Several federal prosecutors — including the chief of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section — have submitted their resignations following a plea deal offered by the new U.S. attorney in Los Angeles to a sheriff’s deputy who had already been found guilty of using excessive force.

Two sources confirmed to The Times that Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eli A. Alcaraz, Brian R. Faerstein and section chief Cassie Palmer resigned from the office over a “post-trial” plea agreement filed Thursday in the case of Trevor Kirk, an L.A. County sheriff’s deputy who was convicted of a felony for assaulting and pepper-spraying a woman outside Lancaster supermarket.

Reached Saturday afternoon, Faerstein said he had no comment. None of the other prosecutors said to have resigned responded to inquiries. The sources who confirmed the resignations requested anonymity because they feared retaliation. A spokesperson for the U.S. attorney’s office declined to comment.

Kirk, who has been “relieved of duty” by the Sheriff’s Department, was found guilty in February of one felony count of deprivation of rights under color of law and faced up to 10 years in prison. Under the plea deal filed Thursday, which still requires approval from a judge, he would serve a maximum of one year in prison. The government agreed to recommend a year of probation.

In June 2023, Kirk was responding to a reported robbery when he threw a woman to the ground and pepper sprayed her in the face while she filmed him outside a Lancaster WinCo. While the woman matched the description of a female suspect Kirk had received from a dispatcher, she was not armed or committing a crime at the time he first confronted her, court records show.

Under the new agreement, Kirk would plead guilty to a lesser-included misdemeanor violation of deprivation of rights under color of law.

If the plea is approved by the judge, according to the agreement, the U.S. attorney’s office would “move to strike” the jury’s finding that Kirk injured the victim.

Alcaraz, Palmer, Faerstein and another prosecutor, Michael J. Morse, all withdrew from the case on Friday, according to court filings. The only assistant U.S. attorney who signed off on the plea agreement, Robert J. Keenan, was not previously involved in the case.

Bill Essayli, appointed U.S. attorney for Los Angeles last month by President Trump, is also listed on the agreement.

Kirk’s attorney, Tom Yu, declined to comment Friday evening. Previously, he described Kirk as a “hero, not a criminal” and said video showed he acted within the law to “detain a combative robbery suspect.”

Essayli’s move to offer a misdemeanor plea to a defendant who had already been convicted was extremely unorthodox, according to Carley Palmer, a former supervisor in the federal prosecutor’s office in Los Angeles who is now a partner at Halpern May Ybarra Gelberg LLP.

“It’s not unprecedented, but it is extraordinary, to try to have a jury verdict withdrawn and replaced by a plea agreement to a lesser crime. The government invests extraordinary resources to take a case like that to trial,” she said. “You have the agency’s investigation, you have all the man or woman hours … then you have a jury that says you got it right beyond a reasonable doubt.”

To justify seeking a post-conviction plea deal, prosecutors would need to have found evidence that the defendant was innocent or that there was some serious misconduct on the part of the trial team, according to Palmer.

Last month, U.S. District Judge Stephen V. Wilson denied a motion from Yu for an acquittal. Wilson ruled footage of the incident was sufficient evidence for a jury to find Kirk had used “objectively unreasonable force.”

“J.H. did not have a weapon, did not attack Defendant, was not attempting to flee, and was not actively committing a crime,” Wilson wrote, identifying the woman involved by initials.

The judge also noted in his ruling that while Kirk acted aggressively toward the woman from the outset, his partner managed to lead the arrest of the other robbery suspect without using force.

There are noticeable differences in the way the new plea agreement describes what Kirk did, as compared to a press release issued by the U.S. attorney’s office in February when the jury returned a guilty verdict.

The agreement makes references to the woman having “resisted” Kirk’s attempt to detain her and describes her as “swatting” at the deputy’s arm.

In his ruling last month, Wilson determined this could have been seen as the victim reacting reflexively to Kirk’s actions, and noted it’s unclear if she even hits Kirk.

The plea agreement also makes no reference to the woman’s injuries, while the February release says she “was treated for blunt-force head trauma and injuries to her head, arms, and wrist.”

Attorney Caree Harper, who is representing the woman in a civil suit that reached a settlement earlier this year, said the new plea deal is “changing the facts” and is not supported by video footage of the incident.

“They’re taking creative liberty with the facts and deciding to give a jury of Trevor Kirk’s peers the middle finger and it should not be tolerated,” she told The Times. If Wilson approves the agreement, Harper said, she expects civil rights groups will launch protests and urge state or county prosecutors to take up the case.

Harper noted that downgrading Kirk’s charge from a felony could allow him to continue working as a law enforcement officer. He will also retain his right to own a firearm without a felony conviction.

“He definitely should not be able to wear a badge again, anywhere in any state,” she said.

According to Robert Bonner, a former federal judge who now chairs the county’s Civilian Oversight Commission, a post-conviction plea deal is an extreme rarity. Allowing pleas after trial, Bonner said, could undermine prosecutors’ ability to negotiate in the future.

“If you did this routinely, you could never get a plea bargain,” he said.

Even though federal prosecutors and the defense have both agreed to the deal, Bonner said, the judge doesn’t have to adhere to it.

“He could reject the whole plea deal, or he can accept the plea deal and say I’m not going to give one year probation, I’m going to give six months in custody or some other period of time up to one year in prison,” he said.

Wilson last month refused to delay Kirk’s May 19 sentencing hearing, after prosecutors told him Essayli wanted more time to review the case.

Support for Kirk began gaining steam on social media after his indictment last September. In January, Nick Wilson, founder of a first responder advocacy group and spokesperson for the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Professional Association, wrote a letter to Trump urging him to intervene before the case went to trial. Former Sheriff Alex Villanueva, who has become increasingly popular in right-wing circles online, has also championed Kirk’s case, posting Instagram video of himself and Wilson consoling the deputy at the courthouse after trial.

Wilson, the Sheriff’s Professional Association spokesperson, on Friday said he was “encouraged by the recent development in Deputy Trevor Kirk’s case and will continue to monitor the upcoming sentencing closely.”

“While this case should never have been prosecuted in the first place, we are deeply grateful the Department of Justice took a second, impartial look at the facts and merits,” he said in an email. “This action sends a powerful message — not just in Trevor’s case, but to law enforcement officers across the state and nation who too often feel abandoned or politically targeted in today’s climate.”

A spokesperson for the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department did not immediately comment on the developments in Kirk’s case.

The wave of resignations comes amid other recent controversy in the federal prosecutor’s office. In March, a White House official fired Adam Schleifer as an assistant U.S. attorney, in a one-line email informing him that the dismissal was “on behalf of President Donald J. Trump.”

Schleifer recently challenged his firing, calling it “unlawful” and alleging it was motivated in part by his prosecution of Andrew Wiederhorn, the former chairman and chief executive of Fat Brands, which owns the Fatburger and Johnny Rockets restaurant chains. Schleifer had also posted negative comments about Trump during a period when he left his job as prosecutor to run for office as a Democrat.

