News Desk

This captivating period drama has had viewers binge-watching all ten episodes after just one week

A brand new period drama adaptation has arrived on BBC iPlayer, and viewers are already captivated.

The Lady Grace Mysteries is a collection of children’s detective fiction novels, originally penned by English author Patricia Finney, before Sara Volger and Jan Burchett later came aboard as co-authors.

Written in diary format, the story centres on Lady Grace Cavendish, a maid of honour to Queen Elizabeth I, who sets out to unravel a series of mysteries within the royal court.

The series comprises 12 books in total, with the earliest releases regarded as the most beloved titles. These include Assassin, Betrayal, and Conspiracy – published in 2004 and 2005. The final instalment, Loot, hit shelves in 2010.

Now, audiences can immerse themselves in the 16th-century royal court as the beloved books have been brought to life in a new BBC adaptation. The “vibrant” new drama breathes excitement, humour and intrigue into Queen Elizabeth I’s court, appealing to younger viewers, as well as older fans who grew up devouring the books, reports the Liverpool Echo.

“The series introduces 14-year-old Grace Cavendish, a spirited lady-in-waiting with a sharp mind, a strong sense of justice and one enormous secret: she is the Queen’s top secret teenage spy,” reads the official synopsis for the series.

“Moving through the glittering but treacherous world of the Tudor court, Grace must juggle her official duties with undercover missions as she tackles everything from stolen crowns and mysterious hauntings to political plots and deadly traitors hiding in plain sight (Claudia Winkleman not included).

“With picture perfect palaces, sweeping gardens, secret passageways and lavish royal celebrations, The Lady Grace Mysteries brings the Elizabethan Golden Age to the screen in a way that feels both authentic and fresh. Alongside her best friends, Ellie, a fearless scullery maid, and Masou, an ambitious young actor, Grace’s world is packed with daring escapades, heartfelt friendships and relatable teenage drama, just with more ruffs, royal balls and assassination attempts.”

Sarah Muller, Head of Commissioning 7+ at the BBC, commented: “The Lady Grace Mysteries is everything we love in co-viewing a series: it’s warm, funny and full of adventure, with a brilliant young heroine at its heart.

“It blends mystery, history and big emotional stories in a way that feels fresh and exciting for today’s audience, while giving parents and grandparents something richly nostalgic and visually spectacular to enjoy too. We’re so proud of this show and can’t wait for families to discover Grace’s world together.”

Evie Coles takes on the role of Grace, with Rebecca Scott portraying Queen Elizabeth I. The cast further features Carys John, Twinkle Jaiswal, Rafael Alessandro, Georgia Farrow, and Fintan Buckard. All ten episodes of The Lady Grace Mysteries dropped on BBC iPlayer earlier this month (April 20), with viewers already devouring the entire series in one sitting.

Numerous fans have taken to social media to express their enthusiasm, with one user posting on X (formerly Twitter): “The Lady Grace Mysteries are heaps of fun.”

Another chimed in: “It’s actually a kids show but I’m liking the teenage spy at the Elizabethan court. Great fun with FAB costumes. Each character has their own colour scheme, Lady Grace in greens, the Queen in orange/gold, another in purple, one in blue. NICE!”

The official CBBC Instagram account also enthused: “If you like and miss Malory Towers… we’ve got you! Brand new series, with familiar faces… #TheLadyGraceMysteries is available right now.”

The Lady Grace Mysteries is available to stream on BBC iPlayer

The United States is considering a new proposal from Iran to end the ongoing war amid a fragile ceasefire between the longtime adversaries.

The offer focuses on reopening the strategic Strait of Hormuz while postponing a deal on Iran’s nuclear programme, arguably the most contentious issue between Tehran and Washington.

According to US media outlets, the proposal has drawn scrutiny in Washington, and officials there have expressed scepticism.

Early indications from the Trump administration suggest the plan is unlikely to be accepted in its current form, potentially further delaying any prospect of permanently ending the currently paused US-Israel war on Iran, which has killed thousands and sent global energy prices soaring.

Here is what we know so far:

What’s in Iran’s latest proposal?

Iran’s latest proposal aims for de-escalation in the Gulf without immediately placing restraints on its nuclear programme, as the US has demanded. Tehran has offered to reopen the Strait of Hormuz on the condition that the US lifts its naval blockade on Iranian ports and agrees to end the war.

Iran has effectively closed the strait to shipping, creating global economic pressure by driving up energy prices and disrupting supply chains. In peacetime, one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies are shipped through the narrow passage, which links Gulf oil producers to the open ocean.

Days after the ceasefire began on April 8, Trump announced a blockade on Iranian ports and ships, restricting Tehran’s ability to export oil and cutting off a crucial source of its revenue.

However, a central feature of Iran’s offer to reopen the Strait to all traffic is that discussions over Iran’s nuclear activities would be postponed until after the war ends.

The proposal was conveyed to Washington through Pakistan, which has been acting as a mediator.

“These messages concern some of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s red lines, including nuclear issues and the Strait of Hormuz,” Iranian state media Fars News Agency reported.

“Informed sources emphasise Mr Araghchi is acting entirely within the framework of the specified red lines and the diplomatic duties of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”

The news agency said the messages relayed were “unrelated to negotiations” and are “considered an initiative by Iran to clarify the regional situation”.

Iranian analyst Abas Aslani said Iran’s latest proposal is based on an “altered” approach.

Aslani, a senior research fellow at the Centre for Middle East Strategic Studies, told Al Jazeera that Tehran believes its previous model – which was based on making compromises on its nuclear programme in exchange for economic sanctions relief – is no longer a “viable path towards a potential accord”.

“Iran believes this can also function as a trust-building measure to compensate for the trust-deficit issue,” he added.

On Monday, Tehran’s envoy to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, said “lasting stability and security” in the Gulf and the wider region can only be achieved through a durable and permanent cessation of aggression against Iran.

How has the US responded so far?

US President Donald Trump met with top security advisers on Monday to discuss the Iranian proposal, the White House confirmed.

However, according to media reports, the US response has been largely dismissive. According to Reuters, an unnamed US official said President Trump was unhappy with the proposal because it did not include provisions for Iran’s nuclear programme. The official noted that “he doesn’t love the proposal”.

Citing two people familiar with the matter, US media outlet CNN reported that Trump was unlikely to accept the proposal. It said Washington lifting its blockade of Iranian ports without resolving questions over Tehran’s nuclear programme “could remove a key piece of American leverage in the talks”.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Fox News on Monday that the proposal was “better than what we thought they were going to submit”, but questioned Tehran’s intentions.

“They’re very good negotiators,” he said. “We have to ensure that any deal that is made, any agreement that is made, is one that definitively prevents them from sprinting towards a nuclear weapon at any point.”

Al Jazeera’s Mike Hanna, reporting from Washington, said, “There’s been a complete lid over what was discussed” during the meeting between Trump and his national security team.

“It was so tight that we do not know exactly who in his national security team was present at that meeting,” Hanna added.

“Normally, there is some form of readout or some form of more information giving, fleshing out the details of a meeting like this.”

What has been the response from other countries?

While the “US and Iran feel that time is on their side, the longer this goes on, the more difficult it’s going to be,” Mohamed Elmasry, an analyst for the Doha Institute of Graduate Studies, said.

“I really don’t think time is on anyone’s side. I really do think the Europeans are losing patience,” he told Al Jazeera.

On Monday, German Chancellor Merz stated that the “Iranians are negotiating very skilfully”, Elmasry noted. He said this shows that Trump is coming under increasing pressure from his allies, “who believe he [Trump] got them into this big mess and isn’t able to clean it up”.

“Trump isn’t going to be happy hearing that and the chancellor is hitting Trump where it hurts.”

Recently uncovered wreckage of an Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) reveals that Ukraine is employing the AIM-120C-8 version, a weapon that is close to the ‘top of the line’ for these missiles. Ukraine can employ AMRAAMs of all types from its F-16 fighters, as well as from the ground-based National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) air defense system.

A photo showing part of an AMRAAM missile body clearly marked with the AIM-120C-8 designation began to circulate online recently. According to available accounts, the wreckage was found in the aftermath of a Russian air attack on Dnipro in central Ukraine, during which the Ukrainian Armed Forces were active in defense of the city.

