Seoul apartment buildings are seen in central Seoul, South Korea, 08 March 2026. According to data compiled by KB Kookmin Bank, the average price of apartment units in the top 20 percent sold in Seoul reached 3.47 billion won (USD 2.34 million) in February, up 5.27 million won from the previous month. Photo by YONHAP / EPA
May 4 (Asia Today) — Seoul accounted for more than 80% of first-priority apartment subscription applications in South Korea in March, according to an analysis by real estate platform Zigbang.
Zigbang said Monday that 109,928 first-priority applications were filed nationwide for apartment complexes announced for sale in March. Of those, 90,322, or 82%, were submitted for apartments in Seoul.
The figures were calculated based on the month of the sales announcement. Zigbang said applications were counted according to the date of the initial resident recruitment notice, even when the actual application period extended into the following month.
The increase was sharp compared with earlier months. Complexes announced in January received 10,549 applications and those in February drew 27,313. The number surged past 100,000 in March.
The number of apartment complexes offered also rose from eight in January and 11 in February to 27 in March. The average competition rate climbed from 4.2-to-1 in January to 7.1-to-1 in February and 12.9-to-1 in March.
Analysts said pent-up demand concentrated in March as major Seoul complexes entered the market after limited supply early in the year.
In Seoul, the average competition rate for complexes announced in March reached 156.3-to-1, sharply higher than in January and February. Every complex posted double-digit competition, driven in part by limited general sale units in redevelopment and reconstruction projects.
Major complexes included Acro de Seocho in Seocho District, which recorded a 1,099-to-1 competition rate, Hauterre Banpo in Seocho District at 710-to-1 and Ichon LE-EL in Yongsan District at 135-to-1.
“The recent subscription market continues to show high competition centered on Seoul, but it is difficult to interpret this simply as a divide between the capital region and provincial areas,” a Zigbang official said. “Consumers are clearly moving selectively based on price competitiveness and location rather than region alone.”
The official added that complexes with a strong balance of location, product quality and sale price can continue to attract real demand regardless of region.
The incident in London comes after the UK’s national threat level was raised to severe last week.
Published On 5 May 20265 May 2026
British counterterrorism police are investigating an arson attack at a former synagogue in London, the lates in a wave of attacks targeting the Jewish community in the United Kingdom’s capital.
Officers said they responded to the incident early on Tuesday in the Tower Hamlets borough.
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Police said no one was injured in the arson attack but confirmed the fire was deliberately set, adding that a set of gates and a lock at the front of the building sustained minor damage.
Last week, the UK’s national threat level was raised to “severe”, meaning an attack is considered highly likely. The government said the increase was due to what it described as a “broader Islamist and extreme right-wing terrorist threat” posed by individuals and small groups in the UK.
The arson attack came just hours before Prime Minister Keir Starmer held a meeting at his London residence focused on tackling anti-Semitism. The government said the meeting was arranged in response to rising anti-Semitism in the UK after two attacks last week in which two Jewish men and one Muslim man were stabbed in London.
Several arson attacks have occurred at synagogues and Jewish sites in London since late March.
“We are taking this incident extremely seriously, and we will be working closely with colleagues from counterterrorism policing to support the investigation,” Detective Chief Superintendent Brittany Clarke said. “The building targeted has not been operational as a synagogue for some years, but that will be of little comfort to the Jewish community in Tower Hamlets, Hackney and beyond, who are first in my thoughts this morning.”
Starmer said he was fast-tracking legislation in response to the increase in attacks, calling the situation a “crisis”.
KATIE Price appeared to struggle to keep her ample assets protected as her tiny bikini struggled to handle her ‘biggest ever’ boobs.
The surgically-enhanced star shared a selfie of her enjoying a spot of sunbathing in Dubai – after jetting over to spend time with her fourth husband, Lee Andrews.
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Katie Price’s boobs almost spilled out of her bikiniCredit: Katie Price/Facebook/BackgridKatie regularly shows off her colossal bustCredit: Getty
In the snap, a very busty Katie risked her boobs from spilling out of her tiny bikini top as it struggled to protect her modesty.
Katie underwent her 17th boob job in 2024 in Belgium where she had work done to refine the biggest chest she has ever had.
The star’s appearance has drastically changed over the yearsCredit: SplashShe has had 17 boob jobs throughout her careerCredit: Getty
The following year, she had two further boob jobs before she took a break of seven years before having a fourth operation in 2006.
Since then, Katie has had some form of breast surgery almost every one or two years in order to change their shape and size.
Her current boobs are the biggest they have ever been.
Katie briefly returned to her natural B-cup and was without implants after her chest became infected in 2015 following the surgeries.
However, she soon quickly opted to have implants put back in, despite the risks, months later and went from her natural size to a major 32GG.
Known for her cosmetic surgery, Katie underwent her biggest change in 2019 when she opted for a full body overhaul in Turkey.
During her visit to the surgeon, she underwent a third facelift, an eye and eyelid lift, her first BBL, a tummy tuck as well as her 14th breast surgery.
However, the following year, she was forced to jet to Belgium to correct some of the work after it was reported she was left with botched boobs from the Turkish clinic after undergoing the assortment of procedures.
Simon Calder described the EU’s Entry Exit System (EES) as ‘passport roulette’
13:20, 05 May 2026Updated 13:20, 05 May 2026
EES has been causing problems at certain European airports(Image: Getty)
A leading travel journalist has suggested the European Union’s new Entry/Exit System (EES) could be put on hold for the entire summer following reports of chaos and significant delays at airports. Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Simon Calder – who has branded the system ‘passport roulette’ – acknowledged that while some locations had performed ‘really well’, others were ‘struggling’.
EES is an automated system gradually replacing the traditional passport stamp. It requires people from third-party nations such as the UK to have their fingerprints registered and photograph captured before entering the Schengen Area, which encompasses 29 European countries, predominantly within the EU.
For the majority of UK travellers, the procedure takes place at foreign airports. The system saw a soft launch in October 2025 and was meant to be fully operational across all borders by April 10, 2026.
Yet there have been numerous accounts of passengers missing flights and enduring lengthy queues at airports as systems buckle under the sheer volume of people attempting to register. Several countries have suspended EES at various points, with Greece postponing the system for UK travellers over the summer to enhance the travel experience.
Portugal has halted EES for extended stretches to ease travel to and from the country, with speculation mounting that Italy may do likewise. Mr Calder indicated it was not beyond the realms of possibility. “It was always going to be really exciting to see what happens when you roll out a digital borders scheme and you ask 29 national governments to implement it,” Mr Calder said. “They have all gone their own way.
“Some of them have done it really well. Others, well, they are still struggling and we might find that, actually, the whole scheme gets put on a sort of hold for the rest of the summer.
“That’s certainly what a lot of airlines and train operators would like, not to mention the Port of Dover, where they haven’t even started taking biometrics from motorists yet.”
Headlines were made in April 2026 when passengers travelling with both Ryanair and easyJet missed their flights from separate Milan airports owing to EES complications. Footage from one incident revealed a crowd gathering at Milan Bergamo, with exasperated passengers informing staff they had been held at the gate for over an hour, demanding to know what action to take.
It’s understood that approximately 30 passengers were left behind. Ryanair said in a statement: “Due to passport control delays at Milan Bergamo Airport on 16 April, a number of passengers missed this flight from Milan to Manchester.” One passenger claimed they were kept waiting until the aircraft had departed, only to then be informed they would need to arrange their own return flights. A number of travellers on a Ryanair service from Tenerife South to East Midlands on 10 April also missed their homeward journey, once again blaming hold-ups at passport control.
Ryanair recently issued a blistering statement on social media, demanding the EES rollout be postponed until September. The low-cost carrier tore into France, Portugal, Poland, Italy, Spain, and Germany for their failure to ‘ensure that adequate staffing, system readiness, or kiosks are in place’.
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Branding the system as ‘half-baked’, the Ryanair statement said: “Despite knowing for over three years that EES would become fully operational from 10 April 2026, France, Portugal, Poland, Italy, Spain, and Germany have failed to ensure that adequate staffing, system readiness, or kiosks are in place.
“As a result, passengers are suffering long passport control queues and, in some cases, missing their flights.
“Ryanair calls on these EU Governments to suspend the rollout of the EU’s passport control Entry/Exit System (EES) until September to ensure that passengers are not needlessly forced to suffer long passport control queue delays at European airports during the peak summer season.”
From Broderick Turner: Lakers center Deandre Ayton bounced across the court after practice Monday wearing all black, his chains swaying, his mood jovial as he approached the media to talk about his role in the Western Conference semifinals.
Simply put, Ayton’s high-level of play will be paramount for the Lakers when they begin the best-of-seven series Tuesday night in Oklahoma City.
“Everything has been pretty solid, just staying in my role and just doing more in my role,” Ayton said. “This is the playoffs, so everybody can do more, everybody has another level. And this is the second round coming in, so I think we all deserve that little bit of increase of confidence from what we’ve done so far and the outcome from the adversity we’ve faced.
“I feel like that’s where we are right now and I think that’s what’s motivating me, as well, coming into these games. Just seeing, listening and being dialed in and seeing the results of it.”