According to Meghann Cuniff, an independent legal affairs reporter, the Department of Justice is reviewing a separate case involving Alexander Smirnov, a former FBI informant who pleaded guilty to lying about a phony bribery scheme involving President Biden and his son Hunter. A federal judge sentenced Smirnov to six years in prison.

The turmoil in the L.A. federal prosecutor’s office follows mass resignations in the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan earlier this year, when several prosecutors stepped down after Trump administration appointees pushed to drop corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

Leeds leapfrog their opponents with a third win in four games, a run only spoiled by their defeat by leaders Hull KR last week.

They got that loss out of their system in the opening phase as Gannon’s smart kick popped up nicely for Lumb to pounce and score after Gannon and Ash Handley had opened up the defence.

Ten minutes later more enterprising attacking play from the Rhinos saw Harry Newman send Alfie Edgell racing down the right, and he passed the ball inside to send Miller over and establish a 10-point lead at half time.

Lumb pulled off a try-saving tackle on Jon Bennison but Saints rarely troubled the Leeds line in the first half.

Wellens sent on experienced pair Daryl Clark and Jonny Lomax, the latter controversially dropped a fortnight ago, and for a short while they started to piece their game together and shortly into the second half they cracked the Leeds defence as Whitley went over.

That sparked an attacking spell for Saints, with Leeds errors inviting pressure and Saints squandering it with scrappy disorganised rugby.

Tristan Sailor’s interception and sprint downfield set Saints up perfectly but an incorrect play-the-ball cost them possession in a threatening position, a moment that summed up their game.

Murphy’s sin-binning took the wind out of their sails and came as he leaped high to gather a kick and caught Edgell in the face with his knee, as the Leeds man kept his feet firmly planted on the ground.

Murphy was disconsolate and Wellens infuriated, and Leeds took advantage by going up the other end, with Sinfield coolly drop-kicking the ball between the posts.

Saints’ misery was compounded as what seemed to be a debut try for Deon Cross was ruled out for a knock-on in the build-up before Gannon capped a fine display by powering over for a try that made sure of the points.

May 3 (UPI) — The taxpayer-funded Voice of America is scheduled to resume broadcasting next week for at least a little while longer.

The Department of Justice emailed VOA staff on Friday to tell them a “phased return” of the radio broadcast will occur next week while a federal appeals court weighs the matter, Politico and The Guardian reported.

“The U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) currently expects staff to begin to return to the office next week, as security, building space and equipment issues require a phased return,” U.S. Attorney Brenda Gonzalez Horowitz said in an email to attorneys who are representing VOA employees in the federal legal challenge, The Washington Post reported.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia on Thursday temporarily stopped the Trump administration from blocking USAGM’s and VOA’s funding, but affirmed the administration could continue withholding funds from Radio Free Europe, Radio Free Asia and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks.

The VOA is a federal entity, but the other broadcasting platforms are privately owned non-profits that mostly were funded by Congress.

Thursday’s ruling enables the VOA to resume broadcasting while he appellate court weighs the merits of the case, which might take several weeks or months to decide.

President Donald Trump on March 14 signed an executive order to reduce the scope of the federal government, including the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which oversees the VOA.

A day later, the White House newsletter published an article called “The Voice of Radical America,” which says “taxpayers are no longer on the hook for radical propaganda.”

The unattributed article quotes former 34-year VOA correspondent Dan Robinson in an earlier opinion piece saying the VOA “has essentially become a hubris-filled rogue operation often reflecting a leftist bias aligned with partisan national media.”

Robinson argues the USAGM and VOA “are rightly in budget cut bull’s-eye” and accuses VOA of “violations of journalistic standards and mismanagement.”

The VOA began as an international radio broadcast more than 80 years ago and more recently included television, mobile, internet and social media formats in more than 40 languages.

Gudun Tsira Dauke Da Juna Biyu | RSS.com

Saurara a: Apple Podcast | Spotify | RSS

Jummai mai dauke da cikin wata tara ta tsere daga garinsu da ke Nassarawa a Arewacin Najeriya bayan jin karar harbe-harbe! Wannan ba shine karo na farko da take tserewa tashin hankali ba.

A cikin wannan shirin na #BIRBISHINRIKICI, mun ba da labarin asarar da sukayi da kuma gudun hijira.

Mai Gabatarwa: Rukayya Saeed

Marubuciya: Sabiqah Bello

Muryoyin Shiri: Sabiqah Bello

Fassara: Rukayya Saeed

Edita: Aliyu Dahiru

Furodusa: Alamin Umar

Babban Furodusa: Anthony Asemota

Babban Mashiryi: Ahmad Salkida

THE internet is going ape over the big question of the moment – who would win a fight between 100 men and a gorilla?

What began as a tongue-in-cheek poser has quickly snowballed into a fierce global debate – and here the Sun can reveal the answer.

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Even Tesla tycoon Elon Musk and world heavyweight boxing champ Oleksandr Usyk have waded in to the King Kong ding-don­g.

So far, more than 288million people have joined the viral online discussion, which has taken over Reddit, TikTok, YouTube and Instagram, after a user called DreamChasnMike posed the hypothetical question on X.

Ukrainian slugger Usyk boldly claimed that he could take on the challenge single-handed.

Meanwhile Elon fancied himself in a team of 100 against a single silverback gorilla when YouTube star MrBeast, who has 386million followers, asked for volunteers to put it to the test.

“What’s the worst that could happen?” Elon asked.

It’s a good question.

But big-primate dentist Paul Cassar, from Chichester, West Sussex, warned there is no contest when it comes to man versus beast.

He said: “While I’d never condone this, 100 unarmed men wouldn’t stand a chance.

“I once treated a gorilla who was only slightly agitated, yet he started picking up a giant iron ball that no human could have lifted and throwing it against the wall.

“The whole building shook.”

Kartick Satyanarayan, of conservation charity Wildlife SOS,, also opposed any face-off.

But he added: “A hundred Mike Tysons are unlikely to be able to tackle a gorilla with bare hands.

“One look at those gigantic teeth can indicate the damage they can inflict.”

Gorillas have powerful bites and just one punch can shatter a human skull.

Even so, England midfielder Cole Palmer struggled to pick sides in the debate, saying: “Bro, it’s split though . . . 100 men that are willing to fight . . . ”

His Chelsea teammate, Tosin Adarabioyo, branded his response “stupid”.

Meanwhile, among the other Blues players, Levi Colwill, Noni Madueke, Josh Acheampong, Marc Cucurella and Lucas Bergstrom said the gorilla would win and Trevoh Chalobah and Pedro Neto opted for the blokes.

American basketball idol Shaquille O’Neal claimed one gorilla would “knock out” 100 men.

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But MMA champ Merab Dvalishvili reckoned he could see off the beast alone, bragging: “I’m smart. I’m strong. Easy.”

President of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, Tara Stoinski, reckons 100 blokes would win by co-operating and co-ordinating strategies.

She added: “They can take turns, so their endurance is going to be a lot longer than a single gorilla fighting for hours.”

And Ron Magill, of Zoo Miami, added: “Gorillas only fight to protect their families.

“But I’ve seen a gorilla break a coconut and flip a 300lb boulder like it’s styrofoam.”

