US sanctions imposed on UN expert Francesca Albanese by the Trump administration have been temporarily blocked by a judge.
Published On 14 May 202614 May 2026
A federal judge has temporarily blocked United States sanctions against Francesca Albanese, a United Nations expert on the occupied Palestinian territory.
UN Human Rights Council Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese was sanctioned in July 2025 after she publicly criticised Washington’s policy on Israel’s genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza.
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Albanese’s husband and daughter filed a lawsuit in February against the Trump administration over the sanctions. It argued that the sanctions were an effort to punish Albanese for bringing attention to Israel’s rights abuses against Palestinians.
In his court order on Wednesday, US District Judge Richard Leon granted a preliminary injunction against the sanctions.
He found that the Trump administration sought to regulate her speech because of the “idea or message expressed”.
“Albanese has done nothing more than speak,” judge Leon wrote in his memorandum opinion. “It is undisputed that her recommendations have no binding effect on the ICC’s actions – they are nothing more than her opinion.”
Albanese, who said the US sanctions were “calculated to weaken my mission” when they were first imposed, celebrated the ruling on social media.
“Thanks to my daughter and my husband for stepping up to defend me, and everyone who has helped so far,” Albanese said in a statement on X.
“Together we are One.”
Since 2022, Albanese, a legal scholar, has served as the special rapporteur for the West Bank and Gaza, where she monitors human rights abuses against Palestinians. The UN Human Rights Council selected her for the position.
The Trump administration sanctioned her last July, calling her “unfit” for her role and accusing her of “biased and malicious activities” against the US and its ally, Israel. Albanese had also recommended that the International Criminal Court (ICC) pursue war crimes prosecutions against Israeli and US nationals.
The sanctions barred the Italian lawyer and human rights expert from entering the US, using US banks and payment systems, and prevented anyone else in the US from doing business with her.
Albanese’s husband and her daughter, a US citizen, claimed in the lawsuit that the US sanctions were “effectively debanking her and making it nearly impossible to meet the needs of her daily life”.
Police spokesperson Randulf Tuano says one person has been arrested after gunshots rang out in Senate.
Published On 14 May 202614 May 2026
The Philippine Senate President says that a politician wanted by the International Court (ICC) was no longer in the Senate building where he had been taking refuge, fearing his arrest.
Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, the former national police chief and top enforcer of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody “war on drugs”, has been under Senate protection and is wanted for crimes against humanity, the same charges Duterte is accused of.
“The sergeant-at-arms has confirmed that he is no longer in the building,” Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano told reporters on Thursday.
The announcement comes a day after gunfire rang out at the Senate, where dela Rosa had been holed up. Confusion and chaos filled the legislature as people inside scrambled for cover on Wednesday, hours after dela Rosa, had appealed to his supporters on social media to mobilise and said law enforcement agents were planning on arresting him.
The incident caused chaos, with a heavy police presence and armed guards at the Senate. Protests were also held outside, and more than a dozen shots were fired after the Marines were called in to help the situation.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr held an emergency meeting with government and security chiefs on Thursday, as police spokesperson Randulf Tuano told DZBB radio that one person had been arrested following the shooting and investigations were under way.
“The person has provided names, but these still need confirmation,” Tuano told the radio station.
Dela Rosa has denied involvement in the illegal killings, but on Monday, the ICC unsealed an arrest warrant for him.
Duterte is also accused of crimes against humanity and has been held in ICC custody in The Hague since March 2025. The ICC estimates that between 12,000 and 30,000 people were killed from 2016 to 2019 in the former president’s “war on drugs”.
Reporting from Manila, Al Jazeera’s Jamela Alindogan said two independent, credible sources confirmed that dela Rosa had fled the building.
“He was able to escape at around 2 or 3 this morning,” she said.
Lawyer Jimmy Bondoc, who represents dela Rosa, also told reporters that he spoke to the lawmaker late at night and believed he was inside the Senate after the incident.
“As his lawyer, I asked him if you have plans to leave, he said none,” Bondoc told reporters.
In an interview that aired on DZBB radio on Thursday morning, dela Rosa said he would “exhaust all available remedies” to block his transfer to the ICC, and after learning about the conditions Duterte was being held under, he was no longer willing to fight his case at The Hague.
It remains unclear when the interview was initially conducted.
Thousands of people cheered Team Melli as Iran’s World Cup kit was unveiled before the team’s training camp in Turkiye.
Published On 14 May 202614 May 2026
Iran hosted a departure rally for its FIFA World Cup squad, witnessed by thousands of fans in Tehran’s Enqelab Square, amid concerns about the team travelling to the United States to compete.
The players were cheered by the crowd as they made patriotic statements from a stage on Wednesday.
Iran’s World Cup 2026 kit was also unveiled at the event, following which the team will travel to Turkiye to continue their preparations at a training camp.
“This is the best sendoff in the last four World Cup campaigns,” Mehdi Taj, president of the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI), told state TV.
“The players are with the people, and the crowd stands with the country’s dignity, honour, and strength. Whatever the result, may Iran’s flag be raised there and defended.”
Iran’s participation in the World Cup has been in question since the US and Israel attacked Iran, starting a regional war on February 28.
People gather to attend the farewell ceremony of Iran’s national team in Tehran [Atta Kenare/AFP]
An FFIRI delegation, led by Taj, turned back at Toronto’s main airport, citing their treatment by Canadian immigration, and missed a pre-World Cup FIFA gathering in Vancouver. They alleged “unacceptable behaviour of immigration officials” despite holding valid visas.
In 2024, Canada listed Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation, and statements from the Canadian government indicated that Taj was denied entry due to his alleged ties with the IRGC.
The incident triggered fears there may be issues for some of the Iranian delegation getting into the US.
As in Canada, the IRGC is classified as a “terrorist entity” in the US, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said no one with ties to the organisation would be admitted to the country.
Iran has placed responsibility for getting the players and team officials into the US, where Team Melli are scheduled to play all three World Cup group matches, firmly in the hands of FIFA.
“Nothing has arrived yet regarding the visas. We hope it will definitely be handled within this timeframe,” Hedayat Mombeini, FFIRI secretary-general, told state TV at the rally.
“FIFA has made promises, and hopefully those promises will lead to results, and the players will receive their visas on time.”
Iran will play The Gambia in a World Cup warm-up in Antalya on May 29. Mombeini said the FFIRI was in the process of arranging another friendly for the training camp in Turkiye.
