security

The United Nations Security Council has voted to expand an international security force deployed to Haiti and transform it into a so-called “Gang Suppression Force”.

The resolution passed by the council on Tuesday provides a clear mandate for the force to work with local authorities to “neutralise, isolate, and deter” gangs, secure infrastructure, and seek to secure institutional stability. It would raise the personnel ceiling from 2,500 in the current mission, first approved in 2023, to 5,550 personnel.

The resolution also requests that the UN secretary-general establish a UN Support Office in Haiti to provide increased logistical support amid the Caribbean nation’s overlapping security, humanitarian and political crises.

“The result today allows us to have the necessary reconfiguration on the ground in order to face the gangs and, therefore, address the insecurity situation in the country,” Panama’s Representative to the UN Eloy Alfaro De Alba said following the vote.

“Today, we say to Haiti that, once and for all, you are not alone,” Alfaro De Alba said.

Panama and the United States first introduced the latest resolution in August. It passed on Tuesday with 12 votes in favour and none against. Permanent Security Council members China and Russia, along with rotating member Pakistan, abstained from the vote.

Following the vote, Russian envoy Vassily Nebenzia said “the tools of international assistance to Haiti” previously approved by the Security Council had “failed to produce any sustainable results”.

He criticised the resolution for having a “virtually unrestricted mandate to use force against anyone and everyone labelled with the vague term ‘gangs’”, while further calling the plan “ill-conceived and rushed”.

Haiti has a controversial history when it comes to foreign intervention, particularly in light of rampant sexual abuses committed by peacekeepers deployed in the wake of Haiti’s 2010 earthquake. The forces were also responsible for a cholera outbreak that killed about 10,000 people.

But speaking last week, during the United Nations General Assembly General Debate, Laurent Saint-Cyr, the current chairman of the Transitional Presidential Council of Haiti, voiced support for a new force, noting that the Kenyan-led security support mission deployed for more than 15 months in the country remains woefully understaffed and underfunded.

Fewer than 1,000 police officers have been deployed under the mission, which is officially set to end on October 2, despite an initial pledge of 2,500. Nearly all of the capital, Port au Prince, remains under the control of powerful gangs.

“It is a war between criminals who want to impose violence as the social order and an unarmed population struggling to preserve human dignity,” Saint-Cyr said.

According to the UN, at least 1.3 million Haitians remain internally displaced due to violence, with 5.7 million facing food insecurity. At least 3,100 people have been killed in violent incidents between January and June 2025. At least 2,300 grave violations against children have been recorded.

The country is also in the midst of a political crisis that began with the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021. A general election has been repeatedly postponed amid the unrest.

On Tuesday, acting Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime hailed the resolution’s passage.

“This decision marks a major step forward in the partnership between Haiti and the international community,” he said.

Rights observers have also offered tentative support for a renewed international mission to Haiti, with Human Rights Watch saying any operation must have adequate funding and human rights protections.

The resolution passed on Tuesday does not provide specific details on such safeguards, including clear rules of engagement, saying instead that parties must work to establish those rules in line with “Haiti’s sovereignty and in strict compliance with international law”.

Like the Kenyan-led mission, the new Gang Suppression Force will also mostly rely on often unpredictable voluntary contributions from UN members.

In a statement following the vote, Juanita Goebertus, Americas director at Human Rights Watch, said: “After months of reckless inaction, the UN Security Council has finally taken a step to respond to Haiti’s devastating crisis”.

“For the newly created ‘Gang Suppression Force’ to be effective and avoid repeating past abuses, it should have sustained and predictable funding, sufficient personnel, and robust human rights safeguards,” Goebertus said.

Rory McIlroy didn’t back down.

The Irish golf star had stood up for himself amid verbal abuse and other inappropriate behavior from some American fans during the Ryder Cup this weekend at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, N.Y.

After helping Team Europe fend off a massive U.S. rally for a 15-13 victory Sunday, McIlroy had plenty more to say about what he witnessed from fans during the three-day event.

“I don’t think we should ever accept that in golf,” McIlroy said during his team’s post-tournament press conference. “I think golf should be held to a higher standard than than what was was seen out there this week.

“Golf has the ability to unite people. Golf teaches you very good life lessons. It teaches you etiquette. It teaches you how to play by the rules. It teaches you how to respect people. And, you know, sometimes this week we didn’t see that.”

McIlroy went 3-1-1 during the event while enduring boisterous jeers and insults from members of the crowd who were doing their best to disrupt him while he lined up to swing or putt. At one point Saturday a cup of beer appeared to sail out of the crowd and hit the brim of a hat worn by McIlroy’s wife, Erica Stoll, who was walking next to her husband.

The reigning Masters champion didn’t take such treatment quietly, clapping back at times with profanity or gestures of his own.

At one point during foursome play Saturday morning, McIlroy told some boisterous Americans to “shut the f— up.” He then proceeded to send his shot to within three feet of the hole, setting up Tommy Fleetwood‘s putt to clinch the European pair’s win.

Asked Sunday how satisfying that particular set of events was, McIlroy replied, “Very f— satisfying.”

On Monday morning, U.S. golf legend Tom Watson congratulated the European team on their win in a post on X (formerly Twitter). The four-time Ryder Cup player and two-time captain also wrote: “More importantly, I’d like to apologize for the rude and mean-spirited behavior from our American crowd at Bethpage. As a former player, Captain and as an American, I am ashamed of what happened.”

In general, McIlroy said, “we shut them up by our performance and how we played. You know, I chirped back a few times because it got to me a few times. [But] we tried to handle everything that came our way with class and poise and for the most part I felt like we did that.”

The amount of security and police present at the tournament was increased as the weekend went on, a step McIlroy didn’t think was necessary.

“The police out there and the amount of the security presence was insane,” McIlroy said. “It’s not like — nothing was going to happen. There wasn’t really going to be any sort of physical altercation or anything like that. … There was a lot of language that was unacceptable and abusive behavior, but look, it’s a minority of the crowd. It’s not the majority. The majority of people here are true golf fans and are respectful and [hope] that both teams have the same chance to hit the shots and play a fair contest.”

McIlroy added that he hopes those respectful fans are the ones who show up at the next Ryder Cup, which will be held in his homeland.

“We will be making sure to say to our fans in Ireland in 2027 that what happened here this week is not acceptable.”

That said, McIlroy and his European teammates did appear to take part in a little playful taunting of their own after their win Sunday. President Trump posted a video on Truth Social that showed the group hoisting their trophy and singing, “Are you watching, Donald Trump?”

Trump, who attended the Ryder Cup on Friday, wrote in response: “Yes, I’m watching. Congratulations!”

Surveys may be little more than a snapshot in time, but they can provide an interesting peek into the minds of fellow Americans. This year, as Social Security turns 90, the Bipartisan Policy Center’s (BPC) American Savings Education Council polled Americans on how they feel about the current state of the program. Here’s what they learned.

Image source: Getty Images.

The big issues

Whether they’re just beginning to plan for retirement or have been chipping away at it for years, Americans value Social Security. The following represents their concerns, anxieties, and hopes.

Value of Social Security

• 93% of Americans surveyed consider Social Security a valuable federal program. In fact, it was rated higher than any other program respondents were asked about.
• 83% of those asked believe addressing Social Security’s challenges should be a top priority for the current Congress.

According to Jonathan Burks, Executive Vice President of Economic and Health Policy for the BPC: “Americans across the political spectrum agree strongly that Social Security matters, and they want to see bipartisan work to strengthen the program for the future. Now it is up to lawmakers to build on this consensus and do the hard work of forging a path forward.”

Social Security anxiety

• 74% of the public is concerned that Social Security will run out before they retire, and they won’t have access to the program they have spent decades paying into.
• 80% of those surveyed are worried that Congress will cut their benefits, particularly because 41% of Americans expect Social Security to be their primary source of income in retirement.

Bipartisan support for a solution

• 64% of Democrats and 61% of Republicans agree that strengthening Social Security will take bipartisan cooperation.

Losing patience

• As the clock winds down on the Social Security trust fund, 67% of those polled say they want Congress to take action soon rather than wait until the situation worsens.
• 20% of respondents say they want a bipartisan commission created to come up with a comprehensive plan, and they want Congress to approve that plan

Financial realities of aging

• 71% of those surveyed claimed to be worried about whether they’ll have enough saved to retire comfortably.
• 67% are concerned about whether they’ll outlive their savings.
• 74% fear they won’t be able to cover their medical bills as they age.
• 68% of 18- to 44-year-olds worry about finding the money to care for elderly relatives.

