Romanian prosecutors on Friday formally charged social media influencer Andrew Tate with trafficking minors, money laundering, having sex with a minor and witness tampering, while his brother, Tristan Tate, was indicted on complicity charges, years after authorities first opened their investigation.

The Tate brothers, former kickboxers who hold dual US and British citizenship, were taken into custody in Miami in late July following an extradition request from the United Kingdom.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

As Russia’s war in Ukraine presses ever nearer to Moldova’s frontier, the former Soviet republic — which recently marked 35 years of independence — is confronting intensifying pressure from Moscow.

Stanislav Secrieru, national security adviser to Moldovan President Maia Sandu, told News Media in exclusive remarks that Russia’s latest attacks on infrastructure near the Ukrainian-Moldovan border represent a serious threat to Ukraine’s economy and its ability to reach European markets.

“In August, Russia began striking Ukraine’s border infrastructure along the Moldovan frontier,” Secrieru said. “With Ukrainian grain exports through the Black Sea ports under sustained attack, Moldova has become a transit route for that grain towards Romania’s ports — and the Moldovan government cut rail transit tariffs by half to keep it moving.”

Secrieru described those transport links as essential arteries for Ukrainian exports and the country’s broader economy. “Russia’s strikes are meant to sever them. Russia has also stepped-up violations of Moldova’s airspace in August, to intimidate us into withdrawing our support. Moldova stays the course. We will continue to provide civilian support to Ukraine and to keep the corridors that sustain its economy open,” he told News Media.

President Sandu reported five Russian drones violated its airspace just hours before the country celebrated its independence, in what the president called an attempt at “intimidation.”

“We have repeatedly warned about the unacceptable risks posed by Russia’s war against Ukraine. Yet another Russian attack on Ukraine has once again resulted in violations of Moldova’s airspace,” the foreign ministry posted on X. 

Secrieru told News Media that Russia violated Moldovan airspace on 17 occasions in August, the highest number of violations in a month since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently visited his Moldovan counterpart in Chișinău, taking part in Independence Day celebrations and emphasizing the shared struggle of Ukrainians and Moldovans in the face of the threat posed by neighboring Russia.

“Russia is doing a lot to ruin our lives in Ukraine, to ruin your lives in Moldova, and to make it as difficult as possible for Romania. This is the ‘Russian world.’ It spoils. It destroys. But we will win. I am sure,” Zelenskyy told a large Independence Day gathering.

Both Moldova and Ukraine applied for EU membership on the same day, shortly after Russia’s invasion in 2022. Russia’s invasion and its destabilization efforts in Moldova complicate both countries’ path forward to EU membership, a central goal of Putin’s Russia as Moscow has tried to stymie the countries of the former Soviet republic from moving closer to the West and EU institutions.

Russia’s new threats against its neighbors come on the heels of CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s surprise visit to Moscow, fueling speculation Russia intends to escalate conflict with NATO members, particularly the Baltic nations of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

Along with its kinetic actions in Ukraine and incursions into Moldova’s airspace, Moscow uses influence operations in the former Soviet space to aid pro-Russian actors and push pro-Russian points of view.

“Russia has been interfering in Moldova for years, and these latest reports fit the broader pattern of Moscow using hybrid warfare to test how far it can push Europe without triggering a serious response,” Ivana Stradner, research fellow with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told News Media.

Moldova remains a prime target for Russian influence operations over 30 years after declaring independence from the Soviet Union. Russia maintains around 1,500 troops in the breakaway territory of Transnistria, which split away from Moldova after the declaration of independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

Stradner, who focuses on Russian disinformation campaigns, said Putin is counting on Western risk aversion and betting that if a country isn’t under the NATO umbrella, the West will decide it’s safer to look away.

“That’s exactly why Moldova matters. This could be a rehearsal for how Moscow tests the Baltics,” Stradner warned.

The Baltic countries are taking notice of what’s happening in Moldova and there are growing fears that Russia may escalate the conflict beyond Ukraine.

Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna stated on X that while Estonia’s threat assessment has not changed, “Russia’s threat and possible provocations against NATO must be taken seriously.” Other Baltic leaders including Latvia’s Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs reiterated that the threat of a Russian invasion remains low but warned of an increased risk of Russian actions.

Since independence, Moldova has set its sights on moving closer to the West, with recent elections and a referendum on becoming a member of the European Union gaining significant support.

Katy Perry is speaking candidly about the end of her relationship with Orlando Bloom, a breakup that was confirmed in July 2025 while the pop star was in Australia for the Lifetimes Tour.

The former couple’s love story stretched across nearly 10 years after they first got together in 2016. They briefly parted ways in 2017 before reconciling, later getting engaged and welcoming their daughter, Daisy Dove, now six, before ultimately deciding to separate.

In a new interview with People, the 41-year-old “The One That Got Away” singer reflected on how painful that period felt, especially while she was so far from home.

“My friends were all hanging out back home. I was crying and just feeling far away. But then my angels went to work. They really showed up,” Perry told the publication.

Perry, who recently honored the “inspiring” Dolly Parton, said she had to find the strength to keep performing through heartbreak after her split from the 49-year-old Pirates of the Caribbean actor.

‘I learned how to step back into my purpose,’ she said, ‘and I got the greatest gift from this tour: I got to meet the love of my life.’

Perry was, of course, talking about Justin Trudeau. She met the former Canadian Prime Minister on July 28 during her tour stop in Montreal, just weeks after her split from Bloom was made public on July 4.

‘I got to meet Justin on tour, and then things shifted,’ she added.

Reflecting on Bloom, who is currently dating 28-year-old Swiss model Luisa Laemmel, Perry continued: ‘I wouldn’t have stayed in something for nine years if there wasn’t really important things to learn. Each relationship is a teacher, right? I had to let it go so I could move forward.

‘I always wanted this epic legendary love, and I was talking to my therapist about it: Everything in my life is epic, but this is kind of the missing puzzle piece — then it showed up.’

The mom-of-one, who has been nominated for 13 Grammys but has yet to win one, shared a piece of paper with item No. 10, which simply read: ‘True love.’

‘No. 10 just says, “True Love.” And I think that’s where we’re at,’ she told People.

Perry’s candid admission comes after she praised the support that Trudeau, 54, gives her.

‘He’s just there to support,’ Perry told Entertainment Tonight while attending the Los Angeles screening of her new concert film, Katy Perry: The Lifetimes Tour – Live from Paris.

‘I’ve had, you know, people come to my shows before and partners and support in their own way but this is definitely a different level,’ she revealed to the outlet.

Perry went on to describe the ‘weird full circle’ moment that clinched the deal with Trudeau. It happened when she was singing Not Like the Movies with her boyfriend watching and realized it was ‘about us.’

The song, which was released in 2010, is about refusing to settle for an unfulfilling relationship and waiting for someone who matches your energy in a surprising way.

The self-proclaimed diehard romantic went on: ‘I sang Not Like the Movies when he was at the show and it is his favorite song and I was like, I can’t believe I’m singing this and I wrote this so long ago, and I think I wrote this about us.

‘And this is such a weird full circle mystical, magical moment. Like, time doesn’t really exist in the other place. Right? And so it’s wild that it all kinda came together in this way.’

When asked if Not Like the Movies is a love song, Perry said: ‘Oh, it totally is. My world has stopped spinning.’

Performing that show in Montreal and knowing that Trudeau was in the audience made her nervous, she told Us Weekly.

‘I always create a super special fan experience, but I don’t typically get nervous. Maybe I get some butterflies on the first show because it’s all the things coming together, and because of social media, you want to kind of get it right.

‘But in Montreal, you know, this is the tour. This is the Lifetimes Tour. When the documentary comes, y’all might see me in a different way because… in Montreal, I was like, “I can’t look at him.” A lot of energy.’

Perry was previously wed to Russell Brand from 2010 to 2012 before the British comedian and actor famously ended the marriage via text message.

