News of the World
Yesterday, 07:25 PM
MIDDLE EAST WAR
Quote:A Japanese-owned oil tanker has exited the Strait of Hormuz for the first time since the Iran war began, according to Tokyo and Tehran, potentially offering much-needed relief to a key U.S. ally hit hard by global energy disruptions.
The Panamanian-flagged very large crude carrier Idemitsu Maru, managed by a unit of the Japanese refiner Idemitsu Kosan, reached the Gulf of Oman in the early hours of Wednesday carrying 2 million barrels of Saudi crude, according to the tracking service MarineTraffic.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said three Japanese crew members were on the Idemitsu Maru, which is expected to reach its reported destination of Nagoya by mid-May.
"Our country has, to date, made representations to Iran on every possible occasion, from the standpoint that it is important to ensure the early restoration of free and safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz for vessels of all countries, including Japan," she said.
Before Iran shut the strait to commercial traffic in response to the U.S. and Israeli attacks that began on February 28, Japan imported over 90 percent of its crude from the Middle East, most of it through the strait.
Cargo ships and tankers linked to China, India, Pakistan, France and Turkey are among those to have exited the strait since the war began, although there did not appear to be a fixed agreement with Iran behind each one.
The transit of the Idemitsu Maru, which was stranded in the Persian Gulf for two months, was the subject of intensive negotiations between Tokyo and Tehran, according to the Japanese press.
The Tasnim state news agency, linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard (IRGC), said on Wednesday that the tanker was let through with Iranian approval.
Unnamed Japanese officials told Japan’s Nikkei newspaper and the public broadcaster NHK that no transit fees were paid, although the ship did appear to utilize an IRGC-designated outbound sea lane near Iran’s Larak Island, according to Newsweek’s review of publicly available automatic identification system data.
The U.S. Treasury Department, in announcing another round of sanctions against Iran’s illicit oil trade on Tuesday, said that "toll" payments to Tehran were a sanctionable offense under the global U.S. financial control regime.
It was unclear whether the U.S. government was aware of the negotiations between Japan and Iran. The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside of office hours.
Shipowner Idemitsu Kosan couldn’t be reached for comment after hours but told the FNN Prime news website earlier on Wednesday that it couldn’t comment on individual vessels "for safety reasons."
The Idemitsu Maru had passed the U.S. blockade line against Iran and was in the northern Arabian Sea as of 5 a.m. Eastern Time, according to AIS signals captured by MarineTraffic.
Quote:Police have declared a terrorist incident and a man has been arrested after two Jewish men were stabbed in Golders Green, in north London, police have confirmed.
The Metropolitan Police has said it arrested a 45-year-old man on suspicion of attempted murder after two men, one in his 70s and another in his 30s, were stabbed on Highfield Avenue in the suburb of England's capital.
Golders Green is home to a large Jewish population, and there have been a string of antisemitic incidents in recent weeks in which the community has been targeted. The victims were treated by the nonprofit organization Hatzola, whose ambulances were set on fire in the district last month. There is no official update on their condition.
The Community Security Trust (CST), a Jewish charity, said it recorded 3,700 antisemitic incidents last year. This, the charity said, was the second-highest number of incidents in a single calendar year after 2023—when the war in Gaza began.
In a statement to Newsweek, the White House said antisemitism had "run rampant" in London.
Mark Rowley, the commissioner for the Metropolitan Police, said at a news conference that the man arrested over the attack had a history of serious violence and mental health issues.
He called the attack "another horrendous act of violence directed against our Jewish communities," adding that arresting officers were concerned the suspect "was carrying an explosive device."
Local neighborhood group Shomrim wrote on X that its volunteers had detained a man who was "armed with a knife and attempting to stab Jewish members of the public." One witness told the BBC that one stabbing took place on Golders Green Road outside shops and the other on a side road outside a synagogue.
The head of counterterrorism policing, Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, has said the attack has formally been declared a terrorist incident.
He told reporters: "This has now formally been declared a terrorist incident. Our highly specialized teams of officers are working with the Metropolitan Police to progress this investigation quickly and establish exactly what has happened.
"We're also working with our partners in the security services to ensure we have a full intelligence picture, and one of the lines of inquiry is whether this attack was deliberately targeting the Jewish community in London."
Quote:Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that he has never lied to President Donald Trump about U.S. military strategy in Iran during Wednesday's tense Senate hearing.
One day earlier, Democratic Representative Jason Crow of Colorado alleged that Hegseth was "repeatedly going behind Donald Trump's back."