Psychologists warn that relying on others in extreme situations is a gamble, and fitness experts agree.

Emily Cleary, of Embrace Fitness, said: “Our strength is our brain and ability to work in teams, but I question the brain strength of anyone who tries to put it to the test.”

Dan Simmonds, from London Zoo, added: “Gorillas are gentle and shy, so they prefer not to waste energy on aggression unless provoked.”

So who WOULD win?

Perhaps the real question, in a scenario so ludicrous is: Who gives a monkey’s?

It has been eight years since the Houston Astros cheated their way through a year that included a World Series victory over the Dodgers. It has been five years since commissioner Rob Manfred publicly detailed the scandal and sanctioned the Astros and their leaders, if not their players.

Does A.J. Hinch, the manager of those Astros, still hear about it?

“Every day,” he said.

Hinch now manages the Detroit Tigers.

“As a manager, my name gets announced in every stadium, every night,” he said Friday at Angel Stadium. “So it gives everybody an opportunity to remind me that no one has forgotten.

“And no one should forget.”

We’ll get back to those Astros. But, first, we ought to tip our cap to these Tigers, the team with the best record in the American League.

The Tigers have surrendered the fewest runs in the AL and scored the third most through Friday’s games.

Their starting rotation includes defending Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal (2.21 ERA), former Dodger Jack Flaherty (3.34) and former first-round pick Casey Mize (2.70).

Mize preceded sluggers Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson as first-round picks in Detroit; Greene and Torkelson have combined for one more home run (17) than the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani and Teoscar Hernández (16).

Hinch is something of an accidental manager. In 2009, he was the minor league director of the Arizona Diamondbacks when general manager Josh Byrnes asked him to manage the team.

“I thought he was crazy,” Hinch said.

What Byrnes saw and many others in baseball did not: The traditional wall between the front office and the coaching staff was crumbling. The analyst or executive coming into the clubhouse might be there to help the manager and coaches, not to usurp their authority.

“I think the Diamondbacks, for the first time, were ahead of the curve,” said Angels pitching coach Barry Enright, then a Diamondbacks pitcher. “It was rare back then to see a front-office member come into the coaches’ room. Now it’s all one big unit.”

Innovation is great when you win. The Diamondbacks did not, and Hinch did not manage even one full season before he and Byrnes were fired.

Look at Hinch now: The Tigers earned their first playoff berth in 10 years last season, with a fraying rotation held together by Skubal and duct tape. In the first round, they beat the — dramatic pause — Astros. Two ex-Dodgers on the current Detroit roster compare Hinch favorably to Dave Roberts.

“Two incredible managers,” Flaherty said. “I’ve been lucky enough to play for both of them.”

“The Dodgers, they can just go out there and roll out their guys: We’re here, we’re going to beat you,” said utilityman Zach McKinstry, who ranks eighth in the AL with a .311 batting average.

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch congratulates Zach McKinstry after he scored a run. McKinstry is a fan of Hinch’s managing style.

(Paul Sancya / Associated Press)

“The way we play the game, the way we know the game, the way we know our opponents beforehand, it’s just unmatched. It’s something I’ve never been a part of. We have to strategize and bring our best game every night.”

McKinstry is sensitive to the unfortunately common perception: How good a manager does Roberts have to be if he can write Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman atop his lineup card every night?

“Managing superstars like that definitely comes with different challenges,” McKinstry said. “The way he uses his bullpen; he’s really good at that. Super good manager.

“He can control the media. He controls his players. He controls that locker room. All good things.”

When McKinstry was traded to Detroit in 2023, he was apprehensive about Hinch. McKinstry made his major league debut with the Dodgers in 2020, the year the Astros’ scandal exploded into view and Dodgers fans gathered to jeer the Astros’ team bus, even as pandemic restrictions prevented them from entering Dodger Stadium.

“You come over here and you’re like, ‘What am I going to think?’” McKinstry said. “I just kind of erased all that and came over here with open eyes and an open heart.”

Perhaps we all should, at least with respect to Hinch.

Manfred suspended Hinch and Jeff Luhnow, then the Astros’ general manager, for one year. Jim Crane, the Astros’ owner, then fired Hinch and Luhnow.

In his report, Manfred said Hinch did not devise, participate in or approve of the scheme to intercept the pitch calls of opposing teams on live video and communicate the upcoming pitch by banging on a trash can. However, Manfred said, Hinch did not put a stop to it.

“As the person with responsibility for managing his players and coaches,” Manfred said, “there simply is no justification for Hinch’s failure to act.”

In a year the American League is down, the Tigers are up. Does Hinch believe a World Series championship in Detroit would confer legitimacy upon him that the title in Houston might not, at least not to some fans?

“I don’t want to win for me, or for my story, or because of what we did previously in my career,” he said. “I want to win because of all the work that we put into it, and I want everybody to experience the feeling of being on top of the sport.”

His remorse sounds sincere, not coming in a scripted statement but as we talked in the visiting dugout Friday afternoon. Hinch could have declined to talk about the scandal, or he could have offered some version of “I’ve put that behind me,” but he did neither.

“It was wrong, and I should have handled it better,” Hinch said. “I understand my role in my time in Houston, but my goal is to always own it, and do everything I can to show people that I can impact a team.”

If adversity reveals character, as those of us in the sports world like to chirp, consider the reaction of the three most prominent men Manfred cited in his report.

Crane said: “I don’t think I should be held accountable.”

Luhnow said he had been held out as “the scapegoat for the organization” and sued the Astros.

Hinch said he was wrong.

Prime minister of Yemen’s internationally recognised government has resigned amid political turmoil.

Israel has intercepted a missile fired from Yemen, the third such attack by Houthi forces in a 24-hour span, as the United States continues daily attacks on the country.

The Israeli army confirmed on Saturday it had activated air raid sirens across parts of the country following the missile launch.

No injuries or major damage were reported. Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree claimed responsibility for the attack, calling it a response to Israeli operations in Gaza.

The Houthis have increasingly targeted Israel and shipping routes in the Red Sea, stating that their actions are acts of solidarity with Palestinians as Israel continues its assault on Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

The Houthis did not carry out attacks during the Gaza ceasefire earlier this year until Israel blocked all aid into the besieged enclave in early March and followed that with a full resumption of the war.

In the meantime, Houthi-affiliated Al Masirah TV reported on Saturday that the US launched two air raids on Yemen’s Kamaran Island and as-Salif district in the port city of Hodeidah.

The new attacks come a day after the same news outlet reported seven US attacks on the Ras Isa oil port in as-Salif district in Hodeidah. Last month, a US strike on the same port killed at least 80 people and wounded 150 in one of the deadliest attacks on the country by US forces.

The US has also ramped up its air campaign in Yemen, launching its most extensive military operations in the Middle East since President Donald Trump assumed office in January.

US forces claim to have struck Houthi positions, however, there have been numerous civilian casualties.

The high civilian toll from US strikes is drawing increasing alarm. The UK-based monitor Airwars reported that between 27 and 55 civilians were killed in March alone. April’s deaths are expected to be higher.

Houthi sources say at least 68 African migrants died in a single overnight strike on Monday, with additional casualties reported around the capital.