Bin Hyun-joon, chief of the social statistics bureau at the Ministry of Data and Statistics, holds a press conference at the government complex in Sejong, South Korea. Photo by YONHAP / EPA
May 13 (Asia Today) — South Korea’s employment rate fell for the first time in 16 months in April as hiring growth slowed amid higher oil prices, weaker consumer sentiment and continued external uncertainty tied to the Middle East war.
The number of employed people aged 15 and older stood at 28.96 million in April, up 74,000 from a year earlier, according to employment data released Wednesday by Statistics Korea.
The increase was the smallest since December 2024 and the first time this year that job growth fell below 100,000.
The employment rate fell 0.2 percentage point from a year earlier to 63.0%, marking its first decline in 16 months.
Youth employment remained weak. The number of employed people aged 15 to 29 fell by 194,000 from a year earlier to 3.42 million, extending its decline for a 42nd consecutive month since November 2022.
The youth employment rate dropped 1.6 percentage points from a year earlier, marking its 24th straight month of decline.
By industry, wholesale and retail jobs fell by 52,000 from a year earlier, while accommodation and food service jobs declined by 29,000. Manufacturing employment dropped by 55,000.
Officials attributed the slowdown to weaker consumer sentiment and continued external uncertainty related to the prolonged Middle East war. Transportation and warehousing jobs, which are sensitive to oil prices, rose by 18,000, but the pace of growth slowed.
Agriculture, forestry and fisheries employment fell by 92,000 amid population aging, while professional, scientific and technical services dropped by 115,000 because of a high base from last year.
Health and social welfare service jobs increased by 261,000, supported by rising care demand and government-backed direct job programs for older people.
“Employment gains were led by health and welfare services, arts, sports and leisure, and real estate,” said Bin Hyun-joon, head of social statistics at Statistics Korea. “By age group, employment increased among people aged 60 and older and those in their 30s, but the pace of growth slowed from the previous month.”
The Justice Department on Wednesday filed a lawsuit seeking to nullify D.C. disbarment proceedings against Jeffrey Clark, seen here in October 2020 as acting assistant U.S. attorney general. File Photo by Yuri Gripas/EPA-EFE
May 13 (UPI) — The Justice Department filed a lawsuit Wednesday evening against D.C. disciplinary officials who recommended Jeffrey Clark be disbarred over his efforts to overturn 2020 election results, the latest move by the Trump administration to defend allies accused of helping President Donald Trump remain in power after that election loss.
The lawsuit in a federal court in D.C. alleges the disciplinary officials used their powers to punish lawyers over what federal prosecutors describe as “internal Executive Branch deliberations” in order to regulate federal government actions.
“Weaponizing state bar discipline against Executive Branch attorneys in this way chills them from giving candid legal advice to others in the Executive Branch, including the president and attorney general,” the lawsuit states.
“To permit these proceedings is to allow state bar authorities to control the Executive Branch. That is not the law.”
Clark was an assistant attorney general at the Justice Department following Trump’s 2020 election loss to Joe Biden, and urged Justice Department officials to issue a letter he wrote casting doubt on election results, according to congressional investigators and D.C. disciplinary officials.
The letter specifically targeted the results in Georgia, a swing state Trump lost to Biden by 11,779 votes, alleging a Justice Department investigation had uncovered election “irregularities” despite Attorney General William Barr having already announced there was no evidence of outcome-determinative fraud in the election prior to his resignation.
Clark had prepared the letter to be signed by Barr’s replacement, then-acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen, and Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue, the second highest-ranking Justice Department lawyer, both of whom refused because they knew its contents were untrue.
Clark continued to push for the Justice Department to issue the letter, which he intended to be used as a template to be sent to other states. Amid the political turmoil, Trump considered appointing Clark as attorney general — a move Clark encouraged so he could launch nationwide investigations to uncover unfounded claims of election issues.
Trump abandoned the idea of appointing Clark only after being informed doing so would cause mass resignations among Justice Department leadership.
The D.C. Office of Disciplinary Counsel opened its investigation into Clark’s actions after Sen. Dick Durbin, as then-chairman of the committee, asked it to probe his “serious violations of professional conduct.”
The D.C. Court of Appeals Board on Professional Responsibility in July recommended that Clark be disbarred in D.C., stating that “when a lawyer attempts to make intentional false statements on an issue that the lawyer understands to be a ‘pressing matter of overriding national importance,’ or knowing that the false statement would have serious and far-ranging consequences, they deserve the ultimate sanction.”
A final judgment has not yet been issued in the case.
The Justice Department on Wednesday asked the court to quash the D.C. disciplinary proceedings against Clark, and alleged they violate the Supremacy Clause and Article II of the Constitution by arguing that Clark was acting as a federal government employee who cannot be punished for performing Executive Branch duties.
Federal prosecutors also frame the issue as involving internal discussions. They said Clark attempted to persuade his superiors to issue a draft letter “that he felt reflected the actual law and facts about the 2020 election.”
“D.C. disciplinary authorities may not punish a United States official for disagreeing with a superior or coworker or for sharing an opinion just because those disciplinary authorities disagree with it,” the filing states.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche also accused the D.C. Bar of being “a blatantly partisan arm of leftist causes,” accusing it of being weaponized.
“The D.C. Bar will no longer be permitted to probe sensitive Executive Branch deliberations and target Executive Branch officials with whom they happen to politically disagree, and federal attorneys will once again be free to share their candid legal advice with their bosses and colleagues,” he said in a statement.
Clark was never charged in federal court in connection with his role in the alleged scheme, but he, Trump and 17 others were indicted in Georgia on racketeering charges. The case was dismissed after the prosecutor appointed following Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ removal declined to pursue the charges.
Other Trump allies accused of aiding his efforts to overturn the 2020 election have also been sanctioned in D.C., including Rudy Giuliani, who was disbarred in D.C. and New York, and John Eastman, whose D.C. law license was suspended on an interim basis after he was disbarred in California.
Wednesday’s lawsuit is the latest action by the federal government aiding those who supported Trump’s false election claims.
On Trump’s first day in office, he issued clemency to the roughly 1,500 people charged or convicted in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.
He also issued pardons to Giuliani, Eastman, Clark, Sidney Powell and many others accused of aiding his efforts.
May 13 (UPI) — The remains of a second U.S. soldier who went missing during exercises in Morocco earlier this month have been recovered, the U.S. military said Wednesday evening, ending a joint U.S.-Morocco search.
