Lebanese prime minister describes Israel’s attacks as collective punishment as US warns Iran of strikes if no deal is reached.

MUSIC star Frankie Valli has sadly cancelled his upcoming 2026 tour dates amid ongoing health issues. 

The Four Seasons frontman, 92, made the decision to end his highly anticipated farewell tour early, leaving fans devastated. 

The singer, who had been embarking on his tour The Last Encores, took to his Instagram to reveal that he would now be ‘focusing on health’ before performing again.

In a touching statement alongside a photo of him onstage, he penned: “I’m so sorry to disappoint the folks who have purchased tickets to my shows.

“But I have decided to take the rest of the year off from touring to focus on my health.”

He went on to reveal that he would hopefully will be back once his health returns. 

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“I’m looking forward to getting healthy and seeing you all again soon. Thank you for all your good wishes,” he added.

The music legend was met with floods of comments from fans sending him well wishes. 

One user said: “Stay healthy! We will work around whatever schedule keeps you going! You are a treasure.”

Another added: “Thank you for all these years of fabulous music. It’s been wonderful. Sending prayers that we will once again see you in concert next year!”

“No need to apologize. You’ve given us some of the greatest songs ever written. Take care of yourself,” wrote a third.

With a fourth commenting: “We love you, Frankie! (heart emoji)”

Valli is known as one of the founding members of the 60’s group The Four Seasons. 

The group dominated the music industry and delivered classics such as Can’t Take My Eyes Off You, December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night) and Sherry.

Valli’s rep Victoria Varela in a statement to Variety revealed the decision was made to keep fans out of ‘limbo’, as the star continues to regain his health.

She said: “Promoters want to prolong things and not give people their money back, but he needs to not keep rescheduling these shows. 

“He realized he needed to take a break and get his health in order, and that is the true issue – he wants to get better without prolonging, through the rescheduling process, the pain of people who’ve bought these tickets.” 

She also confirmed that throughout the next six months Valli will be spending time getting well and may well consider touring again in 2027.

CLOVIS —  Jurupa Valley senior AB Hernandez placed third in the CIF state championship long jump on Saturday, medaling in the event for the second consecutive year.

Hernandez, who is transgender, has faced harassment and ire from anti-trans protesters and conservative pundits during the past two years. She jumped 20 feet, 2 1/4 inches on Saturday, behind first-place finisher Ellie McCuskey-Hay of St. Ignatius (20-3½) and Gianna Gonzalez of Moorpark (20-3½).

Under CIF policy, transgender athletes who place at the state championships receive medals but do not displace cisgender girls in the final standings. The federation announced last year that the policy would apply specifically to the long jump, triple jump and high jump — the three events Hernandez competed in — and the rule remained in effect for her three events this weekend.

Hernandez shared her third-place podium with St. Mary’s Berkeley jumper Corrine Jones, who reached 19-9 ½.

Hernandez secured her place in Saturday’s finals on her opening long jump attempt Friday, posting a mark strong enough to hold the top qualifying position. She passed on her remaining two attempts after safely locking up advancement.

The atmosphere surrounding the state championships was notably calmer than a year ago, when demonstrations over Hernandez’s participation drew national attention. On Friday, the most visible protest activity came before the meet, when Republican California gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton held a news conference outside Veterans Memorial Stadium, noting that the primary election was just four days away.

Standing before signs reading “Hey, CIF: Girls’ Sports Girls Only” on Friday, Hilton criticized the California Interscholastic Federation’s policies governing transgender athletes.

On Saturday, the Rainbow Families Action group hosted a news conference outside in support of Hernandez. Counter-protesters showed up toward the end and shouted toward the Hernandez supporters and the two sides exchanged some words before dispersing.

Inside the stadium, however, the focus largely remained on the competition. Spectators cheered as Hernandez began her long-jump approach, and some fans wore bracelets bearing the message “We Stand With AB.”

Event organizers prohibited signs inside the venue. Unlike last year, when advocacy groups on both sides staged more visible demonstrations, the off-track theatrics were largely absent.

Meanwhile, Democrat Tom Steyer released a video on X on Friday featuring a previous conversation with Hernandez, in which he expressed support for her participation in high school athletics.

The 17-year-old arrived in Clovis after sweeping all three of her events at the Southern Section championships.

Entering the state meet, Hernandez ranked among the nation’s top 10 performers in all three events. She shared California’s best high jump mark, was tied for second in the long jump and ranked second in the triple jump. She will compete in the high jump and triple jump later Saturday.

May 30 (UPI) — Dueling groups of protesters gathered at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in New Jersey on Saturday morning over the agency’s treatment of people detained under the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

A group of detainees at the Delaney Hall facility have been on a hunger and labor strike since May 22 over inhumane conditions there.

Protests in support of the striking detainees have continued since last Friday, but after protestors and ICE officials got into scuffles in recent days protesters in support of the administration’s deportation efforts gathered at the facility as well, The Guardian and NBC News reported.

The protests were met with state police with riot shields blocking the entrance, as well as barricades that were set up to separate and protect protesters, who yelled at each other from the two protest zones.

New Jersey Gov. Mikkie Sherill moved to replace federal officers managing the situation with state law enforcement on Friday in order to establish the “protected speech zone.”

“This was absolutely necessary to protect public safety, and avoid escalation from ICE,” Sherill said Saturday.

“As Americans, we have a right to protest — and we will continue to ensure New Jersey residents can peacefully exercise their First Amendment rights,” she said.

The decision followed days of tension between federal officers and protesters who have decried the treatment of detainees, which since the hunger and labor strikes started has resulted in what the GEO group called “control measures to safely resolve the situation, including the limited use of chemical agents.

