Tehran’s resistance to the US exposes Berlin’s dependence, turning the war into a brutal measure of who rules and who obeys
Sovereignty, as defined in international law, is both crucial and complex. In the real shark-pool world of geopolitics, it is not hard to spot: if you have the ability to rule at home and resist attack from outside (any outside), then you are sovereign. Otherwise not. No exceptions.
That’s why Iran has sovereignty, but Germa
Tehran’s resistance to the US exposes Berlin’s dependence, turning the war into a brutal measure of who rules and who obeys
Sovereignty, as defined in international law, is both crucial and complex. In the real shark-pool world of geopolitics, it is not hard to spot: if you have the ability to rule at home and resist attack from outside (any outside), then you are sovereign. Otherwise not. No exceptions.
That’s why Iran has sovereignty, but Germany does not. Iran has withstood two months of a devious and brutal war of aggression waged by the US and Israel, which in turn is “merely” the culmination of decades of assaults levied via economic warfare, assassination campaigns, and subversion.
However, Iran has not only successfully foiled the current Israeli-American blitzkrieg-and-regime-change scenario, but also put the attackers on the backfoot. Tehran’s achievement is already historic. It has changed and will change the course of history.
Germany, by contrast, cannot even defend its own vital infrastructure, as the Nord Stream sabotage and its aftermath have demonstrated. What is even worse, its governments have had no will to do so. On the contrary, they have been rewarding the Ukrainian attackers with untold billions to feed Kiev’s ultra-corruption. Their backers – certainly including the US and Poland, and most likely Great Britain, too – need not worry about any trouble from Berlin either.
Case closed: Iran is sovereign, Germany is not. If you are German and find this uncomfortable, complain to Berlin.
Against this backdrop, it is oddly fitting that it is Iran which is now exerting a powerful influence on German politics despite not having any deliberate designs to do so, whereas German calls on Tehran (or, for that matter, Moscow or Beijing) to do this and leave that – as articulated by Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul with an almost comical lack of self-awareness – come across as embarrassing: sad spectacles of an impotence that doesn’t even know itself.
Iran, on the other hand, has now had a palpable impact on what unfortunately remains Germany’s single most important foreign-policy relationship. Indeed, as the current, post-1990 “unification” (really, expansion, and that’s still a polite term) Germany is really the old Cold War West Germany writ large (and going to seeds, too), the relationship with the US is more than just important. Historically, it was literally foundational.
And here we are: It is due to Iran’s resistance that this relationship has entered a deep crisis. Of course, other factors have played (or should have played) a role as well: for instance, Washington’s ferocious, bipartisan economic warfare against its old key client (polite term) in Europe, including at least complicity in destroying vital energy infrastructure and supply options (Biden, Democrats) via massive incentives for German industry to relocate to the US (Biden, Democrats) to devastation by tariffs (Trump, Republicans).
But it is over Iran that things have now come to a head: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has openly criticized Washington’s conduct of the war, and US President Donald Trump has launched one of his social media rampages, going after Merz and Germany with, as Secretary of War (Crimes) Pete Hegseth would put it, “no quarter” given.
Trump has even threatened, in effect, to withdraw the almost 40,000 US troops from Germany. It would be stupid and self-damaging for the US to do so, but then, this is the Trump administration. Full disclosure: As a German, I hope they go ahead.
Trump has also told Merz off for wanting Iran to have a nuclear weapon (false on two counts: Iran isn’t building one, and Merz is a compliant client leader who would never dare dissent from the US and Israel) and for being bad at running Germany, which must rankle, because most Germans agree. Merz has just earned himself the worst poll ratings of any German chancellor ever.
He has made things even worse – yes, Merz can do that – by releasing an exceedingly masochistically timed interview to complain that, in essence, no one likes him. True, but saying so has only triggered a national tsunami of mockery: now he is not only vastly unpopular but derided as a wimp, who loves to dish out harsh admonishments and mean austerity but can’t take the response.
A short video clip deep-faking Merz performing a satire of MC Hammer’s classic “You can’t touch this” by singing “No one likes me” is going viral. At a town hall-style meeting, the chancellor was openly laughed at. Major mainstream media are beginning to talk about a crisis deep enough to end the current government and, even worse for Merz, about rebellious murmurs inside his own CDU party.
All of this because Merz was making remarks about the Iran War. But make no mistake: Friedrich Merz, still infamous for applauding Israeli “dirty work” (“Drecksarbeit”) in Iran last summer, has not discovered a conscience. Listen attentively to his recent statements, made before a group of high school kids, and you realize, the chancellor’s real beef with America is that Washington hasn’t done its current “dirty work” quickly and, above all, successfully. No one loves a loser, not even, it turns out, Friedrich Merz, whose prior obsequiousness toward Trump had raised eyebrows even in Germany.
Yet whatever Merz’s sordid motives, take a step back and look at this picture from the point of view of history-in-the-making: Here is the German chancellor, who claims to be ready to make his country lead Europe (yes, not a great idea, but let that pass for now), whose government is presiding over the greatest German debt-and-armament splurge since World War Two (and that against a background of profound economic crisis), and he is stumbling over Iran. So much for the rise of multipolarity and the decline of Europe.
