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Play video content It's a family date day for Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet -- the couple was seen arriving hand in hand for a Broadway performance of "The Fear of 13" on Sunday along with Kris
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Sydney Sweeney Head in the Clouds Down Under ... After Going Instagram Official With Scooter Braun Published May 3, 2026 3:34 PM PDT Play video content Sydney Sweeney's floating on cloud nine ... not only
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Play video content Bianca Censori covered up for a day at the spa ... masking her face with a shirt -- while basically letting her boobs hang out! Check out the clip -- Kanye West's
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Brandon Sheets, the son of the late "Storage Wars" star Darrell Sheets, has broken his silence on the sudden death of his father. Brandon wrote about his heartache in an emotional Instagram post alongside several
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The war in the Middle East has forced the Gulf monarchies to rethink their oil and trade routes, but rerouting them will be no simple task, experts say.Faced with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the only maritime entry point to the Gulf, the region’s Arab nations are looking for ways to bypass Tehran’s stranglehold on their exports.Badr Jafar, the UAE’s special envoy for business and philanthropy, wrote in the Financial Times in early April that the Gulf states would never “return to a posture of strategic dependence on a narrow strait controlled by an unpredictable neighbour”.He insisted that new pipeline and port capacity would be built and “the power grids, water systems and trade corridors connecting the region’s economies... formalised”.Economics, politics and regional diplomatic rivalries are likely to get in the way, however , experts told AFP.While Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain have no coastline outside the Gulf and no alternative to the strait for seabound oil and gas, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates both have pipelines allowing them to ship at least some of their output from ports beyond Hormuz – and plan more.Nevertheless, these pipelines only cover a fraction of the two nations’ pre-war exports and would need to be expanded if either country wanted to completely end their reliance on the Strait of Hormuz.Robert Mogielnicki, of the Arab Gulf States Institute in Paris, said that building new pipelines “will take time” and such infrastructure would “still possess vulnerabilities”.“Diversifying energy export supply routes is nevertheless going to be crucial in the years ahead,” he added.For liquefied natural gas (LNG), of which Qatar is by far the dominant producer in the region, the dependency on Hormuz is even greater.Yet, as Frederic Schneider, a senior fellow at the Middle East Council on Global Affairs, explained, building alternative natural gas infrastructure would likely prove economically unattractive.“The idea of a trans-Arabian gas pipeline has occasionally been floated but never progressed,” he said. “The distances, political complexity, and cost make it unattractive against LNG tankers in normal conditions, and normal conditions are what pipeline economics are built on.”The Gulf’s major container ports are mostly located on its southern shores, including Dubai’s Jebel Ali, the region’s main logistical hub.With the Strait of Hormuz off limits, ships have been diverted to Oman and Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast with containers then shipped onwards overland.However, overland capacity is limited while costs are “significantly higher” said Schneider.One possibility for boosting land-based transport capacity would be the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC)’s planned rail network.Yet the project, which is supposed to link all six member states by 2030, has been plagued by delays.Another possibility could be the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor project, launched in 2023, which partially aimed to bypass both the Strait of Hormuz and the Suez Canal, using rail links across the Middle East to connect European and Indian shipping routes.However, the idea remains “tenuous, if not hypothetical” said Schneider, not least because the project would involve linking Saudi Arabia with Israel at a time when Riyadh has cooled on establishing diplomatic relations with Israel.While Gulf governments talk about integration, analysts warned that their own self-interest may get in the way.“Tensions around the strait will generate some tailwinds supporting regional integration projects, but these will also have to contend with some serious economic headwinds and governments that will be super focused on their domestic fronts,” said Mogielnicki.The budgetary pressures created by the war, which have not only halted oil and gas exports but also hit tourism, aluminium and fertiliser production, may also make co-ordination less likely.Previous conflicts in the Gulf, Schneider pointed out, did not lead to more regional integration, even if there were bilateral deals.While the shock of closing Hormuz is much greater, he said, “I would be cautious about treating a geopolitical shock as a substitute for the political will and institutional capacity that have been missing so far”. – AFP
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Jason holder stood out with figures of 4-24 in an inspired pace attack to set up a four-wicket win for Gujarat Titans in a thrilling IPL contest against Punjab Kings Sunday. Pace spearhead Mohammed Siraj set the tone with two wickets in the first over of the match as hosts Gujarat reduced top of the table Punjab to 47-5 before they managed 163-9 in Ahmedabad. Gujarat also suffered from regular wickets in their chase but opener Sai Sudharsan’s 57 and an unbeaten 40 off 23 balls by Washington Sundar guided the team home with one ball to spare. Needing 11 to win from the last over, Sundar, a left-handed batter, kept his nerve and smacked Marcus Stoinis for a winning six on the penultimate delivery. Shubman Gill-led Gujarat stay fifth in the 10-team table with four teams on 12 points each. Punjab, led by Shreyas Iyer, still hold the top spot with 13 points after they went down to just their second defeat in the season. Top four teams after the league stage will qualify for the playoffs. Punjab attempted to defend their modest total after impact substitute Vijaykumar Vyshak took 2-30 including Jos Buttler, for 25, and the left-handed Sudharsan in the 15th over. Gujarat slowed down in their chase in front of disciplined bowling and good fielding, but Sundar stood firm Earlier Siraj rattled Punjab with two wickets in two balls upfront including Cooper Connolly caught behind for a duck. Siraj’s new-ball partner Kagiso Rabada took down Prabhsimran Singh for 15 and West Indies pace bowler Holder came in as the third seamer to push Punjab on the backfoot. Holder dismissed Nehal Wadhera and then Iyer but Marcus Stoinis, who made 40, and Suryansh Hedge, who hit 57, put on a defiant stand of 79 off 44 balls. Shedge was impressive in his 29-ball blitz laced with three fours and five huge sixes and got good support from Australia’s Stoinis. Marco Jansen contributed with 20 to boost the total but it was not enough to stop Gujarat from winning on their home turf. BRIEF SCORESGujarat Titans 167 for 6 (Sai Sudharsan 57, Washington 40*, Arshdeep 2-24, Vyshak 2-31) beat Punjab Kings 163 for 9 (Shedge 57, Stoinis 40, Holder 4-24, Rabada 2-22) by four wickets