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Lakers playoff schedule
Second round All times Pacific
Tuesday at Oklahoma City, 5:30 p.m., NBC/Peacock Thursday at Oklahoma City, 6:30 p.m., Prime Video Saturday at Lakers, 5:30 p.m., ABC Monday at Lakers, 7:30 p.m., Prime Video *Wed., May 13 at Oklahoma City, TBD *Saturday, May 16 at Lakers, TBD *Monday, May 18 at Oklahoma City, TBD
*-if necessary
Dodgers win, but Ohtani is slumping
From Maddie Lee: It was the perfect time for Shohei Ohtani to step up to the plate. The Dodgers’ offense was rolling again, ready to make a statement with a third-inning rally against the Astros. They loaded the bases and turned over the batting order.
Then Ohtani chased a sinker off the plate and chopped a slow bouncer to Astros third baseman Isaac Paredes, giving Paredes an easy play at second. A far departure from the eye-popping exit velocities that Ohtani’s swing usually produces, the run-scoring grounder was soft enough to avoid a double play.
In the Dodgers’ 8-3 win Monday against the Astros, Ohtani’s hitless streak stretched to five games, his longest such skid since 2022, when he also went five games without a hit (May 24-28).
Manager Dave Roberts had planned to have Ohtani pitch and hit Tuesday. But during Monday’s game, he decided to change course. Ohtani will just pitch Tuesday.
Murakami’s two-run blast in the fourth inning kept the Japanese rookie tied with New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge for the major league lead in home runs. Murakami also hit his first double of the season in the sixth, singled and scored in the eighth, finishing three for four with two RBIs and three runs scored.
Davis Martin gave up five hits in seven shutout innings, with 10 strikeouts and no walks. He improved to 5-1 and lowered his ERA to 1.64. The right-hander escaped his only jam in the seventh, getting Josh Lowe to fly to deep center with runners on first and third.
From Kevin Baxter: T-Mobile Arena sits just off the Las Vegas Strip, not far from a faux Manhattan skyline, a pyramid and a casino made to look like a castle.
The line separating illusion from reality can be a thin one in Sin City, where the Ducks opened the second round of the playoffs Monday intent on proving their first-round victory over the Edmonton Oilers was more than a facade. It didn’t go well, with Brett Howden’s goal early in the second period and Ivan Barbashev’s tiebreaking tally late in the third period giving the Vegas Golden Knights a 3-1 victory in the best-of-seven series.
Mitch Marner added an empty-net goal with six seconds to play to end any hope of a Ducks comeback. Mikael Granlund scored for the Ducks with six minutes left in the game.
But the game turned on what the Ducks thought was a missed icing call just ahead of Barbashev’s goal, which came 65 seconds after Granlund tied the score.
“Clearly I disagreed with the call. Clearly it was icing,” Ducks coach Joel Quenneville said. “That was the play for me. We had just scored. It was a huge call. And an easy call.”
Monday at Vegas, 6:30 p.m, ESPN Wednesday at Vegas, 6:30 p.m., TNT, truTV, HBO MAX Friday at Ducks, 6:30 p.m., TNT, truTV, HBO MAX Sunday at Ducks, 6:30 p.m., ESPN *Tuesday, May 12 at Vegas, TBD, ESPN *Thursday, May 14 at Ducks, TBD, TNT, truTV, HBO MAX *Saturday, May 16 at Vegas, TBA, ABC or ESPN
*-if necessary
This day in sports history
1908 — 34th Kentucky Derby: Arthur Pickens aboard 66-1 chance Stone Street wins in muddy track conditions; 2:15.20 slowest Derby in history.
1934 — Cavalcade wins the Kentucky Derby by more than three lengths over Discovery. It’s his third victory in less than two weeks.
1966 — The Montreal Canadiens beat the Detroit Red Wings 3-2 to win the Stanley Cup in six games.
1969 — The Boston Celtics beat the Lakers 107-102 in the seventh game to win the NBA championship for the 10th time in 11 years. Player-coach Bill Russell and Sam Jones retire as players.
1969 — Milwaukee Bucks sign #1 NBA Draft pick, star UCLA center Lew Alcindor.
1973 — Secretariat, ridden by Ron Turcotte, wins the Kentucky Derby with a record time of 1:59.2. Secretariat beats Sham by 2½ lengths and goes on to win the Triple Crown.
1993 — Canisius beats Niagara 11-1 in softball to set an NCAA Division I record with 34 straight wins.
2001 — Monarchos wins the Kentucky Derby carrying Jorge Chavez across the finish line in 1:59 4-5, only two-fifths of a second off the track record set by Secretariat en route to the Triple Crown in 1973. Monarchos finishes a dominating 4¾ lengths over Invisible Ink.
2007 — Street Sense, ridden by Calvin Borel, roars from next-to-last in a 20-horse field to win the Kentucky Derby by 2 1-2 lengths over Hard Spun.
2007 — Floyd Mayweather Jr. beats Oscar De La Hoya in one of the richest fights. Mayweather, with superb defensive skills and superior speed, wins a 12-round split decision and the WBC 154-pound title in his first fight at that weight. The sellout crowd of 16,200 at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas sets a record $19 million gate.
2012 — I’ll Have Another catches Bodemeister down the stretch and pulls away in the final furlong to win the Kentucky Derby. Jockey Mario Gutierrez, riding in his first Derby, guides the 3-year-old colt to a 1½-length victory in front of a Derby-record crowd of 165,307.
2012 — English FA Cup Final, Wembley Stadium, London (89,102): Chelsea beats Liverpool, 2–1; Didier Drogba scores winner for Blues’ 7th title.
2013 — LeBron James is the overwhelming choice as the NBA’s Most Valuable Player. The Miami star gets 120 of 121 first-place votes, giving him the award for the fourth time.
2017 — Corey Perry scores 6:57 into the second overtime after the Ducks rally from a three-goal deficit in the final minutes of regulation, completing a spectacular 4-3 comeback win over the Edmonton Oilers. Rickard Rakell scores the tying goal with 15 seconds left in regulation to cap a stunning sequence of three goals in just over three minutes, all with goalie John Gibson pulled for an extra attacker.
2018 — Justify splashes through the slop to win the Kentucky Derby by 2½ lengths, becoming the first colt in 136 years to wear the roses after not racing as a 2-year-old. The colt that began his racing career in February improves to 4-0 and gives trainer Bob Baffert his fifth Derby victory. Jockey Mike Smith earns his second Derby victory as the 5-2 favorite in the field of 20.
Compiled by the Associated Press
This day in baseball history
1904 — Cy Young of the Red Sox pitched a perfect game against the Philadelphia Athletics, beating Rube Waddell 3-0. Having pitched nine hitless innings in two previous efforts, he ran his string of hitless innings to 18.
1917 — Ernie Koob of the St. Louis Browns pitched a no-hitter against the Chicago White Sox for a 1-0 win in St. Louis.
1925 — Manager Ty Cobb of the Detroit Tigers hit three homers, a double and two singles against the St. Louis Browns.
1925 — Shortstop Everett Scott of the New York Yankees was benched, ending his streak of 1,307 consecutive games played that started while playing for the Boston Red Sox. Scott, who gave way to Pee Wee Wanninger, had the longest playing streak before Lou Gehrig.
1933 — Pepper Martin of the St. Louis Cardinals hit for the cycle and scored four runs in a 5-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies.
1939 — Sam Chapman of the Philadelphia Athletics hit for the cycle in a 10-5 win over the St. Louis Browns. Chapman completed the cycle with a single in the ninth.
1955 — Brooklyn Dodgers rookie Tom Lasorda makes his first major league start as he he throws three wild pitches in one inning, tying a major league record. After his pitching career, Lasorda will enjoy far more success as a Hall of Fame manager.
1962 — Bo Belinsky of the Los Angeles Angels beat the Baltimore Orioles 2-0 with a no-hitter at Dodger Stadium. Belinsky struck out nine and walked four.
1975 — The Oakland Athletics release pinch-runner Herb Washington, ending his unusual major league career. Curiously, Washington played in 105 major league games without batting, pitching, or fielding. He collected 31 stolen bases and scored 33 runs.
1978 — Pete Rose became the youngest and 14th player with 3,000 hits when he singled against Montreal’s Steve Rogers at Cincinnati’s Riverfront Stadium.
1980 — National League president Chub Feeney suspended Pittsburgh’s Bill Madlock for 15 days and fined him $5,000 for shoving his glove in the face of home plate umpire Gerry Crawford.
1999 — Colorado became the first team in 35 years and the third this century to score in every inning in a 13-6 win over the Chicago Cubs. The last time a team scored in all nine innings was also at Wrigley Field, when St. Louis beat the Cubs on Sept. 13, 1964.
2000 — St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Mark McGwire hits the longest home run in the 30-year history of Cinergy Field, but the 473-foot shot is not enough as Ken Griffey, Jr.’s home run leads the Cincinnati Reds past St. Louis, 3-2.
2003 — Matt Stairs of the Pittsburgh Pirates hits a home run off Houston Astros pitcher Wade Miller which is estimated at 461 feet, making it the longest in the history of Minute Maid Park.
2004 — Mike Piazza set a major league mark for homers as a catcher, hitting No. 352 in the New York Mets’ 8-2 victory over the San Francisco Giants.
2004 — Roger Clemens of the Houston Astros moves past Steve Carlton for second place on the strikeouts list with his 4,137th in Houston’s 6-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
2006 — At Citizens Bank Park, Omar Vizquel of the San Francisco Giants plays his 2,302nd game at shortstop, catching Cal Ripken, Jr. for third-most all time. Vizquel is now behind Hall of Famers Luis Aparicio (2,581) and Ozzie Smith (2,511). He will eventually pass both.
2015 — Bartolo Colon became the first pitcher in at least 100 years to beat the same opponent with seven different teams, stopping Baltimore once again and leading the New York Mets to a 3-2 win over the Orioles.