The remains of Spc. Mariyah Symone Collington, 19, of Tavares, Fla., were located and retrieved Tuesday from a coastal cave roughly 1,640 feet from where she and 27-year-old 1st Lt. Kendrick Lamont Key Jr. are believed to have fallen into the ocean, U.S. Army Europe and Africa said.
“The loss of Spc. Collington is a profound loss for the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command,” Brig. Gen. Curtis King, commanding general of the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, said in a statement.
“Her recovery closes the search for our two missing soldiers, but our commitment to caring for their families, friends and teammates continues. We are grateful to the U.S. and Moroccan forces for their professionalism and support throughout the search.”
Key and Collington went missing May 2 near the Cap Draa Training Area, a coastal military training site near Tan-Tan, located in southwestern Morocco about 342 miles southwest of Marrakech, where they were participating in African Lion 26, this year’s iteration of the U.S. military’s largest Africa-based exercise.
Their disappearance was not related to active training. Military officials believe they fell into the Atlantic Ocean near cliffs during a recreational hike. They were reported missing the night of May 2 after a base-wide head count, prompting a joint U.S.-Moroccan search.
U.S. military officials said Collington’s remains were transported via helicopter by the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces to the morgue of Moulay El Hassan Military Hospital in Guelmim, about 80 miles northeast of Tan-Tan.
Moroccan and U.S. forces conducted a “dignified carry” at the military airport in Guelmim on Tuesday, and the remains of Key and Collington have departed Morocco for the United States, USAREUR-AF said.
“Spc. Collington was a bright light in this battalion,” said Lt. Col. Chris Couch, the 5-4 ADAR battalion commander.
“To the soldiers who knew her best and served alongside her each day, she was a treasured friend whose loss leaves a deep and profound void on our team.”
Families of 10 Pakistani crew members taken hostage by Somali pirates have rallied in Karachi to demand their release. The crew of the Honour 25 have been held for more than three weeks. Hijackings off the coast of Somalia are on the rise in the wake of the US-Israeli war on Iran.
Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref said Tehran’s ‘right’ to the Strait of Hormuz is ‘established and the matter is closed’, state media reports.
May 13 (UPI) — The U.S. Senate voted to confirm Kevin Warsh on Wednesday as the new chairman of the Federal Reserve. Warsh, who was nominated by President Donald Trump, succeeds Jerome Powell, who has been frequently criticized by the president for not lowering interest rates in accordance with Trump’s demands.
The Senate voted 54-45 to confirm Warsh in the most partisan vote for a chair nominee in history, CNN reported. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., was the only Democrat to vote in favor of the confirmation.
Warsh will be the 17th chair of the central bank, which is traditionally politically independent. However, Trump has aimed a great deal of criticism at the Fed and its governors over that independence, insulting Powell harshly at times and threatening to fire him.
The president also supported a Justice Department investigation into Powell, allegedly over costs for the central bank headquarters renovation. Powell has said that Trump targeted him because of the Fed would not follow his orders on interest rates. The Justice Department dropped the investigation in late April.
Democrats have expressed concerns about Warsh’s independence from Trump if confirmed. The new Fed chair has said he will be “an independent actor” but also promised a “regime change” at the central bank, The New York Times reported.
Warsh is the wealthiest Fed chair nominee in recent history, with a net worth over $100 million. He is married to Jane Lauder, who is an heir to the Estee Lauder fortune, and also has about $192 million in assets in combination with her.
Warsh said that he would divest a large amount of his assets and resign from several positions if confirmed. He also served as a governor at the Federal Reserve from 2006 to 2011.
Powell’s term as chair ends Friday, but he has said he’ll stay as a fed governor for his remaining two years.
Huge crowds gathered in Tehran’s Revolution Square to celebrate and send off Iran’s national football team ahead of the 2026 World Cup. The new jersey of the Iranian national team, which will be worn in the World Cup competitions, was unveiled at the event.
Mayor of Reggio Emilia Marco Massari (R) welcomes Britain’s Kate, princess of Wales, at the town hall in Reggio Emilia, Italy, Wednesday, as part of a two-day visit to the country. Photo by Stefano Artioli/EPA
May 13 (UPI) — Kate, princess of Wales, visited Italy on Wednesday in her first official overseas trip since she announced her cancer diagnosis in 2024.
She is visiting Reggio Emilia, a city in north-central Italy that’s known for a unique child-centered approach to early childhood education. Kensington Palace said the princess is very interested in early childhood education and nurturing approaches.
Kate was greeted by crowds cheering and vying for photos of her, the BBC reported.
“Catherine is very popular here in Italy,” more so than other royals, said Paolo Rosato of the local paper, Il Resto del Carlino, to the BBC. “They see Kate as a story that follows Diana.”
Michael Cocchi, who visited from nearby Parma, brought flowers.
“I think the royal family still has an important role in British culture,” he told the BBC.
“Undoubtedly this is a huge moment for the princess,” an aide to Kate said. “There will be many highlights of 2026, but this being her first official international visit post her recovery, this is a really significant moment for her.”
Kate launched The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood in 2021. It explores the impact of adult problems, including addiction and mental health issues, on early childhood.
She plans to meet with parents, children, educators and others at Reggio Emilia to learn from them.
“It’s the first time she’s out officially,” Richard Fitzwilliams, a British royal commentator, told The New York Times. “And she’s obviously grown in strength.”
King Charles III, who announced his own cancer diagnosis weeks before Kate announced hers, recently traveled to the United States, showing he can handle a rigorous trip. He announced late in 2025 that his treatments were going well.
In the two-day visit, Kate will learn about the Reggio Emilia approach to education, and she visited the Loris Malaguzzi International Center. She will visit two local schools to see the learning in action.
The city of Reggio Emilia allocates 13% of its budget to preschool services, said Marwa Mahmoud, the city’s councilor for education.
“We’ve always maintained that education — as well as health and healthcare — should not be viewed as costs,” said Marco Massari, mayor of Reggio Emilia, The Times reported. “It is right to evaluate them in terms of efficiency and waste reduction, but they are not costs – they are investments in the present and the future.”
“She actually asked to meet the teachers, the children and their parents, and participate in an everyday situation,” said Maddalena Tedeschi, president of Reggio Children, a center that researches and promotes the approach.
Kate’s aide told the BBC that the visit is part of a broader tour.
“She wants to look at other models around the world and really create a global conversation,” the aide said.
