Is the US empire in the middle of a long decline?
Iran war has put the US in a situation where ‘it’s not in control but can’t walk away’, argues economist Richard Wolff. When the United States threatens to take over countries and destroy civilisations, “these are the wild gesticulations of a sinking enterprise”, argues Richard Wolff, professor emeritus of economics at the University of Massachusetts. Wolff tells host Steve Clemons that US leaders refuse to face the reality that the US empire is in decline. Around the world, he adds, people are “deeply internalising” the lessons from the US’s inability to defeat Iran. The people in the US are becoming “bitterly angry” at their situation, where the richest 10 percent of Americans own 80 percent of corporate stocks, making the stock market “utterly irrelevant” to the masses. Published On 11 May 202611 May 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Iran war effect: Why is Modi asking Indians to avoid foreign trips, gold?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged Indians to work from home, avoid international trips and not buy gold during the United States-Israeli war on Iran, which has caused global energy prices to surge, adding pressure on India’s foreign exchange reserves. Modi made his plea during a public event in the southern city of Hyderabad on Sunday. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list Here is more about what Modi said, what’s behind the Indian government’s concerns and how they’re linked to the war on Iran. What did Modi say? Modi said people should move to online meetings instead of physical gatherings and use the work-from-home model that was adopted globally during the COVID-19 pandemic. He explained that such practices would cut down the use of fuel. Additionally, Modi urged people to use public transport and carpooling to save fuel. He called on families to reduce their cooking oil consumption, describing that move as both healthy and patriotic. Modi also asked Indians to avoid buying gold and to cut nonessential overseas travel for at least a year. The prime minister asked farmers to cut their fertiliser use by as much as half. And he explained his justification for asking the people of India to make these changes in their lifestyles and plans: “In the current situation, we must place great emphasis on saving foreign exchange.” What’s the ‘current situation’ Modi was talking about? Simply put, Modi was referring to the war on Iran and its far-reaching economic consequences, especially for India. Early in the war too, Modi had compared the economic crisis spawned by the conflict to the situation during the COVID-19 pandemic. On Sunday, he extended that parallel to also ask Indians to adopt some of the restrictive measures forced upon the world by the coronavirus crisis. Advertisement Oil prices have climbed due to the war on Iran, which started on February 28. A barrel of Brent crude, the international benchmark, was worth $72.87 on February 27. As of Monday, a barrel of Brent crude was worth $105.45, an almost 50 percent increase. Iranian attacks on oil and gas facilities in the Gulf in the early weeks of the war impacted energy supplies. Since early March, Iran has also restricted passage through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which 20 percent of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supplies passed before the war. Iran has allowed passage by vessels from select countries that need to negotiate their transit with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. In April, the US announced a naval blockade on ships entering or leaving Iranian ports, further adding to the disruption of global oil and gas supplies. With rising fuel costs, airlines have hiked ticket prices. According to the travel search site Kayak, the average international airfare from the US to all destinations was $1,101 in the last week of April, a 16 percent increase from the same period a year earlier. Nearly half of the world’s traded urea, the most widely used fertiliser, and large volumes of other fertilisers are exported from Gulf countries through the Strait of Hormuz. Those supplies have now been dramatically disrupted. “Patriotism is not only about the willingness to sacrifice one’s life on the border. In these times, it is about living responsibly and fulfilling our duties to the nation in our daily lives,” Modi said. And those duties and responsibilities, per Modi’s comments, centre on India’s foreign exchange reserves. What are India’s foreign exchange reserves? India’s foreign exchange reserves as of May 1 were $690.69bn, down $7.79bn, or about 1.12 percent, from the end of March, according to the Reserve Bank of India, the central bank. Compared with where India’s reserves stood before the war, the fall is more precipitous. As of February 27, India’s foreign exchange reserves stood at $728.5bn. The International Monetary Fund projected that India’s current account deficit (CAD) will be $84bn in 2026. A negative CAD means that it is effectively overdrawn – it has spent more money than it has. What do oil, gold, foreign travel and fertilisers have to do with all of this? India is the world’s third largest oil importer after China and the US. From April 2025 to March, the last Indian financial year, the country imported crude oil worth $123bn. That is the single largest contributor to India’s import budget. Advertisement At second spot? Gold. Indians imported gold worth $72bn in the 2025-2026 fiscal year, second in the world only to China. According to the travel insurance firm ACKO, Indians travelling abroad spent $31.7bn in 2023-2024. In 2024, about 30.9 million Indian nationals departed India, according to data from the Bureau of Immigration. This was up from about 27.9 million Indian nationals in 2023. India is also the world’s largest importer of urea – it imported about 10 million tonnes of the fertiliser last year, according to analysis from S&P Global. Why is this worrying for India right now? India’s foreign exchange reserves are depleted by large volumes of imports of oil, gold, fertilisers and by Indians spending abroad. However, of these expenses, oil and fertilisers are hard for India to cut back on. Energy imports are essential to drive India’s economy, and fertilisers are critical both for the country’s agrarian economy – more than half of the country’s families depend on agriculture – and for food supplies. That leaves gold and foreign travel. Whether Indians will take up Modi’s call, though, is unclear. Adblock test (Why?)
