Kenya Insights

Category: Americas

  • Trump’s Renewed Trade Threats Take Aim at European Union, Apple

    Trump’s Renewed Trade Threats Take Aim at European Union, Apple

    U.S. President Donald Trump threatened once again on Friday to ramp up his trade war, recommending a 50% tariff on European Union goods starting June 1 and warning Apple he may impose a 25% tariff on any iPhones manufactured outside the U.S.

    The twin threats, delivered via social media, roiled global markets after weeks of de-escalation had provided some reprieve. The S&P 500 fell 0.9% in early trading, the Nasdaq fell 1.5%, and European shares fell 1.1%.

    Trump’s latest broadside against the EU stemmed from his frustration at the lack of progress in trade talks with the bloc. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox News on Friday that the 50% threat will hopefully “light a fire under the EU,” adding that other countries have been negotiating with Washington in good faith.

    “The European Union, which was formed for the primary purpose of taking advantage of the United States on TRADE, has been very difficult to deal with,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social site. “Our discussions with them are going nowhere!”

    The European Commission on Friday declined to comment on the new threat, saying it would wait for a phone call between EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic and his U.S. counterpart Jamieson Greer scheduled for Friday.

    Envoys from the 27 EU countries are also due to meet on trade in Brussels later in the day.

    Trump’s stop-and-start global trade war has rattled markets, sapped U.S. consumer and business confidence and raised investor fears of inflationary pressures and a global economic downturn.

    In response to falling markets, the White House paused most of the punishing tariffs that Trump announced in early April against nearly every country in the world, leaving in place a 10% baseline tax on most imports. He also cut a massive 145% tax on Chinese goods to 30%.

    “What is somewhat of a surprise is the fact that the EU will now face a considerably higher tariff rate than China, an almost unthinkable scenario just a matter of weeks ago,” said Lindsay James, investment strategist at Quilter.

    “It is highlighting that much of this policy is designed to be punitive, rather than having any economic credibility to it.”

    A 50% levy on EU imports could raise consumer prices on everything from German cars to Italian olive oil.

    EU’s total exports to the United States last year totaled about 500 billion euros, led by Germany (161 billion euros), Ireland (72 billion euros) and Italy (65 billion euros). Pharmaceuticals, cars and auto parts, chemicals and aircraft were among the largest exports, according to EU data.

    The White House has been in trade negotiations with numerous countries, but progress has been unsteady. Finance leaders from the Group of Seven industrialized democracies tried to downplay disputes over the tariffs earlier in the week at a forum in the Canadian Rocky Mountains.

    “The EU is one of Trump’s least favorite regions, and he does not seem to have good relations with its leaders, which increases the chance of a prolonged trade war between the two,” said Kathleen Brooks, research director at XTB.

    Shares in Germany’s carmakers and luxury companies, some of the most exposed to tariffs, fell. Porsche, Mercedes and BMW were down between 2% and 4.5% at 1320 GMT. Sunglasses company EssilorLuxottica was 5.5% lower.

    Volvo Cars CEO Hakan Samuelsson told Reuters on Friday that customers would have to pay a large part of tariff-related cost increases, and that it could become impossible to import the smallest cars in the company’s lineup to the United States.

    But he remained hopeful that Europe and the United States will soon come to an agreement.

    “I believe there will be a deal soon. It could not be in the interest of Europe or the U.S. to shut down trade between them,” Samuelsson said.

    TARGETING APPLE

    “I have long ago informed Tim Cook of Apple that I expect their iPhones that will be sold in the United States of America will be manufactured and built in the United States, not India, or anyplace else,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Friday, referring to the Apple CEO.

    “If that is not the case, a Tariff of at least 25% must be paid by Apple to the U.S.”

    Trump did not give a timeframe for any Apple tariffs.

    Shares of Apple fell 2.3% in early trading. More than 60 million phones are sold in the United States annually, but the country has no smartphone manufacturing.

    Any effort to impose a tariff on Apple alone could face legal hurdles, according to experts.

    “There’s no clear legal authority that permits company specific tariffs, but the Trump administration may try to shoehorn it under its emergency power authorities,” said Sally Stewart Liang, a partner at Akin Gump in Washington.

    There are other ways to put company-specific tariffs in place, but they’re all subject to long investigations, such as those on anti-dumping, according to Liang.

    Apple declined to comment on Trump’s threat.

    In response to market upheaval, the White House had granted exclusions from steep tariffs on smartphones and some other electronics imported largely from China, a break for Apple and other tech firms that rely on imported products.

    Apple is speeding up plans to make most of its iPhones sold in the United States at factories in India by the end of 2026 to navigate potentially higher tariffs in China, its main manufacturing base, a source told Reuters.

    But Trump and others, including Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, have suggested Apple could make iPhones in the United States. In February, Apple said it will spend $500 billion over four years to expand hiring and facilities in nine American states, but it did not say the investment would go towards bringing iPhone manufacturing to the U.S.

    “It is hard to imagine that Apple can be fully compliant with this request from the president in the next 3-5 years,” D.A. Davidson & Co analyst Gil Luria said.

  • Trump’s Golden Dome Plan Could Launch New Era of Weapons in Space

    Trump’s Golden Dome Plan Could Launch New Era of Weapons in Space

    U.S. President Donald Trump’s Golden Dome missile defense concept revives a controversial, decades-old initiative whose ambitious construction could upend norms in outer space and reshape relations between the world’s top space powers.

    The announcement of Golden Dome, a vast network of satellites and weapons in Earth’s orbit set to cost $175 billion, could sharply escalate the militarization of space, a trend that has intensified over the last decade, space analysts say.

    While the world’s biggest space powers – the U.S., Russia and China – have put military and intelligence assets in orbit since the 1960s, they have done so mostly in secrecy.

    Under former President Joe Biden, U.S. Space Force officials had grown vocal about a need for greater offensive space capabilities due to space-based threats from Russia and China.

    When Trump announced his Golden Dome plan in January, it was a clear shift in strategy, one that emphasizes a bold move into space with expensive, untested technology that could be a financial boon to U.S. defense contractors.

    The concept includes space-based missiles that would launch from satellites in orbit to intercept conventional and nuclear missiles launched from Earth.

    “I think it’s opening a Pandora’s box,” said Victoria Samson, director of space security and stability at the Secure World Foundation think tank in Washington, referring to deploying missiles in space. “We haven’t truly thought about the long-term consequences for doing so,” she added.

    Samson and other experts said Golden Dome could provoke other states to place similar systems in space or to develop more advanced weapons to evade the missile shield, escalating an arms race in space.

    The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

    Russia and China reacted differently to the latest news from Trump. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said it was “seriously concerned” about the project and urged Washington to abandon its development, adding that it carried “strong offensive implications” and heightened the risks of the militarization of outer space and an arms race.

    A Kremlin spokesperson said Golden Dome could force talks between Moscow and Washington about nuclear arms control in the foreseeable future.
    Primarily seeking to defend against a growing arsenal of conventional and nuclear missiles from U.S. adversaries Russia, China and smaller states such as North Korea and Iran, the Golden Dome plan is a revival of a Cold War-era effort by former U.S. President Ronald Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), better known as the “Star Wars” program.

    SDI envisioned stationing a constellation of missiles and powerful laser weapons in low-Earth orbit that could intercept a ballistic nuclear missile launched anywhere on Earth below, either in its boost phase moments after launch or in its blazing-fast cruise phase in space.

    But the idea never came to fruition mainly because of technological hurdles, as well as the high cost and concerns it would violate an anti-ballistic missile treaty that has since been abandoned.

    ‘WE’RE READY‘

    Golden Dome has strong and powerful allies in the defense contracting community and the growing defense technology arena, many of whom have been preparing for Trump’s big move into space weaponry.

