Panel of judges finds the president overstepped his authority by imposing across-the-board duties on imports from trading partners.
A United States trade court has ruled that President Donald Trump exceeded his authority when he imposed blanket tariffs on imports from US trading partners, issuing a permanent injunction that immediately halts the tariffs and demands a government response within 10 days.
The Court of International Trade, based in New York, said the US Constitution grants Congress exclusive authority to regulate commerce with other countries that is not overridden by the president’s emergency powers to safeguard the US economy.
“The court does not pass upon the wisdom or likely effectiveness of the President’s use of tariffs as leverage,” a three-judge panel wrote on Wednesday. “That use is impermissible not because it is unwise or ineffective, but because [federal law] does not allow it.”
The ruling, if it stands, could derail Trump’s global trade strategy to use steep tariffs to wring concessions from trading partners. It creates deep uncertainty around multiple simultaneous negotiations with the European Union, China and many other countries.
The court struck down Trump’s tariff orders issued since January under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), a statute meant for addressing rare and extraordinary national emergencies. Tariffs introduced under other laws, such as those targeting specific industries like steel, autos and aluminium, were not addressed in this ruling.
The Trump administration swiftly filed an appeal, disputing the court’s jurisdiction. A White House spokesperson insisted trade imbalances posed a national crisis. “It is not for unelected judges to decide how to properly address a national emergency,” said Kush Desai, the White House deputy press secretary, defending Trump’s executive actions as necessary to protect US industry and security.
Al Jazeera’s Mike Hanna, reporting from Washington, noted the court’s impartiality. “This particular court cannot be accused of being an activist one, as Trump and his followers have accused other courts that have ruled against him,” Hanna said. “One of the judges was appointed by Trump himself, another by former President Barack Obama and the third by the former Republican President Ronald Reagan.”
The Court of International Trade handles matters relating to customs and trade law. Its rulings can be challenged in the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and eventually taken to the Supreme Court.
Financial analyst Robert Scott told Al Jazeera the tariffs failed to deliver tangible results even in Trump’s first term. “Most of those tariffs did not see the US trade position improve,” he said. “US trade deficits continued to grow and China’s exports to the world kept rising. They simply rerouted goods through other countries.”
The ruling came in a pair of lawsuits, one filed by the nonpartisan Liberty Justice Center on behalf of five small US businesses that import goods from countries targeted by the duties, and the other by 12 US states.
The companies, which range from a New York wine and spirits importer to a Virginia-based maker of educational kits and musical instruments, have said the tariffs will hurt their ability to do business.
“There is no question here of narrowly tailored relief; if the challenged Tariff Orders are unlawful as to Plaintiffs they are unlawful as to all,” the judges wrote in their decision.
At least five other legal challenges to the tariffs are pending.
Police waiting for the plane as it landed in Portugal (Jam Press)
A rowdy Brit stag do saw a plane diverted before police boarded the flight and escorted them off. The six-man group were marched off of the aircraft after it landed half way to its intended destination.
Witness Arron Davies, who was travelling with friends Mike and Scott, said two of the members on the stag do were allegedly vaping in their seats whilst drinking heavily and being abusive towards the stewards.
During the easyJet flight from London Gatwick to Marrakesh, Morocco, the men were allegedly warned six times before the staff took action. Arron, Mike and Scott, of Newport, south Wales, watched as the pilot announced that the flight would land in Faro airport, Portugal.
The diverted aircraft was greeted by eight Portuguese police officers who dealt with the group. Two men were led off whilst the other four stag do members made their way off the plane.
Witnesses Arron Davies (left) Mike (middle) Scott (right)
“The four friends were annoyed that their two mates had ruined their trip,” Arron said. “The men were vaping in their seats and toilet, drinking heavily and to my opinion already drunk or close to when boarding. They were being abusive towards staff on the flight.”
He added: “They were being loud and using a lot of bad language despite children being on the flight.” He alleged: “They were warned about six times, but every time the one man muttered when the staff walked away, making the problem worse.
“One of the men gave up and walked towards the exit when he realised how serious his actions were being taken. The other man stayed in his seat and was escorted out by up to eight police officers, four getting in the plane from either side.
Two men were taken off the plane, and four others left voluntarily
“The flight steward was very good at his job dealing with this issue on the flight, he gave them many chances. I would call the guy a true asset to easyJet. His level of professionalism was on point even though a lot of abuse was aimed at him.
“He kept his composure and made me feel I was still safe even with the drama happening in front of me.”
An easyJet spokesperson said: “This flight from London Gatwick to Marrakech on 19 May diverted to Faro and was met by police upon arrival due to a group of passengers behaving disruptively onboard. Once the passengers had left the aircraft, the flight then continued to Marrakech.
“Our cabin crew are trained to assess and evaluate all situations and acted quickly and appropriately to ensure that the safety of the flight and other passengers was not compromised at any time. The safety and wellbeing of our passengers and crew is always easyJet’s priority and we do not tolerate abusive or threatening behaviour onboard.”
The Oklahoma City Thunder “have a lot more work to do” after reaching their first NBA Finals since 2012 with a win against the Minnesota Timberwolves, says Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
The NBA’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) scored 34 points, seven rebounds and eight assists in the 124-94 victory as the Thunder won the best-of-seven Western Conference finals series 4-1.
The Thunder remain on course for a first NBA title, having been beaten by the Miami Heat in 2012.
“This is a step in the right direction but we have a lot more work to do to get to our ultimate goal, so let’s buckle up and get ready,” said Gilgeous-Alexander.
“That’s all that I’m focused on. This isn’t the end of our road.”
The Thunder will host game one of the Finals next Thursday, when they face the winners of the Eastern Conference finals between the Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks for the NBA title. Indiana lead the series 3-1 with game five on Thursday.
Gilgeous-Alexander joins Steph Curry, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant as the only players in the past 20 years to reach the Finals in the same year as winning the MVP.
The 26-year-old Canadian, also named Western Conference MVP on Wednesday, is on course to become the first scoring champion since Shaquille O’Neal in 2000 to win an NBA title in the same season.
Chet Holmgren added 22 points while Jalen Williams also scored 19 for the Thunder, who are the youngest team in the NBA Finals since the Portland Trail Blazers in 1977, with an average age of 25.6 years.
Gilgeous-Alexander added: “These guys really make me feel like I’m a kid playing AAU basketball, like I’m 15 years old again.
“It’s just fun. That’s what makes us really good. We have so much fun being out there together.”
