Feb 5 (Reuters) – Ukraine’s military said on Thursday it had carried out a series of “successful” strikes at the infrastructure of a Russian intermediate-range ballistic missile launch site in January.
Ukraine’s general staff said in a statement that some buildings were damaged, one hangar was “significantly” damaged and some personnel was evacuated from the Kapustin Yar test range near the Caspian Sea. It did not provide the dates of the attacks.
The military added it used its long-range capabilities to carry out the strikes, including the Ukrainian-made Flamingo missile.
(Reporting by Anna Pruchnicka; Editing by Daniel Flynn)
KYIV, Feb 5 (Reuters) – Ukraine and Russia on Thursday started a second day of U.S.-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi to discuss how to end their four-year-old war, top Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov said.
“The second day of negotiations in Abu Dhabi has begun,” Umerov said on the Telegram app. “We are working in the same formats as yesterday: trilateral consultations, group work and further synchronization of positions.”
(Reporting by Olena Harmash; Editing by Daniel Flynn )
TAIPEI, Jan 25 (Reuters) – U.S. climber Alex Honnold scaled the Taipei 101 skyscraper without ropes or safety netting on Sunday, watched by thousands of cheering and waving fans as he clambered up one of the world’s tallest buildings.
“Sick,” Honnold said as he got to the top spire of Taiwan’s tallest building after his 91-minute “free solo” ascent, which was organised and broadcast live by Netflix.
“What a beautiful way to see Taipei,” he told reporters after his mission, which was postponed by a day due to wet weather.
The 508-metre (1,667-foot) Taipei 101, which dominates the city’s skyline and is a major tourist attraction, was the tallest building in the world from 2004 to 2010, a crown currently held by the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.
The climb, with no safety equipment, took place with the full support and permission of Taipei 101 and the city government.
Honnold said he had once thought of climbing the structure without permission.
“But then out of respect for the building and respect for all the people on the team who’d allowed me access to look at it, I was like, well obviously I’m not going to poach this, I’m going to respect the people and just see if it ever comes together.”
Executive Producer James Smith said it was rare for a building to trust a climber and allow such an event to take place, calling Taipei 101 “a real icon of this country”.
Taiwanese politicians took to social media to thank Honnold and Netflix for putting Taiwan – more accustomed to featuring in global headlines for its semiconductor prowess or Chinese military threats – in the international spotlight with such a different perspective.
“Congratulations to the brave, fearless Alex for completing the challenge,” President Lai Ching-te wrote on his Facebook page.
“Through Netflix’s live broadcast cameras, the world didn’t just see Taipei 101 – it also saw the warmth and passion of the Taiwanese people, and the beautiful hills and scenery of this land,” he added.
This is not the first time Taipei 101 has been scaled.
In 2004, French climber Alain Robert, dubbed “Spiderman” for his ropeless ascents of some of the world’s highest skyscrapers, climbed the building, though did so with a safety rope in a time of four hours.
(Reporting by Fabian Hamacher, Angie Teo, Ann Wang and Ben Blanchard; Editing by William Mallard)
TAIPEI, Jan 24 (Reuters) – Poor weather on Saturday forced U.S. climber Alex Honnold to postpone his “free solo” rope and harness-free ascent of the outside of Taiwan’s Taipei 101 skyscraper, one of the world’s tallest buildings.
The climb, organised by Netflix for live broadcast, has been rescheduled for Sunday morning in Taipei, the streamer said on its X account.
“Safety remains our top priority, and we appreciate your understanding,” it added.
The top of Taipei 101 was obscured by cloud on Saturday morning, with intermittent rain showers.
The 508 metre (1,667 feet) Taipei 101, which dominates the city’s skyline and is a major tourist attraction, was the tallest building in the world from 2004 to 2010, a crown currently held by the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.
Taipei 101 has been scaled before.
In 2004, French climber Alain Robert, dubbed “Spiderman” for his ropeless ascents of some of the world’s highest skyscrapers, climbed the building, in a time of four hours with a safety rope.
(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Kate Mayberry)
Yemen’s southern separatists welcomed a Saudi call for dialogue as fighting eased in the south, raising hopes of de-escalation in a rare public rift between Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Yemen’s southern separatists welcomed on Saturday a call for dialogue by Saudi Arabia to end a recent military escalation, a potential sign that an unusually public confrontation between the kingdom and the United Arab Emirates may be easing.
The fast-moving crisis in Yemen has opened a major feud between the two Gulf powers and fractured a coalition of forces, headed by Yemen’s internationally recognized government, which is fighting the Iran-backed Houthis.
The UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council has for years been part of that government, which controls southern and eastern Yemen and is backed by Gulf states, but last month STC forces suddenly seized swathes of territory.
The crisis triggered the biggest split in decades between formerly close allies Saudi Arabia and the UAE, as years of divergence on critical issues came to a head, threatening to upend the regional order.
The STC said in a statement on Saturday that the Saudi initiative was a “genuine opportunity for serious dialogue” that could safeguard “the aspirations of the southern people.”
Supporters of the UAE-backed separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) wave flags of the United Arab Emirates and of the STC, during a rally in Aden, Yemen, December 30, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/Fawaz Salman)
Saudi-backed forces reclaim Mukalla
The STC’s statement came hours after Yemen’s Saudi-backed, internationally recognized government said it had retaken control of Mukalla, the key eastern port and capital of Hadramout province, from the southern separatists who seized it last month.
Rapid government gains since Friday have reversed many of the STC gains last month and cast doubt on the viability of its intention to hold a referendum on independence within two years.
Saudi-backed forces had already taken control of key locations in Hadramout, a large province with stretches of desert along the Saudi border.
STC forces blocked roads leading to Aden from the northern provinces, residents said. The group appealed for regional and international leaders to intervene against what it described as a “Saudi-backed military escalation.”
In a statement, it added that northern Islamist factions – an apparent reference to the Islah party that is part of the internationally recognized government – had targeted civilians and vital infrastructure.
The UAE, the main STC supporter, urged restraint, saying it was “deeply concerned” about the escalation in Yemen.
Yemen, split for a decade between warring regions, sits at a highly strategic location between the world’s top oil exporter, Saudi Arabia, and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait that guards the vital sea route between Europe and Asia.
Yemen calls for Saudi Arabia hold peace summit with UAE, Southern Transition Council
Rashad al-Alimi, the head of Yemen’s Saudi-backed presidential council, submitted a request for Saudi Arabia to host a peace conference in Riyadh for all factions involved in the recent flare-up of violence in southern Yemen, Yemeni state-owned outlet Saba News Agency reported early on Saturday.
Saudi Arabia welcomed the request in an announcement released by the Saudi Foreign Affairs Ministry, stating that the only way to resolve the conflict is “through dialogue within the framework of a comprehensive political solution in Yemen.”
The ministry emphasized the importance of “building on the close relation between the two brotherly countries” and continuing Saudi efforts “to support and strengthen the security and stability of the Republic of Yemen.”
Tarek Saleh, a member of the Saudi-backed Yemen Presidential Council, met with Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khaled bin Salman and exchanged viewpoints on Yemen.
They discussed means to bolster joint efforts to support the stability of the country and the region’s security, according to a post on X by the Yemeni official early Sunday.
Aden airport reopens following temporary closure amid conflict
Aden airport, the main transport hub for areas of Yemen outside Houthi control, was closed on Thursday after a dispute over new restrictions announced by the internationally recognized government on flights with the UAE, but flights are due to resume on Sunday, officials at Yemen’s national airline said.
The STC and Saudi Arabia have accused each other of responsibility for shutting off air traffic. The STC, in its statement on Saturday, said southern Yemen was being subjected to a land, sea, and air blockade.
The crisis began early last month when the STC seized swathes of territory, including Hadramout, establishing firm control over the whole territory of the former state of South Yemen that merged with the north in 1990.
The leadership of the internationally recognized government, which had been based in Aden and included several ministers from the STC, departed for Saudi Arabia, which regarded the southern move as a threat to its security.
Fellow Gulf monarchy Qatar, which has long had regional policy differences with the UAE, said it welcomed efforts by Yemen’s internationally recognized government to address the southern issue.
How far the feud between Saudi Arabia and the UAE over their differences on regional security bleeds into other issues may become plainer over the weekend as both countries join a scheduled OPEC meeting to determine the group’s oil output policy.
Early this week, Saudi Arabia bombed a base in Hadramout and asked all remaining UAE forces in Yemen to depart, calling this a red line for its security, and the UAE complied.
The STC declaration on Friday that it wants a two-year transition period leading to a referendum on independence for a new South Arabian state was the movement’s clearest indication yet of its intention to secede.
DUBAI, Jan 2 (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Yemen said on Friday that Aidarus Al-Zubaidi, the leader of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC), refused landing permission the previous day for a plane carrying a Saudi delegation to Aden.
The halt in flights at Aden international airport was the latest sign of a deepening crisis between Gulf powers Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, whose rivalry is reshaping war-torn Yemen.