King Charles III waves from his State Carriage during the royal procession bringing him and Queen Camilla from Buckingham Palace to Westminster on Wednesday for the State Opening of Parliament. His Imperial State Crown, worn to deliver his King’s Speech, was transported in a separate carriage protected by the Sovereign’s Escort of the Household Cavalry. Photo by Tolga Akmen/EPA
May 13 (UPI) — King Charles III set out the British government’s legislative program at the State Opening of Parliament on Wednesday, focusing on expediting new agreements on closer U.K.-EU economic ties, tackling the cost of living, boosting defense AI and tech innovation and easing financial sector regulation.
The king’s 17-minute speech in the House of Lords referenced 37 bills in total, including legislation to renationalize British Steel, a Competition Reform Bill to fast-track reviews by the competition watchdog and a bill to help small businesses by hiking the interest suppliers can charge clients that fail to pay on time.
Charles opened his address with the geopolitical situation, saying Britain faced threats from an “increasingly dangerous and volatile world,” with the conflict in the Middle East the most recent example, and warned every “element of the nation’s energy, defense and economic security” would be challenged.
Honing in on the economy, Charles said the government would harness the power of the state “in partnership with business and enable reforms that support higher growth and a fair deal for working people.”
“My Government believes that the United Kingdom’s economic security depends on raising living standards in every part of the United Kingdom. My Ministers will support measures that maintain stability and control the cost of living. They will use public investment to shape markets and attract further private investment,” he said.
The speech pledged progress on airport expansion and highway infrastructure projects and a Northern Powerhouse Rail program to better connect the big cities in the north with each other and the rest of the country, along with reforms to the police, National Health Service and criminal justice system.
An immigration and asylum bill was also promised to help tackle the issue of migrants and asylum seekers arriving on small boats.
One issue that received no mention was cutting welfare spending, an area where the Labour administration of Prime Minister Keir Starmer has twice been forced to back down in the face of his own MPs since coming into office in 2024.
While the address is called The King’s Speech, it is purely ceremonial with the speech actually given to him by the government to read out.
It was Charles’ third time to open parliament, a historic tradition that dates back to the 16th century as a way to periodically bring together three normally separate elements of British polity: the democratically elected members of the House of Commons, the House of Lords and the Crown.
The proceedings include Buckingham Palace taking an MP “hostage” to ensure the king is returned unharmed and a “search” of the basements of the Palace of Westminister for dynamite by the King’s ceremonial Yeomen bodyguards, a throwback to the gunpowder plot to blow up the House of Lords during the State Opening of Parliament on Nov. 5, 1605.
Wednesday’s opening of parliament comes amid a leadership crisis at the top of government with scores of Starmer’s own MPs demanding he either stand aside or set a timetable for his departure after the party suffered heavy losses in local elections on Thursday.
“There’s deep uncertainty as to whether Starmer will be leading the government over the next 12 months or so. So it’s a bit of a paradox,” Craig Prescott, an expert in the constitutional and political role of the monarchy at Royal Holloway, University of London, told NBC News.
Starmer has insisted he is staying put and will lead his party into the next election, not a big stretch given his 165-seat parliamentary majority and that no MP or cabinet member has mounted a formal challenge to his leadership.
Nevertheless, Prescott described the parliament into which the king ventured on Wednesday as “febrile.”
“The politics of all this is a bit too close for comfort,” he said.
The BBC said allies of Health Secretary Wes Streeting had told it that he would formally challenge Starmer as early as Thursday. The pair held talks in Downing Street early Wednesday but there was no word on the outcome of their meeting.
Wreathes are seen amongst the statues at the Korean War Veterans Memorial during Memorial Day weekend in Washington on May 27, 2023. Memorial Day, which honors U.S. military personnel who died while in service, is held on the last Monday of May. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo
Opposition lawmakers in Argentina contend a risk exists of President Javier Milei’s government providing “material collaboration” in a potential military aggression against Cuba in coordination with Washington. Photo by Matias Martin Campaya/EPA
May 13 (UPI) — A group of opposition lawmakers in Argentina filed an expansion of an impeachment request against President Javier Milei, warning of a “concrete and verifiable risk” that the country could become militarily involved in a potential U.S.-driven action against Cuba.
Under Argentina’s legislative system, an expansion of an impeachment request involves adding new facts, arguments or evidence to existing complaints against a public official, in this case the president, for evaluation by Congress’ Impeachment Committee.
The filing was submitted Monday by lawmakers from Unión por la Patria led by Congressman Juan Marino, although the news and details of its contents were publicly disclosed by the lawmakers Tuesday.
They expand on complaints already included in the impeachment proceedings facing the president in Argentina’s lower house of Congress.
According to local media outlets Clarín and Noticias Argentinas, the lawmakers contend a risk exists of Argentina providing “material collaboration” in a potential military aggression against Cuba in coordination with Washington.
“The matter of war and peace does not belong to the personal discretion of the president,” the opposition filing states, arguing that any troop deployment or military participation abroad requires congressional authorization under Argentina’s Constitution.
The lawmakers linked their concerns to recent remarks by Milei during an appearance at the Milken Institute, where he said Latin America must eliminate the “remnants of communism.”
“Today, the American dream extends from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, and we hope it will soon also include our beloved Cuba and Venezuela,” Milei said during the event, according to videos circulated on social media.
The complaint also references the military operation known as “Lanza del Sur” — joint exercises between Argentine and U.S. forces — and Milei’s recent visit to the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln during its passage through waters near Argentina.
The lawmakers also questioned Executive Decree 264/2026, sayingit could facilitate military cooperation and troop movements without sufficient parliamentary oversight.
In a video posted on X, Marino said a risk exists that Argentina could become one of Washington’s first allies to support a potential intervention in Cuba due to the political closeness between Milei and President Donald Trump.
HAY RIESGOS DE QUE MILEI SE SUME A UNA INVASIÓN A CUBA
Les comparto parte de lo que conversamos en el programa de la Agencia Paco Urondo en Radio Con Vos. Hoy presentamos una nueva ampliación al pedido de juicio político contra Milei. No podemos tolerar que involucre a las FFAA… pic.twitter.com/N0G7INQ7eb— Juan Marino (@JuanMarinoTPR) May 11, 2026
“There is a risk that Milei could participate militarily in an invasion of Cuba,” Marino said. “He is publicly endorsing Trump’s wars, involving Argentina and carrying out military exercises with the United States without going through Congress.”
