UCLA softball pummels South Carolina, advances to super regional
No. 8 UCLA stuck with right-hander Taylor Tinsley throughout the Los Angeles Regional and that faith in the senior paid off.
During the Bruins’ NCAA tournament opener at Easton Stadium, Tinsley gave up 10 runs before her teammates rallied for a walk-off win. She returned less than 24 hours to pitch against South Carolina, giving up two earned runs in a victory. Tinsley was back in the circle Sunday afternoon, yielding one run in UCLA’s 15-1 victory over the Gamecocks to advance to the super regionals.
“I am proud of Taylor’s resiliency, the ability to do whatever she can to help this team,” UCLA coach Kelly Inouye-Perez said. “She got stronger through the weekend. I am proud of that.”
Tinsley and her teammates will host Central Florida in a super regional that begins Friday.
“I feel good,” Tinsley said after pitching three key games in three days. “I could have gone more innings if needed.”
South Carolina right-hander Jori Heard gave up only one hit through two innings, keeping UCLA’s potent bats relatively quiet. The Gamecocks had runners on first and second with two outs in the second, but Tinsley escaped the inning with a pop-up to left field.
The Bruins got on the board first with a two-run home run from left fielder Rylee Slimp in the third inning. The Bruins followed it up by loading the bases with no outs in the fifth for right fielder Megan Grant.
Grant cooked up a grand slam to make it 6-0. She has 40 home runs, extending her hold on the NCAA single-season home run record. Oklahoma freshman Kendall Wells trails Grant with 37 homers.
“Its just incredible because I am blessed to be able to say the number 40,” Grant said.
South Carolina broke through on an RBI single from left fielder Quincee Lilio to cut UCLA’s lead to 6-1 in the fifth inning after being held to just one hit since the first inning. The Gamecocks couldn’t cash in the rest of the way.
The Bruins resumed scoring in the sixth inning, with the bases loaded and Grant at bat again. Fans at Easton Stadium anticipated another grand slam, holding up their cellphones hoping to catch some magic. Grant served up a two-run RBI single to expand the lead 8-1.
Jordan Woolery added to the scoring with a two-run RBI double down the left-field line, and Kaniya Bragg hit a home run to left-center field. Soo-jin Berry put a bow on the win with one more home run.
Police arrest 3 teens, ending Austin shooting spree that wounded 4
May 18 (UPI) — Authorities said Sunday night that officers arrested three teenagers, ending a weekend shooting spree through southern Austin that left four people wounded, including one critically.
The shootings began Saturday afternoon, with the first calls to police recorded at about 3:45 p.m. CDT. A shelter-in-place order was issued amid the shootings and was lifted shortly before 4:30 p.m. Sunday.
At least 12 separate shootings, mostly in south Austin, were recorded in the crime spree, according to authorities, who said at least two separate fire stations were struck, as were several buildings and homes.
Authorities had been searching Sunday for a stolen white Kia in connection with the shootings. When police pulled it over, three people exited the vehicle and ran. Officers pursued and arrested two suspects — identified as a 15-year-old and a 17-year-old — at the scene, authorities said.
The Manor Police Department announced later Sunday that the third suspect, identified as a Hispanic male in his mid-to-late teens, had been apprehended.
Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis told reporters during a press conference held Sunday night prior to the third arrest that police had been searching for the 15-year-old and 17-year-old and were unsure of the third suspect’s involvement.
Davis described the gunmen as firing indiscriminately from a stolen vehicle that would be abandoned, followed by the theft of another vehicle. More than four vehicles were stolen during the spree, she said.
“And so a motive? I don’t know what a motive is. I don’t know what motive would drive anybody to come and drive around senselessly in the city and in multiple parts of the city shooting,” Davis said.
The investigation began when police were notified of a stolen vehicle from an apartment complex, followed by the alleged theft of a firearm by the 15-year-old from a gun store, Davis said. The 17-year-old was also wanted in connection with an earlier firearm theft from the same store, she said.
“At that point, we were not aware that these two cases were connected. What transpired after that was an estimated of 20 service calls related to these individuals, predominantly in south and east areas of Austin,” she said.
The identities of the victims have not been disclosed.
Davis said a woman was shot from a moving vehicle as she was speaking to another person on Saturday. On Sunday, a man was shot in the back while walking his dog.
All four victims, three with non-life-threatening injuries, were transported to local trauma centers, authorities said.
Israel launches strikes on southern Lebanon despite extending ‘ceasefire’ | Israel attacks Lebanon
Al Jazeera’s Obaida Hitto reports from Tyre in southern Lebanon on the latest Israeli strikes in the region. At least five people were killed, and another 15 injured in Sunday’s strikes despite Israel agreeing to a ceasefire extension with Lebanon.
Published On 18 May 2026
‘Harrowing’ true crime documentary leaves viewers horrified as details emerge
Viewers have been left horrified by the chilling new documentary that is free to watch.
A harrowing true crime documentary has left viewers horrified (Image: Getty Images)
Channel 5 viewers have been left horrified by a new true crime documentary.
Murder In Shetland: Trial by Jury follows the killing of Claire Leveque, a woman who was found dead at a remote Shetland home.
Claire, from Canada, was 24 years old when she was killed on 11 February 2024.
She was found with a number of serious injuries in a hot tub at a property in the Sandness area, and though emergency services arrived at the scene, she was pronounced dead a short while later.
A new documentary is now revealing the murder trial that followed, as well as sharing the perspective of her grieving family.
The Channel 5 synopsis teases: “Inside the courtroom as a grieving family and an accused partner collide in a murder trial.”
Sharing a clip on social media, Channel 5 warned viewers: “Warning: Some viewers may find the following video distressing.”
They added: “Claire Leveque’s final months reveal a harrowing story of control and abuse. Now, her family cross continents in search of answers, and justice.”
The trailer heard clippings from the trial, with Claire’s family and friends in tears in court.
It also sees testimonies from experts brought in to prove the case, as a person warns: “This is a horror story from the beginning.”
“This was horrific,” one viewer commented to the clip.
Another said: “Horrendous case – can’t imagine how her family & friends coped with that trial.”
Someone else called it “very chilling”, and said “it wasn’t an easy watch”.
“A hard watch,” another agreed, while someone else said: “#MurderinShetland is remarkable television. Do watch it if you can, although it is quite harrowing.”
Ahead of the documentary airing, Gary Davies, consultant editor for commissioning at 5, said: “This thoughtful series gives a deeply human account of an unimaginable tragedy. It shines a light on the justice process and honours the courage of Claire’s family as they seek truth and remembrance.”
Mark Procter, executive producer for Big Little Fish, echoed the sentiment, saying: “We are profoundly grateful to the Judicial Office for Scotland and to everyone who enabled our access to the trial.
“Above all, we are honoured that the Leveque family have entrusted us to document what happened to Claire. We hope this series serves as a respectful tribute – giving her the voice that was so cruelly taken from her.”
Murder in Shetland: Trial by Jury is available to watch on Channel 5.
Australia forces China-linked investors to sell Northern Minerals stake (NOURF:OTCMKTS)
- Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers on Monday ordered six shareholders to divest their stakes in Northern Minerals (NOURF), citing concerns over attempted Chinese control of the rare earths miner.
- Northern Minerals is developing the Browns Range heavy rare earths project in
ORANGE COUNTY VOICES : Wilson Had Better Not Forget the Right : Politics: The senator has some reassuring to do with conservatives. To become governor, he has to count on every conservative vote in Orange County–and he isn’t guaranteed them.
Notwithstanding the California Republican party’s well-intentioned anointment of Sen. Pete Wilson as its gubernatorial nominee, it is no secret that he continues to have an uncomfortable relationship with the conservative wing that dominates it.