“For several weeks and until yesterday, the Kingdom sought to make all efforts with the Southern Transitional Council to end the escalation … but it faced continuous rejection and stubbornness from Aidarus Al-Zubaidi,” the Saudi ambassador, Mohammed Al-Jaber, said on X.
Yemen’s separatist STC did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on Jaber’s statement.
Zubaidi issued directives to close air traffic at Aden airport on Thursday, the ambassador added, saying that a plane carrying a Saudi delegation to Aden aiming to find solutions to the crisis was denied permission to land.
In a statement on Thursday, the STC-controlled transport ministry accused Saudi Arabia of imposing an air blockade, saying Riyadh required all flights to go via Saudi Arabia for extra checks.
The UAE backs the STC, which seized swathes of southern Yemen last month from the internationally recognised government, backed by Saudi Arabia, which in turn saw the move as a threat.
The Aden international airport is the main gateway for regions of the country outside Houthi control.
(Reporting by Ahmed Elimam; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
A rare dispute between Saudi Arabia and the UAE erupted after Riyadh launched airstrikes in Yemen, accusing Abu Dhabi-backed forces of threatening stability by seizing territory.
On December 31, Saudi Arabia laid down a gauntlet over Yemen. It carried out airstrikes on vehicles that it said had been smuggled to the port of Mukalla from the UAE.
It said that recent gains by the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council in Yemen in the last weeks were approaching a red line. Riyadh called out the UAE by name, an unusual type of dispute in the Gulf. The Gulf is usually conservative in its policies, and countries don’t like to argue.
There are exceptions, such as when Riyadh led a number of countries to break ties with Qatar in 2017. This has changed now, and Riyadh and Doha appear more friendly. Riyadh is also more friendly with Ankara and Tehran. As such, Saudi Arabia is now empowered.
The question about Yemen is whether the UAE may have overplayed its hand or if the STC overstepped its bounds. Today, there is a war of words in the media in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The UAE supports the STC. Saudi Arabia is messaging that things are not acceptable in Yemen.
An analysis piece at Arab News in Saudi Arabia says that it’s important for Yemen not to be “Sudanized.” Sudan is in the midst of a civil war. So is Yemen. Saudi Arabia has backed the Yemeni government in Yemen.
Damaged military vehicles, reportedly sent by the United Arab Emirates to support Southern Transitional Council (STC) separatist forces, following an air strike carried out by the Saudi-led coalition in the port of Mukalla, southern Yemen, on December 30, 2025. (credit: AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES)
The government is weak
However, the government is weak and doesn’t control much of the country. “In a region already teetering on the edge, Yemen’s rapidly evolving situation on the ground is raising alarm bells. While international observers continue to place their bets on diplomacy and de-escalation, there is growing concern that the country may be inching toward a dangerous regional conflagration. At the heart of this anxiety lies the Yemeni government’s and the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen’s unwavering commitment to preserving territorial unity and preventing the rise of extremist safe havens that could destabilize not just Yemen, but the broader region and beyond,” Arab News says.
The analysis goes on to note “it would be naive to view developments in southern Yemen in isolation. The parallels with Sudan — where the Rapid Support Forces have left a trail of devastation and a massacre in places like El Fasher — and with the recent Israeli recognition of Somaliland, are too stark to ignore. These cases serve as cautionary tales of what could unfold in Yemen if the Southern Transitional Council were allowed to unilaterally impose a new reality through force and foreign alliances.”
Al-Ain media in the UAE is seeking to show that the STC is doing the right thing. It analyzes the areas the STC recently conquered near the Saudi border. This includes the large region of Hadhramaut.
“The return of Hadhramaut to the forefront of the Yemeni scene was not just a passing event, as the largest governorate in terms of geographical area had remained an arena for terrorism and corruption and a supply line for the Houthis for years,” Al-Ain says. The report claims that the Muslim Brotherhood has been active in this area. It also says the Iranian-backed Houthis and Al Qaeda are active here.
“As a result of this situation, the streets of the governorate remained under the weight of protests demanding services and supporting the Transitional Council to intervene to defeat the triad of death that has been squatting on the chest of the governorate for years.”
The long article seeks to explain how the STC came to control Hadhramaut in a rapid campaign in early December. The reasons for this go back to 2022, the article argues. It’s worth noting that Saudi Arabia had dialed back its involvement in Yemen in 2022 after intervening in the country in 2015. Riyadh has also patched things up with Iran, and the Houthis have stopped attacking Saudi Arabia.