Israeli killings in Lebanon rise: Is even the pretence of a ceasefire over?
The ceasefire in Lebanon that started on April 16 is increasingly coming under strain, with both Israel and Hezbollah ramping up attacks against each other. The ceasefire began after six weeks of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. But the following day, Lebanon’s army reported several violations by Israeli forces. Since then, both Israel and Hezbollah have continued attacks. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list Is even the pretence of a ceasefire over? What could happen? Here’s what we know: What are Israel’s most recent attacks? Since Israel began its war on Lebanon on March 2, at least 2,846 people have been killed and more than a million displaced. Israel’s offensive has included a major ground invasion and the occupation of southern Lebanon. On Sunday, the Lebanese Health Ministry said Israeli attacks across the country had killed 51 people, including two medical workers. “The Israeli enemy continues to violate international laws and humanitarian norms, adding more crimes against paramedics, as it directly targeted two points of the Health Authority in Qalawiya and Tibnin, Bint Jbeil district, in two raids,” the ministry said. Since Israel’s war on Lebanon began on March 2, the United Nations says at least 103 Lebanese medical workers have been killed and 230 injured in more than 130 Israeli strikes. “We’re under threat every second, every day,” Ali Safiuddin, the head of the Lebanese Civil Defence in Tyre in southern Lebanon, told Al Jazeera on Sunday. “We ask ourselves if we’re going to survive or if we’re going to die, we know we’ve already given up our lives by working here. We’ve lost so many people and it feels like we’re already gone as well.” Advertisement Al Jazeera’s Obaida Hitto, reporting from Tyre, said on Sunday that “international humanitarian laws are clear: medical personnel and first responders, like the Lebanese Civil Defence, must be protected in armed conflict, but on this front line, the question isn’t whether another strike is coming. It’s how many people will be left to answer the calls for help”. Dr Tahir Mohammed, a war surgeon, and humanitarian worker who’s worked in both Gaza and Lebanon, told Al Jazeera that he saw parallels in Israeli actions in both places. “We used to see our colleagues in Gaza come through the door all the time. I’ve had colleagues, nurses, medical students killed by Israeli weapons, and so to see the same policy of targeting healthcare workers in Lebanon … it’s consistent,” he said. “If Israel had their way, they would absolutely occupy the entire southern region of Lebanon, and they would do it tomorrow. They have no care for life. I’ve seen it with my own eyes,” Mohammed added. Israeli attacks continued on Monday. An Israeli air strike on the town of Abba killed two people and wounded five, Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) said. Warplanes renewed their raids on the town of Kfar Remman for the second time in less than an hour, NNA added. The Israeli military issued a new warning for southern Lebanon, telling residents of nine areas to flee before potential Israeli strikes. The areas are: Ar-Rihan (Jezzine), Jarjouaa, Kfar Reman, al-Numairiyah, Arab Salim, al-Jumayjimah, Machghara, Qlayaa (Western Bekaa) and Harouf. Israel has repeatedly said that it is only targeting Hezbollah infrastructure, which is primarily in the south of Lebanon. But last week, Israel also bombed Beirut’s southern suburbs for the first time since the ceasefire began. What have Hezbollah attacked? The Lebanese armed group has continued striking Israeli forces. Early on Monday, Hezbollah said it carried out 24 attacks targeting Israeli army positions, soldiers and military vehicles in southern Lebanon over the past 24 hours. Targets included Israeli troop gatherings, Merkava tanks, bulldozers, military equipment and newly established command centres in several border areas, including Khiam, Deir Seryan, Tayr Harfa, Bayyada, Rashaf and Naqoura. Operations involved explosive drones, rocket barrages, artillery shelling and guided missiles, with Hezbollah claiming “confirmed hits” in several attacks. The Israeli military said it had intercepted “a suspicious aerial target” in southern Lebanon in an apparent reference to a drone launched by Hezbollah. Advertisement The Jerusalem Post said the Israeli military is struggling to respond to First Person View (FPV) drones launched by Hezbollah. The newspaper said Hezbollah is using fibre optic threads to guide the drones and evade Israeli wireless jamming devices. The Jerusalem Post noted that Hezbollah had released video of an FPV drone striking an Iron Dome battery on the northern border on Sunday. During its visit to southern Lebanon last week, senior Israeli officials “outlined several new pilot programmes to better identify and shoot down FPVs”, but added that the “military is still trying to catch up in real time”. On Monday, Hezbollah said its fighters targeted an Israeli military position in a house in Baydar al-Faqani in the town of Taybeh, forcing a retreat. Fighters