Event: Anthropic

Washington/Paris – President Donald Trump on Friday voiced frustration with Iran's stance in nuclear negotiations as U.S. staff left Israel due to safety concerns — but mediator Oman promoted what it said was a "breakthrough" to avert war.Trump has ordered the biggest military build-up in decades in the Middle East, with the world's largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, approaching the coast of Israel, as he demands Iran agree to sweeping concessions on concerns starting with its nuclear program.A day after the United States and Iran held talks in Geneva, Trump said that the cleric-run state was "not willing to give us what we have to have."

Donald Trump has suggested the US could carry out a “friendly takeover” of Cuba as tensions between Washington and Havana reach a new high after the capture of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro.As he left the White House for a campaigning event in Texas on Friday, Trump said: “The Cuban government is talking with us. They’re in a big deal of trouble.”Although he gave no further details, it has been widely reported that US officials had met with Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, the grandson of 94-year-old Raúl Castro, on the sidelines of the Caribbean leaders summit, Caricom, as part of negotiations on opening up the island.Trump said on Friday: “They have no money, they have no anything right now. But they’re talking with us and maybe we’ll have a friendly takeover of Cuba.”The president’s comments come as relations between the two countries have sunk to one of their lowest points in an often bitter 67-year history. The US has cranked up pressure on Cuba’s struggling regime after its successful abduction of Venezuelan president and Cuba ally Nicolás Maduro in January.In advance of the attack on Caracas, US officials won a promise of cooperation from Maduro’s deputy, Delcy Rodríguez, now Venezuela’s acting president, who has promised to open up the country’s sizeable oil reserves to foreign companies.Pressure from Washington also led to the departure of the attorney general, Tarek William Saab, and prompted Venezuela to cut off oil exports to Cuba. The US has imposed an oil blockade on the island, strangling what was left of the island’s already parlous economy.Trump said: “I’ve been hearing about Cuba since I was a little boy, but they’re in big trouble.”Alluding to the large Cuban exile community in the US, he suggested a takeover of the island could be “something good … very positive” for them,…

Trump orders government to stop using Anthropic in battle over AI useKali Hays,Technology reporterandLily Jamali,North America Technology correspondentReutersUS President Donald Trump said Friday he would direct every federal agency to immediately stop using technology from AI developer Anthropic."We don't need it, we don't want it, and will not do business with them again!" Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.Anthropic is mired in a row with the Trump administration over who decides how its AI tools can be used in the battlefield and in domestic security.Trump made the latest comments just before a deadline the Pentagon had given Anthropic to grant it unfettered access to the firm's AI tools.Anthropic boss, Dario Amodei, said earlier this week he would not bend to such demands over concern that Anthropic would be used in mass surveillance and fully autonomous weapons. Anthropic's tools will now be phased out of all government work over the next six months, Trump said.As the Pentagon's deadline approached Trump released the barrage of messages on the Truth Social platform, saying Anthropic "better get their act together, and be helpful during this phase out period, or I will use the Full Power of the Presidency to make them comply, with major civil and criminal consequences to follow."Prior to Trump's pronouncement, Anthropic had said that if the US Department of Defense chose to stop using the company's tools the company would "work to enable a smooth transition to another provider".The President also called Anthropic "woke" and accused it of being an "out-of-control, Radical Left AI company run by people who have no idea what the real World is all about".Anthropic has been in use by the US government and military since 2024.The company did not immediately reply to an email seeking comment.Prior to Trump's Friday decision, Anthropic received support in its…

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. File | Photo Credit: Reuters U.S. Secretary of ​State ⁠Marco Rubio said on Friday (February 27, 2026) he has designated ‌Iran as a state sponsor ‌of wrongful detention.“The ‌Iranian ⁠regime must ⁠stop taking hostages and release all Americans unjustly ​detained in ‌Iran, steps that could end this designation and associated ‌actions,” Mr. Rubio said ​in a statement.The move comes as ⁠tensions mount between the U.S. and ‌Iran, even as the two countries conducted talks over Iran’s nuclear program on Thursday.U.S. ‌President Donald Trump ​said on Friday (February 27) he was disappointed with ⁠the negotiations, warning, “sometimes ⁠you have to use force.” Published - February 28, 2026 03:12 am IST

