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President Zelenskiy reassigns Rustem Umerov to head foreign intelligence in ongoing administration reshuffle

ByJustpaste.in

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has appointed Rustem Umerov, former Defence Minister and head of the National Security and Defence Council, as the country’s new chief of foreign intelligence.

Despite taking on the intelligence portfolio, Umerov will retain his role leading Ukraine’s peace delegation in negotiations aimed at ending the conflict with Russia.

The personnel shift is part of a broader cabinet restructuring initiated in July that saw former Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko named to head the Security Council, while former Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov and top military commander Oleksandr Syrskiy were relieved of their positions.

The decision to remove Fedorov, an advocate for digital and drone warfare, sparked public criticism and street demonstrations calling for his reinstatement. While critics argue the reshuffle repeatedly shifts a small circle of close political allies between senior posts, government officials maintain the structural changes are designed to optimize national defense preparations ahead of anticipated winter strikes on energy infrastructure.

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    The World Health Organization says something troubling is happening behind the scenes of the global obesity fight. Many of the same companies profiting from junk food sales are also dragging governments to court. Their goal is to block laws designed to curb the crisis. A joint investigation by The Guardian and Lighthouse Reports dug into this pattern. Academics and media groups across four continents took part. Together, they uncovered 235 lawsuits filed against governments over ultra-processed food policies. The cases span 2010 to 2025. Countries hit hardest include Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, the US, and the UK. Labelling rules were the most challenged policies. Junk food taxes came next, followed by marketing restrictions. Food companies did not fare well in court. They lost about 75 percent of decided cases. But WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says the scoreboard misses the real damage. It is the time these lawsuits consume that hurts most. Combined, the litigation added up to nearly 600 years. Each case dragged on for two and a half years on average. The costs go beyond legal bills. Governments spend billions on healthcare and courtroom battles alike. Tedros calls the resulting hesitation a “regulatory chill.” Long, expensive lawsuits make officials think twice before trying similar reforms. Researchers managed to trace plaintiffs in many of these cases. Of those identified, 38 percent came from just eight companies. The list includes Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Mondelēz, Kellogg’s, Danone, Ferrero, Xignux, and Heartland Food Products Group. Some of these firms went a step further. They asked courts to keep their names hidden entirely. That secrecy tactic is not new. Researchers say it echoes moves once made by tobacco and alcohol companies. Both industries faced similar scrutiny in the past and used the same playbook. Tedros gave credit where it is due. He noted some companies have reformulated their products in good faith. Still, he insists that’s not enough while lawsuits keep piling up. There is also a wealth gap at play. Most legal battles are happening in richer nations. Poorer countries face the same obesity burden. But they have far fewer resources to defend new health policies if challenged in court. The scale of the crisis makes all this urgent. Nearly a billion people worldwide are currently living with obesity, per WHO estimates.

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    Iran ready to resist pressure as Hormuz talks near…

    ByJustpaste.in

    TEHRAN: Iran is prepared to continue resisting mounting pressure, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said, as Tehran and Oman move closer to an agreement on managing navigation through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz. Araghchi said Iran would not forget what it described as the unjust bloodshed of its martyrs and would not forgive those responsible. His remarks come amid continuing tensions between Tehran and Washington and uncertainty over the future of negotiations. The Iranian foreign minister also warned that talks with the United States would not resume if Washington continued to violate the memorandum of understanding between the two countries. According to Araghchi, Iran and the United States are currently not engaged in direct negotiations. However, messages are being exchanged through intermediaries, keeping a narrow diplomatic channel open despite the broader standoff. The most immediate development concerns the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for international energy shipments. Araghchi said negotiations between Iran and Oman over a new arrangement for maritime traffic were in their final stages. He stressed, however, that reaching an agreement with Oman would not automatically mean the strait would be fully reopened. Instead, the proposed arrangement would establish new maritime routes between Iran and Oman. The two countries have previously agreed to work together on future navigation management, shipping services and related arrangements while emphasizing safe passage and their sovereign rights over their territorial waters. The issue has become a major point of contention in wider diplomatic efforts, with Tehran insisting that US actions under the memorandum must be addressed before normal negotiations can resume. For now, the emerging Iran-Oman arrangement could offer a potential pathway for maritime traffic, but significant political hurdles remain. With Tehran maintaining its tough stance toward Washington, the next stage of diplomacy could determine whether the strategic waterway moves toward greater stability or remains at the center of regional tensions.

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    Campaigners demand UK tour cancellation over Jared Leto claims

    ByJustpaste.in

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