Mullin thanked Sherill for working with DHS to “restore law and order” in a statement on X.

“We support every Americans constitutional right to peacefully protest,” Mullin said. “No one has the right to RIOT and ASSAULT law enforcement. We hope to build on this partnership and work together to remove the worst of the worst from New Jersey communities.”

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder has come to an end on BBC and Netflix, but there are plenty of loose ends to tie up in a potential third season

Pip Fitz-Amobi has one final mystery left to unravel.

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder made its eagerly anticipated return this week for a second thrilling season, adapted from the bestselling novels by Holly Jackson.

On this occasion, Pip Fitz-Amobi (played by Emma Myers) investigates the disturbing disappearance of Jamie Reynolds (Eden H Davies), the elder brother of her friend Connor (Jude Morgan-Collie).

Elsewhere, Max Hastings (Henry Ashton) stands trial for drugging and assaulting female classmates, yet proceedings are thrown into disarray when Jamie surfaces before crucial evidence can be presented.

Now that another compelling six-part series has concluded with a breathtaking cliffhanger, we examine all the loose ends that a potential third season would need to resolve, reports Bristol Live.

**Warning – this article contains major spoilers for A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder season 2 and minor spoilers from the third book, As Good As Dead.**

Will Charlie and Flora face justice?

By the conclusion of Pip’s second investigation, the truth behind Jamie’s disappearance is revealed to be her neighbour Charlie Green (Jack Rowan), who had been hunting for Child Brunswick — the son of a notorious child killer who had lured his sister to her death.

Child Brunswick had been assigned a fresh identity under a witness protection scheme, and is unmasked as security guard Stanley Forbes (Misia Butler). Stanley meets his end in the finale at Charlie’s hands, who subsequently flees alongside his wife Flora (Anna Brindle).

By the season’s conclusion, audiences might question whether police eventually apprehend them. The third instalment in Jackson’s series, As Good As Dead, offers some resolution to this, though the adaptation may potentially pursue an alternative direction.

When will Max Hastings get taking down?

Pip finds herself incensed at the close of the second series when predator Max evades punishment, despite testimony from his victim Becca Bell (Carla Woodcock), after he attributed his offences to murder victim Sal Singh (Rahul Pattni), who couldn’t refute the accusations.

In the final episode, Pip conducts a funeral for Stanley and endures harassment from Max, who appears to have acquired a new girlfriend. She’s additionally enraged by graffiti daubed on a neighbouring structure stating “Child killer burn in hell Child Brunswick”, presumably created by Max or his associates.

Max cannot face retrial, but has Pip devised a plan to bring about his downfall? Again, this matter is explored in As Good As Dead and will presumably feature in the third series.

Who is Pip’s stalker?

Season two featured Pip receiving threatening communications from an unidentified stalker, which could represent further provocations from her adversary Max or potentially sinister warnings from another danger concealed in the darkness.

In the finale, her bedroom suffers an intrusion and she discovers repeated instances of the message “Who will look for you when you’re the one who disappears?” on her laptop.

This enigma provides the foundation for Jackson’s third instalment in the series, so everything will be unveiled should A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder progress.

Will Lauren and Robin split up?

A significant departure from the novels in season two involves the arrival of Max’s cousin, Robin Hastings (Freddie England), who starts a relationship with Pip’s friend Lauren (Yali Topol Margalith).

In the penultimate episode of season two, Lauren is last spotted at a family meal with Robin, Max, and their relatives, suggesting they remain together by the finale.

Nevertheless, in Jackson’s books, Lauren actually starts seeing a character named Ant Lowe, who hasn’t featured in the television adaptation. Fans may consequently witness her romance with Robin take a somewhat different trajectory in the third season.

What’s season three’s storyline?

Fans eager to discover what unfolds next are urged to read the third and concluding book in the series, As Good As Dead.

For non-readers, here’s a brief synopsis, according to HarperCollins: “Pip Fitz-Amobi is haunted by the way her last investigation ended. Soon she’ll be leaving for Cambridge University but then another case finds her… and this time it’s all about Pip.

“Pip is used to online death threats, but there’s one that catches her eye, someone who keeps asking: who will look for you when you’re the one who disappears? And it’s not just online. Pip has a stalker who knows where she lives. The police refuse to act and then Pip finds connections between her stalker and a local serial killer.

“The killer has been in prison for six years, but Pip suspects that the wrong man is behind bars. As the deadly game plays out, Pip realises that everything in Little Kilton is finally coming full circle. If Pip doesn’t find the answers, this time she will be the one who disappears…”

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder season 2 is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

Champions League analysts Nedum Onuoha and Pat Nevin look at how Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was able to beat Arsenal’s plan to stifle him to become influential in the second half of the Champions League final.

MATCH REPORT: PSG beat Arsenal in shootout to retain Champions League

Available to UK users only.

Rescue workers have pulled stranded farmers from flood waters in eastern Syria after the Euphrates burst its banks. Among the worst-affected areas was Deir Az Zor, where the flooding caused a bridge collapse and cut-off communities.

As Cuba heads into another month of blackouts due to the near-total fuel blockade imposed by the US, many say their lives now revolve around these power outages.

For Ana Rosa Romero, a 70-year-old widow living in a high-rise building, the constant power cuts have transformed her daily life.

BBC’s Will Grant spoke to her about the impact of the blackouts.

Video edited by Blanca Estrada

The Hawkstone Farmers Choir was crowned the winner of Britain’s Got Talent 2026 after they sang an original song called This Is Home in the final on ITV last night

Amanda Holden has expressed her delight following the crowning of the 2026 Britain’s Got Talent winners, The Hawkstone Choir.