Previous imagery of Ukrainian F-16s had confirmed they were using some version of the AIM-120C, which can be identified on account of its cropped fins for internal carriage in the F-22 and F-35. This appears to be the first confirmation that the AIM-120C-8, specifically, has been supplied to Kyiv, in addition to earlier AIM-120A/B versions.

As we’ve discussed in the past, the AIM-120C offers some significant advantages over the earlier AIM-120A/B models.

In general, the ‘Charlie’ version offers a range of advanced capabilities that reflect the continuous development of both this specific sub-variant and the AIM-120 series overall. Even in its earliest sub-generation versions, the C-model features notable upgrades in terms of range, guidance, resistance to countermeasures, and other key areas.

Successive improvements reportedly introduced on the AIM-120C family include a new WDU-41/B warhead (AIM-120C-4), a new WPU-16/B propulsion section with a larger motor and electronic counter-countermeasures (ECCM) upgrades (AIM-120C-5), and an updated proximity fuze (AIM-120C-6). Meanwhile, the AIM-120C-7 features further improved ECCM, an upgraded seeker, and a longer range.

The exact differences between the AIM-120C-8 and the AIM-120D are somewhat unclear, although the D-model, at least, is understood to feature two-way datalink with third-party targeting capabilities. The AIM-120D may also feature an active electronically scanned array (AESA) seeker, while the C-8 remains a mechanically scanned antenna. There have been previous suggestions that the AIM-120D is reserved for the U.S. military and its closest allies, while other international customers receive the AIM-120C-8.

It was an AIM-120D that was used for what the U.S. Air Force described as the “longest known” air-to-air missile shot, during a series of tests in airspace near Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, in the fall of 2024. The launch platform on that occasion was an F-22. This would fit with reports that the D-model features significantly greater range than earlier versions, although, once again, the precise differences between AIM-120C-8 and AIM-120D are unclear.

Both the AIM-120C-8 and the AIM-120D have also been further enhanced under the F3R program, developed for the U.S. Air Force. F3R stands for form, fit, function refresh, and is primarily intended to eke out more performance from the missile, as you can read more about here. It’s not clear if Ukraine’s AIM-120C-8s also benefit from the F3R improvements.

A recent promotional video from Raytheon includes footage of a separation launch of the latest-generation AMRAAM F3R from a U.S. Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet:

Air Dominance With a Digital Edge

The plan was for the U.S. Air Force to begin to receive AMRAAMs incorporating F3R starting early 2023, as part of the Lot 33 production run. The U.S. AMRAAM program of record is expected to continue into around 2027 or 2028. As for the AIM-120C-8, these missiles are expected to remain in production for international partners long beyond 2030.

Regardless, the AIM-120C-8 offers Ukraine a notably long-range weapon.

While official performance figures are classified, it is generally assumed to be able to hit targets at a distance of between 75 and 100 miles. Of course, in practical applications, a whole range of factors impact a missile’s reach, above all, the energy and altitude state of the launching aircraft and the target.

In an air-to-air context, the weapon goes some way toward closing the gap with Russia’s R-37M missile, known to NATO as the AA-13 Axehead. According to the manufacturer, at least in its export form, the R-37M can defeat “some types” of aerial targets at a range of up to 124 miles. This likely refers to only larger, less agile, aircraft targets and is very much a “sales brochure figure,” with all the caveats that entails.

At this stage, we don’t know for sure whether the wreckage in Dnipro came from an air-launched AMRAAM, i.e., fired by an F-16, or if it was an effector from a ground-based NASAMS.

In the case of the F-16, the importance of the AMRAAM cannot be overstated. This was the first active-radar-guided air-to-air missile to be fielded by Ukraine. This is a class of weapons that the Ukrainian Air Force long campaigned for. One of its fighter pilots, the late Andrii Pilshchykov, better known by his callsign “Juice,” told TWZ back in 2022: “The lack of fire and forget missiles is the greatest problem for us.”

More recently, Ukrainian F-16s have had to rely more heavily on AMRAAMs. Earlier this year, reports emerged indicating that Ukraine had been left late last year with only “a handful” of U.S.-made AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles for its F-16s, after the supply of these short-range weapons dried up.

This left the F-16 pilots with AMRAAMs plus the jet’s internal 20mm M61 Vulcan cannon.

As we have discussed many times before, taking out slow-moving drones via another fixed-wing aircraft with guns can be very challenging and downright dangerous, especially for fast jets. AMRAAMs can be employed against drones and cruise missiles, too, but are more expensive weapons than the Sidewinders. Each AMRAAM costs around one million dollars.

To help plug the gap, Ukrainian F-16s have begun using laser-guided 70mm Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II (APKWS II) rockets. These rockets provide an extremely valuable, lower-cost option for engaging long-range kamikaze drones and subsonic cruise missiles. U.S. Air Force F-16s began using them in combat last year, as we were first to report.

While somewhat less likely, there’s also a possibility that the Dnipro wreckage came from an AIM-120C-8 fired by a NASAMS.

Deliveries of the first two Ukrainian NASAMS batteries were expedited after Russia’s large-scale missile and drone assault on major population centers in Ukraine in late 2022.

A video showing the Ukrainian NASAMS in action:

Привітання до Дня Повітряних Сил ЗС України 2023

As we explored at the time, a critical advantage of NASAMS is the fact that it fires the exact same missiles used in air-to-air applications. It does not require a special AMRAAM variant or major modifications to existing missiles. In addition, it can fire other types of effectors, including the AMRAAM-ER, which is a hybrid of the AIM-120 and the RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM), and the infrared-homing AIM-9X Sidewinder and IRIS-T missiles. 

It might be expected that Ukrainian NASAMS is being fed with older AIM-120A/Bs, which, in the ground-launched application, are capable of engaging targets from relatively close ranges to up to roughly 20 miles away and from around 1,000 feet to 50,000 feet. These targets include everything from cruise missiles — which it is very good at engaging — to crewed aircraft and drones.

Another major factor behind the appearance of the AIM-120C-8 wreckage could be the indication that stocks of older (AIM-120A/B and earlier C-version) missiles have been depleted, leading to the inclusion of higher-end C variants. If so, this would increase the pressure on at least some of the foreign partners who are supporting Ukraine with weapons, particularly given the global imbalance between the supply and demand for munitions. The conflict in Iran is likely to intensify this strain, as the United States is reportedly delaying deliveries to customers to prioritize replenishing its own inventories.

As it stands, we now have confirmation that Ukraine is using what is almost certainly the most advanced and capable version of the AMRAAM that is available to all but the very closest U.S. military allies. As such, it should provide Ukraine with a particularly powerful tool in its ongoing battle against Russian air attacks.

Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com

A ROCK band member has quit his group after 10 years, six albums and huge sold out arena tours.

Red Rum Club, who formed after sharing a rehearsal space, have confirmed their trumpet player has gone his separate ways.

Joe Corby, who is known for his soaring trumpet solos, has quit the band just weeks before they are set to head off on their big US tour.

Red Rum Club, who now have five members including Fran Doran, Simon Hepworth, Neil Lawson, Michael McDermott and Tom Williams, have confirmed future concerts are going ahead as planned.

The band, who formed in Merseyside, confirmed Joe’s shock exit from the group yesterday, in a sad statement on X.

They said: “It is with great sadness that we are announcing Joe’s departure from Red Rum Club.

NEXT MOVE

Brit rock band The Molotovs give major update about new album

END OF THE ‘LINE

Huge rock band reveal they will split after 21 yrs following tour & album

“We want to thank him for the music and the memories we have made over the last 10 years and we wish him all the best for the future.

“All future shows will be going ahead as scheduled.

“Love, Fran, Tom, Mike, Neil and Simon.”

Fans flooded the comments of the post, sharing their thoughts on the sad news.

One fan wrote: “Gutted, for me Joe is Red Rum Club, I have now followed you for the past nine years.”

Another fan penned: “Ahh, so sad to hear this! I hope it’s for a positive reason and no health issues or fall outs. Joe will be such a HUGE miss. As others have said, he’s been such an integral part of your USP.”

Elsewhere under the post, fans were speculating Joe had quit the band to pursue his own solo career.

Red Rum Club burst onto the music scene in January 2019 after releasing their debut album Matador, which reached Top 50 in the UK Album Sales Charts.

The album featured their hit single Would You Rather Be Lonely.