Not because that was Tehran’s aim. As a matter of fact, the Iranian leadership probably has very little time to think about Berlin – except noting for the future that, in practical terms, it is serving as a loyal accomplice in the American-Israeli war of aggression. No, the reason Iran now impacts and shakes the American-German relationship is that Tehran has been defeating the US, and so the client state Germany is registering the public “humiliation” of America (Merz’s term) by showing immediate signs of faltering compliance.
Who in this picture is reshaping things? And who is being shaped? Here’s another way to define sovereignty. And Germany still loses.
The company secured up to $1.6 billion from Washington last year to extract tungsten in Kazakhstan, the news outlet has said
A shell company backed by Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump has agreed to a merger with a mining group that secured up to $1.6 billion from the US government in 2025 to facilitate the extraction of tungsten in Kazakhstan, the Financial Times has reported.
The agreement between Skyline Builders group, in which US President Don
The company secured up to $1.6 billion from Washington last year to extract tungsten in Kazakhstan, the news outlet has said
A shell company backed by Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump has agreed to a merger with a mining group that secured up to $1.6 billion from the US government in 2025 to facilitate the extraction of tungsten in Kazakhstan, the Financial Times has reported.
The agreement between Skyline Builders group, in which US President Donald Trump’s sons hold a stake, and Cove Kaz Capital group was signed on Thursday. The newly-formed entity will trade on Nasdaq as Kaz Resources, according to a statement.
Cove Kaz currently controls 70% of the Northern Katpar and Upper Kairakty tungsten deposits in central Kazakhstan, believed to be one of the largest in the world. Last year, the federally-funded US Export-Import Bank and the Development Finance Corporation committed to invest heavily in the development of both projects.
The statement didn’t mention Trump’s sons, but the FT reported on Friday, citing informed sources, that they bought into Skyline last August via a special purpose vehicle run by a subsidiary of Dominari Securities. The size of their investment was not disclosed, but they increased it by $24 million in October.
The paper stressed that “there is no suggestion that Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump knew that Cove was on the cusp of securing a contract from their father’s US administration when they made their initial investments in Skyline… or that they influenced the awarding of the contract.”
American Ventures, of which Dominari is a member, said that Donald Trump Jr. “has no operational involvement in the company” and “does not interface with the federal government on behalf of any company he invests in.” Eric Trump didn’t respond to a request for comment from the FT.
The Democrats have repeatedly sounded the alarm over potential conflicts of interest arising from the investments by Trump’s family members in companies that have secured lucrative government contracts. The president’s kin made more than $1 billion in pre-tax profits last year by getting involved in cryptocurrency, AI, drones and critical minerals projects, according to FT.
Due to its high heat resistance and hardness, tungsten is essential in the production of aerospace and defense equipment. The US currently has no active mines producing the metal and is highly dependent on China for its deliveries.
The decision of the Italian cultural exhibition’s organizers to invite Russia has incensed Rome and Brussels
The entire international jury of the Venice Biennale has tendered their resignations amid pressure caused by the Italian cultural exhibition’s decision to allow Russia and Israel to participate.
In early March, the Venice Biennale Foundation unveiled the line-up of the 2026 art fair, which runs from May 9 through November 22. Russia was in
The decision of the Italian cultural exhibition’s organizers to invite Russia has incensed Rome and Brussels
The entire international jury of the Venice Biennale has tendered their resignations amid pressure caused by the Italian cultural exhibition’s decision to allow Russia and Israel to participate.
In early March, the Venice Biennale Foundation unveiled the line-up of the 2026 art fair, which runs from May 9 through November 22. Russia was included in the list for the first time since 2022, with its “The tree is rooted in the sky” exhibition. The event organizers noted, however, that the display would be strictly closed to the general public.
Nevertheless, the decision to allow Russia to participate has provoked harsh criticism from the Italian government and EU officials.
According to a press release published on Thursday, jury president Solange Farkas, as well as Zoe Butt, Elvira Dyangani Ose, Marta Kuzma, and Giovanna Zapperi handed in their resignations.
In their resignation letter, the jury members cited their previous statement last week, in which they refused to consider the works that represent “countries whose leaders are currently charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court.” While not mentioning any nations directly, the jury was evidently referring to Russia and Israel, whose leaders are subject to ICC arrest warrants – something both countries have rejected.
In the wake of the jury’s resignation, the Venice Biennale organizers have announced that the awards ceremony, originally slated for May 9, would instead be held on November 22, given the “exceptional nature of the ongoing international geopolitical situation.”
Commenting on the development in a post on X on Friday, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga claimed that by inviting Russia, the event organizers have harmed the Venice Biennale. He added that there was still time to reverse their decision.
Meanwhile, last Thursday, European Commission spokesman Thomas Regnier confirmed that Brussels would carry through on its previous threat to withhold a €2 million ($2.34 million) grant from the Venice Biennale.