Milei already faces several impeachment requests in Congress over alleged misconduct in office. Among the most recent is a complaint filed over his public promotion of the $LIBRA cryptocurrency token, which collapsed after its launch and caused multimillion-dollar losses for investors.
The request filed this week was signed by Juan Marino, Pablo Todero, Lorena Pokoik, Sabrina Selva, Hilda Aguirre, Gabriela Pedrali and Jorge Araujo Hernández.
So far, the Argentine government has not publicly responded to the accusations.
South Carolina legal scion Alex Murdaugh is pictured in a mugshot taken March 7, 2023, at the Kirkland Reception and Evaluation Center in Columbia, S.C. He will face a new trial on the murder charges related to the deaths of his wife and son. File Photo courtesy South Carolina Department of Corrections | License Photo
May 13 (UPI) — The South Carolina Supreme Court on Wednesday overturned the double murder convictions for former lawyer Alex Murdaugh for the slayings of his wife and son.
The court ordered a new trial for the 2021 deaths of Margaret Murdaugh and Paul Murdaugh. Alex Murdaugh was convicted in 2023 of the two murders — along with two counts of possession of a weapon during a violent crime — and sentenced to life in prison without the chance of parole.
In a 5-0 ruling Wednesday, though, the state’s highest court said the murder trial had been improperly influenced by county clerk Becky Hill. The justices said she “placed her fingers on the scales of justice, thereby denying Murdaugh his right to a fair trial by an impartial jury.”
“Although we are aware of the time, money and effort expended for this lengthy trial, we have no choice but to reverse the denial of Murdaugh’s motion for a new trial due to Hill’s improper external influences on the jury and remand for a new trial.”
Hill pleaded guilty last year to charges she lied to the court about showing sealed court documents to a photographer, NBC News reported. She was sentenced to one year of probation.
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson said in a statement to CNN that he plans to retry Alex Murdaugh.
“While we respectfully disagree with the Court’s decision, my Office will aggressively seek to retry Alex Murdaugh for the murders of Maggie and Paul as soon as possible,” he said.
“No one is above the law and, as always, we will continue to fight for justice.”
Murdaugh’s lawyers welcomed the state supreme court’s decision.
“We look forward to a new trial conducted consistent with the Constitution and the guidance this court has provided,” they said.
President Donald Trump gives remarks during a law enforcement leaders dinner, celebrating the start of National Police Week, in the Rose Garden at the White House on Monday. Photo by Aaron Schwartz/UPI | License Photo
Final demand inflation rose by 6% on an annual basis in April, marking the largest increase since 2022, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday. More than three-quarters of the 2% increase in final demand goods in April was attributed to a 7.8% increase in energy prices. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
May 13 (UPI) — Final demand wholesale inflation rose by 6% on an annual basis in April, marking the largest increase since 2022, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday.
More than three-quarters of the 2% increase in final demand goods in April was attributed to a 7.8% increase in energy prices. Final demand services moved up 1.2%, pushed along largely by a 2.7% increase in trade services.
The producer price index increased by a seasonally adjusted 1.4% in April, double the rate increase in March. The increase outpaced the Dow Jones consensus estimate of 0.5%. It is the largest monthly increase since March 2022.
The annual 6% wholesale inflation increase is the largest since December 2022.
Machinery and equipment wholesaling was another big factor in rising inflation. Final demand service prices for machinery and equipment rose by 3.5%.
Final demand excluding volatile food and energy rose 0.6%, the largest bump since October. For the year ending in April, final demand excluding food and energy was up 4.4%, the largest increase since February 2023.
By commodity type, the index for unprocessed goods went up 4.1%. Intermediate demand goods increased 2.7% for the month, the sixth consecutive monthly increase.
About 80% of the index increase for unprocessed goods for intermediate demand can be attributed to unprocessed energy materials which increased 9.2%. Crude petroleum rose by 11.3%.
Unprocessed non-food materials and excluding energy fell by 1%.
President Donald Trump gives remarks during a law enforcement leaders dinner, celebrating the start of National Police Week, in the Rose Garden at the White House on Monday. Photo by Aaron Schwartz/UPI | License Photo
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has refused to resign over a “cash-in-sofa scandal” that continues to haunt his presidency.
Ramaphosa, who addressed the nation on Monday to declare his intention to remain in his post, is set to face a multi-party impeachment committee, which will investigate allegations that he covered up a 2020 break-in at his private ranch and the theft of more than $500,000, concealing the incident from police and tax authorities.
The committee’s findings could spell his impeachment; however, parliament has not provided a timeframe for the investigation, which has yet to commence.
Analysts say the scandal, which has been dubbed “Farmgate”, has been particularly damaging for a president who rode to power in 2018 on an anticorruption mandate, after the much-criticised presidency of Jacob Zuma. Now, eight years later, the case of the cash found stuffed in a sofa at his game ranch could be what takes Ramaphosa down.
Can the South African president survive? Here is what we know.
Supporters of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) carry placards outside South Africa’s Constitutional Court, after the court ruled on whether the parliament failed to hold President Cyril Ramaphosa to account over the ‘Farmgate’ scandal, involving allegations that foreign currency was hidden at his Phala Phala game farm, in Johannesburg, South Africa, on May 8, 2026 [Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters]
What’s the scandal all about?
In February 2020, burglars allegedly broke into Ramaphosa’s luxury private ranch, Phala Phala, in Limpopo province, South Africa, and stole $580,000. The cash was said to have been hidden inside furniture at the farm – hence the “Farmgate” label.
Ramaphosa has been accused of covering up the theft and keeping private efforts to trace the burglars a secret to avoid an investigation into where the money had come from – and why it was hidden in a sofa.
Corruption allegations surfaced when a former head of South Africa’s state security agency walked into a police station in 2022 and accused the president of money laundering in relation to the stolen cash.
Later that year, an independent parliamentary committee found that Ramaphosa “may have committed” serious violations and misconduct. In particular, the panel found he had failed to properly report a theft to police as required under anticorruption laws and “acted in a manner inconsistent with his office”.
At the time, the African National Congress (ANC) had a strong majority in parliament – with 230 seats out of 400. It was therefore able to reject the report and refused to open impeachment proceedings.
But the left-wing Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) challenged this at the Constitutional Court in Cape Town, which, last week, overturned the government’s rejection of the 2022 parliamentary report and referred it to a multi-party impeachment committee for a full investigation.