    “We knew that this day was likely going to come. You know, we’re ready for it,” L3Harris Chief Financial Officer Ken Bedingfield said in an interview with Reuters last month.

    “L3 Harris has an early start of building the sensor network that will become the foundational sensor network for the Golden Dome architecture.”

    Trump ally Elon Musk’s rocket and satellite company SpaceX has emerged as a frontrunner alongside software firm Palantir (PLTR.O) and drone maker Anduril to build key components of the system, Reuters reported last month.

    Many of the early systems are expected to come from existing production lines. Attendees at the White House press conference with Trump on Tuesday named L3Harris, Lockheed Martin (LMT.N) and RTX Corp (RTX.N) as potential contractors for the massive project.

    But Golden Dome’s funding remains uncertain. Republican lawmakers have proposed a $25 billion initial investment for it as part of a broader $150 billion defense package, but this funding is tied to a contentious reconciliation bill that faces significant hurdles in Congress.

    (Reuters)

  • Kenya Could Lose Crucial Military Support from the US Over Ties to China, US Senator Warns

    Kenya Could Lose Crucial Military Support from the US Over Ties to China, US Senator Warns

    Senator Jim Risch threatens to revoke Kenya’s Major Non-NATO Ally status following President Ruto’s deepening diplomatic engagement with Beijing

    Kenya’s strategic military partnership with the United States faces unprecedented strain as a powerful US Senator threatens to revoke the country’s newly-acquired Major Non-NATO Ally status over its increasingly close relationship with China.

    Senator Jim Risch, Chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the stark warning on Wednesday, expressing deep concern about Kenya’s “troubling” diplomatic ties with America’s greatest global competitor. The Idaho Republican’s comments signal a potential dramatic shift in US-Kenya relations that could strip Nairobi of crucial military advantages gained just last year.

    The threat to Kenya’s military status

    Kenya achieved a historic milestone in June 2024 when former President Joe Biden designated it as a Major Non-NATO Ally, making it the first sub-Saharan African nation to receive this prestigious status.

    The designation opened doors to sophisticated US military technology, priority access to defense equipment, joint training exercises, and government loan guarantees for military purchases.

    “Kenya plays a vital role in regional counterterrorism and stability. But as our newest Major Non-NATO Ally, Kenya’s ties with China are troubling,” Risch stated. “Widened diplomacy with America’s greatest competitor is not an alliance—it’s a risk for the US to assess.”

    The senator’s warning carries significant weight given his influential position overseeing US foreign policy and his ability to shape legislative decisions affecting international partnerships.

    Ruto’s Beijing speech sparks controversy

    The diplomatic tension escalated following President William Ruto’s state visit to China in April 2025, where his remarks to Chinese leadership drew sharp criticism from Washington.

    During the visit, Ruto declared that Kenya and China were not merely trade partners but “co-architects of a new world order—one that is fair, inclusive, and sustainable.”

    The Kenyan president also criticized global financial institutions like the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, arguing they favor wealthy nations over developing countries.

    He pointed to the IMF’s Special Drawing Rights allocation, where 64 percent of funds went to wealthy countries while the poorest nations received only 2.4 percent.

    Senator Risch viewed these comments as crossing a diplomatic red line.

    “Just last month, President Ruto declared that Kenya, a major non-NATO ally, and China are ‘co-architects of a new world order.’ That’s not just alignment to China; it’s allegiance,” he told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

    The potential loss of Major Non-NATO Ally status would have far-reaching consequences for Kenya’s military capabilities and regional security operations. Currently, the designation allows Kenya to access advanced US military technology, participate in enhanced joint training programs, and receive priority delivery of military surplus equipment.

    Kenya has been a crucial partner in US counterterrorism efforts in East Africa, particularly in operations against al-Shabaab in Somalia.

    The country’s strategic position and military cooperation have made it a cornerstone of American security interests in the region.

    The senator emphasized that US engagement with African nations must protect American interests while ensuring taxpayer value.

    “We must stop building US policy in Africa around individual leaders and instead focus on strengthening institutions, expanding private sector ties, and empowering the region’s young and dynamic populations,” Risch argued.

    Kenya’s balancing act

    President Ruto has consistently maintained that Kenya pursues a non-aligned foreign policy, stating the country is “neither facing east nor west” but “facing forward.”

    He has positioned Kenya as a potential bridge between global powers during an era of increasing geopolitical tensions.

    China serves as Kenya’s largest trading partner and biggest source of imports, while Kenya ranks as China’s most significant trading partner in East Africa.

    This economic reality complicates Kenya’s diplomatic positioning as tensions between the US and China continue to intensify.

    The president has compared his Beijing visit to his historic Washington trip in 2024, arguing that Kenya can serve as a diplomatic bridge “between East and West, North and South” in today’s polarized global environment.

    Senator Risch’s warnings extend beyond Kenya to encompass America’s broader Africa strategy under the Trump administration.

    He called for a “clear-eyed realism” in assessing African partnerships and questioned whether engagement with certain governments justifies the costs.

    The senator advocated for focusing US policy on strengthening democratic institutions rather than building relationships around individual leaders, suggesting a fundamental shift in how America approaches African diplomacy.

    This reassessment comes as the US and Kenya are reportedly renewing discussions about a potential free trade agreement, which would be the first such comprehensive deal between America and a sub-Saharan African nation.

    However, the diplomatic tensions over China ties could complicate these economic negotiations.

    For Kenya, the stakes couldn’t be higher.

    The Major Non-NATO Ally designation represents not just military advantages but also international prestige and strategic positioning in a competitive global landscape.

    Losing this status would significantly diminish Kenya’s defense capabilities and could affect its role as a regional security anchor.

    The controversy also highlights the increasingly difficult position facing many African nations as they navigate between competing global powers seeking influence on the continent.

    As China expands its economic footprint through infrastructure investments and trade partnerships, African countries find themselves pressured to choose sides in the broader US-China strategic competition.

    The coming weeks will likely determine whether diplomatic channels can resolve these tensions or if Kenya will face the stark choice between its economic partnerships with China and its military cooperation with the United States.

    This developing story continues to unfold as both Kenyan and US officials have yet to respond publicly to Senator Risch’s latest warnings about the future of bilateral military cooperation.

  • ‪Trump Administration Bans Harvard From Enrolling Foreign Students‬

    ‪Trump Administration Bans Harvard From Enrolling Foreign Students‬

    Donald Trump’s administration on Thursday revoked Harvard’s right to enroll foreign students — more than a quarter of its annual enrollment — in a major escalation of the president’s fight with one of the world’s most storied universities.

    Trump is furious at Harvard — which has produced 162 Nobel prize winners — for rejecting his demand that it submit to oversight on admissions and hiring over his claims that it is a hotbed of anti-Semitism and “woke” liberal ideology.

    “Effective immediately, ,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote in a letter to the Ivy League institution, referring to the main system by which foreign students are permitted to study in the United States.

    Last month, Trump threatened to stop Harvard from enrolling foreign students if it did not agree to government demands that would put the private institution under outside political supervision.

    “As I explained to you in my April letter, it is a privilege to enroll foreign students,” Noem wrote.

    “All universities must comply with Department of Homeland Security requirements, including reporting requirements under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program regulations, to maintain this privilege,” she said.

    “As a result of your refusal to comply with multiple requests to provide the Department of Homeland Security pertinent information while perpetuating an unsafe campus environment that is hostile to Jewish students, promotes pro-Hamas sympathies, and employs racist “diversity, equity, and inclusion” policies, you have lost this privilege.”

    More than 27 percent of Harvard’s enrollment was made up of foreign students in the 2024-25 academic year, according to university data.