2018 — In pitching a perfect 9th inning in a 6-5 win against the Rangers, Craig Kimbrel of the Red Sox becomes the 29th man to record 300 saves. He is the youngest to reach the mark at 29 (Francisco Rodriguez was 31) and has needed the fewest games, 494 (Mariano Rivera had done so in 537 games) and save opportunities (330, compared to 335 for Joe Nathan) to do so.
Compiled by the Associated Press
Until next time…
That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
He however says there are some seats that he refuses to pick on a plane, because they get his journey off on the wrong foot. Among those are any middle seat, which he says results in a “battle” for personal space.
In a video on his Wolter’s World YouTube channel, Mark revealed the first row of the plane is “one of the worst”. He said: “One thing is, you have a bulkhead (wall) there.
“That first row, you don’t have the underseat storage in front of your space, so you have to make sure you get your stuff up above, but also you have no room to stretch your legs out because there’s not that underseat there, so sometimes you don’t have a tonne of space.
“But the really tough thing is, going back to the luggage, or lack of luggage space. If you’re flying in Spain, when they get on the plane, they put their bags in right away.
“They don’t wait to row 20. If you’re in row one or two, maybe you’re going to have to go to row five or six to put it up above and nobody’s going to let you go get it when it’s time to get out, which can be very frustrating.”
Mark went on to explain that the front of the plane often has the lavatory or the galley. And while he avoids sitting on the front row, Mark isn’t overly fond of the back either.
This is because you can often find yourself queuing to disembark the aircraft. He said: “If you have tight connections, guess what? You are the last one off the plane. And for my friends who do not like turbulence, if you’re in the very back of the plane, this is where the turbulence is.”
Mark says that the back, much like the front, can often be where the facilities are. In general he says he likes to avoid any seat next to the toilet, because you can “hear or smell” what is going on.
He also generally says he avoids sitting near to the galley, because it is “where the flight attendants work”. He explains this means the lights are constantly on and the area regularly “smells of food”.
He described the galley as “not really a quiet relaxing place,” which makes it more difficult to enjoy his flight. Elsewhere, Mark explains the exit rows are the “best” seats to sit in.
He said: “Those exit rows are the best for legroom because the extra row needs to be wider for exits, so it’s kind of like business class legroom for economy prices.”
A BELOVED British museum has been forced to shut permanently after the building was deemed unsafe.
The museum is dedicated to preserving over 50 historic trams – an integral part of the town’s transport heritage.
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The beloved Tramtown museum is on the site of a former tram depotCredit: Visit BlackpoolSome of Blackpool’s most historic trams are housed in Tramtown MuseumCredit: Facebook / Blackpool Tramtown
Electrical faults in the building have made Blackpool‘s Tramtown museum uninhabitable to the public, a structural engineer’s survey said.
The former working tram depot dates back over 100 years, becoming a dedicated museum in 2021 following seven years of heritage tours.
The museum had previously been given a £50,000 lifeline from the Government’s Pride in Place Impact Fund to fix the major electrical faults in the building.
Blackpool Council suggested these repairs would allow the museum to reopen for a short term period.
The building has been forced to shut due to electrical faults making it uninhabitableCredit: Facebook / Blackpool TramtownGreen tram on Blackpool sea front, EnglandCredit: Facebook / Blackpool Tramtown
However, a video from April 28 on the Tramtown YouTube channel revealed the building could not be used, leaving volunteers concerned how they were previously allowed into the building given how unsafe it was.
This unique museum gave a rare insight into the history of Blackpool’s trams and illuminations, welcoming over 500 visitors in its opening week.
Affordably priced at £5 per ticket, or £2.50 for children, the museum included a small, donation-based cafe, built for visitors less than a year before its closure.
Blackpool Council leader Lynn Williams said: “While the work was ongoing fixing the electrics at Tramtown, an independent structural engineer carried out a survey of the building.
“That independent report has come back saying the building is unsafe.
“The only public entrance is unsafe and we can’t gamble with the safety of volunteers and visitors by opening an unsafe building.”
Blackpool council leaders now hope to submit a joint funding bid and steering group to maintain a long-term future for the museum.
“I want to make very clear that this is not the end of heritage trams in Blackpool. The news will double our resolve to set up a joint steering group to create a better future for Tramtown and our historic trams,” Williams continued.
Blackpool Transport’s new managing director, Lea Harrison, said: “Blackpool is as famous for its historic trams as it is for its tower and the Pleasure Beach and we are fully committed to preserving the town’s rich tramway heritage for future generations to enjoy.”
People view the Kia EV3 on display during the New York International Auto Show in New York, New York, USA, 02 April 2026. Photo by SARAH YENESEL / EPA
May 4 (Asia Today) — Hyundai Motor and Kia accelerated their shift toward electrified vehicles in the United States in April, even as overall sales fell slightly.
Hyundai Motor Group said Monday it sold 159,216 vehicles in the U.S. market in April, down 2.1% from a year earlier. Hyundai Motor sold 86,513 vehicles, down 1.5%, while Kia sold 72,703, down 2.8%. Genesis sales rose 0.8% to 6,356 vehicles.
The decline was attributed to a high base effect from advance purchases last year linked to tariff concerns. Major global automakers also reported weaker sales, while Hyundai Motor Group maintained its No. 2 position in the market.
Eco-friendly vehicle sales showed clear growth despite the overall decline. Hyundai and Kia sold 48,425 eco-friendly vehicles in April, up 47.6% from a year earlier. Their share of total sales exceeded 30% for the first time, reaching 30.4%.
Hybrid sales surged 57.8% to a record 41,239 vehicles. Hyundai sold 21,713 hybrids, up 47.7%, while Kia sold 19,526, up 70%.
Electric vehicle sales also rose 7.7% to 7,186. Hyundai EV sales edged lower to 4,779, but Kia’s EV sales jumped 65% to 2,407, driving growth in the segment.
By model, the Hyundai Tucson led sales with 22,024 vehicles, followed by the Elantra with 14,778 and the Palisade with 11,324. Sonata sales rose 18.2% to 7,105, while Elantra sales climbed 12.6%, showing signs of recovery in sedan demand.
Among hybrid models, Sonata hybrid sales surged 170% to 4,520 and Elantra hybrid sales rose 55.3% to 2,399, reflecting stronger demand for electrified models.
For Kia, the Sportage remained the top seller with 15,803 vehicles, followed by the K4 with 13,214 and the Telluride with 12,577. Seltos sales rose 31.7% to 5,335, absorbing demand in the compact SUV segment.
Among Kia’s eco-friendly vehicles, the Sportage hybrid rose 65.2% to 7,446 and EV9 sales jumped 481.5% to 1,349.
Genesis maintained its position in the premium market, led by GV70 sales of 2,837, up 7.7%, and G70 sales of 991, up 23.4%.
Hyundai and Kia said their balanced portfolio of hybrids, electric vehicles and internal combustion engine models is helping them respond flexibly to changing market conditions.
THE most beautiful museums in the world have been named but you will have to hop on a plane to visit any of them.
The 2026 list has been revealed Prix Versailles, with the architecture competition including everything from airports to train stations.
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The world’s most beautiful museums have been revealed and NONE are in the UKCredit: AlamyLithuania’s Lost Shtetl Museum was the only European entryCredit: Alamy
Yet the 2026 The World’s Most Beautiful Museums list only has one entry in Europe – and it wasn’t in the UK.
“Beyond welcoming their visitors, we hope these places will be sources of inspiration for all those who serve the common good of humanity.”
The only European winner was Lost Shtetl Museum in Šeduva, Lithuania.
Designed to look like a small town (being the Yiddish translation of Shtetl), the museum is based on the typical Lithuanian Jewish family.
Tourists have raved about it, with one saying: “This museum is one of the best at least in Baltics, if not in Europe.”
Zayed National Museum in Abu Dhabi, which opened in December last year and cost £502million to build, also made the list.
The museum goes back 300,000 years of the Emirates, and is a tribute to the UAE’s first president Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
It was even designed by the UK architectural company Foster + Partners (behind London’s Gherkin) and has a collaboration with the British Museum to offer more than 500 artifacts.
America’s National Medal of Honor Museum in Texas was also named, which features recipients of the highest military awards.
In Uzbekistan, the Islamic Civilization Center made the list, which is home to a museum as well as libraries and science labs.
Having opened back in March 2026, it has also been awarded a Guinness World Record for being the world’s largest museum of Islamic civilization.
China had two entries on the most beautiful museum list – the Xuelei Fragrance Museum (the largest fragrance museum in the world) and Shenzhen’s Science and Technology Museum which opened last year.
And finally, Japan‘s MoN Takanawa: The Museum of Narratives, which opened in March 2026, was also praised.
Jérôme Gouadain, Secretary General of the Prix Versailles explained: “The World’s Most Beautiful Museums List for 2026 stands out for the quality of its architectural interpretations and staging, elevating the sites with extraordinary narrative power.
“Together, these museums provide a real illustration of how strength and talent can be revealed through harmony, sensitivity and sharing.”
Previous winners on the list include Grand Palais in Paris (2025) and Grand Egyptian Museum (2024).
The New Building of Shenzhen Science and Technology Museum in China’s Shenzhen is a geometric marvelCredit: Alamy
Thailand has formally scrapped a 25 year old agreement with Cambodia aimed at jointly exploring offshore energy resources in disputed waters. The decision, announced by Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, marks a significant shift in bilateral relations and raises fresh uncertainty over the future of energy cooperation in the region.