Yemen’s prime minister resigns

As the conflict intensifies, political instability is growing within Yemen.

Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak, the prime minister of the internationally recognised government, announced his resignation on Saturday, citing persistent challenges, including his inability to reshuffle the cabinet.

Government insiders said a power struggle with Presidential Council leader Rashad al-Alimi triggered Mubarak’s departure.

Within hours of the announcement, the presidential council named Finance Minister Salem Saleh bin Braik as prime minister, according to the state-run SABA news agency. The council also named bin Mubarak as an adviser to the ruling body, without addressing his claims.

Mubarak’s political career has been closely linked to the long-running war in Yemen. He rose to prominence after being abducted by Houthi fighters in 2015 while serving as chief of staff to then-president Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

Much of the international community does not recognise the Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah (supporters of God), even though the armed Iran-aligned group controls most parts of Yemen, including the capital, Sanaa, and some of the western and northern areas close to Saudi Arabia.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese rode an anti-Trump wave to a landslide victory and a historic second term Saturday. Voters, he said, chose “the Australian way.” Liberal Party leader Peter Dutton conceded defeat.

San Francisco — San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie had declared it Michael Tilson Thomas Day. City Hall glowed MTT’s trademark blue. Davies Symphony Hall, where Tilson Thomas presided over the San Francisco Symphony for an influential quarter century, was festooned with giant blue balloons.

For Tilson Thomas, it all was the culmination of what he declared in February: “We all get to say the old show business expression, ‘It’s a wrap.’”

Despite starting treatment for an aggressive form of brain cancer in summer 2021, Tilson Thomas astonishingly continued to conduct throughout the U.S. and even in Europe for the next three and a half years. But in February he learned that the tumor had returned, and the conductor declared last Saturday night’s San Francisco Symphony gala, billed as an 80th tribute to this native Angeleno, would be his last public appearance.

He was led to the podium by his husband, Joshua Robison, who remained seated on stage, keeping a watchful eye. Tilson Thomas started with Benjamin Britten’s Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Purcell, better known as “The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra.” After various tributes and performances in his honor, MTT, ever the great showman, went out with a bang, leading a triumphant and mystical and stunningly glorious performance of Respighi’s splashy “Roman Festivals.”

A song from Leonard Bernstein’s “On the Town” — including the line “Where has the time all gone to?” — followed as an encore, sung by guest singers and the San Francisco Symphony Chorus, just before balloons joyfully fell from above.

For six decades, beginning with his undergraduate years at USC — where he attracted the attention of Igor Stravinsky, Aaron Copland, Jascha Heifetz, Gregor Piatigorsky and the odd rock ‘n’ roll musician about town — Tilson Thomas has been a joy-making key figure in American music.

To pin MTT down is an unreasonable task. He saw a bigger picture than any great American conductor before him — his mentor and champion, Bernstein, included. With a pioneering sense of eclecticism, he connected the dots between John Cage and James Brown, between Mahler and MTT’s famous grandfather, Boris Thomashefsky, a star of the New York Yiddish theater.

Tilson Thomas has nurtured generations of young musicians and given voice to outsiders greatly responsible for American music becoming what it is. He treated mavericks as icons — Meredith Monk and Lou Harrison among them.

The San Francisco concert could touch on little of this, but it did reveal something of what makes MTT tick. In “Young Person’s Guide,” for instance, Tilson Thomas demonstrated an undying love of every aspect of the orchestra as well as his lifelong devotion to education. As a 25-year-old Boston Symphony assistant conductor, he was speaking to audiences, sharing enthusiasm that not all uptight Bostonians were quite ready for.

Not long after, he succeeded Bernstein in the New York Philharmonic Young People’s Concerts. He made television and radio documentaries. In 1987, he founded the New World Symphony in Miami Beach, training orchestra musicians. Alumni are now busy reinventing American orchestral life. In L.A., former New World violinist Shalini Vijayan curates the imaginative Koreatown new music series Tuesdays @ Monk Space.

With the young conductor Teddy Abrams at his side turning pages, Tilson Thomas treated “Young Person’s Guide” more as a seasoned player’s guide to the orchestra. A hallmark of Tilson Thomas’ tenure in San Francisco had been to encourage a degree of free expression typically stifled in ensemble playing. Britten’s score is a riot of solos, and this time around they all seemed to be saying, in so many notes: “This is for you Michael.”

Michael Tilson Thomas conduct’s Britten’s ‘Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Purcell’ to open his gala concert with the San Francisco Symphony at Davies Symphony Hall.

(Stefan Cohen / San Francisco Symphony)

This is for you, Michael, as was all else that followed. While Tilson Thomas sat in a chair at the front of the stage looking at the orchestra, Abrams — music director of the Louisville Orchestra and a Berkeley native who began studying at age 9 with Tilson Thomas — led the rousing overture to Joseph Rumshinsky’s Yiddish theater comedy, “Khantshe in Amerike.” Bessie Thomashefsky, Tilson Thomas’ grandmother, was the original Khantshe in 1915.

Throughout his career Tilson Thomas has been an active composer, but only in recent years had he finally began more actively releasing his pensive and wistful songs that served as informal entrees in a private journal. Mezzo soprano Sasha Cooke led off with “Immer Wieder” to a poem by Rilke. Frederica von Stade, still vibrant-sounding at 79, joined her for “Not Everyone Thinks I’m Beautiful.”

The two songs tenor Ben Jones turned to, “Drift Off to Sleep” and “Answered Prayers,” were moving odes to melancholy. The Broadway singer Jessica Vosk — whose career in show business was launched when Tilson Thomas picked her out of the San Francisco Symphony Chorus to be a soloist in “West Side Story” — lifted spirits with “Take Back Your Mink” from “Guys and Dolls,” but then reminded us why we were all there with Tilson Thomas’ “Sentimental Again.”

Cooke sang “Grace,” which Tilson Thomas wrote for Bernstein’s 70th birthday but which here took on a brave new meaning in its final stanza: “Make us grateful whatever comes next / In this life on earth we’re sharing / For the truth is / Life is good.”

Edwin Outwater, who got his start as an assistant conductor to Tilson Thomas in San Francisco, led the inspirational finale of Bernstein’s “Chichester Psalms” before Tilson Thomas returned to raise the roof with “Roman Festivals.”

Respighi’s evocations of gladiators at the Circus Maximus, of early Christian pilgrims and other scenes of ancient Roman life, seem a surprisingly odd epilogue to an all-American conductor’s storied career. But Tilson Thomas has always been an arresting programmer, even in his 20s when he served as music director of the Ojai festival. “Roman Festivals” has long been a Tilson Thomas favorite. He recorded it with the L.A. Phil in 1978, relishing the details of ancient Rome in all its intricate and realistic complexity.

This last time, Tilson Thomas offered an epic, yet longing, look back. Trumpets blared with startlingly loud majesty. Pilgrims were lost in stunning meditative refinement. In the last of the four festivals, “The Epiphany,” grace and grandeur merged as one, with final, firm orchestral punctuation massively powerful. It was as if Tilson Thomas was saying to the audience, “This one is for you. And I’m still here saying it.”

