Afternoon Update: Jeff Bezos’s rocket explodes; James Valentine farewelled; and Marilyn’s friendships in Hollywood Nasa plan to return humans to moon in two years in jeopardy after launchpad explosion The Guardian - AU · May 29
Great American State Fair's Updated Lineup After Sudden Wave of Artists Backing Out Amid 'Misleading' Event Claims Several high-profile musicians have withdrawn from the Freedom 250 Fair, citing unexpected political overtones despite assurances of a non-partisan event. International Business Times UK · May 29
Global stocks rise and oil price slips amid hopes of US-Iran peace deal - as it happened Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news The Guardian - UK · May 29
Ukraine targets Russian energy infrastructure; Moscow says over 200 drones intercepted overnight Intense fighting in the Russia-Ukraine war continues as Ukraine launched drone attacks hitting fuel facilities in Yaroslavl Oblast. Russia claims to have intercepted hundreds of drones. Meanwhile, a Russian drone struck an apartment building in Romania, injuring two. The US remains open to mediation, while Ukraine's President Zelenskyy has appealed… The Times of India · May 29
World's most valuable AI start-up: Anthropic nears $1 trillion valuation as it overtakes OpenAI Artificial intelligence company Anthropic raised $65 billion in private funding, boosting its valuation to $965 billion and overtaking OpenAI's last reported valuation of $730 billion as the two firms compete for dominance in the AI sector. Euronews · May 29
Friday briefing: What do the cuts in aid mean for the fight against Ebola in the DRC? In today’s newsletter: As the virus spreads across borders, health workers warn that weakened global support is making a prolonged crisis more likely The Guardian - UK · May 29
Mamdani launches new cost-cutting initiative inspired by Musk and Trump IN FULL The Independent UK · May 29
Iran-US war latest: Trump says naval blockade in Hormuz will be lifted and pledges ‘final decision’ on peace deal Iran still has not lifted its blockade and insists there is no clause requiring Tehran to forego costly tolls, according to Iranian media The Independent UK · May 29
Pentagon Allegedly Puts Building Blocks in Place for Cuba Invasion – Just Awaiting Trump's Go-Ahead, Report Says The Pentagon has positioned military assets in the Caribbean for possible action against Cuba amid ongoing US sanctions. No immediate move confirmed International Business Times UK · May 29
Is the ‘Quad’ dying a slow death? Even with Trump, it still has a vital role to play Analysts have tried to make sense of US President Donald Trump’s second term with countless, sometimes contradictory, labels. He’s isolationist and transactional. He’s a populist. Or, more recently, a neoconservative. The Conversation · May 29
The Guardian - UK · May 29 Cuba used to have European friends – there’s a reason why even now they have deserted it too Traditional allies are embroiled elsewhere while even Spain and France have bigger fish to fry with Trump says Paul Taylor of the European Policy Centre
The Independent UK · May 29 Ukraine-Russia war latest: Zelensky fears ‘massive’ new attack while Putin reacts to Romania drone strike Two people injured after Russian drone strike sparks fire in 10-storey building
The Economic Times · May 29 'Very close': JD Vance says US nears agreement on Strait of Hormuz, Iran nuclear setback US Vice President JD Vance said Washington is "very close" to achieving a broader strategic agreement in West Asia, asserting that recent US actions will reopen the Strait of Hormuz, weaken Iran's conventional military capabilities, and position the United States to significantly delay Tehran's nuclear programme.
Bangkok Post · May 29 Artists back out of concerts for US 250th anniversary NEW YORK - Two of the nine artists who were announced as headliners for a concert series celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States have publicly backed out of the event, a day after the lineup was released.
The Times of India · May 29 Viral fame spares 'Donald Trump' buffalo from Eid sacrifice in Bangladesh DHAKA: "Donald Trump" has been spared - the Eid sacrificial buffalo named after the US president - once destined for slaughter on Thursday - will now be "preserved" and "cared for" at the national zoo in Dhaka, after a last-minute intervention by the Tarique Rahman-led Bangladesh govt, reportedly following a…
The Conversation · May 29 Why Donald Trump’s latest plan for peace is a non-starter Sooner or later in every armed conflict, someone will trot out the well-worn aphorism that “Truth is the first casualty of war.” And certainly, in the Iran war truth beat a hasty retreat as soon as the US and Israel launched their attacks on Iran and Lebanon on February 28.