The USS Gerald R. Ford is heading home after 10 months at sea — the longest deployment of any modern US carrier — worn down by a laundry room fire, toilet failures, and the strain of nonstop operations.
The USS Gerald R. Ford is heading home after 10 months at sea — the longest deployment of any modern US carrier — worn down by a laundry room fire, toilet failures, and the strain of nonstop operations.
US President Donald Trump said after criticism of the US operation against Iran voiced by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz that the United States is considering the possibility of reducing its contingent in Germany, and the decision would be made soon.
US President Donald Trump said after criticism of the US operation against Iran voiced by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz that the United States is considering the possibility of reducing its contingent in Germany, and the decision would be made soon.
The chancellor angered the White House by criticizing the Iran war
US President Donald Trump has said he could withdraw some American troops stationed in Germany amid a public spat with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the war in Iran.
“The United States is studying and reviewing the possible reduction of troops in Germany, with a determination to be made in the near term,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday.
In 2020, near the end of h
The chancellor angered the White House by criticizing the Iran war
US President Donald Trump has said he could withdraw some American troops stationed in Germany amid a public spat with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the war in Iran.
“The United States is studying and reviewing the possible reduction of troops in Germany, with a determination to be made in the near term,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday.
In 2020, near the end of his first term in office, Trump planned to withdraw around 12,000 of the roughly 36,000 service members stationed in Germany at the time. Former President Joe Biden later deployed additional troops to Germany, citing the Ukraine conflict.
More than 36,000 active-duty troops and 1,500 reservists are currently stationed at bases across Germany, according to CBS.
Trump has chided European allies for refusing to back the US-Israeli war with Iran and declining to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which Tehran closed to “hostile” shipping in February. The conflict has also prompted the president to revive his longstanding criticism of NATO, which he described this month as “a paper tiger.”
Speaking to students at a German school on Monday, Merz argued that the US was being “humiliated” by Iran and that the Trump administration lacked a clear strategy in the conflict. He also stressed that Germany was being hit hard by energy price increases caused by the war.
Trump responded by berating Merz on social media. “He doesn’t know what he’s talking about!” Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding: “No wonder Germany is doing so poorly, both economically and otherwise!”
Merz sought to downplay the feud on Wednesday, saying his personal relationship with the US president “remains good.”
“I simply had doubts from the start about what was begun with the war in Iran. That is why I have made that clear,” Merz said, as cited by Reuters.
Meanwhile, oil prices rose above $120 on Wednesday, the highest level since 2022, with uncertainty continuing over the prospects for US-Iranian negotiations.
The Venezuelan government and UK energy giant BP have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop joint energy projects, including on offshore gas exploration, Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodriguez said on Wednesday.
The Venezuelan government and UK energy giant BP have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop joint energy projects, including on offshore gas exploration, Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodriguez said on Wednesday.
The EU has protested the reopening of the Russian pavilion at the prestigious art festival
Italy’s Culture Ministry is investigating the organizers of the Venice Biennale, a prestigious art festival, after Russia was allowed to return to the event, Italian media reported on Wednesday.
Many cultural institutions in the West have cut ties with Russia since February 2022 over the Ukraine conflict. The Kremlin has condemned the campaign as a pointles
The EU has protested the reopening of the Russian pavilion at the prestigious art festival
Italy’s Culture Ministry is investigating the organizers of the Venice Biennale, a prestigious art festival, after Russia was allowed to return to the event, Italian media reported on Wednesday.
Many cultural institutions in the West have cut ties with Russia since February 2022 over the Ukraine conflict. The Kremlin has condemned the campaign as a pointless attempt to “cancel” Russian culture.
According to Corriere della Sera, inspectors were dispatched to the Biennale Foundation to examine documents and financial records related to the planned reopening of the Russian pavilion. Officials were also reportedly instructed to review documents related to the pavilions of Iran and Israel.
Newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano reported that the organizers had previously provided communications with Russian authorities to the Italian Culture Ministry, and that no “irregularities” were found in terms of compliance with sanctions imposed on Russia.
The European Commission has condemned the decision to allow Russia to reopen its national pavilion, while Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli said he would not attend the opening of the festival on May 9. Last week, the Biennale jury said it would exclude Russia and Israel from award consideration.
Biennale Foundation chief Pietrangelo Buttafuoco pushed back against the criticism, comparing the institution to “the UN of art, from which no nation can be excluded.”
Some Italian politicians, including Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, argued that the art sphere should not fall victim to politics. “I am not for the exclusion of anyone, so I invite the Biennale to go ahead,” Salvini said, as quoted by Euronews.
The suspect, a British national of Somali origin, remains in custody
Police have released bodycam footage showing officers detaining a suspect who allegedly stabbed two Jewish men on the streets of London on Wednesday.
Both victims are in stable condition, while the suspect, a 45-year-old British national of Somali origin, remains in custody, the Metropolitan Police said.
“The suspect also attempted to stab police officers and was Tasered before
The suspect, a British national of Somali origin, remains in custody
Police have released bodycam footage showing officers detaining a suspect who allegedly stabbed two Jewish men on the streets of London on Wednesday.
Both victims are in stable condition, while the suspect, a 45-year-old British national of Somali origin, remains in custody, the Metropolitan Police said.
“The suspect also attempted to stab police officers and was Tasered before being arrested. No officers were injured,” police said, adding that the attack had been declared a terrorist incident.
Police are also investigating whether the suspect was involved in a separate stabbing earlier that day in southeast London, which left one person lightly injured.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the incident as an “utterly appalling” attack and thanked the police and Jewish volunteer security guards for their response. “Attacks on our Jewish community are attacks on Britain,” he wrote on X.
The UK has seen an increase in anti-Semitic incidents since Israel invaded Gaza in 2023. Last month, a group of young men torched four ambulances belonging to a Jewish charity in Golders Green, the same neighborhood where Wednesday’s stabbings occurred.
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