Mexico City, Feb 18 (Prensa Latina) Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum today reaffirmed her support for Cuba, expressed her hope that more countries would join in sending aid, and insisted on defending the self-determination of peoples.

“And hopefully more countries will join in. We will continue sending aid, not only the government supporting Cuba and the Cuban people, but there are also many citizen initiatives already underway,” he said in response to a question about Spain’s announcement of support.

During her usual meeting with the media, the president highlighted the start on Sunday of the campaign "From town to town, let's end the blockade", convened by the organizations Va por Cuba and the Association of Cubans Residing in Mexico José Martí.

Referring to the collection of supplies as part of this initiative, which will continue in the Zócalo until February 22, the dignitary mentioned that the government is helping so that "it can be taken to the ships that are already coming back" and reloaded.

On Thursday, the ships Papaloapan and Isla Holbox, from the Mexican Navy, sent by the federal administration, arrived in the largest of the Antilles with some 814 tons of basic food and hygiene items, which are already being received by the population.

“And to the extent that we can help, we will help. Mexico has always been supportive. Always. And this will be no exception,” he stated.

The statements come in a context marked by the United States' threat to impose tariffs on countries that supply crude oil to Cuba, another turn of the screw in the blockade applied by Washington to Cuba for more than 60 years.

Organizations have warned that depriving the country of access to oil would paralyze it, as it affects such sensitive areas as electricity generation, the operation of hospitals, food production and distribution, and water pumping.

The president reiterated on Wednesday the importance of self-determination of peoples, non-intervention, and the peaceful resolution of conflicts, and stressed that these are principles of the country's Constitution, "and we also do it out of conviction."

“The only ones who can decide the government in Cuba are the Cubans. The only ones who can decide the government of Mexico are the Mexicans. No one else. There should be no interference, no invasions. It is the decision of the people. That is our constitution and that is how it should be,” he emphasized.

Regarding Mexico's willingness to facilitate a dialogue between the United States and Cuba, Sheinbaum noted that "talks are underway to see if it is feasible, but it depends on both governments."

"It depends not only on the will of the Mexican government, but also on the will of the Cuban government and the will of the United States government, and on the conditions that the Cuban government may be establishing within the framework of its self-determination," he said.

Despite Britain currently lacking the capability to produce new main battle tanks, with only modernization of existing ones possible, the option of light tank procurement is not being considered. The country's defense ministry responded to a parliamentary inquiry about possible light tank procurement, stating there is currently no need for them. At the same time, the British Ministry of Defence monitors potential market offerings, UK Defence Journal reports. Defense Express recalls that Britain's plans currently involve keeping only 148 upgraded Challenger 3 tanks in service, manufactured from old Challenger 2 hulls. Of the 213 Challenger 2s in service, their hulls are quite worn, delaying the modernization process. The possibility of tank exports has not yet been ruled out. Britain currently lacks main battle tank hull production capability. The only factory capable of this, Vickers Tank Factory in Leeds, closed in 1999. It was demolished, with the site now being developed for residential housing. In other words, the British cannot produce new MBTs even in the medium term.

Britain can and does manufacture ASCOD chassis for the Ajax family of combat vehicles. These are ordered in six different versions, of which only two are combat vehicles, the Ajax reconnaissance vehicle itself (effectively an IFV) and the Ares APC. Though the ASCOD chassis has a stated maximum load capacity of 42 tons, quite sufficient for mounting a turret with a 105mm or even 120mm gun. An excellent example of such a vehicle is the M10 Booker, built precisely on this General Dynamics platform. At the same time, it should be noted that despite spending over $1.8 billion and 10 years on the light tank project, as well as producing 80 vehicles, the Pentagon has abandoned its M10 Booker light tank. The main concept of transporting two vehicles initially they wanted three on a C-17 could not be realized. In Britain, which has a quite powerful military transport aircraft fleet of 22 A400Ms and 8 C-17A Globemasters, the key benefit from light tanks could be ensuring 120mm caliber presence on the battlefield, or at least 105mm.

National champion BAE Systems has an updated version of the M8, which was promoted for the U.S. Army Mobile Protected Firepower light tank competition. Because the Pentagon objectively skewed requirements toward the M10 Booker project winner, development went no further. The turret could quite likely be transferred to ASCOD. At the same time, even despite debate about the tank's place on the battlefield, the British Ministry of Defence position on light tanks may be entirely driven by the fact that the Ajax program has encountered such significant difficulties that undertaking any additional developments on this chassis may simply be ill-timed.

Quentin D., the identity activist attacked on Thursday in Lyon, is dead; Emmanuel Macron denounces "an unprecedented wave of violence" and calls for "calm"

Very seriously injured on Thursday, the 23-year-old was hospitalized and placed in a coma. The prosecutor's office has opened an investigation for aggravated violence. The perpetrator(s) of the attack have not been identified. (note - 2 suspects have been found)

Quentin D., the 23-year-old identity activist attacked on Thursday evening on the sidelines of a conference by MEP Rima Hassan (La France Insoumise, LFI), at the Institute of Political Studies (IEP) in Lyon, has died, the prosecutor's office announced on Saturday 14 February.

Quentin D. had been placed in a coma, with a life-threatening prognosis, at the Edouard-Herriot hospital, after being taken care of "in a serious condition" early Thursday evening by the emergency services, in the5th arrondissement of Lyon. He did not survive a concussion, the result of violent blows to the head, a security source told Le Monde.

The prosecutor's office has opened an investigation for aggravated violence. The perpetrator or perpetrators of the attack have not yet been identified. "The investigation is continuing, it is now being conducted on the charge of aggravated fatal blows, in addition to the violence aggravated by three circumstances," the prosecutor's office said in a statement on Saturday.

Emmanuel Macron denounced on X "an unprecedented wave of violence", calling for "calm, restraint and respect". "To his family and loved ones, I send my thoughts and the support of the nation," he said, considering that "no cause, no ideology will ever justify killing." "Prosecuting, bringing to justice and condemning the perpetrators of this ignominy is essential. Hatred that murders has no place in our country," he concluded.