Meanwhile, the Timberwolves saw their season end in the conference finals for the second year running, having lost to the Dallas Mavericks last year.
“They dominated the game from the tip,” said Anthony Edwards, who scored 19 points for the Timberwolves, who were led by Julius Randle with 24 points.
Islamabad, Pakistan – Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited Azerbaijan in February, and Turkiye only a month ago, in April.
Yet, this week, he was back in both countries, as part of a five-day, four-nation diplomatic blitzkrieg also including stops in Iran and Tajikistan, where Sharif will hold talks on Thursday and Friday. And he isn’t alone: Sharif is being accompanied by Army Chief Asim Munir — recently promoted to Pakistan’s only second-ever field marshal — and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar.
Their destinations might be familiar, but the context has changed dramatically since Sharif’s previous visits.
More than two weeks after a four-day standoff between Pakistan and India – during which they exchanged missile and drone strikes – diplomacy has become the new battlefront between the South Asian neighbours.
India has launched a global diplomatic campaign, sending delegations to over 30 countries, accusing Pakistan of supporting “terrorist groups” responsible for attacks in India and Indian-administered Kashmir.
“We want to exhort the world to hold those responsible for cross-border terrorism accountable, those who have practiced this for 40 years against India, that is Pakistan. Their actions need to be called out,” said Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs, last week.
On April 22, gunmen killed 26 people, most of them tourists, in Pahalgam, a hill resort in Indian-administered Kashmir in the worst such attack on civilians in years. India blamed the killings on The Resistance Front (TRF), which it alleges is linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a Pakistan-based group designated as a “terrorist” entity by the United Nations. New Delhi accused Islamabad of complicity in the attacks.
Pakistan denied the allegations, calling for a “transparent, credible, independent” investigation.
Then, on May 7, India launched a series of missiles aimed at what it said was “terrorist infrastructure” in parts of Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Islamabad insisted that the missiles struck civilians, mosques and schools. More than 50 people, including at least 11 security personnel were killed in the Indian missile strikes.
This was followed by drone incursions and, on May 10, both sides fired missiles at each other’s military bases, as they stood on the brink of a full-fledged war before they agreed to a ceasefire that the US says it brokered.
Now, Pakistan, say officials and analysts, is looking to flip India’s narrative before the world — projecting itself as an advocate of peace and stability in South Asia, and New Delhi as the aggressor looking to stoke tensions.
‘We want peace’
On Wednesday, Sharif expressed willingness to engage in dialogue with India on “all matters,” if India reciprocates “in all sincerity.”
Speaking at a trilateral summit in Lachin, Azerbaijan, Sharif said trade could resume if India cooperated on all issues, including “counterterrorism.”
“I have said in all humility that we want peace in the region, and that requires talks on the table on issues which need urgent attention and amicable resolution, that is the issue of Kashmir, according to the resolutions of the United Nations and the Security Council, and as per the aspirations of the people of Kashmir,” he said.
Kashmir, a picturesque valley in the northeastern subcontinent, remains the root of conflict between the two nuclear-armed nations since their independence in 1947.
A 1948 UN resolution called for a plebiscite to determine Kashmir’s future, but eight decades later, it has yet to take place.
India and Pakistan each administer parts of Kashmir, while China controls two small regions. India claims the entire territory; Pakistan claims the portion administered by India, but not the areas held by its ally China.
Contrasting diplomacy
But there are other motivations driving Pakistan’s diplomatic outreach too, say officials and experts.
India’s diplomatic delegations that are currently touring the world include members from various political parties, including the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition Indian National Congress (INC), projecting a unified stance.
In contrast, Pakistan’s current mission is led by top state officials, including Sharif and army chief Munir, widely considered the most powerful figure in the country.
The Pakistani delegation with prime minister Shehbaz Sharif and army chief Asim Munir also made a stop in Iran during their four-country tour. [Handout/Pakistan Prime Minister’s Office]
The trip also reflects strategic alignment, say analysts. Turkiye, whose drones were used by Pakistan in the recent conflict, is a key defense partner.
“Pakistan’s defense cooperation with Turkey is especially deep,” said Christopher Clary, assistant professor of political science at the University at Albany.
“Evidence suggests several Turkish-origin systems were used in this recent clash, with varying levels of effectiveness, so there is much to talk about between the two,” he told Al Jazeera.
Khurram Dastgir Khan, a former federal minister for foreign affairs and defence, is part of a Pakistani delegation set to visit the US, UK and EU headquarters in Brussels next month.
He said the current trip by Sharif, Munir and Dar is at least partly about highlighting Pakistan’s capacity to wage a modern war against a larger adversary. “There is immense interest in how Pakistan fought the recent war,” Khan said.
“There are countries deeply interested in learning the details, what capabilities Pakistan used and what Indians had,” he added.
“This opens new strategic possibilities for Pakistan’s defence forces to provide training to others. We are battle-tested. This makes us highly sought after, not just in the region but globally.”
Pakistan relied heavily on Chinese-supplied weaponry, including the fighter jets and the missiles that it deployed against India, and the air defence systems it used to defend itself from Indian missiles.
Post-conflict narrative battle
Though both countries claimed victory after the conflict, the battle over narratives has since raged across social media and public forums.
Pakistan claims to have downed six Indian jets, a claim neither confirmed nor denied by India, while Indian missiles penetrated deep into Pakistani territory, revealing vulnerabilities in its air defenses.
India has also suspended the six-decade-old Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), a critical water-sharing agreement that is vital to Pakistan.
Recently, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged Pakistanis to reject “terrorism.” “Live a life of peace, eat your bread or choose my bullet,” Modi said, during a speech in India’s Gujarat state.
He also criticised the IWT as “badly negotiated,” claiming it disadvantaged India.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, right, and Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, left, speak to the media following talks in Berlin, Germany, May 23, 2025. [Annegret Hilse/Reuters]
Muhammad Shoaib, an academic and security analyst at Quaid-i-Azam University, said Modi’s remarks reflected “ultra-nationalism” and were targeted at a domestic audience.
“The Indian diplomatic teams won’t likely focus on what Pakistan says. They will only implicate Pakistan for terrorism and build their case. Meanwhile, the Pakistani delegation will likely use Modi’s statements and international law regarding the IWT to bolster their arguments,” he told Al Jazeera.
Khan, who is also a senior member of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN), the ruling party which premier Sharif belongs to, said the upcoming diplomatic mission that he will be part of will focus on issues like India’s suspension of the IWT.