attacked the position three times until an Israeli helicopter intervened to evacuate the wounded, the group said. The Israeli army has not yet commented on the attack, but said three soldiers were injured by a booby-trap drone explosion in southern Lebanon. The army earlier announced that a soldier was killed by a drone launched by Hezbollah near the Lebanese border. So is the ceasefire just a pretence? In theory, the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah does exist, but both warring parties have escalated attacks since it began. The ceasefire followed a previous one, which had ostensibly been in effect since November 27, 2024. Since then, the United Nations counted more than 10,000 Israeli ceasefire violations and hundreds of Lebanese deaths. “I don’t think the pretence of a truce was ever actually there, but I think Israel can continue [attacks] just as it can sign a peace agreement,” Israeli analyst Ori Goldberg told Al Jazeera. “Israel doesn’t really care and will do as it is told. So far, the IDF [Israeli army] wants a win and a chance to apply its might, but that can change in a heartbeat,” he said. Israel has repeatedly told
What next for Real Madrid after Barcelona’s La Liga and Clasico triumph?
The fall may not have been deep, but the landing has been hard. A second trophy-less season for Real Madrid, the most successful La Liga and Champions League club, was confirmed in the worst way possible: a defeat at Barcelona, who, with their win, defended the Spanish title. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list Los Blancos kept the title race alive by their fingernails as they crawled their way to Catalonia, knowing that doing so could result in the cruellest of heartbreaks for their fans. And so it came to pass. Down by two at half-time at Camp Nou – and it could have been a lot more – hanging in there to limit the damage and humiliation was key, but the 2-0 defeat will have cut deeply for a club that has lifted 36 league and 15 Champions League titles. The defeat means Real will finish second this season, not an unusual circumstance in what has regularly been a two-horse race in La Liga. The manner, however, of their failure this season – including their quarterfinal exit from Europe’s top table – has left far more questions than answers in the Spanish capital after another season of discontent. How do Real solve a problem like Mbappe? The signing of Kylian Mbappe from Paris Saint-Germain two seasons ago was seen as a return to the days of collecting the world’s finest talents and collectively calling them “galacticos”. Real had just completed the league and European double under the illustrious Carlo Ancelotti, the most successful manager in European history and no stranger to managing the top names, having led a list of galacticos in his previous spell as Los Blancos manager. Advertisement Last season did not go to plan, though. Mbappe’s arrival broke up the 4-3-3 formation that had served Real so well for so long, with English midfielder Jude Bellingham playing a key, advanced role, while Vinicius Junior thrived in front of and around him. Both were forced to shift position to accommodate Mbappe, who prefers to drop deep from his central position to link up play or run with the ball. It trod on the toes of the two key performers. Even Ancelotti was not immune to the famed Real chop as rumours circulated all season that his failure to gel the team would bring to an end the Italian’s Spanish love affair. Enter Xabi Alonso. Heralded as the answer to Madrid’s problems after sweeping through German football with Bayer Leverkusen, Alonso is also hailed as a midfield maestro as a player for both Madrid and the Spanish national team. Rumours were rife from the off that the players did not buy into Alonso’s system, and friction was often apparent with Mbappe, despite the forward’s refound scoring ability. His 24 goals have him two clear at the top of this season’s Spanish scoring chart. Alonso’s time was clearly up long before the end came, just after the clock ticked in the new calendar year. Alvaro Arbeloa was given the task of guiding the seemingly rudderless ship to the end of the season as interim head coach. Mbappe’s troubles were only just beginning, though. By the end of the season, a “Mbappe out” petition raised more than 33 million signatures, and the Frenchman was the latest focal point of the Madridistas’ displeasure. Reconnecting Mbappe with the fans and connecting him with his teammates’ style of play will be the number one focus for the new season. Geling three of the world’s leading talents, Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham, has proved to be a tough task for successive Real Madrid managers [Marcelo Del Pozo/Reuters] Can Real resolve Vinicius Jr’s fallout with fans? Prior to the campaign waged against Mbappe, Vinicius fell foul of the home support, with boos for the forward ringing around a series of performances either side of the Champions League exit at the hands of Bayern Munich. The Brazilian went on a 19-game run without a goal for club and country between October 10 and January 