The 10 acts, which include Golden Buzzer winner and singer Matty Juniosa and PowerPoint comedian Ted Hill, performed again for the judges – Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and KSI. The winner, Hawkstone Farmers Choir, won £250,000 alongside the Royal Variety spot, and was ultimately decided by a public vote.

For the final, The Hawkstone Farmers Choir sang an original song called This Is Home. The choir sang the emotional song whilst stood in front of a backdrop of the local countryside through the changing seasons. They dedicated the song to anyone who is struggling.

In a video shared to Simon Cowell’s Instagram, Simon and Jeremy Clarkson could be seen celebrating together moments after Hawkstone Farmers Choir’s win.

“Wow, wow, wow,” Simon started before panning the camera so that Jeremy could join in from over his shoulder. That was incredible,” Jeremy said. Simon remarked that he could see how nervous Jeremy got upon seeing the choir perform and whislt waiting to see in they would win. Jeremy continued: “They worked so hard, thank you for having us.”

Simon added: “They did deserve it.” He wrote in the caption: “Wow wow wow. I am genuinely thrilled. A very very very happy choir, and so they should be.”

Amanda Holden also took to social media to express her joy that her golden buzzer act won for a second year running. Captioning the post: “Omfg. I couldn’t be more delighted that the brilliant @thehawkstonefarmerschoir won the whole thing @bgt!! I haven’t stopped crying. They deserve every second of the elation and joy!!! So BLOODY PROUD!!”

One user commented: “Sooo super happy they won! Well done. I couldn’t hold back the tears. So glad they have a voice – what a special final,” another said: “So bloody proud of them all absolutely smashed it, massive congratulations guys such hard working worthy winners chuffed to bits for them.”

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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Wade Meckler hit his first grand slam in the majors for the first of Los Angeles’ four homers in the Angels’ 14-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday.

Meckler connected off Drew Rasmussen (4-2) in the first inning. He also singled and stole a base.

Mike Trout hit his 14th homer of the season in the fifth and Jo Adell and Oswald Peraza had back-to-back shots in a seven-run ninth. Trout, the major league walks leader, also walked twice and scored three of the Angels’ season-high 14 runs.

Tampa Bay lost for just the second time in its last 18 home games.

Yandy Díaz’s 24th career leadoff homer, his second in two games, put the Rays on the board in the first. But Angels starter Reid Detmers (2-5) pitched out of a bases-loaded jam.

Junior Caminero doubled in the third inning, when his popup dodged the Tropicana Field catwalks before landing in the infield. But Detmers left him at second and Tampa Bay finished one for 12 with runners in scoring position, stranding 11 overall.

Four Angels relievers combined to one-hit the Rays over the final four innings.

In the top of the seventh inning, Angels shortstop Zach Neto scored on Ian Seymour’s wild pitch. Hip-checked by Seymour on the play at the plate, Neto remained on the dirt for several minutes before athletic trainers helped him to his feet. He walked off on his own power but did not return.

Neto’s replacement, Nick Madrigal, left in the top of the ninth inning after Andrew Wantz’s pitch ricocheted from Madrigal’s hand to his face. Adam Frazier pinch ran for Madrigal.

Up next: Angels RHP Jack Kochanowicz (2-3, 4.99 ERA) was set to start against LHP Shane McClanahan (5-2, 2.52) on Sunday in the series finale.

May 29 (UPI) — Louisiana’s Republican-led legislature on Friday voted to approve a new congressional map that eliminates one of two majority-Black districts in favor of Republican-leaning districts, pushing forward the national redistricting race.

The new map contains one majority-Black district — in a state with a population that is one-third black — that covers an arc running from Baton Rouge to New Orleans, covering a smaller section of the state, NBC News and The New York Times reported.

Louisiana is the latest state to enact rare mid-decade congressional redistricting efforts, which were kicked off when President Donald Trump last year started pushing Republican led states to do so, leading to Democratic-led states to join in a year-long tit-for-tat contest.

The new map follows a Supreme Court ruling in the Louisiana vs. Callais case earlier this month that invalidated a 2024 map because the state’s legislature was not justified in using race to construct the districts.

The map, based on voting records, is expected to send five Republicans and one Democrat to the House from Louisiana, compared to the old map’s four-to-two split.

“We focused on Democrat numbers, not the racial numbers, when drawing,” Republican state Rep. Beau Beaullieu said during debate over the map.

“We focused in this case on partisanship, which is what Callais said, and I mentioned in my intro, is clear permissible,” Beauillieu said.

Republican Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry is expected to sign the new map into law.

Landry had pushed off the state’s May 16 congressional primaries, for which some mail-in votes had already been cast, and delayed it until Nov. 3 so that the legislature could produce a new map for use in this year’s federal elections.

During the debate on the Thrusday, Democratic state Rep. Kyle Green Jr. pointed out that the map reduced Black Louisianians’ “minority opportunity representation to a single seat out of six, from 33% of the population to 16% of the representation numbers.”

The map is expected to be challenged in court, but members of both parties in the state legislature said that the map is unlikely to change again before November’s elections.

In what appears to be the first incident of its kind, a Russian kamikaze drone strayed into Romanian airspace before striking a residential building, injuring civilians. While Russian drones flying into NATO airspace, whether accidental or deliberate, have become a feature of the war in Ukraine, this marks a notable milestone, although the nature of the repercussions remains unclear.

The Russian drone was part of a barrage involved in an overnight attack on Ukraine. It strayed into Romanian airspace before crashing into the roof of a residential building in Galați on the River Danube, in eastern Romania. The Romanian Ministry of Defense assesses that the drone was intended to attack one of several Ukrainian targets in the vicinity of the river border with Romania.