Mikhail Shvydkoy, a Russian presidential aide for international cultural cooperation, characterized the commission’s decision as “disgraceful,” with Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova similarly denouncing it as a “relapse into anti-culture.”
Speaking to the press, Russian art critic Elizaveta Likhacheva described the sum in question as too insignificant for the Venice Biennale’s organizers to pay attention to.
Earlier this week, Italian media reported that the country’s Ministry of Culture had sent inspectors to check on the event organizers’ compliance with EU sanctions against Russia.
As for Israel, the country did not take part in last year’s Venice Architecture Biennale, citing renovations to its pavilion. This year, however, the Jewish state is among the nations invited to the art fair.
In mid-March, some 178 artists participating in the event signed an open letter calling for Israel’s exclusion, citing its ongoing military campaign in Gaza, which has been marked by widespread civilian casualties.
The jointly developed missile is in demand, and a $500 million deal with Vietnam is reportedly in the works
Indo-Russian BrahMos Aerospace posts record 2025-26 revenue with 48.6% growth. Vietnam eyes $611.5 mn deal for supersonic missiles as India expands global defense exports
BrahMos Aerospace, a joint venture by Indian and Russian defense manufacturers, posted record revenue in the last fiscal year, India’s Defense Research and Development Or
The jointly developed missile is in demand, and a $500 million deal with Vietnam is reportedly in the works
Indo-Russian BrahMos Aerospace posts record 2025-26 revenue with 48.6% growth. Vietnam eyes $611.5 mn deal for supersonic missiles as India expands global defense exports
BrahMos Aerospace, a joint venture by Indian and Russian defense manufacturers, posted record revenue in the last fiscal year, India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) has said.
The earnings for the 2025-26 financial year (ending March 31) stood at $548.24 million, the DRDO stated on Thursday. It is a 48.6% surge from $368.9 million recorded a year ago.
Brahmos Aerospace is also steadily growing its footprint in the global defense market with two export orders worth $420 million signed in 2025-26, DRDO said.
A deal with Vietnam is currently in the works and could be signed when its President To Lam visits New Delhi next week, India Today reported.
The deal includes shore-based BrahMos batteries for coastal defence, along with training, logistics, and an initial batch of missiles, and is reportedly estimated at $611.5 million. Moscow has cleared the transfer, the report said, signalling the continued defense cooperation between India, Russia, and Vietnam.
If the deal materializes, Vietnam would become the third Southeast Asian nation to induct the supersonic cruise missiles into its arsenal. Last year, the Philippines became the first third-party customer for the BrahMos system, taking delivery of an initial batch in April under a $375 million agreement signed in 2023.
The BrahMos, named after the Brahmaputra and Moskva rivers, is among the fastest supersonic cruise missiles in the world. Originally capped at a range of 180 miles (290 km), it has since been upgraded for greater reach, increasing its strategic value and drawing heightened interest from Southeast Asian countries amid shifting regional security dynamics.
With the Strait of Hormuz unstable, India strengthening its grip on the Malacca Strait with a $9.9‑billion plan to develop Great Nicobar Island in the Indian Ocean
The strategic importance of Greater Nicobar, the southernmost and largest of the Nicobar islands of India that dominate the Malacca Strait – a critical maritime chokepoint through which 60% of global trade passes – have once again come into focus due to the turmoil in the Gulf of Hormu
With the Strait of Hormuz unstable, India strengthening its grip on the Malacca Strait with a $9.9‑billion plan to develop Great Nicobar Island in the Indian Ocean
The strategic importance of Greater Nicobar, the southernmost and largest of the Nicobar islands of India that dominate the Malacca Strait – a critical maritime chokepoint through which 60% of global trade passes – have once again come into focus due to the turmoil in the Gulf of Hormuz amid the ongoing Iran War.
Against that backdrop, the Indian government earlier this month submitted a draft master plan for developing Greater Nicobar island.
The group of Andaman and Nicobar islands (ANI), governed as a single union territory by the central government of India, covers an area of 8,249 square kilometers. The entire island chain consists of 836 islands, including islets and rocky outcrops, of which about 31 are permanently inhabited.
Located 1300 kilometers southeast of the Indian mainland, these territories are India’s premier maritime and air outpost, offering immense strategic leverage in the Indian Ocean. They act as a crucial bridge between South and Southeast Asia and as a strategic gateway for India into the Malacca Strait, which is a crucial shipping route connecting the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea.
The Nicobar islands are instrumental for India in monitoring shipping lanes and help to extend its military reach. They serve as a key bulwark of India’s Act East Policy against the growing influence of China in the region. The islands act as a permanent air and naval base, facilitating power projection and rapid military deployment in the eastern and northern Indian Ocean. They support comprehensive maritime domain awareness, and also provide a first line of defense against both traditional and non-conventional threats such as illegal fishing, drug trafficking, and piracy.
The islands provide 300,000 sq. km of additional Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), rich with underwater mineral and hydrocarbon resources. Sustainable power projects are designed to enhance both economic growth and strategic defense capability.