As we move closer toward the general election, conservatives across the state, and particularly in vote-rich Orange County, are now asking the question, “What would a Gov. Wilson offer to conservatives?” Some have already answered that question, and for them, the answer is: not much.
This could spell disaster in November, especially if the slickly packaged former mayor of San Francisco, Dianne Feinstein, wins the Democratic Party nomination over liberal Establishment candidate Atty. Gen. John K. Van de Kamp.
Last March, the California Republican Assembly, the largest volunteer, grass-roots Republican organization in the state, adopted a vote of no-confidence in the senator. Pro-life and pro-family organizations–an integral part of winning Republican coalitions–are openly hostile to his candidacy. The conservative Young Americans for Freedom has already gone on record against him. In a futile but symbolic gesture, YAF even put up one of its own, Jeff Greene, to challenge the senator in the June primary.
So far, these are but chinks in the formidable Wilson campaign armor. Though most state conservative leaders are publicly backing Wilson, many are clearly wondering what happened to the Reagan Revolution in California. How is it that the one-time, anti-Reagan moderate mayor from San Diego might now become head of the party in the very state that produced “The Gipper”? (This frustration explains, in part, the enthusiasm among conservatives for the “renegade” primary campaign of “charter” Reaganite Bay Buchanan for state treasurer against the incumbent, Tom Hayes, who was appointed by Gov. George Deukmejian.)
Conservative Republicans have always been suspicious of the “progressive” mayor of San Diego. To begin with, they have never quite forgiven then-Mayor Wilson for campaigning for President Ford against favorite son Ronald Reagan in the 1976 New Hampshire presidential primary. These suspicions contributed to Wilson coming in a poor fourth in the Republican primary for governor two years later. By 1982 he learned a lesson. He then campaigned in the U.S. Senate Republican primary against several Ronald Reagan conservatives, including Rep. Barry Goldwater Jr. and Robert K. Dornan. While Goldwater was preoccupied with trading off his father’s name and latecomer Dornan was in search of campaign funds, Wilson preemptively blitzed the airwaves with commercials tightly wrapping himself around support for President Reagan. Fellow candidate and “first daughter” Maureen Reagan was particularly galled. So were others. But it worked, and Wilson won what was clearly the make-or-break election of his statewide political future.
Once in the Senate, Pete Wilson went on to very smartly, and sincerely, carry the banner of many issues important to conservatives. From his berth on the Senate Armed Services Committee he defended the Reagan military buildup, railed against the Soviet threat and became an ardent spokesman for the Strategic Defense Initiative. He helped protect California’s defense industry, the Long Beach Naval Shipyard and even got Mayor Feinstein to support home-porting the nuclear-powered battleship Missouri in liberal San Francisco. Wilson strongly backed the freedom fighters in Nicaragua and Afghanistan and was up front in his defense of Oliver L. North.
Occasionally, but never reliably, Wilson has voted with conservatives on key social and family-oriented issues. For these things and more, Wilson avoided a primary challenge from the right and deservedly received virtually unqualified conservative support for his 1988 reelection.
The problem now facing gubernatorial candidate Pete Wilson is that those defense and foreign policy issues so essential to his overall appeal to conservatives are no longer available to balance out his generally moderate-to-liberal campaign positions on many social, domestic and environmental issues. Unfortunately, the messages from his campaign and the press seem only to highlight the pro-abortion, pro-homosexual, anti-prayer in school, anti-growth, higher transportation taxes, costly mass transit, and other big-government elements of his platform (including the creation of another costly government Cabinet department to deal with the environment).
As a result, his yeoman efforts on behalf of the speedy-trial initiative seem pale. To many conservatives, the Pete Wilson of 1990 sounds a lot like the Pete Wilson of 1978.
Unlike Sen. Wilson’s 1982 race against Jerry Brown or his 1988 reelection against Leo T. McCarthy, this year every conservative vote will matter–a lot. So, too, will the crossover votes of conservative Democrats who today keep many Republicans in office. We cannot afford to have any one of them sit at home or cast a protest vote for a third-party candidate.
What is of added danger to Wilson is that conservative Democrats are being told that Feinstein is a candidate they can finally support. Who’s kidding whom? A conservative Democrat mayor from San Francisco is about as believable as Dana Rohrabacher being appointed head of the National Endowment for the Arts. Yet the liberal Southern California media persist in mislabeling the Lady from Babylon by the Bay largely because of her “traitorous” support for the death penalty. Look for a finely tuned “come home” message from the Feinstein campaign to conservative Democrats in November.
When the media are not calling her a conservative, they frequently remark that on substantive issues there is little difference between Feinstein and Wilson. Strike another blow to a proven Republican campaign axiom: Fail to differentiate yourself from your Democrat opponent and you lose.
Wilson’s recent campaign commercials do not help. He emphasizes his environmental record, support for mass transit and the need to control those nasty developers. At best it seems an ill-timed ad for the primary season. At worst it emphasizes management, not leadership, and is not conservative on either count. Better he should first shore up his traditional Republican credentials.
The senator should probably not count on the evils of a Democratic-controlled reapportionment process to give him an added loyalty boost, either. Voters have shown either an inability to understand the issue or often view it in partisan terms. But if a state commission on reapportionment is created by the voters on June 5, the argument that a Republican governor is needed to keep the Democrat Legislature honest will be moot.
Finally, the precedent exists for an electorally significant percentage of the conservative vote to be cast in protest for a third-party candidate. That occurred in the Zschau-Cranston race. Despite a strong Republican Party sales effort aimed at ensuring conservative backing for the former moderate Rep. Ed Zschau, including four trips to California by President Reagan (two in Orange County alone), the word went out to the fall-on-your-sword conservatives to cast a protest vote for the pro-life American Independent Party candidate Ed Vallen. Vallen received nearly double the normal statewide and Orange County AIP vote that year (1.5%). Zschau lost to Alan Cranston by only 1.4%. While there are important differences between the seasoned Wilson with proven statewide electability and newcomer Zschau, the point is that a small electoral shift could prove fatal to him in a close race.
Despite what some political pollsters and self-appointed media opinion makers would have us believe, the successful Reagan electoral coalition has not dispersed. Nor have their beliefs in traditional family values, small government, low taxes, free enterprise and equal opportunity for that chance at the American dream taken a back seat to child care, global warming and acid rain.
Pete Wilson, known for waging smart, well-financed campaigns, has some reassuring to do on the right. To win in November, he has to count on every conservative vote in Orange County–and it is not clear yet that he is going to get them.
Hany Mukhtar’s hat trick leads Nashville past LAFC
NASHVILLE — Hany Mukhtar scored three goals, his first hat trick since 2023, and Nashville SC beat LAFC 3-2 on Sunday night.
Mukhtar, the 2022 MLS MVP, became the seventh player in MLS history with at least five regular-season hat tricks.
Nashville (9-1-3) leads MLS with 30 points this season and is unbeaten, with five wins, in its past seven games. San José and Vancouver are tied atop the Western Conference with 29 points apiece.
LAFC (6-5-3) has lost three consecutive games and is winless in four straight.
Mukhtar tapped a pass to Warren Madrigal at the top of the penalty box. Madrigal flicked a slick pass back to a charging Mukhtar for the finish from the right corner of the six-yard box in the 13th minute. The 21-year-old Madrigal has five goal contributions (three goals, two assists) in the past five games.
Mukhtar also scored on free kicks in the 21st and 59th minutes. The 31-year-old has 101 goals across all competitions in 229 appearances for Nashville.
David Martinez scored a goal for the second consecutive game in the 22nd minute and Denis Bouanga added a goal in the 68th for LAFC.
Brian Schwake had seven saves for Nashville.