A senior NATO official confirmed to TWZ that it had detected and tracked the Russian drone, but it entered Romanian airspace only minutes before striking the apartment building. “To put this in context, you are talking about something that is travelling nearly 200km/h [124 miles per hour] over a populated area less than 15km [nine miles] from the border. Nonetheless, we are assessing what more can be done now to optimize Romania and NATO’s network of sensors and shooters to safely neutralize such threats,” the official added.

According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the Shahed-type drone was involved in Russian strikes on the Odesa region, which borders Romania, targeting civilian container ships. Since the summer of 2023, Russia has embarked on a campaign to attack Ukrainian ports and other facilities on the Danube, with extensive use of drones. Overnight Russian strikes in the wider Black Sea region saw three foreign-flagged merchant vessels attacked, according to Kyiv, one of them being the Turkish-owned Ant, a dry cargo ship that was heading to Turkey from Odesa.

The impact sparked a fire, injured two people, and forced the evacuation of several other residents.

The Romanian Ministry of Defense said the drone had been tracked by radar in Romanian airspace.

In response, two Romanian Air Force F-16 fighters and an armed IAR-330 SOCAT helicopter were scrambled.

There have been some mixed messages as to why the drone was not shot down.

The Romanian Ministry of Defense says that the pilots involved had authorization to engage targets throughout the alert.

President of Romania Nicușor Dan said that the decision not to engage the target was taken “because the conditions did not exist to destroy it without the heightened risk of endangering civilian safety.”

Other reports suggest the interceptors were simply too late on the scene, and others that the chain of command to approve the engagement took too long, although this is clearly at odds with the Romanian Ministry of Defense’s account.

Regardless, Romania summoned Russia’s ambassador today, calling out the “irresponsible escalation” by Moscow.

“We will officially communicate the consequences that this lack of responsibility on the part of the Russian Federation will have for the diplomatic relations between our countries, as well as the next steps at the European level regarding sanctions packages,” the Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Țoiu wrote on X.

L-am convocat pe Ambasadorul Federației Ruse la sediul Ministerului Afacerilor Externe.

Siguranța României este prioritatea noastră absolută.

Avem confirmarea MAPN că drona care s-a prăbușit pe o clădire rezidențială din Galați este de proveniență rusească.

Decizia a fost…

— Toiu Oana (@oana_toiu) May 29, 2026

Meanwhile, Romania’s president, Nicușor Dan, said he had instructed the foreign ministry to prepare a package of measures regarding Romania’s relationship with Moscow, “proportionate to this very serious situation.”

Am avut o convorbire cu Secretarul General @NATO, @SecGenNATO , în urma celui mai grav incident de securitate produs pe teritoriul României de la începutul războiului de agresiune al Rusiei împotriva Ucrainei.
Am condamnat ferm această încălcare inacceptabilă a suveranității…

— Nicușor Dan (@NicusorDanRO) May 29, 2026

Condemnation has also come from other NATO allies.

“I want to condemn this irresponsible act by Russia,” France’s foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, said, adding that the drone had struck “a country of the European Union and a NATO country.”

A NATO spokesperson condemned “Russia’s recklessness” and said the alliance would strengthen its defences against all threats, including drones.

Meanwhile, UN Secretary General António Guterres has called for greater diplomacy, immediate de-escalation and “a full and unconditional ceasefire,” warning of “unknown and unintended consequences” from the escalation and intensification of Russian drone and missile attacks against Ukraine.

Russia’s war of aggression has crossed yet another line.

A Russian drone incursion struck a densely populated area in Romania, injuring civilians.

On EU territory.

We stand in full solidarity with Romania and its people.

As we continue strengthening our security and…

— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) May 29, 2026

Romania has also called for the beefing up of its counter-drone capabilities to help prevent similar incidents in the future.

The Romanian Foreign Ministry today said it had asked NATO to accelerate the transfer of anti-drone capabilities in response to the drone strike.

PM @Bolojan: @GuvernulRo strongly condemns Russia’s violation of our airspace. We count on NATO Allies’ support and timely delivery of anti-drone capabilities. We are also focusing on rapid implementation of SAFE.

— Guvernul României (@GuvernulRo) May 29, 2026

Romania already hosts several layers of NATO and NATO-linked air defense infrastructure, but most of these are designed to engage ballistic missiles and conventional aircraft, not large numbers of low, slow Shahed-type drones.

Air defense capabilities in Romania include the Aegis Ashore system at Deveselu, the most important NATO missile-defense installation in the region. It is a U.S.-operated land version of the naval Aegis ballistic missile defense system armed with SM-3 interceptors, integrated into NATO’s missile shield.

Romania also operates Patriot PAC-3 systems, which are effective against aircraft, cruise missiles, and some ballistic missiles, but are an expensive option for routine drone interception.

In addition, the country hosts rotational NATO fighter policing detachments, which provide additional air defense over the Black Sea and provide air policing patrols. Currently, a detachment of U.K. Royal Air Force Typhoons is in Romania as part of Operation Biloxi.

UK heatwave? ☀️

Still not as hot as a Typhoon afterburner on Op BILOXI.🔥✈️

🛫Typhoons from @RoyalAirForce continue to launch on BILOXI, sharpening combat edge alongside allies in support of @NATO enhanced Air Policing mission.

Speed. Power. Precision. 💪 #PhoonFriday pic.twitter.com/mCigKNUTfD

— Defence Operations 🇬🇧 (@DefenceOps) May 29, 2026

It should be pointed out that this is not the first incident in which a Russian drone flying from the Ukrainian side of the border has violated Romanian airspace. Drone wreckage was found in Romania, close to the border with Ukraine, in September and October of 2023, although there was no evidence that the NATO country was deliberately targeted. In December of the same year, NATO fighters deployed in Romania were scrambled to respond to a drone violation, with one of the drones exploding in Romanian territory, although it was not shot down. Since then, there have been multiple other Russian drone incursions, but no reported injuries as a result.

