File photo: US President Donald Trump

us President donald trump Iran faces mounting pressure over war as China returns Friday, with top aides laying out options for fresh military action against Tehran if diplomacy fails.According to a New York Times report, Pentagon officials have drafted a plan for the possible resumption of strikes as part of a renewed military campaign after “Operation Epic Fury” was halted during the ceasefire in April. However, Trump has not yet taken a final decision.“I looked at it, and if I didn’t like the first sentence I would throw it out,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, referring to Iran’s latest peace proposal.The US, Israel and regional officials are trying to broker a deal that would allow Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, giving Trump a chance to claim a diplomatic breakthrough amid growing domestic criticism over the costly conflict, the report said.

Pentagon prepares options for escalation

War Secretary Pete Hegseth told lawmakers this week that the U.S. military has a “plan to surge if necessary” while also keeping options open to reducing the deployment.The report said the Pentagon has prepared several military scenarios, including an intense bombing campaign targeting Iranian military and infrastructure sites.Another option reportedly involves deploying US special operations troops to secure highly enriched uranium believed to be stored deep underground at Iran’s Isfahan nuclear facility.According to the New York Times, several hundred special operations personnel were flown to the Middle East earlier this year to prepare for such contingencies. However, officials acknowledged that any ground operation would carry “significant risk of casualties” and would require thousands of support troops.Meanwhile, Iran signaled readiness for renewed hostilities. Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said, “Our armed forces are ready to respond appropriately to any aggression.”

The Strait of Hormuz remains a matter of central concern

The Strait of Hormuz remains at the center of the crisis, with Iran refusing to fully reopen the key oil transit route, while the US has maintained its blockade measures.Trump said after talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping that both Washington and Beijing agreed that the strait should be reopened.“We don’t want them to have nuclear weapons, we want the door open,” Trump said in Beijing.Trump said he was running out of patience with Iran and warned Tehran to “compromise.”However, China avoided publicly indicating that it would put direct pressure on Iran.Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Tehran was open to diplomacy, but did not trust Washington after air strikes following previous talks.

Heavy military presence remains in the area

More than 50,000 US troops, two aircraft carriers, several destroyers and numerous warplanes are deployed throughout the region.According to the report, US General Dan Kaine said that military officials “retain and will continue to have multiple options for our civilian leaders”.Despite weeks of attacks, US intelligence assessments indicate that Iran has restored access to most of its missile launch facilities and underground military infrastructure.The report also said Tehran had gained operational access to 30 of its 33 missile sites along the Strait of Hormuz.Oil prices continued to rise amid hike fears. Brent crude climbed nearly 3% to nearly $109 a barrel, while concerns over prolonged disruption to Gulf shipping routes pushed U.S. Treasury yields to their highest in almost a year.

22.1 million excess deaths Recorded globally between 2020 and 2023New Delhi: According to the World Health Statistics 2026 report released by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Covid-19 pandemic caused an estimated 22.1 million excess deaths globally between 2020 and 2023, almost three times the seven million Covid deaths officially reported worldwide.WHO said the pandemic wiped out nearly a decade of gains in global life expectancy and healthy life expectancy by 2021, calling it a “shock of historic proportions” to global health systems.According to the report, global life expectancy declined by 1.8 years between 2019 and 2021, while healthy life expectancy fell by 1.5 years during the same period, the sharpest reversal in recent decades.The report said excess mortality peaked in 2021 with 10.4 million excess deaths recorded globally as health care systems came under severe strain. Excess deaths are expected to decline to 4.9 million in 2022 and 3.3 million in 2023, although WHO cautioned that the recovery remains uneven and many countries have still not returned to pre-pandemic health trajectories.WHO defines excess deaths as more deaths than would normally be expected during a given period, including direct Covid deaths and indirect deaths caused by disruptions in health services and delays in treatment.The report found that men were disproportionately affected, with age-standardized excess mortality rates nearly 50% higher among men than women at the peak of the pandemic in 2021. Older adults suffered the highest mortality rates, especially those over the age of 85.WHO also highlighted major weaknesses in global death surveillance exposed during the pandemic. Of the estimated 61 million deaths globally in 2023, only about 21 million had officially reported cause of death information to WHO, while only 12 million had medically certified ICD-coded mortality data.The agency said the pandemic severely disrupted essential health services around the world, including vaccination programs, tuberculosis and HIV services, and treatment of non-communicable diseases, contributing significantly to indirect deaths during the period.WHO had earlier estimated in a separate analysis for 2022 that India caused about 4.74 million excess deaths during 2020–21, a figure disputed by the Indian government.The report also warns of slow progress in universal health coverage, rising health care-related poverty and a decline in global health financing after the pandemic.