Tilson Thomas has made a practice of musing about what happens when the music stops. What is left? How long does the music stay with us, somewhere inside? Can it change us? Does it matter?

From the instant Tilson Thomas became music director of the San Francisco Symphony in 1995, he treated the orchestra as an essential component of San Francisco life. His successor, Esa-Pekka Salonen, has taken that to heart with the kind of innovatory spirit that he had brought to the L.A. Phil. The orchestra’s management has not, however, provided needed support, and Salonen is leaving in June. Musicians stood outside Davies handing out fliers to the audience demanding that the orchestra pursue Tilson Thomas’ mission.

The San Francisco Symphony has reached a turning point. Respighi wrote of “The Epiphany” that he wanted frantic clamor and intoxicating noise, expressing the popular feeling “We are Romans, let us pass!” Tilson Thomas beat out those three emphatic staccato orchestral chords — Let! Us! Pass! — as though meant to ring and ring and ring, as lasting as centuries-old Roman monuments.

A STAR of The Apprentice has become a dad for first time at 50 – after revealing he wants Lord Sugar to be godfather.

Tre Lowe appeared on the 2024 series of the BBC show and confirmed he was going to be a dad in November.

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Now Tre has revealed his son has arrived safe and well, sharing a snap of the tot’s tiny hand and foot on his Instagram.

He wrote alongside the snaps: “And just like that, I’m a father.

“There’s nothing that prepares you for this moment. No book, no podcast, no advice. Just you, your son, and a whole new frequency of love.

“Real talk – the road to get here hasn’t been easy. It’s been full of plot twists, growing pains, and challenging moments.

“But every single one shaped me. Broke me open. Built something real. Something solid.”

He continued: “Now I look at my son and everything makes sense. My mission. My why.

“To everyone who’s walked with me, held space – I see you. I thank you. I love you.

“To my wife Enas – you are power, beauty, grace and grit. What you’ve done, what you’ve carried, what you’ve become… I’m in awe.”

He finished the post by writing: “And to my son…I’ve got you. Through everything. Through the madness and the magic.
From now till my last breath – I’ve got you. The next chapter begins now. Let’s get it.”

Tre previously opened up about how Lord Sugar would be a fantastic godfather to his child.

He said: “God, if anything happened to me. I know my kid is going to be all right. If Lord Sugar was the godparent, can you imagine the wisdom that kid would have.”

He also spoke about being an older dad, saying: “I must admit every now and then, in my weaker moments, I say, ‘oh, my God, have I left it too late?’ because people tend to think it’s women who think about that biological clock but I’ll tell you that men think of it too.

“I do think about it, because when my child is going to university, I’m going to be like 70 or 71! And by the time it graduates I’m going to be like 75.

“I do worry and think about whether I’m still going to be healthy and well.”

The Apprentice biggest moments

THE Apprentice has been a fan favourite ever since it burst onto the box in 2005.

Here we take a look at five of the biggest moments over the years on the hit BBC One show.

Tim Campbell – Former London Underground transport manager Tim Campbell won the first series of the reality show in 2005. He is now one of Lord Sugar’s aides on the show.

 Sarah Lynn and James White – For the first and only time in the show’s history, both finalists were crowned winners in 2017.

Amy Anzel – Season 16’s fired candidate Amy Anzel was BANNED from the final celebration show, after a tit-for-tat exchange over Lord Sugar’s mocking tweets.

Michelle Dewberry – Telecoms consultant Michelle Dewberry won the second series of the show in 2006. However, after winning a six-figure job with Lord Sugar she lasted just four months before she sensationally quit.

Selena Waterman-Smith – We’re used to tensions running high in the boardroom, but in 2015 a disagreement between two candidates spilled over – for the first time – into a physical bust-up. Events manager Selina Waterman-Smith was given a verbal warning by show bosses for her role in an off-camera scrap with Charleine Wain.

The TV star continued: “I’m very fit for my age, and even though I look much younger than what I am, biologically, I am still what I am.

“But like, I say, I think if you’re not going to live life in your discomfort zone, there’s no point living, and I always live by that motto.”

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WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has reached a preliminary agreement to settle a wrongful-death lawsuit brought by the family of Ashli Babbitt over her shooting by an officer who was protecting lawmakers during the U.S. Capitol riot, attorneys said Friday.

Lawyers for Babbitt’s estate and the Justice Department told a judge in Washington’s federal court that they have reached a settlement in principle, but the details are still being worked out and the final agreement has not yet been signed. The terms of the settlement have not been disclosed.

Babbitt’s estate filed the $30-million lawsuit last year over her fatal shooting when she attempted to climb through the broken window of a barricaded door leading to the Speaker’s Lobby inside the Capitol during the insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021.

The Capitol Police officer who shot her was cleared of wrongdoing by the U.S. attorney’s office for the District of Columbia, which concluded that he acted in self-defense and in the defense of members of Congress. The Capitol Police also cleared the officer.

Babbitt, a 35-year-old Air Force veteran from San Diego, was unarmed when she was shot by the police lieutenant when she tried to climb through the door as others in the mob pressed to get into the lobby outside the House chamber.

The lawsuit alleges that the officer, who was not in uniform, failed to de-escalate the situation and did not give her any warnings or commands before opening fire. It also alleges negligence on the part of Capitol Police. The lawsuit says the department “should have known” that the officer was “prone to behave in a dangerous or otherwise incompetent manner.”

“Ashli posed no threat to the safety of anyone,” the lawsuit said.

The Capitol Police officer said in a televised interview that he fired as a “last resort.” When he pulled the trigger, he said, he had no idea whether the person jumping through the window was armed.

Capitol Police officials and an attorney for Babbitt’s estate didn’t immediately respond to emails seeking comment Friday.

President Trump in January pardoned, commuted the prison sentences or ordered the dismissal of all of the cases of the 1,500-plus people charged with crimes in the riot, in which a mob tried to disrupt Congress’ certification of Joe Biden’s presidential victory over Trump.

In addition to Babbitt, four fellow rioters and five police officers died as a consequence of the Jan. 6 violence. More than 100 officers were injured, many seriously.

Trump, a convicted felon, was charged with additional felonies related to his role in the insurrection, but the case was dropped after he won the November presidential election.

Richer writes for the Associated Press.

Unai Emery said qualifying for the Champions League is Aston Villa’s “dream” after his side beat fellow European hopefuls Fulham 1-0 to move level on points with fifth-placed Chelsea in the Premier League.

Youri Tielemans scored the only goal early in the first half to earn Villa their seventh victory in nine league games and apply pressure on the teams above them before the weekend’s remaining fixtures.

Only four points separate Manchester City in third from Villa in seventh, but Newcastle, Chelsea and sixth-placed Nottingham Forest still have a game in hand.

The Premier League’s top five are all guaranteed a spot in the Champions League next season.

“We are so motivated to be [in the Champions League] again,” Emery told BBC Match of the Day.

“Europe is very important for the club and for our progress. The Champions League is the most difficult achievement we can have.

“It was a very important win – the Champions league is our dream.”

