An Israeli tank column has crossed the Litani River and is advancing toward the city of Nabatieh, the administrative centre of Nabatieh Governorate in southern Lebanon, Al Hadath television reported.

According to the broadcaster, Hezbollah fighters attempted to slow the advance of Israeli forces, putting up fierce resistance in the areas of Arnoun and Al-Ghandouriya. Clashes are reportedly still continuing in some locations.

Israeli artillery has shelled the area around the medieval Beaufort Castle near Nabatieh, where movements of opposing forces were observed. Several settlements have fallen within the bombardment zone.

There are reported casualties and injuries among civilians, although the exact number has not yet been confirmed.

Israeli military commanders had earlier instructed residents of 14 communities in the Western Bekaa region to evacuate their homes ahead of air strikes targeting Hezbollah bases and military facilities in the area.

Similar warnings were also issued to residents of 12 villages in the border district of Tyre.

U.S.-based company Anthropic has raised $65 billion in its latest funding round, bringing its valuation to $965 billion, The Hill reported.

It marks a massive gain in value for Anthropic, which just three months ago raised $30 billion at a $380 billion valuation. The company leapfrogs OpenAI, whose latest funding round in February put the ChatGPT maker at $852 billion.

“This funding will help us serve the historic demand we are experiencing, stay at the research frontier, and bring Claude to more of the places where work happens,” Krishna Rao, Anthropic’s chief financial officer, said in a statement.

Both Anthropic and OpenAI are widely expected to go public this year, as the pair of AI rivals seek access to additional funding to cover the vast amount of computing power required to continue developing the technology.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which is also considered part of the AI horse race following its merger with xAI, has already filed for an initial public offering (IPO). It is reportedly eyeing a $1.75 trillion valuation.

Anthropic’s latest funding round comes as the company separately announced Thursday that it plans to release its Mythos model more widely.

Last month, it offered a limited group of companies and government agencies early access to the new, more powerful model. The model, which can spot decades-old security flaws, sparked concerns that it could boost the capabilities of hackers to find and exploit these vulnerabilities in critical systems.

“Models of this capability level require stronger cyber safeguards before they can be generally released,” the company noted in a press release. “We’re making swift progress on developing these safeguards and expect to be able to bring Mythos-class models to all our customers in the coming weeks.”

Qatari authorities have rejected an official request from Tehran to unconditionally unfreeze $12 billion in Iranian assets as part of efforts aimed at resolving the situation in the Middle East, the London-based Iran International television channel reported, citing sources.

According to the broadcaster, Qatari authorities rejected Tehran’s firm call for the immediate and unconditional release of the $12 billion alongside the publication of a memorandum of understanding with the United States. Instead, Doha agreed to unfreeze only half of the funds and under strict conditions.

The report said Qatar had proposed unfreezing $6 billion in the form of a credit facility that would be used by Iran to purchase goods produced in Qatar.

Speaking in Singapore on May 30 at the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit, Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister said that Doha and other countries in the region are seeking to develop a comprehensive strategy towards Tehran, including on political and trade-related issues.

He acknowledged that the Arab states of the Gulf have yet to reach a common approach to engagement with Iran.

The Qatari deputy prime minister also said that the permanent imposition of fees on vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz would be unacceptable.

According to him, the only issue that could be considered within the framework of negotiations is the introduction of a temporary charge, provided that the funds raised are used for mine-clearance operations in the strait and the restoration of navigation.

He also stressed that such fees should not become a precedent or be applied in other straits around the world, warning that doing so would disrupt international maritime transport and communications.

U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper has ruled that the renaming of the Kennedy Center as the Trump-Kennedy Center was unlawful, finding that the institution should remain dedicated exclusively to former U.S. President John F. Kennedy, Politico reported on May 29.

President Donald Trump’s effort to rebrand the Kennedy Center in his own name is illegal, a federal judge ruled Friday.

U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper said the rebranding of the institution that honors President John F. Kennedy as the “Trump-Kennedy Center” violated the clear language of federal law that requires the building to honor “President Kennedy and President Kennedy alone.”

The order to revert to the original, longstanding name came as part of a broader ruling that also overturned a plan announced in March to close the center for two years for renovations. Cooper, an Obama appointee, said repairs to the campus can proceed and an outright closure in the future might be lawful if the center’s board is more thoroughly consulted.

But he blasted the board for making its closure decision based on “an insufficient, one-sided presentation of information” that “neglected to consider the full range of its statutory obligations and potential adverse consequences of closure on programming and memorial functions.”

Hours after the ruling, Trump said in a social media post that he would abandon his pursuit of a Kennedy Center redesign and direct his administration to transfer oversight of the center to Congress.

Cooper’s ruling is a stinging blow for Trump, who has made clear his personal stake in the rebranding and remodeling of the Kennedy Center. Officials at the performing arts center told Cooper in evidentiary hearings about Trump’s direct involvement even in the minutiae of the redesigned campus and ballrooms, from the details of the chairs to the plans for exposed steel on the exterior to the design of the decorative columns.