Thomas Hasal made his second start this season in place of Hugo Lloris (thigh) and finished with one save. Lloris was injured in training Wednesday and is out indefinitely.
LAFC outshot Nashville 21-8, 9-4 on target.
Nashville’s Sam Surridge and Andy Nájar did not play. Surridge missed his fourth consecutive game because of what the club is calling a “middle body” injury. The 27-year-old forward, who was injured late in a 4-2 loss to Charlotte on April 25, has nine goals in seven appearances (four starts) this season. Nájar suffered a muscle injury in Wednesday’s 3-0 win at New England.
Samsung management, union resume last-ditch wage talks
Choi Seung-ho, head of Samsung Electronics Co.’s largest labor union, meets the press at a district court in Suwon, South Korea, 13 May 2026. He spoke after attending a court session over an injunction request sought by Samsung to prevent the union from launching a planned strike. Photo by YONHAP / EPA
May 17 (Asia Today) — Samsung Electronics management and labor representatives will return to the negotiating table Sunday for what industry officials describe as a critical final attempt to avoid a large-scale strike.
The talks are scheduled to take place Monday at South Korea’s Central Labor Relations Commission in Sejong, three days before the union’s planned walkout.
The negotiations come after talks collapsed Tuesday over disagreements surrounding the company’s bonus system.
Union officials have demanded that Samsung institutionalize a performance bonus formula based on 15% of operating profit and remove bonus caps. Management and labor have struggled to narrow differences over how bonuses should be calculated and disclosed.
The dispute has drawn national attention because of Samsung’s central role in South Korea’s economy and semiconductor industry.
Samsung Chairman Lee Jae-yong publicly called for renewed dialogue Friday while returning from an overseas business trip.
“We are one body, one family,” Lee said in a message to employees and union members. “This is the time to wisely combine our strength and move in the same direction.”
The union had previously insisted it would not resume talks before launching the strike, but changed course after Lee’s appeal and calls from the government for continued negotiations.
Samsung also replaced its lead management negotiator at the union’s request.
According to labor officials, the new representative, Yeo Myung-gu, head of the Device Solutions division’s people team, recently met with union leaders and urged cooperation for labor-management coexistence.
Business groups say both sides may need to compromise to prevent further disruption.
Industry officials say Samsung could improve transparency by more clearly disclosing how bonuses are calculated and funded, while the union may need to consider alternatives short of tying bonuses directly to operating profit.
One business official said the union’s demand reflects broader distrust over the transparency and predictability of Samsung’s current compensation system.
“If management can present an alternative that improves transparency and predictability, the union may need to remain open to compromise,” the official said.
— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.
Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260518010004613Z
Moment of collision between two Navy jets at Idaho air show | Military News
Two US Navy jets collided during an air show at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho, sending both aircraft crashing to the ground in front of spectators. All four crew members ejected safely before impact.
Published On 18 May 2026
Kylie Minogue reveals all on love, life and heartbreak as she vows to perform into her 80s
FOR almost four decades, Kylie Minogue has soundtracked our lives with anthems of love, joy and heartbreak.
While her own personal life has seen both stellar highs and crushing lows — including failed romances, and cancer — she has kept calm and carried on, and on, then on some more.
As for those gold hotpants from her 2000 video for disco belter Spinning Around, they brightened up all our lives, to the point they are now under lock and key in a museum.
But as Kylie, 57, sits down with me for her only newspaper chat ahead of her self-titled Netflix docuseries that airs on Wednesday, she insists she is just like the rest of us when heartbroken.
In the TV tell-all, she recalls her devastating 1991 split from the late INXS frontman, Aussie Michael Hutchence, after a passionate two-year romance — and how she slept on a pal’s sofa in Paris while unable to face the couple’s old stomping grounds in Oz and the UK.
She had previously also dated Aussie actor-singer Jason Donovan — and when I ask if she’s ever “gone full Bridget Jones”, liked the unlucky-in-love soul of movie fame, she swiftly replies: “Oh, 100 per cent.
Read More on Kylie Minogue
“I’ve had different relationships that all shaped me. Of course, I talk about Michael. I’ve also got Jason Donovan, who speaks so amazingly in the documentary.”
During the Netflix special, Kylie recalls how she struggled post-Hutchence — and tells viewers: “I didn’t know where to go or what to do. I knew I didn’t want to be in London and I didn’t want to be in Australia, so I went to Paris.
“I remember having a tiny English to-French dictionary. I didn’t know anyone, but had two numbers on a bit of paper. One of those was a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend of mine.
“She lived with a girl called Kat, who is now my oldest, best girlfriend. I moved into her apartment, got a sleeping bag and slept on the sofa. I was feeling heartbroken.”
Keen not to sugarcoat her life for Netflix, Kylie let director Michael Harte retain total creative control, even when she may have liked some bits left on the cutting-room floor.
In one episode, her former Neighbours co-star Jason remembers the moment Kylie left him for rocker Michael — explaining how they met him after an INXS gig before Jason watched the pair disappear into a hotel bathroom together.
Jason admits: “He wasn’t interested in me. I could sniff that a mile away. And she disappeared with him into the bathroom, which is fine. You know, we’re grown-ups.”
Reflecting on that evening, Kylie adds: “After the gig, Jason and I were invited back to the after-party. I would have been a bit like, ‘How did we get here?’ We were just talking about singer stuff.”
Kylie has been single since splitting from GQ magazine boss Paul Solomons in 2023, and insists she does not need a man to feel complete.
When I ask if she is happy, All The Lovers singer Kylie replies with a smile: “I’m super-happy, yeah.”
She told the Sunday Times’ Style magazine yesterday: “I don’t have a boyfriend. I was in a relationship, and when that ended, I realised I was OK on my own. I’m getting pickier. Narcissists . . . I’ve dated one and I’m grateful I now have that knowledge. That’s my red-hot ‘no’.”
Similarly, when Kylie and I last chatted, in October 2024, the I Should Be So Lucky singer told me: “There’s no one significant in my life and I feel content. I feel like this is my destiny right now.”
But she STILL fiercely believes in love — and enjoys watching it bloom for others.
We first met in 2023 while she was promoting 16th album Tension. I was shamelessly chasing a boy and, on my way to her Claridge’s hotel suite, bought a bottle of Kylie Prosecco for her to sign for him.
After our chat, she agreed, writing his name on the bottle and wishing me luck in my romantic pursuit. The next summer, he was my boyfriend.
During a brief meeting in 2024, at the British Summer Time festival in London’s Hyde Park, I thanked her for the part she had played. “See, I’ve still got it!” she happily told her team, punching the air.
But by the time we crossed paths in May 2025, outside her dressing room as she played London’s 02 Arena for her Tension world tour, I was single once more.
I mentioned I was seeing her show again the next night and bringing my ex. “Ooh, what’s the goss?” Kylie asked. Laughing awkwardly, I admitted I wished we were still together.
Meanwhile, in episode two of her Netflix series Kylie wells up as she admits she has been searching for a love like she shared with Michael ever since their 1991 breakup.
Kylie says to camera: “I haven’t quite got it. I’ve probably been looking for something like that ever since.
“He was a first for so many things and one was heartbreak. I was devastated. He was a rock star, which doesn’t just mean that he needs many women in his life, but he needed to go where he needed to go. But I know from people in his circle that he talked of me and thought of me. We were good together.”
Shrugging off the emotion, Kylie adds: “Shoulda, woulda, coulda — whatever. But it was an amazing time. The memories make me feel good, even if I’m getting teary. It was good to have someone, to feel like you were a good team. I’m fortunate. The emotion and the memories I have with that time — I just felt protected, nurtured, valued, and believed in.”