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa addresses the nation, after a court last week revived proceedings against him over a scandal in which thieves stole bundles of foreign cash from a sofa on his ranch, in Johannesburg, South Africa, May 11, 2026 [Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters]
What has Ramaphosa said?
Ramaphosa has always denied allegations of corruption and maintains that the stolen cash came from selling buffalo.
Since the constitutional court’s ruling last week, Ramaphosa has been facing renewed calls for his resignation, mostly from opposition leaders. In a televised address on Monday, the president refused to step down.
“While there have been calls in some circles that I should resign, nothing in the Constitutional Court judgement compels me to resign my office,” he said.
“Since a criminal complaint was laid against me in June 2022, I have consistently maintained that I have not stolen public money, committed any crime, nor violated my oath of office,” Ramaphosa said in his address, adding that he has cooperated in all investigations.
The president rejected the 2022 report from the independent panel again, saying: “The complaints against me are based on hearsay allegations. No evidence, let alone sufficient evidence, has been presented to prove that I committed any violation, let alone a serious violation of the Constitution or law, or serious misconduct as set out in the Constitution.”
If the committee does find enough evidence against him, it could direct him to be impeached.
It is unclear how long this will take, however. Ramaphosa has pledged to seek a judicial review of the report’s contents, which, in turn, could delay the investigation of the impeachment committee.
Judges take their seats at South Africa’s Constitutional Court before the ruling on whether the parliament failed to hold President Cyril Ramaphosa to account over the ‘Farmgate’ scandal, involving allegations that foreign currency was hidden at his Phala Phala game farm, in Johannesburg, South Africa, May 8, 2026 [Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters]
What is the process for impeachment?
If a president is found to have violated the constitution or the law, or is unable to perform the duties of office, South Africa’s National Assembly has the constitutional authority to remove him or her.
Beyond the parliamentary investigation that will now begin into the Farmgate scandal, and which can trigger a vote on impeachment, as well, any member of parliament may introduce a motion seeking the president’s removal. The speaker of the National Assembly would then refer the motion to an independent panel of legal experts to determine whether sufficient evidence exists to proceed.
If this panel decides there is a case against the president, lawmakers must vote on whether to begin impeachment proceedings. After this, a specially constituted impeachment committee is established to carry out a detailed investigation into the allegations. This is separate from the investigation beginning now and could take several months.
Once that committee recommends the removal of the president, parliament holds a final vote to impeach the president. Under Section 89 of the constitution, a two-thirds majority is required – meaning at least 267 lawmakers must vote in favour of removal in the 400-seat National Assembly.
Supporters of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) carry placards outside South Africa’s Constitutional Court, on the day the court ruled that parliament failed to hold President Cyril Ramaphosa to account over the ‘Farmgate’ scandal, in Johannesburg, South Africa, May 8, 2026 [Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters]
Are there other ways to remove Ramaphosa?
Yes, the South African president can be removed from his job via a no-confidence vote in parliament.
Any member of the assembly can propose the no-confidence motion, and it only requires a simple majority of more than 50 percent.
Ramaphosa would need support from coalition partners to survive a no-confidence vote, however. This has already been proposed by at least two opposition parties in parliament.
Another way could be if his ANC party turns against him, as it did with the last president, Zuma, who came in for years of corruption allegations and was finally forced to resign in 2018.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa raises his hand as he is sworn in as a member of parliament before an expected vote by lawmakers to decide if he is re-elected as leader of the country, in Cape Town, South Africa, June 14, 2024 [Jerome Delay/AP]
How strong is Ramaphosa’s position?
Ramaphosa is not only the president of South Africa, but also the leader of its most popular party, the ANC. Nelson Mandela was the ANC’s first Black president after apartheid ended in 1994.
In 2024, the ANC stunningly lost its majority in parliament for the first time following more than three decades in power. Today, the ANC holds 159 of 400 seats in the national assembly, or about 40 percent of seats – and Ramaphosa is governing in a coalition with the Democratic Alliance, which has 87 seats, along with other smaller parties.
But Chris Ogunmodede, an independent analyst of African politics, security, and international affairs, based in Lagos, Nigeria, said Ramaphosa would likely survive any impeachment attempts, “simply because of the arithmetic”.
“His numbers in the parliament virtually guarantee that impeachment will not happen,” Ogunmodede told Al Jazeera.
“It hasn’t been easy, but there is a government that seems to be functional and is showing some signs of reinvigoration,” Ogunmodede added. “There’s a lot of uncertainty on the part of the other coalition parties that suggests that they would much rather be on the side of caution and go with the devil they know, and preserve the government by keeping Ramaphosa in power.”
Despite this, the cash-in-sofa scandal has been damaging, he said.
And, under Ramaphosa, the ANC’s popularity has continued to slide. The party’s national vote share fell from 57.5 percent in the 2019 election to 40.2 percent in the 2024 election, marking its worst performance since the end of apartheid.
The South African economy has shown some signs of improvement, however, and given the Ramaphosa government “something to show for the time that it’s been in power”, said Ogunmodede.
Yet the South African government still faces long-term structural concerns about the economy, the country’s institutions, corruption, crime and other issues, the analyst added.
On the back of underlying anti-incumbency, Ogunmodede said the top court’s ruling on the cash-in-sofa scandal “has resurrected many concerns that South Africans have had about the president and his party, and the political institutions of the country more broadly”.
Eddie Jones suspended for four games over ‘verbal abuse’ of match officials during an Australian tour, Japan Rugby Football Union says.
Published On 13 May 202613 May 2026
Japan has suspended rugby coach Eddie Jones for four games and cut his salary for “verbal abuse directed at local officials” during an Australian tour.
The Japan Rugby Football Union (JRFU) said on Wednesday that the 66-year-old Australian violated their ethics and disciplinary regulations during a Japan Under-23 team tour of Australia from April 1 to 15.
“These measures relate to incidences of verbal abuse directed at local match officials,” the JRFU said in a statement.
They said Jones had “accepted this decision”.
“I accept the disciplinary action of the JRFU relating to the U23 Japan national team tour of Australia,” Jones said in a statement.
“Some inappropriate remarks that I made caused discomfort to local match officials and other related parties.
“I would like to offer my sincere apologies to everyone involved. I deeply regret my behaviour and words and will make every effort to ensure that this doesn’t happen again.”
Jones will miss Japan’s Nations Championship opener against Italy in Tokyo on July 4 and not be allowed to take any part in two games pitting a Japan select team against Hong Kong on May 22 and 29.
