Politics
US weighs drone threat from Cuba: report

- Cuban FM rejects report, accuses US of fabrication.
- Cuba accuses US of baselessly plotting for its next war.
- Cuba does not threaten or desire war: Rodriguez.
Cuba has obtained more than 300 military drones and recently began discussing plans to use them to attack the US base at Guantanamo Bay, US military vessels and possibly even Florida, Axios reported Sunday, citing classified intelligence.
The report comes as tensions simmer between Washington and Havana, amid growing speculation that the United States is weighing military action against the communist-run island.
The Trump administration is concerned because of developments in drone warfare and the presence of Iranian military advisors in Havana, Axios cited a senior US official as saying.
Cuba has been acquiring attack drones from Russia and Iran since 2023 and is seeking to buy more, US officials told Axios.
Havana slammed the report, with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez accusing the United States of baselessly plotting for its next war.
“With no legitimate excuse whatsoever, the US government is, day after day, building a fraudulent case to justify a ruthless economic war against the Cuban people and an eventual military aggression,” Rodriguez wrote on X.
“Cuba does not threaten or desire war. It defends peace and is readying and preparing itself to confront external aggression in the exercise of the right to legitimate self-defense recogni[s]ed by the UN Charter,” he added.
The report comes days after CIA Director John Ratcliffe visited Havana, where Cubans have been enduring constant power outages prompted by President Donald Trump’s fuel blockade.
According to Axios, Ratcliffe warned officials in Havana against engaging in hostilities.
“Director Ratcliffe made clear that Cuba can no longer serve as a platform for adversaries to advance hostile agendas in our hemisphere,” Axios quoted an unnamed CIA official as saying.
The communist island has been in a standoff with successive US administrations since the 1960s, and the southern state of Florida hosts a large, politically influential Cuban exile community.
Earlier this month Trump said the United States would be “taking over” the Caribbean island, only around 90 miles (145 km) from Florida, “almost immediately.”
He has also said, following the US military operation to depose Venezuela’s longtime leader Nicolas Maduro, that Cuba will be next.
US media also reported that US authorities are seeking to indict Raul Castro, the 94-year-old brother of late Cuban leader Fidel Castro.
Politics
Military jets’ crew members safely eject after Idaho air-show collision

Four crew members involved in a mid-air collision of military jets at an air show ejected safely on Sunday outside Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho, the US Navy said.
Two E/A-18G Growler jets collided in mid-air 2 miles from the base during the two-day Gunfighter Skies Air Show, said Cmdr Amelia Umayam, a spokesperson for Naval Air Forces, US Pacific Fleet.
The two jets with four air crew collided “while performing an aerial demonstration” at around 12:10pm MDT as part of the air show, Umayam added, noting that all four crew members ejected safely.
“The incident is under investigation. More information will be released as it becomes available,” Umayam said.
The air base was locked down after the crash, according to Mountain Home’s Facebook page.
The air show’s official site lists the US Navy’s E/A-18G “Vikings” Growler Demo Team as one of the scheduled performers. The jets involved in the collision were assigned to Electronic Attack Squadron 129 from Whidbey Island, Washington, Umayam said.
Sunday marked the first Gunfighter Skies Air Show in eight years. A hang glider pilot died in a crash during the last show in 2018.
The Mountain Home Fire Department, Mountain Home Police Department and Elmore County emergency management coordinator did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Politics
China to buy at least $17bn in US agricultural products annually, says White House

China has committed to purchasing at least $17 billion of US agricultural products in 2026, 2027 and 2028, the White House said in a fact sheet released on Sunday.
The commitment was made during meetings between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping last week, the White House said.
The $17 billion figure does not include the soybean purchase commitments China made in October 2025, the White House said.
There has been a marked reduction in US agricultural exports to China after last year’s rounds of tit-for-tat tariffs sharply curtailed trade, which fell 65.7% year-on-year to $8.4 billion in 2025, according to US Department of Agriculture data.
China has dramatically scaled back its reliance on US farm goods since Trump’s first term, sourcing roughly 20% of its soybeans from the US in 2024, the year before he returned to office, down from 41% in 2016.
China will work with US regulators to lift suspensions of US beef facilities and resume imports of poultry from US states determined to be free of avian influenza, the White House said.
Confirming earlier statements from the Chinese government, the White House also said on Sunday that the world’s two largest economies would establish a US-China Board of Trade and the US-China Board of Investment.
The boards will resolve concerns over market access for agricultural products and expand trade “under a reciprocal tariff-reduction framework,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a statement last week.
Politics
Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, Turkiye to observe Eid ul Adha on May 27

Saudi Arabia, Oman, Turkiye and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Sunday announced the sighting of Zil Hajj moon, and Eid ul Adha will be celebrated in these countries on May 27.
As per the announcement, Arafat Day will fall on May 26 and Eid ul Adha will be celebrated on May 27.
The hajj, one of the world’s largest religious gatherings, involves a series of rituals in Makkah and its surroundings in western Saudi Arabia that take several days to complete.
One of the five pillars of Islam, it must be performed at least once by all Muslims who have the means to do so.
After travelling from all parts of the globe to Islam’s holiest city, the pilgrims will first perform the “tawaf” — circling seven times around the Holy Kaaba.
They will then head towards Mina, a valley surrounded by craggy mountains several kilometres (miles) outside Makkah, where they will spend the night in air-conditioned tents.
Eid ul Adha, also known as the “Feast of Sacrifice,” commemorates the Qur’anic story of Prophet Ibrahim’s (PBUH) willingness to sacrifice his son in obedience to Allah, a test of faith that was divinely interrupted and replaced with a ram.
Additionally, the occasion is celebrated with prayers, family gatherings, and charitable acts, including the ritual sacrifice of livestock, with the meat distributed to relatives, friends, and the underprivileged.
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