Great Nicobar Development Plan
The mega plan envisages a $9.9 billion mega-infrastructure project with proposed focus on tourism as the “primary economic driver” of growth. It is being envisioned as a “seaside destination to relax, enjoy theme parks, and wellness tourism in a pristine, unspoilt and protected environment.”
A 450 MVA gas/solar power plant, and a large township will support the population. There will be conference and convention centers. The already unfolding project includes an international container transshipment port, an airport, power plants, and a township. The plan looks to utilize island’s strategic location next to the very crucial and busy sea-lane, the Malacca Strait.
Maritime and port development will enhance connectivity through new jetties and expanding port facilities to accommodate large cargo vessels. It will give boost to tourism, entertainment, and processing clusters along the eastern coast of the island from Galathea Bay in the south to Campbell Bay in the north. Situated near the Malacca Strait, these projects aim to reduce dependence on foreign ports (like Singapore or Colombo) for container handling.
The project is expected to span 166 sq km. Of this, around 40% has been set aside as “urbanizable,” with the rest allocated to “special projects” including an airport, container port, freight and passenger terminals, defense area, and a green development area where no tree-felling will be allowed. About 129 sq. km of land is expected to come from diverted forest areas.
The project also intends to get the “population to settle here,” through both permanent and temporary jobs that will be created. The plan has been drafted for a projected population of 336,000 by 2055. Of this, the local Nicobarese population is expected to grow to about 11,500 from the current 7,500. The annual inflow of tourists to the island by that time is expected to achieve more than a million people. The development will be in phases and will finish by 2047 in line with the targets of the Narendra Modi-led government’s vision ’Viksit Bharat’ (Developed India).
Hydro Carbons Potential
The ANI Basin is a highly promising, under-explored frontier. India’s Directorate General of Hydrocarbons estimates hydrocarbon potential at 371 MMTOE (Million Metric Tons of Oil Equivalent).
Recent 2025 deep-water exploration, particularly in the Sri Vijayapuram-2 well, has confirmed significant natural gas deposits (87% methane). This region is considered a major new source which could significantly boost India’s energy security and reduce import reliance. The basin, extending over 47,000 sq. km, is part of a complex island arc system formed by the convergence of the Indian and Burmese plates.
In 2025, Oil India conducted a three-well drilling campaign that proved commercial gas potential in the Andaman shallow/deep-water, including at a depth of 295 meters.
To speed up exploring and identifying crude oil and hydrocarbon reserves in the Andaman-Nicobar basin, the Indian government has opened up previously restricted areas and is encouraging investments via the Open Acreage Licensing Program. The discovery is crucial for India’s energy transition toward cleaner fuel (methane over coal) and holds the potential to significantly enhance India’s offshore energy assets.
The Strategic Focus
The Great Nicobar project fits well into India’s Act East Policy, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014. It is a strategic, proactive, and dynamic shift from the 1991 Look East Policy, focusing on enhancing economic, cultural, and strategic ties with Southeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific region. The policy prioritizes regional stability and the development of India’s northeastern states bordering China, Bangladesh, and Myanmar.
While focusing on ASEAN nations, it extends cooperation to Japan, South Korea and the wider Indo-Pacific to counteract regional challenges. A major focus is integrating India’s northeastern states into the broader framework of regional trade and infrastructure, serving as a gateway to Southeast Asia. Key projects in this domain include road and rail links, maritime cooperation with Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam.
New Delhi’s transition to ‘Act East’ emphasizes rapid implementation, with a focus on maritime security and a rules-based order, particularly in partnership with Indo-Pacific powers. The policy has facilitated deeper cooperation, including the sale of BrahMos missiles to the Philippines and maritime exercises.
The Nicobar Islands therefore hold critical strategic importance for India, acting as a “geostrategic pivot” in the Indian Ocean and a vital maritime watchdog. Indira Point adjacent to the Galathea Bay, India’s southernmost point, is just 145 km north of Indonesia’s northernmost Rondo Island and 160 km from the Western Entrance of Malacca strait.
The 800-kilometer strait is crucial for global supply chains, but its narrowest point, less than three kilometers wide, makes it a risk point for piracy and maritime security, often referred to as the “Malacca Dilemma” by nations reliant on it.
The Nicobar Islands secure trade routes, enable power projection, and facilitate regional cooperation against security threats, effectively acting as India’s first line of defense against Eastern maritime threats. The islands enable the Indian Navy to monitor the crucial maritime route.
Expanding Military Assets
As the home to India’s only joint services Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC), the islands enable enhanced, integrated surveillance, anti-submarine warfare, and rapid deployment capabilities. ANI control the “arc of power” in the Bay of Bengal, anchored by the ANC. Key assets include major naval and air bases, and missile batteries, designed to monitor maritime traffic. INS Utkrosh (Port Blair) is the primary air station for aerial operations. INS Kohassa (Diglipur) is the northern air base for surveillance. INS Baaz (Campbell Bay) is the southernmost air station overlooking the Malacca Strait. INS Jarawa (Port Blair) houses the floating dock FDN-1. INS Kardip is a strategic naval facility in the Nicobar group.