However, the overnight strike in Romania further underscores the potentially lethal risk of the war in Ukraine spilling over from Ukraine and into NATO territory.

It also coincides with Russian threats to step up its sustained assault on Ukraine. Moscow has continued using long-range missiles and drones to target Ukrainian cities and critical energy infrastructure, while Kyiv prepares for further waves of intense attacks.

Earlier this week, Zelensky said he was urging the United States to supply more Patriot systems to help defend against Russian ballistic missile strikes, amid an ongoing shortage of critical air defense systems. Speaking today, the Ukrainian leader said that Ukrainian intelligence has information indicating Russia is preparing a new large-scale attack on Ukraine.

As we have discussed in the past, Russian kamikaze drones heading toward population centers in NATO countries represent an entirely new level of threat to the alliance and one that NATO is currently not well-equipped to deal with.

Considering the intensity of Russian aerial bombardment of Ukraine, and the proximity of NATO borders, it was really only a matter of time until an incident like this occurred.

Already, Romania expanded its no-fly zone along a section of the border with Ukraine to up to 20 miles inside Romania and to a height of 4,000 feet. This was intended as a deterrent against Russian drones from deliberately entering Romanian airspace to reach enemy targets.

TWZ reached out to NATO for details of potential posture changes, and a senior official from the alliance confirmed that a NATO E-3A Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft was launched today to increase air-domain awareness.

The same NATO official told us that one way to avoid similar incidents in the future would be to bring the MEROPS counter-drone system to Romania under NATO command and control.

“Another way is for Romania and other allies to continue the acquisition of more capabilities as part of the Eastern Flank Deterrence Initiative, which integrates sensing, decision-making and precision effects into a resilient, defense-in-depth concept,” the official added.

As you can read about here, MEROPS counter-drone systems, initially used in Ukraine, have also been deployed to protect U.S. troops from Iranian Shahed-136 munitions. The MEROPS is a small, relatively inexpensive drone built specifically to intercept long-range one-way attack drones.

A new system to identify and take down Russian drones is deployed to NATO’s eastern flank

Now that a Romanian residential building has been hit and people injured, this may push the needle further and lead to the more comprehensive deployment of counter-drone capabilities in this country and elsewhere on NATO’s eastern flank.

Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com

At this year’s Sundance Film Festival, filmmaker William D. Caballero won the NEXT Special Jury Award for Creative Expression for his intensely personal, multimedia feature debut, “TheyDream.” During his acceptance speech, he made a powerful statement.

“In case ICE were ever to harm me or kill me, this film will serve as the truth of who I am, and who my family is, before Fox News or this administration ever makes us out to be the villain[s],” he recalls paraphrasing during a recent interview.

Blending live action footage with different animation techniques — as well as the 3-D-printed miniatures that have been a fixture of Caballero’s work for more than a decade — “TheyDream” honors the filmmaker’s Puerto Rican loved ones, particularly his mother, Milly.

She collaborated with him in the making of this one-of-a-kind portrait of loss, resilience and shared healing. Their heartfelt exchanges throughout this process are also shared on-screen.

“Seeing her light up and become transformed throughout was just invigorating, because it allowed us to talk about heavy things and bond throughout the process of creating a story that’s personal [for us] both,” Caballero says. “It’s like, ‘Let’s guide each other and instead of me taking your stories and making magic with them, let’s make this magic together.’”

The brilliantly unconventional piece of autobiographical storytelling will screen as the closing night film of the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF) on Sunday. Recently, John Leguizamo and Ben DeJesus joined the film as executive producers.

Starting with his 2013 short film “How You Doin,’ Boy? Voicemails From Gran’pa,” Caballero has used miniatures to immortalize his loved ones. That bite-sized introduction to his Boricua grandfather’s humorous wisdom evolved into the HBO Latino show, “Gran’pa Knows Best.”

“When I started working on ‘Gran’pa Knows Best,’ I knew that 3-D printing was this new technique,” he says. “But I’d never seen anyone that looked or sounded like my grandfather in it. I realized that it could be a really creative method to preserve his voice and his story. “

Then came the 2017 short “Victor & Isolina” about his grandparents’ relationship, and more recently in 2022, he debuted “Chilly and Milly,” which focused on his parents. Some of the sets from these shorts, tiny replicas of places familiar to Caballero, and a few of the miniature characters were reused in “TheyDream.”

“Being able to create these things in miniature is almost like getting back in touch with the idea of play,” Caballero explains. “As a child, you invent lots of stories all the time. But now as an artist, I’m able to tell stories that touch upon reality and painful memories, but also hopes and dreams in a way that hearkens back to the innocence of childhood.”

Filmmaker William D. Caballero will screen “TheyDream” on Sunday at the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF).

(William D. Caballero)

“TheyDream” is a culmination of the eclectic and nimble artistic practice that Caballero has developed since he studied digital art at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn.

“I’d always just been attracted to new ways of expressing myself and expressing stories. And I say this both in a way that brings me pride, but also brings me a bit of a headache, because I don’t think I’ll ever be a conventional filmmaker,” he says, laughing.

Still, working outside the margins of traditional moviemaking requires great adaptability.

When Caballero received funding for “TheyDream” in 2021, the money wasn’t enough to conceive it as he had originally envisioned it: entirely told with 3-D-printed figures in physical sets. The lack of resources forced him to rethink his approach, and he opted for hiring two Puerto Rican animators, Julisse Tinoco and Frank Martinez, each of whom animate in distinct styles, to help him create some of the sequences needed.