Republican Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas also asked Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Caine, whether he had ever lied to Trump, which Caine denied. Cotton said he questioned both Pete Hegseth and Caine about the allegations to give them an opportunity to clear the record.
Hegseth and Caine faced a second day of questioning on Capitol Hill as Democrats press him over his handling of the Iran war, with senators getting their first chance Thursday to confront — or praise — the Pentagon chief.
Hegseth clashed with Democrats, and some Republicans, during a nearly six-hour House Armed Services Committee hearing a day earlier, drawing sharp questions about the war’s costs in dollars and lives, as well as shrinking U.S. stockpiles of key weapons.
The Senate Armed Services Committee is expected to cover similar ground as it hears testimony on the Trump administration’s proposed 2027 military budget, which would raise defense spending to a record $1.5 trillion. Hegseth and Caine are expected to again emphasize the need for expanded drone capabilities, missile defense systems and new warships.
Much like Wednesday, Hegseth again issued sharp criticism of his opponents, singling out congressional Democrats and some Republicans.
“As I said yesterday, and I’ll say it again today, the biggest adversary we face at this point are the reckless naysayers and defeatist words of congressional Democrats and some Republicans,” Hegseth told the Senate panel in his opening statement.
In defending President Donald Trump’s budget request, Hegseth said the administration inherited what he described as a weakened defense industrial base after years of “America last” policies, arguing that it has reduced the nation’s ability to project military strength.
Echoing remarks he made Wednesday before the House committee, Caine said his responsibility was “to ensure our civilian leadership has a comprehensive range of military options and the associated risks required to make the nation’s hardest and most complex decisions.”
UKRAINE WAR
Quote:North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has hailed troops who opted to blow themselves up rather than be captured by Ukrainian forces, confirming previous Ukrainian reports.
North Korean troops were first reported in Russia in October 2024—an initial 1,500 special forces personnel arriving in the far eastern city of Vladivostok. They then deployed to join Russian forces in their fight to contain a surprise Ukrainian counteroffensive in the Russian border region of Kursk, marking Pyongyang's first involvement in a major conflict in seven decades.
The North Koreans are believed to have sustained heavy losses, particularly early in the deployment, when they reportedly mounted high-risk frontal attacks with little coordination or support, showing a lack of preparedness for the realities of modern warfare.
In some cases, hundreds of casualties were reported in a matter of days, according to South Korean and Ukrainian intelligence, reinforcing the view that the troops were being used as cannon fodder.
Out of at least 15,000 North Korean personnel sent to Russia, more than 6,000 were killed, according to South Korean estimates. Neither Pyongyang nor Moscow have confirmed these figures. The deployments came after Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kim signed an agreement to provide military assistance should either come under attack.
Kim Praises Battlefield Conduct
During a ceremony inaugurating a museum for fallen veterans of the war Monday, Kim hailed "the heroes who unhesitatingly opted for self-blasting" and "suicide attacks" to defend their nation's honor, as well as "those who fell in the vanguard of charges and those who writhed in frustration at the failure to fulfill their duties as soldiers who were given orders, rather than in pain in their bodies torn by bullets and shells," according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency.
North Korean and Russian soldiers "fought in the same trench shoulder to shoulder to defend peace and national sovereignty," Kim said, adding that while this cooperation took place in just one region, the strategic significance was "great."
The joint effort "wiped out the aggressors" and halted a "hegemonic attempt and military adventure" by a United States-led Western alliance, the supreme leader added, echoing the Kremlin's claim that NATO expansion toward Russia's doorstep was a major cause for the full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
USA
Quote:King Charles III took a major gamble by indirectly challenging President Donald Trump's past comments on a raft of issues, including NATO, to repeated standing ovations from both parties in Congress on Tuesday.
The British monarch, 77, cited NATO support in the aftermath of 9/11 through the war in Afghanistan and said the "same, unyielding resolve is needed for the defense of Ukraine."
Charles also spoke about the NATO alliance at a state dinner on Tuesday night, saying in part that the ties "deepen our technological and military cooperation and ensure that together we can meet the challenges of an increasingly complex and contested world."
The king's speech at the dinner was laced with numerous historical jokes about the White House, including a quip about the Boston Tea Party, which prompted Trump and the first lady to join in on the laughs.
Why It Matters
Royals are not supposed to be political but are generally afforded greater latitude when reflecting British foreign policy and Charles referenced numerous areas on which the president has been at loggerheads with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in recent weeks.