All these are being upgraded with deeper berths, airstrip lengthening and modernization, and surveillance facilities at Campbell Bay, Kamorta, and Hut Bay. The new Great Nicobar development plan will support operations of advanced surveillance aircraft and combat jets. It will allow greater time on station for surveillance aircraft (P8I and MQ-9) and shorter reaction time for fighter jets of Rafale and Su-30 MKI class. Indian Navy submarines can operate from the specialized infrastructure at Port Blair.
The ANC oversees Army infantry brigades with armored columns, Navy missile corvettes, amphibious warships, and patrol vehicles. Rutland Island is frequently used for joint amphibious assault exercises.
The existing military areas of the Indian Navy and Air Force (IAF) are being expanded to house more permanent assets. The runways at Diglipur and at Air Force Station Car Nicobar are being lengthened, and airfield assets including hardened shelters will allow sustained operations. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has cleared the mega-infrastructure project, citing it as of ‘strategic importance’.
The Way Ahead for Mega Plan
The Great Nicobar project faced scrutiny due to significant environmental impact, large-scale forest land diversion, and potential effects on local biodiversity and tribal communities. But the strong leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a clear development strategy have allowed work to progress.
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands Integrated Development Corporation (ANIIDCO) is leading these efforts, focusing on public-private partnerships to develop international-standard tourist resorts and eco-tourism facilities. The focus remains on accelerating growth while aiming to manage the ecological sensitivities of the region.
The military airstrips in the ANC including Car Nicobar, Campbell Bay, and Diglipur have been designated for dual‑use activation to expand civilian air services across the archipelago, thus reflecting a model of symbiotic civil‑military growth. A phased transformation of the ANC into a strategic outpost would strengthen India’s image as a preferred security partner among Indian Ocean littorals. A Su-30 MKI with single air refueling will be able to reach the South China Sea when operating from Car Nicobar. Land based BrahMos missiles will also be positioned.
New Delhi’s engagement with its neighbors through the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), an international organization of seven South Asian and Southeast Asian nations, alongside provision of operational turnaround facilities to friendly navies and the undertaking of coordinated patrols (CORPATs), can further promote regional order and cooperation.
India’s development of the ANI have progressively emerged as a pillar of its maritime diplomacy in the eastern Indian Ocean Region. The strategic advantages are phenomenal. Surveillance of extra-regional warships, deep-sea fishing fleets, ‘dark shipping’, illegal activities, and research vessels along key chokepoints is essential and the ANI offer distinct advantages in facilitating this task. Similarly, the emerging hydrocarbon potential has to be exploited and secured.
ANI could become a multifunctional node for container trade, cold‑chain exports, maritime services, and digital commerce, creating steady demand for feeder services, warehousing, and skilled local employment, while deepening India’s integration with Bay of Bengal littorals and ASEAN supply chains.
The completion of the Chennai-ANI submarine cable (CANI), a 2,300 km high-speed fiber-optic link, has laid a strong foundation for sustained digital connectivity and future growth. In all this, the interests of the several tribal groups that the Andaman Islands are famous for has been looked into.
With increasing Chinese Navy presence in the Indian Ocean Region, India requires enhanced and sustained naval and air presence and stringent access monitoring at the Malacca Strait, staged through the ANI, to enable timely responses to potential military build-ups. The new infrastructure will allow it to integrate the islands more deeply into the national security architecture, and reinforce the country’s maritime posture in the Indo-Pacific.
A permanent fighter squadron must be positioned at Great Nicobar as early as possible. Lessons from recent wars also indicate the need to set up strong air defenses on the major islands with SAMs and other defenses. India must position larger numbers of air and ground launched cruise missiles.
The ANI are the most strategically located islands anywhere in the world. With focused development and military empowerment, these islands could emerge as India’s strategic fulcrum against misadventures by India’s northern neighbor. Land-based air power has its own operational advantages and lesser risks. Major infrastructure development of the ANI will tilt the strategic balance further towards India.
“Time to say goodbye,” the message by the late US convicted sex offender allegedly concluded, according to the paper’s source
Late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s purported suicide note has remained locked up at a courthouse for years, out of reach of investigators, the New York Times has reported.
The message was allegedly discovered by Epstein’s cellmate, Nicholas Tartaglione, in July 2019 after the disgraced US financier had been foun
“Time to say goodbye,” the message by the late US convicted sex offender allegedly concluded, according to the paper’s source
Late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s purported suicide note has remained locked up at a courthouse for years, out of reach of investigators, the New York Times has reported.
The message was allegedly discovered by Epstein’s cellmate, Nicholas Tartaglione, in July 2019 after the disgraced US financier had been found unresponsive with a strip of cloth around his neck at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City, the paper said in an article on Thursday.
Epstein survived that incident, but was found dead in his cell on August 10 the same year. The convicted sex offender apparently hanged himself with his bedsheets, but skeptics continue to insist that he was murdered to cover up for the powerful individuals supposedly implicated in the case.
