02/05/2026

SATURDAY | MAY 2, 2026

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King Charles arrives in Bermuda after US visit

Homeland Security Department funding approved of Representatives on Thursday approved a Senate-passed funding Bill that would finance much of the Homeland Security Department, in an effort to end the agency’s record 75-day shutdown, reported Xinhua. The Bill will reopen the department without allocating new funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or the US Border Patrol, as Democrats have been calling for major reforms to immigration enforcement following two fatal shootings of US citizens by federal immigration agents in January. The timing of the Bill’s passage is critical as Department Secretary Markwayne Mullin recently said the department will run out of money to pay employee salaries in the first week of May. Once President Donald Trump signs the Bill, department agencies, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Coast Guard, Transportation Security Administration and the Secret Service, would be funded through the fiscal year ending Sept 30. After that, Republicans are expected to attempt separate funding for ICE or the Border Patrol without Democratic support. Democrats have called for reforms to ICE operations following the fatal shootings in Minneapolis while Republicans have rejected those demands. The disagreement has led to a deadlock in negotiations. Against that backdrop, the department’s funding expired on Feb 13. Democrats’ demands include mandating body cameras and limiting raids in sensitive locations. – Bernama-Xinhua The stunning charges add to already strained diplomatic relations with US President Donald Trump’s administration, following the recent death of two US agents, reportedly CIA personnel, in connection with a drug bust operation. – AFP WASHINGTON: The US House Mexico demands proof for Washington drug charges MEXICO CITY: On Thursday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said the country is seeking “irrefutable” evidence to back up the shock US drug trafficking charges against a sitting governor and other officials before proceeding with extradition requests. The US Justice Department unveiled charges on Wednesday against Sinaloa Governor Ruben Rocha Moya and nine others, accusing them of working with the Sinaloa cartel to distribute “massive quantities” of narcotics to the United States. Rocha Moya, a member of Sheinbaum’s left-leaning Morena party and close ally of her predecessor, has governed the violence-ridden state since 2021. “If the Attorney-General’s Office receives solid and irrefutable evidence in accordance with Mexican law, or if in the course of its own investigation it finds elements constituting a crime, it must comply” with the US extradition request, said Sheinbaum. She added that if evidence is not provided or found, it would be evident that “the goal of these Justice Department accusations is political”. Rocha Moya on Wednesday rejected the charges as an attack against the populist Morena political movement, founded by Sheinbaum predecessor Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. The other officials facing US charges are also part of Morena. Sheinbaum said this is the first time that the United States had made narcotrafficking charges public against a sitting governor or other high-ranking official. “We are not going to protect anyone.“

HAMILTON: King Charles III arrived in Bermuda on Thursday after wrapping up a marathon US state visit aimed at healing ties between Washington and London that have been strained by the war in Iran. The monarch was greeted on the airport tarmac in Hamilton, the capital of the British island territory, by Premier David Burt and other dignitaries. The island stop, the first visit by Charles to a British Overseas Territory as sovereign, comes after a day packed with small-town American experiences for him and Queen Camilla, who will not join the Bermuda leg of the trip. By all accounts, the four-day US visit was a success, with President Donald Trump serving as solicitous host-in-chief who honored King Charles and Queen Camilla with a lavish white-tie banquet at the White House. “He is a great King, the greatest King, in my book,” Trump told reporters as the royal arrived at the White House on Thursday to say farewell. Following handshakes and a bit of chat, Trump said: “Great people. We need more people like that in our country.” Several hours later, Trump announced that he was removing tariffs on Scottish whisky “in o Trump announces removal of tariffs on Scottish whisky in honour of royal couple The sculpture, which bears his signature, depicts a suited man walking forward off a plinth while carrying a flag that covers his face. It has been installed at Waterloo Place in the St James’ area of Westminster, an area designed in the 19th century to commemorate imperial and military figures. The artwork sits near statues of Edward VII, the Crimean War Memorial and Florence Nightingale, a revered nurse who tended to wounded soldiers in what is now Istanbul. Banksy posted a video on social media showing the statue being transported to Westminster overnight, alongside footage of nearby landmarks, including a statue of Winston Churchill. In the clip, an individual is asked about the work and said: “No, I do not like it.” The video also juxtaposes British flags, a traditional Beefeater guard and a black cab. Crowds have gradually grown since the sculpture appeared on Wednesday. On Thursday, contractors were seen putting up safety barriers around the work. Westminster City Council said: “We are excited to see Banksy’s latest sculpture in Westminster, making a striking addition to the city’s vibrant public art scene. “While we have taken initial steps to protect the statue, at this time it will remain accessible for the public to view and enjoy.” Last September, Banksy also produced a mural outside the Royal Courts of Justice showing a judge striking a protester, which was later removed due to the building’s listed status. Separately, Reuters recently reported that it has identified the fiercely pseudonymous artist as Bristol-based Robin Gunningham, echoing