As such, the UAE remained in Yemen even as the Saudis seemed to be reducing their role. The UAE-backed STC success seemed to be the first major change on the battlefield in years.
A second report at Al-Ain says that “the southern government moves in Yemen were not the product of a passing moment, but rather the result of accumulated security and economic factors that observers confirm have deepened the crisis and created a fragile reality that requires intervention to restore balance.”
It adds, “Yemeni analysts told Al-Ain News that over the years, strategic areas have turned into open arenas for conflicting influence, growing corruption networks, and arms and drug smuggling, amid weak state institutions and the erosion of their ability to impose their sovereignty, which has directly affected security and stability and prolonged the conflict.”
Another Al-Ain report also says that the STC believes that the Yemen government has stabbed it in the back. Mohammed al-Zubaidi, the head of the Southern Transitional Council in Wadi Hadhramaut, has said that the head of the Presidential Council, Rashad Al-Alimi, the official president of Yemen’s government, has provided false reports.
He added that “the head of the Presidential Leadership Council and his allies are now stabbing the South and Hadhramaut in the back, despite the sacrifices made by the people of the South, and the land and areas provided by their Governorates to enable the Council to carry out its work.”
According to other reports, after the Saudi airstrikes, the STC has withdrawn from areas near Mukalla, and the UAE is going to withdraw forces as well. Nevertheless, the STC says it remains steadfast in confronting threats.
The military spokesman for the STC, Mohammed Al-Naqeeb, said that his forces stand firmly in areas from “Al-Mahra in the east to Bab al-Mandab in the west, and from Mayun to Socotra.”
While the UAE media has covered the STC announcements, the media in Saudi Arabia portrays Riyadh’s actions as having widespread support.
Arab News noted “Gulf and Arab countries on Tuesday offered their support for the internationally recognized government in Yemen, after the UAE withdrew its forces from the country. It came after the military coalition supporting Yemen’s government carried out airstrikes targeting a shipment of weapons and vehicles destined for southern separatist forces. The shipment arrived in the port of Al-Mukalla on two vessels that traveled from Fujairah in the UAE.”
The report added that “rarely on Tuesday, shortly after the airstrikes, Rashad Al-Alimi, the head of Yemen’s presidential council, told Emirati authorities to withdraw their troops from Yemen within 24 hours. Saudi authorities said the separatists, who operate under the Southern Transitional Council and are supported by the UAE, pose a direct threat to the Kingdom’s national security and regional stability, after recently seizing territory in the governorates of Hadramaut and Al-Mahra.”
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is now doubling down on saying it will confront threats. Saudi Arabia’s Cabinet, chaired by King Salman, said this in a meeting, according to reports. Saudi Arabia’s king also received a message from Russia’s Vladimir Putin, according to Arab News. This shows how Riyadh enjoys strong connections abroad.
LONDON, Dec 18 (Reuters) – The European Union must reform or risk becoming irrelevant as the rivalry between China and the U.S. sparks a new era without precedent, posing challenges on security, energy, technology and trade, a report led by Tony Blair and Jamie Dimon says.
Based on conversations with government, business and civil leaders, the report sets out how a convergence of structural shifts is reshaping nations, markets and institutions, threatening those countries and groupings that once relied on the U.S. for security while growing trade ties with China.
Blair, British prime minister from 1997 to 2007, and Dimon, the head of JPMorgan Chase, said Europe needed to integrate further to prioritise defence and economic growth.
“If it cannot stand on its own against Russia, it will be even less able to manage systemic competition with the U.S. or China,” their report said. “Reform is not optional; it is required to remain relevant.”
EU HAS SAID IT MUST TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR OWN SECURITY
The blunt summary comes as the EU hosts a summit to discuss funding for Ukraine and how it can respond to the “changed landscape for rules-based economic relations”, and as U.S. President Donald Trump heaps pressure on the bloc, including with a new National Security Strategy.
The head of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has said that Europe must reform and be responsible for its own security. Supporters of the bloc would note that while Europe’s share of global GDP is declining, the U.S. is on the same path.
The report also set out the challenge posed to middle powers such as India and the Gulf states from the new dynamic, as part of a broad overview of how geopolitics, artificial intelligence and political populism were upending the world order.
NEW WORLD ORDER IS LIKE A 3D CHESS BOARD
Alexander George, an author of the “World Rewired: Navigating a Multi-Speed, Multipolar Order” report, said people had previously been able to look to moments in history for guidance.
“We’re really living in a new world which has never actually existed before,” he said. “It’s like this 3D chess board.”