Tartaglione, a former police officer serving four life sentences for a quadruple murder, told the NYT on the phone that the suicide note was written on a piece of yellow paper ripped from a legal pad and tucked into a graphic novel that Epstein used to read.
According to the cellmate, in the message the financier claimed that the investigators had “found nothing” on him despite looking for months. He said that Epstein's note concluded with the words: “What do you want me to do, bust out crying? Time to say goodbye.”
Tartaglione claimed that he had given the paper to his lawyers, suggesting that it could have been useful to counter claims made by Epstein after the July 2019 incident that he had been attacked by his cellmate.
The note eventually ended up being sealed by a federal judge as part of Tartaglione’s criminal case and still remains locked up in a New York courthouse, the NYT said. This means that the investigators, who looked into Epstein’s death, lacked what could have been a key piece of evidence, it added.
A spokesperson for the US Justice Department confirmed to the paper that the agency hasn’t seen the note. It was also not found among the massive trove of Epstein files published by the DOJ earlier this year, according to the article.
Leaked tapes expose “just the tip of the iceberg” of a vast corruption network and a “power grab” in Ukraine, Andrey Telizhenko has said
Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky is deeply implicated in corruption schemes and a broader power struggle in Kiev, former Ukrainian diplomat and ex-Prosecutor General’s advisor Andrey Telizhenko told RT on Thursday. He added that the recordings published by Ukrainian media as the “Mindich tapes” are exposing the early
Leaked tapes expose “just the tip of the iceberg” of a vast corruption network and a “power grab” in Ukraine, Andrey Telizhenko has said
Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky is deeply implicated in corruption schemes and a broader power struggle in Kiev, former Ukrainian diplomat and ex-Prosecutor General’s advisor Andrey Telizhenko told RT on Thursday. He added that the recordings published by Ukrainian media as the “Mindich tapes” are exposing the early stages of a wider network of financial wrongdoing.
Earlier this week Ukrainian media published transcripts of the covert recordings from an anti-corruption probe, indicating that businessman Timur Mindich, widely described as close to Zelensky, effectively ran the weapons firm Fire Point despite public denials. The materials show him discussing funding, contracts, and foreign investors with then Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, now head of the National Security and Defense Council.
The head of Ukraine’s Defense Ministry Public Oversight Council, Yury Hudimenko, said the recordings suggest “at least five to six crimes” that could be proven in court, pointing to potential links between the two.
The council warned that Fire Point could be barred from state contracts if the link is confirmed. The company has been promoted by Zelensky abroad as a flagship defense project, while national media have long referred to Mindich as “Zelensky’s wallet.” The transcripts point to close links between the businessman, the firm, and figures in the president’s inner circle. A certain “Vova” – the familiar form of Vladimir – is mentioned several times in the recordings.
“Zelensky’s name is in there… this is just the beginning of his involvement,” Telizhenko said.
“He’s involved… up to his neck in money‑laundering schemes,” he claimed, adding that people like Mindich and [Sergey] Shefir, Zelensky’s business partner and former top aide,”are working by his side.”
Telizhenko said the developments reflect a broader struggle, claiming “the British are controlling the situation,” and “investing into the military industrial complex of Ukraine.” London has pledged a record package of more than 120,000 drones for Ukraine this year.
He described the situation in Kiev as “a power grab,” claiming that “Zelensky is right in the hotspot of it,” and predicting that “he’s going to be done. He will have nowhere to go.” Telizhenko insisted that “The West is trying to leak and destroy Zelensky, get him out of power.”
Commenting on continued foreign support for Kiev, he claimed that Western Europe is “involved in this corruption scheme right from the beginning,” adding that that they “are going to continue to push the money, because they are making profit from this.”
The EU’s actions have drawn criticism from Russia and some of the bloc’s members. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto stated in December that Brussels did not want to expose Ukrainian corruption because it was “also riddled with a similar corruption network.”
Addressing the scale of alleged corruption, Telizhenko tinsisted that “this is just the tip of the iceberg [...] There’s not only $100 million… there’s billions and billions,” he said, claiming that “there’s around $120 billion that were laundered throughout this war just from what I know.”
Telizhenko said more revelations could follow, saying “within the next couple of weeks, we’re going to see more tapes with Vova… more and more come up.”
The drone deliberately targeted the motorcycle the victims were riding, Vyacheslav Gladkov has said
Two teenagers have been killed in a Ukrainian drone attack in Russia’s Belgorod Region, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov has said.
The victims were aged 18 and 15, the governor of Belgorod Region wrote in a post on his Telegram channel, adding that the drone deliberately targeted the motorcycle they were riding in the village of Volchya Aleksandrovka in
The drone deliberately targeted the motorcycle the victims were riding, Vyacheslav Gladkov has said
Two teenagers have been killed in a Ukrainian drone attack in Russia’s Belgorod Region, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov has said.