“This all goes back to the resourcefulness that I learned when I was young,” Caballero says. “When you’re born Latino and low-income in this society, you can’t let yourself be written off or you’re already defeated before you even begin.”

Caballero grew up in housing projects in New York City, and later in a trailer in his grandmother’s backyard in Fayetteville, N.C. Both of his parents were disabled.

Filmmaker William D. Caballero poses as his father for a reference shot in the making of his 2026 film “TheyDream.”

For Caballero, he says the arts have provided an escape that he “needed in order to survive and not feel weighed down by American consumerism, by poverty and by feeling trapped.” Whenever grief has perturbed him, Caballero has processed it through creativity.

With “TheyDream,” he wished to extend that vehicle for self-reflection to his mother. The film addresses complicated familial bonds and his mother’s experience caring for others.

“Throughout the years, we’ve lost several of my family members that we were both close to, but my mother especially,” he says. “She feels their absence much stronger than I do. I live in Los Angeles, my mother still lives in North Carolina. Knowing that she was alone in the mobile home, it just made me feel like, ‘That can’t be good for her.’”

His mother, he says, deals with self-esteem issues because her identity has for so long been reduced to being a caretaker for elderly relatives, who, inevitably, pass away — leaving her feeling like a failure. In reality, it was thanks to her devotion that they added years of life.

Caballero’s mother was at the Sundance premiere of “TheyDream,” where she witnessed how others saw her through the film she helped her son craft.

“I wanted her to feel like, ‘Mom, look at all these people that are clapping for you. They’re clapping for you because you are a hero. You deserve to hold yourself high and be strong and know that there’s something incredible in your story that’s indicative of the stories of many low-income Americans, regardless of race,’” Caballero says, visibly moved.

A prolific and highly regarded artist (he is a 2018 Guggenheim Fellow), Caballero has several other projects in the works that he’s trying to shop around. One of them is an episodic series titled “Second Fiddle,” about a 15-year-old Latino boy who gets accepted to a prestigious summer youth orchestra camp — and whose overbearing mother decides she’s going to stay in the camp with him.

Caballero’s mother, Milly, got the animated treatment in “TheyDream.”

“I never saw a Latino playing violin on TV or the big screen. I didn’t see any quirky, nerdy, artsy Latino kids like I was,” he says. “And I felt in my core that [it] was just wrong and something that I could change.”

Another project, “Raúl Playing Game,” is “an adult version of Pixar’s ‘Inside Out,’ ” that takes place in the mind of a closeted bisexual man. Caballero himself is bisexual. In 2022, “Raúl Playing Game” was selected for the LALIFF Inclusion Fellowship, which provided support for a short film version that serves as proof of concept for a potential TV show.

“I always wanted to make sure that I was telling authentic stories even if not necessarily always positive stories,” he says. “I’m very happy that I never lost track of that. Because I do believe that we need to tell our own stories, in our own unique voices, before someone else does it for us.”

This report details the historical significance of Anguilla Day, a holiday commemorating the island’s journey toward political independence. Originally settled by the English in 1650, Anguilla faced decades of dissatisfaction after being forced into a political union with St. Kitts and Nevis. This tension culminated on May 30, 1967, when local citizens expelled the police force to protest their lack of representation. Although British control was temporarily restored, the island eventually achieved formal separation in 1980. Today, the anniversary of the initial uprising is celebrated as a major national event featuring vibrant parades and traditional boat racing. These festivities serve as a tribute to the island’s enduring ques … 

This debate is nothing new – but nothing has changed.

In each of the past three years, questions have been raised about whether the French Open should do more to showcase the women’s game.

“I don’t think they have daughters, because I don’t think they want to treat their daughters like this,” said Jabeur.

The lack of action prompted recently appointed WTA chief executive Valerie Camillo to seek answers from French Open tournament director Amelie Mauresmo – a former women’s world number one – when they met at Roland Garros this week.

In what the WTA describes as an open and productive conversation, Camillo underlined her belief that women’s players have delivered some of the “most exciting and dynamic competition in global sport” over recent months and years.

It remains to be seen whether Camillo’s call for action is listened to.

Mauresmo has consistently argued that the danger of women’s matches going “really fast” is the justification behind the choices.

With tickets ranging from €60 to €280 (£50 to £240), tournament organisers think the possibility of a short two-set women’s match does not represent value for money.

Mauresmo has insisted the night sessions will not be extended to two matches – like the Australian Open and US Open – in fear of creating late finishes.

Will the French Open be swayed? It refused to waver last year, despite pressure from players, the women’s governing body and – according to reports, external – broadcasters.

Former world number one Osaka will meet Aryna Sabalenka – the current top women’s player – in the last 16 on Monday.

The Japanese player said she did not know if that blockbuster match would be under consideration for the night session, but added she felt the slot was reserved for “popcorn matches”.

If Osaka against Sabalenka does not fulfil the French Open’s criteria, it feels like nothing will.

“I hope it will change,” added Ostapenko.

“Even if it’s not me playing, I would like to see some women’s matches there. But I don’t know that we will.”

A provision in a bill before the United States Congress could tie the American and Israeli militaries far more closely together, deepening their cooperation on weapons research, production and technology.

The proposal, titled the “United States-Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative,” appears as Section 224 of the House Armed Services Committee’s version of the fiscal year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the annual US defence policy bill.

The measure is still at an early stage. The NDAA is passed by Congress each year to set US military policy and authorise defence programmes and spending levels.

If enacted, the provision could mark a major change in one of the world’s closest military relationships, shifting the two countries from a partnership centred largely on American military aid towards one in which their defence industries are more deeply intertwined.

Section 224 would require the US defence secretary to appoint an “executive agent”: a single official to coordinate military cooperation between the US and Israel.

That work would cover joint research and development, the shared production of weapons, and the linking of military systems and data.