The report said the U.S. retained enduring power but faced its greatest threats at home where political volatility makes it harder to tackle high debt, while China’s trajectory will hinge on whether it can maintain growth despite demographic and debt constraints.
On middle powers it said the steep U.S. tariffs on India in retaliation for its purchase of Russian oil showed the limitations to a multi-alignment approach, while the UAE’s move to strengthen U.S. technology ties showed that countries were having to choose between the U.S. and China on tech.
The report was produced by Dimon’s JPMorgan Chase, which has launched a $1.5 trillion, decade-long plan to support industries deemed vital to U.S. economic security and resilience, and the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change.
Blair is the chair of JPMorgan’s international council which advises the firm on strategy and geopolitics.
(Reporting by Kate HoltonEditing by Alexandra Hudson)
Iran has sent the Lebanese militia Hezbollah hundreds of millions of dollars over the past year via money exchanges and other businesses in Dubai, as Tehran seeks new ways to funnel money to its ally, people familiar with the matter said.
Hezbollah, a U.S.-designated terrorist group, is in desperate need of funds to rebuild and rearm its militia and pay other costs stemming from its bruising fight with Israel last year, the people said. Its smuggling routes through Syria were disrupted by the fall of the Iran-aligned Assad regime a year ago, and Lebanese authorities have made strides cracking down on couriers bringing suitcases of cash through the Beirut airport.
The war in Sudan is one of the great humanitarian catastrophes of our time, yet it rarely receives the accuracy it deserves. For many, the conflict feels abstract, if they know anything about it at all. Sudan has endured repeated cycles of political collapse and violence since the 1950s, including two civil wars, multiple internal conflicts and an ongoing war between rival military factions. This crisis did not appear out of nowhere, nor was it triggered by a single outside actor. It is the result of decades of fractured institutions, violent armed groups and a state that has consistently struggled to build lasting national cohesion.
The scale of human suffering is staggering: families with nowhere safe to go, cities emptied and generations robbed of stability. When discussing external involvement, including the role of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), we owe it to the Sudanese to be precise, not performative. We owe them accuracy, not convenient narratives.
Yet public conversation around the UAE’s activities has hardened into a social media-driven assault: the UAE as destabilizer or hidden hand steering Sudan’s collapse. Most accusations stem from political rivalries and hidden agendas. That is not surprising in international affairs, but these claims flatten a complex, painful reality into a slogan.
If we genuinely care about the people suffering on the ground, that is unacceptable.
The UAE’s role, open to debate like any country’s, is shaped by three broad motivations rooted in Sudan’s reality.
Start with the humanitarian dimension. Whether critics like it or not, the UAE has provided substantial support: food, medical supplies, emergency relief and logistics. In many areas, external aid has been the only thing standing between families and starvation. Dismissing the UAE’s impact ignores real human suffering.
Next is diplomacy. In a conflict dominated by multiple armed groups and shifting alliances, engaging complex or unsavory actors is not endorsement; it is a necessity. If you want leverage that might eventually push parties toward a potential solution, you cannot limit yourself to only the most agreeable interlocutors. Real diplomacy in real wars is rarely, if ever, clean.
Equally important is regional stability. Sudan’s collapse threatens migration routes, maritime security and the economic arteries of the Red Sea. It is not “self-serving” for the UAE, or any state, to seek stability in a region that directly affects its own security and economy. Stability is not an abstraction; it is critical for every successful nation.
Sudan also has a long history of foreign interference, so skepticism toward outside actors is understandable. Many fear that engagement could shape Sudan’s future in ways the Sudanese did not choose. Those concerns deserve discussion, especially if genuine alternatives exist. But for now, that remains a very big “if.”
Much of the criticism of the UAE goes far beyond caution and reflects manipulation, oversimplification and wishful thinking. It assumes motives that are unproven, ignores Sudan’s long-standing internal fractures and trades complexity for narrative convenience.
This brings me to a truth most people avoid saying out loud.
Before the UAE became involved, Sudan had already collapsed, multiple times. The country has endured civil wars, coups, economic breakdowns and revolutions. Its institutions were hollowed out long before any recent foreign role. Blaming the UAE for “causing” Sudan’s unraveling ignores decades of internal governance failures, competing militarized elites and the near-total absence of a functioning state. Sudan’s tragedy is primarily Sudanese in origin, even if outsiders have played supporting roles.