The current reality

If Congress doesn’t take steps to shore up the Social Security program, it’s expected that the Social Security trust fund will run dry in 2033. At that time, the Social Security Administration would begin across-the-board cuts of 23%. For example, a Social Security recipient with a monthly benefit of $2,000 would see their checks reduced to $1,540.

While it’s impossible to see the future, here are some of the expected consequences of cuts to Social Security:

• Increased poverty rates: Given the number of retirees who count on Social Security to pay all or the majority of their living expenses, reductions in benefits are likely to lead to an increase in Americans living in poverty. Even for those retirees who did everything they could to maximize their benefits, cutting funds they earned and have come to count on could be devastating.
• Political consequences: No politician wants to be the one responsible for raising taxes or asking people to work longer. That’s natural. However, failure to adequately address the Social Security issue could leave anxious Americans less happy with their elected representatives.
• Economic impact: Lower benefits are likely to cause consumers to pull back on spending. This move could have a broader impact on the overall economy as retirees have historically spent their benefits on essential goods and services.
• Greater pressure on other programs: Smaller Social Security benefit checks mean more people turning to the different government programs to survive. However, recent cuts to programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Meals on Wheels could make it more difficult for seniors to receive the assistance they need.

“The only way we get a fix is if the two parties hold hands and jump together,” Shai Akabas, Vice President of Economic Policy at BPC, said in the report. “These results show that the American people understand and support that outcome. It’s time for our elected leaders to follow suit.”

Seventeen days. That’s how much longer Social Security beneficiaries must wait to find out how big their “raise” will be in 2026.

The Social Security cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) countdown is about to kick into overdrive. But you don’t have to sit on pins and needles in anticipation of the official COLA announcement on Oct. 15, 2025, to have a pretty good feel for what the increase will be.

Image source: Getty Images.

The best COLA prediction right now

If you want to know how big of a Social Security benefit increase to expect, probably the best place to turn is The Senior Citizens League (TSCL). This nonprofit organization has advocated for seniors since 1992, initially as part of The Retired Enlisted Association and then as an independent entity beginning in 1994.

TSCL developed a sophisticated statistical model that projects the next Social Security COLA. This model is updated monthly. It incorporates inflation and unemployment data, as well as the interest rates set by the Federal Reserve.

Earlier this month, TSCL announced its final prediction for the 2026 Social Security COLA. The organization projects an increase of 2.7%, a little higher than the 2.5% COLA given in 2025. It’s also slightly above the average benefit adjustment over the last 20 years of 2.6%.

How much additional money will this COLA give retirees? It depends on your current benefit amount, of course. However, the average increase will be $54 per month if TSCL’s model is right.

What could change by Oct. 15?

The Social Security Administration (SSA) already has most of the data it needs to calculate next year’s COLA. It will receive the last piece on Oct. 15 when the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) releases its inflation numbers for September.

SSA doesn’t use the most widely followed inflation metric in the BLS report, the Consumer Price Index. Instead, the agency bases the annual Social Security COLA on a different statistic — the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W). As its name indicates, this index measures how much prices have increased for blue-collar workers in urban areas.

The COLA is calculated by determining the percentage increase (if any) between the CPI-W for the third quarter of the current year and the CPI-W in the third quarter of the previous year. SSA only needs to plug in the CPI-W for September to crunch the numbers.

Could the actual 2026 COLA that will be announced on Oct. 15 differ from the 2.7% predicted by TSCL? Absolutely. Inflation could be higher in September than anticipated, perhaps due to the impact of tariffs making their way through the U.S. economy. On the other hand, the effects of tariffs could be more muted than TSCL’s model projects, resulting in a lower COLA. Either way, TSCL’s projected number will probably be close to the actual 2026 COLA.

One “gotcha”

Retirees shouldn’t count on having an additional 2.7%, give or take a couple of percentage points, reach their bank accounts, though. There’s one “gotcha” that will likely reduce how much extra money you’ll receive.

Most retirees ages 65 and older have their Medicare premiums automatically deducted from their monthly Social Security benefit payments. Unfortunately, your Medicare Part B premiums will almost certainly be much higher than the expected 2.7% Social Security increase.

The Medicare Trustees project that Part B premiums will rise by 11.6%. This translates to an extra expense of $21.50, enough to wipe out much of the average retiree COLA of $54. The annual Medicare Part B deductible will also likely jump by $31 to $288 next year.

The countdown is on for finding out the exact amounts for the 2026 Medicare Part B premiums and deductibles, too. While the numbers will probably be announced in October, retirees might not learn how their pocketbooks will be impacted as soon as they learn what their Social Security COLA will be.

The Middle East has been one of the most sensitive regions, where one event of insecurity and chaos shakes the entire Middle Eastern dynamics and existing global order. The recent atrocious genocide of Palestinians since October 7, 2023, by Israelis has proved to be a major spark for escalated crises in the region. The recent Iran–Israel conflict ignited a fire from the underlying spark. Strategic attacks between both adversaries took place, which unveiled the volatile and porous security shield of the region concealing deepened internal weaknesses and discords. Israel attacked Iran by relying on its policy of “pre-emptive strike,” a sheer and illegal violation of international law. Iran retaliated while unable to hide the weaknesses and loopholes in its air force and defense system.

The Arab World’s normalization of relations with Israel, the anti-Western ideological perspective of Iran, the sponsorship of terrorism and proxy wars, the expanded nuclear arsenals of both competitors, and the Palestinian genocide by Israel have caused recent escalatory tensions between Iran and Israel. The war between both nuclear powers has escalated regional tensions and generated severe impacts: a vacuum for global powers to exercise influence in the Middle East, strict hatred against the USA and the West by Iran, regional instability and imbalance of power, an arms race, and alliance formation in the region.

The relationship between Iran and Israel can be divided into four phases, spotlighting a roller coaster of instability. The first phase starts from 1947 till 1953, in which bitter relations followed; Iran stood against the British and United Nations (UN) decision of inclusion of Israelis into Palestine (Iran was an anti-Israel state out of 13 states).Then comes the second phase, from 1953 till 1979, in which cordial ties were enjoyed during Iranian President Reza Shah Pahlavi’s regime (he was pro-Western). During the Iranian Revolution of 1979, the pro-Western regime of Reza Shah Pahlavi was ousted by Iran’s first Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, and post-Revolution Iran maintained bitter relations with Israel during its third phase till 1991.

However, further adversarial relations peaked after the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991 till contemporary times. The series of attacks between both states in the contemporary history of the world marked a possibility of a bigger conventional warfare that can take place between both states via the “Domino Effect.” The unprecedented support for surgical strikes, proxy wars, and attacks on ships, planes, military bases, and nuclear scientists was a common practice. Recent larger-scale tensions expanded when Israelis attacked on April 1, followed by Iranian retaliation on April 13, 2024, then full-scale attacks at the onset of June 2025, while utilizing their nuclear arsenals at a huge pace. Israel’s important port was attacked by Iran, along with the residence of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, who justified the attack on Gaza concealed under the right of self-defense. 

The ground for attack was prepared for a few reasons. Diverse factors escalated war at the conflict ladder, raising serious peace and security concerns and generating severe impacts. One of the major causes of the tensions is the religious factor. Iran being a Shi’ite majority state while Israel’s Zionism’s superiority claimed the conflict’s religious perspective. Iran stood with Palestinians, being a Muslim brother, and warned Israel of an unprecedented war if Israel did not back out, and it proved to be true. The recent Israeli attacks on Palestinians divided the Middle Eastern sections that claim to be united under the umbrella of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

This war took the shape of the Arab World vs. the Non-Arab World. The Arab World normalization of relations with Israel played a major role in heightening the conflict ladder. Israel wants to become a regional hegemon by balancing ties with the Arab States and maintaining superiority on all fronts. The religious factor has caused the formation of blocs and alliances by some states andneutrality by others. The Arab World and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) met failure in proposing a genuine solution for wars in the region. Iran-Israel tensions escalated from small tactics of attacks from both sides. The nuclear warfare conceals religious superiority and intolerance towards other segments of the region.

Ideological differences between parties paved the way for a warfare scenario. Israel being the right hand of the USA in the Middle East is not acceptable to Iran (a staunch anti-Western state) in the region.Post-revolutionary Iran (post-1979) is against western policies and their implementations in the Middle East by any Muslim state. Even Pakistan’s Chief Marshall General Asif Muneer’s visit to the USA on June 14, on the 250th anniversary of the USA military, during regional tensions made Iran uncomfortable. The cover page of the Iranian newspaper “The Tehran Times” raised questions about why Pakistan went to the USA amid tensions in the Muslim world. Iran considers the backing power of Israel, the USA, a major reason for regional instability.

