Former Singaporean diplomat Kishore Mahbubani:

There was a cat sitting next to me, and suddenly, after 20 minutes, I turn around and notice the cat has become a tiger.

China has become a tiger.

You have to accept that it is the second most powerful country in the world and still rising strongly. We have to learn to live with a much stronger power.

Former Singaporean diplomat Kishore Mahbubani:

China has rescued 800 million people out of poverty — two and a half to three times the population of the United States. That's an amazing achievement.

When people say the Chinese people are not free, I ask a very simple question:

If the Chinese people are not free, why do over 130 million Chinese people leave China each year and then, using their own two feet, return to China every year?

Germany: The AfD hits 29% in the latest INSA/Bild am Sonntag poll, up another point from last week and now 7 points clear of the CDU/CSU at 22%.

The combined total of SPD, Greens, and FDP equals exactly the AfD's score alone.

Norway canceled Naval Strike Missile system and launcher components sale to Malaysia, citing new restrictions limiting its most sensitive defense exports to allies only.

Malaysia had already paid 95% of the contract and is now exploring legal options.

Malaysia's PM Anwar Ibrahim:

"Contracts are not confetti to be scattered in so capricious a manner."

Tens of thousands marched through central London in a nationalist rally organized by Tommy Robinson.

Protesters carried Union Jacks, St. George's Crosses, and wooden crosses as they marched through the streets.

The main demands: stop small boat crossings, oppose mass immigration, and defend Christian values.

Counter-protests took place the same day.

The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier returned to Norfolk after 326 days at sea, the longest carrier deployment since the Vietnam War.

It left in June 2025 for a routine Mediterranean rotation and kept getting extended: Venezuela, the Red Sea, and finally Iran operations.

WATCH: Iranian state TV presenter shot at a UAE flag on live television during a firearms training segment.

NEW: France has formally opened a judicial investigation into the 2018 murder of Jamal Khashoggi, targeting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

A judge from France's crimes against humanity unit has been appointed.

It's the first time a French judge has been formally assigned to probe MBS's alleged role.

Saudi Arabia has not commented.

A protester confronted Antony Blinken and his family at a public event in Virginia, filming the encounter on her phone.

"How does it feel to have the blood of half a million children on your hands?" she asked.

When Blinken's wife said "Please, with the children," the activist turned it around:

"Children? Do you care about children or is it just your children?"

UK's Wes Streeting after stepping down as Health Minister:

Leaving the European Union was a catastrophic mistake.

Britain's future lies with Europe. And one day, one day, back in the European Union.

UK's Wes Streeting after stepping down as Health Minister:

We need a proper contest with the best candidates on the field, and I'll be standing.

Trump aides are urging the UAE to deepen its role in the Iran war — including seizing Iran’s strategic Lavan Island.

Source: The Telegraph

Trump:

IDF announces the killing of a soldier in Lebanon: Captain Maoz Israel Recanati, 24.

Iran’s Ghalibaf:

The world stands at the cusp of a new order.

As President Xi said “The transformation unseen in a century is accelerating across the globe,” and I emphasize that the Iranian nation’s 70-day resistance has accelerated this transformation.

The future belongs to the Global South.

Trump returned from China without progress on Iran and is growing increasingly impatient with stalled negotiations.

While he still says he prefers diplomacy, he is now weighing whether additional military strikes may be necessary to pressure Tehran.

Source: CNN

New Trump post on Truth Social.

Large explosion seen near Beit Shemesh, Israel, was a controlled industrial blast — no injuries or damage.

Spain’s public broadcaster RTVE boycotted Eurovision 2026 entirely (first time since 1961) over Israel’s participation, airing alternative programming instead.

As the final began in Vienna, they released:

“Eurovision is a contest, but human rights are not. There is no room for indifference. Peace and justice for Palestine.”

Ireland, Netherlands, Slovenia, and Iceland joined the boycott.