The agreement, known as Memorandum of Understanding 44, was signed in 2001 to create a framework for joint exploration of oil and gas reserves in overlapping maritime claims within the Gulf of Thailand. Despite its ambitious goals, the pact has seen little tangible progress over the past two and a half decades.
A Long Stalled Framework
Memorandum of Understanding 44 was designed as a dual track mechanism. It sought to enable joint resource exploration while allowing both countries to continue negotiations over maritime boundary demarcation. However, repeated political disruptions, competing national interests, and periodic tensions prevented meaningful advancement.
Thai officials have increasingly argued that the agreement failed to deliver results, with no concrete development of hydrocarbon resources despite years of dialogue.
Domestic Politics and Strategic Timing
The cancellation also reflects domestic political dynamics in Thailand. Anutin, who secured reelection following a surge in nationalist sentiment, had pledged to withdraw from the agreement as part of his campaign platform.
Although he has stated that the decision is not directly linked to recent border conflicts, the broader context suggests otherwise. Nationalist pressures and public opinion have played a role in shaping policy, particularly after violent clashes between the two countries last year.
Cambodia’s Response and Regional Implications
Cambodia has previously expressed strong opposition to Thailand’s plan to withdraw, describing it as deeply regrettable and reaffirming its commitment to the agreement. The lack of immediate response following the announcement leaves open questions about Phnom Penh’s next steps.
The termination of the pact could complicate future negotiations, especially in resource rich areas where both nations maintain overlapping claims. It may also delay potential energy development projects that could have benefited both economies.
From Cooperation to Legal Frameworks
Thailand has indicated that it will now rely on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea as the basis for any future discussions. This shift signals a move away from cooperative frameworks toward a more formal and potentially contentious legal approach to resolving maritime disputes.
While UNCLOS provides established mechanisms for dispute resolution, negotiations under its framework can be lengthy and politically sensitive.
Conflict and Fragile Stability
The backdrop to this decision includes two recent rounds of armed conflict along the Thailand Cambodia border, which resulted in significant casualties and large scale displacement. Although a ceasefire has been in place since late December, tensions remain high, and mutual distrust persists.
Each side continues to blame the other for initiating the clashes, underscoring the fragile nature of the current peace.
Analysis
Thailand’s withdrawal from the joint energy agreement reflects a broader shift from cooperative engagement to assertive unilateralism. While the official rationale centers on lack of progress, the timing and political context suggest that strategic and domestic considerations are equally influential.
For Thailand, the move reinforces national sovereignty and responds to domestic expectations. However, it also risks escalating tensions with Cambodia and undermining long term opportunities for shared economic gains.
For Cambodia, the collapse of the agreement represents both a diplomatic setback and a potential loss of access to jointly developed energy resources. It may now seek alternative avenues, including international arbitration or renewed bilateral negotiations under different terms.
At a regional level, the decision highlights the challenges of managing overlapping territorial claims in resource rich areas. Without effective cooperation mechanisms, such disputes are more likely to shift toward legal confrontation or political escalation.
Ultimately, the end of this long standing pact underscores a key reality in international relations. Agreements that lack sustained political commitment and mutual trust are unlikely to endure, particularly in environments shaped by nationalism and unresolved territorial disputes.
Jeremy Clarkson may have given one contestant a major clue in the most recent episode of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire after he was caught ‘stifling laugh’ at a player’s answer.
11:53, 05 May 2026Updated 11:54, 05 May 2026
Jeremy Clarkson dubbed tonight’s show ‘Who Wants To Win Nothing At All’ after huge losses
Jeremy Clarkson has been accused of giving a Who Wants To Be A Millionaire player major hand in the game after being unable to control his exasperation.
In Sunday night’s episode of the ITV quiz show, Jeremy met contestant Arunan Jeyakumar from Newbury Park. Unfortunately, Arunan wasn’t quite up to the challenge, leaving with just £1,000 after using up three lifelines.
During one key moment of the episode, Jeremy asked Arunan about dances: ‘Which of these dances would tyically be performed to rock and roll music? Jive/Waltz/ Cha-Cha/Rumba?’
While taking his time to think, Arunan said he was considering the waltz, but knew it wasn’t the Cha-Cha or Rumba.
After looking at Arunan, Jeremy then lifted his hand to his head and rubbed his eye in an exasperated pose, but said nothing. Arunan then changed his answer and answered correctly, telling Jeremy it was the ‘Jive’.
Fans spotted this moment during the show, with one saying on X: “@JeremyClarkson How you stifled the laugh when he said the Waltz was calling out to him, I thought you were going to lose it.”
Jeremy replied to the comment with one simple word: “Unbelievable.”
Although Arunan was able to make it though this question unscathed, the next was his downfall as he was asked ‘Which of these is not a capital city? Bratislava/Sofia/Istanbul/Warsaw?’
He wrongly chose Sofia and ended up walking away with just £1,000. Clarkson told him very bluntly: “I think that the basic problem is you don’t know very many things. This maybe was the wrong show for you to be on.”
The former Top Gear star host seemed frustrated that no one was winning big on the show, quipping: “Welcome back to Who Wants To Win Nothing At All.. as it should be called.”
In the same episode, one woman lost a staggering £186,000 by risking all – making her the show’s second ever biggest loser. It all went wrong on her £500,000 question. She was asked: “According to Guinness World Records, which of these has travelled at over 260 miles per hour during a competitive game or match? Tennis ball/Ice hockey puck/Badminton shuttlecock/Table tennis ball”
Jen used her Phone-A-Friend lifeline but her dad, Chris, didn’t know. Clarkson warned her: “You are now completely on your own and have no more lifelines. If you get this wrong, if you go for it and get it wrong, you lose £186,000.”
And he advised that she did have the option of not answering the question at all and still walking away with a big win. He said: “You can go home with £250,000.”
But she reasoned: “Would I be more annoyed at giving it go and getting it wrong…. Or not giving it a go?” In the end she pressed ahead guessed an ice hockey puck, with the correct answer being shuttlecock.
The audience gasped at her huge loss and this comes just one week after the presenter gleefully crowned retired IT analyst Roman Dubowski a £1m winner.
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire episodes air on Sunday nights at 8pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr has shown an ability to make a lot of noise at the government agency known in recent years to be a little sleepy.
But his April 28 announcement that the Walt Disney Co.’s eight ABC TV stations will undergo an early review of their broadcast licenses is his loudest action yet taken on behalf of President Trump, who repeatedly threatened media outlets that he believes are critical of him.
Carr is calling for the review two years before any of the station licenses are up, citing the agency’s inquiry into Disney’s diversity, equity and inclusion policies and whether they violated federal anti-discrimination rules.
The timing of Carr’s move is raising eyebrows as it comes after First Lady Melania Trump’s call for the firing of ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel over his April 23 comedy bit on the White House correspondents’ dinner. A tuxedo-clad Kimmel called Melania Trump “beautiful,” saying she had “the glow of an expectant widow.”
The first lady’s remarks came after a man armed with a shotgun, handgun and several knives breached security at the Washington black-tie event on April 25. The suspect, Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, was arrested and faces three criminal charges, including attempting to assassinate the president.
Kimmel’s gag became ammunition for right-wing commentators, who claim the left is stoking political violence.
The host said the joke was about the age difference between the 79-year-old president and his wife. Kimmel denied it was a call for violence and has continued to mock the president on his show.
Carr insisted at a Washington news conference last week that his demand for a review is not related to Kimmel’s remarks.
Although many are skeptical, Carr, who was at the April 25 dinner, told The Times there would be an action related to ABC coming soon. The conversation occurred hours before the shots were fired.
The investigation into Disney’s practices began in March 2025, part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to reverse DEI initiatives across private companies, federal agencies, universities and other organizations.
After the 2020 police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, which spurred the Black Lives Matter movement, companies such as Disney and NBC-owned Comcast aggressively promoted their diversity efforts.
But experts believe Carr is acting on ABC at the behest of Trump, as the chairman has often expressed support on social media whenever the president criticizes one of the broadcast TV news outlets.
“It might be the case that Disney can get some early relief by saying this should be dismissed because this is really a 1st Amendment issue,” said James Speta, a professor at the Northwestern University School of Law. “We all know what’s going on here — the administration doesn’t like the speech that’s coming out of the talent on the broadcasting airwaves.”
Disney is not commenting on Carr’s DEI investigation, but it earlier defended the record of its TV stations, which are ratings leaders in most markets. “We are confident that record demonstrates our continued qualifications as licensees under the Communications Act and the First Amendment and are prepared to show that through the appropriate legal channels,” the company said.
Here’s a primer on what to know and the challenges Disney may face.
Why are TV stations licensed by the government?
Government licensing regulates the spectrum allocated to broadcast channels, largely to prevent interference between TV signals. When renewals come up, the license holder must demonstrate that the station is serving the public interest by providing local news, program diversity and educational and informational shows for children. The procedure once occurred every three years, but deregulation efforts have extended that period to the current span of eight years.
When was the last time a TV station faced a significant license renewal challenge?
The most notable recent example was Fox Corp.’s Philadelphia station WTXF, which was up for a license renewal in October 2023. Activist groups filing the challenge said Fox was unfit to own the outlet after a judge ruled earlier that year that the company’s Fox News Channel had spread falsehoods about voter fraud in the 2020 election.