The victims were aged 18 and 15, the governor of Belgorod Region wrote in a post on his Telegram channel, adding that the drone deliberately targeted the motorcycle they were riding in the village of Volchya Aleksandrovka in Volokonovsky District. He added that the two died at the scene from their injuries and offered condolences to their families, writing: “This is a terrible loss for all of us.”
Belgorod and other Russian regions bordering Ukraine have repeatedly been targeted by drone strikes during the ongoing conflict. Moscow has accused Kiev of “terrorism” and of deliberately targeting civilians and critical infrastructure.
The drone which took the boys’ lives was just one of dozens Kiev has used to target Belgorod Region this week. On Wednesday, three women were killed when a drone struck a passenger bus in Voznesenovka. Eight others were injured, two of them seriously.
A day earlier, a man was killed in the same village when a drone hit a car. In a separate incident, a married couple were killed when a drone struck their vehicle in the village of Bobrava in Rakityansky district. Their 16-year-old son was injured and suffered blast trauma.
Russian officials have described the aerial incursions as desperate “terrorist attacks” meant to compensate for the setbacks Kiev’s military has been suffering on the battlefield.
Moscow has retaliated with a long-range strike campaign of its own, targeting dual-use infrastructure, including power grid facilities and military sites in Ukraine with missiles and drones. Russia maintains that it never targets purely civilian sites.
The country’s second-largest carrier is reportedly planning to reduce services on international routes
Air India will cut about 100 flights across international routes starting from June, the Economic Times reported on Friday.
India’s second-largest carrier, which was privatized and bought by Tata Group in 2022, operates roughly 1,100 daily flights. The steepest reductions are expected on long-haul international routes to Europe, North America,
The country’s second-largest carrier is reportedly planning to reduce services on international routes
Air India will cut about 100 flights across international routes starting from June, the Economic Times reported on Friday.
India’s second-largest carrier, which was privatized and bought by Tata Group in 2022, operates roughly 1,100 daily flights. The steepest reductions are expected on long-haul international routes to Europe, North America, Australia, and Singapore, where fuel consumption is highest.
An unidentified Air India official told the outlet that the airline is currently unable to recover operating costs on a large number of flights. The carrier has already accumulated losses of about $2.1 billion, the report noted, with its finances hit hard since the closure of Pakistan’s airspace following the military standoff in May 2025.
The closure has forced Indian carriers to take longer routes, significantly increasing operating costs.
The report comes amid an industry-wide plea by Indian airline companies for the federal government to intervene, as surging ATF (Aviation Turbine Fuel) prices threaten their commercial viability.
On Friday, India announced hikes for jet fuel prices for international airlines. However, it maintained that there was no change in ATF prices for domestic airlines.
Earlier in April, India raised fuel prices for international flights while only slightly increasing rates for domestic routes. The hike for domestic carriers was capped due to a government intervention, which directed state‑run oil marketing companies to limit the increase to 25%.
The retail prices of petrol, diesel, and domestic LPG (14.2 kg cylinders) have remained unchanged, fully insulating domestic consumers from the recent increase in international fuel prices. No change in prices of domestic LPG (14.2 kg) for 33 crore domestic LPG consumers. No…
Fuel accounts for up to 40% of an airline’s operating costs and seemingly minor price hikes impact profitability, making tickets more expensive.
Jet fuel prices in India have soared past the $2,140 per kiloliter mark amid the ongoing Middle East conflict, well above the previous high of $1,180 per kiloliter recorded in 2022 after the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis.
Globally, jet fuel prices averaged $179 per barrel, an over-80% increase from the $99 per barrel level observed in late February 2026.
More than 15,400 flights operated by Indian carriers were canceled from February 28 to April 24. Airlines are now operating just 50-55 flights per day to the Middle East, compared to nearly 200 daily services earlier.
India is the world’s third-largest domestic aviation market. The sector provides more than 369,000 jobs directly and 7.7 million indirectly, according to official figures.
West Jerusalem must be prepared to resume attacks on Iran if necessary, Defense Minister Israel Katz has warned
The US has delivered 6,500 tons of munitions and equipment to Israel within 24 hours, West Jerusalem has said.
The announcement coincided with media reports claiming that the head of US Central Command, Brad Cooper, has briefed US President Donald Trump on a plan for the potential renewal of military action against Iran in a bid to pres
West Jerusalem must be prepared to resume attacks on Iran if necessary, Defense Minister Israel Katz has warned
The US has delivered 6,500 tons of munitions and equipment to Israel within 24 hours, West Jerusalem has said.
The announcement coincided with media reports claiming that the head of US Central Command, Brad Cooper, has briefed US President Donald Trump on a plan for the potential renewal of military action against Iran in a bid to pressure it to consent to a more favorable peace deal.
According to Fox News, what Cooper described as the “final blow” against Tehran could include a “short and powerful wave of strikes” targeting Iran’s “remaining military assets, leadership and infrastructure.”
The ceasefire in the US-Israeli war against Iran was announced on April 8 after more than a month of fighting, but attempts by Washington and Tehran to reach a diplomatic settlement to the crisis have so far been in vain. The control of the Strait of Hormuz and the Iranian nuclear program reportedly remain the main stumbling blocks between the sides.
