India’s defense minister has approved a framework for building the country’s most advanced stealth fighter jet, the defense ministry said on Tuesday, amid a new arms race with Pakistan weeks after a military conflict between the neighbors.

Indian state-run Aeronautical Development Agency, which is executing the program, will shortly invite initial interest from defense firms for developing a prototype of the warplane, envisaged as a twin-engine 5th generation fighter, the ministry said.

The project is crucial for the Indian Air Force, whose squadrons of mainly Russian and ex-Soviet aircraft have fallen to 31 from an approved strength of 42 at a time when rival China is expanding its air force rapidly. Pakistan has one of China’s most advanced warplanes, the J-10, in its arsenal.

Militaries of nuclear-armed neighbors India and Pakistan faced-off in four days of fighting this month, which saw use of fighter jets, missiles, drones and artillery by both sides before a ceasefire was announced by US President Donald Trump.

It was the first time both sides utilized drones at scale and the South Asian powers are now locked in a drones arms race, according to Reuters’ interviews with 15 people, including security officials, industry executives and analysts in the two countries.

India will partner with a domestic firm for the stealth fighter program, and companies can bid independently or as a joint venture, the defense ministry said in a statement, adding that the bids would be open for both private and state-owned firms.

In March, an Indian defense committee had recommended including the private sector in military aircraft manufacturing to shore up the capabilities of the Indian Air Force and reduce the burden on state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, which makes most of India’s military aircraft.

Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh has previously criticized Hindustan Aeronautics for slow delivery of light combat Tejas aircraft, a 4.5 generation fighter, which the firm blamed on slow delivery of engines from General Electric GE.N due to supply chain issues faced by the US firm.

India’s financial capital and one of its largest cities has experienced its wettest May in more than a century, with the unusually early arrival of the monsoon season causing a ferocious weekend downpour that turned roads into rivers and flooded a newly inaugurated underground train station.

Mumbai, a city of more than 12 million, has recorded more than 400 millimeters of rainfall this month so far, according to data from the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), with much of the downpour arriving late last weekend.

The deluge caused chaos and delays across transport networks, including at the newly inaugurated Worli Metro Station.

Video published by local media outlets showed travelers wading knee-deep in flood water, water gushing down a station staircase, and water leaking heavily from the ceiling onto a train platform.

India’s $4 trillion economy is heavily dependent on the monsoon, which brings rains that farmers depend on to support the country’s agricultural sector, which employs nearly half of the country’s 1.4 billion people.

The rains, which usually arrive in June and last through September, are needed to grow crops, irrigate farmland and replenish India’s reservoirs. But this year’s early arrival has caused havoc across Mumbai, India’s finance capital and home to its vaunted Bollywood film industry, flooding roads and submerging cars.

Some experts say that global warming is increasing the variability of India’s monsoon rains faster than previously projected.

The onset of the southwest monsoon in Mumbai on May 26 is the earliest advancement over the city since 1950, Nair said.

Each year the monsoon causes chaos across Mumbai, particularly for commuters travelling on its hectic, overcrowded public transport system.

Last year in May, heavy rains caused a huge billboard to collapse, killing at least 14 people and injuring dozens more.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Worli Metro station just earlier this month, part of his ambitious plan to modernize India’s aging transport network and transform the country’s infrastructure to achieve his goal of turning it into a developed nation by 2047.

Further rains are forecast for the region this week, the IMD said, potentially causing further flooding.

The southern state of Kerala over the weekend also saw an unusually early arrival of the monsoon, bringing some respite after experiencing days of an unrelenting heatwave.

Indian capital New Delhi last week also experienced widespread rain, lightning, and thunderstorms, causing a canopy at the city’s airport to collapse from waterlogging.

French President Emmanuel Macron’s office moved swiftly on Monday to defuse attention around a viral video showing his wife Brigitte pushing his face away as they deplaned in Vietnam for the first leg of a Southeast Asia tour.

The short clip shows the aircraft door opening with Macron appearing in the doorway. Seconds later, both of Brigitte Macron’s hands reach from the side and presses against the president’s face in what looks like a sudden shove.

Macron appears momentarily surprised but quickly regains his composure and waves to the press outside.