The comments about NATO are particularly relevant because Trump was so explicit in calling the alliance a "paper tiger" and because he said NATO forces, which included the British military, “stayed a little back, a little off the front lines.”
King Charles' Comments on NATO
"In the immediate aftermath of 9/11," Charles said, "when NATO invoked Article 5 for the first time, and the United Nations Security Council was united in the face of terror, we answered the call together—as our people have done so for more than a century, shoulder to shoulder, through two World Wars, the Cold War, Afghanistan and moments that have defined our shared security.
"Today, Mr. Speaker, that same, unyielding resolve is needed for the defense of Ukraine and her most courageous people–it is needed in order to secure a truly just and lasting peace.
"From the depths of the Atlantic to the disastrously melting ice caps of the Arctic, the commitment and expertise of the United States Armed Forces and its allies lie at the heart of NATO, pledged to each other’s defense, protecting our citizens and interests, keeping North Americans and Europeans safe from our common adversaries."
In particular, the king's specific reference to standing "shoulder to shoulder" is a far cry from Trump's account of NATO troops being "a little off the front lines."
Elsewhere, the king acknowledged what he called “times of great uncertainty” as he thanked the American people and marked the upcoming 250th anniversary of U.S. independence from Britain during a rare address to Congress, emphasizing the enduring ties between the two nations amid political turmoil.
“For all that time,” Charles said, “our destinies have been interlinked.”
Quote:President Donald Trump has called former FBI Director James Comey a "dirty cop" as he faces charges over an Instagram post from last year.
Comey was indicted in North Carolina this week and surrendered to the authorities on Wednesday over a photo he posted last year of seashells laid out to read “86 47,” which the Justice Department alleges was intended as a threat against Trump.
Comey later removed the Instagram post, saying he had not considered that it might be seen as promoting violence. The phrase "eighty-six" is commonly used in the hospitality industry to indicate that an item is no longer available, and more broadly can mean to cancel or get rid of something.
Writing on Truth Social on Thursday, Trump said: "86' is a mob term for 'kill him.' They say 86 him! 86 47 means 'kill President Trump.' James Comey, who is a Dirty Cop, one of the worst, knows this full well! EIGHT MILES OUT, SIX FEET DOWN! Didn't he also lie to the FBI about this??? I think so!"
Comey, a vocal critic of Trump, is now facing federal felony charges that could bring a prison sentence of up to 10 years. He has said he plans to contest the case in court.
Newsweek has contacted the White House and Comey's attorney via email for comment.
The Instagram Post
“Cool shell formation,” James Comey wrote in an Instagram post accompanying the image, which he later deleted.
Following criticism, Comey posted a follow-up note on Instagram.
"I posted earlier a picture of some shells I saw today on a beach walk, which I assume were a political message," he wrote. "I didn't realize some folks associate those numbers with violence. It never occurred to me, but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down."
At the time, Trump said he believed Comey knew what the numbers meant.
"That meant assassination, and it says it loud and clear," Trump told Fox News in an interview in May 2025. "Now, he wasn't very competent, but he was competent enough to know what that meant."
Quote:Brendan Carr, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, on Thursday stressed that the commission's early review of licenses for eight ABC stations is not about a spat between President Donald Trump and late night host Jimmy Kimmel.
Instead, Carr stated the review was tied to a year-long complaint about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) "discrimination" practices, which the administration tackled from the first days following Trump's return to office last year.
"The investigation's all about diversity," Carr said in response to reporter questions at a press conference, adding, "The FCC shouldn't be in the business of being the speech police. What we have to do as an agency is to enforce our rules and regulations and there are rules about non-discrimination that are unrelated to speech that we have been pushing across the board and that's the basis for the early renewal in the Disney case."
The early renewal review is targeting eight Disney-owned ABC stations, and the timing has raised questions and suspicions of retaliation as it comes just days after Trump lashed out at Kimmel and tried to connect the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) dinner over the previous weekend to a joke Kimmel made.
Kimmel, during a pretend roast hosted before the correspondents' dinner, said that First Lady Melania Trump had "a glow like an expectant widow." Kimmel has said the joke is about the age difference between the president - who is about to turn 80 - and the first lady, who is 56 years old.
However, Trump has accused the late night host of issuing a "call to violence" in light of the attempt at the Washington Hilton last week.
Brendan Carr Says DEI is Focus of FCC Review
Carr fielded questions from reporters, trying to discuss a number of initiatives the commission planned to tackle in the coming months - including a plan to push ahead with satellite broadcast and direct-to-phone service - but reporters instead focused on the timing of the ABC station reviews and the fallout following Kimmel's joke.