Iran challenges the USA’s interference in the region by confronting Israel. The USA provided military and economic aid to Israel in wars in the Middle East. In the case of Palestine, the Conflictual Theory of Karl Marx implies in this situation that the actions of one state generate the consequences, and the other (weaker) states bear the brunt of those consequences. Iran was against Saudi-led westernization structured on USA models. The USA and Israel mutually adopted a policy to neutralize Iran for being a regional hegemon. A step towards it was initiated by Israel.

Iran has an over-reliance on three elements.

·       Drones (struck down by the USA, UK, Israel, and Jordan). Jordan is justifying it by saying that I’ll not allow violation of my airspace.

· Missiles (Ballistic and Hypersonic). Around 80 ballistic missiles were used, not stopped by the USA and others, and reached Israel within 12 minutes. Hypersonic missiles comprise more speed.

·       Proxies in region.

The sponsorship of terrorism and proxies by both Iran and Israel in the Middle East is also one of the major reasons for advanced nuclear tensions between both parties, as they cost the peace of the region in the long run. One reason Netanyahu is quoting again and again is that Iran is an existential nuclear threat for Israel, and he is emphasizing diminishing its proxies. Hamas in Palestine, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Mehdi Malaysia in Iraq, the Houthis in Yemen, and Assad’s regime in Syria are all backed by Iran. These groups are alleged to have carried out terrorist activities in the Middle East. Israel claims to stand against them, but the reality check is different.

Israeli atrocities abstained Hamas from bearing tortures and eventually stood on October 7, 2023, by attacking Southern Israel on Yom Kippur Day. The terrorist acts and proxy wars destabilized the region in worst-case scenarios. The militant groups fought for their regional autonomy and basic independence in the states, which were undermined by stakeholders. The militant groups are majorly supported by Iran in their rights for freedom and regional autonomy rather than external influences and perpetual dependency on the global North and West. Houthis in Yemen are at a distance from Iran, and for attacks, Iran has to go through the Red Sea, as their access is strenuous. They stood in solidarity with Palestinians by blocking oil and trade ships of the USA, the UK, and Israel. These states then retaliated and caused much devastation to them by breaking the back of Iran.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) submitted a report in May 2025 that Iran has grossly violated enrichment capacities and expanded its nuclear arsenals. The Israeli nuclear arsenal, backed by the USA and Western alliances, raised the regional imbalance of power and security dilemma but was accepted by the international community.Contrarily, the Iranian Nuclear Program, developed on its own, seems a threat in the region. The nuclear programs, uranium enrichment, expansion of weaponry, development of missiles (cruise and ballistic), and latest conventional warfare techniques have raised serious concerns undermining regional peace. The economic and nuclear sanctions on Iran crippled its societal structure, yet its nuclear standoff is unmatchable. The expansion of nuclear arsenals and weaponry has led to an arms race, with the latest technological advancements having raised serious concerns. Iran has weapons that cannot be detected by the missile defense systems of Israel.

Palestinian genocide by Israel is one of the major reasons behind Iran-Israel tensions. Massive ethnic cleansing of innocent Palestinians has raised serious human rights concerns. Iran has condemned the Arab World for staying silent and not assisting Palestinian liberation via united efforts. They have claimed to retaliate with full force if Israel does not back off from Palestinian genocide. Massive brutal assassinations of Palestinians have taken place. More than 50,000 children have been killed, with millions of deaths of civilians and injuries. In the case of Iran, more than 16 renowned nuclear scientists, with few other state officials, have been killed by Israeli attacks in the past ten days. If this crisis prevails, it will be difficult to mitigate larger regional warfare. Iran sided with Palestine rather than the tame Arab world. They demand immediate genuine solutions;Global Civil Society is already predicting the way towards World War III. Iran launched missile attacks on Israel, sending a clear message that it will not back down if Israel does not stop regional ethnic cleansing in the name of self-defense.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was signed in 2015, from which the USA administration quit under President Trump’s administration in 2017. Trump expanded the process of negotiations on multiple fronts (nuclear enrichment, proxy wars) with Iran after becoming president again in 2024. Oman played a major role in it. The sixth round of talks was ongoing when strikes between both parties took place. Israel was against any kind of negotiations with Iran. Israel has been convincing the Global North and West to attack Iran on the basis of several reasons (speeches), as its fear of unprecedented threats from Iran isn’t hidden. After its October 2023 attacks on Gaza, upon questioning by the journalist about what the common threat of Israel is, in an interview with CNN, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said, “Iran, Iran, Iran.” Pivotal stance on attacking Hamas was based on ceasing Iranian support and expansion in the region via Hamas. JCPOA negotiations failed in genuine terms and halted, as they were not acceptable to Israel, and do not seem possible in the future.

Netanyahu is facing opposition on multiple fronts, internally due to a vote of no-confidence against himself in Knesset. In order to foil that move, he successfully created a situation with Iran. Due to genocide and war crimes in Gaza, European allies step back in large numbers. The USA and European populace went to protests for Muslim victims for the first time in contemporary history. A wicked hard image of Netanyahu was projected globally; these steps seemed to make it better to erode it by diverting attention towards Iran.

Israel implemented an official policy of “preemptive strikes” against all proxies. This concept matured in the Bush era, mainly in 2003-04. Practically, it was utilized by both adversaries in strikes against each other, yet Israel got its benefits in the recent escalation. The attacks were unprecedented. No official statement was given by Israel, and certain media reports say that missile strikes were carried out and F-35 jet fighters were used. Special forces of Israel have conducted operations in Iran, including attacks in Tehran, at nuclear facilities, and at military bases, targeting journals, scientists, the army chief, military commanders, and around 100 civilians, claiming several precious and innocent lives.

Nuclear facilities of states are mostly underground, and Iran’s are based in Isfahan, Natanz, Fordow, and Arak. The depth of underground facilities is generally 60-80 meters deep underground. Simple missiles are not enough to destroy these, but Bunker Buster bombs are required, which are owned by the USA but lacked by Israel. According to The Security Brief Show (BBC News), nuclear sites in Isfahan were attacked by sea-based USA warships called TAM, or Tomahawk Land Attack Missile, that travels subsonically and can go very deep and is really hard to be detected by radar. The dismantling of the nuclear installations is still doubtful.

However, apart from bases, Iran claimed to have breached Israel’s sophisticated missile defense systems, which are among the most advanced in the world, by hitting a military intelligence center and an operations planning center for the Mossad spy agency. Iranian missiles managed to pierce through the Israeli Air Defense System by exhausting interceptor missiles and cruise and hypersonic missiles, according to an Al-Jazeera report.

Despite all these, the internal weaknesses of the Iranian intelligence system and defense capabilities to strike down attacks by Israel were all unveiled and made Israel more confident. The striking back capabilities of Iran encompassed the Air Force, which was very weak due to protracted sanctions via the international community. It has outdated jets, like the MiG-29. F-14 jet fighters are USA-based. The Israeli intelligence agency Mossad has deep penetration in Iran’s intelligence and military system. The attacks were carried out on the residences of the army chief, the Pasdaran-e-Islam chief, scientists, journals, and many others. The operation by commandos proved to be another bigger penetration of Israel (comprising intelligence and military). Reports by the BBC are claiming that Iran will go to Beijing for advanced fighter jets.

This war has major impacts on China, due to its growing imports and reliance on Middle Eastern hydrocarbons, especially being a major importer of Iran’s hydrocarbons. Absence of safety, hiked prices of energy resources, and escalated insecurity will devastate China in the economic sector via deteriorating trade and investments carried out by China under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and BRICS+. Unlikely, USA entanglement in regional wars has diverted her attention from the Taiwan Strait (emerging Silicon and technological warfare) and the South China Sea, a blessing in disguise for China to reclaim irredentism. The USA has more than 40,000 troops in the Persian Gulf.

The more the attention of the USA is on the Middle East, the less the attention is on China and Russia.

Trump projected himself (self-proclaimed) as a peacemaker—to avoid a confrontation policy with Iran. Iran was not in favor of war either (with the USA and Israel directly) and carried out a policy of utilizing the nuclear enrichment as a bargaining chip with the USA for the removal of sanctions, knowing its defense capacities and loopholes. Trump is projecting its peace-making image via regime change in Syria with more democratic and peaceful political agendas concealing regional influence, genocide in Gaza despite ceasefire truces, launching air and naval strikes on Houthis in Yemen in “Operation Rough Rider” in the name of promoting peace, and giving minute relief to so-called militant groups in the region. According to a recent report on the Red Sea crisis, Israel is urging Trump to resume strikes on Houthis in Yemen.