The Israeli Defense Ministry said in a statement on Thursday that two cargo ships docked at the country’s ports of Ashdod and Haifa had arrived with thousands of air and ground munitions, military trucks, Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTVs) and other military equipment.
The hardware was loaded onto hundreds of trucks and moved to Israel Defense Forces (IDF) bases across the country, the statement read.
According to Defense Ministry data, Israel has already received over 115,600 tons of military equipment, via 403 airlifts and 10 sealifts since the US-Israeli attack on Iran began on February 28.
Semafor reported in mid-March, citing American officials, that Israel had informed the US that it was running “critically low” on air defense interceptors amid Tehran’s retaliatory strikes. The IDF rejected the claim.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Thursday that West Jerusalem supported Washington’s diplomatic efforts, but warned that it “may soon be required to act again” against Iran to make sure it will “not return to being a threat.”
The Commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), Aerospace Force Brigadier General Seyyed Majid Mousavi, said the same day that Tehran will respond with “with painful, prolonged, and far-reaching strikes” if attacked again.
The first of eight submarines launched as tensions with India persist
Pakistan has launched the first of eight Chinese-built Hangor-class submarines, expanding its undersea fleet, as Islamabad deepens defense cooperation with Beijing.
The move follows the induction of Chinese-made J-10C fighter jets, which Pakistan says were used in combat for the first time during its 2025 conflict with India.
President Asif Ali Zardari attended the commissionin
The first of eight submarines launched as tensions with India persist
Pakistan has launched the first of eight Chinese-built Hangor-class submarines, expanding its undersea fleet, as Islamabad deepens defense cooperation with Beijing.
The move follows the induction of Chinese-made J-10C fighter jets, which Pakistan says were used in combat for the first time during its 2025 conflict with India.
President Asif Ali Zardari attended the commissioning ceremony in the southern Chinese port city of Sanya, alongside Pakistani Navy Chief Admiral Naveed Ashraf and other senior officials from both countries. Zardari, who is on an official visit to China, described the induction as a “historic milestone” for the navy.
The Hangor-class is based on China’s Type 039A submarine design and is a diesel-electric platform with air-independent propulsion. It can carry a crew of up to 38 and is equipped with torpedoes and anti-ship missiles. Under a deal signed in 2015 and estimated at being worth about $5 billion, four submarines are being built in China and delivered to Pakistan, while the remaining four will be constructed domestically.
Pakistan has long relied on its submarine fleet as a key element of its deterrence against India, with which it has fought three wars since 1947. During last year’s conflict over Kashmir, Islamabad said it used Chinese-made J-10C jets to shoot down Indian aircraft, including French-made Rafale fighters, a claim New Delhi has not confirmed.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), China accounted for approximately 81% of Pakistan’s arms imports in 2020–2024. Their joint venture projects include the Hangor as well as the JF-17 fighter jet.
Earlier this week, Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh accused Pakistan of supporting terrorism and said that New Delhi is ready to respond to any threat, underscoring ongoing tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.
India has not commented on the latest commissioning, but its navy has previously said it is closely monitoring China’s supply of submarines to Pakistan, while stepping up efforts to expand its own undersea fleet, citing Beijing’s expanding naval presence in the Indian Ocean. New Delhi is also advancing its nuclear and conventional submarine programs in order to strengthen its maritime capabilities.
Cole Tomas Allen has been charged with attempting to assassinate US President Donald Trump
The US Department of Justice has released new high-quality CCTV footage showing Cole Tomas Allen, who has been charged with attempting to assassinate US President Donald Trump, allegedly rushing past security and opening fire.
The incident took place on Saturday at the Washington Hilton, which hosted the White House Correspondents’ Dinner attended by the pr
Cole Tomas Allen has been charged with attempting to assassinate US President Donald Trump
The US Department of Justice has released new high-quality CCTV footage showing Cole Tomas Allen, who has been charged with attempting to assassinate US President Donald Trump, allegedly rushing past security and opening fire.
The incident took place on Saturday at the Washington Hilton, which hosted the White House Correspondents’ Dinner attended by the president, First Lady Melania Trump, White House officials, and journalists.
The footage, which has no sound, shows the suspect walking down a hallway before dashing past a metal detector screening area.
At one point, he points a shotgun at a security guard, while another guard fires several shots from a sidearm.
🚨#BREAKING: Newly released footage shows 31-year-old Cole Allen of California walking around The Washington Hilton in washington DC then soon opening fire on a U.S. Secret Service officer during an attempted attack targeting President Donald Trump and others at the White House… pic.twitter.com/ytHWUPlRxT
The suspect was tackled and restrained before reaching the ballroom where the president was seated. According to the DOJ, a Secret Service officer wearing a bulletproof vest was shot once in the chest.
Allen reportedly left a manifesto in which he, without identifying Trump by name, criticized his policies and described his intent to take action against “a pedophile, rapist, and traitor.”
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