    Harvard did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

    (AFP)

  • What Is The Golden Dome Missile Defense Shield?

    What Is The Golden Dome Missile Defense Shield?

    U.S. President Donald Trump picked a design for his Golden Dome missile defense system and named a leader of the ambitious $175 billion defense program. Here are details on Golden Dome, where the idea comes from and how it will work.

    HOW WILL IT WORK?

    The aim is for Golden Dome to leverage a network of hundreds of satellites circling the globe with sophisticated sensors and interceptors to knock out incoming enemy missiles after they lift off from countries like China, Iran, North Korea or Russia.

    “I promised the American people that I would build a cutting edge missile defense shield to protect our homeland from the threat of foreign missile attack,” Trump said when he made the announcement on Tuesday.

    In April the Pentagon asked defense contractors how they would design and build a network to knock out intercontinental ballistic missiles during the “boost phase” just after lift-off – the slow and predictable climb of an enemy missile through the Earth’s atmosphere. Existing defenses target enemy missiles while they travel through space.

    Once the missile has been detected, Golden Dome will either shoot it down before it enters space with an interceptor or a laser, or further along its path of travel in space with an existing missile defense system that uses land-based interceptors stationed in California and Alaska.

    Beneath the space intercept layer, the system will have another defensive layer based in or around the U.S. This is something the Pentagon’s Missile Defense Agency looked intoduring the first Trump administration.

    IS GOLDEN DOME LIKE ISRAEL’S IRON DOME?

    “We helped Israel with theirs, and [it] was very successful, and now we have technology that’s even far advanced from that,” Trump said referring to Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system.

    The short-range Iron Dome air defense system was built to intercept the kinds of rockets fired by the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza.

    Developed by Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems with U.S. backing, it became operational in 2011. Each truck-towed unit fires radar-guided missiles to blow up short-range threats like rockets, mortars and drones in mid-air.

    The system determines whether a rocket is on course to hit a populated area; if not, the rocket is ignored and allowed to land harmlessly.

    Iron Dome was originally billed as providing city-sized coverage against rockets with ranges of between 4 and 70 km (2.5 to 43 miles), but experts say this has since been expanded.

    HOW IS IT SIMILAR TO THEN-PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN’S STAR WARS INITIATIVE?

    “We will truly be completing the job that President Reagan started 40 years ago, forever ending the missile threat to the American homeland,” Trump said on Tuesday.

    The idea of strapping rocket launchers, or lasers, to satellites so they can shoot down enemy intercontinental ballistic missiles is not new. It was part of the Star Wars initiative devised during the presidency of Ronald Reagan. But it represents a huge and expensive technological leap from current capabilities.

    Reagan’s “Strategic Defense Initiative,” as it was called, was announced in 1983 as groundbreaking research into a national defense system that could make nuclear weapons obsolete.

    The heart of the SDI program was a plan to develop a space-based missile defense program that could protect the U.S. from a large-scale nuclear attack. The proposal involved many layers of technology that would enable the United States to identify and destroy automatically a large number of incoming ballistic missiles as they were launched, as they flew, and as they approached their targets. SDI failed because it was too expensive, too ambitious from a technology perspective, could not be easily tested and appeared to violate an existing anti-ballistic missile treaty.

    WHO WILL BUILD GOLDEN DOME?

    Trump ally Elon Musk’s rocket and satellite company SpaceX has emerged as a frontrunner alongside software firm Palantir  and drone maker Anduril to build key components of the system.
    Many of the early systems are expected to come from existing production lines. Attendees at the White House press conference with Trump named L3Harris Technologies, Lockheed Martin and RTX Corp as potential contractors for the massive project.

    L3 has invested $150 million in building out its new facility in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where it makes the Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor Satellites that are part of a Pentagon effort to better detect and track hypersonic weapons with space-based sensors and could be adapted for Golden Dome.

    But Golden Dome’s funding remains uncertain. Republican lawmakers have proposed a $25-billion initial investment for it as part of a broader $150-billion defense package, but this funding is tied to a contentious reconciliation bill that faces significant hurdles in Congress.

    (Reuters)

  • Ramaphosa Keeps Cool During Trump’s Choreographed Onslaught

    Ramaphosa Keeps Cool During Trump’s Choreographed Onslaught

    Three months into Donald Trump’s second term, foreign leaders should be aware that a coveted trip to the Oval Office comes with the risk of a very public dressing down, often straying into attempts at provocation and humiliation.

    Wednesday’s episode with South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa was a classic of its kind, with the added twist of an ambush involving dimmed lights, a lengthy video screening and stacks of news story clippings.

    As television cameras rolled, and after some well-tempered discussion, Trump was asked by a journalist about what it would take for him to be convinced that discredited claims of “white genocide” in South Africa are untrue.

    Ramaphosa responded first, by saying the president would have to “listen to the voices of South Africans” on the issue. Trump then came in, asking an assistant to “turn the lights down” and put the television on, so he could show the South African leader “a couple of things”.

    Elon Musk, his adviser and a South Africa-born billionaire, watched quietly from behind a couch.

    What followed was an extraordinary and highly choreographed onslaught of accusations from the US president about the alleged persecution of white South Africans, echoing the aggressive treatment of Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelensky during his February visit to the White House.

    The footage on the large screen showcased South African political firebrands chanting “Shoot the Boer”, an anti-apartheid song. And Trump, so often critical of the news media, seemed happy to parade pictures of uncertain provenance. Asked where alleged grave sites of white farmers were, he simply answered, “South Africa”.

    The US leader also seemed to believe the political leaders in the footage – who are not part of the government – had the power to confiscate land from white farmers. They do not.

    While Ramaphosa did sign a controversial bill allowing land seizures without compensation earlier this year, the law has not been implemented. And the South African distanced himself publicly from the language in the political speeches shown.

    But the top ally of South Africa’s Nelson Mandela and negotiator who helped bring an end to the apartheid regime of white-minority rule came to this meeting prepared.

    Trump sometimes appears unaware of transparent efforts made by foreign leaders to flatter and that was clearly part of the South African strategy.

    True, Donald Trump is a golf fanatic, but Ramaphosa’s gambit of bringing two top golfers – Ernie Els and Retief Goosen – to a meeting about diplomatic problems and trade policy is not taken from any textbook on international relations I’ve ever read.

    However, the US president’s pleasure at having the two white South African golfers there was on show for all to see.

    Their prognostications on the fate of white farmers got nearly as much screen time as South Africa’s democratically-elected president, who largely restricted himself to quiet, short interventions.

    But Ramaphosa will likely be happy with that. The golfers, along with his white agriculture minister, himself from an opposition party which is part of the national unity government, were there, at least in part, as a shield – a kind of diplomatic golden dome if you will, and it worked.

    Trump returned repeatedly to the issue of the plight of the farmers – dozens of whom he has welcomed into the US as refugees. But President Ramaphosa wasn’t biting and the provocations were largely left to blow in the breeze.

    At one point, he referred to the golfers and an Afrikaner billionaire who had joined his delegation, telling Trump: “If there was Afrikaner farmer genocide, I can bet you, these three gentleman would not be here.”

    But even though President Trump didn’t manage to get a rise out of the South African president, that does not mean his efforts over more than an hour were in vain; they certainly were not.

    This performative style of diplomacy is aimed as much at the domestic American audience as it is at the latest visitor to the Oval Office.

    Central to the Make America Great Again (MAGA) project is keeping up the energy around perceived grievances and resentment and President Trump knows what his supporters want.

    If some foreign leaders are learning to navigate these moments with skill, Donald Trump may have to change the playbook a bit to continue to have the impact he wants.