"Quentin's death is a tragedy," reacted Grégory Doucet, the mayor of Lyon, considering that "such a wave of violence in the heart of the city is unacceptable". According to the ecologist elected official, "no political disagreement can justify violence".

His family calls for "calm"

Quentin D.'s family called for "calm", while denouncing a "crime", according to their lawyer. "An ambush, methodically prepared, would seem to have been set for Quentin by organized and trained individuals, in very large numbers and armed, some with their faces masked, having carried out preliminary scouting (...) These facts, if they are confirmed by the investigation (...) constitute a crime," Fabien Rajon wrote in a statement. "Quentin's family trusts the investigators and the justice system to ensure that those responsible for his death are quickly arrested and held accountable," it added.

According to the identity group Nemesis – which claims to be feminist, and continues to wrongly attribute responsibility for sexual violence to immigrants – Quentin D. was part of the security service responsible for helping its activists during their demonstration against a conference by Rima Hassan at the Institute of Political Studies in Lyon, in the7th arrondissement.

The ultra-right group claimed, in several messages on X, that Quentin D. had been attacked by far-left activists. The Nemesis group has appointed members of the Young Guard, an anti-fascist group dissolved in June 2025 and founded by Raphaël Arnault from Lyon, elected MP in 2024 in the Vaucluse under the colors of LFI. The latter expressed "horror and disgust" after the announcement of Quentin's death, and said he hoped that "all the light would be shed".

On Friday, the Lyon prosecutor's office said that "at this stage, the context and circumstances of these facts must be determined". "Numerous hearings" took place all day on Saturday, a source close to the investigation told Agence France-Presse.

This tragedy has triggered many political reactions. The leader of the National Rally, Marine Le Pen, called on Saturday for the justice system to condemn "with the greatest rigor" the perpetrators of a "criminal act of unprecedented violence". The day before, the head of the far-right party, Jordan Bardella, had sounded the "mobilisation of the entire political class" by pointing the finger at the Young Guard and calling for its dissolution. The anti-fascist group has in fact already been dissolved in 2025 for "violent acts".

Marion Maréchal once again attacked La France Insoumise, which has been in the crosshairs since Friday: "The militia of Mélenchon and LFI has killed," she wrote on X. The president of the Republicans, Bruno Retailleau, pointed to the responsibility of the "far left", which "kills".

LFI has "condemned with the greatest firmness all physical violence," said its coordinator, Manuel Bompard. Several party offices have been the subject of damage following the political condemnations targeting the "insoumis" and the "far left", notably in "Paris, Rouen, Metz, Castres, Bordeaux, Lille, Montpellier and Toulouse", according to Manuel Bompard. The accusations against LFI are "without any foundation," the "rebellious" leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon wrote on X on Saturday, calling on his troops "to be extremely vigilant." Questioned on franceinfo tv, MP Eric Coquerel repeated that LFI condemned "all political violence" and said that the activists in charge of Rima Hassan's security "were in no way involved in what happened". He pointed to a "Lyon context" marked by the violence of "far-right groups".

Several other left-wing leaders also reacted to the death, including the first secretary of the PS, Olivier Faure, deeming the "level of violence reached" "unacceptable". "In a democracy, no one should die for their ideas (...) It is up to the police and the judicial authority to carry out a diligent investigation and to render justice," he wrote on X. "We must stop with this violence in politics that will always lead to tragedies. Let all light be shed and justice be done," called for the national secretary of the PCF, Fabien Roussel.

Laurent Nuñez on Saturday called on prefects to "strengthen vigilance around political rallies, as well as around campaign offices". In a message posted on X and in a telegram addressed to the prefects, the Minister of the Interior explains that it is a question of "avoiding any disturbance to public order and guaranteeing the safety of people and property."

In Lyon, Jean-Michel Aulas, candidate of the right and center in the municipal elections in March, has put his campaign on hold for Sunday, according to his entourage.

A rally in tribute to Quentin took place on Saturday afternoon in Angers and other calls for rallies have been launched for Sunday in Montpellier and Paris.

In a broader context, Isabelle Sommier, professor of political sociology at the University of Paris-I-Panthéon-Sorbonne, recalls that, between 1986 and 2021, the 53 deaths occurring in a framework of political violence – excluding attacks by Islamists representing 70% of political violence – are due to 90% on the extreme right and 10% on the extreme left.[36,][]37] Thus, if the death of Quentin Deranque is due to political motives, he would be the first victim of the extreme left in France since the attacks of Direct Action in the 1980s, when the extreme right has already caused 7 deaths since 2022 for ideological reasons].37] According to the Swiss historian and politician Stéfanie Prezioso, the main French media do not take into account this imbalance and present the violence of the fascist and anti-fascist groups as equivalent for about forty years, and “[put] on an equal footing the executioners and their victims”[[]38].

https://basta.media/mort-de-quentin-d-a-lyon-l-antifascisme-est-aujourd-hui-instrumentalise https://bonpote.com/90-des-meurtres-a-caractere-ideologique-sont-le-fait-de-lextreme-droite/ https://www.huffingtonpost.fr/politique/article/cette-affirmation-de-marion-marechal-sur-les-violences-de-l-extreme-droite-est-contredite-par-les-chiffres_260519.html

Distinguished guests, teachers, and students:

Hello everyone. The title of my remarks today is “Boosting Consumption: The Key Is to Activate the Endogenous Momentum of Household Consumption.”

Boosting consumption, also described as expanding or stimulating consumption, is not a new topic. But at this particular moment, as the 15th Five-Year Plan period begins, the task looks different in one important respect: policy efforts to boost consumption should focus more directly on strengthening households’ endogenous willingness and capacity to consume. That is the core point that needs to be made clear.

I. Facing squarely four new challenges

The Annual Central Economic Work Conference has put forward the concepts of long-standing and new challenges. In the case of boosting consumption, what are the new challenges behind this familiar agenda?

The first is the challenge to keep economic growth within a reasonable range during the 15th Five-Year Plan period. The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China set the goal of basically achieving socialist modernisation by 2035. With only ten years remaining until 2035, the 15th Five-Year Plan period is a critical phase for laying the groundwork and scaling up efforts.