Here is another hard reality: No war-torn state, especially one with Sudan’s history, recovers without responsible, significant external support—financial, humanitarian and diplomatic. Countries do not rebuild themselves in isolation. They need partners. And yes, those partners, whether the UAE or anyone else, will always have interests alongside their intentions to help. That is not scandalous or wrong; it is how international relations work and why nations spend resources to assist others. Whether anyone likes it or not, that is how the real world functions. And honestly, which nation’s actions in conflict are ever beyond critique? None.
The tragedy in Sudan today is immense. A country with enormous promise is fighting to survive. Reducing this catastrophe to the actions of a single external actor is not analysis; it is avoidance, distortion and political gamesmanship. It distracts from the failures, complexities and difficult choices that must be confronted if Sudan is ever to rebuild.
My bottom line is simple: Sudan’s status quo demands nuance, honesty and an understanding rooted in its history. The UAE’s role in the conflict may not be perfect, but no nation’s role in such crises ever is. If we want Sudan to emerge from this nightmare, we need a conversation grounded in facts and humility, not the comforting simplicity of false blame and easy, uninformed accusations.
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll met with a Russian delegation in Abu Dhabi on Monday and Tuesday, a sign that talks to end the war in Ukraine have hit a new phase involving direct negotiations with the Russians.
Driscoll, fresh off peace talks in Kyiv and Geneva with Ukrainian officials, landed in Abu Dhabi on Monday to meet with the Russians, according to U.S. officials. After holding initial meetings, he planned to conduct more substantive engagements with the delegation on Tuesday, the officials said.
Ten years or so between installments of a successful Hollywood franchise is a lifetime. When it comes to the third “Now You See Me” movie — poof! — time doesn’t matter. These magicians still got it.
“Now You See Me: Now You Don’t” does what sequels apparently must do these days — load up the characters, return to favorite bits and go global — but nails the trick, a crowd-pleasing return that already has a fourth in the works.
“It is very good to be back,” says Jesse Eisenberg as the egotistical, perfectionist J. Daniel Atlas, the brains behind the magician-robber outfit. It’s hard to argue with that sentiment on the strength of this outing, directed with assurance by Ruben Fleischer.
“Now You See Me: Now You Don’t” acts as a sort of pivot, bringing back the veterans — all of them, in various forms — as well as introducing three Gen Z eat-the-rich magicians played by Dominic Sessa, Justice Smith and Ariana Greenblatt. They’re clearly the future. It’s in good (sleight of) hands.
The movie starts off with a clever rip-off of nasty crypto bros in Brooklyn and expands to scenes in Belgium, the United Arab Emirates, France and South Africa. It’s got Nazis, “Harry Potter” vibes and some Louvre museum heist energy. We didn’t need the F1 chase through Abu Dhabi, but no one’s complaining.
The original Four Horsemen — Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco and Isla Fisher — are supplemented by Lizzy Caplan, who had replaced Fisher in the second installment. Morgan Freeman returns as the gravel-voiced mentor.
Rosamund Pike in “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t.” (Katalin Vermes/Lionsgate via AP)
Rosamund Pike in “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t.” (Katalin Vermes/Lionsgate via AP)
The prize at the movie’s heart is a diamond — but no mere bauble. It’s the Heart Diamond, the largest ever discovered, with a price tag of half a billion dollars. It’s the size of a smoked turkey leg.
The diamond is owned by a particularly vile South African diamond mine scion who uses her ultra-wealth to launder money for warlords and arms dealers. She is played deliciously by Rosamund Pike with a snide disdain and a nifty Afrikaner accent.
The secretive magic society known as The Eye unites the old Horsemen and the new trio (the Three Ponies?) to steal the diamond, stored in one of those multilevel, biometric “Mission: Impossible”-style bunkers.
Capturing it won’t enhance their bank statements. Remember, they’re all really anti-capitalist, share-the-wealth magicians — most likely democratic socialists, in vogue right now. “This is a chance to drive a stake through the devil herself,” Eisenberg’s character says.
Hollywood is funny that way, creating a multimillion-dollar franchise on the back of heroic left-wing activist characters and convincing the UAE to set it on their streets.
Dominic Sessa, Justice Smith and Ariana Greenblatt in “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t.” (Katalin Vermes/Lionsgate via AP)
Dominic Sessa, Justice Smith and Ariana Greenblatt in “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t.” (Katalin Vermes/Lionsgate via AP)
At first, it’s hard, with eight heroes rushing around, to figure out the primary dynamics. The older Horsemen are strangely muted here — except for Caplan, a hoot — and the young need some seasoning. Intergenerational bickering keeps the movie alive.