“Our fundamental point is that Pakistan seeks to maintain lasting peace in South Asia, but three major hurdles are posed by Indian aggression,” he said.
The first, according to Khan, is “Indian-sponsored terrorism” in Pakistan, in which, he claimed, more than 20 people have been killed over the past four years. India has been accused by the US and Canada of transnational assassinations. In January 2024, Pakistan also accused India of carrying out killings on its soil. India denies involvement. Pakistan also accuses India of backing separatist groups in its Balochistan province — again, an allegation that India rejects.
“The second point is India’s utterly irresponsible suspension of the IWT,” Khan said.
“Pakistan has rightly said that any step by India to stop our water will be treated as an act of war. This is something that can bring all the region in conflict and I believe that if India acquires capability to divert waters in next six to ten years, and tries to do so, it will lead to a war,” Khan warned.
The third issue, Khan said, is Pakistan’s concern over India’s “status as a responsible nuclear power”.
In the past, New Delhi has frequently cited the nuclear proliferation facilitated by Abdul Qadeer Khan, the father of Pakistan’s nuclear programme, as evidence that Islamabad cannot be trusted with the safe management of its nuclear weapons.
But in recent days, India’s internal security minister, Amit Shah — widely viewed as the country’s second-most powerful leader after Modi — has confirmed that India used its homegrown BrahMos missile against Pakistan during the recent military escalation.
The BrahMos – developed with Russia – is a supersonic cruise missile capable of Mach 3 – three times the speed of sound – and a range of 300 to 500 kilometers. It can carry both conventional and nuclear warheads and be launched from land, air, or sea.
Khan, who served as defense minister from 2017 to 2018, warned of “unimaginable consequences” from using such weapons.
“Once the missile is in the air, you cannot know what payload it carries until it hits the target. This is very, very irresponsible,” he said. “India has already shown recklessness when it mistakenly fired a missile into our territory a few years ago.”
Khan was referring to an incident in March 2022, when India fired a BrahMos “accidentally” in Pakistani territory, where it fell in a densely populated city of Mian Channu, roughly 500 kilometers south of capital Islamabad.
India at the time acknowledged that accidental launch was due to a “technical malfunction” and later sacked three air force officials.
A man waves a national flag in front of a cut out of Brahmos Missile during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Road show in Ahmedabad, India on May 26, 2025. [Ajit Solanki/AP Photo]
Ceasefire holds, but tensions linger
While the conflict brought both countries to the edge of war, the ceasefire declared on May 10 has held, with troops gradually returning to peacetime positions.
Shoaib, also a research fellow at George Mason University in the US, expressed cautious optimism.
“Initiating hostilities is risky. No side wants to be seen as irresponsible. For that to break, it would take a major incident,” he said.
Tughral Yamin, a former military officer and researcher in Islamabad, noted that while diplomacy offers no guarantees, the ceasefire could last.
“India has seen that Pakistan is no cakewalk. It has both conventional and nuclear deterrence,” he told Al Jazeera. “Both sides will remain alert, and Pakistan must address weaknesses exposed in the standoff.”
Clary added that while the India-Pakistan relationship remains fragile, history suggests that intense clashes are often followed by calmer periods.
“It is reasonable for both countries and international observers to hope for the best but prepare for the worst over the next few months,” he said.
But Khan, the former minister, questioned Modi’s comments, after the military crisis, where the Indian PM said that any attack on the country’s soil would now be seen as worthy of a military response, and that New Delhi would effectively cease to draw any distinction between Pakistan’s military and non-state armed groups.
“The new stated policy of the Indian government is to attack Pakistan even after minor incidents, without waiting for evidence. This puts the entire region on edge,” he said. “This trigger-happy policy should concern not just Pakistan, but the entire world.”
FORMER League Two club Aldershot Town have released a statement amid concerns over the filing of their accounts to Companies House.
Aldershot, who finished 16th in the National League this season, are overdue for the publication of their accounts for the last financial year.
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Aldershot Town have released a statement after being late to file their financial accountsCredit: PA:Press Association
The late publication of their accounts has led to the company being issued a notice for compulsory strike-off.
A strike-off notice, which removes a company from the official register, effectively means a company ceases to exist as a legal entity if followed through.
Aldershot are able to object to the strike-off and try and explain their situation to Companies House before the action is carried out against the business.
Aldershot fans have voiced their concern online around the emergence of a compulsory strike-off notice appearing on the club’s Companies House page, prompting a response from the club itself.
A statement issued on X by the club’s official account read: “The Club is aware of recent comments on social media regarding the delay in filing our annual accounts with Companies House.
“The Club want to reassure our supporters and stakeholders that there is no cause for concern.
“The delay, whilst regrettable, is administrative and the result of a migration to a new accounting system.
“The transition has taken longer and proved more challenging than anticipated, but our finance team is working closely with our auditors/accountants to finalise the accounts, which we expect to file within the next seven days.”
Fans are still concerned by the situation with one supporter labelling it as “very strange”.
While a second wrote: “For full transparency, I think all of us fans would like to see how the accounts are doing”.
And a third added: “Well that eases no one’s mind…”
Aldershot won their first piece of silverware in nearly 20 years this season as they lifted the FA Trophy thanks to a 3-0 victory over Spennymoor Town at Wembley.
The Shots have been trying to make a return to the EFL since their relegation from League Two in 2013, but are resigned to a 13th consecutive National League season following their 16th placed finish this term.
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Aldershot won the FA Trophy this seasonCredit: Alamy
Ngugi’s work critiqued both British colonialism in Kenya and postcolonial Kenyan society.
Renowned Kenyan writer Ngugi wa Thiong’o has died at age 87, his family members have announced.
“It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of our dad, Ngugi wa Thiong’o,” his daughter Wanjiku Wa Ngugi wrote on Facebook on Wednesday.
“He lived a full life, fought a good fight,” she said.
At the time of his death, Ngugi was reportedly receiving kidney dialysis treatments, but his immediate cause of death is still unknown.
Born in Kenya in 1938, Ngugi will be remembered as one of Africa’s most important postcolonial writers. Formative events in Ngugi’s early life included the brutal Mau Mau war that swept British-ruled Kenya in the 1950s.
Ngugi’s work was equally critical of the British colonial era and the postcolonial society that followed Kenya’s independence in 1963. Other topics in his work covered the intersection between language, culture, history, and identity.
Ngugi made a mark for himself in the 1970s when he decided to switch from writing in English to the Kikuyu and Swahili languages – a controversial decision at the time.