Villa face Bournemouth away and Tottenham Hotspur at home in their next two fixtures, before travelling to Manchester United in their final game of the campaign.

They reached the quarter-finals of Europe’s premier club competition this season, losing 5-4 on aggregate to Paris St-Germain despite a rousing second-leg fightback at Villa Park.

“We’re desperate [to qualify again],” said Villa captain John McGinn. “Once you’ve had a taste of it, you want more.

“Today hopefully gets us knocking on the door. We want to be in the Champions League and will give it everything we have.”

In Saturday’s late game, Bournemouth boosted their hopes of capping a magnificent season with European qualification by beating Arsenal at Emirates Stadium.

There will be at least eight Premier league teams competing in Europe next season – up from the usual seven – but things could change in the final weeks of the campaign.

Twelfth-placed Crystal Palace, who beat Villa in the FA Cup semi-finals last weekend, could still end up qualifying for Europe via the league or by beating City in the FA Cup final later this month.

BBC Sport looks at how many teams could qualify for each of the continental competitions: the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League.

May 3 (UPI) — Warren Buffett shared his thoughts on everything from Donald Trump‘s tariffs to the state of the economy Saturday, while also taking questions from shareholders.

The billionaire Chairman and CEO of investment firm Berkshire Hathaway spoke at the company’s annual shareholder weekend in his hometown of Omaha, Neb., which saw a record 20,000 people attend.

Buffett in February celebrated 60 years at the helm of the company he founded, where he reiterated his preference for the equity market over large cash positions.

Buffett is Berkshire Hathaway’s largest shareholder, controlling approximately 31.2% of its voting interest.

Nicknamed the “Oracle of Omaha,” Buffet is the seventh richest person in the world with a net worth of $168.2 billion through Saturday, according to Forbes.

Berkshire Hathaway’s market capitalization stood at $1.16 trillion Saturday.

The 94-year-old said he believes the American economy will steady itself after the market turmoil created in the wake of the announcement of international tariffs by President Donald Trump.

He also reiterated his position that the tariff should not be used as “an act of war” with other countries.

“There’s no question that trade can be an act of war and I think it’s led to bad things, just the attitudes it’s brought out in the United States,” Buffett said in response to a question.

“I mean, we should be looking to trade with the rest of the world and we should do what we do best and they should do what they do best.”

Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway Energy Chair Greg Abel also fielded questions about the company’s insurance business assets in the aftermath of California’s devastating wildfires.

“We can’t just become the insurer of last resort,” Abel responded to a shareholder question, while acknowledging the public utility business is not as lucrative as it has been previously.

“We can’t be responsible for everything that happens in the state.”

The pair also said the company plans to continue investments and operations of coal power plants.

“We will continue to work with each of our states to identify the paths they want to chart,” Abel told investors, adding coal is still required to keep power grids stable, eliciting a round of applause.

The United Nations says a funding crisis is putting millions of people in danger.

An internal review of the organisation is also reported to be looking for drastic cuts and reforms.

That’s after its biggest donor, the US, slashed foreign aid.

So, what is next for the UN?

Presenter: 

Neave Barker

Guests: 

Sherine Tadros – Deputy director of advocacy and the UN representative for Amnesty International

Martin Griffiths – Director of Mediation Group International and the former UN undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs

Stephanie Fillion – Independent correspondent covering the United Nations

Danny Beard believes that the brief time he spent with Mickey Rourke in the Celebrity Big Brother house made a big impact, and he could have helped the Hollywood star be more mindful of others if he hadn’t been removed

Danny Bird has expressed his disappointment that his “blossoming friendship” with Mickey Rourke was cut short.

The 2022 RuPaul’s Drag Race winner, 32, was holed up with the Hollywood hellraiser, 72, in the Celebrity Big Brother house, and had a front row seat for the older man’s string of faux pas and bust-ups. A few days after the series began, Rourke was removed from the CBB compound after making homophobic remarks at JoJo Siwa, 21, upsetting Towie’s Ella-Rae Wise, 24, and squaring up to Love Island star Chris Hughes, 32.

Speaking to the Mail Online about his experience on the ITV reality show, in which he came second, Beard explained that he wasn’t afraid of Rourke, and in fact thought he could have helped him become a more tolerant person.

He said: “Listen, I didn’t agree with everything the man said or did, but there’s a part of me that really saw into Mickey’s soul. And I think he just needed a bit of looking after.”

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He then recalled how he spoke to Rourke after he made unacceptable comments to Siwa, explaining how he felt that there was an air of respect between them as he had approached him directly and not “pussyfooted around him”.

Beard added: “I think actually that was the start of a little blossoming friendship.

“Again, I don’t agree with everything he said or did, but had I gone in all guns blazing, we’d have gotten nowhere.

“In fact, when he was removed from the house, I felt like we were actually breaking through.

“I get he’s a grown man. I get he’s a Hollywood star, but I could kind of see through that a bit. And I really felt for him. I think he just was a bit lost.”

Beard made a huge impression on viewers of the show thanks to his open and honest conversations about gender identity and sexuality. But when it came down to the crunch, he was narrowly pipped to the post as the 2025 series winner by Coronation Street veteran Jack P. Shepherd who polled 2% more votes.

Sitting down for a candid post-finale chat with AJ Odudu and Will Best, Beard didn’t hold back when asked about cohabiting with controversial housemates like ex-Tory MP Michael Fabricant and the Hollywood legend-turned-liability.

He admitted to feeling conflicted. “Look, Mickey said some truly vile things,” he acknowledged. “But I couldn’t help seeing someone really broken underneath it all. Like a kid who never got the care he needed. And that maternal instinct kicked in.”

Rourke said he tried his “hardest” to leave Celebrity Big Brother shortly after his exit from the ITV series. The Bafta-winning star of The Wrestler, 72, left the ITV1 show on April 12 after “further use of inappropriate language” and “instances of unacceptable behaviour”.

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OMAHA — Investor Warren Buffett told thousands of Berkshire Hathaway shareholders Saturday that the United States shouldn’t use “trade as a weapon” and anger the rest of the world as he says President Trump has done with his tariffs that roiled global markets.

“It’s a big mistake in my view when you have 7.5 billion people who don’t like you very well, and you have 300 million who are crowing about how they have done,” Buffett said as he addressed the topic on everyone’s mind at the start of the shareholders meeting.

While Buffett said it is best for trade to be balanced among countries, he doesn’t think Trump is going about it the right way with his widespread tariffs. He said the world would be safer if more countries were prosperous.

“We should be looking to trade with the rest of the world. We should do what we do best and they should do what they do best,” he said.

America has been going through revolutionary changes ever since its birth and the promise of equality for all, which wasn’t fulfilled until years later, Buffett said. But nothing that is going on today has changed his long-term optimism about the country.

“If I were being born today, I would just keep negotiating in the womb until they said, ‘You could be in the United States,’ ” Buffett said.

Market turmoil doesn’t create big opportunities

Buffett said he just doesn’t see many attractively priced investments that he understands these days, so Berkshire is sitting on $347.7 billion in cash, but he predicted that one day Berkshire will be “bombarded with opportunities that we will be glad we have the cash for.”