Fox News, which operates on cable and satellite and is therefore not subject to FCC control, has a different management team than the parent company’s local TV stations, which mostly cover their communities and do not typically present political commentary. The FCC rejected the renewal challenge in January 2025, noting that none of the false information on Fox News was heard on the Philadelphia station. WTXF was not cited in Dominion’s lawsuit.
Are there any other examples?
Yes. Other White House administrations have threatened to pull TV station licenses in response to negative news coverage. At the height of the Watergate scandal in the 1970s, Richard Nixon’s allies unsuccessfully attempted to challenge the TV licenses of three stations then owned by the Washington Post.
Has a company ever lost its broadcast license?
RKO General, a unit of the General Tire and Rubber Co., was the last company to lose broadcast TV station licenses in 1987, including Los Angeles outlet KHJ. The case was related to corporate malfeasance and not broadcast content on the stations.
The process to revoke the RKO licenses took seven years from the moment the FCC voted in favor of the move.
But isn’t this case different?
Yes. Although the rule Carr mentioned is legitimate, the FCC has rarely if ever acted on it, according to one veteran TV executive who was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. If Disney or any other company was found to violate the nondiscrimination rule, they would in previous eras probably be subjected to a just a fine, not the denial of a license, which would be viewed by many as government censorship.
What happens in the event that ABC licenses are not renewed?
Nothing immediately, as the licenses are in effect through 2028 to 2032, depending on the outlet. If Disney had to sell the stations, the price would probably be depressed due to pressure to unload the properties.
But public communications attorney Andrew Jay Schwartzman told The Times last month that the bar for denying a renewal is high and any effort would be tied up in court on constitutional grounds.
“The law intentionally sets out a very steep burden for the FCC to deny a license renewal; the process takes many years, during which time the licensee continues to operate normally under ‘continuing operating authority,’” Schwartzman said.
Athletic Club have appointed German boss Edin Terzic as their new head coach.
The former Borussia Dortmund coach has agreed a two-year contract and is scheduled to be presented by the Bilbao-based club at the start of next season.
The 43-year-old will replace Ernesto Valverde, who said in March that he would leave Athletic Club this summer after four years in charge.
Terzic has had two spells in charge of Dortmund, winning the German Cup in 2021, narrowly missing out on the Bundesliga title in 2023 and reaching the Champions League final in 2024.
He asked to leave Dortmund shortly after losing 2-0 to Real Madrid at Wembley and was yet to resume his managerial career.
Terzic had previously been Slaven Bilic’s assistant at Turkish club Besiktas and Premier League side West Ham.
Athletic Club are currently eighth in Spain’s La Liga table with four games of the season left.
May 5 (UPI) — An explosion at a fireworks factory in China’s Hunan Province has killed 26 people and injured dozens more, state media reported Tuesday, prompting Chinese President Xi Jinping to call for those responsible to be held accountable.
The blast occurred Monday afternoon at the Huasheng Fireworks Manufacturing and Display plant in the southern city of Liuyang, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported. Authorities said 26 people were killed and 61 injured at a press conference Tuesday.
Five rescue teams totaling nearly 500 personnel were dispatched to the scene, while an area with a radius of nearly two miles was evacuated due to the risk of further explosions.
Rescuers set up firebreaks and sprayed water over the site to “prevent secondary accidents during the rescue,” Xinhua said.
Mayor Chen Bozhang of provincial capital Changsha told reporters Tuesday that search and rescue operations were largely complete, adding that real-time air and water monitoring showed no signs of environmental contamination.
The person in charge of the fireworks company has been taken into custody, Chen said.
Aerial footage from Chinese state broadcaster CCTV showed widespread damage, with smoldering factory buildings leveled across a wide area.
Xi on Tuesday ordered a prompt investigation into the accident and said “those responsible must be held accountable,” state media reported. He also called for stronger risk screening and hazard controls in key sectors, along with enhanced public safety management.
The blast follows other deadly fireworks-related accidents in China in recent years. Ahead of Lunar New Year celebrations in February, an explosion and fire at a fireworks store in Jiangsu Province killed eight, prompting officials to call for increased safety checks on pyrotechnics.
In 2019, another fireworks factory explosion in Liuyang killed 13 people. The city is the hub of China’s fireworks manufacturing industry, accounting for about 60% of the domestic market and roughly 70% of exports, according to state media.
Entry to sessions must be booked online. While children under three go free, adult tickets are £8.15, with junior and senior tickets priced at £5.35.
The spruced up lido was revived last year, funded by contributions from housing developments to Medway Council.
The Strand, which first opened in 1896, now features a new splash pad for children aged three to 11.
There’s also a beach-themed play area with 30 sensor-activated water jets alongside the large outdoor pool, elephant-shaped water slides and a 300 metre lazy river.
Those who love a long swim can make use of the open-air pool’s six 25 metre lanes.
After a day of water play, families can relax with a refreshment at the Victorian lido’s cafe, enjoy a hit on the refurbished tennis courts or take on a round of mini golf.
There’s even a miniature train for little ones to ride.
Three Identical Strangers was one of the top suggestions offered after a Redditor asked for “blow your socks off” documentaries to watch that were not widely known about.
The BAFTA-nominated film, which has a run time of just over an hour and a half, tells the story of triplets – Bobby Shafran, Eddy Galland and David Kellman – who were separated at birth. They were not told that they were triplets and so knew nothing about each other.
In an incredible twist of fate, the trio find themselves crossing paths with each other as young adults in the eighties, purely coincidentally. The amazing story catapults them to celebrity status and they live together, make movie cameos and start their own business, but as they dig deeper into their past, they discover a horrifying truth that changes their lives forever.
“I’m looking for documentaries and I love all types except for murder mystery because they’re typically all the same,” the original Reddit post began. “Could you guys suggest a few documentaries that completely caught you by surprise and you always recommend it to people because of that?”
Under the suggestion of Three Identical Strangers, one person remarked: “I remember this documentary. It made me so angry. But, producers did a great job telling the story.”
“Yess this is one I would typically scroll past but wow it was definitely one of the best,” admitted one viewer who gave it a shot. A third fan added that the story told in the film “felt impossible.”
While it is no longer available on Netflix, the film – described by many as ‘dark’ – can currently be viewed on YouTube, Apple TV and Prime Video for a small fee. Boasting a 96 per cent critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes and 88 per cent from audiences, the viewer consensus seems to be that it is a worthwhile watch for any documentary fan.
“Starting as a fascinating curiosity, the movie takes a dramatic and breath-taking turn to expose a much more unsettling story. Really great documentary,” another viewer said, rating it five stars.
“Classic case of reality being far stranger than fiction. Watch this and you’ll be rewarded (if that’s the proper way of putting it) with a story so wild you’d think it’s made up. Yet this is a documentary,” said yet another bowled over viewer.
Three Identical Strangers is currently available to watch on YouTube, Apple TV and Prime Video for an additional fee.
The three liberals had known since October the conservative majority was preparing to elevate partisan power over racial fairness.
By retreating from part of the Voting Rights Act, the court’s opinion last week by Justice Samuel A. Alito will allow Republicans across the South to dismantle voting districts that favor Black Democrats.
Justice Elena Kagan, who first came to the court as a law clerk for Justice Thurgood Marshall, denounced the “demolition” of a historic civil rights law.
In dissent, she quoted Marshall’s warning that if all the voting districts in the South have white majorities, Black citizens will be left with a “right to cast meaningless ballots.”
But Alito and Chief Justice John G. Roberts joined the court 20 years ago believing the government may not make decisions based on race.
When faced with a redistricting case from Texas, Roberts described it as the “sordid business … [of] divvying us up by race.”
With President Trump’s three appointees on the court, the conservatives had a solid majority to change the law on race. Three years ago, they struck down college affirmative action policies.
Watching closely were states such as Alabama and Louisiana.
They had been sued by voting rights advocates, and both had been required to draw a second congressional district with a Black majority.
Their state attorneys appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing these race-based districts were unconstitutional.
Roberts said the Voting Rights Act as interpreted by past decisions suggests Alabama must draw a second congressional district that may well elect a Black candidate. The three liberals agreed entirely and Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh cast a tentative fifth vote.
Alito and Justice Clarence Thomas filed strong dissents, joined by Barrett and Justice Neil M. Gorsuch.
Last year, the justices agreed to decide a nearly identical appeal from Louisiana, and this time Roberts joined the conservative majority and assigned the opinion to Alito.
He argued the Voting Rights Act gave “minority voters” an equal right to vote but not a right to “elect a preferred candidate.”
The decision dealt a double blow to Black Democrats because an earlier 5-4 opinion by Roberts freed state lawmakers to draw voting districts for partisan advantage.
That ruling, combined with Wednesday’s decision, will bolster Republicans trying to maintain their narrow hold on Congress.
As if to highlight that point, the court’s six Republican appointees were guests of President Trump at Tuesday’s White House dinner for King Charles.
Just a few days before, Trump had slammed the court in another social media post.
“The Radical Left Democrats don’t need to ‘Pack the Court’. It’s already Packed,” he wrote. “Certain ‘Republican’ Justices have just gone weak, stupid, and bad.” They had struck down his sweeping tariffs, he said, “they probably will … rule against our Country on Birthright Citizenship.”
That didn’t stop him from inviting them to the White House, nor did the partisan appearances dissuade them from attending.
Alito is enjoying his moment of acclaim as the voice of the conservative legal movement.
In March, the Federalist Society held a day-long conference in Philadelphia to celebrate the “Jurisprudence of Justice Alito.”
He is the subject of two new books. One, by journalist Mollie Hemingway, calls him “the justice who reshaped the Supreme Court and restored the Constitution.”