The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China further proposed that the 15th Five-Year Plan period should deliver decisive progress towards basically achieving socialist modernisation. This is not merely a qualitative aspiration; it also comes with firm quantitative requirements. One key benchmark is that per capita GDP should reach the level of moderately developed countries. Using 2025 figures, the entry threshold is roughly US$25,000 to US$26,000. China’s per capita GDP in 2024 was US$13,500. In other words, per capita GDP would need to roughly double over the next ten years to meet that benchmark.

This implies that China’s development agenda has entered a “countdown” phase. Any discussion of boosting consumption must therefore start from a clear premise: over the next decade, growth needs to be kept within a reasonable range.

The second challenge is: What will drive and sustain growth within a reasonable range? A broad consensus has now formed that consumption is both the primary engine of economic growth and a stabilising anchor. Put plainly, keeping growth within a reasonable range depends mainly on domestic demand—and, within domestic demand, first and foremost on consumption. Any discussion of boosting consumption has to engage with this proposition directly.

The third challenge is that, within the realm of domestic demand, the most prominent constraint at present is weak consumption. The Central Economic Work Conference noted that “the contradiction of strong domestic supply and weak domestic demand is acute.” The clearest expression of “weak demand” is, precisely, sluggish consumption.

The 2025 trajectory of growth in total retail sales of consumer goods illustrates this clearly. Growth reached 6.4% in May 2025, then fell steadily, dropping to 1.3% by November. December data have not yet been released, but the trend points to a level around 1%, or slightly above. [In December, the total retail sales of consumer goods in China rose by 0.9% year on year. The data was released on 20 January, three days after Gao’s speech. —Yuxuan’s note]

2025 was the year in which China’s fiscal and monetary policies were mobilised most intensively to support consumption, with the associated policy costs likely reaching historical highs. When the relationship between policy inputs and outcomes is taken into account, weak consumption necessarily emerges as the central issue. If the objective is to expand domestic demand, the priority must be to overcome this weakness in consumption.

The fourth challenge is that today’s shortfall in consumption demand has distinctive features of its own. Taking total retail sales of consumer goods as the core indicator, insufficient consumption can be divided into four scenarios: volume and prices rising together; volume and prices falling together; volume rising while prices fall; and volume falling while prices rise. The weakness in consumption demand in 2025 falls squarely into the third category—volume rising while prices fall.

Data released by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism on 21 October 2025 can serve as supporting evidence. In the first three quarters of 2025, domestic residents made 4.988 billion trips, an increase of 18% year on year, while total tourism spending reached RMB 4.88 trillion, up 11.5%. These headline figures appear robust, but the gap of 6.5 percentage points between the two growth rates is telling. Average spending per trip actually declined, from RMB 1,024 in 2024 to RMB 970.

II. Telling four “new stories” well

The domestic travel data cited above show a distinctive pattern in current domestic consumption: volume is rising, while prices are falling. This suggests that China’s economy has new stories to tell, and that consumption, as part of the broader economic picture, also has new stories. The basic logic behind these new developments needs to be explained clearly and made widely understood.

The first “new story” concerns insufficient consumption demand under the intertwined dynamics of rising volume and falling prices. When discussing total retail sales of consumer goods, the scale of consumption, and related indicators, it is essential to separate the “volume” and “price” components. In essence, consumption is volume times price. At present, the main source of consumption weakness lies mainly in falling prices, and these price declines are not the result of changes in market supply-and-demand relations.

The second “new story” is to look beyond the surface and identify what sits behind insufficient consumption demand—namely, expectations and confidence. The tourism market provides a clear example: the core reason per-capita spending has fallen is not shifting supply-and-demand conditions, but weaker market expectations and subdued consumer confidence. What looks like weak demand on the surface is, at its root, weaker expectations; what appears to be insufficient consumption is, in substance, insufficient confidence.

The Government Work Report delivered at the 2025 National People’s Congress identifies one particularly prominent contradiction: “Sluggish domestic demand was compounded by weak public expectations .” Linking weak domestic demand with weak expectations in discussing the prominent challenges facing China’s economic performance is something that warrants special attention.

The third “new story” that needs to be told well is the relationship between pressures on employment and income, weaker expectations, and insufficient demand.

What has led to weaker market expectations and a lack of confidence across society? The draft proposals on the 15th Five-Year Plan issued by the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee explicitly note that current economic performance faces the challenge of “considerable pressure weighing on employment and personal income growth” The Central Economic Work Conference contains similar language.

It is precisely these pressures on employment and income growth that have weakened households’ expectations about future job prospects and income growth, thereby suppressing current consumption demand.

The fourth “new story” is the need to view consumption through three dimensions: demand, supply, and expectations. The Annual Central Economic Work Conference in 2021 made an important judgment with a historic turning-point significance: “China’s economic development is facing pressure from demand contraction, supply shocks and weakening expectations.”

Re-reading this statement at today’s historical juncture, it is more than a list of problems and contradictions. More importantly, it provides a framework for understanding them. Whether the task is to discuss consumption or to assess the broader economic situation, the approach must differ from the past: demand, supply, and expectations need to be examined together, as part of an integrated analysis.

III. Reaffirming four basic common understandings

In exploring how to boost consumption amid profound changes in the economic landscape, several points basic to economic reasoning need to be reaffirmed and kept firmly in view.

First, consumption is a function of income and wealth accumulation. Changes in the pattern of income and wealth accumulation shape the direction of households’ expectations and confidence. When pressures on employment and income alter expectations and lead to insufficient consumption, efforts to boost consumption must start with improving the underlying pattern of income formation and wealth accumulation.

Ángela María Vergara, a member of the Conservative Party who has supported President Donald Trump and opposed social reforms in Colombia, reported that her 22-year-old son has been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the United States for 17 days.

"There are no guarantees in absolutely anything."

In a video, Vergara asked for help to free his son, Rafael Alfonso Vergara, who was detained by immigration agents in Louisiana while working for a freight transport company.

"One would think that the prison system in the United States is different, but from what I am experiencing firsthand, there are absolutely no guarantees," the representative stated.