“What Congress is trying to do now is find different ways of entrenching the relationship so deep in America’s own defence industrial base that it’s impossible to root it out,” Josh Paul, a former US State Department official and founder of the advocacy group A New Policy, said about the controversial provision.

“A new section of law in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) would give Israel unprecedented access to American technology and would force the United States military to integrate Israeli defence technologies into our own critical military supply chain, giving Israel incredible leverage over America’s own defence priorities,” he added in a video posted on social media on Friday.

The two countries already build missile defence systems together, such as the Iron Dome.

The bill would extend their joint work into many more areas of modern warfare, from artificial intelligence (AI) to drones and cyber operations.

The provision comes amid turmoil in the Middle East following the joint US-Israeli attack on Iran earlier this year.

In February, US and Israeli forces attacked Iran together, triggering five weeks of war; Iran struck back at Israel and at US bases in the Gulf before a ceasefire took hold in April.

Israel is also facing genocide allegations in a case brought by South Africa at the International Court of Justice, the UN’s top court, over its war on Gaza.

Decades of support

The bill must first clear the House Armed Services Committee, which is due to take it up in early June, and then pass the full House and the Senate.

It was proposed by the committee’s Republican chairman, Mike Rogers, and its most senior Democrat, Adam Smith, giving it support from both main parties, even as opinion polls suggest growing opposition among American Democrats and some Republicans to further military support for Israel.

The US has supported Israel’s military for decades.

Since 2008, US law has required Washington to protect Israel’s “qualitative military edge”, keeping its forces stronger and more advanced than those of any rival in the region, on the grounds that a small country must rely on better weapons rather than greater numbers.

Under the current aid deal signed during the administration of former President Barack Obama, Washington provides Israel with about $3.8bn a year in military assistance. The 10-year agreement runs through 2028.

Israel is the largest recipient of US foreign aid since 1948, almost all of it now military and worth well over $300bn when adjusted for inflation. 

The nature of that support may now be changing. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said recently that he wants to end Israel’s reliance on US military aid within 10 years, saying his country had “come of age”.

Closer cooperation between the two defence industries, rather than cash, would likely fit that goal.

TAKE this as your sign to grab your faves and book a brilliant spa break.

From Champneys, Tring to The Greenway Hotel & Spa, Cheltenham and a Fab find in Faversham – we’ve got you covered for rest and recuperation.

THE FRIENDS’ GET-TOGETHER – Champneys, Tring

Editor in chief Sinead McIntyre and pals found R&R in Hertfordshire.

THE PAD

Set in 170 acres of beautiful countryside, this stately home, once owned by the Rothschild family, gives immediate Downton Abbey vibes, thanks to the sweeping staircases, huge chandeliers and grand fireplaces that are home to roaring fires on cooler days.

As do the rooms, with their opulent floral curtains and plush carpets.

Much to our delight, on arrival we are upgraded to two deluxe suites – mine has a super-king-size bed, adjoining lounge and two bathrooms, as well as stunning views of the grounds.

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There is no scrimping on the toiletries here either, with both Champneys and Elemis products, as well as soft white robes and slippers.

The standalone bath is the centrepiece of one bathroom, while the second has an invigorating rainforest shower.

The lounge is the perfect spot for a much-needed gossip, washed down with complimentary bubbles. Champneys, which celebrated its 100th birthday last year, also has more exercise classes than you can shake a stick at, from reformer Pilates to pickleball and HIIT, so we sign up for a legs, bums and tums class, followed by stretch and relax by candlelight.

There are also maps for walks in the extensive grounds and we enjoy a wholesome 45-minute stroll before dinner.

THE SPA

With its 25m pool, sauna, steam room, whirlpool and alfresco Jacuzzi, this is relaxation at its best – and that’s before you even book a treatment.

However, definitely do!

My 50-minute Upper Body Bliss massage, £105, using Elemis oils, was absolutely gorgeous and got rid of the tension I was holding in my shoulders after a stressful few months at work.

THE GRUB

There are so many delicious food options – stays are full-board, and breakfast and lunch are both buffets with tasty cereals, yoghurt, fresh fruit and bagels each morning and delicious meats, salads and pasta dishes come lunchtime.

But the evening menu is the star of the show.

We loved the pulled oyster mushroom taco and the crab and prawn summer rolls to start, while the sirloin steak with peppercorn sauce and the monkfish curry were both melt–in-the-mouth.

Make sure you leave room for the deconstructed honeycomb cheesecake for pudding, while the cheeseboard is also a winner.

OUT AND ABOUT

Forget it, you’re here to chill and chat.

BOOK IT

Full-board stays at Champneys, Tring, cost from £210 per person, per night (Champneys.com).

THE COUPLE’S ESCAPE – The Greenway Hotel & Spa, Cheltenham

Senior Assistant Editor Sarah Barns and husband Patrick cosied up in the Cotswolds.

THE PAD

Throw open the velvet drapes, take in the stunning views and relaaaax. Winner of four AA Red Stars, this gem, just 13 minutes’ drive from Gloucester train station, offers the perfect rural recharge.

The Elizabethan manor house blends historical charm with modern luxury, and although there are 21 newly refurbished bedrooms to choose from, our pick is the Manor Suite, where the bed is so large you can both starfish, the marble bathroom comes with a bath and walk-in rainfall shower, plus there’s a cosy living area.

THE SPA

Take a dip in the hydrotherapy pool and outdoor vitality pool, sweat it out in the sauna and steam room, and indulge in a TempleSpa treatment at the Elan spa, awarded five bubbles by the Good Spa Guide.

Hot stone massages, which use warm basalt stones (essentially giant black rocks) to harmonise energy points throughout the body, fixed our tense muscles and helped us instantly de-stress.