Perry also dated singer John Mayer on and off between 2012 and 2015, and was briefly linked to DJ and producer Diplo in 2014.

Trudeau, meanwhile, was previously married to Sophie Gregoire, with whom he has three children, Xavier, 18, Ella-Grace, 17, and Hadrien, 12.

Alexander Zverev endured another major test at the U.S. Open, battling past France’s Quentin Halys 6-4 4-6 7-6(3) 6-7(3) 6-3 in a late-night thriller that stretched from Thursday night into the early hours of Friday at Arthur Ashe Stadium, sending the top seed into the third round.

The French Open champion had already been pushed to five sets by Lorenzo Sonego in his first-round match, and Halys made him work every bit as hard again as Zverev leaned on his resilience to keep alive his pursuit of a first Grand Slam title in New York.

“The performance was quite s–t to be honest, but I won, that’s the most important thing,” Zverev admitted during his on-court interview after finally closing out the match.

“Another four-and-a-half hours, 2:15 am, that’s what I go to the gym for,” he said, while also offering appreciation to the hardy fans who stayed until the finish. “The couple thousand people (who stayed) made up for the 15,000 that left.”

Zverev edged the first set with a single break, but world number 52 Halys responded aggressively in the second, drawing fresh energy from the Arthur Ashe crowd and making clear the German would have to fight for every step toward the next round.

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The 29-year-old Zverev’s frustrations threatened to boil over after he ​threw away an early ‌break in the third set and looked to ⁠be in deep trouble when Halys ​opened up a 4-1 ⁠lead, but ⁠the German responded emphatically to draw level.

After forcing a tiebreak and claiming the third set to edge ahead in the ⁠contest, Zverev dropped the fourth, before settling his nerves in the ‌decider and building ⁠a 4-2 advantage with an overhead smash at the net.

Having found the opening he ​needed, Zverev raised his level another notch to ⁠force an error on ⁠match point and ‌earn a hard-fought win for a clash with 25th seed Alejandro Tabilo ​in the next round.

The Trump administration is intensifying its pressure campaign against Iran with a fresh sanctions drive dubbed “Operation Economic Outcast,” coupled with warnings of severe secondary penalties for nations that keep doing business tied to Tehran.

The tougher Iran sanctions strategy creates a diplomatic dilemma for countries such as India, along with other key U.S. allies and partners.

New Delhi is a cornerstone of Washington’s Indo-Pacific strategy, but India also maintains important trade, energy and strategic links with Iran—interests it is unlikely to abandon easily. That balancing act could place India on a collision course with the Trump administration’s latest approach to Tehran.

The meeting came Monday, one week after the Trump administration unveiled its new sanctions initiative. Modi and Pezeshkian sat down on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Kyrgyzstan, marking their first face-to-face talks since the war began six months earlier.

According to an Iranian readout, Pezeshkian asked Modi “to use India’s extensive contacts” to help steer the involved parties away from war and back toward dialogue, while thanking Modi for standing by Tehran. Modi reiterated that New Delhi wants to strengthen its “long-standing friendship” with Tehran and “expand and diversify” the two countries’ trade basket.

“That was for Modi to signal to a domestic audience that he is not kowtowing to Trump,” Council on Foreign Relations Senior Fellow Sadanand Dhume told News Media. “India-Iran relations have already been largely hollowed out by previous rounds of sanctions, so there is no question of India trying to balance between the U.S. and Iran,” he added.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio was asked by Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade on “The Brian Kilmeade Show” Tuesday about Modi’s meeting with the Iranian president.

Rubio said he didn’t think there was a trade deal between India and Iran — noting many countries around the world talk to Tehran — and stated, “What ultimately happens, though, is – and the President’s been very clear – is no country should be helping Iran evade sanctions. No country should be out there helping them create mechanisms by which they can generate revenue that they will then use to sponsor terrorism and try to build a nuclear weapon. And if countries decide to do that, then we’re going to have to sanction them too.”