In the case of Pakistan, the state’s second strike capability is strong, as it remained victorious in recent military strikes with India in post-Pahalgam aggression. India’s ideological isolationist nationalism and political pressure on Prime Minister Modi are shaping the current aggressive behavior of the world’s largest democracy. Its involvement in baking the proxies, extremists, and terrorist activities in neighborhoods and within Pakistan are expected to surge in Afghanistan, ex-FATA,and the Balochistan regions.

A ceasefire brokered by the USA on June 24, 2025, curbed both parties from engaging in further military and nuclear strikes, underlying diplomatic objectives. Iran denounces the claim of the USA. It has not ended fully; episodes still exist on political and diplomatic grounds, as Israel is not accepting negotiations with Iran at any cost. The Israeli Defense Minister said that we will not attack Iran, yet citizens should be prepared for counterattacks. They have to ensure their protection via the Underground Safety System of Israel. In an interview addressing the conflict, the Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf highlighted that the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, played a pivotal role in orchestrating decisive strikes of Iran, which urged the USA and Israel to seek a ceasefire after the 12-day war.

Certain causes have generated massive effects, which need immediate and comprehensive solutions in order to de-escalate the deep Iran-Israeli tensions and other wars in the Middle East. Religious differences have to be tolerated and respected until they cross the threshold for massive outrages. Ideological differences have led the region to deepened grievances that need much time for their resolution. Iran is propagating an anti-westernization agenda, while Israel is working on Ideological Expansionist Nationalism (IEN) and Political Separatist Nationalism (PSN). All these have done nothing good in the regional affairs. Global powers take this opportunity to meddle in the regional affairs by being opportunists and want to take full advantage of the absence of an adversary. China filled the vacuum created by the USA in ameliorating the Iran-Saudi rivalry. 

To encounter terrorist activities and proxy wars, comprehensive strategic frameworks and effective governance are the ultimate solutions, developed by proper democratic means practiced within the state. Arms control should be ensured by both states by acting with rationality and maturity. The rational actor model best explains the cost and benefit analysis taken before going to war. In today’s world of nuclear warfare, there will be no winners, but devastations will take place at huge levels. The two-state solution will resolve the Palestinian ethnic cleansing. The Muslim world has to unite for brutally suppressed Palestinians and all other factions of the region. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) remained slow, as it did not conduct any remarkable session in the past few months. Iran spoke in the OIC session of 2023 for Palestinians. In the case of Iran-Israeli tensions, nothing profound seemed to happen, except the USA called for a ceasefire and mediation.

In the end, the escalated tensions between Iran and Israel generated serious repercussions for regional peace, stability, and security. If this aggression were not controlled (it seemed to be controlled as a ceasefire was brokered by the USA), it would lead towards another great World War III as small bilateral wars advance the ‘domino effect’ in generating large-scale warfare. This issue generated after the Israeli genocide of Palestine, the change of regime in Syria after a long civil war, and Israeli attacks on Lebanon to eliminate Iranian-backed Hezbollah.

The religious, ideological, terrorist, nuclear, and Palestinian factors paved the way for Iran-Israel tensions that are impacting the region at a larger scale. The formation of blocs, the failure of the Muslim world to stand in solidarity with oppressed states in the Middle East, massive terrorist attacks, the nuclear arms race, and the Palestinian blockade all demand immediate solutions. A comprehensive strategic plan for regional stability by the Muslim world is in dire need of time. As the Middle East is the most volatile region with respect to stability and security in the region. Conclusively, instead of sporadic efforts, a concerted plan is required by international stakeholders for the maintenance of the dignity and sanctity of international law, peace, and humanity.

Warren Buffett has built a reputation for studying the landscape and spotting financial issues before others realize there’s a problem. Twenty years ago, at a 2005 Berkshire Hathaway meeting, Buffett was blunt: “I basically believe that anything that would take Social Security payments below their present guaranteed level is a mistake.”

Image source: Getty Images.

The problem has been brewing

Based on any retirement planning you’ve done, you’ll probably not be surprised that the Social Security trust is in serious danger of running dry. The program collects payroll taxes under the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA). Both employees and employers contribute 6.2% of the employees’ wages, up to the annual wage base limit of $176,100.

The money collected today goes toward paying Social Security benefits to current beneficiaries. When the Social Security Administration (SSA) collects more than it pays out, the remaining money goes into the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund (OASI) and is invested in Treasury securities. When the SSA collects less in Social Security payroll taxes than it pays out, the SSA must dip into the trust fund for the money it needs to pay the benefits earned.

According to the SSA’s 2024 Trustees Report, the OASI trust fund is projected to become depleted in 2033, unless Congress intervenes to shore up the program. While several factors have played a role in draining the fund, demographics may be the most critical. In 1960, there were 5.1 workers for every Social Security recipient. Today, that number is just 2.8 and expected to continue falling.

The SSA cannot pay full Social Security benefits once the money invested in Treasury securities is gone. At that point, the Trustees say that Social Security benefits would be reduced by 23%.

Buffett’s proposals to get Social Security back on solid ground

Buffett has been consistent about recommending moderate changes to the program, including:

Remove the taxable earnings cap

As of 2025, Social Security taxes only apply to incomes up to $176,100. For example, a person who earns $400,000 annually only pays Social Security taxes on the first $176,100. No Social Security taxes are collected on the remaining $223,900.

Buffett believes that the U.S. should eliminate this cap so that higher earners can contribute more to the program. This approach would boost Social Security revenue significantly and is unlikely to affect the financial stability of wealthier taxpayers.

Slightly increase payroll taxes

No one enjoys a tax hike, which may help explain why politicians have been so hesitant to suggest them. Politicians want to be seen as the people who cut taxes. There’s only one problem with that: Cutting taxes isn’t always good for the long term. For example, President Donald Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill“ expanded the standard deduction for seniors and lowered how much can be collected in taxes on benefits.

Add that to the Social Security Fairness Act signed into law by President Joe Biden in early January 2025. The Social Security Fairness Act eliminated the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO) rules. These two programs decreased the amount that over 3.2 million people — including teachers, police officers, firefighters, and federal employees — were eligible to receive in Social Security benefits.

While each tax break may have come as welcome news to most, the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB) found that they shaved a full year off the expected solvency timeline, meaning money is being drained from the Social Security trust fund at a faster rate than believed just last year.

Buffett suggests a slight boost in Social Security payroll taxes, saying even a modest hike would generate additional funds over time. In addition, a small tax hike would help secure the program’s financial stability without unfairly burdening workers or employers.

Raise the full retirement age (FRA)

In 1960, American men could expect to live to age 66.6 on average, and American women to age 73.1. Today, American men can expect to live to 77.2 on average, and American women to age 82.1. This increase in life expectancy means more years in retirement, and more Social Security benefits paid out. The SSA could stretch the Social Security trust fund further by raising the FRA.

Reduce Social Security benefits for wealthy retirees

Buffett, who once famously pointed out that his secretary paid a “far higher tax rate“ than Buffett himself, believes that the wealthiest retirees will do fine if their benefits are scaled back. According to Buffett, adjusting payments for high earners allows the SSA to direct more resources to those retirees who depend on their monthly benefits the most.

Given the number of Americans who collect Social Security, it’s fair to assume that many have done everything they can to maximize benefits and don’t want to see their benefits slashed. Warren Buffett has spent the past two decades offering potential fixes to the issue. Now, if Congress can get on board, a solution may be found.

The announced 100% tariff on pharmaceuticals, 25% on trucks, and 30% on furniture, due to come into effect on October 1, reopen the US president’s trade war.

United States President Donald Trump has announced steep new tariffs on pharmaceutical products, big-rig trucks, and home renovation fixtures and furniture.

The announcement late on Thursday signalled the harshest trade plans from Trump since last April’s shock unveiling of reciprocal tariffs on virtually every US trading partner across the globe, marking a revival of the Republican president’s trade war.

Starting on October 1, “we will be imposing a 100% Tariff on any branded or patented Pharmaceutical Product, unless a Company IS BUILDING their Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Plant in America,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

Shares of pharmaceutical companies across Asia with big exposure to the US market fell on Friday, including South Korea’s Samsung Biologics.

Trump’s move was criticised by Australia, which exported pharmaceutical products worth an estimated $1.3bn to the US in 2024, according to the United Nations Comtrade Database.

In a separate post, Trump wrote of a 25 percent tariff on “all ‘Heavy (Big) Trucks’ made in other parts of the world” to support US manufacturers such as “Peterbilt, Kenworth, Freightliner, Mack Trucks and others”.

Foreign companies that compete with these manufacturers in the US market include Sweden’s Volvo and Germany’s Daimler. Shares in both companies were sharply lower in after-hours trading in Europe.

Trump said the truck tariffs were “for many reasons, but above all else, for National Security purposes!”