    (BBC)

  • Two Staff Members of Israeli Embassy Killed in Shooting Near Jewish Museum in DC

    Two Staff Members of Israeli Embassy Killed in Shooting Near Jewish Museum in DC

    WASHINGTON (AP) — Two staff members of the Israeli embassy were shot and killed Wednesday evening while leaving an event at a Jewish museum in the nation’s capital, and the suspect and yelled “free, free Palestine” after he was arrested, police said.

    The two victims, a man and a woman, were leaving an event at the Capital Jewish Museum when the 30-year-old suspect approached a group of four people and opened fire, Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith said at a news conference.

    The suspect was observed pacing outside the museum before the shooting, walked into the museum after the shooting and was detained by event security, Smith said.

    When he was taken into custody, the man began chanting, “free, free Palestine,” Smith said.

    Attorney General Pam Bondi said she was at the scene with former judge Jeanine Pirro, who serves as the U.S. attorney in Washington.

    Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, called the shooting a “depraved act of anti-Semitic terrorism.”

    “We are confident that the US authorities will take strong action against those responsible for this criminal act,” Danon said in a post on X. “Israel will continue to act resolutely to protect its citizens and representatives — everywhere in the world.”

  • US Accepts Luxury Jet From Qatar For Use as Air Force One for Trump

    US Accepts Luxury Jet From Qatar For Use as Air Force One for Trump

    The United States has accepted a 747 jetliner as a gift from Qatar and the Air Force has been asked to find a way to rapidly upgrade it for use as a new Air Force One, the Pentagon said on Wednesday.

    Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth accepted the $400 million Boeing-made jet for use as U.S. President Donald Trump’s official plane, the Pentagon said.

    Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said the Defense Department “will work to ensure proper security measures and functional-mission requirements are considered.”

    Legal experts have questioned the scope of laws relating to gifts from foreign governments that aim to thwart corruption and improper influence. Democrats have also sought to block the handover.
    Qatar has dismissed concerns about the aircraft deal. Trump has also shrugged off ethical concerns, saying it would be “stupid” not to accept the jet.

    U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 12, 2025. REUTERS
    U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 12, 2025. REUTERS

    Retrofitting the luxury plane offered by Qatar’s royal family will require significant security upgrades, communications improvements to prevent spies from listening in and the ability to fend off incoming missiles, experts say. That could cost hundreds of millions of dollars.

    The precise costs were not known, but could be significant given the cost for Boeing’s current effort to build two new Air Force One planes is over $5 billion.

    The Air Force One program has faced chronic delays over the last decade, with the delivery of two new 747-8s slated for 2027, three years behind the previous schedule.

    Boeing in 2018 received a $3.9 billion contract to build the two planes for use as Air Force One, thought costs have since risen. Boeing has also posted $2.4 billion in charges from the project.

    (Reuters)

  • Diddy Trial: Cassie’s Mother Testifies in Court

    Diddy Trial: Cassie’s Mother Testifies in Court

    Cassie’s mother, Regina Ventura, testified about threats and violence experienced by her daughter during her decade-long relationship with Sean “Diddy” Combs.

    Ventura took the stand after several days of gruelling testimony by her daughter, Casandra Ventura, the singer known as Cassie, who detailed harrowing abuse by Combs and his coercive, drug-fueled sex marathons known as “freak-offs.”

    Combs, 55, is facing federal charges of sex trafficking and leading an illegal sex ring that enforced its power with crimes including arson, kidnapping and bribery.

    Prosecutors on Monday asked Ventura about an email her daughter, a key witness in the trial, had sent her on December 23, 2011.

    Cassie, 38, testified last week that Combs in late 2011 had become enraged when he discovered she had been seeing rapper Kid Cudi, whose real name is Scott Mescudi.

    Mescudi may testify at the trial in coming days.

    Combs subsequently threatened to release videos of her participating in his sex parties as retaliation, Cassie told her mother in the email.

    Ventura read the email aloud: “The threats that have been made to me by Sean Puffy Combs are that he is going to release two explicit tapes of me.”

    “He also said he will be having someone hurt me and Scott Mescudi physically.”

    Ventura said she felt “physically sick” to learn of the threats. “I did not understand it, the sex tape threw me.”

    Combs’s defense attorneys sought to undermine Cassie’s testimony on the sex parties, alleging she took part voluntarily.

    Ventura said Tuesday that Combs, who was already very wealthy at the time and whose fortune is now estimated by Forbes magazine at $700 million, demanded $20,000 to recoup money he had spent on her.

    The money was eventually paid, Cassie’s mother said, justifying it as ensuring her daughter’s “safety.”

    Ventura was also asked Tuesday about photos of Cassie showing bruises on her body, again at the same time in late 2011.

    “She was bruised. We wanted to make sure we’d memorialized (that) she was beaten by Sean Combs,” she said.

    Combs’ lawyer Xavier Donaldson questioned another witness at length on Tuesday — Sharay Hayes, nicknamed “The Punisher,” a stripper who had been hired by the couple many times.

    Hayes said that in his opinion Cassie never showed any “discomfort” as Combs directed them to have sex while he watched, but that it was Combs giving the instructions.

    Combs made hundreds of millions in the music, fashion, media and liquor industries and is often credited with helping to bring hip-hop into the mainstream.

    But the rap producer and global superstar once famous for his lavish parties now appears visibly aged after months in prison.

    He has pleaded not guilty to all charges but faces life in prison if convicted.

    The defense contends that while Ventura’s relationship with Combs was complicated and included domestic abuse, it did not amount to sex trafficking.

  • Russia and Ukraine to ‘Immediately’ Start Ceasefire Talks, Says Trump

    Russia and Ukraine to ‘Immediately’ Start Ceasefire Talks, Says Trump

    US President Donald Trump says Russia and Ukraine will “immediately” start negotiating towards a ceasefire and an end to the war, after a two-hour phone call with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

    Trump, who described the conversation as having gone “very well”, also said conditions for peace would need to be negotiated between the two parties.

    Despite the note of optimism from Trump, who also spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, any ceasefire or peace deal does not appear close.

    Putin said he was ready to work with Ukraine on a “memorandum on a possible future peace agreement”, while Zelensky said “this is a defining moment”, and urged the US not to distance itself from talks.

    In his remarks, the Russian president did not address demands from the US and European countries for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire.

    After his one-on-one call with Trump, Zelensky reaffirmed Ukraine’s desire for a “full and unconditional ceasefire”, and warned if Moscow is not ready, “there must be stronger sanctions”.

    Speaking earlier before Trump’s conversation with Putin, Zelensky said he had asked that any decisions about Ukraine were not made without his country, calling them “matters of principles” for Ukraine.

    He added he did not have any details on a “memorandum” but said once they have received anything from the Russians, they will “be able to formulate their vision accordingly”.

    Writing on his Truth Social page after the call, Trump said: “Russia and Ukraine will immediately start negotiations toward a Ceasefire and, more importantly, an END to the War,” adding he had informed Zelensky of this in a second call, which also included other world leaders.

    He added: “The conditions for that will be negotiated between the two parties, as it can only be, because they know details of a negotiation that nobody else would be aware of.”

    Zelensky said the negotiation process “must involve both American and European representatives at the appropriate level”.

    “It is crucial for all of us that the United States does not distance itself from the talks and the pursuit of peace, because the only one who benefits from that is Putin,” he explained.

    Talking at a White House event later in the day, Trump said the US would not be stepping away from brokering talks between Russia and Ukraine, but that he has a “red line in his head” on when he will stop pushing on them both.

    He also denied that the US was stepping back from its negotiating role.

    In recent weeks, Trump has repeatedly warned that the US would step away from negotiations as he became increasingly frustrated at the lack of developments from both Moscow and Kyiv in the way of peace.