Carr said that the review relates to concerns over discrimination, noting: "In March of last year, where I wrote a letter to Disney, saying that there was evidence ... or allegations indicating that Disney, through this sort of invidious form of DEI discrimination, was creating, as I specify in the letter to them, racially segregated spaces inside the company."
"There was other allegations that went to Disney forcing racial and identity quotas or preferences, and I said at the time that if that pans out, that's a big deal," Carr said. "You know, we need to sort of end any form of discrimination based on race or protected class."
"So, we announced this investigation going all the way back to March. We said the Enforcement Bureau would be looking at it," Carr said. "I believe it was in June that we sent our first letter of inquiry to Disney on this topic, and they provided us, you know, LOIs is our version of discovery or subpoenas effectively. They provided us with hundreds of documents at the time. And I've been consistent and very public ... I've been saying for months that one thing that we're looking at in that investigation is is an early renewal if that's where sort of the investigative steps tell us it needs to go."
Quote:When New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani met King Charles III and Queen Camilla at a wreath-laying ceremony at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum in Lower Manhattan, the encounter appeared cordial, marked by smiles and polite exchanges.
That contrasted with remarks Mamdani had made just hours earlier, when he renewed calls for the return of the Koh‑i‑Noor diamond—one of the world’s largest cut diamonds—taken from the Indian subcontinent during the era of British colonial rule.
Mamdani is far from the first public figure to press for the diamond’s repatriation, a demand that has long sparked debate given the complex and contested history of the gem’s ownership. The Koh‑i‑Noor’s journey to the British Crown remains a potent symbol of Britain’s imperial past. Newsweek has contacted Mamdani for comment.
What Is the Koh-i-Noor Diamond?
The Koh-i-Noor—Persian for "Mountain of Light"—is a 105.6‑carat oval-cut diamond, among the largest cut diamonds in the world and one of the most contested. Believed to have originated in the Kollur Mine in southern India in the 14th century, the diamond passed through the hands of Mughal emperors, Afghan rulers, and Sikh Maharajas over several centuries before coming under British control.
After the British annexation of Punjab following the Second Anglo‑Sikh War in 1849, the East India Company compelled the 10‑year‑old Maharaja Duleep Singh to sign the Treaty of Lahore, under which the Koh‑i‑Noor was surrendered to Queen Victoria.
Where Is the Koh-i-Noor Diamond Now?
The Koh-i-Noor was initially exhibited at the Great Exhibition of 1851 as a symbol of British imperial authority. Originally around 186 old carats, the diamond was then re-cut in 1852 under direction of Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s husband, to improve its sparkle, reducing its weight to 105.6 metric carats.
The Koh-i-Noor later became part of the British Crown Jewels in 1937, set into the front of the Queen Mother's crown—King Charles III's grandmother. The controversial diamond could have made an appearance during the coronation of Queen Camilla, but organizers decided against its inclusion amid fears that it could spark renewed diplomatic tensions.
The Crown of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother featuring the Koh-i-Noor is currently on public display in the Jewel House at the Tower of London in the U.K.
Quote:Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk issued a stark rebuke Wednesday of "radicalized liberal" teachers, blaming them for promoting ideas that many see as driving political violence in the United States as she responded to the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner.
The shooting has reopened political divides across the country and comes amid a wave of political violence, including attempted assassinations of President Donald Trump, as well as the assassinations of Minnesota legislator Melissa Hortman and Kirk's husband, conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot during an appearance at Utah Valley University last September.
Erika Kirk Criticizes 'Liberal Teachers' Over Shooting
"Anyone who stands in their way is labeled hateful, racist, fascist, and every other trigger word that is grossly dishonest," Kirk said in a video posted on X on Wednesday. "We want the best for our country; they don't. This is why Charlie started Turning Point in the first place. He didn't trust the radicalized liberal teachers, and this past Saturday, it was a schoolteacher—of all people—that attempted to change our history for the worse with bullets."
The suspected White House Correspondents Dinner shooter, Cole Allen, was employed by the tutoring company C2 Education as recently as December 2024, when he was honored as "Teacher of the Month" for his work at its Torrance, California, location.
Allen faces charges of attempting to assassinate the president in addition to gun charges.
Kirk lamented those who are "supposed to be teaching our children the future of this country."
"While we may have big problems with illegal immigration in this country. I have to tell you, we have an even bigger problem when it comes to the systemic indoctrination and radicalization of our own citizens," Kirk said.