“We all thought he was mad… and brave at the same time,” Kenyan writer David Maillu told the AFP news agency.
“We asked ourselves who would buy the books.”
One of his most famous works, “Decolonising the Mind”, was published in 1986 while living abroad. The book argues that it is “impossible to liberate oneself while using the language of oppressors”, AFP reports.
This 2010 image released by UC Irvine shows Kenyan author Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o [File: Daniel A. Anderson/UC Irvine via AP]
Besides holding the position of acclaimed writer, Ngugi was a prisoner of conscience. In 1977, he was jailed in Kenya for staging a play deemed critical of contemporary society.
He once described the country’s new elite class as “the death of hopes, the death of dreams and the death of beauty”.
In 1982, Ngugi went into self-imposed exile in the UK following a ban on theatre groups and performances in his home country. He later moved to the US, where he worked as a professor of comparative literature at the University of California, Irvine. He also continued writing a range of works, including essays, memoirs and novels about Kenya.
Following news of Ngugi’s death, praise for his life and work quickly appeared online.
“My condolences to the family and friends of Professor Ngugi wa Thiong’o, a renowned literary giant and scholar, a son of the soil and great patriot whose footprints are indelible,” Kenya’s opposition leader Martha Karua wrote on X.
“Thank you Mwalimu [teacher] for your freedom writing,” wrote Amnesty International’s Kenya branch on X. “Having already earned his place in Kenyan history, he transitions from mortality to immortality.”
Margaretta wa Gacheru, a sociologist and former student of Ngugi, said the author was a national icon.
“To me, he’s like a Kenyan Tolstoy, in the sense of being a storyteller, in the sense of his love of the language and panoramic view of society, his description of the landscape of social relations, of class and class struggles,” she said.
THE horrified wife of the Liverpool parade suspect was said to have only found out about the chaotic rampage when she saw her car on TV.
A 53-year-old suspect, a white British dad of three, remains in custody after cops weregranted more time to quiz him.
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Footage has revealed the moment a man was removed from his car by cops following the terrifying ‘rampage’Credit: BBC
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The car driving through the parade just moments before colliding with fansCredit: Facebook
Neighbours of the suspect said he was “quiet” and “didn’t go out partying”.
He is believed to be a business man who ran a now-dissolved firm.
Yesterday a neighbour in the city’s West Derby suburb revealed the suspect’s wife’s shock “when she saw her car on the TV news”.
The neighbour added: “The wife is a really nice woman and they have children.
“No one can believe this has happened.
“She first realised when she saw it was her car on the telly, when she saw it being driven at the parade.
“The normal police cars turned up at teatime then Matrix vans turned up later that night.
“Everyone’s just in shock. I genuinely don’t know what’s happened.
“They seem like a nice family.”
The neighbour described the suspect as a “regular family man” and a “bit of a complainer”, adding: “I wish I knew more.”
Vans from elite police unit Matrix have been at the £250,000 four-bed house since Monday’s incident.
Police confirmed yesterday the number of injured had risen from 65 to 79, including at least four children.
Seven people remained in hospital in a stable condition.
The driver was arrested on Monday at the scene — in Water Street — on suspicion of attempted murder, driving while unfit through drugs, and dangerous driving.
Police have until today to either bring charges, release him, or apply for a further extension.
They were scouring the dashcam content and CCTV to piece together the driver’s movements.
Officers believe he gained access to the packed street, which had been blocked off, by tailgating an ambulance as paramedics entered to treat a man suspected of suffering a heart attack.
May 29 (UPI) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday issued several more pardons, including those for his political allies: former U.S. House member Michael Grimm of New York and ex-Connecticut Gov. John Rowland.
Trump has largely circumvented the process run through the Department of Justice. Trump’s new pardon attorney Ed Martin last week reviewed commutation applications for the president to consider, a source told CNN.
A pardon ends the legal consequences of a criminal conviction and a commutation reduces the sentence.
Grimm, a member of the U.S. House from 2011-2015, served seven months in prison after being convicted of tax evasion in 2014.
He attempted to win back his House seat in 2018 but lost in the Republican primary.
Grimm, 55, who worked for Newsmax from 2022-2024, was paralyzed in a fall from a horse during a polo competition last year.
After the State of the Union in 2014, Grimm threatened to break a reporter in half “like a boy” when questioned about his campaign finances. He also threatened to throw the reporter off a balcony at the Capitol.
Rowland, a Republican governor in Connecticut from 1996-2004, was convicted twice in federal criminal cases. He resigned as governor after the first offense of election fraud and obstruction of justice. Then, he was sentenced to a 30-month prison term in 2015 for his illegal involvement in two congressional campaigns.
Also pardoned was another Republican, Jeremy Hutchinson, a former Arkansas state senator, who was sentenced to 46 months in prison for accepting election bribes and tax fraud in 2014.
Hutchinson is the son of former Sen. Tim Hutchinson and nephew of former Gov. Asa Hutchinson.
Imaad Zuberi, who donated $900,000 to Trump’s first inaugural committee and was also a donor on fundraising committees for Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, had his sentence commuted on Wednesday.
In 2021, he was sentenced to 12 years in prison for falsifying records to conceal work as a foreign agent while lobbying high-level U.S. government officials and obstructing a federal investigation of the inaugural fund.
Trump also Wednesday commuted the sentences of eight others, a White House official said.
Larry Hoover, the co-founder of Chicago’s Gangster Disciples street gang, was serving six life prison sentences in the federal supermax facility in Florence, Colo., after a 1997 conviction. He ran a criminal enterprise from jail.
Hoover, who is now 74, had been seeking a commutation under the First Step Act, which Trump signed into law in 2018. U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber denied Hoover’s request, calling him “one of the most notorious criminals in Illinois history.”
But he won’t get out of a prison yet because he is also serving a sentence of up to 200 years on Illinois state murder charges. Trump can’t give clemency to those convicted on state charges.
An entertainer and a former athlete were also pardoned.
Rapper Kentrell Gaulden, who goes by NBA YoungBoy, was convicted in a federal gun crimes case last year. He was released from prison and won’t need to serve probation.
Charles “Duke” Tanner, a former professional boxer, was sentenced to life in prison for drug conspiracy in 2006. Trump commuted his sentence during his first term.
Cambodian and Thai officials claim soldiers from other side opening fire first in latest deadly border clash between the neighbours.
