The fall of a trillionaire, crisis in Britain and Germany’s “elderly plan” — Weekend

A 60-day period to reach a full agreement. It sounds good, but the real situation in the region shows that expecting absolute peace anytime soon would be a mistake. As we predicted earlier, Hormuz has once again become the center of the conflict. Iran wants to maintain its control over the strait. However, the United States does not intend to silently watch this happen.

A 60-day period to reach a full agreement. It may sound good, but no one in the Middle East fully believes in it yet. The United States and Iran left the negotiating table in different moods. Tehran knows Washington cannot be trusted, while the White House does not want to back down. We would believe everything could turn out well if Israel also wanted peace. What does this short pause promise the world?

British politics is once again left without its leader. Just two years after being elected, Keir Starmer is stepping down early. What does British society, which has set an anti-record for removing its leaders over the past decade, actually want? Is the problem with the candidates or the system?

In Eastern Europe, Romania’s parliament has approved a draft law on unification with Moldova. Yes, the decision has not yet been fully confirmed, but there must be a serious reason behind such an abnormal political step as one state joining another. So, what does Moldova want? What about Romania? And what does the war in Ukraine have to do with this possible unification?

In Venezuela, two earthquakes within 39 seconds left thousands of people homeless and killed hundreds. Many bodies are still under the rubble. We will discuss the details so far of this seconds-long apocalypse and other major events of the week in the latest QALAMPIR.UZ digest.

A 60-day pause

The United States and Iran have agreed on a 60-day pause. During talks held on June 21-22 this year at the mountainous Bürgenstock resort near Lucerne, Switzerland, the main focus was on issues within the framework of a memorandum of understanding previously developed by Iran. In particular, the sides discussed reducing military tensions in the Middle East, ensuring the safety of international merchant vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, restraining clashes between Israel and Hezbollah, and disputed issues related to Iran’s nuclear program.

Iran was represented at the meeting by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and officials from the banking and industrial sectors. The U.S. delegation included U.S. Vice President JD Vance, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and former adviser on Middle East affairs. In addition, leaders and special representatives from mediator countries, including Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and officials from Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also took part.

However, the talks did not go entirely smoothly. Sharp statements by U.S. President Donald Trump against Iran complicated the situation. The Tehran delegation regarded the remarks as excessive pressure and threats and left the negotiating table in protest.

“Do they not understand that if their threats had been effective, they would not have reached today’s level of despair? We do not take the Americans’ threats seriously,” Ghalibaf said.

Nevertheless, the efforts of mediators helped preserve diplomatic contacts. The talks resumed, and in the end the parties reached an important political agreement on managing tensions. A roadmap was approved to develop a final document within 60 days. Under it, political and technical negotiations will continue uninterrupted over the next two months.

A separate high-level committee was established for this purpose. According to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the next meeting with the participation of technical experts is planned to be held again in Switzerland at the end of June. At this stage, specific mechanisms are expected to be developed on technical details of the nuclear program, sanctions, security guarantees and regional stability.

Following the talks, Washington was also forced to accept certain conditions. The United States decided to temporarily ease some sanctions imposed on Iran’s economy. However, this does not mean the sanctions have been fully lifted. In other words, if Iran does not make concessions in the future, the White House may reverse course.

Tehran, despite the continuation of negotiations, has not abandoned its harsh rhetoric. Senior officials said the Iranian people would not forget the military actions of the United States and Israel, stressing that recent events “will not be forgiven” and that the war has not fully ended. In fact, there are enough reasons for such distrust and coldness. Tehran lost a great deal in this war. Moreover, since representatives of Israel, one of the main causes of the war, are not at the negotiating table, Iran understands well that the United States’ empty promises cannot be trusted.

In addition, the still-unresolved nuclear program issue, the problem of controlling Hormuz and Israel’s absence from the agreements raise doubts that these conflicts will fully end after 60 days. In any case, it is quite clear that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does not agree to peace. As long as the idea of Greater Israel exists, it is pointless to expect peace in the Middle East.