A spokesperson for the Justice Department said it “will continue to defend President Trump’s ability to restore the Center to its former glory as the finest performing arts center in the country — if not the world.”

Roma Daravi, the center’s vice president of public relations, said it remains “committed to pursuing every lawful avenue to ensure the Trump Kennedy Center is restored as a national cultural landmark for all Americans to enjoy.”

During the litigation, the Justice Department also contended that the renaming of the building as the Trump-Kennedy Center was legal because it was merely an informal nickname, despite the fact that Trump’s name was added to the building’s marble facade last December.

But Cooper cited official statements from White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt describing the formal “renaming” of the center and other efforts to tout the rebranding, concluding that they “reflect far more than an innocuous nicknaming.”

Cooper’s ruling against Trump’s plans came in a lawsuit brought by Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), who serves as an ex officio member of the center’s board. She argued in the lawsuit that the Trump administration’s moves illegally deprived her of her power to vote on the closure and remodeling plan, and frustrated board members’ legal duty to maintain a presidential memorial and present arts programming.

In another ruling Friday, Cooper denied a bid by a preservation group to force the Kennedy Center to consult with outside groups before undertaking its planned renovations. The judge said the scope of the work described by the current executive director of the center, Matt Floca, did not appear to require such consultation.

Russian ambassador to Armenia Sergey Kopirkin recalled to Moscow for consultations.

According to a statement published on the website of the Russian Foreign Ministry, the decision was prompted by steps taken by the Armenian leadership towards closer ties with the European Union, which Moscow says are undermining cooperation within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).

On May 29, the presidents of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan adopted a joint statement saying it was necessary to hold a nationwide referendum in Armenia as soon as possible on whether to join the European Union or remain a member of the Eurasian Economic Union.

Inter Milan midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan has agreed to a contract extension with the Nerazzurri, according to Sky Sport.

The former captain and all-time top goalscorer of the Armenian national football team has reportedly agreed to remain at Inter Milan for one more season, with the deal including a pay cut. According to Sky Sport, Inter Milan head coach Cristian Chivu convinced Mkhitaryan to stay. Details of the new contract will reportedly be discussed in the coming days.

The Armenian government has approved new incentive payments aimed at encouraging voluntary contract military service under the “Homeland Defender” program.

Under the updated rules, presented by Deputy Minister of Defense Arman Sargsyan at a Cabinet meeting, servicemen who complete their initial contract and choose to continue serving will receive financial bonuses depending on the length of the new contract.

“If a contract is signed for a two-year term, a bonus of 1.5 million drams is provided, and if a contract is signed for a five-year term, a bonus of 5 million drams,” Sargsyan said.

The draft also revises the eligibility timeline for conscripts seeking to enter contract service under the program. According to the deputy minister, the application threshold is being reduced from six months of mandatory service to four months.

The government approved the proposal. Under the “Homeland Defender” program, servicemen currently receive a 5-million-dram bonus upon completing a five-year contract and being discharged. 

The “Homeland Defender” program is a flagship voluntary service option of the Armenian military, envisaging the transition of enlisted recruits from mandatory service to voluntary contract service and offering career opportunities in the armed forces.

Citizens of Armenia should have the opportunity to choose whether thecountry remains part of the Eurasian Economic Union or joins theEuropean Union, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Chairman ofthe Board of the Civil Contract Party, currently on leave, said duringan election campaign event in the Kotayk province.

Pashinyan stressed that the decision should be made by the people.

“The people of Armenia must have an alternative – whether to remain inthe EAEU or to be part of the European Union. I will not decide that,people. The one who will decide is the sovereign – the citizen ofArmenia,” the prime minister said.

According to him, the government’s task is to ensure that citizenshave alternatives, and citizens do have alternatives.

“I want to say that our partners who respond to these processes evenwith hidden threats are, in fact, acting against themselves. On thecontrary, they should present proposals to the Armenian people andsay: we will do this good thing, we will do that good thing. Butinstead they say: we will do this bad thing, we will do that badthing. That is illogical.

It is also illogical to threaten Armenia, for example, with higherprices, because there is an answer to that threat: we will have muchgreater economic opportunities so that this will not become a problemfor us.

Today Armenia is becoming the ‘Crossroads of Peace’. And this meansthat Armenia will no longer be a country of thousands or millions, buta country of billions and trillions,” Pashinyan stressed.

Earlier, Russian newspaper Kommersant reported that Russia hadallegedly threatened Armenia with the unilateral suspension orcancellation of agreements on supplies of gas, petroleum products anduncut diamonds if the country continued the process of seekingmembership in the European Union.

The newspaper wrote that Russian Energy Minister Sergey Tsivilev hadsent a letter with such content to Armenia’s Ministry of TerritorialAdministration and Infrastructure on May 25.

Under an agreement signed between Armenia and Russia in 2013, Russiasupplies Armenia with gas, petroleum products and uncut diamondswithout export duties and under preferential terms related to domesticconsumption.

According to the Kommersant report, if the agreement is terminated,Armenia would be obliged to pay compensation to Russia, or the unpaidamounts would be recognised as Armenia’s state debt to the RussianFederation.