Cambodia’s leader has called for calm in the country a day after a soldier was killed in a brief clash with troops from neighbouring Thailand, in a disputed zone along the Thai-Cambodia border.
In a written statement on Thursday, Prime Minister Hun Manet said people should not “panic over unverified material being circulated”, and reassured the country that he did not want a conflict between Cambodian and Thai forces.
“For this reason, I hope that the upcoming meeting between the Cambodian and Thai army commanders will produce positive results to preserve stability and good military communication between the two countries, as we have done in the past,” said Hun Manet, who is currently on a visit to Tokyo.
“Even though I am in Japan … the command system and hierarchy for major military operations such as troop movements remain under my full responsibility as prime minister,” he added.
Cambodia’s Ministry of National Defence said on Wednesday that one of its soldiers was killed in a brief firefight with Thai troops, in a disputed border region between the country’s Preah Vihear province and Thailand’s Ubon Ratchathani province.
The ministry accused Thai soldiers of opening fire first on a Cambodian military post that had long existed in the contested border zone.
Cambodian soldiers ride on a self-propelled multiple rocket launcher in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on May 28, 2025, as tension ramps up with Thailand [Kith Serey/EPA]
However, Thailand’s Minister of Defence Phumtham Wechayachai said Cambodian forces in the area had opened fire first, adding they had previously dug a trench in the area in an effort to assert Cambodia’s claim over the disputed territory, local media reported.
“I have been informed that the return fire was necessary to defend ourselves and protect Thailand’s sovereignty. I have instructed caution. Although the ceasefire holds, both sides continue to face each other,” the minister said, according to Thailand’s The Nation newspaper.
The Nation also reported that Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra spoke with her counterpart, Hun Manet, and both were working to lower the temperature on the dispute.
“We don’t want this to escalate,” the Thai prime minister was quoted as saying.
Cambodia and Thailand have a long history of disputes along their mutual border, including armed clashes that broke out in 2008 near Cambodia’s Preah Vihear Temple, which was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site that year. Fighting also broke out along the border in 2011.
The Associated Press news agency reports that in February, Cambodian troops and their family members entered an ancient temple along the border and sang the Cambodian national anthem, leading to a brief argument with Thai troops.
The incident was recorded on video and went viral on social media.
There’s a collective intake of breath as the curator slowly unzips the white garment bag to reveal the treasure within: a white military-style jacket embellished with gold buttons and epaulettes, worn by Elton John on his 1981 World tour. To my left, laid out on a table, are a gold Versace bag and a pair of daintily embroidered blue silk shoes dating from the 1720s. To my right, a Vivienne Westwood corset and a Balenciaga pink taffeta evening dress from the 1950s. It’s a fashion lover’s fever dream and it’s all here, at my fingertips.
I’m at the V&A East Storehouse in east London, a radical new museum experience that allows anyone to order up any item from the V&A’s vast collection – for free – and to examine it at close quarters. Housed in the former Olympics Media Centre, on the edge of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, this lofty warehouse space gives unprecedented access to more than 250,000 objects, from an 11m wide stage cloth designed by Picasso to a cross-section of a maisonette from the Robin Hood Gardens council estate in Poplar. Gone are the glass cases, white walls and carefully curated exhibits of a traditional museum space. Instead, visitors are invited to look behind the scenes of a working museum, to wander among open shelves stacked high with deliriously eclectic objects and to peer into the workshops where conservators are at work. The effect is part Ikea showroom, part Victorian cabinet of curiosities. It’s bold, slightly bonkers and I love it.
The opening of this new V&A outpost marks the latest chapter in the reinvention of the Olympic Park as a “new cultural quarter” for London. At the time of the London 2012 games, I lived in Bow, on the edge of the Olympic Park. On the night of the opening ceremony we watched from the window of my flat as fireworks lit up the sky above the stadium. It was the culmination of one of the most ambitious regeneration projects that London had ever seen and we had a ringside seat as this brave new world rose up from a 560-acre brownfield site.
As well as providing a deprived area of east London with world-class sporting facilities, part of the Olympic legacy was the promise to build a new creative hub, somewhere that would inspire locals and visitors alike. We moved out of the area shortly after the games finished, so I was curious to see for myself whether that promise had been fulfilled.
On a bright spring morning the park is quietly humming with activity. Teenagers glide along wide boulevards on roller skates and toddlers play in the water fountains in front of the London Stadium. On the canal, families drift by in pedalos in the shape of white swans, watched over by Zaha Hadid’s imposing Aquatic Centre which carves a graceful arc in the blue sky.
My daughter and I make a beeline for a cluster of new buildings which are lined up along the canal. The East Bank project represents the largest single investment in culture by a London mayor since the Great Exhibition of 1851. The first phase launched in 2023 with the opening of cutting-edge new campuses for University College London (UCL) and the London College of Fashion. Both sites have been designed to be open and accessible to the public. So you can wander into the reception of UCL East and see public art installations – on our visit Luke Jerram’s “Gaia”, an inflatable replica of the Earth, was floating serenely above the atrium – or head to the cafe where your coffee will be delivered to you by a robot waiter.
A postgraduate show at the London College of Fashion, East Bank. Photograph: Ana Blumenkron
At the London College of Fashion, the public areas host regular showcases of student work. We stroll around the lobby, all bare concrete and curving staircases, and admire a display of outlandish undergraduate creations – although my daughter is far more interested in what the fashion students themselves are wearing.
Next door is Sadler’s Wells East, a new outpost of the dance theatre which opened in February. The open-plan foyer is home to a light-filled bar, cafe and dance space – when we drop in for a coffee there’s a community dance class in mid-flow. The 550-seat auditorium will provide a home for visiting dance companies of every genre, from ballet to hip-hop. We have booked tickets for that evening’s show, a family-friendly performance of Snow White by the balletLorent.
Our next stop is the ArcelorMittal Orbit, the twisted red steel sculpture that towers over the Olympic Park. We take the lift up to the viewing platform, a dizzying 80m above the ground. Far below us the London Stadium, now home to West Ham football club, is laid out like a Subbuteo pitch. As a general rule of thumb, I try to avoid any activity that involves having to don an Australian Rules Football helmet and elbow protectors. And yet here I am, joining the queue of teenagers waiting to launch themselves feet first down the Helix, the high-speed helter skelter that snakes around the outside of Anish Kapoor’s look-at-me landmark. My teenage daughter takes one look at the foam helmet and refuses to go any further. “It’s just a big slide!” I tell her. “Come on, it’ll be fun!”
