China says it firmly opposes the U.S. adding several prominent Chinese businesses to its list of military-linked companies. The Pentagon on Monday included companies like BYD, Alibaba and Baidu to the list of firms that it deems to have ties with the Chinese military, preventing them from landing U.S. defense contracts. A Chinese Ministry of Commerce spokesperson said the move ignores the consensus reached during U.S. President Donald Trump's summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing last month. Alibaba, BYD and Baidu had previously stated there's no basis for their inclusion on the list.

President Donald Trump says a “swift and lethal kinetic” U.S. strike has killed Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, whom he called “the infamous leader” of the Tren de Aragua gang. Tren de Aragua has been labeled by the United States as a terrorist organization. Guerrero Flores has been charged in a New York federal court with racketeering conspiracy and other crimes, including lending support to terrorists in crimes that stretched more than a decade, authorities announced in December. Trump wrote on his social media site Friday that “Tren de Aragua terrorists no longer have safe haven in Venezuela or anywhere else."

Steven Spielberg's new film “Disclosure Day” explores extraterrestrial life and its impact on religion. UFOs, now also called UAPs, are gaining mainstream attention. The Pentagon released UFO files in May, sparking public curiosity. Former President Barack Obama set off a media frenzy by suggesting aliens exist in an interview. Some believe extraterrestrial life could challenge religious beliefs, while others see it as beneficial. Some Catholic figures — such as Vice President JD Vance and Monsignor Stephen Rossetti — view UFOs as demonic, though the Catholic Church remains open to the idea of alien life. Theologians and historians note that interest in otherworldly beings dates back centuries.

Iranians are living between confusion and exhaustion as the country and its economy are squeezed between war and multiplying crises at home. Strikes on steel and petrochemical industries and energy infrastructure earlier in the war spurred a wave of business closures and job losses in Iran, where people now struggle to afford everyday groceries in the face of triple-digit food inflation. Many business owners are struggling to survive. The cratering economy and the threat of more war have left many people desperate for an end to the turmoil and deeply anxious about the future.

Iran’s Kharg Island is home to a terminal through which the country exports most of its oil. The Persian Gulf island has emerged as a focus of the war launched by the United States and Israel. Strikes on oil infrastructure on Kharg — or a ground invasion — would severely curb Iran’s oil exports, a key source of revenue for the Islamic Republic. An assault would also mark a major escalation that could provoke even heavier retaliatory attacks on Gulf infrastructure. That would further drive up oil prices that already threaten the world economy.

U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey has resigned, saying the government is not willing to spend enough on the military at a time of rising threats. Healey told Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday that the government’s defense investment plan falls “well short of what is required at this dangerous time.” Publication of the plan has been delayed amid reports of disagreement between the defense ministry and the Treasury. Healey wrote in a letter to Starmer that “I am now left with no other option to submit my resignation.” Analysts said the departure both undermines Starmer and sends a worrying message about the UK's ability to defend itself.