council, have repeatedly blocked efforts by the U.S. and other Western nations to strengthen international sanctions on North Korea over its banned weapons tests. Just last month during Putin’s Beijing visit, the two leaders released a joint statement opposing what they called “foreign policy isolation, economic sanctions, military pressure and other methods of creating threats to the security” of North Korea, per Kremlin readouts.

    Kim has in recent years pursued a more assertive foreign policy aligned with the narrative of a multipolar world opposing U.S. hegemony, prioritizing closer ties with nations that stand in confrontation with Washington. This upcoming visit offers China a critical opportunity to re-center its relationship with Pyongyang at a moment when North Korea is increasingly turning to Russia for military and diplomatic support.

  • Mount Everest climber recounts moment he lost guide who survived alone for six days

    Mount Everest climber recounts moment he lost guide who survived alone for six days

    In an extraordinary story of survival that has stunned the global mountaineering community, a Nepali mountain guide has been found alive after six days stranded in Mount Everest’s unforgiving \”death zone\”, defying almost all expectations of making it out alive. Hillary Dawa Sherpa, the guide, went missing while descending the world’s highest peak alongside Chris Thrall, a former British soldier, following a grueling multi-day climbing expedition this season.

  • Lawmakers vote to curb Trump war on Iran ahead of similar effort on Lebanon

    Lawmakers vote to curb Trump war on Iran ahead of similar effort on Lebanon

    In a rare display of bipartisan pushback against the White House’s Middle East military policy, the U.S. House of Representatives approved legislation Wednesday by a narrow 215-208 vote that would restrict President Donald Trump’s ability to continue unauthorized military action against Iran, requiring explicit congressional approval for any sustained hostilities. Four House Republicans broke with their party to support the bill, among them Kentucky Representative Thomas Massie, who will leave Congress in January following his primary defeat last month. Massie lost his race to a pro-Israel-backed candidate in what became the most expensive Republican House primary in U.S. history, a contest shaped heavily by lobbying groups focused on U.S.-Israel relations. Notably, more than a dozen Republican members did not cast a vote Wednesday, absent from the chamber during the roll call. This successful House vote marks a meaningful bipartisan rebuke of Trump’s joint military campaign with Israel against Iran, an effort that has consistently ranked low in public approval among U.S. voters. The legislation will now move to the U.S. Senate, where odds of passage are considered favorable, as the upper chamber previously advanced an identical war powers resolution in earlier procedural steps. As with a similar congressional challenge during Trump’s first term in 2019, when lawmakers passed a War Powers Act resolution demanding he seek congressional approval for U.S. participation in the Saudi-led war in Yemen, political observers widely expect Trump to issue a veto once the bill reaches his desk. In the 2019 case, congressional supporters of the resolution failed to gather the two-thirds majority required to override a presidential veto, a dynamic that is expected to repeat this cycle. In a statement released after the vote, House Foreign Affairs Committee ranking member Gregory Meeks argued that Trump’s military campaign against Iran has fallen far short of the administration’s stated policy goals, saying it has actually moved a diplomatic resolution of Iran’s nuclear program further out of reach. “The war has undermined the credibility of U.S. negotiations and allowed Iran to demonstrate its leverage over the Strait of Hormuz,” Meeks said. “Meanwhile, Americans are paying 50 percent more at the gas pump since the war began and footing the bill for billions per week in costs for a war they overwhelmingly oppose.” Jamal Abdi, president of the National Iranian American Council, framed the House vote as an unambiguous message from the majority of the nation’s elected lawmakers to the White House. “President Trump needs to stop dithering and bring this disastrous war to a close before more harm is done,” Abdi said. “Otherwise, more harm to the nation and more political blowback will follow.” As the chamber weighs in on Iran, House lawmakers are set to consider a separate, more far-reaching war powers resolution Thursday that targets U.S. backing for Israel’s military campaign in Lebanon. Introduced by Michigan Democratic Representative Rashida Tlaib, the measure would end U.S. participation in what Tlaib calls “the genocidal war on Lebanon,” noting that Washington provides critical logistical, intelligence, and weapons sales support to the Israeli military. In a statement defending her resolution, Tlaib documented the heavy civilian toll of the conflict, writing: “Since early March, Israel’s military has murdered more than 3,500 people in Lebanon, including 128 paramedics and healthcare workers. The Israeli military has focused on bombing ambulances, medical facilities, and homes – forcibly displacing 20 percent of the population. These are all war crimes.” Concurrent with Tlaib’s resolution vote, the Republican-led House Armed Services Committee will hold a markup Thursday of next year’s U.S. defense budget, where a controversial proposal to integrate U.S. and Israeli weapons development, defense technology, and military research programs has drawn intense criticism from progressive and foreign policy watchdog groups. Last week, A New Policy—a think tank founded by two former Biden administration officials who resigned in protest of U.S. support for Israel’s war in Gaza—issued a statement strongly opposing Section 224 of the budget, the provision that would enact the integration. The think tank argued the provision carries significant risks: “This approach exposes sensitive U.S. capabilities to counterintelligence risk, normalizes technologies developed in contexts of occupation and civilian harm, disadvantages U.S. defense companies’ ability to compete with Israeli competitors, deepens U.S. legal and reputational exposure without clear strategic necessity, and aims to hide continuing U.S. military support to Israel from Congressional and public transparency.” Despite the back-to-back passage of war powers resolutions in the House, political analysts consider it unlikely that Republican members, who are eager to avoid antagonizing Trump, will adjust their approach to long-term U.S. military support for Israel. The decades-long bipartisan consensus in Washington has long held that Israel advances core U.S. strategic interests in the Middle East—a position former President Joe Biden once summed up by saying that if Israel did not exist, the U.S. would need to create it. The current legislative fight centers on the 1973 War Powers Act, a federal law that allows any sitting lawmaker to introduce a resolution withdrawing U.S. armed forces from an unauthorized military conflict. Under the U.S. Constitution, the legislative branch holds the power to declare war and control federal spending, a check intended to prevent the executive branch from unilaterally committing the nation to prolonged conflict. “There are some things about the Constitution [that] are not clear [but] this point is crystal, crystal clear,” constitutional scholar Chris Edelson of the University of Massachusetts Amherst previously told Middle East Eye. Edelson added that the 1973 War Powers Act itself is flawed, however, noting its ambiguous wording makes it difficult to enforce as a check on executive authority, even though the constitutional requirement for congressional approval is clear. In the decades following the 9/11 attacks, the open-ended framework of the global war on terror has allowed successive White House administrations to expand executive power over military decision-making, with the U.S. launching hundreds of air strikes in nations ranging from Somalia to Pakistan without a formal congressional declaration of war. The 1973 law does grant the president 60 days of unilateral military action, after which the commander-in-chief must end hostilities, secure congressional authorization, or request a 30-day extension. The Trump administration has drawn sharp pushback for its legal interpretation of the law amid the current conflict with Iran. On April 30, roughly three weeks after Pakistan brokered a temporary ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran, a senior Trump administration official told Reuters that “for War Powers Resolution purposes, the hostilities that began on Saturday, February 28, have terminated.” That claim aligned with comments Secretary of War Pete Hegseth made during a Senate hearing, where he argued that the 60-day presidential war window automatically pauses when a ceasefire is in effect. That interpretation was immediately rejected by Democrats and a handful of congressional Republicans, who argue the administration is abusing the text of the War Powers Act to avoid accountability. In just the last week alone, the U.S. has launched three separate waves of air strikes on Iranian targets, military actions that prompted retaliatory attacks by Iran against U.S. regional partners. That escalation culminated in an attack Wednesday on Kuwait that destroyed an airport terminal, killed an Indian national, and injured more than 60 other people.