The Helix slide on the ArcelorMittal Orbit at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Photograph: Mark Mercer/Alamy
These words – and others that cannot be published here – ring in my ears as I corkscrew down the metal tube at terrifying speed, emerging 40 seconds later feeling like I’ve been flushed down the S-bend. My sensible daughter has taken the lift down and is waiting for me at the bottom. “Oh Mum,” she says.
One of the side-effects of this area’s transformation has been a burgeoning of the local food scene, from the world’s first zero-waste restaurant, Silo in Hackney Wick, to Barge East, a floating bar and restaurant moored in the shadow of the London Stadium. We’ve booked a table at Hera, one of the park’s newest openings, which has been winning accolades for its authentic Greek food.
It does not disappoint. From the basket of homemade bread and dip of smoked aubergine with thyme, honey and balsamic vinegar, to the elegant sea bass carpaccio and charcoal-grilled chicken skewers, everything is sensational. But the standout dish is the feta saganaki – feta cheese, wrapped in angel hair, deep-fried and drizzled with lemon honey. My daughter and I are still dreaming about it weeks later.
Swan pedalos in the Olympic Park. Photograph: Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
It’s the kind of lunch that needs to be followed by a long walk, so we trace the course of the canal, fringed with head-high whispering grasses, into the northern half of the park, eventually reaching the iconic Olympic rings – which have found a permanent home on a raised mound overlooking the Lee Valley VeloPark.
A group of women dressed head to toe in sequins shimmer past in the late afternoon sunshine, on their way to Abba Voyage. The virtual concert experience has attracted more than two million visitors since opening in a purpose-built arena on the edge of the Olympic Park in 2022. In September, they will be joined by an army of David Bowie fans when the V&A Storehouse becomes the new home of the David Bowie archive, comprising stage costumes, song lyrics, instruments, makeup charts and sketches. And there’s more to come. Next year will see the relocation of the BBC Music Studios from Maida Vale to Stratford and the opening of the V&A East museum in a striking new building inspired, apparently, by an X-ray of a Balenciaga dress.
I’ve enjoyed being a tourist on my old home turf. It may not have the gravitas of South Kensington, the architectural cohesion of the South Bank Centre or the neoclassical elegance of Covent Garden, but East Bank is an invigorating and inspiring addition to London’s cultural scene. And it’s fun. Where else can you slide down Britain’s tallest sculpture, handle vintage haute couture, or dance in front of an Abba avatar, all in one day?
The V&A East Storehouse opens to the public on 31 May. Information on visiting East Bank and the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park: queenelizabetholympicpark.co.uk
CBS has notched another small victory in its legal battle with Sony Pictures Television, winning an appellate court ruling that allows the network to continue to distribute “Wheel of Fortune” and “Jeopardy!” as its court case continues.
Sony owns the shows and produces them on its Culver City lot.
On Wednesday, the judges wrote that they had reviewed filings from both sides. In a one-page order, the panel granted CBS’ request to keep the stay in place, allowing the network to continue its distribution duties during the appeal .
CBS maintains Sony lacks the legal right to unilaterally severe ties.
Sony terminated its distribution deal with CBS in August and later filed a breach-of-contract lawsuit that claimed CBS entered into unauthorized licensing deals for the shows and then paid itself a commission. Sony also maintained that rounds of budget cuts within CBS had hobbled the network’s efforts to support the two shows.
CBS has said Sony’s claims “are rooted in the fact they simply don’t like the deal the parties agreed to decades ago.”
CBS takes in up to 40% of the fees that TV stations pay to carry the shows. The company took over the distribution of the program when it acquired syndication company King World Productions in 1999.
King World struck deals with the original producer, Merv Griffin Enterprises, in the early 1980s to distribute “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel.” Sony later acquired Griffin’s company, but those early agreements remain in effect.
As viewing of traditional TV has declined due to competition for streaming in recent years, the two daily game shows have continued to thrive and are among the most-watched programs in television.
A Sony representative was not immediately available for comment.
Nvidia reported first-quarter earnings for fiscal year 2026 that exceeded market expectations and provided an upbeat outlook for the current quarter. This comes despite an estimated $8 billion (€7.1 billion) loss due to US chip export restrictions affecting sales to China.
Nvidia’s share price jumped nearly 5% in after-hours trading, placing it just 8% below its all-time high in January. Year-to-date, the stock is set to return to a positive return amid the price surge. Nvidia is now the world’s biggest company, surpassing Microsoft and Apple in market capitalisation.
“Investors entered this quarter looking for signs that Nvidia could alleviate short-term concerns. What they received was a clear message that demand remains robust,” said Josh Gilbert, a market analyst at eToro Australia.
Upbeat earnings results
Sales revenue from Nvidia’s core business, data centres, increased by 73% year-on-year to $39.1 billion (€34.7 billion), reaching a new record. However, this represented a deceleration from 93% growth in the previous quarter. Despite the slower pace, the result aligned with market expectations, as some analysts had anticipated weaker figures due to regulatory headwinds.
Overall revenue rose 69% to $44.1 billion (€39.2 billion), while earnings per share came in at $0.96 (€0.85), both ahead of expectations. CEO Jensen Huang attributed the sustained growth to strong global demand for artificial intelligence (AI), particularly from major cloud service providers. Nvidia’s most advanced AI chip, Blackwell, “is now in full-scale production across system makers and cloud service providers,” said Huang.
“Global demand for Nvidia’s AI infrastructure is incredibly strong. AI inference token generation has surged tenfold in just one year, and as AI agents become mainstream, the demand for AI computing will accelerate. Countries around the world are recognising AI as essential infrastructure—just like electricity and the internet—and Nvidia stands at the centre of this profound transformation,” he added.
Impact of China-related restrictions
The company expects revenue of $45 billion (€40 billion), plus or minus 2%, for the current quarter. “This outlook reflects a loss in H20 revenue of approximately $8.0 billion due to the recent export control limitations,” it stated.
The US government required Nvidia to obtain export licences for its H20 GPUs destined for China during the first quarter. Although the H20 chips had previously been approved, the new rules led to $4.5 billion (€4 billion) in write-downs due to excess inventory. Without this, the company would have generated an additional $2.5 billion (€2.2 billion) in sales.
As a result, Nvidia’s gross margin for the first quarter stood at 61%. It would have been 71.3% had the charges not occurred. “The $50 billion China market is effectively closed to
the US industry,” Huang said. “As a result, we are taking a multibillion-dollar write-off on inventory that cannot be sold or repurposed.”