Who: Atletico Madrid vs Arsenal
What: Champions League semifinal, first leg
Where: Metropolitano Stadium, Madrid, Spain
When: Wednesday, April 29 at 9pm (19:00 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 16:00 GMT in advance of our live text commentary stream.

Arsenal’s record as the only unbeaten football team in this season’s Champions League will be tested in the intense atmosphere of the Metropolitano Stadium.

The Gunners have conceded just five goals in 12 games so far, the kind of record associated with Atletico during coach Diego Simeone’s long reign of feisty football.

But this is a more expansive Atletico side, with a surprising 26 goals conceded in 14 Champions League games this season, while Julian Alvarez has scored nine of the 34 scored at the other end.

The two teams have already faced off this season, but Arsenal’s 4-0 win over Atletico in October in the league stage feels a long time ago. A four-goal burst in 15 second-half minutes, including two from Viktor Gyokeres, showed a freedom that Mikel Arteta’s team has found hard to recapture in a tense second half of the season.

Arsenal have endured a rocky patch recently – losing to Man City in the League Cup final, and in a key league game – but maintain a three-point lead at the top of the table, although City have a game in hand.

The hosts, meanwhile, are fourth in La Liga, and the Champions League represents their last hope of silverware this season after defeat in last weekend’s Copa del Rey final.

Atletico’s path to the semifinals has been taking first-leg leads – ambushing Tottenham at home then winning at Barcelona – before riding out severe pressure in the return game. That will be in London on Tuesday next week.

The winners will face either Bayern Munich or Paris Saint-Germain in the final in Budapest on May 30.

What have the managers said?

Atleti coach Diego Simeone said, “We’re heading into the semifinals with all our enthusiasm and all our faith. We know our strengths and our weaknesses. We have great confidence in what we do. We’re ready, and we’re going to go after what we’ve been chasing for many years.”

Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta said, “It’s a massive moment [to reach consecutive semi-finals]. It’s the first time in our history, in 140 years – to be part of those four teams is something very special. You have to earn it. You have to go through a lot of work.”

What have the players said?

Atleti forward Antoine Griezmann said, “It doesn’t matter who we face as long as we’re still in it. It’s been a great and tough tie [against Barcelona] against a fantastic team that plays very well. It was a struggle, but we’re still in it.”

Arsenal forward Gabriel Martinelli noted, “We believe in ourselves, we know the quality we have. We won against them in the league phase, but it’s going to be a completely different game.”

How did Atletico reach the semifinals?

Atletico Madrid sent 10-man Barcelona crashing out of the Champions League and reached the final four with a 3-2 aggregate victory, despite a 2-1 quarterfinal second-leg defeat.

Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres fired visitors Barca ahead inside 24 minutes, but Ademola Lookman’s strike gave Atletico the edge in the gripping all-Spanish tie after their 2-0 win in the first leg.

How did Arsenal reach the semifinals?

Arsenal reached the Champions League semifinals after riding their luck in a nervous goalless draw against Sporting Lisbon that clinched a 1-0 aggregate victory.

Mikel Arteta’s team were well below their best in the quarterfinal second leg at the Emirates Stadium, but they held onto their slender first-leg advantage as Sporting failed to make them pay.

Head-to-head

The two clubs have only faced each other on three occasions, with each winning one game and one match ending as a draw.

Before meeting this season, the previews encounter ended up being the last European tie for former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger.

• October 21, 2025: Arsenal 4-0 Atletico Madrid (Champions League, league stage)
• May 03, 2018: Atletico Madrid 1-0 Arsenal (Europa League semifinal)
• April 26, 2018: Arsenal 1-1 Atletico Madrid (Europa League semifinal)

What happened when they last played each other?

Arsenal thrashed Atletico Madrid 4-0 back in October thanks to a devastating second-half broadside at the Emirates Stadium in a Champions League league-stage clash.

What had been a compelling clash with little between the sides in the first half became an Arsenal rout, with goals by Gabriel, Martinelli and a brace from Gyokeres leaving Simeone’s side shell-shocked.

Have either side ever won the European Cup/Champions League?

Neither side have ever been European champions.

Atletico reached the final in 2014 and 2016, and were beaten on both occasions by archrivals Real Madrid.

Arsenal reached the final in 2006, but were beaten 2-1 by Barcelona.

Atletico’s team news

Midfielder Pablo Barrios is set to miss the game and will be out for about a month after sustaining a thigh injury against Bilbao.

Lookman was not named in the squad for the weekend game after picking up a knock in the Copa del Rey final defeat by Real Sociedad, but may return for the Arsenal game.

Defender David Hancko is also expected to remain unavailable due to an injury.

Predicted starting XI:

Oblak (goalkeeper); Molina, Le Normand, Lenglet, Ruggeri; Simeone, Koke, Cardoso, Gonzalez; Griezmann, Alvarez

Arsenal’s team news

Kai Havertz and Eberechi Eze were both forced off with muscles issues in the win over Newcastle – Eze subsequently said he came off as a precaution and is “fine”, but Havertz is a doubt.

Midfielder Martin Zubimendi, who was taken off at half-time against Newcastle, will also face a late assessment.

Riccardo Calafiori is still recovering from a knock and is a major doubt, while Jurrien Timber has been out with a groin issue for about a month and is likely still some way from making a full recovery.

Mikel Merino is definitely unavailable as he recovers from surgery on an ankle injury.

Predicted starting XI:

Raya (goalkeeper); White, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie; Odegaard, Zubimendi, Rice; Saka, Gyokeres, Martinelli

Iran has raised concerns about the vulnerability of submarine cables in the Strait of Hormuz, which are crucial for the region’s digital economy. This narrow waterway, known for its importance in global oil shipments, also supports several fibre-optic cables connecting countries from India and Southeast Asia to Europe via the Gulf states and Egypt.

Submarine cables are essential for transmitting data and power, carrying about 99% of the world’s internet traffic. They play a significant role in telecommunications, cloud services, and online communication. Damage to these cables can lead to internet slowdowns, outages, disrupted e-commerce, and delayed financial transactions, causing economic consequences, according to analyst Masha Kotkin.

Gulf countries, especially the UAE and Saudi Arabia, have invested billions into artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure to reduce dependence on oil, with their national AI companies relying heavily on undersea cables for data transfer. Key submarine cables in the Strait of Hormuz include the Asia-Africa-Europe 1 (AAE-1), the FALCON network, and the Gulf Bridge International Cable System, with additional infrastructures being built.

Despite the growth in submarine cable length, faults have remained stable at around 150–200 incidents yearly, largely due to human activities like fishing and anchor dragging, with state-sponsored sabotage being a potential risk. Other threats include undersea currents, earthquakes, and typhoons. To mitigate these risks, the industry has measures such as burying cables and selecting safer routes.

The ongoing Iran war has caused significant disruption to energy supply and regional infrastructure, though subsea cables have not yet suffered damage. However, military operations increase the risk of unintentional damage from ships inadvertently impacting cables. Historical incidents, like one in 2024, highlight these risks.

Repairing damaged cables in conflict areas presents challenges, including obtaining permits and addressing the dangers of remaining fighting or mines. Once conflicts end, another challenge lies in re-evaluating the sea floor to ensure the cables’ safety.

If subsea cables are damaged, there are alternatives like land-based links, but experts warn that satellite systems cannot replace them due to limited capacity and higher costs. Low-Earth-orbit networks like Starlink are not a scalable solution for millions of users at present.

with information from Reuters

Taylor Swift is entering her trademark era.

The global pop star’s company, TAS Rights Management, filed three new trademark applications last week, per the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. Two of the applications relate to soundbites of her voice, saying the phrases “Hey, it’s Taylor Swift” and “Hey, it’s Taylor.” The other is a well-known image of Swift, often representative of her recent Eras tour, featuring the 36-year-old onstage, holding her pink guitar and dressed in a shimmering bodysuit.

The push to lock down her public image comes at a time when many high-profile celebrities have called for regulations against unauthorized AI-generated content. Matthew McConaughey was one of the first Hollywood A-listers to leverage trademark law as an extra layer of protection.

In January, the “Interstellar” actor secured eight trademarks for his likeness, including images of him smiling and the iconic recording of him saying, “Alright, alright, alright,” from the 1993 movie “Dazed and Confused.”