Recalling Michael’s funeral in 1997 in Sydney, after he died at just 37, Kylie says: “At the church it was overwhelming, the outpouring of love for him. I felt him saying, ‘It’s OK. It will be OK’. I always feel he’s with me.”
But as we chat, Kylie wishes she had “stressed less” over the course of her career, and she admits she sometimes “didn’t manage it well”.
I am also relieved that — like me when love’s course goes awry — this global superstar so indentifies with Bridget Jones, as played in the films by Renee Zellweger.
In the series’ first film, Bridget Jones’s Diary, in 2001, the pyjama-clad protagonist has break-up blues as she clutches a bottle of wine and belts out power ballad All By Myself.
I doubt Kylie’s go-to heartbreak fixes are the same as my budget pairing — a £4.99 supermarket Pinot Grigio and Cadbury popping-candy chocolate bar. But I do recommend them, Kylie.
Of course, the other bombshell in Kylie’s life came at just 36 when, in 2005, she was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer.
She had to pull out of a Glastonbury set and part of her Showgirl: The Greatest Hits Tour to undergo a lumpectomy as well as chemotherapy.
The next year she was in remission and given the all-clear.
But Kylie tells Netflix viewers: “I felt removed from my body. I was so scared of what was ahead of me.” Her singer sister Dannii adds: “We didn’t know, if she was ever going to be well again.”
It is hard to believe, though, how she has kept much of her off-stage life little known about.
When I put this to her, she nods and says: “It’s like, is there a monster under the bed? You build up this fear of telling.”
But she adds: “There’s enough behind me, and in front of me, that now has made it a good time. And what am I so scared of? It’s been a good exercise to have a look back at life, and find acceptance.”
In the docuseries, Kylie admits she was “riddled with self-doubt and anxiety” — and that those feelings still rear their head.
Kylie, who wrapped up her 66-date Tension tour last year, tells me: “I still have anxiety and self-doubt. No, not all the time, but a healthy amount is good.
“I know what I’m doing more now, which is satisfying. There’s definitely moments but that doesn’t permeate through.”
Although Kylie is now a superstar, she got there through steadfast resilience — proving critics wrong time and time again.
Her decision to quit Aussie soap Neighbours at the height of its success — when 24 million daily viewers was commonplace — was deemed by many as crazy.
Indeed, so popular was the soap that when Princess Diana missed just two episodes, she called up the BBC to ask after recordings.
Kylie’s sixth studio album, 1997’s Impossible Princess, was savaged so brutally by critics that radio stations refused to play her singles. A billboard even told the world Kylie was “over”.
Yet nearly three decades later, the 5ft powerhouse has never been more beloved. In December, she landed her eighth UK No1 single, ,and her first festive chart-topper, with Xmas.
A seasoned pro with interviews, Kylie usually has a slick answer ready for any question. But when I ask what she would say to her younger self, she takes her time before replying: “I still don’t know what’s ahead of me now — but I especially didn’t at 16.”
During the Netflix series, Kylie hits back at a suggestion she might be ready to slow down soon.
“Tell that to Cher and Barbra [Streisand]” she quips.
Both are plenty older than her — Cher recently turned 79 and Barbra 84 — and Cher, in particular, is still dusting off her suspenders and stockings for performances.
So, can we expect to see Kylie still doing The Locco-Motion at 80?
Beaming, she replies: “With all my heart, I hope so, yes.
“But how I’ve done this is, I am not a planner, I like to be fluid. I have a loose idea, I know what I want to do — but, yeah, maybe next week or this month.”
But while Kylie may still be up on stage in 2049, her famed gold hotpants will not. They are in a museum in Melbourne, Australia — but Kylie beams at my idea they belong in the Louvre museum in Paris, with the Mona Lisa painting.
Kylie says of the hotpants: “That would be amazing. But I bought them for 50p — my girlfriend found them in a secondhand store. I wore them quite rigorously so they’re fragile and the museum have said they have got to stay flat. They are in preservation mode.”
I also ask if “Kylie the pop star” ever feels like “Kylie the person” is forgotten.
But she feels fans want her to be both, adding of time on stage: “It’s a place for me to harness everything I’ve worked for and that I feel, and be expressive.”
The word “icon” is overused, but when I tell Kylie she is one, she replies simply: “I try.”
Senate parliamentarian deals blow to $1-billion security proposal for White House
WASHINGTON — A proposal to fund $1 billion in security additions for the White House campus and President Trump’s new ballroom fails to meet procedural rules, according to the Senate parliamentarian, dealing a blow to Republican plans to include it as part of a bill to fund immigration enforcement agencies for the next three years.
The parliamentarian’s ruling, described late Saturday by Senate Democrats, said that funding for a project as large and complex as Trump’s massive East Wing renovation is too broad to be included in the narrow GOP budget bill, which cannot be filibustered and needs only a simple majority to pass.
It’s unclear whether Republicans will be able to immediately salvage any part of the billion-dollar Secret Service proposal, which would fund security for Trump’s ballroom along with other parts of the White House, including a new visitor screening center, additional training for agents and extra reinforcements for large events. Republicans said Saturday night that they are revising the legislation based on the parliamentarian’s advice.
Ryan Wrasse, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), wrote in a post on X that “none of this is abnormal” during the complicated budget process that Republicans are using to try to pass the immigration enforcement and White House security money on a partisan basis.
“Redraft. Refine. Resubmit,” Wrasse said in the post.
Democrats say they’re ‘ready to stop them again’
Democrats have seized on the security request, accusing Republicans of dedicating federal resources to the ballroom project instead of focusing on helping Americans with rising costs. Republicans have insisted that private donations will be used to build the ballroom and that the federal dollars are focused just on much-needed security enhancements.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) took credit for the ruling after Democrats argued to the parliamentarian that the security money doesn’t belong in the bill.
“Republicans tried to make taxpayers foot the bill for Trump’s billion-dollar ballroom,” Schumer said Saturday evening. “Senate Democrats fought back — and blew up their first attempt.”
Schumer added that Democrats “will be ready to stop them again” as Republicans say they will revise the bill.
The ruling from the Senate parliamentarian is advisory, but such rulings are rarely if ever ignored when lawmakers put together legislation that can pass with a simple majority. Most bills are subject to a filibuster and thus need 60 votes for passage — meaning Republicans must find some Democratic support in the 53-47 Senate.
Part of immigration bill
Republicans are looking to approve a roughly $72-billion package to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection until the end of Trump’s term after Democrats have blocked the money for months.
As part of that package, Republicans included $1 billion for White House security enhancements, part of it connected to Trump’s ballroom. The Secret Service had requested the money after a man was charged with trying to assassinate Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Assn. dinner last month.
The overall budget package is providing another boost of funding for Trump’s immigration and deportation agenda, fueling operations through September 2029. It comes on top of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol funds Congress provided last year in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that Trump signed into law.
The parliamentarian kept most of the immigration portion of the legislation intact, though some minor provisions were blocked, including Customs and Border Patrol funds to hire, train and pay Border Patrol agents. Republicans said those were only technical fixes.
Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley, the top Democrat on the Senate Budget Committee, said Saturday evening that “Democrats are prepared to challenge any change to this bill.”
Americans shouldn’t spend “a single dime” on Trump’s “Louis XIV-style ballroom and throw tens of billions more at two lawless agencies,” Merkley said.
Jalonick and Freking write for the Associated Press. AP writer Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.
Angel City, Portland play to scoreless draw
Angelina Anderson made one save for her second shutout and became the first goalkeeper to hold Portland scoreless this season as visiting Angel City played the Thorns to a 0-0 draw on Sunday.
Mackenzie Arnold made three saves for Portland (6-2-2) in her fourth shutout of the year. Angel City (3-4-1) snapped a four-game skid.