A U.S. official echoed Rubio’s comments and told News Media that, “the Administration continues to have positive discussions with our economic partners to ensure Iran never possesses a nuclear weapon.”

India has been among Iran’s top five trading partners in recent years, though bilateral trade has dropped dramatically since its 2018-19 peak.

New Delhi’s exports to Iran are concentrated on goods that can carry humanitarian exemptions, including pharmaceuticals. Iran is also the second-largest overseas market for Indian rice, with India exporting more than $383 million worth in the first six months of the year.

Conversely, India resumed importing Iranian crude oil for the first time in seven years in April, after the Trump administration temporarily lifted sanctions to soften the Middle East conflict’s impact on global energy. Iranian oil shipments to India were valued at roughly $707 million in the first half of the year.

India has already come into the Treasury Department’s crosshairs, with the U.S. sanctioning four India-based companies and three Indian nationals over alleged links to Iranian petroleum and petrochemical trade.

The Treasury Department says countries will receive a defined timeline to shut down Iran-related activity as identified by Washington. That puts banks, shippers, insurers and trade intermediaries on notice before any further penalties are imposed. The United Arab Emirates’ suspension of commercial and financial dealings with Iran has already squeezed Indian exporters, as Dubai has long served as a key hub for trade with Iran.

So far, Washington’s initial actions have stopped short of targeting India’s wider commercial relationship with Iran.

Iran, meanwhile, has warned of “grave consequences” for countries that cooperate with what it calls illegal U.S. behavior.

India’s interests in Iran also run beyond commerce. The Chabahar port, Iran’s only oceanic port, supports trade routes linking India to Central Asia and Europe through Iran, while bypassing Pakistan. It also gives India an access route to Central Asia that bypasses Pakistan. But U.S. sanctions uncertainty has repeatedly complicated India’s operations there.

India, the world’s third-biggest oil importer and consumer, has already faced the cost of the Middle East conflict, through energy disruptions, higher import costs and inflation. It has also shown it will resist U.S. pressure when core interests are at stake. 

For instance, it has defended ties with Russia, despite Moscow’s adversarial relationship with Washington. But experts argue Iran no longer carries the same weight.

“The Russian example is strikingly different. New Delhi shares close military and diplomatic ties with Moscow that are much more important to India than its ties with Iran, notwithstanding lip service to the latter,” Dhume said. “Higher global oil prices hurt India, but India weaned itself off Iranian oil imports a while back.”

For the U.S., squeezing major economies like India over their ties to Tehran could pose a diplomatic risk. U.S. national security officials stress the need for a workable strategic relationship with India, especially to counterbalance Chinese power.

Under President Trump’s second term, once-blooming U.S.-India relations have been under strain. Trump and Modi sought to reset the relationship just months ago, but the latest Iran sanctions could test it again.

But the U.S. retains enormous leverage over India, particularly when it comes to trade.

“If forced to choose, New Delhi will obviously and emphatically choose its valuable commercial relationship with the U.S. over its skimpy trade ties with the Islamic republic,” Dhume said.

The timing is notable, with Chinese President Xi Jinping reportedly set to visit India for next week’s BRICS summit. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian are also expected to attend.

Analysts say the impact will ultimately depend on how aggressively Washington moves from warnings and diplomacy to actual secondary sanctions. That is particularly true with India, where more aggressive enforcement risks further straining U.S. relations with a strategically important partner.

“The U.S. should learn from its own past success in quietly persuading India to generally kick its Iran oil habit,” Dhume said. “Quiet diplomacy works better with India than bluster. This is the key lesson from the past that the Trump administration appears to be forgetting.”

The Indian government did not respond to News Media requests for comment.

Known for turning every appearance into a fashion moment, Amal Clooney delivered another standout style statement on her second night in Venice.

The human rights lawyer was seen stepping off a private boat with a little assistance before heading out for an evening with husband George Clooney at the glamorous film festival.

Amal, 48, arrived in an archival Prada dress embellished with turquoise fringed sequins, making a striking entrance as she was helped from the boat to the shore.

