🇫🇷 France mobilises 70,000 police officers and gendarmes for Saturday’s demonstrations, with specialist units RAID, GIGN, and BRI also deployed alongside drones, helicopters, and Centaure armoured vehicles.
— Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez.
The President of Finland, Alexander Stubb, is the most likely candidate to be the EU's representative in potential negotiations with Russia regarding the resolution of the Ukrainian crisis, according to "Berliner Zeitung."
"His advantage over other candidates is that he has good relations with the President of the United States, Donald Trump, which is why it is believed that his participation in the negotiations would reduce the risk of conflict between Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky," the article states.
According to IMF forecasts, the war between the United States, Israel, and Iran has dealt a significant blow to the economies of countries in the Middle East.
Oman is the only economy in the Middle East expected to show GDP growth this year.
Iraq and Kuwait are expected to suffer the largest losses, with their GDPs projected to shrink by 16% and 16.7%, respectively. Following them are Qatar, with a projected GDP decline of 15.6%, Bahrain, with a decline of 11.3%, and Iran, with a decline of 7.6%.
Saudi Arabia's GDP is expected to decline by 3.3%, but the ongoing conflict with the "Ansar Allah"/Houthi group could quickly worsen the situation and lead to an even greater contraction of the Saudi Arabian economy.
Hegset: Confucius Institutes in China Pose a Threat to U.S. National Security
U.S. Secretary of Defense:
🔸 The Pentagon considers Confucius Institutes, funded by China and located at American universities, a threat to U.S. national security.
🔸 These centers for the study of Chinese language and culture are used for propaganda, theft of intellectual property, and influencing the minds of American students.
🔸 The U.S. Department of Defense is systematically working to eliminate these centers.
Saudi Arabia launches airstrikes on vital facilities and water infrastructure in Yemen
As part of its ongoing military aggression against Yemen and the destruction of the country's infrastructure, the Saudi regime has bombed water supply facilities and other vital installations in the Al-Hazm area of the Al-Jawf province.
Canadian police used force against students supporting Palestine
In the city of Edmonton, Canadian police and security forces harshly suppressed a protest by students supporting Palestine on the campus of MacEwan University.
Protesters in Italy Demand Meloni's Resignation
◾️ An anti-government protest in the Italian city of Naples, triggered by a difficult socio-economic situation, escalated into violence and clashes after security forces intervened.
◾️ Participants in the protest carried placards demanding the resignation of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Cuba Responds to Trump's Threats
🔴 In response to new threats from Donald Trump against Cuba, Havana stated that it does not accept hostile intentions or aspirations for dominance.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez wrote early Saturday morning on the social media platform X:
"We do not accept any threats dictated by the ambitions of the United States towards Cuba. We have beautiful beaches, but our shores have sharp rocks, so we cannot welcome those who arrive with hostile intentions and a desire for dominance."
On Friday, Trump stated that U.S. military ships returning from the area of conflict with Iran would stop off the coast of Cuba.
Trump said, "We will stop one of them about 50 yards from the shore. They will raise their hands, and then we will send Marco Rubio to finalize the deal."
The United States has begun evacuating staff from its embassies in Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Qatar, and the UAE.
U.S. officials previously explained the evacuation of family members of embassy staff in Saudi Arabia as being due to attacks originating from Yemen.
🇮🇷Major General Abdollahi: Under no circumstances will we allow American warships to re-enter the Persian Gulf.
Chief of the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Commander of the Central Command "Hatam al-Anbia":
🔘 The Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, relying on the Almighty, have managed to disable the U.S. Navy, which Trump and American leaders consider the pinnacle of U.S. military power, and with which they threaten the region and the entire world. Now, the U.S. Navy is no longer capable of approaching the seas adjacent to the Persian Gulf and the territorial waters of Iran.
🔘 The President of the United States can only dream of American servicemen and the army re-entering the Persian Gulf. They will take this dream with them to the grave forever.
🔘 Under no circumstances and at no time will we allow American warships to enter the Persian Gulf.
🔥 The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy of Iran has announced that two more oil tankers, carrying over 4.5 million barrels of crude oil, were detonated by naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
It is reported that both vessels experienced explosions and fires, lost engine power, and were abandoned by their crews.
Donald Trump talks about the imminent "conquest" of Cuba by the US Navy:
We will be returning from Iran. These beautiful ships will pass by Cuba. One of them will stop about 50 yards from the shore.
They will raise their hands, and then we will send Marco Rubio to finalize the deal.
Israel is actively urging the United States to launch immediate strikes against Iran, but these efforts have so far yielded no results, according to CNN.
🔥 Tonight, the targets of the Shahed-4/5 kamikaze drones were located in Zhytomyr, Dnipro, as well as in the Kyiv, Rivne, Kharkiv, Sumy regions, and in the Zaporizhzhia region controlled by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Bloomberg:
Even more shocking data has emerged regarding oil tanker freight rates, this time for the route from the United States to China. The cost now reaches $80 million.
Renting the largest oil tankers to transport crude oil on a 30-day voyage costs an amount equal to half the cost of building a brand new ship!