Middle East Crisis Israel-Hezbollah

Hezbollah: Insulting US dictating ceasefire

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem has made his first statement since the ten-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon came into effect on Thursday, AFP reports.

He calls it “an insult to our homeland Lebanon that the US is dictating the agreement and speaking on behalf of the Lebanese government.”

The Iran-backed Shiite militia does not trust Israel, and its fighters will therefore “remain in the field with their finger on the trigger” and respond to any attacks, Qassem continues.

Hezbollah also denies that it was behind the attack that killed a French UN soldier and wounded three others in southern Lebanon earlier on Saturday. 

 
French UN soldier killed in Lebanon – Hezbollah singled out

A French UN soldier has been killed in Lebanon, news agencies report. The man is said to have been killed in fighting in the southern parts of the country. President Emannuel Macron stated on Saturday that there is information indicating that the Iran-backed group Hezbollah is behind the attack.

Three additional soldiers are said to have been injured, but they have been evacuated. French authorities have demanded that Lebanon take action as a result of the incident.

 

The situation in Afghanistan

Kabul is being renovated – thousands are being forced to demolish their homes

While the US-backed government in Afghanistan was still in power, plans were drawn up to modernize and upgrade Kabul's roads. But most of the projects never came to fruition due to corruption and security risks linked to the Taliban insurgency, reports the AP.

When the Taliban regained power in 2021, the plans were put into action, and since then 450 kilometers of road have been built. At the same time, the expansion has required space and led to extensive demolition of homes. A total of 11,278 properties have been demolished.

“This was our house, and now I'm demolishing it with my own hands,” says a 25-year-old who the AP spoke to during a break from demolishing a brick wall.

Property owners are given about three months' notice and compensation for the demolitions.

– If the state gives us money in compensation, I can, hopefully, start working again and buy or build a new house, says another whose business was demolished.

The dead must give way as the Taliban build roads

Graveyards in the Afghan capital have had to give way as the Taliban government invests in upgrading Kabul's roads. Since they took power in 2021, about 450 kilometers of road have been built, but this has required more space, reports the AP.

More than 11,000 buildings have been demolished. In the Qala-e-Khater neighborhood, parts of cemeteries, where remains from up to 200 years ago were found, have also been removed. Instead, rectangular holes gape empty and the bodies have been moved to another location.

Abdul Wadood Alokozay tells the news agency that his grandfather was one of those relocated. His family has also been forced to demolish their home, which consisted of three buildings, to make way for the new roads.

He says the family was initially saddened by losing their house, and that it was even harder to tear it down themselves after living there for more than two decades.

 

Trump's USA The President's team

Allegations against FBI Director – Called Alcoholic and Paranoid

FBI Director Kash Patel is accused of failing to perform his job and being a risk to US security, writes The Atlantic. Dozens of sources say that Patel has a problem with "excessive" drinking and that he has had to cancel meetings several times due to hangovers. The alcohol problems are said to be well-known, both at the agency and within Donald Trump's administration.

Colleagues say his leadership is characterized by paranoia, impulsive decisions and recurring absences. In April, Patel is said to have mistakenly believed that he had been fired after an IT glitch, and nine sources describe it as a "breakdown".

Kash Patel took office in 2025 and his work has been praised by the Trump administration. But according to White House sources, they are now actively looking for a new agency director.

The FBI denies the allegations and is threatening to sue The Atlantic.

– That's completely wrong. See you in court – bring your checkbook, they say in a comment.

Reports: Talks are underway to fire Kash Patel

There are talks in the White House about firing FBI Director Kash Patel after The Atlantic reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick's high-profile report. Fitzpatrick tells CNN according to The Independent.

– Senior administration officials are openly discussing who should be the next FBI director, she says.

Fitzpatrick has interviewed dozens of sources for her article. They paint a picture of Patel as paranoid, unstable and a threat to national security. In particular, they highlight his drinking habits – the FBI director is said to regularly get noticeably drunk and miss meetings due to hangovers.

Patel denies the reports and threatens to sue The Atlantic, but Fitzpatrick says she stands by her reporting.

Latest news

Russian invasion  Negotiations
Lavrov: Peace talks are not Russia's priority

Russia is in no hurry to resume peace talks with Ukraine and the US that were put on hold when the Iran war broke out, says Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov according to the Kyiv Independent.

– At the moment, continuing peace talks are not our top priority. [...] Our starting point has always been that we are ready when the other side is ready.

Ukrainian President Zelensky has urged the US and Russia to start new talks, but Trump's negotiators – envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner – are busy with Iran.

The central deadlock between Ukraine and Russia remains: Ukraine wants peace talks to be based on a freeze on the current front line, while Russia wants Ukrainian forces to leave the parts of Donbas that are still under Ukrainian control.

Middle East Crisis  Strait of Hormuz
Iran: Attacks anyone approaching the Strait of Hormuz

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps has banned all types of ships from attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, AFP reports.

“Any attempt to approach the Strait of Hormuz will be seen as cooperation with the enemy, and the ship in question will be attacked,” they write on their official news page.

On Saturday, less than a day after announcing that the Strait of Hormuz had been opened to shipping, Iran closed it again because the United States did not lift its blockade of Iranian ports. Since then, several ships have been fired on by the Revolutionary Guard.

Donald Trump, who yesterday claimed that Iran had agreed never to close the strait again, says that the United States will not allow itself to be blackmailed and that “very good talks” are underway with Iran. 