Buffett said the recent turmoil in the markets that generated headlines after Trump’s tariff announcement last month “is really nothing.” He dismissed the recent drop in the market because he’s seen three periods in the last 60 years of managing Berkshire when his company’s stock was halved. He noted when the Dow Jones industrial average went from 240 on the day he was born in 1930 down to 41 during the Great Depression as a truly significant drop in the markets. Currently the Dow sits at 41,317.43 points.

“This has not been a dramatic bear market or anything of the sort,” he said.

Buffett said he hasn’t bought back any of Berkshire’s shares this year because they don’t seem to be a bargain either.

Investor Chris Bloomstran, who is president of Semper Augustus Investments Group, told the Gabelli investment conference Friday that a financial crisis might be the best thing for Berkshire because it would create opportunities to invest at attractive prices.

“I’m sure he’s praying that the trade war gets worse. He won’t say that publicly, but Berkshire needs a crisis. I mean Berkshire thrives in crisis,” Bloomstran said.

Berkshire meeting attracts thousands

The meeting attracts some 40,000 people every year who want to hear from Buffett, including some celebrities and well-known investors. This year, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also attended. Clinton, who lost the 2016 presidential election to Trump, was the last candidate Buffett backed publicly; he has shied away from politics and any controversial topic in recent years for fear of hurting Berkshire’s businesses.

Haibo Liu camped out overnight outside the arena to be first in line Saturday morning. Liu said he worries that this year could be Buffett’s last meeting since he is 94, so he made it a priority to attend his second meeting.

“He has helped me a lot,” said Liu, who traveled from China to attend. “I really want to express my thanks to him.”

Worries about replacing Buffett

Shareholder Linda Smith, 73, first learned about Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway when she rented a room from his sister, Doris, while she was a graduate student in Washington, D.C. Smith said Doris came home from an annual meeting not long after Berkshire bought See’s Candies and told her she had to buy the stock.

Smith couldn’t buy it immediately because the price of a single share was about $3,400, about the same as her annual income as a grad student. But as soon as she got a job after college, she took her friend’s advice and began saving up to buy some of the stock that now sells for $809,350.

Over the years, Smith estimates she has probably attended about 20 annual meetings — often bringing a friend.

“I really like to listen to Warren Buffett — particularly this year with everything that has happened,” Smith said.

Buffett has long said he has no plans to retire because he enjoys figuring out where to invest Berkshire’s money. He plans to continue working until he dies or becomes incapacitated. But he remains in good health even though he does use a cane, and he shortened the meeting’s question and answer period this year by a couple of hours.

“I think even if he dies, these businesses will retain their value,” Smith said while looking around the 200,000-square-foot exhibit hall filled with booths from Berkshire companies such as BNSF railroad, Geico insurance, Pilot truck stops, Duracell batteries and many others. “I anticipate my stock going down for a while, but good businesses and good people will come back,” she said.

Buffett has said that Vice Chairman Greg Abel, who already oversees all of Berkshire’s non-insurance businesses, will take over as chief executive officer when he is gone.

Shareholders such as Steven Check, who runs Check Capital Management, aren’t especially worried about succession because Abel is proven and Berkshire’s businesses largely run themselves. Buffett has said that Abel might even be a more hands-on manager than he is and get more out of Berkshire’s companies.

“I think we’ll get a more hands-on manager and that could be a good thing,” Check said.

Funk writes for the Associated Press.

ATLANTA — The other notable international acquisition of the Dodgers’ offseason this winter is on the verge of his major league debut.

South Korean utilityman Hyeseong Kim is being called up by the Dodgers, people with knowledge of the situation who were not authorized to speak publicly confirmed, set to join the team in Atlanta on Saturday for what will be his first stint on the MLB roster this year.

Kim, 26, was signed to a three-year, $12.5 million contract this winter, arriving as a highly-touted defensive and base-seatling weapon but with serious question marks at the plate.

In spring training, Kim struggled mightily to hit in Cactus League play, going six for 29 with one home run and 11 strikeouts. His swing needed so much work, the Dodgers elected to have him open the season in triple-A Oklahoma City, hoping it’d provide a softer landing spot for him to revamp his mechanics in order to handle big-league-caliber competition.

“The foundations, the actual swing mechanics needed to improve,” general manager Brandon Gomes said last week.

Improvement, however, has come fast for Kim, who has batted .252 in Oklahoma City with five home runs, 19 RBIs and a .798 OPS. He has also stolen 13 bases without getting caught.

The corresponding move for Kim’s call-up wasn’t immediately known, but utilityman Tommy Edman has been battling a right ankle injury the past couple days that manager Dave Roberts indicated could land him on the injured list if it didn’t improve.

Losing Edman, who has eight home runs and 24 RBIs this season, for any stretch would be a blow.

But the anticipation for Kim, potentially a future Gold Glover with game-changing speed, might help cushion it more than most.

A left-handed hitter who over eight seasons in the Korean Baseball Organization batted .304 but amassed only 37 home runs, Kim’s bat always figured to be the biggest question mark when the Dodgers signed him.

The Los Angeles Dodgers actually have one of the best records in baseball but no one seems to be too thrilled by it. Injuries, question marks and hitters not hitting are issues.

It was clear the team envisioned a prominent role for the 5-foot-10, 175-pound speedster, trading former second baseman Gavin Lux to Cincinnati just days after Kim was acquired. But it was also clear they’d have to be patient with his development, after Kim spent most of the spring flailing in the batter’s box in his first dose against big-league competition.

“Getting him exposed to real big league pitching, there’s just no real way to simulate that,” Gomes said when asked about Kim’s development last week. “You see a lot of guys [from overseas], it takes a little bit of time to get adjusted.”

After just one month, though, the team was already seeing growth.

Kim started the season with a 13-game tear, batting .293 with three home runs, seven doubles, one triple and 13 RBIs. His OPS at that point was .963. And he was immediately emerging as “a real threat on the bases,” Gomes said.

“[It was] the overall package of what we were hoping for,” Gomes said. “Speed, defense — and we knew the swing was gonna need a little bit of work.”

Kim has not been as productive lately, batting just .211 over his last 15 games. But, Gomes said reports from the minor-league staff have remained strong.

“The numbers are good. The swing is taking real steps forward,” Gomes said. “Now you’re starting to hone in on maybe some more advanced game-planning stuff, and being able to cover different parts of the zone.”

Regardless of how Kim hits in the majors, he should provide production in other ways for the Dodgers.

A four-time Gold Glove second baseman and shortstop in South Korea, Kim has added center field duties to his plate in triple-A. His 13 steals, meanwhile, are second-most in the Pacific Coast League, trailing only fellow Oklahoma City teammate Estuery Ruiz.

“He’s completely bought in,” Gomes said, “and [his improvement is] actually happening and performing even better than we expected this early.”

Kim hadn’t been called up sooner because the Dodgers were believed to be waiting for an opportunity to give him consistent playing time. Edman’s uncertain status opened the door for that this weekend. And now, exactly four months to the day after his Jan. 3 signing with the team, he’ll get his first taste of life in the majors.