Nvidia expects a non-GAAP gross margin of 72.0%, plus or minus 50 basis points, for the current quarter. For context, the margin was 73.5% in the fourth quarter of 2024 and 79% during the same quarter of the previous fiscal year.
In an interview with Bloomberg TV, Huang noted that Nvidia is exploring alternatives to the H20 chip. However, the company must obtain approval from the US government for any such measures.
US factory and Middle East venture
Nvidia is among the tech giants supporting President Donald Trump’s ambitious AI initiatives in the United States, announced in January. The company also unveiled a partnership with Saudi Arabia’s HUMAIN to build AI factories in the kingdom during a recent visit to the region that coincided with Trump’s trip. These developments were highlighted in the earnings report in the section for data centre.
“While sales in China are clouded by export restrictions, the Middle East looks set to become the new launchpad for Nvidia’s next phase of growth,” Gilbert added.
Thousands of desperate Palestinians stormed a UN World Food Programme warehouse in central Gaza on Wednesday, taking bags of flour after nearly three months of an Israeli blockade. The WFP said initial reports indicated that two people had died and several more were injured in the incident.
Chinese state media says the mission aims ‘to shed light on the formation and evolution of asteroids’ and the Earth.
China has successfully launched a spacecraft as part of its first-ever mission to retrieve pristine asteroid samples, in what researchers have described as a “significant step” in Beijing’s ambitions for interplanetary exploration.
China’s Long March 3B rocket lifted off at about 1.31am local time (18:30 GMT) on Thursday from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in southwest China’s Sichuan province. It was carrying the Tianwen-2 spacecraft, a robotic probe that could make China the third nation to fetch pristine asteroid rocks.
Announcing the launch, Chinese state-run news outlets said the “spacecraft unfolded its solar panels smoothly”, and that the China National Space Administration (CNSA) had “declared the launch a success”.
Over the next year, Tianwen-2 will approach a small near-Earth asteroid some 10 million miles (16 million km) away, named “469219 Kamoʻoalewa”, also known as 2016HO3.
The spacecraft is scheduled to arrive at the asteroid, which researchers believe is potentially a fragment of the Moon, in July 2026. It will then shoot the capsule with rock samples back to Earth for a landing in November 2027.
If successful, China would become only the third country to carry out such a mission after Japan first fetched samples from a small asteroid in 2010, followed by the United States in 2020.
The People’s Daily state-run newspaper described the mission’s purpose as an “endeavour to shed light on the formation and evolution of asteroids and the early solar system”.
The newspaper quoted Shan Zhongde, the head of the CNSA, as saying that the mission represented a “significant step in China’s new journey of interplanetary exploration”. He added that the mission was expected to yield “groundbreaking discoveries and expanding humanity’s knowledge of the cosmos”.
The mission has multiple goals over the “decade-long expedition”, according to Chinese state media, including “collecting samples from near-Earth asteroid 2016HO3” and “exploring the main-belt comet 311P”.
It will also aim to measure the “physical parameters of the two celestial targets”, including their “orbital dynamics, rotation, size, shape and thermal properties”.
The samples will be used to determine the “physical properties, chemical and mineral composition and structural characteristics” of asteroids, according to researchers working on the project.
As a quasi-satellite of Earth that has orbited the Sun in a synchronised path with the Earth for nearly a century, 2016HO3 has a diameter of between 120 feet (40 metres) and 300 feet (100 metres).
China has swiftly expanded its space programmes and embarked on several landmark missions in recent years, including landing robots on the far side of the Moon and collecting humankind’s first-ever samples from the area in June last year.
China is also running its own Tiangong space station in orbit – the only operational space station other than the International Space Station (ISS) – after the US barred it from participating in the ISS.
In April, three crew members landed back in the country’s north after spending six months on board Tiangong in what was the longest-ever mission in space by Chinese astronauts.
Beijing has also invested heavily in planned crewed missions to the Moon that would see Chinese astronauts on the lunar surface by 2030.
The US has also stated its aim to put astronauts back on the Moon for the first time since 1972, with NASA planning to launch its Artemis 3 mission in 2026 at the earliest.
Which? has extensively rated and compared two popular seaside counties popular with British staycationers to see which one offers the best holiday
Both counties are home to impressive coastal hiking trails, with some of the most scenic in North Devon(Image: Getty Images)
Two UK counties have been pit against one another to determine which makes for the best UK beach holiday destination. Ranking best scones to prettiest beaches, both counties have a wealth to offer travellers but one might have a slight edge.
The UK consumer champion Which has done an extensive breakdown of the merits of both Devon and Cornwall. Both counties are beloved destinations for both Brits and international travellers for their impressive beaches promising the perfect British seaside holiday.
Both Devon and Cornwall have more than 400 miles of shore, but according to Which, Devon stands out for having two distinct coasts. The north shores of both counties is where you will find the wildest waters – and thus, the most daring surfers – and the south is generally more serene.
But which of the two counties has the prettiest beach? According to Which, Devon takes the prize with Bantham Beach. While Cornwall’s Kyanance Cove is home to stunning cliffs and caves that travellers will recognise from the Game of Thrones, Devon has its own enchanting gem.
Bantham Beach in Devon is “an archetypal English beach, full of space, sand and salt breezes” according to Which. The south Devon beach takes on the shape of a horseshoe and is where the River Avon unravels into the English Channel.
Soar Mill Cove in Devon is a veritable hidden gem(Image: Getty Images)
While Devon may have the prettiest beach, Cornwall takes the prize for the best wild beach. Soar Mill Cove in Devon is a secret paradise between Salcombe and Hope Cove that is defined by green cliffs.
While Soar Mill Cove is a true gem, Lantic Bay in Cornwall wins for best wild beach with its wildflower-filled sea cliffs and the thick hedgerows that provide privacy and an atmosphere of tranquility. There are no shops, toilets or lifeguards on the shores, but that again adds to its wild and rare charm.
Mawgan Porth has a west-facing beach with exceptional surfing(Image: William Dax / SWNS)
Has Devon won the contest?
But Devon and Cornwall are more than their beaches, to determine the best seaside county Which also took the villages into consideration. To determine the county with the best small village beaches, Which put Cornwall’s Mawgan Porth Beach head-to-head with Combesgate Beach in Devon.
Devon won the final round, with Which calling Combesgate Beach “possibly the loveliest village in north Devon” where “it feels as though clock hands have stood still”. Both Combesgate Beach and Mawgan Porth Beach in Cornwall are incredible surfer beaches, but Combesgate wins out with its serene beauty and maze of rock pools. With that, Devon wins the title of best UK beach holiday destination.
