📌 WW III In 5-10 Years? India Hits Pakistan, More

Eighty years after VE-Day, which marked the Nazi surrender and the end of World War II, many fear WW III is imminent.

New YouGov polling conducted in Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the US shows that 41–55% of respondents in each country said another world war is likely to occur within the next five to 10 years. 45% of Americans hold the same view.

If another world war occurs, YouGov says 68–76% said the conflict would involve nuclear weapons. Moreover, 57–73% said a third world war would result in a higher casualty count than previous global conflicts.

According to the National WWII Museum in New Orleans, WWII took the lives of 45 million civilians and 15 million in battle, though worldwide numbers vary.

A minority of western Europeans said their militaries could defend their countries in a third world war, from 16% in Italy to 44% in France. 71% of Americans said their armed forces could defend the US, YouGov says. 72–82% of western Europeans see Russia as the biggest threat to peace in Europe — 69% of Americans agreed — Islamic terrorism was second.

The report says Trump’s “threats against Greenland, Canada and Panama,” and “his stance on Ukraine,” show 58% of people in Spain, 55% in Germany, and 53% in France see tensions between Europe and the US as a major or moderate threat to continental peace, with 34% of Americans agreeing.

India attacked Pakistan and Pakistani Kashmir today and Pakistan said it had shot down five Indian fighter jets.

The Indian hits on targets in Pakistan's most populous province of Punjab were the first since their last full-scale war more than half a century ago, triggering fears of a further escalation of military hostilities.

India said it struck nine Pakistani “terrorist infrastructure” sites, some linked to an attack by Islamist militants on Hindu tourists that killed 26 people in Indian Kashmir last month. India earlier said two of three suspects were Pakistani nationals but had not detailed any evidence. Pakistan denied any involvement.

Islamabad said six Pakistani locations were targeted, and that none were militant camps. At least 26 civilians were killed and 46 injured, a Pakistan military spokesperson said.

Indian military spokespersons said the strikes targeted "terrorist camps" that served as recruitment centres, launchpads, and indoctrination centres, and housed weapons and training facilities.

Islamabad called the attacks a "blatant act of war" and said it had informed the UN Security Council that Pakistan reserved the right to respond appropriately. A spokesman for the Pakistan military said Pakistan’s response will be “at a time, place, and means” of its own choice.

Two Trump administration officials will soon meet with their Chinese counterparts to discuss trade.

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer (pictured) will "meet with his counterpart from the People's Republic of China to discuss trade matters" during a trip to Switzerland.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will also travel to Switzerland this week, where he will meet with China's "lead representative on economic matters." A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in a post on X that Bessent will meet with Vice Premier He Lifeng.

Bessent said he will meet with a Chinese team on Saturday and Sunday, and initial discussions will likely be about "de-escalation, not about the big trade deal." The Treasury secretary said the US and China have "shared interests" because the sky-high tariffs imposed by both countries are not “sustainable."

President Trump hit China with 145% tariffs on many goods last month, part of a wider swath of steep "reciprocal tariffs" on dozens of US trading partners that Trump has accused of unfair practices. China later retaliated with 125% tariffs on US imports.

Higher intakes of black tea, berries, citrus fruits and apples could help to promote healthy ageing, research has found. Foods rich in flavonoids, such as berries, apples, red wine, oranges, and tea, could help to lower the risk of key components of unhealthy ageing, including frailty, impaired physical function and poor mental health, the study says. The study, which analysed data from 62,743 women and 23,687 men over 24 years, found that women with the highest flavonoid intakes had a 15% lower risk of frailty, a 12% lower risk of impaired physical function, and a 12% lower risk of poor mental health compared to those with the lowest intakes. While fewer associations were observed in men, higher flavonoid intake was still linked to a lower risk of poor mental health. "Flavonoids are well known for reducing oxidative stress and inflammation, supporting blood vessel health, and even helping to maintain skeletal muscle mass — all of which are important for preventing frailty and maintaining physical function and mental health as we age," said a senior author of the study. "Overall, these findings underscore the potential for simple dietary modifications to impact overall quality of life and contribute to the optimisation of healthy aging," said Professor Eric Rimm of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Growing up in tough neighborhoods, hardship, and few resources may alter how children’s brains respond to events, research finds.

A report says children from disadvantaged neighborhoods show diminished neural responses when winning or losing, but only if they already have a family history of depression. The discovery offers critical insight into how environmental factors might increase vulnerability to mental health challenges.

“Prior research has looked at stress at the individual level — people reporting on traumas they’ve experienced or interpersonal stress — but less research has looked at community-level stressors,” a study author said.

The research team studied over 200 children ages 7-11, first determining whether their parents had a history of major depressive disorder. Using zip code data, they assessed each child’s neighborhood environment, including crime risk, socioeconomic disadvantage, and community resources.

While children completed a simple monetary guessing task, researchers measured their brain activity using electroencephalogram. This allowed the team to observe neural responses when children won or lost money during the task.

The study’s key findings show that children from disadvantaged neighborhoods had blunted brain responses to rewards and losses. The effect was strongest in children whose parents had a history of depression. Children without this family history showed less impact from neighborhood disadvantage.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney bluntly told US President Donald Trump that Canada would never be for sale.

Carney, who won Canada's April 28 election on a promise to push back against US tariffs and talk of annexation, later said he had also asked Trump to stop referring in public to Canada as “the 51st state.”

Trump told reporters the meeting was "great" and noted that he and Carney get along. Trump said the two sides would not be discussing Canada becoming part of the US, but said it would be "a wonderful marriage."

Overall, Carney termed the meeting as constructive, and said the two sides would start serious talks on a new relationship he insists is needed in the wake of the tariffs.

Carney's Liberal Party promised voters it would create a new bilateral economic and security relationship with Washington and diversify an economy heavily dependent on exports to the US.

"We made progress. We had very comprehensive tangible exchanges and there will be meetings between ministers and officials," Carney later told a press conference, saying he would meet Trump at a G7 summit in Canada in mid-June.

A playdate between the world’s tallest and smallest living dogs met with lots of tail wagging, sniffing and scampering. Despite the 3-foot height difference, Reginald, a 7-year-old Great Dane from Idaho who is the size of a small horse, and Pearl, a chihuahua from Florida who is as small as an apple, both got on famously. Both are certified by Guinness World Records as winners in their respective height categories. Pearl, a 4-year-old who stands at 3.59 inches, comes from a long line of short dogs. Her aunt Millie, a previous record-holder in the same category, until she died in 2020, was also under 4 inches tall. Both Millie and Pearl weighed 1 ounce at birth. Pearl’s tiny size was also strange for the big boy. “He was like very cautious, like a little anxious,” said Sam Johnson Reiss, Reggie's owner. “He was very careful, like he didn’t step on her or anything, or anything crazy. He was just very aware that she was there.” There might have been a little jealousy shown over toys and beds, but Reggie and Pearl found common ground during their two days roaming the Idaho farm together. “I think she found a good friend,” Vanesa Semler, Pearl’s handler, said.