pete davidson And Elsie Hewitt’s relationship has been in the news recently. While there were rumors of the two’s separation, several other reports confirmed that the two were trying to work things out. However, according to the latest news, just 5 months after welcoming their child into the world, the two have officially called it quits. Here’s everything we know about the case.

peat davidson And elsie Hewitt parted ways by mutual consent

According to a new report from PEOPLE, Pete Davidson and Elsie Hewitt have officially split after dating for almost a year. The two also welcomed their child in December last year. Reportedly, the two could not work together on the problems they were facing in their relationship and have decided to part ways with mutual consent. Not only that, but they also aim to become “friends” in the future when things are better for them.“They aren’t getting along at the moment. They were already struggling a bit while Elsie was pregnant. Things happened so fast between them and they didn’t know each other very well,” the report said.However, for the sake of their child, they are attempting to work things out and are choosing to focus primarily on co-parenting. “She’s (Elsie Hewitt) not fighting Pete over seeing the baby, but it’s not easy. Ultimately, they would like to be friends and work together, but it’s hard to think about getting to that place right now.”

About Pete Davidson and Elsie Hewitt

For those unaware, the pair were first linked together when news of their dating surfaced in March last year. They were seen together in public on several occasions and were seen going on dates. Last December, they announced that Hewitt had given birth to their daughter, Scottie Rose. She was named after Davidson’s late father, Scott Matthew Davidson.Since announcing the news to the world, they’ve both been eager to share glimpses of their everyday life as new parents online. From selfies to rare glimpses of their newborn daughter, the duo proudly shared moments from their lives online. In March, the duo had celebrated their daughter’s 12-week completion and had also posted about the same. Hewitt wrote that on the way to the hospital, the two of them tried to guess what time their child would be born.

What happened between Benny Johnson and Marjorie Taylor Greene? YouTuber faces serious charges during Thomas Massey controversy (Image via Getty)

Benny Johnson and Marjorie Taylor Greene are now in the middle of a heated public battle online, and it all started because of fresh claims involving Congressman Thomas Massie. On May 14, debate erupted on X when Green shared a post criticizing YouTube’s coverage of allegations made against Macy by Johnson’s alleged ex-girlfriend, Cynthia West. The claims came just days before Massey’s primary election in Kentucky, which quickly turned into a political and social media storm.The situation escalated when Green accused social media influencers of being “paid to spread propaganda.” Benny Johnson hit back soon after, saying that he was simply covering a major trending story for his audience. From here both sides started making sharp allegations against each other by making long public posts. While Johnson defended his reporting, Green accused him of spreading lies and using other people’s material. Meanwhile, Thomas Massey also publicly denied all the allegations against him and described them as politically motivated ahead of the elections.

The online confrontation began when an X user named BobbySauce criticized Benny Johnson’s latest YouTube video about Thomas Massey. In the video, Johnson discussed allegations from Cynthia West, who reportedly claimed that Macy gave her hush money during their previous relationship. Marjorie Taylor Greene reposted that criticism on May 14 and wrote about influencers getting “paid to spread propaganda.” That post immediately caught Johnson’s attention.Johnson responded directly to Green, writing: “I cover trending news topics on my show. The Macy’s allegations and your South American mansion were the number one trending topic on this platform. I am entitled to my opinion on these matters. I serve my audience. This is my job. And unlike you, I won’t walk away from my job when things get tough.”Shortly thereafter, Green responded in even more strongly worded terms. He called Johnson “a lying scoundrel” and accused him of spreading “common lies” for money. He also noted previous media allegations involving Johnson, including claims related to Russia, Israel, Orthodox conferences and content theft. Green questioned why he never discussed those allegations on his platform.Johnson later responded with another lengthy statement. He said Green’s comments were “evidence-free slander” and defended his reporting. She also criticized Greene on immigration and border issues, saying: “What you said about me is evidence-free slander. But what I said about you is true.” At the same time, Thomas Macy publicly denied all allegations made against him by Cynthia West. Messi said in his statement:“It is sad that a week before this election people are making false and baseless allegations about me in a clear attempt to influence the outcome of this election. All claims of inappropriate conduct are false. I have never offered anyone money in exchange for their silence.”He also said: “No ethics claims have been filed against me, nor have any claims ever been filed against me in my 14 years in office. I have consulted with legal counsel, and we are considering all options.” As of now, Marjorie Taylor Greene has not publicly responded to Benny Johnson’s latest post.