    When asked on what he believes on Russia, he said he thinks Putin has had enough of the war and wants it to end.

    Meanwhile, Putin – who described the call with Trump, which he took from a music school on a visit to the city of Sochi, as “frank, informative and constructive” – also spoke of the potential for a ceasefire.

    “We have agreed with the US president that Russia will offer and is ready to work with Ukraine on a memorandum on a possible future peace agreement,” he said.

    This, he added would define “a number of positions” including “principles of the settlement and a timeline for concluding a possible peace agreement…including a possible ceasefire for a certain period of time, should relevant agreements be reached”.

    Zelensky held a second call with Trump after the US president spoke to Putin, which also included President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, and the leaders of France, Italy, Germany and Finland.

    “I want to thank President Trump for his tireless efforts to bring a ceasefire to Ukraine,” von der Leyen said, adding: “It’s important that the US stays engaged.”

    Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Pope Leo’s offer to host potential peace talks was a gesture welcomed by the US and the other leaders in the call, and “judged positively”.

    Earlier this month, the new Pope offered the Vatican as a venue for possible peace talks after Putin turned down Zelensky’s offer to meet face-to-face in Turkey for negotiations.

    (BBC)

  • What is ‘aggressive’ Prostate Cancer? All you need to know About What Biden is Dealing With

    What is ‘aggressive’ Prostate Cancer? All you need to know About What Biden is Dealing With

    US former president Joe Biden has been diagnosed with an “aggressive form” of prostate cancer that has spread to his bones, his office said in a statement on Sunday (May 18).

    The disease is the most common cancer affecting males. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, for every 100 males, 13 will develop prostate cancer at some point in their lives. Although, all men are at risk of having prostate cancer, age is a crucial factor in this disease. The prostate is located just near the bladder and in front of the rectum.

    According to the American Cancer Society, prostate cancer that appears very abnormal is given the highest grade, Grade 5. A Gleason score can go up to 10, showing how serious Biden’s condition is. A prostate cancer termed as “aggressive” based on the stage and grade.

    Former US president Joe Biden has been diagnosed with an “aggressive form” of prostate cancer. The disease has now spread to his bones, his office announced in a statement on Sunday (May 18). The statement said Biden was diagnosed with “prostate cancer, characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone.” It further revealed that the former president is struggling with the disease, which appears to be hormone-sensitive.

    “The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians,” Biden’s office said.

    This came after Biden a small nodule was found in prostate after which Biden was evaluated.

    After the announcement came, US President and Biden’s political rival Donald Trump said he was “saddened” by the news.

    Trump took to his social media platform Truth Social and wrote, “We extend our warmest and best wishes to Jill and the family, and we wish Joe a fast and successful recovery.”

  • Former US President Biden Diagnosed With ‘Aggressive’ Prostate Cancer

    Former US President Biden Diagnosed With ‘Aggressive’ Prostate Cancer

    Former US President Joe Biden, 82, has been diagnosed with prostate cancer that has spread to his bones, a statement from his office said on Sunday.

    Biden, who left office in January, was diagnosed on Friday after he saw a doctor last week for urinary symptoms.

    The cancer is a more aggressive form of the disease, characterised by a Gleason score of 9 out of 10. This means his illness is classified as “high-grade” and the cancer cells could spread quickly, according to Cancer Research UK.

    Biden and his family are said to be reviewing treatment options. His office added that the cancer was hormone-sensitive, meaning it could likely be managed.

    In Sunday’s statement, Biden’s office said: “Last week, President Joe Biden was seen for a new finding of a prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms.

    “On Friday, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterised by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone.

    “While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management.”

    After news broke of his diagnosis, the former president received support from both sides of the aisle.

    President Donald Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social that he and First Lady Melania Trump were “saddened to hear about Joe Biden’s recent medical diagnosis”.

    “We extend our warmest and best wishes to Jill and the family,” he said, referring to former First Lady Jill Biden. “We wish Joe a fast and successful recovery.”

    Former Vice-President Kamala Harris, who served under Biden, wrote on X that she and her husband Doug Emhoff are keeping the Biden family in their prayers.

    “Joe is a fighter – and I know he will face this challenge with the same strength, resilience, and optimism that have always defined his life and leadership,” Harris said.

    In a post on X, Barack Obama – who served as president from 2009 to 2017 with Joe Biden as his deputy – said that he and his wife Michelle were “thinking of the entire Biden family”.

    “Nobody has done more to find breakthrough treatments for cancer in all its forms than Joe, and I am certain he will fight this challenge with his trademark resolve and grace. We pray for a fast and full recovery,” Obama said. In 2016, Obama tasked Biden with leading a “cancer moonshot” government-wide research programme.

    The news comes nearly a year after the former president was forced to drop out of the 2024 US presidential election over concerns about his health and age. He is the oldest person to have held the office in US history.

    Biden, then the Democratic nominee vying for re-election, faced mounting criticism of his poor performance in a June televised debate against Republican nominee and current president Donald Trump. He was replaced as the Democratic candidate by his vice-president, Kamala Harris.

    Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer affecting men, behind skin cancer, according to the Cleveland Clinic. The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that 13 out of every 100 men will develop prostate cancer at some point in their lives.

    Age is the most common risk factor, the CDC says.

    Dr William Dahut, the Chief Scientific Officer at the American Cancer Society and a trained prostate cancer physician, told the BBC that the cancer is more aggressive in nature, based on the publicly-available information on Biden’s diagnosis.

    “In general, if cancer has spread to the bones, we don’t think it is considered a curable cancer,” Dr Dahut said.

    He noted, however, that most patients tend to respond well to initial treatment, “and people can live many years with the diagnosis”.

    Dr Dahut said that someone with the former president’s diagnosis will likely be offered hormonal therapies to mitigate symptoms and to slow the growth of cancerous cells.

    Biden had largely retreated from the public eye since leaving the White House and he has made few public appearances.

    The former president delivered a keynote speech in April at a Chicago conference held by the Advocates, Counselors, and Representatives for the Disabled, a US-based advocacy group for people with disabilities.

    In May, he sat down for an interview with the BBC – his first since leaving the White House – where he admitted that the decision to step down from the 2024 race was “difficult”.

    Biden has faced questions about the status of his health in recent months.

    In an appearance on The View programme that also took place in May, Biden denied claims that he had been experiencing cognitive decline in his final year at the White House. “There is nothing to sustain that,” he said.

    For many years, the president had advocated for cancer research.

    In 2022, he and Mrs Biden relaunched the “cancer moonshot” initiative with the goal of mobilising research efforts to prevent more than four million cancer deaths by the year 2047.

    Biden himself lost his eldest son, Beau, to brain cancer in 2015.

    (BBC)

  • Brooklyn Bridge Ship Crash Kills Two People

    Brooklyn Bridge Ship Crash Kills Two People

    Two people have died and 19 others were injured after a Mexican Navy training ship collided with the Brooklyn Bridge, according to New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Sunday.

    The incident occurred late Saturday evening as onlookers enjoyed the spring weather and watched in horror as the ship struck the iconic landmark, snapping all three of its masts.

    Mayor Adams confirmed the fatalities and injuries in a post on X, stating that out of the 277 people on board, 19 sustained injuries, with two initially in critical condition who later succumbed to their injuries.

    Online footage captured the Mexican Navy ship Cuauhtemoc, whose sails were furled and decorative lights strung in its rigging. It attempted to pass under the bridge when its masts sheared off upon impact, crashing into the East River.

    Just minutes before the collision, hundreds of spectators had gathered to bid farewell to the ship, which had been docked in southern Manhattan since Tuesday.

    Brooklyn Bridge ship crash kills two people. Credit: ABC News
    Brooklyn Bridge ship crash kills two people. Credit: ABC News

    The Mexican Navy reported that two crew members died in the crash and an additional 22 were injured, with half of those injuries being critical.

    Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum expressed her deep sadness over the deaths of the two crew members on X.

    New York police chief of special operations Wilson Aramboles stated at a press conference that the ship lost power around 8:20 pm (0020 GMT Sunday) while the captain was manoeuvring the vessel, causing it to drift towards the Brooklyn side of the bridge.

    Several sailors atop the ship were injured in the collision, though it remains unclear if they were among the deceased.

    Eyewitness Nick Corso, 23, described the scene as “panic on the ship,” with screaming and sailors hanging from the damaged masts. He did not see anyone fall into the water.

    The Mexican Navy clarified that no one fell into the water and no rescue operation was launched. At the time of the incident, the ship was departing New York, displaying flags and a large Mexican flag at its stern.

    Another eyewitness, Arturo Acatitla, 37, recounted seeing the ship leave the dock moments before its lights collided with the bridge, causing sailors to fall.

    Despite the collision, the New York transport department reported “no signs of structural damage to the Brooklyn Bridge” after initial inspections. The bridge, connecting Brooklyn and Manhattan, was temporarily closed for about 40 minutes before reopening.

    Mexican ambassador Esteban Moctezuma Barragan informed a news conference that the injured were taken to hospitals. Sirens were heard in the vicinity following the incident.

    The NYPD’s Aramboles identified the Cuauhtemoc as a barque built in 1982 with a mast height of 48.2 meters (158 feet), noting it was en route to Iceland. The Mexican embassy had previously celebrated the ship’s arrival in Manhattan with mariachi music and folk ballet.

    The Mexican Navy confirmed the damage to the Cuauhtemoc and reaffirmed its commitment to the safety of its personnel and transparency in its operations. The ship was later moved near the Manhattan Bridge.

    The New York Police Department advised residents to avoid the area due to heavy traffic and the presence of numerous emergency vehicles.

    This incident marks the second fatal ship collision with a US bridge in just over a year, following the Baltimore bridge collapse in March 2024 that resulted in the deaths of six road workers.

  • Trump Administration Reportedly Weighs Plan to Relocate One Million Gazans to Libya

    Trump Administration Reportedly Weighs Plan to Relocate One Million Gazans to Libya

    The Trump administration is working on a plan to permanently relocate as much as one million Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to Libya, NBC News reported on Friday, citing five people with knowledge of the matter.

    Citing two people with direct knowledge and a former US official, NBC also reported that the plan is under serious enough consideration that the US has discussed it with Libya’s leadership.

    In exchange for resettling the Palestinians, the administration would release to Libya billions of dollars of funds the US froze more than a decade ago, according to NBC and citing the same three people

  • Justin Bieber Denies Being a Diddy Victim and Stands With Others

    Justin Bieber Denies Being a Diddy Victim and Stands With Others

    Singer Justin Bieber was not a victim of Sean “Diddy” Combs but supports others who were and are seeking justice from the hip-hop mogul facing federal sex trafficking charges, TMZ and People reported on Friday, quoting Bieber’s representative.

    Why are we doing this story? The allegations against Diddy and the link to Justin Bieber attracted significant public interest, leading to widespread speculation on social media. This article clarifies Bieber’s official position on the allegations against Diddy and his stance on the alleged victims in the case.

    Bieber rose to fame in the music world as a teenager and had socialised and performed with Combs, who is 24 years his senior. Videos of the two spending time together prompted online speculation that Combs may have abused Bieber.

    “Although Justin is not among Sean Combs’ victims, there are individuals who were genuinely harmed by him,” a spokesperson for Bieber said in a statement reported by TMZ and People.

    “Shifting focus away from this reality detracts from the justice these victims rightfully deserve,” the spokesperson added.

    Representatives for Combs and Bieber did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.

    On trial in Manhattan, Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to five felony counts of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution.

    Lawyers for Combs say he never forced anyone to engage in sexual acts against their will, and the days-long, drug-fueled parties Combs called “Freak Offs” were consensual sexual activity.

    Bieber, 31, became a star at age 13 after a manager discovered videos of the Canadian singing on YouTube. Allegations of abuse by Combs emerged on social media along with a video of a teenage Bieber with an adult Combs.

    One video, posted on Bieber’s YouTube page in 2009, showed Combs saying the pair were spending two days together.

    “Where we hanging out and what we’re doing, we can’t really disclose. But it’s definitely a 15-year-old’s dream,” Combs said in the video.

    “For the next 48 hours, he’s with me. And we’re gonna go full, buck full crazy,” Combs added.

    When asked what he wanted to do, Bieber, aged 15, said, “Let’s just go get some girls.”

    The pair also appeared together on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” in 2011. “He knows better than to be talking about things that he does with Big Brother Puff on national television,” said Combs, who performed previously as Puff Daddy.

    In 2023, they collaborated on a song called “Moments.”

    (Reuters)

  • Trump’s Sh52 Billion Qatar Jet Gift Sparks Constitutional Firestorm

    Trump’s Sh52 Billion Qatar Jet Gift Sparks Constitutional Firestorm

    US President Donald Trump’s plan to accept a $400 million (Sh51.7 billion) airplane from Qatar raises a raft of questions about the scope of laws that relate to gifts from foreign governments and are intended to thwart corruption and improper influence, legal experts said.

    Below is a look at some of the laws and legal precedents:

    What does the US Constitution say?

    There are two provisions in the US Constitution that place restrictions on the president receiving an emolument, or gift, from foreign governments or from federal or state governments.

    One provision states that the US Congress must approve any gift from a “King, Prince, or foreign State” to an elected official in the United States. The other, referred to as the “domestic” emoluments clause, prohibits the president from receiving a gift beyond salary for the job.

    Congress has expressly approved gifts from foreign governments in the past. In 1877, Congress accepted the Statue of Liberty as a gift from France.

    The foreign emoluments clause did not bar President Barack Obama in 2009 from receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, which included $1.4 million (Sh181 million) in cash, without congressional consent.

    A memo from the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel determined the prize did not violate the Constitution because the Norwegian Nobel Committee is not a “King, Prince, or foreign State.” Obama donated the money to charity.

    Qatari military aircraft perform a flyover before U.S. President Donald Trump departs on Air Force One from Al Udeid Air Base, en-route to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, in Doha, Qatar, May 15, 2025. Photo credit: Reuters
    Qatari military aircraft perform a flyover before U.S. President Donald Trump departs on Air Force One from Al Udeid Air Base, en-route to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, in Doha, Qatar, May 15, 2025.
    Photo credit: Reuters

    Who can enforce the provisions?

    That’s unclear, and the Supreme Court has not addressed the question, according to a report by the Congressional Research Service.

    Legal experts said members of Congress, US states and even potentially some private businesses could try to sue the president if they believe a gift violates the foreign Emoluments Clause, but they face challenges.

    US courts require plaintiffs to have legal “standing” to bring claims, meaning they must be the proper party to bring the case, which is a threshold issue for any litigation to advance.

    What have US courts said about emoluments?

    Until Trump’s first term, there had not been substantial litigation over the clauses, and even the meaning of the term “emolument” is a matter of legal dispute.

    Democratic members of Congress sued Trump in 2017 after his global businesses allegedly received payments from foreign governments, including when Kuwait hosted an event at the Trump International Hotel in Washington.

    That case was dismissed by the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, which said the 215 members of Congress lacked standing to sue as an institution because they did not comprise a majority. Republicans controlled both houses of Congress at the time, as they do now.

    The US Supreme Court declined in October 2020 to review that ruling.

    Attorneys general for Maryland and the District of Columbia also jointly brought an emoluments cases related to Trump’s businesses during his first term. Their case was dismissed by a panel of three judges, appointed by Republican presidents, of the US Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit, also for a lack of standing.