Less than a week later, our predictions were confirmed. Washington did not wait long. Today, June 27, the U.S. Armed Forces carried out strikes on sites where Iranian missiles and drones were stored, as well as on coastal radars. According to the Pentagon, the military action was prompted by a drone attack on a merchant vessel sailing through the Strait of Hormuz under the Singaporean flag. According to reports, four drones attacked the Singapore-flagged vessel belonging to Taiwan-based Evergreen Marine. Three of them were shot down, while one struck the ship. None of the crew members were injured, and the vessel managed to continue its journey.

“We shot down three more drones. This is an open and foolish violation of our ceasefire agreement,” the U.S. President said.

In fact, it is still unclear who carried out these attacks and why. After all, Tehran, which is benefiting from the terms of the ceasefire, is unlikely to simply attack some vessel. It seems other forces that do not want peace to be established may be involved. But our task is not to determine who is guilty. The conclusion is yours.

It remains unclear whether the parties will be able to restore mutual trust within the upcoming 60-day period, reach a compromise on the nuclear program and develop mechanisms to reduce military tensions in the region.

Elon Musk loses trillionaire status

Now the Earth has had its first trillionaire. Elon Musk, who has led the world billionaires ranking for years, reached a historic milestone in June 2026. He went down in history as the first person whose wealth officially exceeded $1 trillion. However, Musk did not remain at this peak for long. Soon afterward, due to a decline in the U.S. stock market and a sharp depreciation in the shares of technology companies, Musk’s fortune again fell below the trillion-dollar mark.

The main factor behind Elon Musk’s historic achievement was the stock market debut of SpaceX, the company he founded. On June 12, the company’s IPO on the Nasdaq exchange was even more successful than investors had expected. On the first days of trading, SpaceX’s market capitalization reached nearly $1.77 trillion. Musk, who owns about 41% of the company, saw his personal fortune surge above $1.11 trillion.

SpaceX’s record valuation was driven by the company’s achievements in recent years. The global expansion of the Starlink satellite internet network, the Starship program approaching its commercial phase, and major contracts with NASA and the Pentagon significantly boosted investor confidence. As a result, the company became one of the most valuable private technology firms in the world.

However, financial markets can destroy records as quickly as they create them. A general decline in U.S. technology stocks also negatively affected SpaceX and Tesla securities. Against the background of mass stock sales by investors seeking to take profits, SpaceX shares fell by more than 30%. The drop in Tesla shares also deprived Musk of his “trillionaire” status.

But Elon Musk is still in the game. According to the latest estimates, his wealth is valued at around $950 billion. He remains the richest person on Earth and is still hundreds of billions of dollars ahead of his closest rivals.

Starmer resigns

Another political crisis has erupted in the United Kingdom. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who led the Labour Party to a historic victory in the 2024 parliamentary elections and ended 14 years of Conservative rule, has announced that he will step down. Another resignation before the end of his term and less than two years after taking office once again proves that the problem is not with the candidates, but with the system.

In a statement outside his residence on Downing Street on June 22, Starmer said he had made the decision to resign in the interests of the country and the party.

“I will remain Prime Minister until the election is over. And I will do everything I can to ensure an orderly transfer of power,” he said.

In fact, Starmer’s resignation was not unexpected. In recent months, dissatisfaction with his government had been growing. The Labour Party suffered a series of heavy defeats in local elections. The party lost more than 1,000 local council seats in England, recorded one of its worst results in Scotland, and also lost control of the Welsh Parliament. These results increased concerns within the party that Starmer would no longer be able to win the next general election.

Another factor that increased political pressure was the emergence of an alternative leader within Labour. After former Manchester mayor Andy Burnham returned to Parliament in a by-election, many MPs began to see him as the party’s new leader. Some members of the Cabinet also openly told Starmer that he needed to announce a timeline for his resignation. Four junior ministers had already left their posts. This internal party pressure ultimately forced the Prime Minister to decide to step down.

But the real problem is entirely different. Ben Wardy, a scholar of British politics, explains the situation with three factors: failure, deteriorating relations with MPs, and fragmentation of the political field. In his view, many Labour MPs themselves are skeptical of Starmer’s policies, and many believe he won not because his program was better, but because there was widespread dissatisfaction with the Sunak administration.

Starmer’s resignation is being seen as another manifestation of the political instability that has characterized the United Kingdom over the past decade. Since 2016, the country has changed several prime ministers in succession, and most of them were unable to complete their terms. This is a sign that the post-Brexit political system has still not found a stable balance.