Canada-US Relations
US Commerce Secretary to Canada: “You suck”

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick insults neighboring Canada ahead of upcoming trade talks, reports Semafor.

At an event organized by the news site in Washington, Lutnick commented on a statement by former Canadian trade negotiator Steve Verheul that “time is on our side” in the talks, as the pressure on the US will only increase.

– It’s kind of the worst strategy I’ve ever heard. They suck, says the minister.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney “has a problem with (the US)” because he held trade talks with China, according to Lutnick. He calls the current trade agreement between the US, Canada and Mexico “a bad deal” that needs to be renegotiated.

A spokesperson for the Department of Commerce claims that Lutnick was misquoted and actually meant that Canada is sucking the US economy out.

Elections in Hungary
Final results in Hungary – Tisza’s majority grows

The last postal and foreign votes have been counted in Hungary and the final election results are in, the country’s election authority has announced.

Opposition leader Péter Magyar and his Tisza party will win a total of 141 out of 199 seats – three more than the preliminary figure. This is more than enough to pass the threshold for a supermajority, i.e. two-thirds of the seats, which is 133.

“An unprecedented majority,” Magyar writes in a comment on the results.

The supermajority gives Tisza far-reaching opportunities to reshape the Hungarian political system, including through constitutional amendments.

Outgoing Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his Fidesz party will win 52 seats, and the far-right Our Homeland party will win six. Magyar is expected to take office on May 9 or 10 and has promised to immediately launch a comprehensive anti-corruption campaign.

 

 

The cold look in the camera – before the shots

Emil Forsberg

Updated 22.06 | Published 22.03

He set fire to his apartment before the mass shooting started.

Now the shooter has been identified – a 57-year-old who was previously convicted of a madman attack in a video store.

– He may have gone even crazier after that, says Platon, who was attacked.

Six people were killed and about ten more were injured when a lone gunman opened fire in Kiev.

After setting fire to his apartment, he took his semi-automatic hunting rifle out into the street and began executing people, according to Ukrainian authorities.

He then barricaded himself in a grocery store and took several people hostage, where he was caught on surveillance camera.

After 40 minutes of negotiations, the police heard a shot and stormed the building. By then, one of the hostages had been killed.

The shooter pointed his semi-automatic weapon at the police and was shot dead.

– He shot four people in the middle of the street. A woman who was being treated in hospital for her injuries also died. Four of the hostages were rescued. We have 14 injured people, including a 12-year-old boy whose parents were also shot dead, says Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj.

The 57-year-old shooter has been identified in Ukrainian media as Dmitry Vasilievich Vasilchenkov. He was born in Moscow and is said to have lived for several years in Bakhmut and Donetsk before moving to Kiev.

He is said to have recently had active bank accounts in Russia and crossed the border into Russia several times in 2016, writes Meduza.

In 2023, he was also involved in a filmed fight in a video store in Kiev where he attacked a man in line.

– Apparently he had a Russian passport. There are rumors that before he went out to shoot people in Kiev, he burned down his apartment. I don't know, maybe he went even crazier after that situation, Platon, who was beaten, tells TCH.

Zelenskyy says that they are investigating what is behind the act.

- He has been convicted of a crime before. We are looking for all the information about him and his motives that we can get.

.......................................................... 

At least six shot dead in Kyiv – investigated as terror

At least six people have been killed and around 15 injured in a mass shooting in Kyiv, Ukrainian media report. The security service SBU is investigating it as a terrorist act.

A 58-year-old man, a Ukrainian citizen and born in Moscow, set fire to his apartment and went out into the street with an automatic weapon. There he shot several people dead before entering a grocery store, where he took several people hostage.

Special forces were called in and tried to negotiate with the man, but he was not cooperative. The police then stormed the store and shot and killed the man, who also fired at the police during the operation. Four hostages were rescued.

The motive for the act is unknown. 

Lavrov: Peace talks are not a priority

TT

Published 22.29 

           

           Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Antalya, Turkey on Saturday. Photo: Riza Ozel/AP/TT

New talks with Ukraine are not something that Russia is in a hurry for.

– The issue of continuing negotiations is not our top priority, says Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Russia, Ukraine and the US have not met in talks since mid-February, since then planned negotiations have been canceled due to the Iran war. And Russia will not be open to new meetings.

– We have not forced any negotiations on anyone. We have always acted according to the principle that if our partners are ready, then we are, Lavrov said at a conference in Antalya, Turkey, reports Kyiv Independent.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged Russia and the United States to continue the peace process, but American mediators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are currently focused on talks between the United States and Iran.

Nya samtal med Ukraina är inget som jäktar för Ryssland.

– Frågan om att fortsätta förhandlingarna är inte vår högsta prioritet, säger utrikesminister Sergej Lavrov.

Ryssland, Ukraina och USA har inte mötts i samtal sedan mitten av februari, sedan dess har tänkta förhandlingar ställts in på grund av Irankriget. Och Ryssland kommer inte att ligga på för nya möten.

– Vi har inte tvingat på någon några förhandlingar. Vi har alltid agerat enligt principen att om våra partner är redo, så är vi det, säger Lavrov på en konferens i turkiska Antalya rapporterar Kyiv Independent.

Ukrainas president Volodymyr Zelenskyj har uppmanat Ryssland och USA att fortsätta fredsprocessen, men de amerikanska medlarna Steve Witkoff och Jared Kushner är för tillfället fokuserade på samtalen mellan USA och Iran.

 

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