For the first time in nearly a quarter century of polling on the issue, Americans sympathise with Palestinians more than Israelis, Gallup revealed on Friday. That shift has been tracked among all age groups, and not just young people, Gallup said. Forty-one percent of those surveyed said their sympathies lay with Palestinians, while 36 percent said it was Israelis. While the five-point gap is "not statistically significant", Gallup said, it is a stark departure from a 24-year period when Israelis consistently maintained a clear lead over Palestinians. Ten percent said they have no opinion. Nine percent said they do not sympathise with either side, and four percent said they sympathise with both sides equally. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters The highest sympathies for Palestinians are among Democrats at 65 percent, with only 17 percent of support for Israelis - the largest gap among the surveyed groups. Gallup has previously shown that Democrats were already trending in that direction since 2023, after the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel and the subsequent Israeli genocide in Gaza, in which at least 72,081 Palestinians have been killed - a figure seen as an undercount by experts. “This poll should be a wake-up call for Democratic leaders. Their policy of unwavering support for - and complicity in - Israel’s atrocities in Gaza is alienating their own voters," Reed Brody, a veteran war crimes prosecutor and Counsel for Human Rights Watch, told Middle East Eye in a written statement. 'The suppression of speech [and] racism practised by Israel... These are things that Americans recognise’ - Nizar Farzakh, George Washington University "If the party fails to recognize how deeply this issue matters to many Americans, especially young people, it…

IAEA says Iran has stored most of its highly enriched uranium at an underground tunnel complex at its Isfahan facility.The United Nations nuclear watchdog has said in a report that Iran has stored most of its highly enriched uranium at an underground tunnel complex at its Isfahan facility, urging Tehran to allow inspections as it faces growing pressure from the United States over its nuclear programme.The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report, which was circulated to members Friday, confirmed earlier findings that the country was enriching uranium up to 60 percent, which is a short step away weapons-grade purity, raising concerns over the IAEA’s lack of access to the Isfahan site, one of three facilities that the US claimed to have “obliterated” in last year’s 12-day war.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3US-Iran talks conclude with claims of progress but few detailslist 2 of 3US re-asserts 2025 strikes ‘obliterated’ Iran’s nuclear programmelist 3 of 3Iran hails ‘encouraging signals’ from US before nuclear talks on Thursdayend of listThe IAEA report also stated that its inspectors do not know the precise location of a fourth uranium enrichment facility that Iran said it was setting up in Isfahan prior to the 12-day war, adding that they were not aware of its operational status or whether it currently contains nuclear material.The IAEA said it had observed in satellite imagery “regular vehicular activity around the entrance to the tunnel complex at Isfahan in which (uranium) enriched up to 20% and 60% U-235 … was stored”, stressing the importance of being able to carry out inspections in Iran without further delay.There was no immediate comment from Iran.The report comes a day after US and Iranian negotiators held a third round of indirect talks mediated by Oman in Geneva that yielded no breakthrough.It will be…

Donald Trump’s likely casus belli for an attack on Iran – which would be the largest US intervention since the Iraq war – is fraught with contradictions, and his top advisers have been left to cover for him as the White House makes the case for intervention.In his State of the Union address this week, Trump alleged that Iran posed a direct threat to the US and that the country was “working to build missiles that will soon reach the United States of America”. But that claim has not been backed up with evidence by the White House or the Pentagon, and US intelligence reports from just last year say that it would take Iran 10 years to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile that could reach the US.A public US defense intelligence agency assessment from 2025 says that Iran could use its space-launch vehicles to “develop a militarily-viable ICBM by 2035 should Tehran decide to pursue the capability”. But that threat to the US homeland, as laid out in the document, pales in comparison to the ones already presented by Russia and China, as well as other hostile states like North Korea.And a separate annual threat assessment of the US intelligence community released by the office of the director of national intelligence in March did not address any direct military threat from Iran to the US homeland from its ballistic missiles programme at all.In remarks to the press on Thursday, the US secretary of state and national security adviser, Marco Rubio, sought to square the circle by hedging Trump’s remarks without directly contradicting the president.“They are trying to achieve intercontinental ballistic missiles,” he said, adding he wouldn’t speculate how long it would take. “For example, you’ve seen them try to launch satellites into space. You’ve seen them increasing the range…

Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi, the key mediator in US-Iran nuclear talks, meets with JD Vance in Washington, DC.Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi has met with United States Vice President JD Vance, amid growing fears grow of a potential US attack on Iran.Al Busaidi, a key mediator in ongoing talks between the US and Iran, met with Vance in Washington, DC on Friday. He said the nuclear negotiations have so far achieved significant, important, and unprecedented progress, according to the Oman News Agency.The meeting focused on the indirect talks which are being mediated by Oman. American and Iranian officials held the latest round of negotiations in Geneva on Thursday.Since resuming talks last month, the US has said it wants Iran to dismantle its nuclear infrastructure entirely, limit its arsenal of ballistic missiles and stop supporting regional allies. While Tehran has shown flexibility about discussing limitations on the enrichment of uranium for civilian use, it has so far treated missiles and proxies as non-negotiables.During his meeting with Vance, Al Busaidi said the negotiations had resulted in “creative and constructive ideas and proposals.”Middle East tensionsFriday’s meeting comes as concerns grow over a potential US military strike on Iran.US President Donald Trump has said he favours a diplomatic resolution to the standoff, but has repeatedly threatened to bomb Iran if it does not accept a deal. The US has amassed its biggest military arsenal in the region since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, including the world’s biggest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R Ford, which arrived on Friday in the Israeli port city of Haifa, according to Israeli Channel 12.Iran has said that it was not going to initiate a war, but that it was ready to respond if attacked, threatening to strike bases used by US forces in the…

The Supreme Court ruling comes after Israel said it would ban 37 aid groups from Gaza for failing to follow new rules.Israel’s Supreme Court has ruled that dozens of international aid agencies can continue to operate in the Gaza Strip and other Palestinian territories, freezing an earlier government decision that barred aid groups that failed to comply with new rules.In a ruling on Friday, Israel’s top court issued a temporary injunction to allow the NGOs to continue most of their activities while it considers a petition from 17 aid agencies against the government ban.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4International doctors forced to leave Gaza over Israeli demandslist 2 of 4Journalists demand Israel end Gaza entry banlist 3 of 4In Gaza, when money is scarce, every choice counts: Bank, cash, or credit?list 4 of 4Israeli attacks on police sites kill six in southern, central Gazaend of listIsrael had announced it will ban 37 aid groups from war-torn Gaza, the occupied West Bank, and occupied East Jerusalem on March 1, a move that experts warned could have potentially devastating consequences for Palestinians.Aid agencies – including Doctors Without Borders, known by its French initials MSF, Oxfam, the Norwegian Refugee Council and CARE – were notified by Israeli authorities in December that their Israeli work registrations had expired and that they had 60 days to renew them and provide lists containing personal details on their Palestinian staff.The organisations say compliance with the Israeli orders would expose their Palestinian staff to potential retaliation, undermine the principle of humanitarian neutrality and violate European data protection law.In a statement after Friday’s ruling, Shaina Low, communication adviser for the Norwegian Refugee Council, said the decision was welcome, but pointed to the difficulties that aid agencies continue to face in Gaza.“The injunction pauses immediate closure. It…