A dragon appears in the London sky

We will not move far from London. On June 22, a dragon flew over the city’s sky. Videos of the scene caused widespread discussion online. At first, many thought it was a video created with artificial intelligence or computer graphics. However, it later became known that this was an unusual advertising campaign created by the producers of HBO’s House of the Dragon ahead of the release of the series’ third season. The project’s creators built a giant replica of Syrax, one of the main dragons in the series, and flew it over the Tower of London, drawing the attention of millions of people to the show.

According to reports, the dragon, created by aviation specialists from Germany’s Airstage, had a wingspan of 8 meters, weighed 13 kilograms, and could fly at speeds of up to 35 kilometers per hour. The device was built over three months using a carbon fiber and aluminum skeleton and hand-crafted small details made from vacuum-shaped Depron foam.

It was reported that the giant mechanical Syrax model carried out three pre-planned flights over the River Thames. It circled around the Tower of London, then descended toward the fortress area and presented a special fire show.

After the flight, the organizers also held a special event at the Tower of London. The event was attended by the series’ actors, media representatives and fans. During the event, new details about the third season were presented, and a special meeting was organized for viewers.

The videos quickly went viral online. Although some internet users wrote that they did not believe the dragon was real, many film fans described it as one of the most successful advertising campaigns in the film industry in recent years.

Thus, the dragon flight that lasted only a few minutes in the London sky became not just a show, but a carefully planned marketing campaign that captured the attention of the whole world.

A 39-second apocalypse

Sometimes natural disasters can cause in just a few seconds the kind of destruction that wars cause over years. Venezuela is experiencing one of the largest natural disasters in recent decades. Consecutive powerful earthquakes in the north of the country left thousands of families homeless and killed hundreds of people. As rescuers continue to search for survivors under the rubble, the death toll continues to rise.

The disaster occurred on June 24 at 18:04 local time. First, a powerful 7.2-magnitude earthquake was recorded. Just 39 seconds later, an even stronger 7.5-magnitude quake shook the north of the country.

Experts say the two shocks were the strongest seismic event observed in more than a century not only in Venezuela, but across South America.

Although the epicenter of the earthquake was located in the northern part of the country, its force was clearly felt in the capital, Caracas, and other major cities. The greatest damage was observed in La Guaira state and nearby settlements. Multi-story residential buildings, hotels, schools and administrative buildings collapsed within seconds. In some areas, electricity, communications and drinking water supplies were completely disrupted. According to reports, thousands of people are being forced to spend the night in parks, stadiums and open spaces because the risk of aftershocks remains.

Initial reports mentioned dozens of deaths, but as search and rescue operations continued, the figure rose sharply. First hundreds, then nearly 600 people were reported dead. Thousands of citizens suffered injuries of varying severity. Since the number of people trapped under the rubble remains unknown, officials say the death toll may rise further.

The natural disaster dealt a severe blow not only to human lives, but also to the country’s infrastructure. Hundreds of buildings were completely destroyed, bridges and roads were damaged, and some hospitals were forced to stop operating. Several schools and sports facilities were turned into temporary shelters. The Venezuelan government declared a state of emergency in the most affected areas.

Experts note that the consequences of the natural disaster were made even worse by the fact that the country had been unable to invest sufficiently in infrastructure for years due to the economic crisis. Old buildings that did not meet seismic standards could not withstand the powerful tremors.

Against this background, the United States, which only recently invaded the country and “kidnapped” its president, offered aid to Venezuela. U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social account that he was ready to help.

“The two powerful earthquakes that shook the great people of Venezuela occurred on a massive scale and caused many deaths. The United States is ready, willing and able to help! I have instructed all agencies of our government to be prepared to take swift action,” Trump wrote.

Putting any political dispute aside, it can be said that in such situations, only humans can help humans. As the late poet Muhammad Yusuf said, “Kindness remains, love remains.”

The elderly will also work

Germany, one of Europe’s largest economies, is today on the brink of a historic reform due to its aging population and rising pension costs. The Pension Security Commission under the German government is proposing a fundamental change to the pension system. The most controversial proposal is undoubtedly the gradual increase of the retirement age to 70.