Earlier this year, the Trump administration launched a so-called Section 232 probe into imports of trucks to “determine the effects of national security”, setting the stage for Thursday’s announcement.

Section 232 is a trade law provision that gives the president broad authority to impose tariffs or other restrictions on imports when they are deemed a threat to national security.

Trump also said a 50 percent tariff on home renovation materials and a 30 percent tariff on upholstered furniture would be imposed, as he claimed that such products were swamping the US market from abroad.

According to the US International Trade Commission, in 2022, imports, mainly from Asia, represented 60 percent of all furniture sold, including 86 percent of all wood furniture and 42 percent of all upholstered furniture.

Shares in home furniture retailers Wayfair and Williams Sonoma, which depend on these imported goods, tumbled in after-hours trading.

Trump’s administration has already imposed a baseline 10 percent tariff on all countries, with higher individualised rates on nations where exports to the US far exceed imports.

Trump has also used emergency powers to impose extra tariffs on trade deal partners Canada and Mexico, as well as on China, citing concerns over fentanyl trafficking and undocumented migration.

It was not yet clear how these new tariffs would factor into the existing measures.

A 12-foot statue depicting President Trump holding hands with convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein appeared on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., Tuesday morning and was removed by the National Park Service less than 24 hours later.

The saga, which made the rounds on late-night TV this week, did not stop there.

On Thursday, the group responsible for creating the statue — an anonymous collective of “satirical activists” called the Secret Handshake — said the National Park Service denied a second permit to reinstall the controversial statue, which featured a plaque reading, “We celebrate the long-lasting bond between President Donald J. Trump and his ‘closest friend,’ Jeffrey Epstein.”

“The statue was removed because it was not compliant with the permit issued,” Interior Department spokesperson Elizabeth Peace told CNN, citing a height discrepancy.

The statue, spray-painted bronze and titled “Best Friends Forever,” was removed on Wednesday at 5:30 a.m., said Carol Flaisher, a D.C.-based location manager who had been contracted by Secret Handshake to obtain the appropriate permit for the statue.

It’s a job Flaisher says she’s been doing for film and television throughout her 40-year career, and she has never seen a permitted display on the National Mall removed, she says. If there are issues with the permit, the NPS is required to give the applicant 24-hour notice to fix the error before taking action. That notice was not given, Flaisher says.

“We’ve been doing this for so long. I’ve never had one rejected, ever, ever, ever,” said Flaisher. “I’ve never been thrown off of the property. I’ve never heard of such a thing. And they did it at 5:30 in the morning. … I wonder why they did that.”

On Wednesday around noon, Flaisher says she put in an application for a second permit — this time for a “demonstration” one. That type of permit usually has a 24-hour turnaround, and Flaisher says an employee at NPS told her she would have the new permit in about that time frame.

While Flaisher was trying to obtain a second permit, members of Secret Handshake were working to retrieve their art.

The statue “Best Friends Forever,” featuring President Trump and Jeffrey Epstein holding hands, was damaged when it was removed Wednesday morning by the National Park Service.

(Secret Handshake)

The statue was not treated kindly upon its removal, said the rep from Secret Handshake, who requested not to be named in keeping with the anonymous nature of the group’s activism. The statue was in several pieces, with heads and knees broken in half. They then spent several hours repairing, rebuilding and “gluing it together” the rep said. “It looks pretty cool, to be honest. It got kind of messed up, but in an interesting way.”

The Times reviewed a video taken by the group’s security that shows workers toppling the statue in the dark and removing it.

“Free speech. There goes Trump, there goes Epstein,” a passerby can be heard saying. “Taxpayers’ dollars.”

The damaged statue was taped back together.

(Secret Handshake)

Throughout Thursday, the Secret Handshake rep said, “we were told [of the permit], it’s approved, it’s approved, it’s approved.”

Flaisher called a little after noon and was told that the permit had not been issued, but the person she spoke with did not know why. An hour later she tried again and this time she was told, “‘No, you will not be issued a permit,’” she says. She pushed back and asked who she could talk to, but nobody would speak with her she says.

“Absolute silence. No one’s called me back with anything. No answer. You don’t have a permit. There is no reason,” said Flaisher. “It must have come from a very high place because nobody’s talking.”

The NPS has not yet responded to a request for comment about why a second permit was denied or why Secret Handshake was not given 24-hour notice before the statue was initially removed.

The rep for Secret Handshake, which has been responsible for four other political satirical statues on the National Mall, including “Poop Desk,” a bronze art installation featuring a pile of feces on former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s desk, says the group is currently considering what to do next with its repaired “Best Friends” statue.

The rep said the group hires security to protect its work at the mall, as mandated by the permit, and that their security was in place Thursday afternoon, getting ready for the statue to be installed for the second time.

“They took video … and the amount of unmarked cars, Park Service cars, city police and giant trucks ready to haul it away if we decided to place it down anyway. … Wow. They were ready,” the rep said. “There were at least 10 vehicles, I would say.”

The question of whether the statue will be allowed to be replaced comes in the midst of a fierce debate about free speech in America that was kicked off by ABC’s suspension of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” after the comedian weighed in on the killing of Charlie Kirk.

Kenyan President William Ruto told the UN General Assembly that Africa’s exclusion from permanent membership on the Security Council is unfair and undermines the UN’s credibility, arguing the continent bears the “heaviest cost of instability”.

Sept. 23 (UPI) — U.S. defense, space and security will benefit from Boeing’s use of Palantir’s artificial intelligence-based Foundry platform to streamline its major production lines, officials said Tuesday.

Boeing and Palantir announced the collaborative effort on Tuesday and said it will improve the production of military aircraft, helicopters, satellites, spacecraft, missiles and weapons systems.

“Palantir is on the cutting edge when it comes to leveraging artificial intelligence to accelerate getting critical products, services and capabilities in the hands of military operators,” said Steve Parker, Boeing’s Defense, Space & Security chief executive officer, in a news release on Tuesday.

“This collaboration is a natural fit that brings together two great companies with a common mission: supporting uniformed personnel in protecting freedom around the world.”

Denver-based Palantir also will provide Boeing with AI expertise and capabilities on several classified efforts that support the needs of its military clients during their most sensitive missions.

The collaborative effort will enable Boeing and Palantir to deliver dominant military capabilities that enable the United States to more effectively deter conflicts and defend the nation, Palantir’s head of defense, Mike Gallagher said.

“This partnership will turbocharge production and innovation, allowing Boeing and Palantir to bring cutting-edge technology to current and next-generation defense programs,” Gallagher added.

“America’s enemies aren’t slowing down,” he said. “Neither can we.”

Palantir in August received an up-to $10 billion, 10-year contract to improve the U.S. Army’s military readiness with AI.

Federal home mortgage firm Fannie Mae in May also contracted with Palantir to create an AI-powered unit to prevent and stop mortgage fraud.

The firm specializes in software development to better use AI to make rapid decisions in real time.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (KTOS 5.26%), a leading manufacturer of drones for the U.S. military, gained 4.6% through 12:20 p.m. ET after announcing a new five-year strategic manufacturing agreement with Elroy Air.

Image source: Getty Images.

Elroy who?

Elroy Air is hardly a household name, so it may not be immediately apparent why this is good news. Based out of San Francisco, Elroy Air is a 10-year-old start-up building “autonomous aerial cargo systems for middle-mile logistics and military resupply.”

In other words, it builds remotely operated aircraft that deliver supplies to military units in the field.

To further this effort, Elroy picked Kratos to serve as its “exclusive U.S. manufacturing partner for the Chaparral,” described as a hybrid-electric autonomous vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) cargo drone that can carry 300-lb. payloads up to 300 miles.

Is Kratos stock a buy?

Kratos notes that manufacturing of the Chaparral will begin in 2026, and says Elroy plans to build the aircraft at high volume. This suggests that revenue from the contract could be substantial. However, Kratos did not provide any specific figures for estimated revenue from the contract — nor even define precisely how many units “high volume” might entail.

What we do know is this: Kratos is a $13.6 billion company that earned less than $15 million last year. (That’s right, its price-to-earnings ratio is verging on quadruple digits, getting awfully close to a P/E of 1,000.) Kratos is also burning cash (negative $61 million in annual free cash flow).

Although Kratos does have nearly $500 million in the bank, and can afford to burn some cash for a while, longer-term these are not great numbers. Unless profits grow spectacularly over the next few years, Kratos stock will be a sell for me.

Sept. 22 (UPI) — The United Nations Security Council is to convene Monday to address Russia’s breach last week of Estonia airspace, according to the European union and NATO member.

