Thousands of drones, missiles, and sea mines have disrupted the perfect oil and gas export business that the Persian Gulf enjoyed, which seeks to recalibrate its alliances while the vital Strait of Hormuz remains blocked by the United States and Iran.
Donald and Melania Trump received King Charles III and Camilla of the United Kingdom this Tuesday in a pompous State ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House, on the second day of the British royal family’s official tour, with which both countries commemorate 250 years since the independence of the 13 founding colonies of the United States. The Marine Band performed the two official anthems with their trumpets, followed by the traditional 21-gun salute, a military honor reserved for the highest dignitaries.
The Russian superyacht Nord, linked to billionaire Aleksei Mordashov, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, has managed to navigate through the Strait of Hormuz, becoming one of the few vessels that has successfully transited this maritime route currently blocked by the war in Iran, according to the MarineTraffic platform. The event occurs after a meeting of an Iranian delegation with the Russian president in St. Petersburg.
Ukrainian drones have hit a Russian refinery in the city of Tuapse, on the Black Sea, for the third time this month. The first two attacks caused an oil leak and black rain over the city. This Tuesday’s attack has forced Vladimir Putin to take control of the situation, sending the Minister of Emergency Situations to the area.
The Israeli opposition closes ranks to defeat Benjamin Netanyahu in the upcoming elections, scheduled for this October. Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, who have already held the position of Prime Minister of Israel, announced the merger of their parties, in a coalition that aims to surpass Netanyahu’s Likud party in the vote.
Cole Tomas Allen, the 31-year-old Californian who broke into the Hilton hotel in Washington armed on Saturday with the alleged intention of killing Donald Trump and high-ranking members of his cabinet, appeared this morning before a court in the capital for his arraignment. The prosecution has already made public the charges against him: attempted assassination of the president, transportation of a firearm and ammunition with the intent to commit a felony, and use of a firearm during a violent crime. These serious criminal offenses could lead him to spend his life in prison.
Sri Lankan authorities arrested 22 Buddhist monks at Colombo International Airport after finding 112 kilograms of suspected drugs in their luggage, according to customs officials.
If it were a Broadway musical or a theatrical show, the luminous neon signs of Times Square and 42nd Street would proclaim “Charles III’s most complex and dangerous journey,” that “the king is going to Washington at the lowest point in bilateral relations in almost a century,” “he will use his charm to try to tame Trump,” “he runs the risk of being humiliated,” or “his life depends on a Secret Service that has allowed three assassination attempts.”
Even Ian Fleming would have rejected the idea as unrealistic. The Nord Stream sabotage, which occurred in September 2022 and which Ukraine continues to deny, featured Freya, an extraordinary diver who was key to the attack and who had previously been an erotic model. The former is revealed by Bojan Panchevski, a journalist for The Wall Street Journal, in his book Undermining Nord Stream. The True Story of the Sabotage That Shook Europe (with no publication date planned in Spain).
Playing the joker, or the jester in this case, is overrated. Or worse, it can be reckless. Karoline Leavitt can attest firsthand that it’s often better to keep quiet. President Donald Trump’s press secretary made a prediction Saturday night, with her typical irony armed with the usual superiority in this United States government, and it backfired.