According to his testimony, the officers handcuffed his son, confiscated his belongings, and transferred him to the River Correctional Center detention center in Louisiana. In a three-minute phone call, the young man denounced the harsh and inhumane conditions he faces, which have caused him emotional distress.

The path of voluntary departure

Given the situation, the family suggested a voluntary departure as the only way to regain their freedom. This process can take more than 45 days to be finalized. The congresswoman requested that diplomatic channels be activated to expedite repatriation flights and that the hundreds of cases of Colombians in similar circumstances be monitored.

Currently, thousands of families face immense anguish due to the lack of information about the whereabouts of their detained loved ones. Furthermore, once they accept deportation, they must wait for humanitarian flights and pay for their own return tickets.

Former President Andrés Pastrana, known for being a friend of Epstein, meet with Ángela María Vergara.

The political career of Ángela Vergara

In the past, the Supreme Court investigated Vergara for allegedly receiving bribes from percentages of local contracts, when he served as a councilman in Cartagena, to favor a candidate for the local mayoralty.

The congresswoman, along with her party, has opposed the Financing Law and the social reforms promoted by Gustavo Petro's government. She has also sided with the U.S. government in diplomatic conflicts with the Colombian president.

Vergara is part of the pro-life caucus, where he has promoted positions that, according to his critics, have fostered discrimination against the beliefs of indigenous peoples.

The congresswoman defended Charlie Kirk, a far-right American activist who died under strange circumstances last year.

Figures on immigration persecution

According to data from the ICE Deportation Data Project, between January 20, 2025—when Trump assumed his second term—and October 15 of that year, federal agents arrested 6,814 Colombians. This figure represents a 46% increase compared to the same period in 2024, when 3,161 arrests were recorded.

This means that, on average, during the first ten months of the Trump administration, about 25 Colombians were taken into immigration custody every day. Of these, 264 were minors.

Only 1,201 Colombians detained had a criminal conviction. That is, 82% of those arrested by ICE had no criminal record.

Government silence and repatriations

So far, Congresswoman Vergara has received expressions of solidarity from various political parties, including the governing party. However, there has been no official statement from the Executive branch regarding her specific case. The only announcement made was the arrival of the latest repatriation flight from the United States, carrying 112 Colombians, who were received with care and inter-institutional support.

A As the United States has continued to stage a large scale military buildup in the Middle East, with the apparent goal of preparing for large scale military action against Iran, the possibly of U.S. security partners playing roles in hostilities has remained high. Leaders across the Western Bloc, and particularly in Europe, have expressed clear support for the goal of topping the Iranian state, while the United Kingdom has deployed forces including fighter aircraft to the Middle East which are poised to provide support. While regional states such as Jordan have taken part in Western-led operations against Iran in the past, the much larger scale and greater intensity of a possible new phase of hostilities has raised the possibility of much greater participation from Western-aligned regional actors, with Turkey in particular poised to play a major role.

While Turkey has played a primary role in the wider U.S. campaign against Iran through sustained attacks and support for jihadist paramilitary forces against Iran’s primary security partner Syria, resulting in the state’s collapse in December 2024 after close to 14 years of hostilities, it has also played a wider role beyond providing basing rights for U.S. and other Western forces. Following an Israeli attack on Iran in June 13, the Turkish Kurecik Radar Station in the country’s Malatya province played an important role in supporting Israeli missile defence efforts to block Iran’s retaliatory ballistic missile attacks. Iranian state media outlet Press TV cited officials stating on this basis that Turkey was “spying on Iran for Zionist interests.” The AN/TPY-2 radar systems at the facility in question were installed U.S. military personnel in the early 2010s, allowing it to open it 2012.

The Turkish government confirmed that radar data from the Kurecik base is shared with the other NATO members, and was “established in line with Turkey’s national security and interests and is intended to ensure the protection of the NATO allies,” meaning data could be used to protect U.S. and other Western forces at bases across the Middle East, including U.S. Armed Forces units in Israel. Beyond the AN/TPY-2 system, however, Turkey has also operationalised one of the most potent missile defence systems in the Middle East, the Russian S-400, which appears poised to play a key role in possible hostilities. Turkish officials’ arguments regarding the need to procure the S-400 have specifically cited the requirement for an advanced missile defence capability against Iran, with the system’s sensor suite is also capable of providing early warning and targeting data from far beyond Turkey’s borders.

The S-400’s 91N6E “Big Bird” 3D long-range surveillance & target acquisition radar provides the a panoramic surveillance capability for wide-area airspace scanning and target tracking, with a range of up to 600 kilometres, allowing it to ‘peer’ deep into Iran. The system can track hundreds of targets simultaneously, and operates in multiple bands with electronic protection/jamming resistance. This is complemented by the 96L6, an additional 3D acquisition radar covering a wide altitude range, which is optimised for detecting low-flying targets such as unmanned aircraft and cruise missiles, filling gaps in coverage from the main radar. These radar systems can provide invaluable early warning against Iranian missile strikes, potentially allowing U.S. and Israeli aircraft to launch precision strikes on the locations of Iranian missile launches at much earlier stages, while cueing Western and Israeli missile defence assets across the region.

The possibly of the S-400 system being utilised in roles beyond missile early warning remains significant in the event of a high intensity conflict, with Turkey’s treaty alliance with the United States and longstanding strategic partnership with Israel meaning it may be relied on for support. The S-400’s 40N6 missiles have demonstrated the capability to intercept hypersonic ballistic targets at speeds of up to Mach 8, and at ranges of up to 400 kilometres, which is a capability unmatched by Western and Israeli systems. This could be used to intercept Iranian ballistic missiles to protect U.S. and other allied facilities. The support the Untied States has been able to draw on from a wide range of regional security partners to achieve its strategic goals, where Iran after the toppling of the Syrian state has remained isolated, has placed Washington in a highly advantageous position to pursue its war effort, with Turkey’s role having been particularly central. With Russia having provided Turkey with full autonomy in utilising the S-400, which was customised to be able to integrate with NATO-standard networks, the system is poised to play a major role in broader allied missile defence efforts in the region.