In the wake of the shooting, at least two teachers have faced discipline over social media posts reacting to the incident.
Quote:Republican Representative Anna Paulina Luna of Florida announced a hearing on the CIA mind control program MKUltra, scheduled for next month.
The MKUltra program, launched during the Cold War, continues to be a controversial chapter in U.S. intelligence history. Its experiments often targeted unwitting individuals and left lasting psychological damage on participants. In 1973, the CIA director told workers to destroy records of the project.
“Hearing on May 13. MK Ultra. House Oversight Taskforce,” Luna wrote on X on Wednesday.
Newsweek reached out to Luna for comment.
What is MKUltra?
MKUltra was a mind control program established by CIA Director Allen Dulles in 1953, with experiments focusing on behavior modification using electroshock therapy, hypnosis, polygraphs, radiation and various drugs, toxins and chemicals, according to History.com.
Some of the test subjects willingly volunteered, while others volunteered under coercion, and some did not know they were involved in a defense research program, according to the outlet.
The program has led to some conspiracy theories, including ones related to the 1953 death of Frank Olson, a scientist covertly dosed with LSD who died 10 days later in a fall from a New York hotel. His death was officially ruled a suicide.
The program ended in 1963 after the CIA inspector general told the agency to bring all programs involving non-consenting volunteers to an end, History.com reported.
New declassified records related to MKUltra were published by the National Security Archive and ProQuest in 2024.
When is the hearing on MKUltra?
Luna said the hearing is scheduled for May 13.
Who is Anna Paulina Luna?
Luna is a Republican representing Florida’s 13th congressional district in the House of Representatives. She is the first Mexican-American woman elected to the U.S. Congress to represent Florida. She is currently serving her second term.
Luna serves on the Oversight and Government Reform committee and as chairwoman of the Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets.
Quote:President Donald Trump said Tennessee officials are moving to respond to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on congressional maps, urging Republican Governor Bill Lee to pursue redistricting that could benefit the GOP.
Trump’s comments came as states across the country react to a high court decision that weakened minority protections under the Voting Rights Act and prompted election disruptions in Louisiana, where congressional primaries were suspended after the court struck down a majority-Black district.
Republicans in several states have since signaled plans to revisit House maps, potentially reshaping the 2026 midterm elections.
"For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ," 1 Thessalonians 5:9
Maranatha!
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My Original Stories (available in English and Spanish)
List of Compiled Binary Executables I have published...
HiddenChest & Roole
Give me a free copy of your completed game if you include at least 3 of my scripts!
Just some scripts I've already published on the board...
KyoGemBoost XP VX & ACE, RandomEnkounters XP, KSkillShop XP, Kolloseum States XP, KEvents XP, KScenario XP & Gosu, KyoPrizeShop XP Mangostan, Kuests XP, KyoDiscounts XP VX, ACE & MV, KChest XP VX & ACE 2016, KTelePort XP, KSkillMax XP & VX & ACE, Gem Roulette XP VX & VX Ace, KRespawnPoint XP, VX & VX Ace, GiveAway XP VX & ACE, Klearance XP VX & ACE, KUnits XP VX, ACE & Gosu 2017, KLevel XP, KRumors XP & ACE, KMonsterPals XP VX & ACE, KStatsRefill XP VX & ACE, KLotto XP VX & ACE, KItemDesc XP & VX, KPocket XP & VX, OpenChest XP VX & ACE
Maranatha!
The Internet might be either your friend or enemy. It just depends on whether or not she has a bad hair day.
My Original Stories (available in English and Spanish)
List of Compiled Binary Executables I have published...
HiddenChest & Roole
Give me a free copy of your completed game if you include at least 3 of my scripts!
Just some scripts I've already published on the board...
KyoGemBoost XP VX & ACE, RandomEnkounters XP, KSkillShop XP, Kolloseum States XP, KEvents XP, KScenario XP & Gosu, KyoPrizeShop XP Mangostan, Kuests XP, KyoDiscounts XP VX, ACE & MV, KChest XP VX & ACE 2016, KTelePort XP, KSkillMax XP & VX & ACE, Gem Roulette XP VX & VX Ace, KRespawnPoint XP, VX & VX Ace, GiveAway XP VX & ACE, Klearance XP VX & ACE, KUnits XP VX, ACE & Gosu 2017, KLevel XP, KRumors XP & ACE, KMonsterPals XP VX & ACE, KStatsRefill XP VX & ACE, KLotto XP VX & ACE, KItemDesc XP & VX, KPocket XP & VX, OpenChest XP VX & ACE