There’s a quick stop at a French chateau where some real magic takes place, literally. The last two “Now You See Me” installments got very green-screen and CGI when it came to effects, but the third very refreshingly steps back into old-fashioned trickery. In a single take, we see each of the heroes try to top the others with a card trick, misdirection or illusion.
There’s also a hall of mirrors, an upside-down room, an infinity staircase, a perspective-warping room and a nifty escape from a chamber filling with sand. Kudos to the filmmakers for embracing physical tricks over digital trickery. Also, cute use of Lady Gaga’s “Abracadabra.”
All this leads to a huge showdown between the diamond princess and our motley magicians. You won’t guess who’s been pulling the strings all this time. Seriously, you won’t. And a new generation of magician-thieves are minted. That was a hard trick to pull off.
“Now You See Me: Now You Don’t,” a Lionsgate release in theaters Friday, is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association for some strong language, violence and suggestive references. Running time: 112 minutes. Three stars out of four.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States and Saudi Arabia were expected to announce deals on Tuesday that include defense sales, cooperation on civil nuclear energy and a multibillion dollar investment in U.S. AI infrastructure, a senior administration official said.
Fulfillments of the Saudi’s $600 billion investment pledge were also expected to be announced as President Donald Trump hosts Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House, the U.S. official said.
(Reporting by Steve Holland; Writing by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Katharine Jackson)
DUBAI (Reuters) -Russian state conglomerate Rostec said on Tuesday that its defence exports fell by half since 2022 as domestic orders became a priority amid the fighting in Ukraine, but expects recovery soon.
Until 2022 Russia held second place in the world after the United States in defence exports, but the volumes dropped “due to the fact that we have had to supply most of our production to our army”, Rostec Chief Sergey Chemezov told reporters.
Sanctions have complicated operations both in civil and defence sectors, but did not affect overall output, he said.
“I assure you that in the near future we will start to recover (with exports). We have expanded our capacities and increased production, so we will be able not only to meet the needs of our military but also supply our partners,” Chemezov said, speaking on the sidelines of the Dubai Airshow.
The company’s backlog of export orders exceeds $60 billion, Russian state agencies reported early in November, citing Rostec.
Rostec sees a huge demand from several countries for its new fifth-generation stealth fighter jet Sukhoi Su-57, he said, but did not provide details.
Rostec’s subsidiary the United Aircraft Corporation continues to work on the MS-21 airliner, which is set to replace Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 in Russia and is expected to be ready for commercial use in 2026.
MS-21 is currently carrying out flight tests and a shorter 140-seat version is expected within two years, Chemezov said.
(Reporting by Federico Maccioni; Writing by Gleb Stolyarov; Editing by Joe Bavier/Guy Faulconbridge)
(Reuters) -Ukraine is working to resume the exchange of prisoners with Russia, hoping for the release of 1,200 Ukrainians, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and his Security Council chief said.
“We are … counting on the resumption of exchanges,” Zelenskiy said in a video posted on the Telegram messaging app on Sunday. “Many meetings, negotiations and calls are now devoted to this.”
His security chief, Rustem Umerov, said on Saturday that he had held consultations in Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, with the support of Kyiv’s partners, on resuming the process of exchanges.
“As a result of these negotiations, the parties agreed to return to the Istanbul agreements,” he said. “This concerns the release of 1,200 Ukrainians,” Umerov said in a statement on Telegram.
There was no immediate comment from Moscow to Ukraine’s statements.
The Istanbul agreements are prisoner-exchange understandings brokered with Turkish mediation in 2022, setting out rules for large, coordinated swaps between Russia and Ukraine.
Since then, the two have traded thousands of prisoners, though exchanges have been sporadic and often disrupted by frontline escalation in the war Russia launched against Ukraine in February 2022.
Umerov said that consultations would take place in the near future to decide the procedural and organisational details of the process.
“We are working without pause so that Ukrainians who are to return from captivity can celebrate New Year and Christmas at home – at the family table and with their loved ones,” Umerov said.
(Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by William Mallard)
GENEVA (Reuters) -A special session on the situation in al-Fashir, Sudan, opened on Friday at the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva following grave concerns about mass killings during the fall of the city to paramilitary forces.
States will consider a draft resolution which requests a U.N. fact-finding mission to conduct an urgent inquiry into recent violations allegedly committed by the Rapid Support Forces and their allies in al-Fashir, as well as identifying the perpetrators.
In an opening address to delegates, U.N. human rights chief urged the international community to act.