Last year, the U.S. government was able to reverse engineer a critical subcomponent for the 30,000-pound GBU-57/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bunker buster bomb. Leveraging technology from the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) short-range ballistic missile saved years of work that would have otherwise been necessary to “eliminate obsolescence issues and meet operational demands.” The reverse-engineering effort also highlights the impacts of being locked into a single vendor, and underscores why the Pentagon is now pushing to make changes to, if not end this practice. Details about the reverse-engineered component and other aspects of the MOP program were contained in a recent U.S. Air Force contracting announcement regarding efforts to replenish stocks of those bombs following Operation Midnight Hammer. During that operation, B-2 Spirit stealth bombers dropped 14 GBU-57/Bs on Iranian nuclear facilities. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) had to produce a detailed justification for awarding a sole-source contract to Boeing for the production of new MOPs and the sustainment of the existing inventory. Boeing is the bomb’s current prime contractor. A redacted copy of that document is available online. “The Government has a follow-on need for additional production of [redacted] MOP Tail Kits with projected delivery starting 10 January 2028 to replace expended units and reach the United States Air Force’s [redacted],” the so-called Justification & Approval (J&A) document explains. “The Government has a need for replenishment production of GBU-57 MOP weapon system components.”

It is unclear what the total size of the GBU-57/B inventory was before or after Operation Midnight Hammer. As of 2015, prime contractor Boeing had delivered at least 20 of the bombs, according to the Air Force. However, additional orders have been reported over the years. In 2024, a story from Bloomberg had also said that a facility in Oklahoma was being expanded to help triple or even quadruple the annual output of these bombs. The MOP’s tail kit, also designated KMU-612/B, contains the bomb’s GPS-assisted inertial navigation system (INS) guidance package and other systems. It is combined with a BLU-127/B penetrating “warhead” and other components, including advanced fuzes designed to help produce the maximum destructive effect on a target after burrowing deep down into the ground, to create a complete GBU-57/B bomb, or all-up-round (AUR). “In August of 2025, the Government successfully reverse engineered a critical subcomponent of the MOP weapon system saving 4-years of design work and enabling the utilization of existing Army ATACMS technology to eliminate obsolescence issues and meet operational demands,” according to the J&A document. “However, the time to reverse engineer all MOP components would result in unacceptable delays in meeting mission requirements.” The MOP J&A does not elaborate on the ATACMS technology in question, or what company or companies may now be in line to produce the resulting subcomponent for the bombs. Lockheed Martin is the current prime contractor for ATACMS, a family of short-range ballistic missiles that you can read more about here. It should also be noted that the U.S. military’s reverse-engineering parts of key weapon systems is not entirely uncommon, especially if the original source of the components in question has gone out of business or otherwise no longer exists.

The J&A document says it would take an estimated 60 months, or five years, to create an entirely new MOP tail kit design and then go through the required processes to certify it for operational use. It also explains why the KMU-612/B tail kit, specifically, is so central to the need to award a new sole-source contract to Boeing. “With regards to IP [intellectual property] rights, The [Redacted] Company is the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) of the MOP weapon system and retains ownership of the intellectual property data associated with the munition’s tail kit,” it explains. “In particular, [redacted] owns the technical data package and manufacturing process methodologies of the tailkit unit entirely. [Redacted] has uniquely acquired expertise over a period of ~18 years of adapting this specialized weapon to meet evolving mission needs as MOP transitioned from proof-of-concept to full operational capability. This expertise pertains, but is not limited to, knowledge of the guidance algorithms, navigation systems, hardware components, specialized test equipment, and software critical to producing and sustaining the MOP weapon system.” “The other components and sub-components, as noted above, have been proprietary to [redacted] from the inception of this weapon system. The USG [U.S. government] does not own or control, via license or by other IP rights, any computer software, methodologies, or technical drawings,” the document adds. “[Redacted] was queried in August 2025 as to the potential of selling IP rights to the USG for the MOP weapon system and the USG was denied.”

lol. lmao

That being said, “over the course of the ~18 years of MOP development to the AURs acquired today the USG has, at certain junctures, been able to separate from the sole-source environment for this weapon with Boeing,” the J&A notes. “The USG was able to break away the Warhead Cases for the MOP under a weapon design agent effort, thereby giving the USG complete IP control over the Warhead TDP. Based on the IP ownership of this TDP the USG awards contracts competitively.”

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The details in the MOP J&A document also underscore broader issues surrounding IP rights and ‘vendor lock’ in the U.S. defense contracting space that have increasingly been coming to the forefront in recent years. Competition inherently creates opportunities to lower costs and diversify supply chains. A broader supplier base also offers benefits when it comes to scaling up production of key subcomponents and complete systems. The continued extent of Lockheed Martin’s control over the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program is perhaps the most widely known example of the negative impacts of vendor lock. U.S. officials have been outspoken about the maintenance and sustenance challenges this has created, especially when it comes to the timely sourcing of spare parts, and the operational risks this creates. TWZ previously explored the particular issues surrounding the F-35 in an in-depth feature. Foreign F-35 operators, especially in Europe, are now also facing regular questions about what could happen to the jets if the U.S. were to cut off access to various sustainment pipelines in light of new diplomatic strains with Washington. Just this past weekend, Dutch State Secretary for Defense Gijs Tuinman caused a stir when he asserted it would be possible to “jailbreak an F-35 just like an iPhone” if necessary, as you can read more about here.

In recent years, successive U.S. administrations have made securing greater IP rights and ensuring opportunities for competition key elements in negotiating new defense contractors. As an example, the Air Force previously made clear that avoiding the F-35 program’s vendor lock was a top priority for the acquisition of the F-47 sixth-generation stealth fighter. President Donald Trump’s administration is now pursuing a host of new contracting reforms, in part to further break up the locks that private companies have on programs like the Joint Strike Fighter. “We will enable third-party integration without prime contractor bottlenecks. Success will be measured by the ability of qualified vendors to independently develop, test and integrate replaceable — excuse me, replacement modules at the component level throughout the system life cycle,” War Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a speech last November. “There’s no more complacency and no more monopolies.” At that time, Hegseth had also acknowledged Byzantine processes and other contracting hurdles that the U.S. military had created for itself over the years. How “the sole-source environment” surrounding the GBU-57/B continues to evolve now remains to be seen. A successor to that bomb, called the Next Generation Penetrator (NGP), is also now in development, and Boeing is involved in that effort, too. The Pentagon’s experiences with MOP, together with the new contracting reform push, are likely to inform how the replacement weapons are acquired. In the meantime, U.S. authorities continue to try to free elements of the MOP program from vendor lock, including now by repurposing technology originally designed for the ATACMS short-range ballistic missile.

