The Asian Katra cargo ship (top left) arrives in Havana Bay in Havana, Cuba, May 18, 2026
A SHIP laden with humanitarian aid from the governments of Mexico and Uruguay has arrived in Cuba to help ease the effects of the illegal US blockade.
The cargo of the ship, which sailed from a Mexican port, includes personal hygiene items and 1,700 tons of grains, powdered milk and other food, according to a statement published by Cuban media.
Food Industry Minister Alberto Lopez Diaz said the items had arrived “at a time of great economic hardship, exacerbated by the tightening of the blockade imposed on our country by the US government.”
The US has been ratcheting up pressure as it seeks an indictment against Cuba’s former president Raul Castro over his alleged role in the 1996 downing of four planes operated by Miami-based exile group Brothers to the Rescue.
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Israeli soldiers intercept the Gaza-bound Global Sumud humanitarian flotilla, as they captured the fleet’s live-streaming account at Sea on May 18, 2026. [Global Sumud Flotilla – Anadolu Agency]
Spain on Monday summoned Israel’s chargé d’affaires and lodged what Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares described as a “formal and forceful protest” over Israel’s interception of a Gaza-bound flotilla, calling it “a new violation of international law,” Anadolu reports.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelaty in Madrid, Albares said Israeli forces had intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla and that Spanish authorities were closely monitoring the situation, El Mundo reported.
“I do not have the exact number of Spaniards, but it would be around 45,” Albares said, adding that between “one and two dozen” Spanish nationals aboard the vessels may currently be detained by Israeli authorities.
Albares said Spain had already established contact with other governments whose citizens were also on board.
The minister called the interception “a new violation of international law,” and that he remains uncertain about how Israeli authorities will proceed with those detained but stressed that the action itself was an “unacceptable act and an illegal detention.”
He said Madrid was following developments “minute by minute” and described the flotilla as “peaceful.”
Earlier Monday, the Israeli army attacked the humanitarian flotilla in international waters and detained around 100 activists.
The flotilla, consisting of more than 50 boats, set sail Thursday from the Turkish Mediterranean district of Marmaris in a renewed attempt to break the Israeli blockade imposed on Gaza since 2007.
Organizers said the mission included 426 participants, among them 96 Turkish activists and participants from 39 other countries, including Germany, the US, Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Brazil, Algeria, Indonesia, Morocco, France, South Africa, the UK, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Canada, Egypt, Pakistan, Tunisia, Oman, and New Zealand.
On April 29, Israeli forces also attacked the aid mission off the coast of the Greek island of Crete, and deported the activists on board.
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Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it’s fun to kill everyone …Orcas discuss Donald Trump and the killer apes’ concept of democracy. Front Orca warns that Trump is crashing his country’s economy and that everything he does he does for the fantastically wealthy.
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Demonstrators holding Palestinian flags gather at Piazza dei Cinquecento during a rally held as part of a general strike called by trade unions to protest rearmament programs, condemn the genocide against Palestinians, and support the Global Sumud Flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza, in Rome, Italy on May 18, 2026. [Claudia Chieppa – Anadolu Agency]
A nationwide general strike took place in Italy on Monday in protest against rearmament policies and in support of Palestinians in Gaza, Anadolu reports.
The strike was organized following a call from the USB union and other civil society groups under the slogan “We block everything.”
Participants opposed rising living costs, increased military spending, and what they described as government priorities favoring armament over healthcare and education.
They also expressed opposition to Israel’s attacks in Gaza and voiced support for the “Global Sumud Flotilla,” a civilian aid initiative attempting to reach the territory.
Demonstrations were held in multiple cities, including Rome, where protesters gathered at Piazza Cinquecento.
Many displayed Palestinian flags and demanded that the Italian government reduce or end what they called complicity with Israel.
Slogans calling for a “Free Palestine” were repeatedly heard during the protests.
Transport disruptions were reported across the country.
In Rome, one metro line was suspended, while in Naples, service on a metro line was halted.
In Milan, some suburban rail services were also affected, and port workers in Livorno carried out industrial action.
The protests also highlighted solidarity with activists involved in the Sumud Flotilla.
A Palestinian-origin Spanish activist, Saif Abukeshek, previously detained during a maritime incident involving Israeli forces, attended the Rome rally.
The Israeli army on Monday attacked and intercepted the Gaza-bound Global Sumud humanitarian flotilla in international waters and detained around 100 activists as the mission sought to break Israel’s blockade on the Palestinian enclave.
Speaking to Anadolu, he described the recent interceptions of flotilla vessels in international waters as violations of international law and linked them to broader criticism of Italy’s arms trade policies.
Another protester, Andrea Ziccaro, said the strike was aimed at opposing what he called a “war economy,” arguing that prioritizing military spending leads to neglect of social services like health and education.
Natalia Mancini, also a protester, added that recent incidents involving the flotilla exposed the “mask” of what she named the so-called democracies.
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Israeli military intervene in international waters in the Mediterranean Sea to seize the Global Sumud Fleet, which aimed to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, on May 18, 2026. [Global Sumud Fleet – Anadolu Agency]
Irish President Catherine Connolly’s sister is among the Gaza-bound Global Sumud flotilla activists detained by Israeli forces, according to media reports Monday.
Margaret Connolly was among at least six Irish citizens aboard the aid flotilla detained by Israel, the Irish Independent reported, citing activists.