The Rocks Of The Mediterranean 75-minute treatment costs from £119 per person.

THE GRUB

The Garden Room restaurant, run by talented head chef Abhijit Dasalkar, offers a brilliant value à la carte dinner.

Think treats like Cornish crab with lemon, yuzu gel and edible flowers – one of the prettiest plates I’ve ever seen – and beef wellington served perfectly pink.

Three courses cost £67.50 per person.

Opt for the veggie Full English come morning – it’s a winner.

OUT AND ABOUT

Hit Cheltenham, 15 minutes’ drive away, for indie shops, as well as faves like Jo Malone, Toast and Reiss, plus Regency architecture.

Hatchards bookshop gives Hogwarts library feels, and Society Coffee serves up excellent flat whites, £4, and scrumptious chocolate cruffins, £3.95 (Society-cafe.com).

A short walk from the hotel is the Leckhampton Loop, a four-and- a-half-mile amble in gorgeous Cotswolds scenery.

Some parts are hilly, so you’ll have earned your lamb roast, £25.95, and sticky toffee pudding, £8.95, at The Frogmill (Thefrogmill.co.uk).

BOOK IT

B&B for two costs from £97 per person, including 90 minutes of spa use (Thegreenwayhotelandspa.com).

A fab find in Faversham

You don’t need a swish spa hotel in this Kent town, says Contributing Picture Editor Ruth Greatrex.

Embracing the therapeutic heat of the Finnish barrel sauna, my friend Katie and I gaze out at the vivid green fields, our skin slathered with sea-salt scrub, fragrant with rose petals and uplifting orange oil.

Staff are poised to bring juices, kombucha, or even a cocktail at the ding of a bell, too.

Once suitably baked, we brave the chilly overhead water bucket, then plunge into the ice-cold barrel.

A restorative soak in the wood-fired hot tub later, we both emerge with baby-soft skin and feel thoroughly revived.

A 90-minute session costs from £18 per person (Seascrubsauna.co.uk).

This Sea Scrub Sauna sits on the site of Macknade, one of England’s best farm shops and a family-run spot where apples and hops have grown since 1847.

We grab lunch at the new street-food village, digging into miso cream mushrooms, £11, at Hop Shed Bar & Kitchen, washed down with zingy Faversham bacchus, £9 a glass, and finishing with brown butter popcorn ice cream, £4.15, from Bears Ice Cream, before checking out the amazing food hall (Macknade.com).

Family-owned country estate Mount Ephraim Gardens is 10 minutes’ drive away and offers rooms.

We play ladies of the manor, strolling through the pretty rose gardens and even spy the sea from the Sir Edwyn Suite, which has a freestanding bath.

Double rooms cost from £150 per night (Mountephraimgardens.co.uk).

Come morning, we’re tempted back to Macknade for pancakes with blood orange and rhubarb compote, £12.

Although there are HIIT and spin classes on offer, I go for a soothing hot-stone aromatherapy massage, from £35 for 30 minutes (@Serene_ massage_therapies).

You don’t need long here to rediscover your zen. . .

HOLIDAYMAKERS are to get twice as many trains to one of Britain’s busiest airports after the country’s largest rail operator was taken into public ownership.

The Government has pledged to double the frequency of Gatwick Express services between London Victoria and Gatwick Airport from December, as Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) became the latest train company to be nationalised today.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander hailed it as “a defining moment in our reform of the railway”, with GTR’s four brands – Southern, Thameslink, Great Northern and Gatwick Express – carrying one in six of all train journeys made across Britain.

As well as the boost for Gatwick passengers, more early morning services on Saturdays and Mondays will be introduced from this summer.

The Government also pledged to crack down on graffiti in Thameslink train toilets, upgrade signalling between Farringdon and Blackfriars to cut delays, and deploy 110 new travel safe officers to tackle anti-social behaviour across the network.

Ms Alexander said millions of passengers across the South East and East of England would now be “travelling on rail services back in public hands — run for the public good, not private profit.”

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She added the nationalisation gave the Government “an opportunity to tackle the bread and butter issues people want, like driving down cancellations and improving the frequency of services to Gatwick Airport.”

GTR chief operating officer John Whitehurst said the railway “carries millions of people to work, to school, and to see friends and family every single day,” adding that public ownership “gives us the chance to go further to deliver the railway that millions of people across the South East deserve.”

GTR is the fifth operator to be nationalised under the current Government, joining c2c, Greater Anglia, South Western Railway and West Midlands Trains. LNER, Northern, Southeastern and TransPennine Express had already been brought into public hands before Labour came to power.

The nationalisation is part of a sweeping overhaul of Britain’s railways, with a new body called Great British Railways (GBR) set to bring responsibility for both tracks and trains under a single roof for the first time since privatisation in the mid-1990s.

Legislation to create GBR was included in the recent King’s Speech, and the first train carrying its branding — a Southern service — was unveiled in Brighton earlier this month.

Chiltern Railways is next in line to be nationalised on September 20, followed by Great Western Railways on December 13, with the full programme expected to be completed by the end of next year.

GTR’s takeover into public hands comes years after Southern became notorious for chronic delays and cancellations.

At its worst, the 7.29am Brighton to London Victoria service failed to arrive on time during any of its 240 runs throughout 2014.

The operator blamed high demand and congestion, though it was also hit by a bitter industrial dispute with drivers and conductors over staffing, including a row over who should operate train doors.

In Colombia’s volatile Catatumbo region, FARC dissidents say they returned to war after a historic peace deal failed to deliver security and social change.

Al Jazeera’s Teresa Bo has exclusive access to the group as it fights rivals for control of territory and lucrative drug trafficking routes.