The joint exercise was launched following a IRGC drill in the Strait of Hormuz. On Thursday, the naval forces of Iran and Russia held a joint drill in the Gulf of Oman and the northern Indian Ocean, successfully carrying out a series of operations.

During the exercise, the special operation teams of the navies of Iran’s army, Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), and Russia successfully carried out an operation to liberate a hijacked ship. The vessels and aerial units of the two countries also took part in the operation, which involved aerial reconnaissance, surface operations and the capture of pirates. This stage of the exercise featured the participation of Iran’s Alvand destroyer, missile-launching warships, helicopters, landing craft, special operation teams, and combat speed-boats and vessels, among others.

They enacted different arrangement scenarios and implemented offensive formations to improve tactical coordination, increase joint command and control capabilities, and practice rapid response in operational conditions. The involved units practiced various deployment methods and combined maneuvers.

Hassan Maqsoudlou, the drill’s spokesman, said the drill aims to improve maritime security, expand cooperation between the two countries’ navies, and improve coordination in joint operations.

The joint drill was launched following a drill by the IRGC in the Strait of Hormuz, which involved a temporary closure of the strategic waterway on Tuesday, and amid heightened tensions between Iran and the United States as well as a U.S. military buildup in the region.

Peru’s president has been ousted after being censured by Congress, marking the country’s eighth change of leader in nearly a decade of political instability.

Peru’s Congress approved a motion of censure against José Jerí by 75 votes to 24 in a move that came just four months after he took office as interim president and two months before an expected general election.

The vote follows accusations that Jerí had held unofficial meetings with Chinese businesspeople, on one occasion while wearing a hood, which led to an investigation by the Attorney General’s Office for possible illegal sponsorship and aggravated influence peddling.

“The presiding officers declare the office of President of the Congress of the Republic vacant, and consequently, the office of President of the Republic is vacant,” said Fernando Rospigliosi, acting head of Congress.

The various political blocs will now meet to agree a list of candidates for President of Congress, for a legislative vote that will determine the next interim president.

Jerí, 39, assumed the presidency in October after becoming Speaker of Congress when President Dina Boluarte was impeached. Boluarte had led the executive branch since the 2022 impeachment and arrest of Pedro Castillo, who served for a year and a half.

Moscow, Feb 18 (Prensa Latina) Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed today that Russia has always stood by Cuba in defense of its sovereignty and independence.

Upon receiving Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez at the Kremlin, who is in Moscow on a working visit as an envoy of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) and the Government, the leader of the Eurasian giant highlighted the special relationship that both nations have maintained for decades.

“We have always stood with Cuba in its struggle for independence, for the right to pursue its own path of development, and we have always supported the Cuban people,” the Russian leader emphasized.

He also emphasized that his government and Russian society know how difficult it has been for Cuba to defend its more than six decades of sovereignty, "fighting for its right to live according to its own rules and defend its national interests," he added.

"We are in a special period, with new sanctions. You already know what we think about this. We will not accept anything of the sort," he stated.

Putin also emphasized that bilateral relations between Moscow and Havana are on a positive path. He also noted that this year marks the centenary of the birth of the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro (1926-2016), and affirmed that "we will celebrate it together."

For his part, the Cuban Foreign Minister expressed special gratitude for the solidarity shown by the Russian President and Government in a solid and unwavering manner in the face of the tightening of the blockade against Cuba and the energy embargo that creates difficult situations for the economy and the Cuban people.

President Donald Trump on Thursday was considering a range of options for military strikes against Iran, including a possible limited strike aimed at enhancing the United States' negotiating position, a person familiar with the planning told ABC News.

The president was also considering larger-scale strikes on government, military and nuclear targets, the person said.

The options, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, came as the president declared a 10-day deadline -- "15 maximum" -- for the two sides to cut a deal on its nuclear and ballistic missile program.

If Iran didn't meet U.S. demands, Trump said, "really bad things" would happen.

"We're either going to get a deal or it's going to be unfortunate for them," he said Thursday.

The U.S. military in recent weeks has surged more than 100 aircraft and a dozen ships, including two aircraft carriers, to the Middle East -- an extraordinary buildup of military assets in such a short period.

Sources say the assets in place are enough to sustain a weeks-long campaign against the Islamic government, stoking widespread speculation that the U.S. was on the brink of war.

It's not clear though whether Trump's show of force itself is a kind of negotiating tactic to force Iran's hand to make concessions, or if he is intent on trying to topple the regime, which experts say is at its weakest since its 1979 revolution.

Last June, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt cited a "substantial chance of negotiations" with Iran, telling reporters in a briefing that the president planned to make his decision "within the next two weeks."

Two days later, Trump bombed three of Iran's nuclear sites in a carefully planned operation.

Now, U.S. officials say that Trump wants Iran to agree to remove any remaining enriched uranium from the country, as well as cap its long-range missile stockpile and stop supporting militant groups in the region like Hezbollah and the Houthis, which the U.S. considers terror groups.

Iran has not agreed. Sources told ABC News that following talks in Geneva this week, Iran would offer a new written proposal in the next two weeks.

On Wednesday, Trump huddled with his top advisers in the White House Situation Room to discuss his options.

On Thursday, Trump told attendees at the inaugural meeting of his Board of Peace that everyone would find out what might happen within the next 10 days -- a deadline he later adjusted to 15.

"They cannot continue to threaten the stability of the entire region, and they must make a deal," he said. "Or if that doesn't happen, I maybe can understand. If it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen. But, bad things will happen if it doesn't.