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US President Donald Trump speaks to journalists before boarding Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport. (AFP) US President Donald Trump said yesterday that US officials were holding “very positive discussions” with Iran over potential steps toward ending the war that has upended the Middle East. “I am fully aware that my Representatives are having very positive discussions with the Country of Iran, and that these discussions could lead to something very positive for all,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.Iran’s foreign ministry earlier said that Tehran had submitted a 14-point plan “focused on ending the war” and that Washington had responded to it in a message to Pakistani mediators. Trump also said the United States will escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz from today, claiming that “countries from all over the world” had requested it. “For the good of Iran, the Middle East, and the United States, we have told these Countries that we will guide their Ships safely out of these restricted Waterways, so that they can freely and ably get on with their business,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform. “This process, Project Freedom, will begin Monday morning, Middle East time.” Earlier, Iran said it had received a US response to its latest offer for peace talks, a day after President Donald Trump said he would probably reject the Iranian proposal because “they have not paid a big enough price”. Related Story
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FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz reach to shake hands as they meet in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 3, 2026. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File
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European officials have been working on ways to convince Donald Trump to keep the United States in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) despite severe tensions over the Iran war. However, his abrupt move to cut US forces in Germany is the latest sign that such efforts have their limits and are far from certain to succeed. The substance of the decision announced last week to remove 5,000 troops from Germany did not come as a surprise to Nato officials. European leaders have agreed with the US president that Europeans will take over more responsibility for their own security from US forces. Dropping a plan to deploy long-range US Tomahawk missiles to Germany was more concerning for Berlin. However, even that was not a huge shock, as that deal was made by Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, and US Tomahawk stocks have been depleted by the US-Israeli war against Iran. More alarming for European governments was how the move was made – with little prior notification or consultation and with US officials linking it to Trump’s displeasure at German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s criticism of US conduct of the Iran war. “What is worrying is not the figure of 5,000 troops, but the political signal from Washington that longstanding, absolutely reliable partnerships no longer seem to count for anything and appear to be subject to arbitrary decisions,” said Siemtje Moeller, a senior lawmaker from Germany’s Social Democrats, who are part of Merz’s governing coalition. The move followed accusations by Trump that US alllies have not been doing enough to support the US in the Iran war and suggestions by him that this meant Washington no longer needs to honour the alliance’s Article 5 mutual defence clause. Trump also pushed the alliance to the brink by threatening to take Greenland from Denmark, a fellow Nato member. Nato Secretary-General Mark Rutte helped to defuse that crisis but the underlying dispute has not been resolved. European diplomats say they fear Trump may make further moves that could test the alliance before a summit of its 32 national leaders in Ankara in July, especially if the Iran war is not over by then and he is still venting anger at allies. “The longer game for Nato and European allies is getting through Ankara,” said a European diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity. “We need to do things with the Americans if we can, and without them if we must.” Defence experts say Europeans have little choice but to try to keep the US on board, given their heavy reliance on the United States to deter any possible attack by Russia. As part of their efforts to convince Trump of the value of European allies, officials have said many European countries are honouring agreements to allow US forces to use bases on their soil and fly in their airspace during the Iran campaign – even if they are not keen to advertise the fact, given Trump and the war are deeply unpopular in much of Europe. European officials are also working to make a broader case to Trump, other US officials, lawmakers and Republican-friendly think tanks that it is in their interests to stick with Nato. While there is broad support for these efforts across the alliance, the crisis has also exposed stark differences among European Nato leaders over how to respond to the war on Iran. Leaders of Western European countries such as Spain, France and Germany have voiced blunt criticism, reflecting domestic public opinion but risking Trump’s ire. Rutte, by contrast, has made clear he sees anti-war rhetoric as unhelpful. Some eastern European countries, fearing any weakening of Nato will embolden Russia, have taken a similar view, diplomats say. Rutte has also said that several countries were “pre-positioning essential logistical and other support” such as minehunters and minesweepers near the Gulf to be ready for a possible Strait of Hormuz mission after the war ends. The Netherlands, Belgium and Germany have said they are sending ships that could be part of such a mission. France, which is leading planning of a potential mission with Britain, also has ships in the Middle East that could take part. “European leaders have gotten the message, they’ve heard the message from the US loud and clear,” Rutte told reporters at a summit of European leaders in Armenia.