Democratic members of Congress have expressed astonishment and anger at what they claim is the incompetence of the Trump administration after the US military used a laser on Thursday to shoot down what it thought was a threatening drone on the US-Mexico border in Texas but later turned out to belong to US Customs and Border Protection (CBP).The apparent confusion between two entities in the US government led to airspace being closed around Fort Hancock, right along the border. It was the second time in two weeks that air traffic was disrupted in the region as a result of a high-energy laser being deployed against drones.Earlier this month, chaos descended over El Paso, a city of about 700,000 roughly 50 miles (80km) from Fort Hancock, when the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) abruptly ordered airspace to be shut down for 10 days only to lift the order eight hours later. The FAA cited “special security reasons” for the disruption, but it was later revealed that CBP had deployed a laser against what was thought to be a Mexican drug cartel drone but was in fact a party balloon.The second incident in as many weeks occurred on Thursday when the military took action against what it said was a “seemingly threatening unmanned aerial system operating within military airspace”. The laser-based anti-drone system was activated, the Pentagon said, “far away from populated areas and there was no commercial aircraft in the vicinity”.But top Democratic members of Congress who were briefed on the incident were livid about what they said was an ongoing lack of coordination within the Trump administration. US representatives Rick Larsen, Bennie Thompson and André Carson said that “our heads are exploding over the news”.They accused the administration of “sidestepping” a bipartisan bill that would have improved training for drone operators…

This photo released on November 5, 2019, by the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran shows centrifuges in the Natanz uranium enrichment facility in central Iran.  | Photo Credit: AP Iran has not allowed the United Nations nuclear watchdog to access nuclear facilities affected by the 12-day war in June, according to a confidential report by the (IAEA), circulated to member states and accessed on Friday (February 27, 2026.The report stressed that therefore the agency “cannot verify whether Iran has suspended all enrichment-related activities,” or the “size of Iran's uranium stockpile at the affected nuclear facilities.”Iran stored highly enriched uranium at underground site: IAEA reportSome of ​Iran’s most highly enriched ‌uranium, close to ​weapons grade, ⁠was stored in an underground area of ‌its nuclear site in Isfahan, ‌the IAEA said in its report.It is the first time the ‌agency has reported where uranium ⁠enriched to up to 60% ‌purity, close to the 90% of weapons grade, has been stored.The tunnel complex’s ‌entrance was hit ​in U.S. and Israeli military ⁠strikes in June but the ⁠facility seems largely unharmed, ‌diplomats say. With inputs from AP, Reuters Published - February 27, 2026 08:04 pm IST

UN rights chief Volker Turk accuses Israel of showing 'utter disregard' for human rights in the Palestinian territory A Palestinian woman sits near a vehicle burned by Israeli settlers in Susiya, occupied West Bank, on 25 February 2026 (Reuters/Mussa Qawasma) Published date: 27 February 2026 14:33 GMT | Last update: 4 hours 58 min ago UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has accused Israel of seeking to impose a “permanent demographic change” in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Addressing the Human Rights Council on Wednesday, Turk said a report covering November 2024 to October 2025 showed Israel’s “utter disregard for human rights in Gaza and the West Bank”. He said human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory had been “crushed”, citing the destruction of entire neighbourhoods, severe restrictions and the weaponisation of aid, as well as mass civilian casualties. “Taken together, Israel’s actions appear aimed at making a permanent demographic change in Gaza and the West Bank, raising concerns about ethnic cleansing,” Turk said. In August 2025, famine was declared in Gaza. Malnutrition has persisted despite a limited flow of aid. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Although a ceasefire was implemented in October, Turk said ongoing Israeli violations have killed more than 600 Palestinians and injured over 1,600 since then. At least 1,700 violations have been recorded during the truce period, including the denial of medical treatment and transfers abroad, restrictions on aid, and daily attacks across the territory. "Anywhere else, this would be considered a major crisis," he said. "People are still dying in Gaza from Israeli fire, cold, hunger, and treatable diseases and injuries." Since the genocide began in 2023, Israeli forces killed more than…

US President Donald Trump voiced frustration on Friday with Iran’s stance in nuclear negotiations but said he had not yet decided whether to carry out a threatened attack, as US staff were authorised to leave Israel due to heightened risks.Trump has ordered the biggest military build-up in decades in the Middle East, with the world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, approaching the coast of Israel, as he demands Iran agree to sweeping concessions on concerns starting with its nuclear programme.A day after the United States and Iran held talks in Geneva, Trump said that the cleric-run state was “not willing to give us what we have to have” but added on military force: “We haven’t made a final decision.”“We’re not exactly happy with the way they negotiated. They cannot have nuclear weapons, and we’re not thrilled with the way they’re negotiating,” Trump told reporters.“We want no nuclear weapons by Iran and they’re not saying those golden words.”People watch the Mediterranean Sea from the city of Haifa on Friday as they wait for the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier to arrive off the coast of Israel. Photo: AFPIran has said repeatedly that it is not pursuing nuclear weapons and agreed to restrictions on enrichment in a 2015 deal that Trump ripped up during his first term in office.