Kremlin MiG-31 fighter jets flew through Estonian airspace for 12 minutes on Friday, the latest transgression of a foreign national’s airspace in recent weeks during Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Estonia announced the U.N. Security Council meeting on Sunday, describing its mission as to address Russia’s breach of Tallinn’s “territorial integrity” and its violation of a prohibition on the threat or use of force.

“This incursion into Estonian airspace is yet another dangerous act aimed at escalating regional and global tensions, as Russia — a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council — continues its war of aggression against Ukraine,” Tallinn’s foreign ministry said in a statement on X.

“Russia’s reckless and aggressive actions, and its repeated violations of international law and the principles of the U.N. Charter, require a strong and united international response.”

The Friday breach saw three MiG-31s travel within 12 1/2 miles of downtown Tallinn, where there are government buildings of NATO allies and EU member states, according to Jonatan Vseviov, secretary general of Estonia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He called the breach a “pattern of unacceptable behavior” observed in recent weeks with repeated air and drone incidents in the region.

Last week, Romania summoned the Russian ambassador to Bucharest after Moscow’s drone incursion into its airspace on Sept. 13. It flew within Romanian airspace for 50 minutes.

Before that, Poland shot down at least three of 19 Russian drones that had breached its airspace overnight Sept. 9.

Vseviov chastised Russia over the Friday incursion, saying “it brought aircraft dangerously close to our capital.”

Estonian Defense Forces said NATO F-35s were scrambled in response.

It was Russia’s fourth violation of Estonia’s airspace this year, it said.

“By openly violating Estonian airspace, Russia undermines principles vital to the security of all U.N. member states. When such actions are committed by a permanent member of the Security Council, they must be addressed by that very body” Estonia Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said in a statement.

“Tomorrow’s U.N. Security Council meeting is essential.”

If you’ve been on Social Security for a while, changes to the program may not seem all that unusual to you. Each year, the government makes updates to benefits and the formula used to calculate them. But 2025 hasn’t been an ordinary year. Several unusual changes have already taken place, and a few more are set to go into effect by the end of December.

They may not all affect you, but chances are, at least one will have a pretty significant impact on your budget as we move into 2026.

Image source: Getty Images.

1. The Social Security Fairness Act’s passage

Congress passed the Social Security Fairness Act (SSFA) in January. This law eliminated two longstanding Social Security provisions — the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO) — that had previously reduced the amount of benefits that would be paid to people who received pensions from employers that didn’t pay into Social Security on their behalf.

As a result of this change, many former teachers, firefighters, police officers, and other government workers saw their benefits jump this spring, with some getting an additional $1,000 or more each month.

The Social Security Administration finished making these benefit adjustments back in July. If you were affected, you should have been notified of the change, and you’ve likely already begun receiving your new, larger benefit checks.

2. Overpayment recovery rate increase

In March 2024, the Biden administration made a change to how Social Security dealt with overpayments: If, for some reason, an individual was found to have received more than they were due, the agency would withhold at most 10% of each of their future checks until all of the overpayment was recovered. The goal of spreading out the repayment period this way was to avoid putting unnecessary financial hardship on retirees.

Early in 2025, President Donald Trump reversed that move, reverting the Social Security overpayment recovery rate from 10% per check back to 100%. This gave the government permission to withhold the entirety of your checks until it recouped its money. However, a few weeks later, he cut the recovery rate to 50%.

Overpayments are uncommon, but if this happens to you, losing half your checks for any period could still be devastating. However, if it will be a hardship, you can file a request for a lower repayment recovery rate.

3. The end of paper check delivery

The Social Security Administration announced in July that on Sept. 30, it would stop sending paper checks to beneficiaries. This change will save the government about $0.35 per payment while also improving the speed and security with which funds are distributed.

If you’re currently receiving paper Social Security checks, you can switch to direct deposit into a bank account or request a Direct Express Card. This is a prepaid debit card that the government will automatically load your Social Security benefit onto each month. You can change the method by which you receive your payments by logging into your my Social Security account or by contacting the Social Security Administration.

4. Reduced Social Security benefit taxes for some

Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” made several major changes to the tax code, including adding a new deduction for seniors worth up to $6,000 for single adults and up to $12,000 for married couples. This is on top of the standard deductions for those filing statuses and the existing senior tax deduction.

Contrary to what some sources claimed, this change did not eliminate or modify the existing taxes on Social Security benefits. However, a tax deduction will reduce your taxable income for the year, so you could pay taxes on a little less of your Social Security benefits than you would have before.

5. Cost-of-living adjustment (COLA)

The Social Security Administration will announce the size of its next cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) on Oct. 15. This will take effect with the December 2025 payment, which will go out to beneficiaries in January 2026.

Based on current estimates for U.S. inflation during the third quarter, the COLA will come in at around 2.7%. That would increase the average monthly benefit of $2,008 (as of August) by $54. 

Once the COLA is official, you will be able to calculate how much it will add to your 2026 benefits. But you should also get a personalized COLA notice in December. You can use that information to begin planning your budgets for 2026.

In 1991, Social Security’s full retirement age (FRA) was 65, yet the average retirement age in the U.S. was 57. Today, FRA hovers around 67 with the average American retiring at 62.

According to North American Community Hub Statistics (NCHstats), a source of health data, there’s a gap between the expected age of retirement (67) and the actual age (62), often due to health issues, caregiving needs, and layoffs. In other words, despite the desire a person may have to maximize their Social Security benefits, life can get in the way.

Image source: Getty Images.

What is the perfect age to begin collecting Social Security?

Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all answer. The best time for you to retire may differ significantly from the ideal time for a friend, coworker, or family member. What matters is when you’re ready to retire.

For example, suppose you’re the primary earner in your family, and you have a spouse and children who depend on you for financial support. If that’s the case, you may want to maximize the amount they’re eligible to collect in survivors benefits by waiting to retire at FRA or later. Survivors benefits entitle your dependents to continue receiving a percentage of the benefit you were collecting (or would have qualified for) at the time of your death. By retiring earlier, you reduce the amount your family will collect after your passing.

Meanwhile, someone with health complications may decide they want to file for Social Security much sooner. With a shorter life expectancy, they’re more likely to maximize what they get from the program with an early claim.

Discovering the right retirement age for you

The ideal age for you depends mainly on factors like your financial needs, health, and overall retirement goals. Here are a few more scenarios to consider.

• Early retirement: You can begin collecting benefits as early as 62, but the sooner you file, the smaller your benefit will be. However, if you need the income to actually retire, 62 may be right for you.
• Full retirement age (between 66 and 67): Waiting until this age allows you to receive your full benefit. If you retire before this point, you’ll need to rely exclusively on your retirement savings to cover your expenses for a few years. For many people, waiting until FRA may be just right.
• Delayed retirement: If you can put off claiming benefits until age 70, you’ll receive the maximum amount possible based on your work history. This could be the right move if you had a late start saving for retirement, live in a high-cost-of-living area, or want to hold onto more of your savings in order to pass it down to your heirs.

Questions to ask yourself

If you’re not quite sure when you would like to retire, here are five questions that can help you get a sense of your best move.

1. When am I eligible for Medicare coverage? Medicare eligibility begins at age 65. If you’re considering retirement before that, make sure you have another dependable source of health insurance.
2. What do I enjoy most in life? Let’s say you love to travel or treat the grandchildren to special activities. Those things cost money, so you must ensure your post-retirement income is adequate.
3. Do I have a plan for life after retirement? If your job is what you love and you don’t have a clear idea of what you would do as a retiree, it’s a good sign that you can wait.
4. Would a trial retirement work for me? If you’re still unsure of when (or if) you want to retire, find out if your employer will allow you to transition to a part-time schedule or go on sabbatical to try it out.
5. Do I simply want to leave my current job? If so, you may want to “semi-retire” by leaving your current job and taking on a new one. Depending on your age, the Social Security Administration may hold back a portion of your monthly benefits (although you’ll get them back after reaching FRA), but you’ll still have the chance to try something new.

Some people live for the day they can retire, while others can’t imagine what they would do with themselves. Whichever camp you fall into, it’s essential to have a plan and understand when retirement is a realistic option.

BONNIE Blue’s security has revealed they often deal with aggressive attacks aimed at her after she was “slapped” in a club.

Bonnie arrived at Onyx Nightclub in Sheffield, South Yorkshire at 1am on Friday as part of her “Bang Bus” tour before chaos ensued.

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The notorious adult film star was appearing at an event dubbed “the wildest freshers experience in Sheffield”.

But carnage soon followed 40 minutes later as footage showed cops tackling suspects at the venue after an attendee reportedly punched her in the jaw.

However, Bonnie’s head of security told The Sun that she wasn’t punched but was “slapped” by a fan.

“Bonnie takes risks every time she poses for thousands of pictures with fans — and that’s always the main challenge for us, as we keep constant eyes on her safety,” he said.