11. Ironically, he broke his unwanted streak in the 3-2 Spanish Super Cup final defeat by Barcelona, Alonso’s last game in charge. The ruptures were apparent, however, and rumours abounded that the 25-year-old’s stay at the only club he has ever known could be coming to an end. Advertisement Manchester United were the first to be linked with a move for the versatile forward, but all of Europe’s elite will be on red alert should there be any indication that Real may consider Vinicius as the way to reshape the team around their most bankable asset on and off the field: Mbappe. Will Valverde and Tchouameni survive dressing-room bust-up? As the day of destiny at Barcelona approached, the last thing Real needed were more unwanted headlines, let alone from two of the brighter spots in an otherwise dark campaign. Uruguay’s Federico Valverde and France’s Aurelien Tchouameni were involved in a training-ground bust-up on Thursday, which left the former needing a trip to hospital for a head injury, ruling the midfielder out of the coming weeks. Real swiftly fined both players on Friday, but Tchouameni was still named in the starting lineup at Barcelona. Should Real decide that one or both were required to leave to avoid a potential toxic fallout in the dressing room, then, much like in the case of Vinicius, the phone lines of Europe’s top clubs will be working overtime to seal one or the other. Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho, right, is greeted by Pepe, second right, and Cristiano Ronaldo, third right, in 2012, as they celebrate their 32nd La Liga title [Paul Hanna/Reuters] Is Jose Mourinho’s return the answer for Real? Cometh the hour, cometh the man? Given the extent of the discontent across the club, the job of replacing Alonso on a full-time basis will require something not far short of a miracle. Mourinho was not a popular choice in his time in the Real dugout, given his pragmatic tactics, seen
Somalis rally against government-ordered evictions in Mogadishu
NewsFeed Demonstrators rallied across the Somali capital in support of families displaced by a wave of government-led home demolitions. Opposition figures, who organised the protests, say security forces shot and killed one person while trying to disperse the crowds. Published On 11 May 202611 May 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Gaza documentary dropped by the BBC wins BAFTA
NewsFeed A documentary exposing Israel’s attacks on Gaza’s hospitals and the killing of 1,700 Palestinian medics won Best Current Affairs at the BAFTAs. During the acceptance speech, filmmakers criticised the BBC for initially funding the film but dropping it, accusing the broadcaster of censorship. Published On 11 May 202611 May 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Stories of those killed in a single day of Israeli strikes on Lebanon
NewsFeed Israeli strikes have killed at least 39 people, wiping out entire families, in a single day of attacks across Lebanon during a so-called ‘ceasefire.’ Here are some of their stories. Published On 10 May 202610 May 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Football on ruins: Gaza’s orphans find refuge on the pitch
Sixteen-year-old Mohammed Eyad Azzam says he was a “pampered” child before an Israeli air attack in Gaza killed his immediate family, leaving him as the sole provider for his elderly grandmother. Mohammed was at home on the morning of October 11, 2024, with his parents and siblings in the Jabalia refugee camp, northern Gaza, when without warning an Israeli warplane struck, bringing his family’s multistorey building down on top of them. “I was sitting safely with my parents and my two older brothers … I was buried under the rubble for about 10 minutes,” Mohammed told Al Jazeera. “It was pure suffering.” Mohammed’s grandmother managed to dig him out of the wreckage of the home, and the next thing he remembers is waking up in his neighbour’s house on a ventilator. “I survived by a miracle,” he said. Relentless Israeli bombing meant Mohammed was unable to give his parents and two brothers a proper funeral at a cemetery, so instead he buried his parents and siblings in a small, makeshift plot of land. Overnight, the teenager was thrust into adulthood, and he now lives amid the thousands of displaced in northern Gaza’s Shati refugee camp, spending his days lighting fires and carrying heavy water containers for his grandmother. “My life flipped from happiness to grief. I used to be pampered, but now I am responsible for everything,” he said. Amid all the challenges, Mohammed has found one escape from his daily turmoil: football. A psychological lifeline Before the war, Mohammed was a promising player for the Khadamat Jabalia football club. However, following Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, the club no longer functioned, pitches were destroyed, and many of his former teammates were killed. Mohammed Eyad Azzam dribbles a football through a displacement camp. The sport has become his only escape after losing his family [Screengrab/Al Jazeera] Yet, against all odds, the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) recently