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The number of competitive US House of Representatives districts in this fall’s midterm elections was already near historic lows before the US Supreme Court’s decision on Wednesday opened the door to even more aggressive efforts to draw district lines for political gain. The court’s ruling, which arrived amid what was already an unprecedented national fight over congressional redistricting, may usher in a new era of nakedly partisan gerrymandering that results in still fewer competitive elections, leaving voters with less power than ever. The lack of competitive races means that control of the US House of Representatives will likely be determined in November’s midterm election by fewer than 10% of Americans, with the winners in the vast majority of districts all but assured before a single ballot is cast, a Reuters analysis found. Only 32 of the House’s 435 seats are currently considered competitive, according to the analysis. Those districts were rated either toss-ups or leaning toward Democrats or Republicans by three leading independent forecasters: Cook Political Report, the University of Virginia’s Crystal Ball, and Inside Elections. Most other districts are simply out of play. Cook, for instance, rates 375 seats, more than 85% of the House, as either “Solid Republican” or “Solid Democrat”, which means its analysts do not expect them to be seriously contested. Another 28 races are “likely” Republican or Democratic, according to Cook, meaning they are not competitive at present but might become so under new conditions. This year boasts the fewest competitive House races at this stage of the election cycle since at least 2008, according to an archive of prior Cook ratings. Democrats need to gain just three seats to win a House majority, giving them the power to block President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda and initiate investigations into his administration. The shrinking House battlefield is the result of several factors, including increased political polarisation. However, the weaponisation of congressional redistricting, or gerrymandering – which has gone into overdrive since last year, when Trump began pushing Republicans to draw new maps – is a critical element that is only going to accelerate after the Supreme Court’s ruling, according to experts. “We are now in a cycle of gerrymandering wars,” said Justin Levitt, a professor at Loyola Law School who maintains the website All About Redistricting. “What used to be a cold war has gotten very hot.” The court hollowed out a provision of the federal Voting Rights Act that had blocked state legislatures from dismantling districts with mostly racial minority voters. Political observers expect Republican-led states to target a dozen or more Democratic-held majority-Black and majority-Latino seats that previously enjoyed stauncher protections. “I think it gets worse before it gets better,” Levitt said. “And I think there’s plenty of room for it to get worse.” The lack of competitive districts can have consequences for Congress, said Matthew Klein, a House analyst with Cook. If House candidates only need to appeal to their base voters to win elections, rather than moderates or members of the opposing party, they are more likely to move toward the extremes instead of the political middle. “If you look at Congress and how it acted 20 years ago, 30 years ago, even farther back, you see a Congress that is both less acrimonious and also more productive,” he said. “There used to be bills that passed with huge majorities on major issues. We just don’t really see that anymore.” Gerrymandering has long been a feature of American democracy, but the practice has been supercharged in recent years as guardrails, both legal and institutional, have been torn down. In 2019, the Supreme Court found that while partisan gerrymandering may be undemocratic, federal courts had no role in regulating it. Last year, Trump successfully pressured Texas Republicans to rip up their map and draw a new one targeting five Democratic incumbents, triggering a nationwide arms race that spread to nearly a dozen other states. That move eviscerated what had been a traditional norm limiting most redistricting to the start of each decade, after the US Census population count is completed. The Supreme Court’s ruling on Wednesday, meanwhile, has given even more leeway to lawmakers to draw districts for their party’s benefit. And all of those developments have come against a backdrop of technological advances, with mapmakers able to identify Democratic and Republican voters down to the census block. “If there are no guardrails, there are no guardrails,” Levitt said. “I think the constraint is now realpolitik and imagination, not, ‘We just don’t do that.’” Gerrymandering is not the only culprit to blame for the lack of competitive districts. Voters have become more geographically sorted, as rural areas have trended conservative while suburban regions moved left. And just as House members have become more polarised, so too have voters. Split-ticket voting, in which voters choose a candidate of one party for a higher office and another for a lower office, was once fairly common, but no longer. In 2000, there were 86 House members elected whose districts voted for the opposing party’s presidential candidate, according to research by Kyle Kondik, the managing editor of Crystal Ball. In 2024, that number was down to 16.
