TOP NEWS

Taliban rule  Situation in Afghanistan
Trump's desire for the air base is rejected by the Taliban

The possibility that the US could take over Bagram air base in Afghanistan again is rejected by the Taliban, reports the BBC.

A US military presence in the country is ruled out according to the agreement between the parties from 2021, says Zakir Jalal, an official in the Taliban's foreign ministry.

President Donald Trump said during his state visit to the UK that the US handed over the air base "without compensation" and that it is now trying to regain control of the base, writes The Hill.

- We are trying to get it back because they need things from us, said Trump.

Trump has emphasized earlier this year that the base is strategically important to the US because it is close to China, something he repeated during his state visit, according to the BBC.

North Korea Situation
Kim: Military AI Development is “Top Priority”

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has ordered the military to explore expanded use of artificial intelligence, state media reported, citing several news agencies. He also wants the country’s drone capabilities expanded.

He said military AI development and drone capabilities are “top priorities” in modernizing the country’s weapons arsenal.

The statements were made in connection with a test of an attack drone on Friday.

Political situation in Indonesia
800 students poisoned by government free meals

This week, more than 800 students in Indonesia have been sickened by food poisoning after eating school meals paid for by the government, Reuters reports. In one of the cases, 569 students fell ill after eating chicken and rice. 30 students had to be taken to hospital.

The government program aimed at providing students with free school meals was launched in early January. So far, over 4,000 children have been poisoned.

Political situation in the UK
Analysis: The charm offensive a success for Keir Starmer

The charm offensive that the British royal family and Prime Minister Keir Starmer carried out in connection with Trump's visit seemed to work, writes the BBC's Rob Watson in an analysis. Although the leaders disagreed somewhat on Ukraine and Gaza, the state visit was a success, he believes.

Sky News political commentator Beth Rigby also believes that the state visit was good for Starmer.

"It's not a sentence I thought I would write before the state visit [...] but the state visit has been a success for a prime minister in desperate need of a win," she writes.

The tech deal and the billions in American investments give Starmer wind in his sails ahead of the autumn budget, according to Rigby.

Bob Crilly at The Telegraph notes that Starmer avoided conflict and headlines about freedom of speech and former ambassador Peter Mandelson's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. Patrick Wintour agrees with his analysis in The Guardian, but stresses that it remains to be seen how much agreement the parties really have.

“The one thing Starmer absolutely cannot afford is for Trump to step away from the Ukraine crisis,” he writes.