    The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit determined in 2019 that restaurants and hotels in New York and Washington had standing to bring an emoluments lawsuit claiming they were harmed by Trump’s competing businesses. The case was dismissed without addressing the merits when Trump left office after losing the 2020 election.

    Do other US laws govern foreign gifts?

    The Foreign Gifts and Decorations Act sets requirements for gifts and allows the president to keep any that are worth less than $480 (Sh62079).

    Gifts worth more than $480 (Sh62079) may be accepted on behalf of the United States, which retains ownership. Presidents are allowed to keep gifts above the threshold level if they reimburse the government for the fair market cost.

    Are there possible exceptions?

    It might be possible for the plane to be accepted by the Department of Defence under a statute that was enacted in 1990 to govern contributions to defence programs.

    The law allows the Secretary of Defence to accept from individuals, foreign governments and international organisations contributions of money or property and could be put to use by the Air Force, which operates the president’s plane.

    Trump has said the plane would eventually be donated to his presidential library, a repository housing research materials from his administration.

    He said he has no plans to keep it for personal use after leaving office. It is unclear if such a donation would run afoul of the domestic emoluments clause, which prevents a president from accepting gifts beyond the salary for the job.

    (Reuters)

  • Trump Wraps Up Gulf Tour With AI and Energy Deals in UAE

    Trump Wraps Up Gulf Tour With AI and Energy Deals in UAE

    (Reuters) – President Donald Trump said on Friday on his last stop on a Gulf tour focused on business deals that the United Arab Emirates and the United States had agreed a path for the Gulf country to buy advanced AI semiconductors from U.S. companies, a major win for Abu Dhabi’s efforts to become a global AI hub.

    Trump also wrapped up his Gulf tour of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE with a pledge by oil power Abu Dhabi – the UAE’s capital and richest emirate – to hike the value of its energy investments in the U.S. to $440 billion in the next decade.

    Trump departed for Washington after whirlwind meetings with leaders in the Gulf aimed at securing financial commitments from the wealthy energy producers that could boost the U.S. economy and create jobs.

    In March, when senior UAE officials met Trump, the UAE had committed to a 10-year, $1.4 trillion investment framework in the U.S. in sectors including energy, AI and manufacturing to deepen reciprocal ties.

    “We’re making great progress for the $1.4 (trillion) that UAE has announced it intends to spend in the United States,” Trump said in Abu Dhabi, at the end of the four-day tour that has concentrated, at least publicly, on investment, not security crises in the Middle East, including Israel’s war in Gaza.

    His public diplomacy was limited to a meeting with Syria’s new interim leader after deciding to remove sanctions on Syria at the behest of Saudi Arabia, in a major shift in U.S. policy.

    The AI deal is a boost for the UAE, which has been trying to balance its relations with its longtime ally the U.S. and its largest trading partner China.

    It reflects the Trump administration’s confidence that the chips can be managed securely, in part by requiring data centres be managed by U.S. companies.

    “Yesterday the two countries also agreed to create a path for UAE to buy some of the world’s most advanced AI semiconductors from American companies, a very big contract,” Trump said.

    “This will generate billions and billions of dollars in business and accelerate the UAE’s plans to become a really major player in artificial intelligence,” he added.

    New deals announced with UAE, totalling over $200 billion, included a $14.5 billion commitment from Etihad Airways to invest in 28 American-made Boeing aircraft.

    ENERGY INVESTMENTS

    The UAE energy investment commitment was announced during a presentation by Sultan Al Jaber, Abu Dhabi state energy giant ADNOC’s chief executive, one of a number of huge financial pledges Trump has drawn from the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

    The enterprise value of UAE investments in the U.S. energy sector will be boosted to $440 billion by 2035 from $70 billion now, Al Jaber told Trump, adding U.S. energy firms will also invest in the UAE.

    “Our partners have committed new investments worth $60 billion in upstream oil and gas, as well as new and unconventional opportunities,” Jaber said in front of a slide showing projects in the UAE under the logos of U.S. companies ExxonMobil, Oxy and EOG Resources.
    XRG, the international investment arm of ADNOC, is seeking to make a significant investment in U.S. natural gas, Jaber, who is also XRG’s executive chairman and minister of industry and advanced technology, has said.

    SYRIA AND IRAN

    The lifting of U.S. sanctions on Syria cleared the way for a deal announced on Friday between the Syrian government and Dubai-based DP World, Syrian state news agency SANA said on Friday. The two sides signed a memorandum of understanding worth $800 million to develop Syria’s port of Tartous.

    Trump said he did not consult ally Israel, Syria’s longtime foe, about the U.S. decision to recognise Syria’s new government, despite deep Israeli suspicion of Islamist President Sharaa’s administration.

    “I didn’t ask them about that. I thought it was the right thing to do. I’ve been given a lot of credit for doing it. Look, we want Syria to succeed,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, shortly after departing Abu Dhabi.

    Trump urged Sharaa to establish ties with Israel and join the Abraham Accords, normalisation deals between Israel, the UAE, Bahrain,and Morocco brokered by the United States during his first term.

    Trump on Friday said Iran has his administration’s proposal for a nuclear deal and knows it needs to move quickly, a day after saying Washington and Tehran were close to a nuclear deal.

    “They have a proposal. More importantly, they know they have to move quickly or something bad—something bad’s going to happen,” Trump told reporters.

  • Ex-FBI Boss James Comey Investigated For Seashell Photo Seen as Threat to Trump

    Ex-FBI Boss James Comey Investigated For Seashell Photo Seen as Threat to Trump

    Former FBI director James Comey is being investigated by the Secret Service after he shared then deleted a social media post, which Republicans alleged was an incitement to violence against President Donald Trump.

    Comey posted on Instagram a photo of seashells that spelled the numbers “8647”, which he captioned: “Cool shell formation on my beach walk.”

    The number 86 is a slang term whose definitions include ‘to reject’ or ‘to get rid of’, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, which also notes that it has more recently been used as a term meaning ‘to kill’.

    Trump is the 47th US president. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem alleged the message was a call for the assassination of Trump, but Comey said he opposed violence.

    In a post in X, Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said: “We vigorously investigate anything that can be taken as a potential threat against our protectees.

    “We are aware of the social media posts by the former FBI Director & we take rhetoric like this very seriously. Beyond that, we do not comment on protective intelligence matters.”

    Comey deleted the Instagram post, saying in a follow-up that he “assumed [the sea shells] were a political message”.

    “I didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence,” he added. “It never occurred to me but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down.”

    "Cool shell formation," Comey commented before deleting the post
    “Cool shell formation,” Comey commented before deleting the post

    Trump survived two assassination attempts last year.

    Current FBI Director Kash Patel responded on social media, saying that the bureau was “aware of the recent social media post by former FBI Director James Comey, directed at President Trump”.

    “We are in communication with the Secret Service and Director Curran. Primary jurisdiction is with SS [Secret Service] on these matters and we, the FBI, will provide all necessary support.”

    Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said on X: “Disgraced former FBI Director James Comey just called for the assassination of Trump.”

    She said her department and the Secret Service would investigate the matter.

    White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino posted on X, accusing Comey of “a plea to bad actors/terrorists to assassinate the POTUS’ while traveling internationally”, referring to Trump’s current tour of the Middle East.

    The president’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, also responded on X, commenting: “James Comey causally [sic] calling for my dad to be murdered.”

    Comey served as the FBI’s director between 2013-17.

    He had a tumultuous tenure that included overseeing the high-profile inquiry into Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton’s email just weeks before the 2016 election that she ended up losing to Trump.