“My team and I want to know that when my voice or likeness is ever used, it’s because I approved and signed off on it,” the actor told the Wall Street Journal in January. “We want to create a clear perimeter around ownership with consent and attribution the norm in an AI world.”

Registering a trademark for a celebrity’s speaking voice to defend against the prospect of AI-voice generation is a novel legal approach that has not yet been tested in court. Representatives for Swift did not respond to a request for comment on the intent of the recently filed trademarks. But Josh Gerben, one of the first attorneys to report Swift’s latest legal moves, said this is one of the growing gaps in intellectual property protection that AI can exploit.

Before AI infiltrated the internet, musicians, like Swift, would typically rely on copyright law to help prevent the unauthorized use and distribution of their music, while right to publicity laws would protect them from unlawful commercial use of their likeness. But with AI, users can manipulate people’s voices and images to sing or say practically anything.

So if McConaughey has a trademark on his voice saying a phrase, then theoretically any AI-generated voice that sounds similar to it could be considered a violation of that trademark, according to Gerben.

“If they have this trademark protection in place, then the [AI] platforms can’t use that same voice to create new content,” Gerben said. “Every celebrity would essentially have to go and do the same thing, but it’s trying to cut this off at the source as much as possible.”

Variety first reported news of Swift’s trademark filing.

As one of the most popular musicians, Swift has dealt with her share of unauthorized AI-generated content. She was previously one of the many female celebrities whose likeness was among several of Meta’s AI chatbot virtual celebrities. The illicit chatbots allegedly produced pornographic images. Before the 2024 presidential election, Donald Trump also shared AI-generated images of Swift falsely suggesting that she had endorsed him, including one of her dressed as Uncle Sam with the words, “Taylor wants you to vote for Donald Trump.”

Because Swift is such a recognizable public figure, Luke Arrigoni, the chief executive of Loti AI, a tech company that focuses on likeness protection, said trademark filings like these aren’t merely defensive but rather a setup for a long-term protective infrastructure.

“By locking down these trademarks now, she’s ensuring that if a brand wants to use a ‘Swift-like’ AI voice in 2027, they’ll have to go through her authorized gates or face federal trademark infringement,” Arrigoni said in a statement. “She’s essentially putting a price tag on her digital self, and that’s exactly where the entire talent industry needs to go to survive.”

Far-right mayor opposes plan for football team to lose stadium access due to 2030 Winter Games’ ice hockey.

French organisers of the 2030 Winter Olympics are looking at alternative locations for ice hockey outside of Nice, including Paris and Lyon, because of a political deadlock involving the coastal city’s new mayor.

Like the Milan Cortina Olympics, the French Alps project has split snow sports in storied mountain resorts and skating in a snow-free city, the Mediterranean resort of Nice.

Nice was to turn the city’s football stadium, Allianz Arena, into a temporary hockey rink.

But Nice’s newly elected far-right mayor, Eric Ciotti, opposes the plan, refusing to allow the resident football club to lose access to its stadium for months because of the games. Ciotti, a former conservative allied with the National Rally party of Marine Le Pen, was elected last month.

The 2030 Games organisers said on Tuesday they have worked with officials from Nice and its wider region, as well as the French government, to find solutions for placing ice hockey within the Olympic hub in Nice. A temporary ice rink, intended as a replacement for the originally planned Allianz Riviera stadium, was studied at other stadiums, mainly for men’s hockey matches.

“Technical, scheduling, and financial analyses highlighted the limitations of these options, particularly due to their very high cost and impact,” organisers added.

“With a focus on efficiency and budget optimisation, the (organising committee) has decided to broaden its investigations by examining the use of existing facilities in other major metropolitan areas such as Lyon or Paris, particularly those offering a minimum seating capacity of 10,000,” they added.

Results of their explorations will be presented to the organising committee’s executive board on May 11. The final venues are expected to be confirmed in June when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decides the list of sports and events.

“The analyses carried out are leading us to turn towards existing facilities that are better suited and more sustainable. Several options are being studied to ensure hosting conditions that fully meet our requirements,” said Edgar Grospiron, the former Olympic champion freestyle skier who leads the organising committee.

The Paris Entertainment Company, which operates Adidas Arena and Accor Arena in the French capital, said last week it submitted a bid to host ice hockey. Both venues were used during the 2024 Paris Summer Games.

French Alps Games organisers said a second competition ice rink for skating is still planned at Nice’s exhibition centre, and other ice events scheduled in Nice remain unchanged.

RAPPER Megan Thee Stallion has QUIT her role on Broadway amid a very tumultuous period in her personal life.

The Hot Girl Summer hitmaker has been appearing in Moulin Rouge in New York but her stint has been plagued by a number of difficulties.

Now, it has been confirmed that Megan has pulled out of her role days after splitting from her boyfriend and suggesting he ‘cheated’ on her.

Megan had been scheduled to appear in the performance until May 17 but confirmed she would be exiting the role this week – leaving on May 1.

She had made history as the first ever female Zidler in the production.

Confirming her rather abrupt exit, Megan wrote on “Hotties, my last performance as Zidler in @moulinrougebway will be May 1.

Onstage tears

Megan Thee Stallion cries onstage amid split from boyfriend

‘WAKE-UP CALL’

Megan Thee Stallion reveals why she was rushed to hospital during show

“It’s been such an honor to be part of thee Moulin Rouge family and I’ve met so many amazing people in this theater!

“Y’all work so hard and I have so much respect for the dedication, the stamina, the work ethic, the time and the effort y’all put into the work!

“I’m so grateful for the cast and crew that made this experience so meaningful. And to all the Hotties that showed up or planned to attend, thank you for supporting me during this incredible journey!

“I love y’all! See you soon.”

Megan was previously seen in tears during the curtain call of the performance last week, sparking rumours the end was nigh.

Her emotional display came after Megan confirmed her split with NBA star, Klay Thompson.

In a statement, Megan confirmed the end of her romance, saying: ‘I’ve made the decision to end my relationship with Klay.

“Trust, fidelity and respect are non-negotiable for me in a relationship, and when those values are compromised, there’s no real path forward.

“I’m taking this time to prioritize myself and move ahead with peace and clarity.”

Megan has previously faced a hospital dash which had forced her to pull out of one of the performances.

The 31-year-old rap star managed to get through the opening scenes of the hit musical in New York before the show had to be halted so she could be checked over by a medic.

A representative of the Savage rapper told TMZ: “During Tuesday night’s production, Megan started feeling very ill and was promptly transported to a local hospital, where her symptoms are currently being evaluated.”

Megan later clarified that she had pushed herself to her limits and needed to reset.

Uranium starts as a rock in the ground, but through a series of chemical processes and high-speed centrifuges, it can become either a city’s power source or a weapon of mass destruction.

Al Jazeera’s Basel Ghazoghli (@baselgazi) breaks down how uranium is processed, enriched, and what it takes to turn it into a nuclear weapon.

The large-scale US airstrike on Venezuela was unprecedented in modern history. The surprise attack forcibly kidnapped President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, First Combatant Cilia Flores, from Fort Tiuna on the outskirts of Caracas. The US killed over 100 people in the early morning hours of January 3, 2026, including reportedly some civilians in the neighboring Ciudad Tiuna social housing complex.

We visited Ciudad Tiuna 50 days after the US bombing to hear the resident’s accounts. We were the second “solidarity brigade” to visit Venezuela and the first to arrive by air. The delegation consisted primarily of activists from the US, along with Canada, Colombia, Brazil, and Mexico. CodePink,  Task Force on the Americas, Veterans for Peace, and World Beyond War were among the solidarity organizations represented.

Ciudad Tiuna is a planned housing complex of some 20,000 units, part of the national Gran Misión Vivienda Venezuela program. Apartments are allocated with priority to families displaced by disasters and to low-income households. As of December 2025, over 5 million units have reportedly been delivered nationwide.

We were enthusiastically greeted by a community-based club affiliated with the Abuelos y Abuelas de la Patria (Grandparents of the Homeland) mission, a government program empowering seniors in communal life. They organized a cultural presentation and introduced us to social and political organizations in their socialist city.

A woman sang for mother earth accompanied by a shaman drum. A man read poetry by Allen Ginsberg and Walt Whitman, remarking “not all North Americans fornicate with their mothers” (loosely translated from Spanish).