Late in second-half stoppage time, Thorns midfielder Jessie Fleming sent a shot off the post.
Portland had two players leave the game with injuries: Isabella Obaze in the 67th minute and M.A. Vignola in the 74th.
The leading scorers for each team missed the game: Portland’s Olivia Moultrie (calf) and Angel City’s Sveindis Jonsdottir (foot).
US says China to buy billions in agricultural goods after Trump-Xi talks | Business and Economy News
China will buy ‘at least’ $17bn worth of US agricultural goods annually, the White House says.
Published On 18 May 2026
China will buy “at least” $17bn worth of agricultural goods from the United States annually following US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s summit in Beijing, the White House has said.
China will make the purchases through 2028, with the 2026 target applying to the remainder of the year on a proportionate basis, according to a fact sheet released on Sunday.
Recommended Stories
list of 4 itemsend of list
The White House said the deal is in addition to China’s commitment to buy at least 87 million metric tonnes of US soya beans, which was made at Trump and Xi’s summit in South Korea in October.
China will also restore market access for US beef by renewing the expired listings of more than 400 production facilities, and resume imports of poultry from states determined by the US Department of Agriculture to be free of avian influenza, according to the fact sheet.
Trump and Xi also agreed to establish two new bodies – the US-China Board of Trade and the US-China Board of Investment – to manage trade and investment between the sides, the White House said.
China has yet to confirm or comment on the White House’s announcement.
The Chinese Embassy in Washington, DC, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The White House’s update provides further clarity on the outcome of Trump and Xi’s two-day summit, which was heavy on pageantry and camaraderie but light on concrete agreements.
During their two days of talks in Beijing, Trump and Xi sought greater alignment on economic issues and trade, while largely skirting the sensitive issues of Taiwan and the US-Israel war on Iran.
In a readout after the summit wrapped up on Friday, the White House said the two sides had discussed ways to “enhance economic cooperation”, and that they agreed on the need to keep the Strait of Hormuz open and that Iran “can never have a nuclear weapon.”
Beijing did not explicitly state that Iran should not have nuclear weapons, but stressed the importance of reaching “a settlement on the Iranian nuclear issue and other issues that accommodates the concerns of all parties”.
Neither White House statement contained any mention of Taiwan, the self-governing island that Beijing views as an integral part of its territory.
The omission of any reference to the island – the defence of which Washington is committed to supporting under the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act – came after Xi warned of “clashes and even conflicts” between the superpowers if the issue is not “handled properly”.
After nearly a decade of tit-for-tat economic salvoes between Washington and Beijing, US-Chinese trade is down sharply from its peak.
Their bilateral trade in goods last year came to some $415bn, down from more than $690bn in 2022.
Possibility Of Operation To Retrieve Iran’s Enriched Uranium Appears To Rise As Negotiations Sputter (Updated)
President Donald Trump on Monday alluded to the U.S. sending troops into Iran to retrieve its highly enriched uranium (HEU). His comments follow similar words on the same topic from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made to 60 Minutes on Sunday. Taken in aggregate, the statements suggest that there is coordinated messaging on the issue between Washington and Jerusalem and, after stalled talks with Iran, the possibility of such an operation may have been elevated.
As we stated shortly after the war kicked off, a mission into Iran to rid the country of its highly enriched nuclear material, once and for all, would be extremely risky and very complex. You can read more about these realities here. The main issue is that, by the Trump administration’s own stated objectives, the current conflict doesn’t really end until the enriched uranium, most of which is likely buried in the rubble of the underground Isfahan nuclear complex, is removed from the country. Estimates state that this stockpile, stored in scuba tank-like cylinders, is likely enough material to construct around a dozen nuclear warheads, that is if a program to fully weaponize it and construct and validate a device were to move forward.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Trump said Iran initially offered to accompany the U.S. into its facilities storing HEU that were severely damaged during last year’s Operation Midnight Hammer attacks.
However, Tehran changed its stance, Trump claimed.
“They said ‘you’re going to have to take it,’” the American president said of Iran’s initial response to the issue of recovering the uranium.
“We were going to go with them, but they changed their mind because they didn’t put it in the paper,” the president added, referring to a peace plan delivered by Iran over the weekend. “So they agree with us, and then they take it back…But I have a great plan, but the plan is they cannot have a nuclear weapon. And they didn’t say that in their letter.”
Trump also played-off the issue this weekend saying U.S. forces are watching the site closely and will kill anyone or anything that gets close to it.
Speaking to 60 Minutes, Netanyahu seemed more direct about a potential ground incursion into Iran, yet evasive about the details. Asked how he envisions the highly enriched uranium will be removed from Iran, Netanyahu stated: “You go in, and you take it out.”
“With what? Special forces from Israel, special forces from the United States?” the Israeli leader was quizzed.
“Well, I’m not gonna talk about military means, but what President Trump has said to me, ‘I want to go in there.’ And I think it can be done physically. That’s not the problem. If you have an agreement, and you go in, and you take it out, why not? That’s the best way.”
Netanyahu was purposefully elusive when asked if it would require force to remove the uranium should no agreement be reached.
“Well, you’re gonna ask me these questions. I’m gonna dodge them. Because I’m not gonna talk about our military – possibilities, plans, or anything of the kind,” he proffered. “I’m not gonna give a timetable to it, but I’m gonna say that’s a terrifically important mission.”
Netanyahu says there’s still “work to be done” before Iran war ends | 60 Minutes
The Israeli government “wants Trump to order a special forces operation to secure Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile,” Axios reported on Monday. “Israeli officials say Trump is hesitant to order such an operation because it is highly risky.”
As we have previously reported, Trump is mulling over his options to retrieve the HEU through a special operations mission. Former U.S. Central Command commander, retired Gen. Joseph Votel, also told us at the time that such an endeavor is highly risky and may not achieve its goal. You can read more about his analysis in our interview with him here.
Meanwhile, ending the hostilities remains in question as the U.S. and Iran remain far apart in ceasefire negotiations. Trump on Monday called the aforementioned recent Iranian peace offer a “piece of garbage” that he didn’t finish reading and added that the ceasefire is on “massive life support.”
Trump is “leaning toward taking some form of military action against Iran to increase pressure on the regime and force concessions on its nuclear program,” Axios reported, citing two U.S. officials.
“He will tune them up a bit,” one U.S. official told the outlet. “I think we all know where this is going,” a second U.S. official said.
Regardless, two U.S. officials told Axios they don’t think Trump would order military action against Iran before he returns from China.
Trump is considering Project Freedom, the effort to guide commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz that he paused after about 36 hours last week, Axios added. He is also weighing whether to “resume the bombing campaign and strike the 25% of targets the U.S. military identified but hasn’t hit yet.”
Trump told Fox News that he is thinking about reconstituting Project Freedom.
“President Trump just spoke to our John Roberts a moment ago,” the network noted. “He says he is now considering renewing Project Freedom, but he says this time around the US guiding ships through the Strait of Hormuz would be just one small piece of a larger military operation.”
“He would not divulge at this time what the other pieces would be,” Roberts explained.
As we previously explained, Trump initially claimed he paused Project Freedom to give Iranian negotiators more time to respond to his peace deal. However, NBC News later reported that Trump ended the effort because Saudi officials, surprised by the operation, withdrew access to its bases and airspace.
Iran on Monday revealed what it claimed to be its terms, which made no mention of the uranium. They include the U.S. paying war damages to Iran, recognition of Iran’s sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, the end of U.S. sanctions and the release of Iran’s blocked assets by the U.S., according to a post on X by Iran’s official IRIB state broadcaster.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei described his government’s offer as reasonable.