As the couple descend the steps, Macron offers Brigitte his arm, which she does not take, opting instead to hold the railing.

The Élysée initially denied the incident on the plane, before later moving to downplay its significance.

It was a “moment of togetherness,” according to an Élysée source.

“No more was needed to feed the mills of the conspiracy theorists,” the source added, saying pro-Russian trolls were quick to spin the moment into controversy.

Macron has been at the forefront of efforts to agree a coordinated European response to defending Ukraine following Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

The incident in Hanoi comes as Macron faces another swirl of online disinformation. Earlier this month the Élysée dismissed as “fake news” a viral claim – amplified by Kremlin officials – that the French president was using cocaine aboard a train to Kyiv alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

The rumor, traced back to pro-Russian accounts, falsely claimed a crumpled tissue Macron picked up was a cocaine bag. The Élysée posted a rebuttal online with the caption: “This is a tissue. For blowing your nose… When European unity becomes inconvenient, disinformation makes a simple tissue look like drugs.”

The Kremlin’s foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova fueled the claim, suggesting the scene was part of a wider European dysfunction. French officials condemned the campaign as part of ongoing efforts by Moscow to weaken Western unity on Ukraine and manipulate peace discussions through false narratives and social media manipulation.

An Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldier released during a ceasefire-hostage deal has said one of her biggest fears during captivity were strikes carried out by Israel.

Na’ama Levy, one of five IDF female soldiers released in January, made the comments during a weekly rally at Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square on Sunday demanding the return of hostages.

“They (strikes) come unexpectedly. At first you hear the whistles, you pray that it won’t fall on us, and then – the explosions, a noise so loud that it paralyzes the body, and the ground shakes,” Levy told a crowd of thousands.

“Every time, I was sure that this was the end of me. It was one of the scariest things I experienced there and that’s also what endangered me more than anything,” she continued, describing an incident where a strike caused the house she was in to partially collapse.

“That was my reality. It’s their reality now,” she said, referring to those still in captivity.

“Even now, at this very moment, there are hostages who hear those whistles and explosions, they’re there trembling with fear. They have nowhere to run, only to pray and cling to the walls with a terrible feeling of helplessness.”

The comments from Levy come as the families of Israeli captives held in Gaza intensify their criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and as Israel comes under growing pressure to end the war in Gaza.

Earlier this month, Netanyahu said that defeating Israel’s enemies is the “supreme objective” and more important than securing the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza – drawing backlash from representatives of hostage families.

Levy urged for the return of all Israeli hostages, saying there will be “no victory” otherwise.

“There’s no way in (Israel) they really understand what we’re going through and are still leaving us in Gaza.”

In the early months of the war, another Israeli hostage expressed similar fears of being killed by Israeli strikes, Israeli media outlet Ynet reported, based on audio it said was leaked from a meeting between released hostages, their families, and Netanyahu.

The fear was that “it would not be Hamas, but Israel, that would kill us, and then they would say Hamas killed you,” said the hostage, who was released in one of the first deals.

Levy’s comments on Sunday also came after Netanyahu appointed a new chief for the country’s Shin Bet security agency on Friday, Maj. Gen David Zini, who has reportedly voiced opposition to hostage deals. The families of hostages have blasted the choice.

According to Israel’s Channel 12 News, Zini said in meetings of IDF general staff: “I oppose hostage deals. This is a forever war.” The report does not provide a specific date for Zini’s comments. Channel 12 says it was a position he repeated often over the past year.

“If the report is accurate, these are shocking statements, worthy of unequivocal condemnation, especially coming from someone who is expected to hold the fate of the hostages in his hands,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement at the time.

In his previous position as the head of the Training Command and General Staff Corps in the IDF, Zini had little influence on hostage negotiations. But as head of the Shin Bet, he could have a significant role considering the agency’s participation in previous rounds of indirect negotiations with Hamas.

“Appointing a Shin Bet chief who prioritizes (Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu’s war over the return of the hostages is a sin upon a crime and an injustice to the entire people of Israel – a blow to the value of solidarity and the sacred duty to leave no one behind,” the forum said.

In recent weeks, Israel has come under growing pressure to end the war in Gaza as the enclave faces widespread starvation amid a severe shortage of humanitarian aid.

