The Pentagon says the cost of the Iran war is $29 billion, a figure that’s higher than the $25 billion price tag it issued to Congress two weeks ago. But according to one war budgeting expert, the conflict will ultimately cost US taxpayers at least $1 trillion. On Tuesday, a senior Pentagon official said the new cost of the conflict included updated repair and replacement of equipment along with operational costs. CNN previously reported that the earlier $25 billion estimate was a lowball figure that did not include the cost of repairing damage to US bases in the Middle East. Linda Bilmes, a public policy expert at the Harvard Kennedy School, projects that the conflict with Iran will cost American taxpayers at least $1 trillion. In an online post in April, she writes: “Wars always cost more than expected. Throughout history, those who get into wars tend to be optimistic...

Taipei, Taiwan —  In South Korea, a global energy supply crunch has hit hard. Officials have advised energy conservation, cut growth forecasts and warned of fallout from high inflation and 17-year lows in the value of its currency. Yet the nation’s largest companies are raking in record profits, and its stock market is hitting all-time highs. The contradiction underscores how, in Asia, there are now two economic realities. The historic oil shock caused by the war in Iran is accelerating a divergence of economic fortunes across the region. One is driven by tech giants and the promises of artificial intelligence. The other is darkened by fuel scarcity and rising prices that threaten a humanitarian crisis. As the disproportionate impact of oil shortages in Asia widens the divide, economists warn that the phenomenon has significant ramifications for monetary policy, political stability, and future economic growth across the continent – and other parts...

People watch as smoke rises following an Israeli strike in Nabatieh, Lebanon, May 7, 2026. Stringer/Reuters An Israeli airstrike on a house in southern Lebanon killed six people and wounded seven, Lebanon’s National News Agency reported on Tuesday. The attack took place on Monday night in the town of Kfardounine. The injured were taken to hospitals in the city of Tyre. Israel and Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed paramilitary group, have continued to exchange fire, which have intensified in recent days, despite a ceasefire deal between the Lebanese and Israeli governments. The truce was intended to pave the way for peace talks. Israel and the militant group have repeatedly accused one another of violating the agreement. The cumulative toll from Israeli attacks since March 2 stood at 2,869 killed and 8,730 wounded, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. Source link

Reuters —  Ukrainian authorities on Monday named President Volodymyr Zelensky’s powerful former chief of staff as a suspect in a major corruption probe, a move likely to pile pressure on the president’s office at a sensitive moment in the war with Russia. Kyiv’s political class was rocked by a wide-ranging investigation last year that had fueled public anger and prompted the ex-top adviser and Zelensky’s right-hand man, Andriy Yermak, to resign. In a statement, Ukraine’s anti-graft agencies said Yermak was suspected of participating in a criminal group that laundered around $10.5 million through an elite housing development outside the capital Kyiv. The agencies did not name Yermak, in line with Ukrainian law, but he was widely identified by local media. Speaking to Ukrainian outlet Radio Liberty, he denied owning real estate in the development but did not comment further. The case is part of a broader probe into high-level graft first...

The family of a victim of last year’s Florida State University mass shooting filed a lawsuit Sunday against OpenAI, alleging ChatGPT “inflamed and encouraged” accused shooter Phoenix Ikner’s “delusions” ahead of the attack. The lawsuit filed in Tallahassee follows the first criminal investigation against OpenAI opened by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier last month over whether the company “bears criminal responsibility” for the shooting. The family of Tiru Chabba, one of the two people police say Ikner killed in April 2025, alleges Ikner messaged ChatGPT thousands of times before carrying out the shooting. The chatbot helped him plan the logistics of the shooting, including how to operate weapons and advising on “what time would be best to encounter the most traffic on campus,” the complaint said. ChatGPT identified guns and ammunition based on photos Ikner had uploaded and allegedly told him the Glock handgun he obtained was “meant to be...

NAIROBI, May 12 (MENA) – The opening session of the Africa–France Summit started on Tuesday in Nairobi with the participation of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, French President Emmanuel Macron, leaders from nearly 30 African nations, the UN secretary-general as well as representatives of the international business community, financial institutions and development partners. The inaugural session focused on ways to strengthen trade and economic partnerships between France and African countries, while advancing sustainable development efforts and supporting the private sector across the African continent. The session featured keynote addresses by the presidents of Kenya, France and Burundi, the current chair of the African Union, in addition to speeches by the secretary-general of the UN and the chairman of the African Union Commission. Sisi is scheduled to deliver Egypt’s address during a working luncheon later on Tuesday dedicated to discussions on reforming the international financial architecture, restructuring the global financial system...

The internet blackout in Iran is more than two months old, the longest on record. For millions who rely on being online to make a living, the void has been devastating. But some have privileged access through what’s called “Internet Pro” – and that’s causing widespread public criticism. The program, launched earlier this year, appears to be another weapon enabling hardliners and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to exert control in Iran. Iran’s state media boasts of the unity of the government and the people in the face of what it calls an “imposed war” by the United States and Israel, but arguments over who gets what internet access have spilled into the media and embroiled the highest levels of government. Iranians speak of mounting frustration about being cut off or spending what little money they have in occasionally getting a glimpse of the outside world. “Imagine dealing with...

New York —  A group of rural Utah residents wants a chance to vote in November to oppose a massive AI data center development — the latest example of Americans resisting new data center projects over fears they’ll disrupt the environment and their communities. The Utah project was approved by Box Elder County commissioners on Monday, despite protests from community members. Developers hope to begin early work on the site in the fall. Backers of the data center, including Shark Tank investor Kevin O’Leary, say that the project will boost the local economy and that increasing America’s computing and energy production capacity is crucial for national security. But residents are calling for more time and more information to evaluate its impact on the already fragile local ecosystem. The conflict is, in some ways, a microcosm of the larger AI debate. While wealthy builders make lofty promises about the technology’s benefits, many...