“In this case, a fan took a split-second opportunity to slap her. Our team immediately stepped in with reasonable and necessary actions to de-escalate the situation, and Bonnie carried on with her night’s work.

“For the sake of content and socials, Bonnie often allows fans within arm’s reach, but our team has successfully managed numerous situations to stop anything aggressive — whether verbal or physical.

“This was an opportunistic attack, and it will not be tolerated.”

Bonnie also downplayed the altercation and said she was “totally fine” and thanked her security.

“She said: “There was a tiny incident last night but I’m totally fine — big thanks to my A+ security for keeping everything smooth.

“No scratches, no stress, and definitely no slowing me down. Can’t wait for my Nottingham homecoming for the next two days.”

A separate video from that night showed Bonnie ordering her security to get rid of a woman who said she was “setting feminism back”.

A woman with bright pink hair had approached Bonnie who told the woman: “Your hair looks so cool.”

She replied: “Thank you – but do you know how many years you’ve set back feminism?”

Bonnie is heard to say: “Oh get out. I haven’t.”

She appears to tell security to “get those fat f**** out”.

Her “Bang Bus” tour across the country promised “high energy DJ sets” but “no sexual behaviour”.

The event site, Skiddle, said in the build-up to the event: “This is a night built for making new friends, laughing until your cheeks hurt, and throwing yourself into the wildest Freshers experience in Sheffield.

“Important Notice: This event is a safe space for all. No sexual behaviour is permitted inside the venue – respect others and enjoy the party the right way.”

The adult film star has previously insisted that there were no plans to film herself having sex with students after she appeared at Glasgow University.

She told The Scottish Sun in an exclusive chat that she just wanted to “have a good time and meet more people that would never be able to come to London to see me normally.”

She announced Scotland was the first stop on her tour and said: “I wanted to go on tour through the UK, from the top to the bottom and Glasgow gave me the warmest welcome when I mentioned I would be going to Scotland.”

But all three of the city’s universities distanced themselves from her with Glasgow, Strathclyde and Caledonian, all saying they “have no links with Bonnie Blue”.

Bonnie infamously claimed a record in January 2024 after she was filmed having sex with 1,057 men in 12 hours.

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CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN has said that his defibrillator implant is “just part of me now” as he admitted that he only remembers it is there during airport security checks.

Eriksen, 33, collapsed on the pitch during Denmark‘s opening game against Finland at the delayed Euro 2020 tournament in 2021.

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The former Manchester United midfielder suffered a cardiac arrest and needed life-saving resuscitation on the pitch.

He was later fitted with a defibrillator implant (ICD) before returning to football with Brentford and then United in 2022.

Now Eriksen has signed for Bundesliga side Wolfsburg, having been let go by Man Utd at the end of the season, and has opened up on how he rarely thinks about his heart condition these days.

Speaking at his official presentation for Wolfsburg on Friday, the Dane discussed how setting off alarms when going through airport security body scanners is his only reminder of the incident.

He said: “I only have to go past the scanner and undergo a separate check. That’s all. There are no restrictions. Nothing.

“I have never felt anything since then. It is just a part of me now – nothing strange or sad.”

Eriksen went on to explain that he won’t delve into the details of what happened until after his career is over.

He added: “[I’m happy to] be seen as a footballer again, and not as the guy who had this moment at Parken [Stadium].

“I will only talk in detail about it after my career – it is something very personal.”

Eriksen, who was approached to join Wrexham this summer, could make his debut for Wolfsburg this weekend in a league clash with Borussia Dortmund.

He leaves Man Utd having made over 100 appearances in which he helped the club win both the FA Cup and the League Cup.

And despite the turbulent few years at Old Trafford, Eriksen had nothing but positive things to say about his time in Manchester.

He said: “Personally, I had a great time being at United. When I came back to football with Brentford, getting the chance to play against United was a massive thing.

“I also think I proved myself as a footballer at United. I had a really great time, and my family loved it there, and I’m sure we still have a lot of friends from our time there.

“I had a good time at the club, but it was a strange time because there was a lot of stuff going on at United.

“The focus and the perception of the club from the outside world is a bit different sometimes to how it really is.

“There are some lovely people at the club who are really working hard and trying their best, but it does not always go your way.”

The United States has blocked yet another United Nations Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and for Israel to lift all restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid.

Under the UN charter, the Security Council is responsible for maintaining international peace and security.

It’s made up of 15 members – 10 elected and five permanent, which have the power to veto resolutions.

This time, the 10 elected members plus the United Kingdom, France, Russia and China supported the resolution.

But Israel’s biggest ally – the US – refused, saying it did not condemn Hamas or recognise Israel’s right to defend itself.

Does it mean the UN Security Council is unable to carry out its mandate?

Presenter: Sami Zeidan

Guests:

William Lawrence – Professor of political science and international affairs at American University

Ardi Imseis – Associate professor of law at Queen’s University and a former UN legal officer

Xavier Abu Eid – Political scientist and former adviser to the Palestine Liberation Organization

Four countries vote to stop sanctions from being reintroduced, while nine vote against sanctions relief.

The United Nations Security Council has voted not to permanently lift economic sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme, delivering a major economic blow that Tehran claims is “politically biased”.

A resolution on Friday to block the sanctions fell in the Security Council by a vote of four to nine, meaning European sanctions will return by September 28 if no significant deal is reached beforehand.

Russia, China, Pakistan and Algeria voted to stop the sanctions from being reintroduced, while nine UNSC members voted against sanctions relief. Two countries abstained.

The vote follows a 30-day process launched in late August by Britain, France and Germany – known as the E3 – to reinstate sanctions unless Tehran meets their demands.

Iran says Europeans ‘misusing JCPOA mechanism’

Iranian officials have accused the European trio of abusing the dispute mechanism contained in the 2015 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), which allows for the application of sanctions under a “snapback mechanism”.

“What Europeans are doing is politically biased and politically motivated … They are wrong on different levels by trying to misuse the mechanism embedded in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA),” Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh said.

The Europeans offered to delay the snapback for up to six months if Iran restored access for UN nuclear inspectors and engaged in talks with the US.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi claimed that Tehran had presented a “reasonable and actionable plan” and insisted Iran remains committed to the NPT.

But the E3 accuse Tehran of breaching their nuclear commitments, including by building up a uranium stockpile of more than 40 times the level permitted under the JCPOA. The UN’s nuclear watchdog board also ruled back in June that Iran was not respecting international nuclear safeguards.

‘Clock is ticking for high-level diplomacy’

The UNSC vote allowing sanctions to snap back is not the complete “end of negotiations,” as the parties have just over a week to come up with a last-ditch deal, said Al Jazeera’s Diplomatic Editor James Bays, reporting from the UN.

“It’s the week where world leaders are all here in New York for the high-level meeting of the UN General Assembly, so it sets the stage for high-level diplomacy between Iran and particularly the three European countries,” said Bays. But “we’re reaching the end of this high-stakes diplomacy, and the clock really is ticking.”

Under the JCPOA – signed by Iran, the United States, China, Russia and the EU – Tehran agreed to curb its nuclear programme in return for sanctions relief. But the agreement unravelled in 2018 after then-US President Donald Trump pulled out and reimposed unilateral sanctions.

Tensions escalated further earlier this summer, when Israel launched a 12-day war on Iran, with Israeli and US forces striking several nuclear facilities.

Iran has repeatedly denied pursuing nuclear weapons but affirmed its right to peacefully pursue nuclear energy.

As a major storm rushed toward Florida last October, the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency at the time faced a different kind of threat. Police had shown up in force to a rental property she owned as a result of a prank call, in a potentially dangerous attack known as “swatting.”

Back-to-back Hurricanes Helene and Milton had sparked a torrent of online conspiracies, with FEMA officials facing harassment and death threats, according to hundreds of pages of agency emails and other documents obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request by Bloomberg News. The records shed new light on how disaster-related misinformation affects the government’s emergency response, sucks up internal resources, and puts staff at risk.

Deanne Criswell, who ran FEMA under President Joe Biden, learned about the swatting situation as she was about to brief TV viewers on Milton, one of the most powerful storms on record to develop in the Gulf of Mexico. “It was a very unsettling feeling,” she said in a recent interview, thinking back on how she juggled her concern for her renters along with preparing Floridians for the storm.

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell testifies during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, November 20, 2024.

(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Many of the attacks outlined in the documents have not previously been reported, including the doxxing of at least seven senior FEMA staffers. In those incidents sensitive personal information, such as home addresses, was published online for the purpose of harassment. The records also reveal challenges the agency faced as it tried to control the situation.

