US President Donald Trump said on May 27 he was unconcerned about the political fallout of an extended conflict with Iran, and that Iranian leaders had miscalculated if they thought the November midterm elections would force him into a deal.
“They thought they were going to outwait me,” Mr Trump said at a White House cabinet meeting, referring to Iran’s leadership. “You know, ‘We’ll outwait him. He’s got the midterms.’ I don’t care about the midterms.”
Mr Trump made the comments as he discussed how to end the conflict. Still, many of his Republican allies were already uneasy with his earlier dismissive comments about the economic impact of the war on Americans.
The president had initially said the war would last four to six weeks, and it is now approaching its fourth month. At times, he has suggested the conflict could end within days only to later suggest that the conflict could go on for some time.
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PHOTO: AFP
Israel on May 27 declared all areas south of Lebanon’s Zahrani River, which runs roughly 40km from the border, “combat zones” and urged residents to evacuate ahead of strikes against Hezbollah.
The first such sweeping warning since an April 17 ceasefire came as Israel’s military launched broad raids on the country’s south and east, and as Hezbollah said its fighters clashed with Israeli forces beyond an Israeli-declared “yellow line” in the south.
It also came as many Lebanese tried to celebrate the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha.
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PHOTO: REUTERS
Canada, which says it wants to reduce reliance on US defence firms, on May 27 announced plans to buy a fleet of early warning planes from Sweden’s Saab rather than a competing option from Boeing.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada would opt for Saab’s GlobalEye, which is based on Bombardier’s Global 6500 jet. Boeing’s E-7 Wedgetail plane – which has suffered from delays and cost overruns – had also been in contention.
“With a suite of advanced sensors and mission systems, Saab’s GlobalEye will be a key resource for the Canadian Armed Forces to detect and deter threats across the Arctic,” Mr Carney told a defence conference in Ottawa.
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PHOTO: AFP
The personal assistant who repeatedly injected Matthew Perry with ketamine before he died was sentenced to prison on May 27, becoming the fifth person to face justice over the Friends star’s fatal overdose.
Kenneth Iwamasa, 61, was ordered to serve three years and five months in federal lock-up after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute ketamine causing death.
Prosecutors said that in the days leading up to Perry’s 2023 death in a hot tub, Iwamasa gave the actor more than 25 shots of the drug, including at least three jabs on the day he died.
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PHOTO: REUTERS
If Ferrari wanted to grab the world’s attention with the Luce, its first all-electric car, mission accomplished – even if much of the reaction has been shock and outrage.
The new model is a four-door, five-seat family car that looks nothing like the Italian marque’s usual fare of low-slung, petrol-powered sports cars.
It was unveiled at a gala event in Rome late on May 25, then shown the next day to Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Pope Leo, a well-known car enthusiast who appeared happy to take the driver’s seat.
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