In a tribute to Cuba, residents said they do not speak of solidarity with Cubans because “we are one people.” They praised the Cuban’s courage, including the 32 presidential guards murdered by the US in the January 3 attack. They also highlighted Cuban’s generosity in helping Venezuela achieve “territory free of illiteracy” status by 2005. Programs such as Misión Barrio Adentro brought thousands of Cuban doctors into poor urban and rural communities to provide free primary care.

And most of all, they deeply lamented the current US military blockade of Cuba, which has prevented Venezuela from supplying vital oil to the island. The suffering imposed by Washington on the Cubans pained them deeply.

They shared a flyer titled “Never Again – January 3 – Diplomacy for Peace,” which read in part:

Neither forgiveness nor forgetting! Memory is not resentment, but the heart of the people’s dignity who have been attacked. A people without justice becomes submissive. Impunity flourishes if we do not sow justice. We will not tire of weaving unity to triumph.

Their immediate demand is the release of their president and first lady. The flyer also calls for defense of popular sovereignty, no intervention by imperialism in Venezuelan affairs, and reparations for the “offended homeland.”

The flier concludes with a quote from Delcy Rodríguez: “The dignity of the Venezuelan people is the first line of defense. We have to preserve our integrity as a people, guarantee our territorial integrity, and preserve our national independence.”

January 3 was not unanticipated but nevertheless a great shock. During a walking tour, they described the terror of the sneak attack. They told us each time the Venezuelan people successfully resisted Washington’s attempts at regime change – attacks dating back from the founding of their Bolivarian Revolution 26 years ago by then Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez – the siege has been racketed up.

Fabricio, age 11, described a sky lit red with explosions and filled with US helicopters. The elders vowed: “Never again will we allow our children to be traumatized.” Government mental health workers have since been regularly visiting Ciudad Tiuna.

They explained how they truly felt the horror that the Palestinians experience. The difference, they added, was that for them it was a single day while in Gaza it is every day.

At the time, many feared the attack could signal a protracted full-scale land invasion. Such an incursion, they warned, could well be launched in the future. (This was also the opinion of government officials that we conferred with.)

They are proud that the Bolivarian leadership remains firm and united. This they attribute to the support of the people such as themselves. The concessions forced upon the government under the threat of an even more devastating attack have been bitter to accept, but better than the alternative of greater destruction.

Our hosts described themselves as Chavistas, militants in support of the current government. Some wore shirts bearing the phrase dudar es traición – to doubt is to betray. Their lived experience is of a nation under imperial siege – in a perpetual state of war with the threat of more. Under such circumstances unity is prioritized.

They rejected speculation that the kidnapping was aided by traitors within, arguing that such narratives serve the purposes of the enemy of eroding unity by fostering distrust. They emphasized the continuity of revolutionary policy from Chávez to Maduro and now to Delcy, as she is affectionately called.

Conditions have changed but not the leadership’s dedication. They noted that regional solidarity has weakened, leaving Venezuela ever more isolated.

Before we departed, several children gave us gifts: handmade wristbands in the national colors, decorated pencils, and a book on climate change from a Marxist perspective. Our hosts also had a frank take-home message for us: “We never invaded; we liberated. Take our passion and love to give you strength to do what you must and rise up.” The hardships caused by the US sanctions – including shortages of medicine and essential goods– are linked to the failure of North Americans to restrain our own government.

Meanwhile, the wild guacamayas (blue-and-yellow macaws), which once came to Ciudad Tiuna to be fed by residents but disappeared after the bombing, have now returned to a community that asks only to be left in peace.

Roger D. Harris is with the Venezuela Solidarity Network, the Task Force on the Americas, and the US Peace Council.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Venezuelanalysis editorial staff.

Source: Common Dreams

The actress has a brand new ‘collab’ – playing a solicitor in Jeff Pope’s hard-hitting factual drama about the horrific sex attacks of John Worboys

She’s best known for her role as smiley Anne in Amandaland – but Philippa Dunne is taking an altogether more serious role in ITV’s new true crime drama about black cab rapist John Worboys.

Believe Me tells the story of how the victims of one of the most prolific sex attackers in British history fought back after being failed by the system. And Philippa, 44, plays the solicitor who represents three of the women, who decide to sue the Metropolitan Police under the Human Rights Act for their failure to properly conduct investigations into their allegations of sexual assault.

Worboys, played by Daniel Mays, preyed on women under the cover of being a “respectable” licensed taxi-cab driver. He would target solo women to pick up, claim he’d had a win at a casino or on the lottery, then offer them a drug-laced glass of champagne to help him celebrate – which would knock them out. The women often had little or no memory of what had happened to them.

READ MORE: Sir David Attenborough reveals astonishing secrets behind mountain gorilla scenesREAD MORE: Channel 4’s Virgin Island has ‘more sex’ second time around, with two couples forming

The drama, to air on ITV next month, focuses on Sarah (Aimée-Ffion Edwards) and Laila (Aasiya Shah), who reported sexual assaults by Worboys but felt they had not been believed by the police.

Phillipa plays Harriet Wistrich who joins forces with the women and with barrister Phillippa Kaufmann QC to sue the police over the handling of their complaints, claiming it led to them being subjected to degrading treatment and contributing to their distress. Not only did they win, they won twice after the Met appealed that judgment all the way to the Supreme Court.

Irish comedy star Philippa she had not previously worked with writer Jeff Pope, whose credits include Little Boy Blue, Philomena and See No Evil. “I just did a couple of auditions over Zoom – auditioning is still a big part of any actor’s life,” she explained. “And it was the most dialogue I’ve ever had to learn in my life so I was glad it was on Zoom because I had post-it notes everywhere.”

Once she’d landed the role, she continued to write down some of her more complicated lines. “Because of how jargon-heavy all the legal stuff is, I had a lot of it written on the paper in front of me,” she laughed. “So if you see me doing this at any stage, I am literally reading my script in front of the camera.”

Worboys, 68, was first convicted on 19 offences in 2009 and has since been found guilty of further sexual assaults. His next parole hearing is due to be held in public in June.

Speaking about writing the drama Pope – who will next tackle Sarah Everard’s story for the BBC – said he chooses his subjects carefully. “The first thing is – does something get you angry?” he explained. “Or really affect you? With this one I spent six months of my life being angry as I was pulling it together. Then there’s a long process of meeting the people involved, particularly the three main survivors – not to use the word victims. We spent a lot of time with them – as a man I had to understand a lot of personal, difficult, unpleasant stuff that they were telling me. And just listening and listening.”

He said that what had surprised him the most was hearing from the many women in his life about what they’d had to put up with from men over the years. “I realised early in the process that there’s a whole world, and one half of the population really don’t know much about it and the other half live with it. Stuff like what women put up with just on a night out. Talking to my wife, my daughters-in-law, my sister and understanding what women go through in a normal day, it was such an education for me. I hope one half of the audience are going to go ‘yes, that’s what happens’ and the other half are going to go ‘what?’”

The drama will also feature Miriam Petche playing Carrie Symonds, now the wife of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who was targeted by Worboys in her youth but had a narrow escape. When he was first being considered for parole, she was working in the Conservative Party press team and put her career on the line to spearhead a campaign pushing for a judicial review of the Parole Board’s decision.

Philippa will also return as much-loved Anne in the second series of BBC1’s Amandaland from May 6. Speaking about the new run, the actress said: “Anne is still in SoHa, juggling her high-powered job while raising her kids, attending all of Darius’s soccer matches, volunteering for activities at school while also being at the beck and call of her best pal Amanda.”

Both she and Lucy Punch, who plays Amanda, have been nominated for Best Comedy Actress at the Bafta TV Awards alonside Jennifer Saunders, who appeared in the Christmas special. Amandaland – which this time has a guest role for Call the Midwife actress Pam Ferris – has also been nominated for the Best Scripted Comedy category.

April 28 (UPI) — The Department of Defense may require reporters to be escorted inside the Pentagon, a federal appeals court has ruled, handing the Trump administration a rare win in litigation challenging its press restrictions.

A divided three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit granted the Trump administration’s emergency request for a stay pending appeal, but only concerning its Pentagon escort requirement.

The 2-1 ruling stays part of U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman‘s April 9 order that had found an interim Pentagon policy was in violation of his earlier order that blocked the Department of Defense’s initial policy requiring journalists to sign a form acknowledging that they could have their credentials revoked for gathering unauthorized information.