If US President Donald Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth declared America a Christian republic at the National Prayer Breakfast in early February, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has now declared the country a white European Christian republic. In a speech delivered last week to European heads of state at the Security Conference in Munich, Rubio declared war on all non-European non-white peoples inside the US and around the world. Rubio made clear that America was, and should again be, a white country: "Our home may be in the Western Hemisphere, but we will always be a child of Europe." To the detriment of more than 140 million Americans who are not white and do not issue from Europe, Rubio unflinchingly stated: "We want allies who are proud of their culture and of their heritage, who understand that we are heirs to the same great and noble civilization, and who, together with us, are willing and able to defend it." Lest Europe forget, Rubio reminded it of its own Christian identity: "The United States and Europe, we belong together. America was founded 250 years ago, but the roots began here on this continent long before. The man who settled and built the nation of my birth arrived on our shores carrying the memories and the traditions and the Christian faith of their ancestors as a sacred inheritance, an unbreakable link between the old world and the new." New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Rubio's remarks echoed the anti-non-white immigrant policies instituted in the US since the birth of the white Christian republic and reasserted by Trump. He spoke directly of the threat that African, Asian, and Latin American immigrants constitute to…

Recent remarks by senior Fatah leader Azzam al-Ahmad expressing support for Hamas have sparked controversy within his party, exposing deep internal divisions, analysts say. Al-Ahmad, secretary-general of the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), declined to describe Hamas as a terrorist organisation in an interview with the Egyptian outlet Shorouk News published earlier this week. The veteran Fatah official - long known for his sharp criticism of Hamas - also rejected calls to disarm the group or exclude it from any future role in Gaza. “Hamas is part of the Palestinian national movement,” he said. “They are not yet part of the PLO, but we are in continuous dialogue with them to fulfil the requirements for their entry into the organisation,” he added. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters “Everything being said about disarming Hamas and labelling it a terrorist organisation is unacceptable to us. Hamas is not a terrorist organisation.” His remarks reverberated across Fatah ranks, drawing significant criticism amid the longstanding rift between Fatah and Hamas, which has deepened further during Israel’s devastating war on Gaza. Social media platforms were flooded with comments from Fatah members calling for al-Ahmad to be dismissed and disciplined over his statements. Others, however, argued that his comments were personal views and did not necessarily reflect the movement’s official position. Internal divisions Al-Ahmad’s remarks come amid mounting pressure on Hamas to disarm and withdraw from the political arena, with many in Fatah blaming the group for the destruction wrought on Gaza by Israel following the 7 October attacks. A heated debate has persisted since the war ended over whether the assault was a legitimate act of resistance or a reckless gamble with devastating consequences.…

The move comes as prospect of war with Tehran grows and US troops are redeployed from bases across the region A road sign points the way towards the US embassy in Jerusalem in April 2024 (Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP) Published date: 27 February 2026 12:15 GMT | Last update: 25 sec ago The US is allowing staff to evacuate from its embassy in Jerusalem and the UK has removed officials from Tehran as the prospect of a war with Iran looms larger. With US President Donald Trump authorising the biggest military build-up in years in the region, Iran would be expected to respond to a US attack with strikes on Israel and US bases across the Middle East. In recent weeks, the US has positioned around 100 aerial refuel tankers, carrier strike groups and fleets of fighters in the region, within striking distance of Iran. With a large military force assembled in the Middle East, the US State Department said on Friday that Secretary of State Marco Rubio would travel to Israel next week, where he will discuss Iran. Rubio's visit is planned for the next scheduled round of talks between Iran and the US. According to Bloomberg, US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner left the last round of talks in Geneva disappointed by the lack of progress. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters In the early hours of Friday morning, White House deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino, formerly the assistant manager of a Trump-branded golf club, posted a video of US B-2 stealth bombers soundtracked by Metallica's "Enter Sandman". Sources have told Middle East Eye that several countries belonging to the US-led coalition in Iraq - including France, Norway, Germany, Sweden and…