“Is it excessive to demand an end to maritime piracy against Iranian ships?” he asked rhetorically. “To demand the release of Iranian assets unjustly held in foreign banks for years under American pressure? Our proposal for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, is that excessive? Establishing security and peace across the entire region, including Lebanon, is that excessive?” “Unfortunately, the American side still insists on positions largely built and shaped by the Zionist regime, and continues to hold its one-sided stance and unreasonable demands,” Baghaei added.
In his comments, the Iranian official was referring to the U.S. firing on and seizing Iranian-linked ships. Baghaei was also reacting to a statement made by Trump on Sunday dismissing Tehran’s latest offer. Trump has repeatedly stated his main objectives are that Iran will never get a nuclear weapon and that the Strait of Hormuz will be reopened. The future of Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal and support for proxies like the Houthis and Hezbollah are other sticking points.
“I have just read the response from Iran’s so-called ‘Representatives,’” Trump announced on his Truth Social platform. “I don’t like it — TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!”
Given the wide diplomatic gap between the U.S. and Iran and statements by Trump and Netanyahu, how much longer the ceasefire can hold remains an open question.
UPDATE: 7:44 PM EDT –
Reacting to the aforementioned Wall Street Journal story about a clandestine Israeli military base set up in Iraq, that country’s military on Monday said there are currently no foreign military bases or forces operating in the country.
The Iraqi Security Media cell stated on X that “the matter pertains to an incident that occurred on 5/3/2026, during which an Iraqi security force from the Karbala Operations Command, as well as from Najaf, moved and clashed with unidentified, unlicensed detachments supported by aircraft at that time, resulting in the martyrdom of one fighter from the Iraqi security forces, the injury of two others with wounds, and the damaging of a vehicle.”
“We wish to clarify that some are attempting to exploit this incident politically, and there are escalatory statements being made without knowledge of the facts,” the post continued. “All these statements harm the reputation of Iraq and its security leadership, which affirms—and is certain—that there are no unauthorized forces or bases currently on Iraqi territory. There is significant effort being undertaken by our security units through inspection operations across all areas of responsibility. We also affirm that the necessary legal measures will be taken against anyone attempting to spread misleading information or malicious rumors that send negative messages about Iraq’s sovereignty, prestige, and the sacrifices of its security institutions.”
UPDATE: 6:36 PM EDT –
Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system “has been nearly 99% effective against missiles from Hamas and Hezbollah militants and has knocked out most missiles from Iran,” the chairman of state-owned Iron Dome maker Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd said on Monday, according to Reuters.
Rafael’s Yuval Steinitz told a conference of the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs that since the October 2023 Hamas raid on Israel, Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon have between them fired some 40,000 rockets at Israel.
“Iron Dome intercepted most of them with success rates that (are) not 100% but close to 100%. It’s around 98%, even 99%, so it’s not perfect, but almost,” Steinitz said.
Iran, he added, has fired about 1,500 ballistic missiles at Israel in two rounds of fighting since 2024 and “only several dozens” were not intercepted.
He noted that there was no shortage of missile interceptors.
The Trump administration is keeping up its economic pressure on Iran, “sanctioning another network selling and shipping Iranian oil for the IRGC,” State Department spokesman Tommy Piggott stated X. “This action marks an additional round of sanctions under Economic Fury, part of the Administration’s maximum pressure campaign.”
Satellite imagery from @CopernicusEU shows no supertanker loadings on May 8, May 9 and May 11 (we don’t have data for May 10 from either Sentinel 1 or Sentinel-2 ),” Bloomberg energy and commodities columnist Javier Blas noted on X. “It looks like the longest stretch without loadings since the early days of the war.”
UPDATE: 6:17 PM EDT –
As Pakistan positioned itself as a diplomatic conduit between Tehran and Washington, “it quietly allowed Iranian military aircraft to park on its airfields, potentially shielding them from American airstrikes,” CBS News reported, citing U.S. officials with knowledge of the matter.
Iran also sent civilian aircraft to park in neighboring Afghanistan, the network added, saying it was not clear if military aircraft were among those flights.
Among the military hardware was an Iranian Air Force RC-130, a reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering variant of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules tactical transport aircraft.
The United Arab Emirates has secretly carried out military strikes on Iran, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the matter.
The strikes, which the UAE has not publicly acknowledged, included an attack on a refinery on Iran’s Lavan Island in the Persian Gulf, WSJ said, adding that the attack took place in early April, according to the publication.
UPDATES
The U.S. blockade on Iranian ports remains ongoing, there was another report of ships attacked by drones in the Persian Gulf and the UAE said Iran is continuing to launch attacks against its territory.
U.S. Central Command on Monday claimed it has turned away 62 ships and disabled four attempting to run the blockade in total since the blockade began on April 13.
The Ambrey maritime security firm said two ships were struck on Sunday in the Persian Gulf.
“A Panama-flagged deck cargo vessel was impacted by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) while anchored approximately 23.6 NM east-northeast of the port of Doha, Qatar,” according to an Ambrey alert. “The impact resulted in a small fire, which was subsequently extinguished by the vessel’s crew. The vessel reported damage to its conveyor system at approximately 07:15 UTC. One coast guard vessel was observed alongside, rendering assistance. No crew casualties were reported in connection with the incident. This incident occurred approximately 2.8 NM south of an additional vessel that was impacted by a projectile on the morning of 10 May. Ambrey will provide updates as new information becomes available.”
The Ambrey alert did not specify who launched the drones.
On Sunday, UAE said it was attacked by two drones launched by Iran, the latest in a string of strikes dating back to the beginning of the war on Feb. 28 and continuing even after the April 7 ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran.
The issue of Iran will loom large over Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing later this week. As we have previously reported, China relies heavily on Iranian oil and is also suspected of aiding its war efforts.
Trump is expected to call on Beijing to persuade Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. However, the topic is fraught with tensions over recent U.S. actions against China.
Last week, the U.S. imposed sanctions on several China-based companies, alleging that they provided “satellite imagery to enable Iran’s military strikes against US forces in the Middle East” and enabled “efforts by Iran’s military to secure weapons, as well as raw materials with applications in Iran’s ballistic missile and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) programs,” according to the Guardian.
On Monday, China lashed out at those sanctions, describing them as illegal and unilateral, Reuters reported.
“We have always required Chinese enterprises to conduct business in accordance with laws and regulations, and will firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises,” spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a regular press briefing.
Iraqi lawmakers are calling for investigation into a clandestine military outpost Israel reportedly set up in the Iraqi desert to support its air campaign against Iran. The Wall Street Journal on Saturday reported that Israel built the installation, which housed special forces and served as a logistical hub for the Israeli air force, with the knowledge of the U.S. just before the start of the war. It also included search-and-rescue teams positioned to assist any downed Israeli pilots, according to the Journal. Israeli forces fired on Iraqi troops after it was discovered, the newspaper added.
Ahmed Majid, a Kurdish politician, “is among several lawmakers who have harshly reacted to the report of the existence of an Israeli base in the Arab country,” Iran’s official IRNA news agency reported on Monday. Majid warned “that Iraq’s sovereignty is being violated by both the United States and the Israeli regime.”
Member of Parliament Abu Turab al-Tamimi called the presence of the Israeli military base and American forces “a dangerous security scandal” and raised questions “about how enemy forces entered deep into Iraqi territory without the knowledge of border guards, the Interior Ministry, and the Joint Operations Command.”
al-Tamimi insisted that “an immediate investigation should be opened and committees should be formed to hold the perpetrators accountable,” IRNA noted.
Video emerged online purporting to show the Israeli outpost, in the Najaf desert, from a distance. The video was reportedly taken by an Iraqi soldier, though we cannot independently verify these claims.
However, the likelihood of an outpost like this is something we have suggested was all but assumed going back to last year’s 12 Day War.