The Trump administration argued that the escort requirement of the interim policy was a new rule not affected by the initial order and was put in place to prevent the disclosure of sensitive or classified information.

The appeals court agreed that the administration was likely to win on the merits of its narrow argument.

Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Monday that the Department of Defense “welcomes” the court’s decision.

“The department looks forward to presenting its full case to the D.C. Circuit on the merits,” he said in a social media statement.

The Trump administration has repeatedly taken actions critics see as attempting to influence media coverage, including a Defense Department policy announced in October that threatened the credentials of reporters who gather sensitive information.

Most credentialed journalists refused to sign, and The New York Times and one of its reporters sued.

Friedman blocked the rule. The Pentagon then attempted to enact an interim policy that was again blocked on April 9 by Friedman, who ruled that the Trump administration “cannot simply reinstate an unlawful policy under the guise of taking ‘new’ action and expect the court to look the other way.”

D.C. Circuit Judge J. Michelle Childs said in dissent that though the escort policy on its face appeared different from the policy blocked by the March order, its practical effect was the same: denying reporters meaningful access to the Pentagon.

“The point of the injunction, as the district court interpreted it, ‘was to restore The Times journalists’ access to the Pentagon, not merely to ensure that they have possession of a physical credential,” she said.

“Reporters can hardly verify sources, gather information, or speak candidly with department personnel with an escort looming over their shoulders.”

Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro has blamed a ‘narco-terrorist group’ led by a former FARC fighter for the attack.

The death toll from a deadly highway bombing in southwestern Colombia has risen to at least 20, the governor of the Cauca region has said.

Governor Octavio Guzman said on Monday that the death toll included 15 women and five men.

There were also 36 people injured, including three who remained in intensive care as of Monday and “five minors who are out of danger”, Guzman said in an update shared on social media.

Some media reports put the death toll from the lethal explosion, near a tunnel on the Pan-American Highway, at 21 as of late on Monday.

A dozen of the victims were from a village near the town of Cajibio, where hundreds of mourners held a vigil on Monday.

The mourners were dressed in white and waved white sheets or balloons as a sign of peace.

“Please, no more death, no more violence,” Joao Valencia, 42, a relative of a woman killed in the attack, told the AFP news agency, holding up her picture.

“These kinds of women should die of old age, not have their lives taken from them in such a tragic way,” he added.

The bombing was one of the deadliest attacks in Colombia since the now-defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) blew up a Bogota nightclub in 2003, killing 36 people.

Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro said a “narco-terrorist group” was responsible for the attack, specifically naming a group led by Nestor Vera, commonly known as Ivan Mordisco, one of Colombia’s most wanted men.

Mordisco is a dissident former member of FARC, which signed a landmark peace agreement with the government in 2016.

The attack comes just more than a month before national elections, in which voters will pick a successor to President Gustavo Petro.

Security is one of the central issues of the May 31 presidential election, with a suspect recently arrested in the assassination of young conservative presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe Turbay last June.

A weekend in the desert is a go-to getaway for Southern Californians — even if you’re a beloved neon sign.

Nearly two years after the Hollywood Arby’s closed, its cowboy hat shone again this weekend at the Stagecoach Music Festival in Indio.

The restored sign showed up more than 130 miles away from its original home as part of the roast beef chain’s pop-up at the festival at the Empire Polo Club, where it became one of the event’s go-to photo spots.

“As you can see, everyone’s loving it. Everyone’s getting a photo op standing in front of it,” Arby’s franchisee Roger Amaya said.

Over the three days, people moseyed by the pop-up near Diplo’s Honky Tonk, sometimes lining up to wait their turn to take a photo in front of the sign. Some climbed on the surrounding hay bales for a better pose, asking others in line to snap their photo in front of the cowboy hat emblazoned with the words “Arby’s roast beef sandwich is delicious.”

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A number of people we talked to taking photos weren’t from L.A. and didn’t know the lore of the Hollywood Arby’s sign — they just liked the visual.

The sign’s original location was the Arby’s at 5920 Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood, which had been open for more than 55 years when it shuttered in June 2024.

The family that owned the location said at the time that rising food costs, the post-pandemic changes in the neighborhood and a law that raised minimum wage contributed to the closure.

Amaya said that Amir Siddiqi, head of a group of Arby’s franchises, was able to get the sign from the Hollywood location and have it restored.

“We were able to bring it back to life here and bring it to all the fans of Arby’s out there,” Amaya said.

Now that Stagecoach is over, where will the sign go next?

“That’s the big question, so you gotta stay tuned,” Amaya said.

Democrats blast latest move by the administration to radically restructure the federal government.

United States President Donald Trump’s administration has fired all 22 members of the board that sets the policies of the government-funded national science agency, according to an ex-board member and lawmakers.

The dismissals at the National Science Board (NSB), the policy and advisory arm of the National Science Foundation (NSF), mark the Trump administration’s latest move to radically restructure the government following the downsizing or effective elimination of multiple agencies, including the Department of Education and the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

Roger Beachy, who was reappointed to a second six-year term on the science board by Trump in 2020, said he and his colleagues were not given a reason for their dismissal.

“The termination email was brief and to the point, with a ‘thank you for your service,’” Beachy, an emeritus biology professor at Washington University in St Louis, told Al Jazeera on Monday.

Beachy said he expected the Trump administration to appoint a new board but expressed concern about the nature of the research and education that would be supported by the science agency in the future.

“The nature of the board – partisan or independent? – and how it interacts with the agency is of critical importance to the continuing success of the NSF,” Beachy said.

Democratic lawmakers, who had earlier reported hearing of the dismissals from unspecified sources, blasted the Trump administration’s action.

“This is the latest stupid move made by a president who continues to harm science and American innovation,” Zoe Lofgren, the most senior member of the US House of Representatives’ science committee, said in a statement.

“Will the president fill the NSB with MAGA loyalists who won’t stand up to him as he hands over our leadership in science to our adversaries?” Lofgren said, calling the firings a “real bozo the clown move”.

The White House and the NSF did not immediately respond to requests for comment sent outside of usual business hours.

Trump has yet to publicly confirm or comment on the firings, but his administration previously targeted the NSF for sweeping cuts.

Under last year’s cost-cutting drive, led by tech billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, officials scrapped or halted more than 1,600 NSF grants worth nearly $1bn.

The NSF, established as an independent federal agency in 1950, spent more than $8bn on scientific research and education in 2025, making it one of the largest individual funders of science worldwide.

U.S. President Donald Trump met with top national security officials today to discuss a new Iranian proposal that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed. Iran offered a new deal to reopen the Strait and end the war, with nuclear negotiations postponed for a later stage, Axios reported, citing a U.S. official and two sources with knowledge.

As part of that deal, “the ceasefire would be extended for a long period or the parties would agree on a permanent end to the war,” Axios posited. “According to the proposal, the nuclear negotiations would only start at a later stage, after the strait was open and the blockade lifted.”

The new proposal, passed to the United States by Pakistan, likely won’t earn the support of Trump, who has repeatedly demanded a final end to Iran’s nuclear program as part of an overall deal to reopen the Strait, lift the blockade, and make the ceasefire permanent.

“We have all the cards,” Trump told Fox News on Sunday. He also stated it is imperative the U.S. gets Iran’s enriched Uranium.

“These are sensitive diplomatic discussions and the U.S. will not negotiate through the press,” Assistant White House Press Secretary Olivia Wales told us Monday morning in response to our questions about the claimed Iranian offer. “As the President has said, the United States holds the cards and will only make a deal that puts the American people first, never allowing Iran to have a nuclear weapon.”

The claimed Iranian offer comes as diplomacy has stagnated. Late last week, Trump called off a trip to Pakistan by envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner after Iran signaled it wouldn’t meet with the U.S. delegation there.

In an interview with Fox News on Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio pushed back on Iran’s claim that it will reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

“And what they mean by opening the Straits is, yes, the Straits are opened. As long as you coordinate with Iran, get our permission, or we’ll blow you up and you pay us,” Rubio stated. “That’s not opening the Straits. Those are international waterways. They cannot normalize, nor can we tolerate them trying to normalize a system in which the Iranians decide who gets to use an international waterway, and how much you have to pay them to use it.”

Iran’s armed forces would be the authority responsible for the Strait of Hormuz under the country’s proposed law for managing the waterway, a top official says.