He is also banned from the Japan XV game against the Maori All Blacks on June 27 in Nagoya and the full Japan side’s Nations Championship opener against Italy.
He is suspended from duty for six weeks between April 24 and June 5.
Eight passengers and two crew from the hantavirus-hit Hondius cruise ship are being flown from the British islands of St. Helena and Ascension in the South Atlantic back to the United Kingdom for observation, most likely at Arrowe Park Hospital near Liverpool. Photo by Adam Vaughan/EPA
May 13 (UPI) — Ten suspected hantavirus patients are being flown from the British islands of St. Helena and Ascension in the South Atlantic back to the United Kingdom to complete their self-isolation at a former COVID-19 facility, the country’s main infectious diseases agency said.
The eight passengers and two crew from the hantavirus-hit Hondius cruise ship are part of a program to relocate “some contacts who are already isolating to places where they can safely self-isolate with access to appropriate specialist medical services,” the U.K. Health Security Agency said in a news release on Tuesday.
“England’s National Health Service high consequence infectious disease network is well equipped to respond if they become unwell. Currently none of these contacts are symptomatic and this is precautionary to support communities in U.K. overseas territories,” the agency said.
The patients being flown to Britain all left the MV Hondius when it stopped in St. Helena on April 24, with the ship going on to Cape Verde, where it was refused permission to dock, before finally disembarking on Tenerife on Sunday.
UKHSA did not say where the patients would be taken on arrival in Britain, but Arrowe Park Hospital in northwestern England, where at least 20 other patients from the Hondius are currently quarantined, was the most likely destination. The hospital has a specialist isolation wing and was a designated quarantine facility during the pandemic in 2020.
The agency said plans were underway “where it is safe and possible” to discharge the 20 existing Arrowe Park patients, 18 Britons, a German citizen and a Japanese national, after completing a three-day quarantine.
Each patient assessed as fit to safely serve out a 45-day isolation period at home will receive a tailored support package with daily monitoring from health protection teams across the country until they receive the all-clear, said UKHSA.
“We are grateful to the passengers for their cooperation and patience in what we appreciate has been a very unsettling period for all involved. As this first assessment period concludes, our priority remains to ensure everyone is safe and well supported, wherever they complete their isolation. Our teams will continue to be there for all of the affected individuals every step of the way,” said the agency’s chief scientific officer, Professor Robin May.
On Saturday, the British military conducted an airdrop of medics and four tons of oxygen and other medical supplies on Tristan da Cunha, another island in the St. Helena and Ascension Island British Overseas Territory, to treat a hantavirus patient who left the Hondius when it stopped there in mid-April.
The patient is a resident of Tristan da Cunha, population 220, one of the most remote places on Earth, 1,510 miles southwest of St. Helena and 1,750 miles west of Cape Town, which has no airstrip and very limited medical facilities.
Wreathes are seen amongst the statues at the Korean War Veterans Memorial during Memorial Day weekend in Washington on May 27, 2023. Memorial Day, which honors U.S. military personnel who died while in service, is held on the last Monday of May. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk, seen here at a press conference in Seoul on Wednesday, called for a heightened focus on human rights issues in North Korea. Photo by Thomas Maresca/UPI
SEOUL, May 13 (UPI) — United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk on Wednesday called for an “all hands on deck” response to North Korea’s human rights crisis, saying efforts to address peace and security on the Korean Peninsula “need to be anchored in human rights.”
“The situation in the DPRK is a human rights crisis and it is high time the international community treats it as such,” Turk said at a press conference in Seoul, using the official acronym for North Korea.
“My office has continued to document patterns of ongoing gross human rights violations, some of which may amount to crimes against humanity,” he said.
Turk is on a three-day trip to South Korea, where he is meeting with civil society groups, North Korean escapees and senior government officials. It is the first visit by a U.N. human rights chief since 2015.
A 2014 U.N. Commission of Inquiry report found North Korea’s abuses to be “without parallel in the contemporary world” and recommended referring the country’s leadership to the International Criminal Court.
A follow-up assessment released last year by the U.N. human rights office said conditions in North Korea “have not improved over the past decade and, in many instances, have degraded,” citing worsening food shortages, forced labor and severe restrictions on movement and expression.
“It is clear that there needs to be accountability in all its forms, including non-judicial forms, for the grave violations that have plagued the DPRK for decades,” Turk said.
“It is equally clear that we need all hands on deck to craft fresh solutions for the way forward,” he added. “Peace and security on the Korean peninsula need to be anchored in human rights.”
Turk’s trip comes as South Korean President Lee Jae Myung pursues improved ties with Pyongyang through confidence-building measures such as restricting activist groups from sending anti-North Korean propaganda leaflets across the border.
Lee’s administration has also taken a cautious approach to North Korean rights concerns, including dissolving a Unification Ministry office focused on the issue and suspending publication of an annual rights report. Advocacy groups have criticized the moves as a “troubling shift away from support for the victims of North Korean government repression.”
Turk pushed back against the notion that dialogue with Pyongyang requires softening criticism of its rights record.
“There is no paradox in engaging while addressing human rights issues,” he said. “Engagement cannot come at the expense of human rights. That was obviously a very important part of my dialogue with the authorities here.”
In March, South Korea joined 49 other countries in co-sponsoring a U.N. Human Rights Council resolution condemning North Korea’s abuses, despite speculation Seoul might withhold support.
Turk also addressed the case of two North Korean prisoners of war captured by Ukrainian forces in January 2025 after being deployed to support Russia’s war effort.
The soldiers have expressed a desire to go to South Korea rather than return to the North, where rights groups say they could face severe punishment.
Turk said international human rights law was “very clear” on the issue.
“The obligation not to send them back to areas where they could end up being harmed” applies in their case, he said.
Turk said his office continues to seek opportunities for dialogue with North Korean officials and called next week’s visit by a North Korean women’s soccer team to South Korea “encouraging.”
“Urgent steps are needed to find ways to exchange letters, resume family contacts and reunions, and release information clarifying the whereabouts and fate of disappeared and abducted people,” he said.
On Thursday, Turk is scheduled to travel to Gwangju to deliver a keynote address at the World Human Rights Cities Forum.
Wreathes are seen amongst the statues at the Korean War Veterans Memorial during Memorial Day weekend in Washington on May 27, 2023. Memorial Day, which honors U.S. military personnel who died while in service, is held on the last Monday of May. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, seen here arriving at Incheon Airport on Wednesday, met with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng on a stop in Seoul ahead of his trip to Beijing for the Trump-Xi summit. Pool Photo by Yonhap
President Lee Jae Myung on Wednesday held back-to-back talks with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, and reaffirmed their commitment to cooperation amid global challenges, his office said.