Hezbollah released video footage on Sunday claiming to show its first-person view (FPV) drones attacking an Israeli Iron Dome air defense battery in northern Israel. The video shows what appears to be two attacks, one on a launcher and one on another launcher with several Israeli troops observed nearby. In each case, the video cuts out before any damage is seen.
“There was no public comment from the IDF, but unofficially, IDF sources could not dispute the video’s authenticity, and the visuals spoke for themselves,” the Times of Israel noted.
As we were among the first to report, Hezbollah has been ramping up its FPV drone attacks on Israeli forces, creating havoc and leaving Israel scrambling for countermeasures.
The British Royal Navy is deploying its Type 45 destroyer HMS Dragon to the Middle East to take part in a potential European post-ceasefire effort to secure the Strait of Hormuz. The vital body of water has been closed to nearly all shipping by Iran since the war broke out on Feb. 28.
The deployment comes as the U.K. and France will host the first meeting of the Strait of Hormuz coalition of defense ministers on Tuesday to map out a way forward amid the global economic impact of the Strait closure. It is also taking place as the latest round of negotiations between the U.S. and Iran remains deadlocked while a shaky ceasefire holds.
“The Type 45 destroyer will forward deploy to ensure the UK can contribute to a future multinational mission to secure the critical waterway and safeguard freedom of navigation, following a sustainable ceasefire,” the Royal Navy said in a statement on Monday. “HMS Dragon can use her Sea Viper missile system to help safeguard UK assets and interests – assisted by Wildcats from 815 Naval Air Squadron equipped with Martlet missiles able to deal with the aerial drone threat.”
The Wildcats are helicopters with drone-busting capabilities that operate off Royal Navy destroyers and frigates.
The idea is that the Dragon would help set up an air defense bubble over the Strait in case a more comprehensive ceasefire breaks down. That would protect ships like the German minesweeper Fulda, which is also heading toward the region, as well as commercial vessels transiting the Strait.
As we previously reported, the Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyer HMS Diamond used the Sea Viper system, along with guns, to take down more than a half-dozen drones launched by the Houthis in one engagement during the Iranian-backed rebel group’s campaign against Red Sea shipping in 2024.
You can see an image from that engagement below.
The Portsmouth-based Dragon left the UK in March and has been “helping to safeguard the island of Cyprus in the Eastern Mediterranean,” according to the Royal Navy. In our earlier reporting, we noted that the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle entered the Red Sea last week.
News about the deployment of French and U.K. vessels to the Middle East sparked a sharp warning from Iran.
“Any deployment and stationing of extra-regional destroyers around the Strait of Hormuz, under the pretext of ‘protecting shipping,’ is nothing but an escalation of the crisis, the militarization of a vital waterway, and an attempt to cover up the true root of insecurity in the region,” Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi stated on X. “Accordingly, it is emphasized that the presence of French and British warships, or those of any other country potentially accompanying the illegal and internationally unlawful actions of the United States in the Strait of Hormuz, will be met with a decisive and immediate response from the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Therefore, they are strongly advised not to complicate the situation further.”
Gharibabadi did not elaborate on what that response might be.
Tomorrow U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey MP will co-chair a meeting of over 40 nations, alongside his French counterpart, Minister Catherine Vautrin, for the multinational mission’s first Defense Ministers’ meeting.
“The plan is strictly defensive and, once conditions allow, will focus on restoring confidence for commercial shipping along the critical trade route,” the Royal Navy noted. “HMS Dragon could play a key role in this mission. The ship’s forward presence will help strengthen confidence among commercial shipping firms, support mine-clearance efforts, and protect vessels once hostilities have ceased.”
Contact the author: howard@twz.com
Pedro Pascal goes undercover for ‘Star Wars’ surprise at Disneyland
Pedro Pascal took his “Star Wars” character to the streets on Saturday, going undercover as the Mandalorian to surprise Disneyland guests aboard the Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run attraction.
A video posted on Disney’s social media showed the actor in full costume, then lifting his helmet to reveal himself.
“Now you all have to die because you’ve seen my face,” he joked to the stunned parkgoers.
After the surprise, Pascal posed for pictures with the dozen or so fans.
Pascal was later joined by co-star Sigourney Weaver, director Jon Favreau and LucasFilm President Dave Filoni at Galaxy’s Edge, the 14-acre “Star Wars”-themed section of the park modeled after an outpost on the fictional planet of Batuu.
The appearance was part of the press tour for “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” a spinoff of the Disney+ series “The Mandalorian.” The film, which releases on May 22, is the first “Star Wars” movie to hit theaters since 2019.
Match of the Day analysis: Why Matheus Cunha’s goal should have been disallowed against Nottingham Forest
BBC Sport pundits Mark Schwarzer and Dion Dublin believe Bryan Mbeumo using his arm to trap the ball to his side to help better control Diego Dalot’s cross in the build-up to Matheus Cunha’s goal, gave Manchester United an “completely unfair advantage” in their 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.
MATCH REPORT: Premier League – Manchester United 3-2 Nottingham Forest
Available to UK users only.
Samsung SDI keeps battery investment above $730M
Choi Joo-seon, chief of Samsung SDI Co., South Korea’s second-biggest battery maker, speaks to reporters before he attends InterBattery 2025, the country’s premier battery industry exhibition, at the COEX exhibition center in Seoul, South Korea. File. Photo by YONHAP / EPA
May 17 (Asia Today) — Samsung SDI invested more than 1 trillion won in facilities and research during the first quarter despite a slowdown in the global electric vehicle battery market.
The company spent 1.0243 trillion won ($733 million) on capital expenditures and research and development in the January-March period, according to its first-quarter report.
That was down from 1.1314 trillion won ($809 million) a year earlier, reflecting tighter spending controls amid weak battery demand.
Samsung SDI reported an operating loss of 155.6 billion won ($111 million) in the first quarter, though it reduced the deficit by 64%.
Research and development spending rose sharply to 434.8 billion won ($311 million), up 21.8% from 357 billion won ($255 million) a year earlier. R&D accounted for 12.2% of revenue.
Capital expenditures fell to 589.4 billion won ($421 million), down 23.9% from 774.4 billion won ($554 million) in the same period last year.
Battery industry analysts say Samsung SDI appears to be shifting its strategy from aggressive capacity expansion toward advanced technology development, including solid-state batteries and 46-millimeter cylindrical cells.
The book value of Samsung SDI’s assets under construction stood at 7.5205 trillion won ($5.38 billion) at the end of the first quarter, up about 330 billion won ($236 million) from the end of last year.
Samsung SDI is pursuing major overseas projects including a joint battery plant with General Motors in Indiana and a second joint plant with Stellantis.
A battery industry official said aggressive facility expansion during a downturn could increase fixed-cost pressure.
“Samsung SDI appears to be adjusting the speed of investment while focusing on high-value products and supply chain stability,” the official said.
— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.
Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260517010004588
Navy E/A-18G Growlers Collide At Idaho Air Show
Two E/A-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft collided during the Gunfighter Skies Air Show in Mountain Home Idaho on Sunday, in a mishap captured in dramatic videos. The four crew members of the aircraft, from Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 129‘s NAS Whidbey Island-based Growler Airshow Team, were able to eject right after the collision and are being evaluated by medical personnel, according to media reports. The incident took place two miles northwest of the base, according to the 366th Fighter Wing’s Facebook page. The Growler Airshow Team puts on two-jet displays.
Video of the incident showed the one of the Growlers close in on the other from behind and then collide, striking the lead aircraft’s rear with its nose from above. They then became entangled together, nose up, and then down, before tumbling to the ground. Four small explosions from ejection seats blasting out of the falling Growlers can be seen before the parachutes of the four crew members opened up. The Growlers hit the ground, exploding into a ball of flames, followed by the crew members floating down in their parachutes.