Is note celebration becoming old in IPL? Dale Steyn certainly thinks so, and he expressed his sentiments after Akash Singh took out a piece of paper with a message during the LSG vs CSK game at the Ekana Stadium on May 15.

LSG vs CSK, IPL 2026: Highlights | Achievement:

Akash played his first match of the season And shook the CSK top order by taking the wickets of Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sanju Samson and Urvil Patel. Right after Ruturaj’s wicket, he took out a note which read,

“#AktionFire – Akash knows how to take wickets in a T20 game.”

This trend started last year when Abhishek Sharma penned a message for SRH fans and it has continued this season too, first Raghu Sharma did the same and then Urvil Patel showed a message dedicated to his father.

But by the time Sky removed it, Stan said it was time to put the papers away. The South African legend said in a tweet that the note celebration is no longer in trend and was never in fashion.

Stan said on

Why did Akash pull the note celebration?

During the match, commentators asked Justin Langer about Akash’s celebration and he said that he was not aware of it and it was something that he would have to look into.

But, Akash revealed this after the end of the first innings, saying that there was no reason behind it and the chit was meant to serve as a motivation for him.

Akash said, “It just motivates me. There is no reason behind it. I will keep supporting whoever motivates me during the game.”

It will be interesting to see whether the players will now follow Steyn’s advice and look for new celebrations during matches.

ipl 2026 | ipl schedule | ipl points table | ipl player stats | purple cap | orange cap | ipl video | cricket news | live score

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Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that Americans would soon face the economic consequences of an escalating US–Iran conflict, arguing that rising loan costs, mortgage rates and consumer financial stress were the “real pain” of what he described as a “war of choice” against Iran.In a post shared onHe shared a market snapshot showing a sharp rise in US Treasury bond yields. For context, Treasury yield is the return investors earn for lending money to the U.S. government by purchasing Treasury securities such as bonds, notes or bills.The benchmark 10-year US Treasury yield climbed to 4.555%, while the 30-year yield rose above 5% to 5.096%, according to market data. The 2-year Treasury yield, which closely tracks expectations around Federal Reserve policy, also rose to 4.065%.Rising Treasury yields generally signal that investors expect higher inflation and tighter financial conditions. Analysts say fears of disruption to Middle Eastern oil supplies, particularly around the Strait of Hormuz, have raised concerns that energy prices could rise sharply if tensions escalate further.Higher oil prices can affect the broader economy by increasing fuel, transportation, and manufacturing costs, ultimately leading to higher consumer prices. Higher Treasury yields also translate into higher borrowing costs for mortgages, auto loans and business loans across the United States.Araghchi’s comments also highlight growing pressure on US consumers, particularly in the auto sector, where loan defaults have already reached their highest levels in decades amid high interest rates and persistent inflation.The Iranian foreign minister’s warning comes as tensions between Washington and Tehran continue to weigh on global markets, and investors weigh the economic risks of prolonged conflict in the Middle East.

Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) said on Saturday it had detected eight Chinese naval vessels and one official ship around the island, a day after US President Donald Trump concluded his high-profile visit to China amid discussions on Taiwan, trade and the Iran war.In a statement posted on Twitter, Taiwan’s MND said, “As of 6am today (UTC+8), 8 PLAN ships and 1 official ship were detected operating around #Taiwan. #ROCArmedForces have monitored the situation and responded.”The ministry said no Chinese military aircraft were detected in the vicinity of Taiwan during this period. A day earlier, Taiwan reported the presence of seven Chinese naval vessels and one official ship near its territorial waters.

