Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Syria:

There is one risk for Syria—the policies of Israel.

We are not sure if Israel wants to see a stable, good, powerful, evolving, developed Syria.

Israel is trying to destabilize Syria. This is something that we don't want to see.

This is something that we want to communicate to the Israelis together with the regional governments. Look, stop a strategy that sees your security should come from someone else's insecurity and division.

Let's change this. You know, when other countries in the region become stable and secure, that might also work well for you.

Source: The National News

Finland’s President Alexander Stubb:

The first time we met, Trump asked the question, "Can you trust Putin?"

And my answer was, "No, you can't."

Source: BBC

Turkish FM Fidan on a possible conflict with Israel and NATO's Article 5:

The conditions for Article 5 are very clear. The provisions are very clear.

Our president is a leader of peace and wisdom. When you look at his policies in the region over the more than 20 years that he has been leading this country, that has been demonstrated again and again.

Apart from fighting against terrorism, he has always sought the best ways of cooperating with regional governments and the international community.

Source: The National News

Finland’s President Alexander Stubb:

Ukraine has already won this war.

Source: CNBC

Q: Is a cornered Vladimir Putin ever, in your opinion, going to turn nuclear?

Finland’s President Stubb: I had the Foreign Minister of China in Finland for dinner two days ago. We discussed the nuclear issue.

The Chinese are very adamant in saying, "No, that will not happen."

But there is always an escalation danger, and we need to take it seriously.

Source: CNBC

NASA is looking for 4 volunteers to spend one year in a simulated Moon/Mars mission starting no earlier than August 2027.

Participants will live in isolated habitats, grow food, monitor their health, perform simulated spacewalks, and adapt to the 40-minute-longer Martian day.

The goal is to study the physical and psychological effects of long-duration space missions.

Source: SPIEGEL

Dutch intelligence says Russian hackers compromised internet-connected security cameras (including doorbell cameras) near NATO military routes to monitor weapons shipments to Ukraine.

Many cameras were reportedly easy to hack due to weak passwords and outdated software. Authorities have warned affected organizations to improve security.

Source: The Telegraph

The Trump administration is intensifying pressure on Cuba by targeting its overseas medical missions, a major source of revenue for Havana.

The U.S. argues the program exploits Cuban doctors through forced labor and is urging countries to end or reduce contracts, threatening visa restrictions for officials who continue participating.

Several countries—including Jamaica, Guatemala, the Bahamas, and Honduras—have scaled back or ended their agreements, while others, such as St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, say they depend on Cuban doctors to keep their healthcare systems running.

Cuba has about 24,000 medical workers abroad, and the program generated roughly $5.3 billion in 2024, about half of the country's export earnings.

Source: WSJ

The Trump administration has narrowed the definition of "harm" under the Endangered Species Act, meaning destroying or degrading an endangered species' habitat is no longer automatically illegal unless it directly injures or kills the animal.

Source: NYT

Trump flew home from Türkiye on an older Air Force One after U.S. officials received Israeli intelligence about a possible Iranian plot to kill him.

Although the threat wasn't considered fully credible, officials decided his new Qatari-donated jet lacked some defensive capabilities needed for elevated-risk missions.

Trump switched to the older aircraft for the most sensitive part of the trip before returning to the new jet for the flight back to Washington.

Source: WSJ

Iran's FM Spox. Esmail Baghaei:

Iran will not allow inspections of facilities damaged by the U.S. and Israeli attacks, and UN Security Council Resolution 2231 has effectively lost its legal validity.

Zelensky:

China reacted very seriously, very harshly, and very clearly to media reports in Russia regarding various possibilities of nuclear use.

I think you've heard such voices in the Russian media, like, "What if we respond to the strikes by Ukrainians with nuclear weapons?"

Iran's FM Spox. Esmail Baghaei:

We did not make any request for negotiations with the United States, but we accepted the mediator's visit to Iran.

Hillary Clinton:

The Electoral College needs to go.

We shouldn't be hanging on to an anachronism that was designed for slave-owning states.

Source: Democracy Docket

Hillary Clinton:

I think there is a hardcore—it's about 34, 35% of the electorate—who are literally going to follow Trump off the cliff.

Source: Democracy Docket

Hillary Clinton:

Trump has like an enemies list that would put Nixon's to shame.

The level of corruption—political and financial corruption—is not even being hidden anymore. It is out in plain view.

These people are unleashed and unhinged.

Source: Democracy Docket

Cuba: National power grid collapses again. Second nationwide blackout in less than a week.

The U.S. has given Iran 24 hours to publicly commit to stopping attacks on ships and keeping the Strait of Hormuz open.

Washington warned that failure to comply would bring "serious consequences," adding that contingency plans are already in place if diplomacy fails.

Source: Barak Ravid

Israel's state-owned Rafael Advanced Defence Systems is in talks with Indian defence firms to co-produce Tamir interceptor missiles for the Iron Dome air defence system in India.

Source: NDTV

Senior U.S. officials say Iran told them the shipping attacks came from “an errant part of their system.”

Senior U.S. officials:

If we don’t get the nuclear dust, we do not have a deal with Iran.