TOP NEWS

China-Taiwan Relations
Increased Pressure on Taiwan after Independence Bid

China strongly condemned Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te after he said in a speech on Monday that Taiwan “of course” is a country and that there is legal evidence to prove it, Reuters reports.

Beijing sees the island as part of its territory and considers Lai’s bid as a declaration of independence, which increases tensions across the strait, according to China’s Taiwan Affairs Office.

China has increased its military pressure on Taiwan after Lai Ching-te was elected president, as he refuses to recognize the island as part of China, writes Bloomberg.

Beijing’s concern is now that Lai will go from words to action and declare formal independence, despite his previous promises to maintain the status quo with its neighbor.

Middle East Crisis USA vs Iran
Hegseth on the report: “Attempt to undermine”

According to a preliminary assessment from the Pentagon’s intelligence agency DIA, which a number of American media sources have seen, the US attacks did not cause significant damage to Iran’s nuclear program.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is sharply rebuking his own intelligence agency, USA Today reports.

He says he has reviewed all the information, and that it shows that the bombs completely knocked out Iran’s ability to build nuclear weapons.

“The effect of these bombs is buried under a mountain of rubble in Iran, so anyone who says they were not devastating is only trying to undermine the president and the successful mission,” he writes in a statement.

Middle East Crisis  Gaza War
Israeli opposition calls for an end to the war in Gaza

Israeli opposition leaders want Israel to put an end to the war in Gaza, after a ceasefire was agreed with Iran. AFP reports.

“It’s time to end that too. Bring back the hostages, end the war,” writes opposition leader Yair Lapid on Platform X.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is also taking the opportunity to call on Israel to cease fire. In a speech to the German parliament, he said that while Germany stands behind Israel, it also has the right to “critically question what Israel wants to achieve in the Gaza Strip.”