According to the Global Sumud Flotilla, 10 boats from a 60-vessel convoy were intercepted in international waters and boarded by Israeli forces earlier Monday.
Organizers said the interception took place around 70 nautical miles off the island of Cyprus, with at least six of the 15 Irish participants detained.
The flotilla released videos from Connolly and five other activists that appeared to have been recorded before the interception.
“If you are watching this video, it means I have been kidnapped from my boat in the flotilla by the Israeli occupying forces, and I’m now being held illegally in an Israeli prison,” Connolly said in the video.
“I am so proud to be taking part in this flotilla – it is the largest to date,” she added.
The Israeli army on Monday attacked and intercepted the Gaza-bound Global Sumud humanitarian flotilla in international waters and detained around 100 activists as the mission sought to break Israel’s blockade on the Palestinian enclave.
The flotilla, consisting of more than 50 boats, set sail Thursday from the Turkish Mediterranean district of Marmaris in a renewed attempt to break the Israeli blockade imposed on Gaza since 2007.
Organizers said the mission included 426 participants, among them 96 Turkish activists and participants from 39 other countries, including Germany, the US, Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Brazil, Algeria, Indonesia, Morocco, France, South Africa, the UK, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Canada, Egypt, Pakistan, Tunisia, Oman and New Zealand.
On April 29, Israeli forces also attacked the Global Sumud aid flotilla off the coast of the Greek island of Crete.
Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it’s fun to kill everyone …Orcas discuss Donald Trump and the killer apes’ concept of democracy. Front Orca warns that Trump is crashing his country’s economy and that everything he does he does for the fantastically wealthy.
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Emirati flag fluttering above Dubai’s marina with the Burj Al Arab landmark hotel in the background [KARIM SAHIB/AFP via Getty Images]
The United Arab Emirates paid more than $6 million to a secretive US reputation management firm tied to whitewashing a client’s link to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, to manipulate Google search results and suppress damaging reporting about its ambassador to Washington, Yousef Al-Otaiba, according to a New York Times investigation.
The revelation appears in a wider investigation into Terakeet, a Syracuse-based firm that specialises in search engine optimisation and online reputation management for powerful clients facing public scrutiny.
While the New York Times investigation focuses mainly on Terakeet’s failed attempt to repair the reputation of Goldman Sachs general counsel and supporter of Israel, Kathryn Ruemmler, over her links to Epstein, one of its most striking revelations concerns the firm’s work for the UAE and its long-serving ambassador in Washington, Yousef Al-Otaiba.
An advocate of Israel, Ruemmler’s Washington legal career saw her make the case for legislation to combat the anti-BDS (Boycott Divestment and Sanctions) campaign. In 2019, she and former US solicitor general Paul Clement were cited as having written legal opinions arguing that legislation linked to President Donald Trump executive order on anti-Semitism did not violate the First Amendment, even though critics warned that such measures could be used to suppress campus criticism of Israel and support for BDS.
Terakeet’s work for the UAE is said to have begun in July 2019 and continues to this day. Much of its formal work focused on promoting tourism in the Emirates. However, former employees told the paper that Al-Otaiba was concerned about a 2017 article published by The Intercept, written by Ryan Grim, now co-founder of Drop Site News, which reported that the ambassador had once had ties to sex workers and traffickers.
Rather than challenge the report directly, Terakeet allegedly worked to bury it.
The Times reported that a small team at Terakeet was tasked with pushing Grim’s article off the first page of Google search results. The account manager, Kenneth Schiefer, reportedly relocated from Syracuse to Washington for more than a year to work in person with Al-Otaiba at the UAE embassy, avoiding a digital trail of emails and text messages between them.
Terakeet then established a personal webpage for Al-Otaiba and generated flattering online profiles emphasising his leadership and diplomatic credentials. The firm supplied these profiles to institutions linked to the ambassador, including the Milken Institute, the Special Olympics and Harvard’s Kennedy School, as well as to The Marque, a paid digital profile directory.
The Times also reported that Terakeet used an anonymous editor handle, VentureKit, to create what it described as a fraudulent “sock puppet” account, Quorum816, to add positive information about Al-Otaiba to his Wikipedia page in 2020. Wikipedia later reversed the edits and suspended both accounts.
The purpose of the operation was clear: to create enough favourable and “differentiated” content about the UAE ambassador to force damaging reporting lower down in Google search results. According to the Times, the effort succeeded. By 2023, The Intercept article had dropped to page two of Google results. Today, for most users, it appears on page five.
The UAE is said to have paid Terakeet more than $6 million between 2020 and 2022 for the work.
The wider New York Times investigation centres on Terakeet’s work for Goldman Sachs and Ruemmler, a former White House counsel under President Barack Obama. Terakeet reportedly sought to address what an internal memo described as her “association risk problem” over her ties to Epstein.
Senior Terakeet figures reportedly discussed how to promote favourable material about Ruemmler so that at least 80 per cent of the first 30 Google results would be positive. The firm created or planned personal websites, LinkedIn pages and multiple biographical profiles intended to appear above stories about her meetings and correspondence with Epstein.
But the effort ultimately failed. New documents released by the US House Oversight Committee and later by the Justice Department reportedly revealed extensive references to Ruemmler in Epstein-related records, including emails in which she used affectionate terms for him and discussed travel, gifts and legal advice. Ruemmler announced in February that she would resign from Goldman Sachs.
The Asian Katra cargo ship (top left) arrives in Havana Bay in Havana, Cuba, May 18, 2026