Lee said during his meeting with Bessent at Cheong Wa Dae that South Korea and the United States should further strengthen economic cooperation through close communication so that they can continue the “positive trend” of both countries maintaining stable economies despite increased global uncertainties, according to his spokesperson Kang Yu-jung.
Lee also called for further developing bilateral cooperation in the economic and technological sectors, especially in terms of critical minerals, supply chains and foreign exchange markets, the spokesperson told a press briefing.
While concurring with Lee’s remarks, Bessent credited his leadership for South Korea’s growth and stock market performance under difficult circumstances, such as the Middle East war, she said.
Lee held talks with He earlier in the day and asked him to play an active role in expanding cooperation between South Korea and China in diverse sectors, including the economy, industry, trade and culture.
The vice premier responded that he is pleased the two countries’ bilateral trade increased further this year and conveyed Chinese President Xi Jinping‘s greetings.
Lee recalled his meeting with Xi in January and asked that the vice premier also convey his sincerest greetings, the spokesperson said.
The back-to-back talks came as Bessent and He were in Seoul to coordinate the agenda of Thursday’s high-stakes summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Xi in Beijing.
Following their meetings with Lee, the two officials met behind closed doors at a VIP lounge at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul.
The talks were held under tight security, with all access points to the lounge closed, including to the press.
Bessent will later head to Beijing to join Trump on his two-day visit to the country.
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Choi Seung-ho, head of Samsung Electronics’ largest labor union, speaks to reporters Wednesday after a hearing on an injunction against a labor strike filed by Samsung at Suwon District Court. Photo by Yonhap
Samsung Electronics Co. and its labor union failed to reach a wage agreement Wednesday, raising concerns over a major strike later this month that could disrupt operations at the world’s largest memory chipmaker.
The breakdown came after two days of government-led mediation talks that had been viewed as a last-ditch effort to avert the strike scheduled for May 21.
Union and management have remained sharply divided over performance-based bonuses tied to the company’s earnings related to artificial intelligence (AI).
The union has demanded performance bonuses equivalent to 15 percent of operating profit, along with the removal of the payout cap and the formal institutionalization of the bonus system.
The management, meanwhile, proposed allocating 10 percent of operating profit to bonuses and offering a one-time special compensation package that it said exceeds industry standards.
“Because the differences between the labor union and management did not narrow, we requested mediation and waited for nearly 12 hours, but the proposal only worsened,” Choi Seung-ho, head of Samsung Electronics’ largest labor union, told reporters after the meeting at the National Labor Relations Commission office in the administrative city of Sejong.
Choi said some 41,000 unionized workers have expressed their intention to take part in the general strike, adding that the number could rise to more than 50,000.
“It is meaningless to wait any longer,” Choi said. “We do not plan to hold an illegal strike. We will proceed in a legitimate way.”
Choi added that the union now will focus on responding to Samsung’s request for an injunction restricting the union’s planned strike.
Later Wednesday, the Suwon District Court concluded a closed-door second hearing attended by about 30 people, including lawyers and officials from both sides.
During the hearing, the union argued that the strike would be carried out lawfully within a limited period and that it had no intention of illegally occupying company facilities, making an injunction unnecessary.
The court is expected to decide by May 20 whether to grant the injunction.
Following the breakdown in talks, Samsung Electronics expressed regret over the suspension of the mediation process, while pledging to continue efforts to engage in dialogue.
“The post-mediation process, which the government worked hard to arrange, unfortunately collapsed after the union declared negotiations broken down,” the company said in a press release. It, however, vowed to continue making sincere efforts until the very end to prevent the worst-case outcome from materializing.
The labor dispute at Samsung Electronics, the world’s largest memory chip maker and South Korea’s most valuable company, has raised concerns that a walkout could disrupt production and upend the semiconductor supply chain, as well as hurt the broader economy overall.
Observers say that if a full-scale strike takes place, losses to the South Korean economy, which is heavily dependent on exports, could exceed 40 trillion won (US$26.8 billion).
South Korea’s exports reached a record $219.9 billion in the first quarter of 2026, driven by strong global demand for AI data centers. Semiconductor exports were a major contributor, surging 139 percent from a year earlier to $78.5 billion as investment in AI-related servers accelerated.
Some observers have speculated that the government could invoke emergency arbitration powers to prevent further escalation.
Under South Korea’s labor laws, the labor minister may order emergency arbitration when industrial action is deemed likely to endanger public welfare or seriously harm the national economy.
If invoked, all strike actions would be prohibited for 30 days while mediation and arbitration procedures are conducted by the commission. Emergency arbitration powers have been exercised only four times in South Korea’s history.
A commission official declined to comment on the possibility, saying, “It is not something we are reviewing.”
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May 13 (UPI) — The United States announced visa restrictions on 13 people linked to a U.S.-sanctioned, India-based online pharmacy that the Trump administration accuses of selling Americans hundreds of thousands of counterfeit prescription pills laced with fentanyl.
The people targeted by the State Department on Tuesday were identified as being “close business associates of KS International Traders and its owner.”
The U.S. Treasury sanctioned KS International and Mohammad Iqbal Shaikh, 34, in September. Shaikh was also among 19 people indicted in New York in the fall of 2024 on charges of selling counterfeit, fentanyl-laced pills to Americans over the Internet and via encrypted messaging platforms.
The targeting of KS International comes amid the Trump administration’s broader crackdown on drug smuggling. Among tactics employed was President Donald Trump‘s December 2025designation of illicit fentanyl and its core precursor chemicals as weapons of mass destruction.
In June, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a new policy to impose visa restrictions on drug traffickers, their family members and close personal and business associates.
State Department spokesperson Thomas Pigott said Tuesday that the barring of entry to the 13 individuals “underscores the United States’ and India’s enduring and shared commitment to dismantling illicit drug entities and disrupting trafficking networks that harm Americans.”
“Those complicit in poisoning Americans will be denied entry to the United States,” he said in a statement.
The Trump administration has increasingly used visa restrictions across several policy areas, from punishing Haitian government officials and members of criminal organizations accused of obstructing the nation’s fight against terrorist gangs to Nicaraguan citizens believed to be facilitating irregular immigration into the United States.