    He was fired by Trump amid an investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

  • Qatar Airways Places A ‘Record’ Order For 160 Planes From Boeing, Trump Announces

    Qatar Airways Places A ‘Record’ Order For 160 Planes From Boeing, Trump Announces

    US President Donald Trump said Wednesday Qatar Airways had placed a “record” order for 160 planes from Boeing, as he signed a raft of deals in Doha alongside Qatar’s emir.

    The order, which the White House said was Boeing’s largest ever for wide-body jets, deepens ties between the US aerospace giant and the giant Middle East carrier.

    Qatar Airways will honor a “$96 billion agreement to acquire up to 210 American-made Boeing 787 Dreamliner and 777X aircraft powered by GE Aerospace engines,” according to a White House fact sheet.

    “This is Boeing’s largest-ever widebody order and largest-ever 787 order,” it said.

    Comprehensive details about the order were not available. Boeing declined immediate comment.

    The order represents a win for new Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, although analysts noted that the planes won’t be delivered for at least five years due to industry backlogs.

    Both Boeing and rival Airbus, which has also sold extensively to Qatar Airways, have struggled in recent years with supply chain problems as they have taken thousands of plane orders amid strong airline demand. Boeing has also been beset with safety and labor problems that have limited output.

    Ortberg joined Trump for part of Wednesday’s signing ceremony that also included defense agreements and the purchase by Qatar of American MQ-9B drones, after about two hours of talks with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.

    “It’s over $200 billion but 160 in terms of the jets. That’s fantastic. So that’s a record,” Trump said, adding: “It’s the largest order of jets in the history of Boeing. That’s pretty good.”

    The list prices of the 777X and 787 Dreamliner suggest the total value of the Boeing deal is well under $200 billion. The $96 billion figure in the White House factsheet also appears to include some business for GE Aerospace.

    Plane backlog

    Trump’s Qatar visit is the second destination of his Gulf tour, after a first stop in Riyadh, where he made a surprise announcement lifting sanctions on Syria and met the country’s president.

    Relations between Washington and Doha have been in the spotlight over Qatar’s offer to Trump of a $400 million luxury aircraft to serve as a new Air Force One and then pass into his personal use.

    Since 2016, Boeing has received 118 gross orders from Qatar Airways and delivered 65 planes to the carrier, according to Boeing’s website.

    Morningstar analyst Nicolas Owens said the order represents “good news” for Boeing, but noted that it would be years before Boeing receives revenues for the jets in Wednesday’s order.

    “If you’re ordering a plane today it’s not going to be on your landing strip for at least five years,” Owens said.

    Owens said the announcement is also a “vote of confidence” in the much-delayed 777X, which is still be certified, with Boeing pointing to first deliveries in 2026.

    Ortberg joined Boeing in August 2024 following a leadership shakeup after a series of safety and quality control problems. He has focused on upgrading Boeing’s operations under the close scrutiny of US air safety regulators, saying improving Boeing’s corporate culture will take time.

    Shares of Boeing rose 1.6 percent after midday.

    (AFP)

  • Diddy’s Ex, Cassie, Tells Jury He Controlled Her Life and Humiliated Her with ‘Freak Offs’

    Diddy’s Ex, Cassie, Tells Jury He Controlled Her Life and Humiliated Her with ‘Freak Offs’

    The prosecution’s star witness testified about the alleged physical and emotional abuse she endured at the hands of the rapper during so-called “freak-offs”, or sexual encounters the couple had with male escorts.

    Family and friends have come to court in large numbers to support Mr Combs, whose legal team has not yet questioned Ms Ventura.

    Mr Combs has pleaded not guilty to charges including racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution.

    Ms Ventura fell ‘in love’ with Mr Combs

    Prosecutors began by questioning Ms Ventura – one of their two central witnesses in the case – about her 11-year, on-and-off relationship with Mr Combs.

    Now 38 and pregnant with her third child, she met Mr Combs when she was a 19-year-old aspiring singer and he was 37.

    His record label would later sign Ms Ventura as an artist, and shortly afterwards their romantic relationship began.

    At the time, she testified, she felt like they were in a monogamous relationship, though she knows now that he had other girlfriends.

    She said she “fell in love” with the “larger-than-life entrepreneur and musician”. But it was not long before she noticed another side to him, she said.

    Mr Combs wanted to ‘control’ every part of her life, Ms Ventura says

    Mr Combs wanted to “control” her life, Ms Ventura said. She said he paid for her home, her cars, her phone and other technology that he would sometimes take away to “punish” her.

    “Control was everything, from the way that I looked… to what I was working on,” Ms Ventura said.

    Eventually, she claimed, the control turned violent. Mr Combs would “bash on my head, knock me over, drag me and kick me” frequently, Ms Ventura testified, sometimes through tears.

    She alleged that she was left with swollen lips, black eyes and knots on her forehead.

    Ms Ventura felt ‘humiliated’ by ‘freak-offs’

    Prosecutors spent hours on Tuesday asking Ms Ventura about so-called “freak-offs”.

    Ms Ventura told the court how Mr Combs introduced her to the sexual events during the first year of their relationship. They would hire a male escort or stripper to have sex with Ms Ventura while Mr Combs watched.

    Ms Ventura told the court that she first tried the encounters to make Mr Combs “happy”. But she said they humiliated her, and sometimes lasted three to four days.

    “I felt pretty horrible about myself,” she told the court, wiping away tears. “It made me feel worthless.”

    Ms Ventura told the court she never wanted to have sex with anyone but Mr Combs, and claimed she would take myriad drugs – marijuana, ecstasy and ketamine – to help her perform to Mr Combs’ satisfaction, but also to “disassociate”.

    The drugs were “a way to not feel it for what it really was”, she said, “having sex with a stranger I didn’t really want to be having sex with”.

     

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    Mr Combs flew male escorts in for freak-offs, court hears

    As prosecutors pressed Ms Ventura about the “freak-offs”, she told the court of how Mr Combs would direct her to find male escorts, strippers or dancers to have sex with while he watched.

    She alleged that Mr Combs would pay the men anywhere from $1,500 to $6,000 in cash, depending on their performance.

    They found the men through stripper companies and sites like Craigslist. Some of their photos were displayed to the jurors, including Daniel Phillip, who finished his testimony earlier on Tuesday.

    Ms Ventura and Mr Combs had the enounters in cities around the world, including Los Angeles, New York, Las Vegas and Ibiza, Spain, Ms Ventura testified.

    Sometimes, men would be flown in during vacations, she alleged, and Mr Combs would direct her to ask staff to pay for and arrange their travel, calling them new employees.

    Among other charges, prosecutors are trying to prove that Mr Combs engaged in sex trafficking – human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation – and transportation to engage in prostitution.

     

    Mr Combs ‘directed’, Ms Ventura says

    As prosecutors pressed Ms Ventura for graphic details, one key element emerged: Ms Ventura claimed that Mr Combs controlled every part of the encounters.

    He chose the outfits she wore – down to the extremely high heels she kept on for hours – as well as the sexual acts that transpired and the lighting, Ms Ventura told jurors.

    “If Sean wanted something to happen, that was what was going to happen,” she said. “I couldn’t say no.”

    Sometimes, Ms Ventura said, she would take the lead on which male escorts to hire because Mr Combs was “very busy”, but she only did so at his direction, she said.

    She said freak-offs had a very specific “pattern” of sexual acts each time.

    “He was controlling the whole situation,” she alleged. “He was directing it.”

    At times, Ms Ventura said, she tried to tell Mr Combs that she felt “horrible”. But when he dismissed her concerns, she said, she relented, worried he would get angry or question their relationship.

    Ms Ventura is expected to continue her testimony on Wednesday, when she could also face cross-examination.

    (BBC)