The other, by author Peter S. Canellos, is “Revenge for the Sixties: Sam Alito and the Triumph of the Conservative Legal Movement.”
Alito attended Princeton during the Vietnam War and was put off “by very privileged people behaving irresponsibly,” as he later described his classmates.
He then went to the Yale Law School and, like Thomas, left with a lasting disdain for the left-leaning faculty and students.
Alito has a book of his own scheduled to be released in October. It is called “So Ordered: An Originalist’s View of the Constitution, the Court and Our Country.”
Last month, rumors and speculation had it that Alito and perhaps Thomas planned to retire this year so Trump and the Senate Republicans could quickly fill their seats.
At age 76, Alito is at the peak of his influence and has no interest in stepping down, and he and Thomas confirmed to news organizations they had no plans to retire this year.
For 20 years, Alito has cast reliably conservative votes at the Supreme Court and regularly argued for moving the law farther to the right.
Most famously, he wrote the court’s 5-4 opinion in the Dobbs case that overturned Roe vs. Wade and the constitutional right to abortion.
Roberts issued a partial dissent, arguing the court should uphold Mississippi’s 16-week limit on abortions and stop there.
Alito has called religion a “disfavored right,” and there too a change is underway.
In the decades before his arrival, the court had handed down steady rulings barring taxpayer funds for religious schools or religious ceremonies or symbols in public schools or city parks.
Then, the court viewed these official “endorsements” of religion as violations of the 1st Amendment’s ban on an “establishment” of religion or the principle of church-state separation.
Those decisions have faded into the background, however.
Instead, Alito, Roberts and the four other conservatives see today’s threat as one of discrimination against religion, not official favoritism for religion.
They ruled church schools and their students may not be denied state aid because of religion. Similarly, Catholic charities and other religious groups may not be excluded from publicly funded programs because they refuse to accept same-sex parents, the justices said.
They upheld a football coach’s right to pray on the field. And they ruled for a wedding cake maker in Colorado and other business owners who refused to serve same-sex couples in violation of a state civil rights law.
Religious liberty has now replaced separation of church and state as the winning formula at the Supreme Court.
The next test on that front may come from Louisiana, which calls for the posting of the Ten Commandments in public school classes.
In the past, the court had ruled such religious displays violated the 1st Amendment, but it is not clear that the current majority will agree.
The court’s oral arguments for this term ended last week. Many of them were dominated by questions from liberal Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson.
A statistical tally by Adam Feldman for Scotusblog found that Jackson, the newest justice, had spoken twice as many words as the most talkative of the conservative justices.
Her arrival shifted the “center of verbal energy” to the liberal side, Feldman wrote. While Jackson “sits in a class of her own,” Sotomayor also presses the argument on the liberal side.
The court now has about eight weeks to hand down the decisions in 35 remaining cases. Usually, May and June can be a trying time because of intense disagreements over the opinions in close cases.
But for the liberal justices, it also may be a time mostly for writing dissents.
The ninth in an occasional seriesof profiles on Southern California athletes who have flourished in their post-playing careers.
When the Dodgers drafted David Lesch in January 1980, they had visions of his fastball lighting up radar guns at Dodger Stadium.
He never made it that far.
Lesch never climbed above the lowest rung on the minor league ladder, where he pitched just 10 innings and gave up more runs, hits and walks than he got outs. Less than 18 months after he was drafted, Lesch, wracked by a rotator cuff injury, was released, his major league dream over before he was old enough to legally buy a beer.
“I went to Disney World after that,” he said.
But that wasn’t the only decision the Dodgers made that changed Lesch’s life. When he was drafted, the team gave him just a small bonus, but sweetened the deal by offering to pay for college if he ever went back to school. For the team, it seemed a safe bet.
“They probably have this algorithm saying ‘this is the No. 1 draft pick. If he doesn’t make it, he’s not going back to college. He’ll be assistant baseball coach of his high school or something,’” Lesch said.
Oops.
Lesch not only went back to college, but he also wound up getting three degrees, including a master’s and a PhD from Harvard. It was arguably the most important investment in humanity the Dodgers made since signing Jackie Robinson, because Lesch went on to become one of the world’s top experts on the Middle East, writing 18 books and more than 140 other publications while advising four presidents and a cadre of United Nations diplomats.
David Lesch interacts with students in his history class at Trinity University in San Antonio.
(Lucero Salinas / Trinity University)
“That was the best deal,” Lesch, 65, said by phone from San Antonio, where he is the Ewing Halsell Distinguished Professor of History at Trinity University.
“Without that I probably could not have said yes to Harvard because of the price. The Dodgers committed to paying.”
And by doing so, the Dodgers may have altered history just a bit.
Lesch’s regular meetings with Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, which ended with Lesch facilitating an important if temporary breakthrough in U.S.-Syrian relations? The diplomatic and conflict-resolution work in Syria and the wider U.N. initiatives on regional issues throughout the Middle East? The thousands of students Lesch inspired to go on to perform important diplomatic and public-service roles of their own?
None of that happens if Lesch’s shoulder had held on or if the Dodgers had reneged on their deal.
“It was very fortunate that he hurt his rotator cuff. Baseball’s loss is academia’s gain,” said Robert Freedman, a scholar and expert on Russian and Middle Eastern politics who taught Lesch at the University of Maryland Baltimore County.
“I’ve been teaching for, I guess, 60 years now and I can tell when a student can see a complex problem and can penetrate right to the heart of the problem very quickly. He was one of those students.”
Still, it took a slightly offhand comment from Freedman, who now teaches at Johns Hopkins, to launch Lesch on his post-baseball career.
“We were having lunch and he was looking for a project and I mentioned to him ‘you know, there hasn’t been a good American scholar doing work on Syria for many, many years,’” he said.
“That struck his interest.”
Playing a child’s game and managing life-and-death Middle East politics share very little in common. But Lesch made the transition seamlessly.
“It is like he’s several different people, or has been,” said journalist and author Catherine Nixon Cooke, whose book “Dodgers to Damascus: David Lesch’s Journey from Baseball to the Middle East” traces those parallel lives.
“I’m wondering if, in a sense, it all worked out the way it was supposed to,” Cooke continued. “Even though his dream was to be a major leaguer, David certainly has reinvented himself to this really remarkable man following a completely different path.
“It was the Dodgers who paid for him to go to Harvard and so it’s kind of a weird thing. Baseball took away his dream because he got hurt, but baseball also gave him his backup plan.”
Lesch was still a teenager when, 20 minutes into his first spring training camp in Vero Beach, Fla., Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda plucked him off a minor league practice field to pitch batting practice in the main stadium.
It was the first time — and nearly the last — that Lesch faced big-league hitters. And it didn’t start well.
Batting practice pitchers throw from behind an L-shaped screen that protects them from comebackers and Lesch had never used one. That, combined with his understandable nervousness, caused him to short-arm his first fastball, which sailed at Cey’s head, sending him sprawling into the dirt.
“He got up and gave me this mean look,” Lesch said. “I remember it so vividly right now. I really thought I was going to be released that day.”
Instead, he gathered himself and finished the session, earning pats on the back from both Garvey and Lasorda. The incident, he said, has colored the rest of his life.
“I’ve met with presidents, prime ministers, been in war zones, all sorts of things,” Lesch said. “Anytime I say ‘well, you know, this should make me nervous,’ I think about that episode and the fact that I made it through and did OK.”
In high school, Lesch had focused on basketball and baseball. Academics? Not so much. So after spending his freshman year of college at Western Maryland College, he transferred to Central Arizona, a junior college, so he would be eligible for the January 1980 draft, allowing him to trade his books in for a baseball.
The so-called secondary draft, which was discontinued six years later, was specifically targeted toward winter high school graduates, junior college players, college dropouts and amateurs who had been previously drafted but did not sign. As a result, the bonuses teams offered winter draft picks were just a fraction of what players taken in the June draft received.
Lesch’s was so low, he can’t even remember what it was.
“I want to say $10,000 to $15,000,” he said. “No more than $20,000.”
When it became clear the Dodgers weren’t going to budge on the money, Lesch’s father, Warren, a family physician in suburban Baltimore, pulled out the Harford County phone book and looked up the number for Baltimore Orioles coach Cal Ripken Sr. Lesch played high school ball against Ripken’s son Cal Jr., who had been a second-round draft pick of the Orioles two years earlier. So his father thought the Ripkens might have some advice on what to ask of the Dodgers.
David Lesch, a former Dodgers draft pick, stands on the baseball diamond at Trinity University in San Antonio.
(Lucero Salinas / Trinity University)
“Ripken goes ‘does your son like school and is he smart?’” Lesch’s older brother Bob remembers. “So Ripken suggested if they offer you XYZ bonus money, take less and say ‘I’ll take this amount, but you have to cover education if he doesn’t make it.’”
Neither side thought that clause would ever be triggered; Lesch, a big, intimidating right-hander who threw bullets from behind Coke-bottle eyeglasses, wasn’t headed to a classroom, he was going to Dodger Stadium.
Until he wasn’t.
Lesch missed a couple of weeks with a back injury. By overcompensating for the sore back, he developed paralysis in the ulnar nerve in his right arm, limiting him to five appearances in his first minor league season.
He arrived healthy for his second spring in Vero Beach and threw three no-hit innings in his first outing against double-A and triple-A players, creating such a buzz that Ron Perranoski, the Dodgers’ major league pitching coach, showed up to watch his second game. By then the shoulder and back stiffness that shortened his first season had returned, and Lesch was rocked. Perranoski left early and unimpressed.