Ebrahim Azizi, head of the national security commission in Iran’s parliament, tells state television that the armed forces are already in control of the Strait and are seeking to prohibit the passage of “hostile vessels.”

Azizi added that the proposed law states that financial gains from the strait should be paid in the local rial currency.

Clearly, Trump’s blockade aims to cripple Iran economically and pressure the regime into making a deal or face possibly years of economic ruin once their oil infrastructure degrades.

A satellite image emerged showing Iran, as of Sunday, still loading oil onto tankers at Kharg Island.

“So beware of talk about Tehran running out of onshore / floating storage in only a couple of days,” Bloomberg energy and commodities columnist Javier Blas said Monday on X. 

Blas’ observation about Kharg Island was in reference to a statement Trump made Sunday on Fox News signaling an interest in maintaining the blockade of Iranian ports. The president claimed that Iran’s oil infrastructure could “explode” in about three days because of mechanical issues exacerbated by that blockade.

“When you have, you know, lines of vast amounts of oil pouring through your system, if for any reason that line is closed because you can’t continue to put it into containers or ships, which has happened to them — they have no ships because of the blockade — what happens is that line explodes from within, both mechanically and in the earth,” Trump told Fox News’ “The Sunday Briefing.”

“It’s something that happens where it just explodes. And they say they only have about three days left before that happens. And when it explodes, you can never, regardless, you can never rebuild it the way it was.”

On that note, WSJ reports that China is looking to export oil to China via railway in order to circumvent the blockade, even though this is a far less efficient method:

UPDATES

An Iranian F-5 combat jet flew through U.S. air defenses and struck Camp Buehring in Kuwait during the first days of the war, NBC News reported. The attack happened despite the aircraft being heavily outclassed by opposing aircraft and air defenses and the infrastructure to operate Iranian fighters being heavily targeted during this conflict, as well as the 12-Day War between Iran and Israel last June. 

The news about the F-5 was part of a larger story by NBC that claimed Iran caused billions of dollars in damage to U.S. military assets and bases in the Gulf region. The targets included runways, high-end radar systems, dozens of aircraft, warehouses, command headquarters, aircraft hangars and satellite communications infrastructure, much of it we have already reported.

As TWZ editor-in-chief Tyler Rogoway notes, U.S. Marine Corps F/A-18 C/D Hornets F/A-18C Hornets from the VMFA-312 “Checkerboards” that arrived in the Middle East will bring special capabilities to the fight, especially around the Strait of Hormuz, should it reignite.

“USMC F/A-18C/Ds pushed to the Middle East are extremely capable drone hunters,” he wrote on X. “Now significantly upgraded w/APG-79V4 AESA and APKWS air-to-air rockets. Good targeting pod etc. Marines better at dispersed ops. Expect them forward and working in counter air screen over gulf if needed. Good for hunting small boats too etc.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with Russian President Vladimir Putin today in St. Petersburg to discuss the war and efforts to end it. The meeting comes as a shaky ceasefire extension issued by U.S. President Donald Trump continues to hold despite Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz and an ongoing U.S. blockade of Iranian ports.

Araghchi “explained the diplomatic process of Pakistan’s mediation for the complete end of the imposed war and the establishment of peace and security in the Persian Gulf region and the Strait of Hormuz,” his Telegram channel noted. “He considered the continuation of America’s destructive habits, especially insistence on unreasonable demands, frequent changes in positions, threatening rhetoric, and continuous breaches of agreements as factors slowing down diplomatic progress.”

Putin, for his part, said he hopes that the Iranian people will get through “this difficult period of trials and that peace will come,” according to Russia’s official TASS news outlet.

Putin added that Moscow is ready to do everything in its power to ensure that peace in the Middle East “is achieved as quickly as possible.” He also stressed that Russia “intends to maintain” its strategic relations with Iran.

As we have frequently noted, Iran and Russia have close military and economic ties. Moscow has reportedly provided Iran with intelligence to help its targeting of U.S. assets in the Middle East while Iran provided Russia with Shahed-136 drones used during the war in Ukraine.

More than 20 years after Jam Master Jay of Run-DMC was shot to death in a New York recording studio, a man admitted to his role in the killing.

Jay Bryant, 52, pleaded guilty to a federal murder charge, telling U.S. Magistrate Judge Peggy Cross-Goldenberg that he helped others gain access to the building where the hip-hop icon, born Jason Mizell, was shot in 2002.

“I knew a gun was going to be used to shoot Jason Mizell,” Bryant told the judge, per the Associated Press. “I knew that what I was doing was wrong and a crime.”

Bryant didn’t name the people he helped, but in 2024, Karl Jordan Jr. and Ronald Washington were convicted of Mizell’s murder in a case that prosecutors had been working for decades.

“Y’all just killed two innocent people,” Washington yelled at the jury at the time of the verdict.

Jordan Jr., Mizell’s godson, won an appeal last year to overturn his conviction, with a judge finding that the prosecutors’ case against him didn’t add up. The judge said the evidence didn’t support the contention that he was motivated by anger after he was cut out of a $200,000 drug deal. Earlier this month, U.S. District Judge LaShann DeArcy approved Jordan Jr.’s $1-million bond package.

Washington has challenged his conviction as well.

According to Courthouse News, prosecutors claimed that Washington and Jordan both confessed to the murder, based on witness testimony that both men discussed being involved in Mizell’s shooting while they were in prison.

As for Bryant’s role in the murder, his uncle Raymond Bryant testified in 2024 that his nephew confessed to killing Mizell, saying he “did it.”

Additionally, a hat with Bryant’s DNA that law enforcement officers found in the recording studio placed Bryant at the scene of the crime.

Bryant told the court Monday that he was in cahoots with people who were wrapped up in a drug deal with the DJ and that he played a part in the killing by helping them gain entry to the recording studio. According to the Associated Press, Bryant flashed a thumbs up to a person in the courtroom before leaving.

Bryant faces 15 to 20 years in prison for his role in the murder, as well as separate narcotics trafficking and firearms charges to which he already pleaded guilty.

“More than two decades after the cold-blooded, execution-style killing of Mr. Mizell, an exhaustive investigation revealed Bryant’s role and today he finally admitted his guilt,” stated U.S. Atty. Joseph Nocella in a news release.

“Justice in the murder of Jam Master Jay has been pursued with determination and resolve for more than two decades. The defendant’s role in facilitating access for the killers was integral to this crime,” added Bryan DiGirolamo, special agent in charge for ATF New York field division.

Although Mizell’s public persona as the “master of the disco scratch” promoted the wholesome side of hip-hop and encouraged a drug-free lifestyle, officials said he turned to dealing after the group’s heyday had come and gone. According to prosecutors, Mizell became involved in arranging the sale of kilogram-size quantities of cocaine.

In August 2002, Mizell was fronted 10 kilos of cocaine from a supplier. Prosecutors alleged that Jordan Jr. and Washington planned to deal the drugs in Maryland, but a dispute led to the men being cut out of the $200,000 deal.

On Oct. 30, 2002, Mizell was playing video games with a friend inside his Queens, N.Y., recording studio, 24/7. According to prosecutors, around 7:30 p.m., Bryant entered the building containing the recording studio and opened a locked fire escape exit door to allow others to slip in without being seen by Mizell.

Two shots were fired and Mizell was hit once in the head, killing him. The second shot struck another individual in the leg.

Boston World Cup host committee says fans will be allowed to tailgate for all seven matches at the Gillette Stadium.

In a reversal of an earlier decision, FIFA will allow tailgating at World Cup games at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, the Boston World Cup host committee announced.

The committee said on Monday that the shift conforms with local policies that allow tailgating “like any other event hosted at the stadium as there are no venue restrictions or local public safety restrictions in place that would prohibit it”.

FIFA originally stated that tailgating would ⁠⁠not be allowed at any of the 104 matches, of which the United States is hosting 78, causing an uproar among football fans in the country.

The US is cohosting the 2026 tournament with Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19.

The Gillette Stadium – rebranded as the Boston Stadium during the World Cup to comply with FIFA’s policy prohibiting corporate-sponsored names for tournament venues – will host five group-stage matches, one round-of-32 match and a quarterfinal match at the home of the National Football League’s (NFL) New England Patriots.

Patriots games, New England Revolution ‌‌games and concerts allow tailgating at the stadium.