Included in the military buildup are two aircraft carrier strike groups -- the USS Gerald Ford and the USS Abraham Lincoln -- along with more than a dozen destroyers and cruisers, and squadrons of fighter jets.

Once the Ford arrives from the Mediterranean, troop levels in the region are expected to reach 40,000 personnel.

It's possible the president would wait until the carrier is in a certain position before striking, although officials caution the military is capable of striking Iran without it.

Experts say the list of assets suggest there is a comprehensive initial target list for an effort that could be sustained, possibly for weeks.

"The U.S. is clearly preparing to take significant military action if the negotiations between it and Iran fail," said ABC contributor Mick Mulroy, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, a close Trump ally, told reporters any military action has to be big enough to take down the regime.

"When you go, I want to go big," he told reporters at the Munich Security Conference last week. "If you go -- and it's up to the president -- I mean, this is literally the best chance."

The risks, though, of a major U.S. attack are substantial. Iran has threatened a significant retaliatory response and plans to target U.S. naval assets specifically if attacked, Mulroy said.

A letter from the Iranians Thursday night to the United Nations Secretary General warned what would happen if the U.S. strikes Iran, saying "all bases, facilities, and assets of the hostile force in the region would constitute legitimate targets."

Among the 35,000 U.S. troops in the region are 2,500 troops stationed in Iraq, 1,000 in Syria and 4,000 in Jordan.

Last summer, following the U.S. bombing of nuclear sites in Iran, Tehran retaliated by launching a barrage of missiles at al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, which typically has 10,000 personnel on site.

Officials have said they expect any future attack on U.S. assets to be substantially more devastating if the Iranian regime fears it's on the brink of collapse and believes it has nothing to lose.

"If successful, this conflict could expand beyond either country's preference," Mulroy said.

Another concern, particularly among some Israeli officials, is that Trump will seek out a deal -- even if it's a bad one -- for the sake of declaring victory.

The Israeli government was fiercely opposed to the 2015 U.S.-Iran nuclear deal under former President Barack Obama, and some Israelis are now worried Trump will offer concessions for the sake of declaring "peace through strength."

"That's the risk we've been running since day 1," a former Israeli official told ABC News.

Graham last week shrugged off the risks of not taking military action.

"Is it complicated? Yeah, but this is ridiculous to think that you've got to answer every question before you can take evil down," he said.

The Democratic legislator proposes to expand trade, travel and diplomatic engagement. On Thursday, Jim McGovern, a Democratic U.S. representative for Massachusetts’ 2nd Congressional District, introduced a bill to eliminate the legal basis of the U.S. blockade against Cuba.

“I introduced a bill to repeal the U.S. embargo against Cuba. For over six decades, the U.S. has embraced failed, obsolete, Cold War thinking toward Cuba,” said the lawmaker, who is also a senior member of the House Rules Committee, a leading anti-hunger advocate and co-chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission.

“Our 60-plus-year embargo has been ineffective and counterproductive — it hurts the Cuban people, it strengthens hardliners, it gives rise to more refugees, and it undercuts our standing in the world,” he added.

“We have tried the same thing for over 60 years — and it has failed for over 60 years. Let’s try something different — let’s open things up! Let’s lift the embargo, giving U.S. businesses, entrepreneurs, tourists and universities more access.”

“Let’s push for freedom and democracy through diplomacy and engagement. Let’s let Cubans who live on the island decide their own future — not Marco Rubio or Donald Trump,” McGovern concluded.

His bill, titled the United States-Cuba Trade Act (H.R. 7521), seeks to repeal the statutory basis for the U.S. embargo on Cuba. To that end, McGovern’s proposal would:

• Remove the primary authority for the U.S. president to maintain a total trade embargo on Cuba by repealing Section 620(a) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.

• Effectively end the regulatory basis for the Cuban Assets Control Regulations by terminating authorities under the Trading With the Enemy Act regarding Cuba.

• Eliminate the codification of the embargo and legal obstacles to property-related transactions by repealing the Helms-Burton Act.

• Delete restrictions on trade and limits on the entry of vessels into U.S. ports that have recently traded with Cuba by repealing the Cuban Democracy Act.

• Remove Cuba-specific restrictions on agricultural and medical exports by amending the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act.

• Remove the ban on Cuba’s participation in the U.S. sugar program by repealing the sugar quota prohibition in the Food Security Act.

• End restrictions on the registration or renewal of certain Cuban-related trademarks by repealing Section 211 of the Department of Commerce and Related Agencies Appropriations Act.

• Provide direct telecommunications services between the two nations by authorizing U.S. common carriers to install and maintain telecommunications facilities in Cuba.

• Protect the right to travel by prohibiting the government from regulating or banning travel to Cuba if the activity is otherwise lawful for U.S. citizens.

• Promote settlement of outstanding property claims by U.S. nationals and the protection of internationally recognized human rights by directing the U.S. president to negotiate with the Cuban government.

• Extend nondiscriminatory, or normal trade relations, tariff treatment to Cuban products by amending the Harmonized Tariff Schedule, repealing Cuba-specific tariff provisions and ending application of Title IV of the Trade Act of 1974 to Cuba.

• Prohibit the U.S. Treasury Department from limiting remittances to Cuba.

• Require the U.S. president to submit a report to Congress on U.S.-Cuba trade relations within 18 months of enactment.

On Wednesday, Spanish President Pedro Sanchez defended imposing regulations on social media against algorithms that spread violence, pornography, or hate. He stated that online insecurity is not generated by minors, but rather by tech magnates who act without limits. Nevertheless, Sanchez will continue with his regulatory plans, building an alliance within and outside the European Union to address a problem that affects the mental health of young people and children.

He explained that detecting violent, pornographic, or hateful content propagated by algorithms requires clear accountability. Sanchez added that it is not censorship, but rather protection endorsed by doctors, scientists, parents, and a large part of society.

On Wednesday, the owner of social network X, Elon Musk, lashed out at Sanchez for his policies in favor of extraordinary regularization of immigrants and in favor of content control in the virtual world.