Lesch’s delivery had one major flaw: He threw directly overhand, as opposed to three-quarters or even sidearm, which can increase velocity but also places additional strain on the shoulder and elbow. As a result, his fastball could top out in the mid-90s one day, but when the stiffness and pain returned, it left him throwing in the low 80s.
The inconsistency continued to plague Lesch, and eventually the Dodgers decided they’d seen enough and released him. When he got back to Maryland, Lesch’s father sent him to see an orthopedic surgeon, who found the problem wasn’t in his back or elbow but rather the rotator cuff.
“We didn’t live in the era of pitch counts. So he just pitched,” said David Souter, a high school and college teammate who went on to develop big-league pitchers.
“He had the ability if he was developed and stayed healthy. I think he probably overthrew and tore his rotator cuff and nobody knew it.”
If Lesch had come along 10 years later, when rotator cuff surgeries were common, he might have returned to the mound. But in 1981, a rotator cuff injury was a death sentence for a pitcher.
“It’s just a crapshoot based on physiology,” Lesch said. “I probably was destined. Something would have happened.”
If he could do it over again, Lesch said he would change one thing.
“I’d throw sidearm,” he said. “It’s much less stress.”
He threw to big league hitters just one more time. Following the strike that interrupted the 1981 season, Ripken Sr. phoned Lesch back and asked him to throw batting practice at Memorial Stadium to help the Orioles prepare for the resumption of play. As a reward, the Orioles let Lesch hit — he never had batted in the minors — and he drove a pitch over the left-field wall, then dropped the bat and walked away.
He never stepped on a major league field again.
The Dodgers’ investment in Lesch’s education appeared manageable when he enrolled at a satellite campus of the University of Maryland, in part because his brother Bob was the school’s sports information director.
But it was 1981 and the Middle East was at the forefront of geopolitics. Lesch became convinced the Middle East would be central to world affairs for decades to come. Inspired and encouraged by Freedman and another professor, Lou Cantori, he applied to graduate school at Harvard, Georgetown, Johns Hopkins and the University of Chicago, knowing he couldn’t afford any of those schools on his own.
“I probably could not have said yes to Harvard when they accepted me because of the price,” Lesch said. “The Dodgers had committed to paying and whatever it was, it was a lot more collectively — my undergraduate MA and PhD — than I had gotten in the bonus.”
That wasn’t the only time his baseball background worked in his favor. Years after starting at Harvard, Lesch stumbled upon written evaluations of his application and learned that his grade-point average and other factors were similar to those of other applicants, but it was his athletic career that had swung enough votes in his favor to get him accepted.
“Failure is at the core of sports. And so you have to have this resiliency,” Lesch said. “What a lot of the top colleges have found is that these young kids out of high school who somehow get a 4.6 GPA, they come in — and I’ve seen this as a professor — they get their first C and they’re distraught.
“Athletes stick with it. They say ‘how can I turn this around? How can I get better?’ Admissions departments across the board have looked at athletes much differently.”
The struggles Lesch experienced on the diamond did not follow him into academia. Yet becoming an expert on the Middle East definitely was a backup plan.
“His first passion was clearly baseball and basketball,” said Souter, the former teammate. “Every kid dreamed … that.”
If the shoulder injury wasn’t a strong enough sign that that dream was over, the fire that destroyed Lesch’s childhood home a few years later was. The flames, which severely burned both his parents, also erased his baseball career, consuming all the photos and memorabilia he had collected, save for the championship ring from his one minor league season, which he found buried in the embers. It was the only thing to survive the blaze intact.
David Lesch’s championship ring from his one minor league season, the only surviving keepsake of his professional career after a his family’s home was destroyed in a fire.
(Courtesy of David Lesch)
A post-graduate trip to Syria, the first of more than 30 visits he has made to the country, sealed the deal a few years later. The love he once had for baseball he now felt for a strange and mysterious place that was as old as history itself yet as secretive as the classical ciphers.
Soon Lesch was helping arrange high-level meetings between Syrian president Hafez al-Assad and President George H.W. Bush, a baseball fan who seemed as interested in Lesch’s Dodgers days as his Middle Eastern expertise. But his big break came during the first presidential term of Bush’s son George W. Bush, when Bashar al-Assad, who succeeded his father as Syria’s president, welcomed Lesch for the first of many interviews that informed his book, “The New Lion of Damascus: Bashar al-Assad and Modern Syria.”
“His forte is listening,” Cooke, the biographer, said of Lesch, whose polite, unassuming manner reflects an adult life spent mostly in San Antonio. “When he goes in to try to mediate something, he is a big listener. There is a side of David that doesn’t talk much. But he’s listening.”
The book humanized al-Assad and opened, for a time, the possibility of normalized relations between Syria and the West, with Lesch serving as an unofficial liaison between Damascus and Washington, as well as other Western capitals.
“He’s absolutely a critical player in what we would call two-track diplomacy,” Freedman said. “If the government wants to reach out but doesn’t want to take the political consequences, they send somebody to sound out the situation.
“It’s absolutely critical that we have people like that who can speak the language and understand the overall context, which sadly is lacking in the current administration.”
David Lesch teaches students in his history class at Trinity University in San Antonio.
(Lucero Salinas / Trinity University)
But that opening closed as quickly as it opened. Lesch’s close contacts with al-Assad raised suspicions among some in Syria, and Lesch was poisoned twice. His relationship with al-Assad was severed completely shortly afterward when he criticized al-Assad for failing to implement promised reforms and becoming a “bloodthirsty tyrant.” The Syrian civil war took nearly 700,000 lives and displace another 6.7 million people before al-Assad and his family fled into exile in Russia in 2024.
“Many governments think that they can reduce war to a calculation,” Lesch said. “What we cannot measure accurately or fully appreciate is the human element. We cannot assess a people’s sense of grievance, passion, revenge, ideological commitment and historical circumstances that shaped the nature of their response and staying power.
“This is where academics can make a contribution to policy, giving it the depth and insight gleaned from years of study and learning the culture and the people.”
Baseball’s loss wasn’t just academia’s gain. It may prove to be humanity’s as well.
“I don’t really have any regrets,” Lesch said. “My career turned out great. I could not think of doing anything else at this point and, in fact, in a way I’m glad [baseball] didn’t work out.”
Such is the case with Burney Falls, a Northern California waterfall whose loveliness became such a siren song to costume-wearing Instagram mermaids, selfie-taking TikTok tour guides and off-the-beaten-track road trippers that crowds grew and grew, until the natural wonder just couldn’t handle it any more.
Crowds in recent years have damaged trails, trampled plants and clogged rural roads.
Now, as part of a pilot program to reduce overcrowding, the California Department of Parks and Recreation will require advance reservations to visit the Shasta County waterfall on many days this summer.
“Burney Falls is a crown jewel of the California State Park System, and we want all visitors to have an enjoyable and memorable experience when visiting this one-of-a-kind destination,” State Parks Director Armando Quintero said in a statement. “By allowing visitors to make a reservation in advance, we can help keep crowds manageable and not push the park’s resources past the breaking point.”
The reservations, which can be purchased online, will be required to visit the falls Fridays through Sundays and on holidays during peak visitation season, from May 15 through Sept. 27.
On those days, McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park will offer 103 parking passes for 8 a.m. to noon, an additional 103 passes for 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and 35 passes for the entire day.
The day use passes will cost $11 per vehicle, according to State Parks, with discounts for seniors and people with disabilities.
California State Parks annual pass holders will pay no additional charge but must make reservations. Visitors with overnight campground or cabin reservations will not need additional passes for day use.
The 129-foot waterfall — a wide curtain of white water cascading from a basalt cliff face — generates its own rainbow and once was dubbed the “Eighth Wonder of the World” by President Theodore Roosevelt.
Visitors often endure long lines to get a selfie at Burney Falls. Here, Rachel Brussbau poses with her 1-year-old daughter, Sage, and Crysten Michol in July 2023.
(Paul Kuroda / For The Times)
But for much of its history, it “experienced limited visitation due to its rural location … and lack of publicity,” the State Parks department said in a statement.
“For generations of visitors, it had the reputation of a small, family-oriented park and one of California’s best-kept secrets,” the department said. “However, over the past decade, and especially with the growth of social media, that secret is now world-famous.”
Crowds swelled during the COVID-19 pandemic, when indoor public spaces closed.
A State Parks spokesperson told The Times in an email Monday that in 2015, Burney Falls had 121,495 visitors. Numbers “have steadily risen since that time, peaking at 322,192 visitors in 2020 during the pandemic,” the spokesperson said.
Since then, about 220,000 people have visited the park each year.
The spokesperson said the numbers account only for people who come in through the official entrance and not those who park illegally on the side of the road and enter off-trail.
Because so many people have veered off established trails, the park in recent years has experienced increased erosion and damage to sensitive vegetation and sacred tribal land, according to the State Parks department. Heavy traffic and illegal parking also have created unsafe conditions along State Highway 89, one of the heavily forested county’s main thoroughfares and a critical fire evacuation route.
“Campers with reservations are hesitant to leave the park, knowing that it may take up to two hours to re-enter on busy days,” the department statement read.
Because of limited parking, the gates often close for several hours each day.
“If lucky enough to gain entry, visitors inside the park are met with extreme overcrowding, long restroom lines, and overflowing trash cans instead of a peaceful, rejuvenating experience at one of the nation’s most awe-inspiring natural landmarks,” State Parks said.
