Reuters

Reuters

Former UK Foreign Office Permanent Secretary Sir Philip Barton testified that he was excluded from the decision-making process regarding Peter Mandelson's appointment as US ambassador until mid-December 2024, revealing that security vetting was incomplete at announcement and that he had flagged reputational risks regarding Mandelson's Epstein associations.

Reuters

Federal authorities charged Cole Thomas Allen with attempted assassination of President Trump following an armed attack at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, where Secret Service agents neutralized the suspect after he allegedly shot an officer wearing a ballistic vest.

Reuters

Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the Canada Strong Fund, a $25 billion sovereign wealth fund that will take equity stakes in domestic nation-building projects alongside private investors, allowing individual Canadians to directly invest in and benefit from national infrastructure rather than just providing debt financing.

Reuters

President Trump addressed the media after being evacuated from the White House Correspondents' Dinner due to an armed security breach, praising Secret Service for swiftly subduing the suspect and announcing the event will be rescheduled within 30 days.

Reuters

OMB Director Russell Vought outlined the Trump administration's first-year efforts to consolidate presidential control over federal agencies, citing Executive Order 14215's subordination of 'independent' agencies to White House review, historic deregulation achieving a 129-to-1 ratio of cuts to new rules, and the first rescissions packages since 1992 to claw back billions in foreign aid spending.

Reuters

EU leaders convened in Cyprus to address the escalating Middle East crisis, endorsing temporary ceasefires while warning against nuclear Iran and committing to secure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz through expanded defense cooperation and deeper regional partnerships.

Reuters

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine detailed the expansion of Operation Epic Fury, announcing a tightening global naval blockade that has turned around 34 ships and seized three vessels, while warning that Iranian forces attempting to lay mines will be destroyed.

Reuters

Activists placed 20,000 teddy bears on the National Mall to represent Ukrainian children abducted by Russia, with speakers warning that the true number may reach 200,000 and demanding that the return of these children be a precondition for any peace negotiations with Moscow.

Reuters

EU leaders convened to address the Iran crisis and energy security, unblocking €90 billion in aid for Ukraine while debating defense autonomy under Article 42.7 and strategies to reduce energy dependence on Russia.

Reuters

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries criticized Republicans for blocking bipartisan DHS funding to prioritize ICE deportations, condemned Trump's Iran war as strengthening adversaries while raising gas prices, and highlighted 16 months of consecutive Democratic electoral wins despite widespread voter frustration with institutions.

Reuters

Political economist Helen Thompson analyzes the US-Iran conflict as part of a broader Trump administration strategy to disrupt China's energy security while navigating the temporary nature of US shale independence and historical tensions between American military protection and global energy flows.

Reuters

UN Under-Secretary-General Jean-Pierre Lacroix clarified that UNIFIL lacks the mandate to forcibly disarm Hezbollah or repel Israeli forces, emphasizing that peacekeeping requires unified international political support and host-state cooperation to succeed, not military enforcement.