File picture of Iranians attending an anti-government protest in Tehran, Iran, on January 9, 2026 | Photo Credit: AP The U.N. human ​rights chief Volker Turk on Friday (February 27, 2026) called for an ‌immediate moratorium on the use of the ​death penalty in Iran, warning that ⁠dozens more people risk execution after the first death sentence linked to January mass protests was issued this ‌week.“I am horrified by reports that at least eight people, including two ‌children, have been sentenced to death ‌in connection ⁠with the protests,” Mr. Turk said in ⁠a speech to the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, adding that another 30 people appeared to be at ​risk of the same ‌sentence.A revolutionary court in Tehran issued a death sentence for an Iranian man accused of “enmity against god” which, if confirmed, would be ‌the first such sentence linked to ​mass protests in January, a source close to the man’s family said.Rights groups ⁠say thousands of people were killed in a crackdown on the protests, the worst domestic ‌unrest in Iran since the era of its 1979 Islamic Revolution. During the unrest, U.S. President Donald Trump warned Tehran that he could order military action if it carried out executions.“I am extremely alarmed about the potential ‌for regional military escalation and its impact on civilians, ​and I hope the voice of reason prevails,” Mr. Turk said in the same ⁠speech.Talks in Geneva on Thursday between the United ⁠States and Iran made progress over Tehran’s nuclear programme, mediator Oman said, but there ‌was no sign of a breakthrough that could avert potential U.S. strikes amid a ​massive military buildup.  Published - February 27, 2026 03:12 pm IST

A series of bilateral health agreements being negotiated between African countries and the administration of President Donald Trump have been labelled “clearly lop-sided” and “immoral” amid growing outrage at US demands, including countries being forced to share biological resources and data.It emerged this week that Zimbabwe had halted negotiations with the US for $350m (£258m) of health funding, saying the proposals risked undermining its sovereignty and independence.A letter sent by Albert Chimbindi, Zimbabwe’s secretary for foreign affairs and international trade, in December that was made public said the president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, “directed that Zimbabwe must discontinue any negotiation, with the USA, on the clearly lop-sided MoU [memorandum of understanding] that blatantly compromises and undermines the sovereignty and independence of Zimbabwe as a country”.Meanwhile, a deal with Zambia – which has been linked to a separate agreement with the US on “collaboration in the mining sector” – has yet to be finalised, with Asia Russell, director of the HIV advocacy organisation Health Gap, accusing the US of “conditioning life-saving health services on plundering the mineral wealth of the country. It’s shameless exploitation, which is immoral.”At least 17 African countries have signed deals with the US, collectively securing $11.3bn in health aid but raising concerns over concessions made in return.Critics say there has been a lack of consultation with the community groups that provide a lot of the healthcare in African countries, and have raised concerns over data privacy – the US requests patient record data as part of the deals – and the prioritisation of faith-based healthcare providers.In Nigeria, US statements suggest the funding is contingent on authorities tackling what the Trump administration refers to as the persecution of Christians in the country.The Trump administration is negotiating the bilateral agreements with countries as part of its America First global health strategy.…