According to Which: “Devon – the only English county to claim two separate coastlines – wins for the diversity of its beaches. There are riches in the south: pebbly beaches near the Dorset border ideal for fossil hunters, plus the little coves of the South Hams for picnics and the red sands of Paignton, poised beside a pier and fairground rides.”
Devon also beat Cornwall in Which’s ranking of the best seaside towns, with Dartmouth, scoring 79%, beating Cornwall’s highest-placed beach town of St Mawes. And just a little outside of Dartmouth, you’ll find Blackpool Sands, a secluded private corner of the coast.
Dartmouth stands out for its breath-taking scenery and it was described by blogger Sarah Hagan – known online as sarahkhagan – as the “most beautiful town in the UK” in a viral video.
Twenty countries in the European Union have called on Hungary to repeal its archaic ban on Pride and other LGBTQIA+ events.
Earlier this year, Hungarian lawmakers passed two pieces of legislation that further restricted the rights of the country’s LGBTQIA+ residents.
In March, the ruling Fidesz party submitted a bill that would make it illegal to organise or attend events that violate Hungary’s “child protection“ laws, which prohibit the “depiction or promotion“ of homosexuality to those under 18.
The legislation also allows police to use facial recognition cameras to identify individuals attending the events and give out fines of up to 200,000 Hungarian forints.
After being introduced in the parliament, the measure was swiftly passed and signed into law by the country’s extremely conservative Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
A few weeks later, lawmakers passed an amendment to Hungary’s constitution, banning LGBTQIA+ public events and declaring that only two genders – male and female – would be recognised.
In response to the draconian law and amendment, LGBTQIA+ organisations, activists and allies have slammed the government and Orbán, with many taking to the streets to protest.
The horrific pieces of legislation have also caught the attention of 20 EU countries, which urged Hungary to revise its harmful measures in a statement released on 27 May.
“We are highly alarmed by these developments which run contrary to the fundamental values of human dignity, freedom, equality and respect for human rights, as laid down in Artice 2 of the Treaty of the European Union,” they wrote.
“Respecting and protecting the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all people, including LGBTIQ+ persons, is inherent in being part of the European family. This is our responsibility and the shared commitment of the member states and the European institutions.
“We therefore call upon Hungary to revise these measures to ensure the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all its citizens are respected and protected, thus complying with its international obligations.”
The declaration was backed by France, Germany, Ireland, Greece, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Czechia, Cyprus, Belgium, Austria, Luxembourg, Malta, Estonia, Finland, Slovenia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
In addition to the joint statement, EU affairs ministers met in Brussels that same day to discuss Hungary’s harmful and anti-LGBTQIA+ laws.
“I think it’s time that we consider the next steps, because this is getting pointless in continuing these hearings,” EU affairs minister of Sweden Jessica Rosencrantz, told the Associated Press.
“[The EU is] not a geographical union but a union based on values, and in that sense, we have to act strongly against countries not living up to our common principles.”
In a world trying to erase LGBTQIA+ stories, we keep writing them. Join our mission as shareholders in Gay Times and help us fight for your rights. Find out more at investors.gaytimes.com.
UN Office on Drugs and Crime says ‘explosive growth’ in synthetic drug trade led to record seizures of methamphetamine in East and Southeast Asia in 2024.
Drug production and trafficking has surged in the infamous “Golden Triangle“, where the borders of Myanmar, Laos and Thailand meet, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has warned in a new report on the scale of the regional trade in synthetic drugs.
The UNODC said a record 236 tonnes of methamphetamine were seized last year in the East and Southeast Asia regions, marking a 24 percent increase in the amount of the narcotic seized compared with the previous year.
While Thailand became the first country in the region to seize more than 100 tonnes of methamphetamine in a single year last year – interdicting a total of 130 tonnes – trafficking of the drug from Myanmar’s lawless Shan State is rapidly expanding in Laos and Cambodia, the UNODC said.
“The 236 tons represent only the amount seized; much more methamphetamine is actually reaching the market,” the UNODC’s acting regional representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, Benedikt Hofmann, said in a statement.
“While these seizures reflect, in part, successful law enforcement efforts, we are clearly seeing unprecedented levels of methamphetamine production and trafficking from the Golden Triangle, in particular Shan State,” Hofmann said.
Transnational drug gangs operating in East and Southeast Asia are also showing “remarkable agility” in countering attempts by regional law enforcement to crack down on the booming trade in synthetic drugs.
Myanmar’s grinding civil war, which erupted in mid-2021, has also provided favourable conditions for an expansion of the drug trade.
“Since the military takeover in Myanmar in February 2021, flows of drugs from the country have surged across not only East and Southeast Asia, but also increasingly into South Asia, in particular Northeast India,” the report states.
The UNODC’s Inshik Sim, the lead analyst for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, said countries neighbouring Myanmar are becoming key trafficking routes for drugs produced in the Golden Triangle.
“The trafficking route connecting Cambodia with Myanmar, primarily through Laos PDR, has been rapidly expanding,” Sim said, using the acronym that is part of Laos’s official name, the People’s Democratic Republic.
“Another increasingly significant corridor involves maritime trafficking routes linking Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines, with Sabah in Malaysia serving as a key transit hub,” he said.
Evolving, cell-based transnational organized crime groups based in East and #SoutheastAsia are increasingly adopting technologies across the entire drug supply chain while converging with other organized crime activities.
— UNODC Southeast Asia-Pacific (@UNODC_SEAP) May 28, 2025
The UNODC report also notes that while most countries in the region have reported an overall increase in the use of methamphetamine and ketamine – a powerful sedative – the number of drug users in the older age group has grown in some nations.
“Some countries in the region, such as Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand, have reported consecutive increases in the number of older drug users, while the number of younger users has declined,” the UNODC report states, adding that the age trend needed to be studied further.
The UNODC’s Hofmann said the decline in the number of younger drug users admitted for treatment may be due to targeted drug use prevention campaigns.
“It will be key for the region to increase investment in both prevention and supply reduction strategies,” he added.
![The Pakistani delegation with prime minister Shehbaz Sharif and army chief Asim Munir also made a stop in Iran in their four-country tour. [Handout/Pakistan Prime Minister's Office]](https://www.occasionaldigest.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/c4bc2843-fa4c-4437-b90f-387be1d39668-1748471595.jpg)