The United Kingdom has paused trade talks and sanctioned extremist settlers in the West Bank. Canada and France have threatened sanctions. And the European Union – Israel’s biggest trade partner – is reviewing its landmark Association Agreement with the country. In the words of one Israeli minister, their patience has worn thin over Israel’s decision to expand the war.

The kidnapping of Levy emerged as one of the first to make headlines as the Hamas-led October 7 attack unfolded.

Video released by Hamas showed Levy, who was aged 19 at the time, being dragged by her hair at gunpoint with her hands bound.

The families of Israeli hostages held in Gaza blasted the newly-picked head of the Shin Bet security agency after he reportedly voiced opposition to hostage deals.

According to Israel’s Channel 12 News, Maj. Gen. David Zini said in meetings of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) general staff: “I oppose hostage deals. This is a forever war.” The report does not provide a specific date for the Zini’s comments. Channel 12 says it was a position he repeated often over the past year.

“If the report is accurate, these are shocking statements, worthy of unequivocal condemnation, especially coming from someone who is expected to hold the fate of the hostages in his hands,” said the Hostages and Missing Families Forum in a statement on Friday.

In his current position as the head of the Training Command and General Staff Corps in the IDF, Zini has little influence on hostage negotiations and his personal beliefs are largely irrelevant to the process. But if confirmed as head of the Shin Bet, Zini could have a significant role considering the agency’s participation in previous rounds of indirect negotiations with Hamas.

“Appointing a Shin Bet chief who prioritizes (Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu’s war over the return of the hostages is a sin upon a crime and an injustice to the entire people of Israel – a blow to the value of solidarity and the sacred duty to leave no one behind,” the forum said.

When asked for comment, the IDF said it “does not on comment on content discussed in General Staff deliberations.”

Zini’s career in the military has mostly been as a field officer with little experience in intelligence, which is a core aspect of the Shin Bet, officially called the Israel Security Agency.

Ruby Chen, the father of Israeli-American soldier Itay Chen, whose body is still held in Gaza, said on social media that “Netanyahu appoints to key positions people who lack the relevant skills in order to control the system.”

Netanyahu announced Zini’s nomination on Thursday, one day after Israel’s Supreme Court ruled that he had a conflict of interest in firing the previous Shin Bet chief, Ronen Bar, and could not appoint a replacement.

In its decision, the court said the firing “was made when the Prime Minister had a conflict of interest in light of the investigations into the affairs of his associates; that the decision was made without a factual foundation; and without a proper hearing being held for the Shin Bet head.”

On Thursday, the Attorney General said: “The Prime Minister acted contrary to legal guidance, there is serious concern that he acted when he is in a conflict of interest, and the appointment process is flawed.”

But Netanyahu proceeded with the appointment anyway. The Prime Minister’s Office issued a statement on Friday defending the decision. “This is an urgent security necessity, and any delay harms the security of the state and the safety of our soldiers,” it said. Netanyahu said on Friday that he has known Zini for years.

The choice of Zini as an active-duty general was also unprecedented, prompting the IDF’s Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir to issue a statement saying that Zini would retire “in the upcoming days” before he can take up the civilian Shin Bet post.

The pick appeared to surprise the country’s top general, who emphasized that “any discourse conducted by IDF soldiers with the political echelon must be approved by the Chief of General Staff.”

Jorge Humberto Figueroa Benítez, identified by the United States government as a key member of the “Los Chapitos” criminal organization, died during an operation aimed at capturing him in the Mexican state of Sinaloa, the country’s Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection Omar García Harfuch said Saturday.

The operation against Figueroa Benitez, known by the nickname “El Perris,” took place in Navolato, 32 kilometers (19 miles) from Culiacán, the state’s capital, according to local media.

The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) was offering up to $1 million for Figueroa Benitez, who was wanted for alleged federal crimes, including conspiracy to import and traffic fentanyl, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and money laundering conspiracy.

In 2019, the city of Culiacán was the scene of a violent episode known as the “Culiacanazo,” which involved violent armed clashes following the temporary capture of Ovidio Guzmán Lopez, one of the sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán. Ovidio was later released by Mexican authorities, arguing that it was to “save lives.”