Space will be severely reduced from what is normally available. There are about 20,000 parking spots available for Patriots games, but only about 5,000 will be available for public use during the World Cup.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has set train prices at $80 for a round trip from Boston to Foxborough for tournament games, four times what it charges for NFL and MLS games. There is also an express bus option that will depart from various Boston-area locations, which will cost $95 for a round trip.

New York City announced on Monday that a fan fest for each of the city’s five boroughs will be ‌‌held in conjunction with World Cup matches at the MetLife Stadium – to be known as New York New Jersey Stadium – in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

What is tailgating in the US?

In the context of US sports, tailgating is a pre-game social event that sees fans of a team park their cars outside the stadium hosting the game. The supporters then gather around these parked cars to socialise by drinking, eating, and often cooking on site while they soak in the match-day atmosphere despite not being inside the venue.

It can often begin several hours before the start of the action inside the stadium. The culture is most common during NFL matches and is especially popular among fans of US football.

Which other US stadiums are hosting the World Cup?

The USA will open their World Cup campaign against Paraguay on June 12 at the SoFi Stadium, to be renamed the Los Angeles Stadium, in Inglewood, California.

The MetLife Stadium will host the final on July 19.

The other World Cup stadiums in the US are:

• Philadelphia (Lincoln Financial Field)
• Dallas (AT&T Stadium)
• Seattle (Lumen Field)
• Kansas City (Arrowhead Stadium)
• Miami (Hard Rock Stadium)
• Atlanta (Mercedes-Benz Stadium)
• Houston (NRG Stadium)
• San Francisco Bay Area (Levi’s Stadium)

Ukraine has released more details of Russia’s S-71K Kovyor — translated as Carpet — an air-launched missile that Kyiv says has been used in combat since late last year. The continued development of weapons in this class highlights the fact that Russia is looking for alternatives to its more established — and more costly — legacy air-launched cruise missiles, with current production levels struggling to meet wartime needs.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense’s Main Directorate of Intelligence (GUR) today publicly released new information on the S-71K, including an interactive 3D model. The GUR had previously released details of companies involved in the manufacture of Russia’s Su-57 Felon fighter, and notes that the new missile was specifically developed for this platform.

“The new missile was first deployed by the enemy late last year and appears to represent the United Aircraft Corporation’s (UAC) initial venture into missile manufacturing,” the GUR says.

The GUR adds that the warhead of the S-71K utilizes a 551-pound OFAB-250-270 high-explosive fragmentation bomb. This bomb, which was developed in the Cold War as a free-fall air-launched weapon, is integrated into the structure of the S-71K, which otherwise features a low-observable airframe.

The S-71K’s airframe is made from “a multi-layer fiberglass material with additional reinforcement,” with other internal elements made of aluminum alloys. The airframe has a low-observable shape, with a trapezoidal cross section, chined nose, pop-out swept wings, and an inverted V-tail. Available imagery of the wreckage reveals details of the top-mounted conformal engine intake, feeding a pentagon-shaped intake duct. There are, however, no signs of any low-observable coatings, such as radar-absorbent material, likely to keep costs down.

The GUR also provides information on various electronic components, of which it says “the vast majority” are of foreign origin, including items manufactured in China, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Switzerland, Taiwan, and the United States. As the GUR says, “Continued access to foreign technologies and components allows the aggressor state to develop new weapons and scale their use in the war against Ukraine.”

This makes it one of many Russian weapons relying on foreign parts. For instance, a Russian Shahed-136 strike drone obtained by the GUR contained numerous components from the U.S. as well as parts from Iran, Taiwan, and other nations. Previously, we noted that the GUR found multiple foreign components in a Russian S-70 Okhotnik-B (Hunter-B) flying-wing uncrewed combat air vehicle (UCAV) downed in a case of friendly fire.

The S-71K is powered by a compact R500 turbojet engine, also produced by UAC, and features what the GUR describes as “an inertial navigation system based on simple sensors.”

With three separate internal fuel tanks, Ukraine assesses that the S-71K has an operational range of up to 186 miles. Earlier reports suggest that the missile flies at a speed of Mach 0.6 and at altitudes of up to 27,000 feet.

In 2024, it was reported that Sukhoi had received approval from the Russian Defense Ministry to begin producing the S-71, after it underwent “significant design changes” based on lessons from the Ukraine conflict.

These changes apparently included increasing the range and reducing the radar cross-section to improve survivability against air defenses.

The GUR has not said what platform or platforms are understood to have employed the S-71K in the war in Ukraine. As mentioned, the S-71K is known to have been developed with the Su-57 in mind and has at least been tested on this aircraft, with captive-carry trials in April 2024 at the Russian flight research center in Zhukovsky. There is no reason that it couldn’t also be carried by other Russian tactical jets; this would be necessary for large-volume employment, if significant production numbers are actually realized.

It is also expected that Russia will explore the integration of the S-71K with its S-70 Okhotnik UCAV.

Interestingly, there have also been reports that the S-71K may be complemented by a more advanced weapon, known as the S-71M Monokhrom. While described as a kamikaze drone, this is essentially an air-to-ground missile expected to have a “human-in-the-loop” capability, to allow dynamic targeting, including against moving targets, via a controller on the ground. In this way, it differs from the S-71K, which apparently features a fairly basic inertial guidance system, likely backed up by satellite navigation. The S-71M is also said to feature electro-optical sensors for day and night operations, and multiple warhead options, including high-explosive and shaped charges.

While the S-71K is externally carried by launch aircraft, the S-71M can reportedly also be accommodated in the weapons bay of a Su-57 or S-70 UCAV. So far, we have not seen S-71s with folding tailfins, which would be required for internal carriage.

Earlier this year, unconfirmed reports from Russia suggested that the S-71M Monokhrom may have been used in an attack on a Ukrainian HIMARS launcher in the Chernihiv region, although the Russian military stressed that the target was destroyed by a Geran loitering munition. Images released of S-71M test rounds indicate a missile design that is notably less stealthy than the latest S-71K, but the M-version may also have been refined in the meantime.

In March of this year, the GUR revealed details of another new Russian air-launched cruise missile, the Izdeliye 30, which you can read more about here.

The Defence Intelligence of Ukraine has published an interactive 3D model, the main assemblies, and components of the enemy’s new cruise missile “izdeliye-30,” as well as data on 20 enterprises involved in its production cooperation chain.

🔗: https://t.co/shMagPCZHE pic.twitter.com/6XgEsxVatf

— Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (@DI_Ukraine) March 2, 2026

This missile also has folding wings, but offers a much longer range of at least 930 miles. It is similarly powered by a compact turbojet engine but does not have a stealthy airframe.

Various components in the Izdeliye 30 appear to have been reused from existing weapons, reducing cost and complexity and speeding development.

Based on its range, the Izdeliye is likely intended as a cheaper, simpler alternative to the air-launched cruise missiles otherwise used by Tu-95MS and Tu-160 bombers, namely the Kh-101 and Kh-555 (the Kh-55 carries a nuclear warhead).

Meanwhile, the S-71K appears to be tailored for tactical crewed and uncrewed aircraft, while its more limited range is partly compensated for by the fact that it has low-observable features (and is intended for launch from low-observable platforms).

The S-71K should also offer a cheaper alternative to the Kh-69, a weapon widely associated with the Su-57, although it can also be launched by ‘legacy’ Russian tactical aircraft. You can read about this air-to-surface missile here.

1/ TASS reports that KTRV will display (a mock-up of) its Kh-69 air-launched cruise missile (ALCM) at the upcoming “Army-2022” forum.

Specifications:
– Max range (km): 290
– Cruise speed (km/h): 700 – 1,000
– Warhead (kg): 300 – 310 (depending on configuration) pic.twitter.com/UD38MsNNpG

— Guy Plopsky (@GuyPlopsky) August 11, 2022

While it remains to be seen exactly how the S-71 series will be used in an operational context, it’s clear that Russia has a need for cheaper, easier-to-produce air-launched missiles for its combat aircraft fleet. 

Just as the U.S. military is facing the challenge of limited munitions stocks as it prepares for a potential future conflict with China, Russia has a requirement today for strike weapons that can be manufactured cost-effectively and in large numbers.

At minimum, the deployment of the S-71 poses an additional challenge for Ukraine’s already strained air defense forces, especially given the continued scarcity of Western-supplied ground-based air defense systems.

Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com