Currently, Germany’s official retirement age is being gradually raised to 67, and this process is scheduled to be completed in 2031. It was noted that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has approved the proposals of the expert commission on pension reform. These proposals envisage gradually raising the retirement age to about 70 by the early 2090s.

The main reason for the initiative is Germany’s demographic situation. The country’s birth rate has remained low for many years, while life expectancy continues to rise. As a result, the number of young people entering the labor market is decreasing, while the number of citizens reaching retirement age is growing, leaving the market short of workers. According to estimates, by 2040, nearly 30% of today’s workforce will be above retirement age, and paying long-term pensions to them will place excessive pressure on the state budget.

After all, Germany is considered one of the countries with not only high wages, but also high pensions.

However, the initiative has sparked heated debate in Germany. Trade unions and opposition representatives say it would be very difficult in practice for citizens engaged in physical labor to work until the age of 70. In their opinion, such a reform would not create equal conditions for people in different professions, and the heaviest burden would fall precisely on those engaged in hard physical labor. The possible abolition of early retirement opportunities is also causing serious objections.

Nevertheless, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz continues to repeat that pension reform cannot be delayed. In his opinion, if difficult decisions are not made today, financing the state pension system will become even more complicated in the future.

Romania wants to unite with Moldova

A long-discussed issue in Eastern Europe has once again taken on a political character. The approval by the lower house of Romania’s parliament of a draft law on unification with Moldova has sparked heated debate in the region. For now, the document does not have final legal force and must still be considered by the Senate. Nevertheless, this step has revived discussions about the future of the two states.

So why do these two countries want to unite? To answer this question, it is first necessary to look at their historical roots. Much of present-day Moldova was historically known as Bessarabia and was part of the Principality of Moldavia. In 1812, the territory was annexed by the Russian Empire. After the First World War, in 1918, Bessarabia united with Romania.

However, this unity did not last long. In 1940, the Soviet Union retook the territory and established the Moldavian SSR. After the collapse of the USSR in 1991, Moldova appeared on the world map as an independent state.

Even today, the two countries are connected by a common language, culture and history. The state language in Moldova is Romanian, and millions of Moldovan citizens have also obtained Romanian citizenship. For this reason, some political forces in Romania argue that the separate existence of the two states is the result of a historical injustice and promote the idea of a single state.

However, there is actually a more important reason behind this political move. Russia’s war against Ukraine has called the security of Eastern Europe into question. Moldova has long sought a balance between Russian influence and European integration. The government led by President Maia Sandu sees joining the European Union as its main strategic goal. In the view of some politicians, if Kyiv and Chisinau’s EU accession processes are delayed for various reasons, unification with Romania could become a “backup plan” for Moldova. In other words, Moldova today is ready to cease existing as a state in order to escape Russian pressure and enter the EU.

For Romania, such a scenario also offers several advantages. First, it would make it possible to realize the idea of historical unity. Second, Romania’s geopolitical position would be strengthened, and the eastern borders of the EU and NATO would expand further. Third, the reduction of Russian influence also corresponds to the strategic interests of Western states in the region.

At the same time, it should not be forgotten that not everyone supports this initiative. Moldovan society is divided on the issue. Although the number of supporters of unification has increased in recent years, a significant part of the population still favors preserving independent statehood. Factors such as the Russian-speaking population, the autonomous region of Gagauzia and the Transnistrian conflict also influence this. In particular, the status of Transnistria, which is supported by Russia, remains one of the most difficult issues in any unification process.

In addition, the adoption of the draft law does not automatically mean the unification of the two states. The document must first be considered by the Romanian Senate. Even if it is fully approved, such a historic decision cannot be implemented without the consent of Moldova. Most experts stress that such a process would require a referendum, constitutional changes and international negotiations.

Political analysts assess the likelihood of full unification in the coming years as low. Internal political contradictions, the Transnistrian issue, possible resistance from Russia and the complexity of international legal processes may all be obstacles. Nevertheless, the attempt at unification between Moldova and Romania shows that weak states today have become so afraid of Russian pressure that they seem ready to merge with another state in order to withstand it.

In short, while war in the Middle East has taken a brief pause, the conflict in Eastern Europe continues to worry the entire region. The conclusion is this: no matter how many “-isms” such as liberalism, humanism and pacifism appear in the world, the strong still do as they please.