The incidents followed an online wave of disinformation suggesting FEMA was mishandling the response to the hurricanes that pummeled Florida and North Carolina in the lead up to the presidential election. Among the debunked claims swirling at the time were reports that agency workers had seized property from survivors and confiscated donations.

The offensive diverted agency time and resources to set the record straight and protect personnel. “It made my staff nervous,” said Criswell. “It made people in the community nervous. They didn’t know who to believe. They didn’t know who to trust.”The threat of misinformation continues to loom over the agency at a time when President Donald Trump and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem have made steep cuts to its staffing and funding, including pulling back on some of the resources FEMA used last fall to combat threats. In the aftermath of deadly Texas floods in July, for example, conspiracy theories online blamed cloud seeding.

“The profit-driven platform model, where sensational falsehoods outperform factual updates in emergencies, ensures this problem persists across political cycles and it can put lives at risk,” said Callum Hood, head of research at the nonprofit Center for Countering Digital Hate.

A FEMA spokesperson said in an email the agency “uses internal DHS resources to identify and mitigate any personal threats to employees.”

A trail of disinformation

Workers, community members, and business owners clean up debris in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in Marshall, North Carolina, Sept. 30, 2024.

(Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Im)

Hurricane Helene made landfall in the middle of the night on Sept. 26 as a Category 4 storm, causing historic flooding far inland and killing at least 250 people. Western North Carolina was particularly hard hit. Flood waters swept away small towns and cut off others, while Asheville lost water for more than a month. Almost immediately, FEMA staff had to confront false rumors circulating online, including that it had stopped accepting housing assistance applications from survivors and didn’t have enough funds to help them.

FEMA officials and experts attribute the quick spread of disinformation to historic government mistrust in the area, as well as social media platforms ratcheting back moderation. High-profile figures including X owner Elon Musk and Trump, then in the late stages of his bid to retake the White House, repeated some of the false claims. Trump, for example, said multiple times during his campaign rallies FEMA was directing disaster funds to immigrants.

For example, the agency shared a screenshot taken from a TruthSocial post from Oct. 5 that stated: “Deanne Criswell needs to be executed for crimes against humanity and treason!” An Oct. 6 post on Gab, a social media site favored by the far right, called for the “Mussolini treatment” of various officials. “The only question: Is there enough rope?” read one of the responses.

Jacyln Rothenberg, the agency’s spokesperson at the time, was among the most heavily targeted, leading Homeland Security to loan Customs and Border Protection agents to provide security at her home. “Because the doxxing was so severe and my safety was at risk, I had to stop tweeting,” she said. “I had to stop doing interviews. I had to stop putting myself on the record.”

FEMA staff also found what it called “far-right” users posting possible personal information for numerous officials, including Criswell, Coen and Rothenberg, internal documents show.

Attacks on FEMA Offline

As a second powerful hurricane — Milton — developed off the coast of Florida, the attacks on staffers’ started migrating from the internet to their homes. After Criswell’s rental property was swatted, among other “serious threats,” then-DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas signed off on a government vehicle and extra security to protect the embattled FEMA chief.

Then it happened to someone else. “My deputy Jenna Peters’ home was swatted,” Coen told FEMA’s security team in an email on Oct. 11. Peters did not respond to a request for comment.

The most high-profile incident involved a man allegedly “hunting” FEMA staff in North Carolina’s disaster zone. On Criswell’s orders, she said in an email to other top Biden officials: “All FEMA staff and contractors working to interact with survivors and conducting housing inspections, as well as search and rescue teams stood down following the initial reports.”

Elena Gonzalez, 37, looks at their burned-out home after Hurricane Milton’s landfall on October 14, 2024, in Fort Myers, Florida.

(Eva Marie Uzcategui/The Washington Post via Getty Im)

Afterwards, FEMA put together a Workplace Protection Task Force involving security, intelligence and communications professionals to manage incoming threats. Protective measures included using specialized software to flag personnel previously targeted online as at risk of more harassment. But there were limits to how far the government could influence content moderation. At the time, outspoken Republicans led by House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan were investigating tech companies, alleging that the platforms were censoring conservative viewpoints under federal government pressure.

After initially approving ZeroFox to assist with facilitating takedowns, FEMA later asked that the company end all social media content removal requests. Per internal documents, the move came after staff discussions that it wasn’t advisable for the agency to contract for services that took any action beyond passive threat monitoring. ZeroFox declined to comment.

Supporters of 2024 Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump attend a boat parade near a house damaged in Hurricane Milton, Siesta Key, Florida, October 26, 2024.

(Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images)

Trump’s team has already overseen a massive scale back of FEMA’s staffing, funding and programming. As part of a review of contracts, FEMA ended its agreement with ZeroFox, according to a former official familiar with the situation. A FEMA spokesperson confirmed that it ended the ZeroFox contract in April. For Melissa Ryan, founder of Card Strategies, a consulting firm that researches disinformation, the current political climate — in which public officials who attempt to provide transparency are often politicized and attacked — is a bigger obstacle than budget cuts in the fight against false claims. “So many of the new government appointees are Trump loyalists, and attempting to actually respond effectively to disinformation would make whoever made the attempt a target for MAGA and the administration,” she said.

Hirji, Alba and Leopold write for Bloomberg.

Syria, Jordan and the United States have announced plans to restore security in Suwayda, where sectarian violence in July claimed the lives of more than 250 people.

“The roadmap for a solution in Suwayda includes holding accountable those who attacked civilians, continuing humanitarian and medical aid, compensating those affected, ensuring the return of displaced persons, restoring basic services, deploying local Interior Ministry forces to protect roads, uncovering the fate of missing persons and returning abductees,” Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani said in a news release on Tuesday after meeting with his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi and US Syria’s envoy Tom Barrack in Damascus.

Al-Shibani also said the government was working on a plan for the return of those displaced by the violence, who number more than 160,000, according to UN figures. He did not give details on how these steps would be achieved.

The new plan includes proposals to launch an internal reconciliation process. Violence erupted on July 13 between Bedouin tribal fighters and Druze factions in the southern Syrian province.

Safadi, for his part, said the parties agreed on a Syrian-Jordanian-American plan “to overcome the events in Suwayda under the framework of Syria’s unity and stability.”

“We want Syria to stabilise, recover and rebuild after years of destruction and suffering, and to start practical steps toward a brighter future for all Syrians,” he added.

Jordan borders Suwayda province and has spent years fighting drug and weapons smuggling from its northern neighbour.

Sectarian violence

The fighting broke out in July following the abduction of a Druze truck driver on a public highway, and later drew in Bedouin tribal fighters from other parts of the country. A ceasefire was established after a week of violence in the Druze-majority province.

The government forces were deployed to restore order, but were accused of siding with the Bedouins.

Israel launched dozens of air attacks on convoys of government forces in Suwayda and even struck the Syrian Ministry of Defence headquarters in the capital Damascus. Israel has pledged to protect Syria’s Druze minority, which it sees as potential allies.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in August that his country was engaged in talks to establish a demilitarised zone in southern Syria.

Syria said it held Israel “fully responsible” for the unrest.

After opposition fighters toppled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December, Israel deployed troops to the buffer zone on the Golan Heights. Israel still occupies the Golan Heights, recognised as Syrian territory.

Israel has also repeatedly bombed Syria since al-Assad’s fall.

Meanwhile, Syria’s Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that Damascus and Washington were working to reach security understandings with Israel as part of a plan for stability announced earlier in the day with US and Jordanian support for violence-hit Suwayda province.

“The United States, in consultation with the Syrian government, will work to reach security understandings with Israel concerning southern Syria that address the legitimate security concerns of both Syria and Israel while emphasising Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement outlining the roadmap.

Confidence-building

No concrete steps were released Tuesday for how the goals discussed between Jordan, Syria and the US would be accomplished.

“Suwayda belongs to all its components, and it is the state’s duty to restore trust among them, return the displaced, and there is a determination to restore normal life to the governorate,” al-Shibani said in the news release on Tuesday.

Jordan’s Foreign Minister Safadi said Syria’s security is an extension of Jordan’s security, adding that “all Syrians are equal citizens in rights and duties within their state”.

He stressed the need to hold perpetrators of human rights violations accountable and deliver humanitarian assistance.

The US envoy Barrack said he came to Syria “as a representative of the president of the United States and the secretary of state in a difficult moment in the region and the world.”

Barrack said confidence-building “takes inches, centimetres and decades to build and can be lost in an instant.”

“We are going to hit speed bumps or we are going to have bus stops along the way,” he added.

Tuesday’s discussions build on earlier rounds hosted by Amman in July and August that focused on consolidating a ceasefire in Suwayda and finding a resolution to the conflict there. Suwayda has observed a ceasefire since July 19.