organised a tournament for players born in 2009 at one of the last remaining patches of land in Gaza suitable for hosting a football match. Advertisement For Mohammed, lacing up his boots is one of the few ways he can fend off the despair of life without his parents and siblings, but the pitch still brings back haunting memories of what he lost before Israel began its genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023. “It removes the boredom and releases our negative energy,” he explained. “Most of my teammates have their brothers and fathers there to motivate and encourage them. I have no one to cheer for me now, I miss them so much – as much as the sea and its fish.” Decimation of Palestinian sports Mohammed’s heartbreak is emblematic of Israel’s systematic destruction of sports infrastructure in Gaza, according to Mustafa Siyam, head of the media department at the Palestinian Football Association in the southern provinces (Gaza Strip). “Mohammed is one of tens of thousands of talented children who have lost their families, their clubs, their academies, and their education,” Siyam told Al Jazeera. The Israeli offensive has destroyed or damaged 265 sports facilities across the Gaza Strip [Screengrab/Al Jazeera] The statistics are staggering. According to the PFA, the Israeli offensive has killed 1,113 people affiliated with the sports sector, including more than 560 football players, coaches and administrators. Additionally, 265 sports facilities have been destroyed or damaged over the past two-and-a-half years, while all 56 football clubs in Gaza – from Beit Hanoon in the north to Rafah in the south – have been severely affected. Mohammed’s club, Khadamat Jabalia, was also destroyed, and the space was temporarily turned into a detention and interrogation centre by Israeli forces during the invasion of Gaza. Deadly commutes to the pitch With main stadiums either bombed into ruins or converted into shelters for displaced families, the PFA is now organising youth tournaments on just three small pitches that remain – Palestine Stadium in Gaza City, Khadamat Nuseirat and Ittihad Shabab Deir al-Balah – but getting to these games is still a life-threatening ordeal for young footballers. Mohammed ties his shoelaces before a match. Players now have to walk several kilometres through rubble to reach the few remaining pitches [Screengrab/Al Jazeera] “We walk 3-4km through tents and rubble to reach the pitch,” Mohammed said. “It drains you psychologically before you even step onto the field.” Siyam acknowledges the grave risks youngsters face when heading to their local pitch, but says their fortitude and love for the sport mean football will endure in Gaza. Advertisement “The security situation remains extremely dangerous. A player walking from his tent to the pitch is exposed to the risk of sudden air strikes, but the determination of the players and the association pushes us to resume activities,” he said. “It sends a message to the world that Palestinian youth are capable of rising from the rubble.” ‘Double standards’ While the football community in Gaza is struggling to survive, Palestinian sports officials have expressed deep frustration with the international community, particularly the governing body of the sport, FIFA, over a lack of support or solidarity. Siyam highlighted glaring double standards when FIFA moved swiftly to suspend Russia and ban its clubs following Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, but took no action against Israel. “When it comes to Palestine, unfortunately, there are no decisions; FIFA’s position is very weak,” he said. Despite the targeted killing of prominent athletes, such as national team player Suleiman Obaid, and Israeli settlement clubs competing on occupied Palestinian land, FIFA has failed to impose any sanctions on the Israeli Football Association. With a lack of action from FIFA, the PFA is now seeking justice via international sports tribunals. Honouring a dream While the PFA waits for a permanent ceasefire to rebuild Gaza’s battered sporting infrastructure and for Israel to open the enclave’s borders to allow local talent to join Palestine’s national teams, young players such as Mohammed are clinging to the game to keep their loved ones’ memories alive. Despite the destruction and trauma, Mohammed remains determined to
Iran sends response to US ceasefire proposal via Pakistan
Al Jazeera’s Almigdad Elruhaid reports from Tehran that Iran has sent its response to a US proposal to end the war via mediator Pakistan, according to state news agency IRNA. Tehran has been saying negotiations should focus on ending hostilities, securing guarantees against future attacks and reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Published On 10 May 202610 May 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Iran war live: IRGC warns US against attacks on ships; Israel bombs Lebanon
blinking-dotLive updatesLive updates, US-Iran ceasefire holds as Tehran warns Washington against attacks on tankers and Israel kills 24 people in Lebanon. Published On 10 May 202610 May 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)