Trump-Xi talks put Taiwan in the spotlight again

The latest military activity came shortly after Trump returned from Beijing following meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, where Taiwan remained one of the most sensitive issues on the agenda.Trump described the summit as a meeting between “two great nations” and said he believed China was unlikely to take aggressive action against Taiwan while he was in office.“I don’t think they’ll do anything when I’m here. When I’m not here. Honestly, I think they might do it,” Trump told Fox News after the summit.Trump also said that China does not want Taiwan to declare formal independence. “This is not a takeover. They just don’t want to see this place — we’ll call it a place because no one knows how to define it — but they don’t want to see it become independent,” he said.According to news agency AP, Xi privately warned Trump during the conversation that differences over Taiwan could potentially bring the US and China into confrontation or conflict.

Question on America’s support to Taiwan

Trump’s comments also raised new questions over Washington’s long-term policy toward Taiwan. The US President described Taiwan as “a bit of a difficult problem” because of China’s geographical and military advantage.“When you look at the barriers, China is a very, very powerful, big country. It’s a very small island. Think about it; it’s 59 miles away. We’re 9,500 miles away,” Trump told Fox News.Trump also confirmed that he had not yet decided whether to proceed with a previously approved US arms package for Taiwan after hearing Xi’s objections during the visit.The proposed arms sale is under review.

Tension continues between China and Taiwan

China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has repeatedly vowed to bring the self-ruled island under its control, including using force if necessary.However, Taiwan functions independently with its own government, military, and economy.The issue remains one of the biggest friction points in US-China relations.Beijing has increased military pressure around Taiwan in recent years through frequent naval and air force deployments near the island.

Imagine you’re heading inside a shop for some quick shopping and are surprised to see a deer in Marks & Spencer: a wild muntjac trapped on an escalator, staring out at the chaos of modern shopping.Hard to imagine, we know – but it happened anyway!This happened in England. The little deer wandered into the shopping center, seemed lost, and got stuck on the moving stairs. Emergency responders and animal rescue teams attended, along with a crowd of stunned customers. Despite all the commotion (and what may have been the worst retail adventure of the deer’s life), rescuers managed to safely free the animal.No doubt a great day with social media. People joked that the deer was just looking for Percy Pigs, or perhaps keeping an eye on food deals. And behind that laugh, however, is a real worrying trend: As cities expand and green habitats shrink, wildlife is moving into human spaces.

What actually happened?

According to eyewitnesses, it happened during store hours, and the deer simply wandered off, climbed the escalator (a move that even humans sometimes regret), and got trapped, Sky News reports. As soon as people came to know that there was a live deer inside, panic spread.Store employees stopped the escalator and called rescue teams. Photos online show responders carefully covering the animal with blankets and working to tranquilize it, using specialized equipment to prevent injury. Some people said that the deer was completely exhausted and startled by the noise.Eventually, rescue teams were successful: the deer was taken out and examined by veterinarians, who later said there were only minor injuries.

What is muntjac?

Now, many people outside the UK are probably wondering what is a muntjac? For those unaware, muntjacs are small Asian deer, originally from China and Southeast Asia. Introduced to Britain in the 20th century, they escaped from estates and now roam much of England and parts of Wales. Think medium-sized dog, with short legs, a rounded back and unique markings on the face. When frightened, muntjacs bark loudly, literally like dogs.Muntjacs are quite well adapted to woodlands, parks, gardens and suburbs. Therefore they have started appearing on roads, residences and even near shops. Encounters between humans and muntjacs are becoming more common.But escalator incidents? No, they are rare.

phrases and real concerns

Animal welfare groups explain how urban spaces can be dangerous for deer. They become disoriented by noisy streets, mirrors, and crowds and may hurt themselves trying to escape. That’s why rescue teams focus on calming the animal and keeping the public away from crowds.This time the teams performed brilliantly.And sure enough, online, the story sparked a wave of puns. “Extremely unfortunate,” “Stuck between the floor and the creatures,” “Wanted to see what M&S ​​Food is about,” “Some light retail therapy” – people couldn’t resist.However, beyond all this humor, experts say such incidents highlight a larger issue. As cities grow and green spaces shrink, animals are changing their daily routines. Foxes roam London, wild boars appear in suburbs across Europe, coyotes appear in North American cities, and monkeys raid Asian markets. And now, apparently, the deer try the escalator.Ecologists think we will continue to see wildlife adapt. Some are calling for better urban planning and protected greenways, so animals are not stranded in malls.However, for those shopping at M&S ​​that day will remain etched in their memories for reasons that have nothing to do with biology. After all, most people go to the supermarket expecting long lines or overpriced sandwiches, not a deer stuck on an escalator!