statement thanKing Americans for “the warmth of your welcome” throughout the couple’s first US trip as King and Queen. “We leave a piece of our (heart) behind and take a little of yours back home with us. Until the next time, God bless America.” The centrepiece of the whirlwind trip was Charles’s speech on Tuesday to the US Congress, the first by a British monarch since Queen Elizabeth II in 1991. The address was warmly received, even as Charles ranged over subjects from climate change and the need for restraints on presidential power to the importance of Nato and defence of Ukraine, which are sensitive issues for Trump’s ruling Republicans. The 77-year-old monarch skirted around tensions between Trump and Prime Minister Keir Starmer over Britain’s refusal to join the war against Iran, insisting that the partnership between the countries was “born out of dispute, but no less strong for it”. The royals were in New York on Wednesday, where they stopped at the 9/11 memorial and met leftist Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Charles, who is passionate about gardening and the environment, visited an urban sustainable farming project in Harlem while Camilla celebrated the 100th birthday of Winnie the Pooh at the New York Public Library. Security was tight for the royal visit, which came just days after an alleged assassination attempt on Trump at a Washington gala. In Bermuda, the King was due to receive a ceremonial welcome yesterday, followed by engagements with local conservation leaders, artists and athletes. – AFP

honour” of Charles and Camilla. “The King and Queen got me to do something that nobody else was able to do, without hardly even asKing!” Charles and Camilla’s day started with a somber visit to Arlington National Cemetery just outside Washington, where they laid a wreath and flowers at the hilltop Tomb of the Unknown Soldier honoring America’s unidentified war dead. From there, the couple attended a “block party” in Front Royal, Virginia, marKing this year’s 250th anniversary of American independence from Britain. The aptly named small town pulled out all the stops, with a cheering crowd greeting Charles and Camilla and a parade in their honour. The couple keenly inspected local food offerings, met the area’s Little League baseball team and chatted with a farmer holding a bleating day-old lamb, named Charles after the visiting King. The royals nodded along as dancers in flouncy dresses performed clogging, an American folk dance similar to tap, set to high-energy bluegrass music. For the party’s potluck table, the guests of honour contributed Coronation quiche, Victoria sponge cake and honey from the royal hives. While Camilla stopped in at a horse farm, Charles rounded out his day with a visit to nearby Shenandoah National Park. His stop included meetings with members of the Monacan Indian Nation, whose ancestral lands covered much of the mountainous area. With the trip concluded, they issued a

Banksy unveils new sculpture in London LONDON: World-famous street artist Banksy on Thursday confirmed that a large new statue that appeared in central London is his work, Anadolu Ajansi reported.

A crowd standing behind protective barriers taking photographs of the statue at Waterloo Place in the St James’ area of Westminster. – REUTERSPIC

claims made in a 2008 investigation. Gunningham has previously denied being Banksy. Banksy’s lawyer Mark Stephens told Reuters that the artist “does not accept that

many of the details contained within your inquiry are correct” and said Banksy’s anonymity is critical as he has been “subjected to fixated, threatening and extremist behaviour”. – Bernama-Anadolu