Cuba has vowed to defend itself against any “terrorist and mercenary aggression”, a day after border guards said they had killed four exiles on a Florida-registered speedboat that opened fire on a patrol.Cuba’s president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, wrote on X that the Caribbean country would “defend itself with determination and firmness” after the incident in which six other people on the boat were injured.The incident has the potential to crank up tensions between Washington and Havana, which have been heightened since US forces seized Cuba’s key ally, the Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, and the Trump administration imposed an oil blockade on the island in January.But talks between the two countries are understood to be continuing, and both governments appeared keen to calm the situation. Díaz-Canel preceded his comments by writing: “Cuba does not attack nor threaten.”On Thursday, the Miami Herald reported that US officials had met former Cuban president Raúl Castro’s grandson, on the sidelines of Caricom, the annual meeting of Caribbean leaders, in St Kitts and Nevis.Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, 41, does not have an official role in the Cuban government, but remains close to his grandfather, who holds huge sway in the country’s power structure.The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, who was attending the Caricom session, said the US government had nothing to do with the incident and told reporters: “We’re still gathering facts.”But what facts there are remain sketchy.The assault happened among a network of keys east of the tourist beach of Varadero off the island’s northern coast, according to Cuba’s ministry of the interior.The boat, a small centre-console speedboat, appears to have come from the Florida Keys and was allegedly carrying arms.One of the men who died, Michel Ortega Casanova, had spoken of wanting to liberate the island, an associate told AFP.“His goal was to go…

Cuban forces killed four exiles and wounded six others who sailed into its waters onboard a Florida-registered speedboat and opened fire on a Cuban patrol, the country’s government said, at a time of heightened tensions with the US.Cuba’s interior ministry said the group comprised anti-government Cubans, some of whom were previously wanted for plotting attacks. They came from the US dressed in camouflage and armed with assault rifles, handguns, homemade explosives, ballistic vests and telescopic sights, it said.The wounded were evacuated and receiving medical attention, while a Cuban patrol commander was also wounded, the ministry said.Cuban coast guard ships docked at the port of Havana on Wednesday. Photograph: Adalberto Roque/AFP/Getty ImagesThe US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, told reporters it was not a US operation and that no US government personnel were involved. The Cuban authorities made the US aware of the incident, but the US embassy in Havana would attempt to independently verify what happened, he said.“We’re not going to base our conclusions on what they’ve [Cuba] told us, and I’m very, very confident that we will know the full story of what happened here,” Rubio told reporters while on a trip to the Caribbean nation of St Kitts and Nevis.“As we gather more information, then we’ll be prepared to respond accordingly,” he said. “Suffice to say it is highly unusual to see shootouts in open sea like that.”Florida’s attorney general said he had ordered an investigation into the incident. “The Cuban government cannot be trusted, and we will do everything in our power to hold these communists accountable,” said James Uthmeier.Cuba said it had identified the six detainees from the boat, two of whom, Amijail Sánchez González and Leordan Enrique Cruz Gómez, it claimed were previously wanted in Cuba on suspicion of planning terrorist acts.The other four were…

The US has been accused of “shameless exploitation” over a health financing agreement with Zambia worth more than $1bn (£740m), amid warnings that the country is getting a raw deal from the Trump administration.A leaked draft of a five-year memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the two countries, seen by the Guardian, reveals that Zambia may accept terms worse than health financing agreements the US has reached with 16 other African countries.The terms include a commitment to give Washington access to its health data for 10 years – far longer than other countries have negotiated. Zambia’s deal also predicates any health financing on an even more covert arrangement that could open up the country’s mining industry to US interests.Asia Russell, director of the HIV advocacy organisation Health Gap, said: “These terms are vastly worse than other deals. [The US] is conditioning life-saving health services on plundering the mineral wealth of the country.“It’s shameless exploitation, which is immoral. It’s also dangerous – when health programmes are treated like a bargaining chip by a rapacious administration, everyone suffers,” she said.The Trump administration is pursuing these bilateral global health deals after dismantling most of the federal development agency, USAID.The new strategy channels health financing directly to governments, rather than through aid organisations, while also requiring increased investments from partner countries.On Wednesday, Zimbabwe said it was halting its bilateral health agreement talks with the US over concerns about the sharing of sensitive health data.In Zambia’s case, Washington is offering $1.012bn in health funding in exchange for Lusaka’s commitment to hire 40,000 new health workers and contribute an additional $400m in health services over five years, while improving the health sector’s performance, according to the leaked draft. The country’s 2026 budget for health services is roughly $1.3bn.If Zambia faltered on any of these fronts, Washington could…