In the summer of 2024, State Parks closed all access to the waterfall for the season to repair trails and slopes damaged by heavy crowds and storm erosion.
The department said it will evaluate the day use reservation system at the end of the summer and make adjustments if necessary for future peak visitation periods.
State Sen. Megan Dahle (R-Bieber), whose district includes Shasta County, said the pilot program “is likely to disrupt some trips” until word spreads.
“Unfortunately, for several years it has been clear something needs to change at Burney Falls,” Dahle said. “I hope this is an interim measure on the way to longer-term fixes to accommodate visitors.”
Seoul’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday it dismissed three Army officers and removed another from service over their involvement in the 2024 martial law bid. One of the officers, Brig. Gen. Kim Jeong-geun, is seen in this December 2024 photo ahead of questioning by special prosecutors. File Photo by Yonhap
The defense ministry said Tuesday it has dismissed three Army officers from military service and removed another from service over their involvement in former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s short-lived martial law declaration.
The decision came after the ministry convened a disciplinary committee meeting last month to review the cases of the four Army officers accused of involvement in the Dec. 3, 2024, martial law bid.
Brig. Gen. Kim Jeong-geun; Col. An Mu-seong, who had been awaiting promotion to brigadier general; and Col. Kim Se-un were dismissed from military service, the highest level of disciplinary punishment, according to sources. The punishment carries a 50 percent cut in military retirement benefits.
Brig. Gen. Kim and An are accused of deploying troops to the National Assembly on the night martial law was declared, while Col. Kim is accused of transporting the troops to the National Assembly building.
Col. Kim Sang-yong, former deputy chief of the Defense Ministry’s Criminal Investigation Command, was removed from military service, the second-highest level of disciplinary punishment, over his alleged role in helping form a team to arrest key politicians and other major figures. The punishment does not affect military retirement benefits.
The latest move came as the ministry has launched an internal probe into about 860 general-grade and field-grade officers and identified some 180 military personnel as having been involved in the martial law bid in late 2024.
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Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy.
U.S. Central Command said its new plan to protect commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz kicked off Monday with the safe passage of two U.S.-flagged merchant ships. Dubbed Project Freedom, the operation is designed to “restore freedom of navigation for commercial shipping” through this strategically vital body of water, the command stated on X. Iran closed the Strait after being attacked by the U.S. and Israel on Feb. 28. Meanwhile, Iran says this move will threaten the fragile ceasefire and that it will attack any ships transiting the Strait without permission.
“U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyers are currently operating in the Arabian Gulf after transiting the Strait of Hormuz in support of Project Freedom,” CENTCOM stated in a message posted on X Monday morning. “American forces are actively assisting efforts to restore transit for commercial shipping. As a first step, 2 U.S.-flagged merchant vessels have successfully transited through the Strait of Hormuz and are safely headed on their journey.”
U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyers are currently operating in the Arabian Gulf after transiting the Strait of Hormuz in support of Project Freedom. American forces are actively assisting efforts to restore transit for commercial shipping. As a first step, 2 U.S.-flagged merchant… pic.twitter.com/SVDxDhK72I
CENTCOM didn’t say which ships transited the Strait and it is unclear if the Navy destroyers escorted them. We have reached out to CENTCOM for more details.
Project Freedom involves “guided-missile destroyers, over 100 land and sea-based aircraft, multi-domain unmanned platforms, and 15,000 service members,” CENTCOM said in a post on X Sunday.
“The mission, directed by the President, will support merchant vessels seeking to freely transit through the essential international trade corridor,” CENTCOM added. “A quarter of the world’s oil trade at sea and significant volumes of fuel and fertilizer products are transported through the strait.”
“Our support for this defensive mission is essential to regional security and the global economy as we also maintain the naval blockade,” said Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander.
President Trump on Sunday framed Project Freedom as an effort to gets ships and crews out of the Strait. It is unclear if this operation will also protect ships trying to enter as well. It’s possible this could occur once CENTCOM evaluates the realities in the waterway as ships are evacuated. We will update this story with any additional details we learn.
As part of Project Freedom, vessels “choosing to transit the Strait of Hormuz should consider routing via Oman territorial waters south of the Traffic Separation Scheme,” U.S. Navy Central (NAVCENT) cautioned Monday morning. The Traffic Separation Scheme refers to new traffic patterns Iran set up for ships transiting the Strait through its territorial waters.
“Due to anticipated traffic volume, coordination with Oman authorities via VHF channel 16 is advised to maintain safety of navigation,” according to NAVCENT. “Transit via or in close proximity to the Traffic Separation Scheme should be considered extremely hazardous due the presence of mines that have not been fully surveyed and mitigated.”
Iran has placed an undetermined number of mines in the Strait since the war broke out, a U.S. official told us.
In reaction to Project Freedom and the new NAVCENT transit guidance, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Monday warned that “maritime movements of vessels, contrary to the regulations declared by the Iranian Navy, would face serious risks, and that they would be stopped by force.”
The IRGC added that it maintains control over the Strait and that ships adhering to its rules will be safe. In addition, it called Project Freedom, as well as the ongoing U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports, acts of “piracy.” IRGC also said that Project Freedom is in violation of the April 8 ceasefire agreed to by the U.S. and Iran.
In addition to the IRGC warning, Iranian media claimed that “two missiles struck a U.S. Navy patrol boat. This patrol boat, which today moved near Jask violating security and navigation rules intending to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, was targeted by a missile attack after ignoring the warning from the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy.”
The official Iranian FARS news agency added that the “patrol boat was unable to continue its route due to the hits and was forced to retreat and flee the area.”
Iranian media offered no proof of the attack. In a post on X, CENTCOM denied that claim.
“No U.S. Navy ships have been struck,” the command stated. “U.S. forces are supporting Project Freedom and enforcing the naval blockade on Iranian ports.”
🚫 CLAIM: Iranian state media claims that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps hit a U.S. warship with two missiles.
✅ TRUTH: No U.S. Navy ships have been struck. U.S. forces are supporting Project Freedom and enforcing the naval blockade on Iranian ports. pic.twitter.com/VFxovxLU6G
However, the United Arab Emirates on Monday said that one of its oil tankers was attacked by two Iranian drones as it sailed through the Strait.
“The UAE condemns in the strongest terms the targeting of a national tanker affiliated with [Abu Dhabi National Oil Company] ADNOC while passing through the Strait of Hormuz,” the UAE Foreign Ministry stated on X, adding that there were no injuries in the attack.
The ministry did not say which ship was attacked or when. However, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said it received a report of an incident on May 3 “78NM north of Fujairah, United Arab Emirates. A tanker has reported being hit by unknown projectiles. All crew reported safe. No environmental impact reported.”
Project Freedom and the new NAVCENT transit guidance were launched following a message U.S. President Donald Trump posted Sunday on his social media.
“Countries from all over the World, almost all of which are not involved in the Middle Eastern dispute going on so visibly, and violently, for all to see, have asked the United States if we could help free up their Ships, which are locked up in the Strait of Hormuz, on something which they have absolutely nothing to do with — They are merely neutral and innocent bystanders!” Trump proclaimed on Truth Social. “For the good of Iran, the Middle East, and the United States, we have told these Countries that we will guide their Ships safely out of these restricted Waterways, so that they can freely and ably get on with their business.”
The president added that Project Freedom is a humanitarian effort, conducted as the U.S. and Iran are working on ways to end the conflict.
“I am fully aware that my Representatives are having very positive discussions with the Country of Iran, and that these discussions could lead to something very positive for all,” Trump avowed. “The Ship movement is merely meant to free up people, companies, and Countries that have done absolutely nothing wrong — They are victims of circumstance. This is a Humanitarian gesture on behalf of the United States, Middle Eastern Countries but, in particular, the Country of Iran.”
Still, if Iran does not comply, Trump issued a warning to Tehran.
“I think it would go a long way in showing Goodwill on behalf of all of those who have been fighting so strenuously over the last number of months,” the American leader posited. “If, in any way, this Humanitarian process is interfered with, that interference will, unfortunately, have to be dealt with forcefully.”
Trump on Truth Social announces that “Project Freedom” will begin in the morning to get ships out of the Strait of Hormuz pic.twitter.com/a7ygbWUEFQ
As Project Freedom kicks off, shipping companies are taking a wait-and-see attitude about its effectiveness.
“We of course welcome initiatives aimed at improving the security situation in principle,” a spokesperson for German shipping giant Hapag-Lloyd told us Monday morning. “However, we currently have too little information on how such an escort service could be safely implemented in practice, so we are maintaining our risk assessment. We have taken note of the latest announcement. We are currently reviewing the information available and are in close contact with relevant authorities and our security partners.”
“At this stage, our risk assessment remains unchanged and the Strait of Hormuz remains closed for Hapag-Lloyd transits until further notice,” the company added.
German shipping giant Hapag-Lloyd is taking a wait-and-see stance on Project Freedom. (Hapag-Lloyd)
While CENTCOM says Project Freedom had a successful first encounter, there are still many questions to be answered about this operation. Despite Iranian bluster, it is unknown so far if its threats are just posturing for domestic consumption or if they will really fire on U.S. warships. Such a move would guarantee a ferocious U.S. response and an end, at least temporarily, to the ongoing moves to stop the now-paused war.
Update: 2:15 PM EDT –
Earlier today, U.S. Army AH-64 Apache and U.S. Navy MH-60 Seahawk helicopters destroyed six small Iranian boats that were threatening commercial ships in and around the Strait of Hormuz, according to Cooper. You can read more about that here.