These still images show another view of the collision.
The crash caused a fire that was since contained, according to the base.
Initially, the base was placed on lockdown.
While the exact cause of the mishap isn’t confirmed, the leading Growler may have been in the under-nose blind spot of the trailing one right before impact. This is a condition we have seen become catastrophic in other airshow disasters. We will have to wait and find out if this was indeed a contributing factor.
As the jets rolled vertical, they seemed stacked on top of each other, making ejection extremely dangerous. Remarkably, the ejection sequences cleared the crews of each other’s aircraft.
You can check out what the display is supposed to look like in the video below:
EA-18G Growler Demo – Nellis AFB Airshow 2022
We will provide updates when available.
UPDATE: 9:45 PM EDT –
Navy CDR Amelia Umayam released the following statement:
“On May 17, 2026, two U.S. Navy EA18-G assigned to Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 129 from Whidbey Island, Washington collided in mid-air while performing an aerial demonstration involving four air crew for the Mountain Home Air Force Base Gunfighter Skies Air Show, near Mountain Home Air Force Base at about 12:10 p.m. MDT.
All four of the air crew successfully ejected and they are being evaluated by medical personnel. First responders are on the scene.
The incident is under investigation. More information will be released as it becomes available.”
Contact the author: howard@twz.com
Binge-worthy crime drama returns tonight and Death in Paradise fans will love it
BBC One’s crime comedy Death Valley is back for a hotly anticipated second series, and a whole lot of new ‘whodunnits’ that need to be solved
Death Valley: Official trailer
Death Valley has made its eagerly awaited return for a second series.
BAFTA-winning performer Timothy Spall stars alongside Gwyneth Keyworth in the comedic murder-mystery programme, portraying the improbable pairing of actor John Chapel, formerly her hero as TV detective Caesar, and determined detective Janie Mallowan.
Filmed and set in Wales, Death Valley’s debut series launched in May 2025, smashing records with the largest overnight viewership for a new scripted programme in five years.
The series maintained a robust average of 4.6 million viewers over 28 days, and amongst Welsh audiences, Death Valley claimed the top comedy spot across all channels and platforms throughout 2025.
Given the programme’s triumph, it came as little shock when plans for a second series were swiftly revealed, with Death Valley series two now scheduled to debut on Sunday, 17 May at 8:15pm on BBC One. Audiences can also stream the complete box set on iPlayer from the same date, reports the Express.
The second series resumes several months following the conclusion of series one. Janie has secured promotion to Detective Inspector and finds herself more overwhelmed than ever, with administrative duties mounting faster than she can manage them.
Complicating matters further, she’s been avoiding John since discovering he’s been romantically involved with her mum, Yvonne (Melanie Walters), and the pair are compelled to make amends when DCI Barry Clarke (Steffan Rhodri) enlists John’s assistance to crack a murder investigation.
They must set aside their complicated personal relationships when tasked with examining a suspicious death within a community service group, following the fatal plunge of one of its members from atop a crumbling castle.
The latest series of Death Valley also sees John hesitantly return to the acting world, appearing on the set of a grand Welsh fantasy television production, though another killing soon demands attention.
Additional murders occur in a seaside fishing community, at an eco-friendly commune, and within a rugby club, as John and Janie persist in delivering justice throughout the mid-Wales area.
Throughout the series, there’s also an impressive roster of guest appearances, featuring Outlander’s Mark Lewis Jones, Game of Thrones legend Owen Teale, and Killing Eve’s Alexandra Roach.
Jane Horrocks (Here We Go, Chicken Run) also appears in the programme alongside Hammed Animashaun (Black Ops, SNL UK), Alexandra Roach (Killing Eve, Bodies), Roisin Conaty (After Life, Last one Laughing), Jim Howick (Ghosts, Here we Go), Asim Chaudhry (People Just Do Nothing), Lynn Hunter (Pushers & End of the Fxx World), Rhiannon Clements (Small Prophets, Pushers), Mike Bubbins (Mammoth) and Liz Carr (Silent Witness, Good Omens).
Death Valley series 2 launches on Sunday, 17 May at 8:15pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
Jonathan Gjoshe: Footballer in mass train attack reveals he was stabbed seven times
“I got stabbed on the shoulder first”, he tells BBC Sport.
“I remember jumping over the table, jumping over the chairs. I was just running down the corridor, telling people, ‘there’s a guy with a knife, run, I’ve been stabbed, run, run, run’. I was screaming. I think I was the first person that got stabbed. I felt the pain. But adrenaline kicked in.
“That split second, me jumping over the table, saved me. All I thought about was just running for my life, getting off that train. As I got down to the first or second carriage, I pulled the alarm, and was just drenched with blood.”
“I was thinking I wasn’t going to see my family again, if I died, and that was the main worry for me”, he says. “Normally I would drive back down to London. That was the first time I got on a train to go back. What’s the chance of that happening? It’s crazy.”
The train made an emergency stop at Huntingdon where it was met by armed police. Having been given first aid by a fellow passenger, Gjoshe managed to get himself out to the station car park, from where paramedics rushed him to hospital.
It was only after surgery that he learned he had sustained seven wounds to his bicep, shoulder and arm.
The knife, he was told by the medics, “had gone through my muscles” coming fractionally close to hitting a nerve in his arm.
When asked if he feared his footballing career could be over, he says, “I was very worried. Just thinking, ‘what damage has happened to me?’ I didn’t have a clue until I had the surgery. They said, ‘It’s not much from the nerve. You’re very lucky’.”
In the days that followed, Gjoshe recalls: “They had to move me from ward to ward because of the media that were coming there looking for me.”
Having been released from hospital, Gjoshe faced several months of rehab, only returning to full training in March, something he describes as “a big relief. I started to get the movement of my arm, day by day it was getting better. It was an amazing feeling”.
Despite handling what he has been through with impressive stoicism, Gjoshe has not been on a train since the mass stabbing.
“I wouldn’t want to now. You just never know know. It’s best to be safe. I just can’t trust anything now”, he says.
Monday 18 May Discovery Day in Cayman Islands
Today commemorates the ‘discovery’ of the islands of Cayman Brac and Little Cayman by Christopher Columbus in 1503.
The Cayman Islands are a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. The territory consists of three islands, Grand Cayman, Little Cayman and Cayman Brac.
During his fourth voyage to the Americas, Christopher Columbus sailed past the two islands of Cayman Brac and Little Cayman on May 10th 1503. Columbus didn’t stop on the islands but named the islands Las Torgugas due to the large number of sea turtles they saw as they passed. It is likely that the islands were seen by other Europeans before Columbus in 1503, but as he formally took the time to note and name the islands, he gets the credit as the European discoverer.
By the middle of the 16th century, the island gained the name of the ‘Caymanas’, after a local Carib name for the crocodiles that were plentiful on the islands back then.
Having been devastated by hurricanes in the past, the National Day of Preparedness is observed each year on Discovery Day to encourage residents to prepare for the hurricane season or any other natural disaster.
Will the latest Ebola outbreak in DR Congo and Uganda spread further? | Health News
The World Health Organization declares the epidemic a global health emergency.
It’s a global health crisis – not a pandemic.
But the World Health Organization is warning that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighbouring Uganda could be much larger than what has been detected so far.
The global health body is advising countries to activate national disaster mechanisms and introduce cross-border and internal screening.
Presenter: James Bays
Guests:
Ariel Kestens – Head of the Kinshasa delegation, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
Dr Margaret Harris – Lecturer at the United Nations Institute for Training and Research
Dr Ahmed Ogwell Ouma – Former deputy director-general of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention
Published On 17 May 2026