“Of course, the dirty Sanchez is a traitor to Spain,” the billionaire said in commenting on the far-right British anti-Islam activist, Tommy Robinson, who had previously stated that the Spanish president “should be arrested.”

“Pedro Sanchez on Elon Musk: In the end, insecurity is not generated by a foreign 14-year-old minor who is in the U.S. or in Spain; it is caused by these magnates who believe that the world is theirs and that they can do whatever they please.”

The X owner also accused Sanchez of being a “tyrant” and a “traitor” to Spain for banning social networks for children under 16 years old and for wanting to pursue digital platforms for not removing “hate and illegal” content.

Sanchez pointed out that, similar to what happens with regulations applied to other economic activities, authorities must force network users and entrepreneurs to assume responsibility when violent or pornographic messages are spread as a result of the algorithms’ design. “Someone must take responsibility,” he stressed.

The Socialist President also mentioned that freedom of expression does not protect the dissemination of manipulated images of minors with naked bodies created using artificial intelligence. Spain demands that this be made a crime.

He ruled out the possibility of the government abandoning social media and affirmed that they must remain active, defend reason in spaces turned into “sinister” environments by the technocracy, and that politics must be present in those spaces.

U.S. arbitrary measures hinder the Bolivarian nation’s development. During an interview with U.S. broadcaster NBC News in Caracas, Venezuela’s Acting President Delcy Rodriguez stated that her country needs to be free of sanctions in order to hold elections and develop its energy potential.

“Holding free and fair elections in Venezuela also means having a free country where justice can be exercised. A country free of sanctions,” she said, emphasizing how U.S. sanctions hinder the growth of the Bolivarian nation as an energy power and as a sovereign people.

Her remarks come amid what Venezuelan authorities describe as the kidnapping of President Nicolas Maduro, who has been held illegally by the U.S. in a maximum-security prison in New York since Jan. 3, 2025.

Rodriguez’s statements echo those of Maduro, who since 2020 has repeatedly said Venezuela seeks “elections free of sanctions, of blockades, of aggression” and of “economic war.”

In November 2022, during a press conference with international media, President Maduro announced that the Bolivarian government would resume comprehensive dialogue with all sectors of the opposition to ensure elections are held in a scenario free of sanctions.

During that appearance, the Venezuelan president underscored that electoral transparency and justice depend directly on compliance with political agreements and the end of what he described as economic siege against the nation.

In July 2023, Maduro again emphasized that Venezuela wants “elections free of sanctions, of blockades, of aggression, and of economic war.” He once more demanded that the U.S. government lift all such measures “without any conditions.”

“We want elections free of sanctions, of blockades, of aggression, of economic war. Lift all the so-called sanctions. The North American empire must lift all sanctions, without any conditions whatsoever, and we will move forward,” President Maduro said.

With what she described as a firm commitment to defending Venezuela’s independence, Rodriguez reiterated that the path toward political normalization requires the total elimination of what she called “so-called sanctions,” allowing the exercise of suffrage to be a sovereign expression of the people’s will in defense of justice and national dignity.

Nicolas Maduro Is the Legitimate President of Venezuela

Asked about leadership in the country, Rodriguez stressed that Maduro remains the legitimate president and that she is serving as acting president with daily and rigorous effort.

She reaffirmed her legitimacy at the head of the executive branch, explaining that she assumed leadership following constitutional order after the kidnapping of President Maduro and first lady Cilia Flores.

The Venezuelan acting president pointed out that her country’s institutional stability has allowed progress in high-level meetings, such as a recent meeting with U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright to evaluate projects of mutual benefit.

An Invitation to Visit the United States

On Wednesday, Rodriguez met with Wright to evaluate an energy agenda beneficial to both nations within the framework of historic bilateral relations.

The acting president stressed that, through peace diplomacy, both countries can overcome their differences. She also mentioned receiving an invitation to travel to the United States, a possibility currently under consideration.

“We are considering going there once we establish this cooperation and can move forward with everything,” Rodriguez said, leaving the door open to future rapprochement.

Jan. 3, 2026, is already considered a key date in contemporary Latin American history. On that day, the U.S. government attacked a sovereign nation, kidnapped President Maduro and lawmaker Flores, leaving hundreds dead and widespread destruction.

Venezuelan society is still processing the U.S. aggression. Citizens are seeking explanations for the uncertainties affecting the political and economic landscape: what is the relationship between the two spheres, and which of them — or both — account for circumstances shaking daily life.

In recent days, amid the situation, Acting president Rodriguez reiterated that peaceful coexistence is the path toward the country’s economic and social peace. She underscored the importance of full public participation in all national initiatives.

She said the goal for 2026 is to consolidate grassroots power and indicated that authorities will seek to support communities in organizing so that economic growth translates into social well-being for workers. She reiterated that Venezuela is advancing in national cohesion and rebuilding bridges with other countries through working agendas aimed at benefiting the people.

Tehran, Feb 16 (Prensa Latina) The secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, stated today that the United States can define its interests in negotiations with Tehran independently of those of Israel.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, the official noted that talks between Iran and the United States are ongoing and that several countries in the region are working to ensure their success.

Larijani revealed that he recently conveyed a message to Washington through Oman's Foreign Minister, Badr bin Hamad bin Hamoud Al Busaidi, although he specified that they have not yet received an official response.

The United States can set its interests in the negotiations apart from those of Israel, and Iran is open to cooperating in them, he said.

He also considered it unlikely that Washington would seek a new armed confrontation, although he warned that any military action against his country would be met with a response.

The Iranian leader maintained that Tehran is not seeking war, but is prepared to defend itself. In his view, Israel is trying to sabotage the negotiations and is playing a destabilizing role in the region.

On February 6, Oman hosted a new round of nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Washington, following the suspension of contacts after Israeli and American attacks against Iran in June 2025.

US media reported on preparations for a second round of indirect talks, scheduled for the coming days in Geneva, Switzerland.

While Washington insists that Iran must completely halt its uranium enrichment activities and broaden the negotiating agenda to include its missile program and regional policy, Tehran maintains that it will only discuss its nuclear program and demands the lifting of Western economic sanctions as part of any agreement.