“There has been too much pretence and performance, and too little action. It must stand up against these atrocities – a display of naked cruelty used to subjugate and control an entire population,” said the High Commissioner for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Volker Turk.
The fall of al-Fashir on October 26 to the RSF cemented their control of the Darfur region in the more than 2-1/2-year civil war with the Sudanese army.
(Reporting by Olivia Le Poidevin, additional reporting by Emme Farge; Editing by Aidan Lewis)
(Reuters) -Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces agreed to a proposal from the United States for a humanitarian ceasefire, they said on Thursday in a statement.
The war erupted in April 2023 when the Sudanese army and the RSF, then partners in power, clashed over plans to integrate their forces.
(Reporting by Khalid Abdelaziz and Nafisa Eltahir; Writing by Enas Alashray; Editing by Alex Richardson)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Microsoft said Monday it will be shipping Nvidia’s most advanced artificial intelligence chips to the United Arab Emirates as part of a deal approved by the U.S. Commerce Department.
The Redmond, Washington software giant said licenses approved in September under “stringent” safeguards enable it to ship more than 60,000 Nvidia chips, including the California chipmaker’s advanced GB300 Grace Blackwell chips, for use in data centers in the Middle Eastern country.
The agreement appeared to contradict President Donald Trump’s remarks in a “60 Minutes” interview aired Sunday that such chips would not be exported outside the U.S.
Asked by CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell if he will allow Nvidia to sell its most advanced chips to China, Trump said he wouldn’t.
“We will let them deal with Nvidia but not in terms of the most advanced,” Trump said. “The most advanced, we will not let anybody have them other than the United States.”
The UAE’s ability to access chips is tied to its pledge to invest $1.4 trillion in U.S. energy and AI-related projects, an outsized sum given its annual GDP is roughly $540 billion.
The UAE ambassador to the U.S., Yousef Al Otaiba, said in a statement earlier this year that the arrangement was “setting a new ‘Gold Standard’ for securing AI models, chips, data and access.”
Microsoft’s announcement Monday was part of the company’s planned $15.2 billion investment in technology in the UAE, which is says has some of the highest per-capita usage of AI. Microsoft had already accumulated in the UAE more than 21,000 of Nvidia’s graphics processor chips, known as GPUs, through licenses approved under then-President Joe Biden.
“We’re using these GPUs to provide access to advanced AI models from OpenAI, Anthropic, open-source providers, and Microsoft itself,” said a company statement.
BUCHAREST (Reuters) -Horatiu Potra, an associate of former Romanian presidential candidate Calin Georgescu, will voluntarily return to Romania from Dubai to face trial on national security charges, his lawyer said on Thursday.
The European Union and NATO state cancelled its presidential election last December due to suspected Russian interference in favour of Georgescu, a strong critic of NATO, Brussels and Western support for Ukraine. Moscow denied the allegations of meddling in the election.
In September, Romanian prosecutors indicted him and Potra alongside 20 other people for conspiring to stage violent protests after the election was cancelled.
Potra, a former French Foreign Legion soldier, has been under criminal investigation this year and evaded arrest by flying to Dubai. Romanian prosecutors sought his extradition and said they believed he was trying to seek asylum in Russia.
Lawyer Christiana Mondea told local television station Digi 24 that Potra had informed her he wished to return to Romania to face trial alongside his son and nephew who were also indicted.
“They will return soon, we don’t know the exact date yet,” Mondea said. “They had wanted to return for a long time but they had to follow procedure.”
Britain’s Guardian newspaper on Wednesday quoted the head of the Russian Middle East Society as saying he was trying to stop Potra’s extradition.
“I can confirm there is no Russian involvement in this story about Dubai, Romania, extradition, criminal trial,” Mondea said.
Romania’s presidential election was re-run in May and won by pro-European centrist Nicusor Dan.
Georgescu was banned from standing again and placed under investigation in two cases. He and Potra have denied wrongdoing.
During raids on Potra’s home in February prosecutors found a large cache of weapons including grenade launchers and hidden cash.
ABU DHABI (Reuters) -Anwar Gargash, the diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, said in an interview at the Reuters NEXT Gulf Summit in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday that maximalist views on the Palestinian issues are no longer valid, emphasizing the need for security for Israel alongside the establishment of a viable Palestinian state.
Gargash said that any annexation in the Palestinian territories would be considered a “red line”, adding that discussions are ongoing regarding sending personnel on the ground in Gaza.
(Reporting by Jana Choukeir and Nayera Abdallah; Writing by Tala Ramadan; Editing by Himani Sarkar)