Foreign Minister Araghchi insists Iran’s nuclear activities are civilian in nature.

Iran has defended its right to enrich uranium, doubling down on a long-held stance as the next round of nuclear negotiations with the United States in Oman were abruptly delayed.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi took to social media on Saturday to declare, “Iran has every right to possess the full nuclear fuel cycle,” referencing the country’s membership in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

He added, “There are several NPT members which enrich uranium while wholly rejecting nuclear weapons,” underlining Iran’s argument that its nuclear activities are civilian in nature.

“Maximalist positioning and incendiary rhetoric achieve nothing except eroding the chances of success,” added Araghchi, in reference to the US position that Iran must stop all enrichment activities.

In a Thursday interview with Fox News, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged Iran to halt its enrichment efforts, arguing, “the only countries in the world that enrich uranium are the ones that have nuclear weapons.” However, countries like Germany, Japan and Brazil also conduct enrichment without possessing nuclear arsenals.

The comments come after a fourth round of indirect talks between Washington and Tehran, originally scheduled for Saturday, was postponed.

I generally refrain from airing arguments on key negotiation elements through the media.

What I will say is that repeating falsehoods will not change basic facts. As a founding signatory to the NPT, Iran has every right to possess the full nuclear fuel cycle. Moreover, there…

— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) May 2, 2025

Oman, acting as a mediator, cited “logistical reasons” for the delay. A new date remains unconfirmed, with one Iranian official telling the Reuters news agency it would depend on “the US approach”.

The setback follows a new wave of US sanctions tied to Iran’s oil sales and alleged continued support for Yemen’s Houthi rebels. Tehran responded by accusing Washington of sending “contradictory messages” that undermined diplomacy.

France added to the uncertainty earlier this week when Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot claimed Iran was “on the verge of acquiring nuclear weapons” – a charge Tehran dismissed as “simply absurd”.

Iran, which insists it does not seek a bomb, has consistently maintained its nuclear programme complies with IAEA oversight.

Araghchi reiterated that Iran’s right to enrich was “non-negotiable”, even as IAEA chief Rafael Grossi suggested on Wednesday that any enriched material in Iran could be either dissolved or exported if a deal were reached.

The diplomatic deadlock comes as global powers weigh whether meaningful progress can still be achieved on reviving the 2015 nuclear deal brokered by world powers, which collapsed after the US, under the first Donald Trump presidential term, unilaterally abandoned it in 2018.

The 2015 deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) saw Iran curtail its nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief.

As trucks carrying vital supplies pile up at border with Egypt, hungry children look through rubbish for food.

At least 57 Palestinians have starved to death in Gaza as Israel’s punishing blockade of food, water, and other critical aid to the besieged enclave stretches into its third month amid relentless bombardment.

Gaza’s Government Media Office said on Saturday that most of the victims were children, as well as the sick and elderly, condemning the “continued use of food by the Israeli occupation as a weapon of war” and urging the international community to exert pressure on Israel to reopen the borders and allow in aid.

Gaza has been under total Israeli blockade since March 2, video obtained by Al Jazeera Arabic showing large numbers of trucks carrying vital supplies piling up on the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip on Saturday, the queue extending south beyond the city of Arish, located approximately 45 kilometres (28 miles) from Rafah border crossing.

Al Jazeera’s team identified one of the latest victims on Saturday, a baby girl called Janan Saleh al-Sakafi, who died of malnutrition and dehydration in the Rantisi Hospital, west of Gaza City. More than 9,000 children have been admitted to hospital for treatment for acute malnutrition since the start of the year, according to the United Nations.

Reporting from Gaza City, Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud said he had witnessed heartbreaking scenes of children rifling through rubbish, “looking for whatever is left of canned food products”. The enclave, he added, had reached a “critical” point with international organisations out of supplies and community kitchens unable to prepare meals for displaced people.

“Finding a single meal has become an impossible quest,” Ahmad al-Najjar, a displaced Palestinian in Gaza City, told Al Jazeera. “People here have witnessed one charity after another declaring they’re out of supplies, that they’re shutting down their operations because they’re in no position to … offer the population the needed relief.”

“It’s frustrating and infuriating to have trucks piling up on the other side of the fence be denied entrance while the people, even children, are in dire conditions.”

Hospitals face ‘acute shortages’

Suhaib al-Hams, the director of the Kuwaiti Hospital in Rafah, said in a statement that medical services were experiencing “acute shortages in more than 75 percent of essential medicines”, with only around a week of supplies left.

He warned that most of the enclave’s medical services will stop without “immediate intervention” to reopen borders and allow medical and humanitarian aid through. He added that patients, who are “slowly dying every day without treatment”, needed to be evacuated urgently.

The continued blockade is the longest such closure the Gaza Strip has ever faced, and has come as Israeli forces continue bombarding the territory, killing at least 70 Palestinians and wounding 275 others over the two days spanning Thursday to Saturday morning, according to the Health Ministry.

On Saturday, two women were killed in an Israeli air raid on a house in the town of al-Fakhari near Gaza’s southern city of Khan Younis, according to reports from Al Jazeera Arabic.

Separately, a fisherman was killed and another injured by an Israeli naval attack off the coast of Gaza City.

Later in the day, two Palestinians were killed in an Israeli drone attack on southern Gaza’s al-Mawasi area, once an Israeli-designated “safe zone”.

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 52,495 people and wounded 118,366 since October 7, 2023, according to the Health Ministry. Thousands more missing under the rubble are presumed dead.

ARSENAL fans have lashed out at Mikel Arteta after he named a strong team against Bournemouth.

Arteta made just two changes from the side that lost 1-0 to PSG in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final on Tuesday.

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Eyebrows were raised by Arteta’s choice to go full-strength, with a huge clash second-leg against PSG to come on Wednesday.

With Liverpool already champions, Arteta’s side are effectively playing for second place in the Prem.

But Arteta has fielded his best players against Bournemouth at the Emirates, with Arsenal‘s top four place all but secured.

His team included all the key players from Bukayo Saka to William Saliba, captain Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice and Myles Lewis-Skelly.

This is a far cry from the decision taken by PSG boss Luis Enrique.

The Spaniard made TEN changes to his Parisian side that secured their 13th Ligue 1 title a few weeks back.

PSG’s entire front line was rested, with Ousmane Dembele, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Desire Doue and goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma all benched.

Meanwhile, only Mikel Merino and Jurrien Timber were been left out of the starting line-up against the Cherries.

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João Neves was the only one to remain the starting line-up in PSG’S 2-1 loss to Strasbourg, but he was subbed off early during the game.

And Arsenal fans were left reeling after Arteta’s line-ups was released.

One wrote: “Arteta what are you thinking?”

A second quizzed: “Ridiculous, what if we get anymore injuries in this game?”

A third raged: “Arteta what the f*** are you doing?😡.”

A third added: “What on earth is Arteta trying to achieve with this lineup. Let’s pray the worst doesn’t happen.”

One more replied: “We have gone full strength while PSG have made ten changes ahead of the second leg 😡😡😡.”

Rice put Arsenal 1-0 up in his 100th appearances for the club, with Bournemouth missing several chances.