UAE says air traffic has returned to normal
The UAE’s aviation authority said air traffic in the country has returned to normal, the state news agency reported on Saturday.
It comes after precautionary measures implemented on February 28 at the start of the Iran war were lifted.
The decision followed a comprehensive assessment of operational and security conditions in coordination with relevant entities, the General Civil Aviation Authority added.
Arpan Rai3 May 2026 04:34
Where are US troops stationed in Europe?
As we’ve been reporting, the US has announced it will withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany following a spat between Donald Trump and German chancellor Friedrich Merz.
US troops are stationed in more than a dozen European countries. Germany, Italy and Britain have the biggest presence of personnel. This list comprises some of the largest contingents.
Germany: The largest US base in Europe is the air base near the German city of Ramstein, where troops have been stationed since 1952. According to DMDC data, as of December 2025, 36,436 active service members were stationed in Germany, divided into five garrisons.
Italy: U.S. military personnel have been stationed in Italy since the end of World War Two and comprise Army, Navy and Air Force divisions. Italy hosted 12,662 active-duty soldiers at the end of 2025 across bases in Vicenza, Aviano, Naples and Sicily.
Britain: The US forces in the United Kingdom comprised 10,156 service members as of December last year, garrisoned in three bases, hosting mainly Air Force personnel.
Spain: The country hosts U.S. Navy and Air Force bases near the Strait of Gibraltar. Around 3,814 personnel were permanently assigned to Spain.
Other countries hosting permanently assigned US troops include Poland (369), Romania (153), and Hungary (77).
Arpan Rai3 May 2026 04:32
Trump spends day at golf club as Iran negotiations plod on
Trump spent Saturday in Florida – at his Mar-a-Lago resort and the Trump National Golf Club in nearby Jupiter.
In the evening he was due to visit another of his golf resorts, Trump National Doral outside Miami, which is hosting the PGA Cadillac Championship.
The United States and Israel suspended their bombing campaign against Iran four weeks ago, but appear no closer to a deal to end a war that has caused the biggest disruption ever to global energy supplies, roiled global markets and raised worries about the possibility of a wider global economic downturn.
Iran has been blocking nearly all shipping from the Gulf apart from its own for more than two months. Last month the US imposed its own blockade of ships from Iranian ports.
Washington has repeatedly said it will not end the war, which has led to the deaths of thousands of people, without a deal that prevents Iran from ever obtaining a nuclear weapon, the primary aim Trump cited when he launched strikes in February in the midst of nuclear talks. Iran says its nuclear program is peaceful.
Speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential diplomacy, the senior Iranian official said Tehran believed its latest proposal to shelve nuclear talks for a later stage was a significant shift aimed at facilitating an agreement.
Under the proposal, the war would end with a guarantee that Israel and the United States would not attack again. Iran would open the strait, and the United States would lift its blockade.
Future talks would then be held on curbs to Iran’s nuclear program in return for the lifting of sanctions, with Iran demanding Washington recognize its right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes, even if it agrees to suspend it.
“Under this framework, negotiations over the more complicated nuclear issue have been moved to the final stage to create a more conducive atmosphere,” the official said.
Reuters and other news organizations already reported over the past week that Tehran was proposing to reopen the strait before nuclear issues were resolved. The official confirmed that this new timeline had now been spelled out in a formal proposal conveyed to the United States through mediators.
Arpan Rai3 May 2026 04:31
Watch: Trump says he thinks it’s ‘treasonous’ to say US is not winning war in Iran
Arpan Rai3 May 2026 04:29
Trump calls U.S. blockade ‘very friendly’
President Donald Trump called the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports “very friendly” while speaking to reporters Saturday evening.
A journalist asked: “In your letter to Congress, you said the hostilities in Iran … have been terminated. How can you say that given that the naval blockade is still … in place?”
“Well, it’s a very friendly blockade. Nobody’s even challenging it,” Trump replied.
“Many presidents have been involved in things that are very big. They never had to go through anything with respect to Congress. They considered it to be totally unconstitutional. The Democrats in Congress have pushed this, and probably a couple of Republicans. They’re hurting our negotiating ability, which is infinite right now, and they shouldn’t be doing it,” he added.
Arpan Rai3 May 2026 04:27
Three killed in Israeli attacks on Lebanese town
Three more people have been killed in Israel in airstrikes on a southern Lebanese town, as Israeli bombardment continues despite a temporary ceasefire agreed weeks ago.
According to Lebanon’s state media, at least three were killed in an Israeli attack on the town of Choukine, in the Nabatieh district.
Al Jazeera reports that this brings the death toll from Israeli attacks on Lebanon to 10.
Arpan Rai3 May 2026 04:25
Trump threatens to restart Iran strikes ‘if they misbehave’
US president Donald Trump said he had been told about the concept of a deal with Iran, but was waiting for the exact wording, while warning there was still the possibility of restarting strikes on the country if Tehran misbehaves.
A senior Iranian official said on Saturday that an Iranian proposal so far rejected by Trump would open shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and end the US blockade of Iran while leaving talks on Iran’s nuclear programme for later.
When asked about Iran’s proposal before boarding a flight to Miami at West Palm Beach, Florida, Trump replied: “They told me about the concept of the deal. They’re going to give me the exact wording now.”
He added on his social media channel that he could not imagine the proposals would be acceptable and that Iran had not paid a big enough price for what it had done.
Asked if he might restart strikes on Iran, Trump replied: “I don’t want to say that. I mean, I can’t tell that to a reporter. If they misbehave, if they do something bad, right now we’ll see. But it’s a possibility that could happen.”

Arpan Rai3 May 2026 04:21
Briefing: What we know on the 65th day of the war
- US president Donald Trump threatens new strikes if Iran “misbehaves”. “If they misbehave, if they do something bad – but right now, we’ll see. It’s a possibility that could happen, certainly,” he told reporters at the Palm Beach airport.
- A senior Iranian official said Tehran’s proposal to end the war that was rejected by Trump would open shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and end the US blockade of Iran while leaving talks on its nuclear programme for later.
- Two top Republican lawmakers expressed concern about the Pentagon’s decision to withdraw 5,000 troops from Nato ally Germany.
- The withdrawal announcement from the Trump administration led to Poland’s prime minister remarking that Nato was “disintegrating”.
Arpan Rai3 May 2026 04:08