George looked equally polished in a sharp navy suit as the couple set off for the night, just hours after he had paid an emotional tribute to Amal during a powerful speech.

The 65-year-old Hollywood star, who received the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement on Wednesday, used the moment to celebrate his “badass” lawyer wife.

Amal, a British-Lebanese human rights lawyer, has represented Yazidi survivors and helped secure historic legal victories holding ISIS members accountable for genocide.

‘By the way, my wife’s the only person to have ever put ISIS on trial and won,’ he lauded. ‘She’s a badass, and she gets the job done. We do it for our families. We do it for our friends.’ 

He added: ‘Amal’s taken some very difficult stands over the years, and we’ve had to face some pretty heavy criticism based on that. I wrote an op-ed about President Joe Biden. I got some s***.

‘We have really interesting conversations around the table. But you know, we also have two nine-year-old kids, and we have a normal family life, and there’s a lot of laughing and a lot of love, and we’re very lucky, and we’re really aware of that.’

Clooney also added that he braces against people telling actors to ‘shut up’ about human rights and political issues.

‘I didn’t give away my freedom of speech the minute I became an actor,’ he defiantly said. ‘It also means that people can get mad at you and not like you anymore. Fair enough. That’s how this works. 

‘You can’t demand freedom of speech and then say, “But don’t say bad s*** about me”. Right? That’s the deal.’ 

Taking a swipe at President Trump, Clooney added: ‘I get mean tweets from the President of the United States. That’s okay. I can handle it. I’ll do all right. I’ll be fine. But that’s part of life.’ 

Clooney and Trump have taken plenty of swipes at each other over the years. 

On Wednesday, Clooney launched a scathing attack on the US administration, branding those in charge ‘the least qualified people’ and slamming what he said was a complete absence of ‘decency’.

‘We’ve had some other difficult times but this is one of them,’ he said. ‘There is a great word, kakistocracy, which is a country run by the least qualified people. I think maybe we have a kakistocracy right now but we will get through it.

‘We will have an election in November that should be a check and balance and then in 2028, with any luck, we will have some restoration.’

The Oscar-winning star went on to denounce Trump’s administration as ‘cruel’, arguing that basic standards of decency had disappeared from public life.

‘The idea that cruelty is the base, that being cruel and unkind is part of the fun of all this,’ Clooney told press, in the latest of a string of attacks the actor has made against the running of the US.

‘You see what the secretary of defense just tweeted out a picture about women in the military in Canada and you’re going, “What is wrong with you?”

‘”Where is the sense of decency in all this?” I’m ashamed of all of that but we will get through it and we will come out better on the other side.’

Clooney drew on a tweet by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appearing to mock the physical appearance of an overweight female Canadian soldier presenting a medal at a youth camp.

On Monday night, Hegseth posted the image from a cadet training center in British Columbia with the caption: ‘This is real’.

Calling himself an optimist, Clooney said he remembered living through dark times in the country’s history – which he likened to today.

‘I’m old enough to have been through 1968 in the States when every city in the United States was set on fire and we lost Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy in the same year,’ he said.

‘There was tons of violence. The Capitol was surrounded with tanks. We’ve had some other difficult times, but this is one of them.’

ATLANTA — Colorado freshman quarterback Julian Lewis delivered when it mattered most, finding tight end Charlie Williams for a 20-yard touchdown with 42 seconds left in the fourth quarter to give the Buffaloes a dramatic 14-13 victory over Georgia Tech on Thursday night in the season opener.

Georgia Tech appeared poised to steal the win in the final seconds after quarterback Alberto Mendoza connected with receiver Dalen Penson for a 42-yard gain, moving the Yellow Jackets into field goal range. But Colorado’s Boo Carter broke through to block Aidan Birr’s 45-yard attempt, sending the Buffaloes pouring onto the field in celebration.

Colorado coach Deion Sanders said the Buffaloes never stopped believing, even after trailing throughout the entire second half.

“If you’d know how many linemen grabbed me and said ‘I told y’all we got this, I told you we got this coach,’” Sanders said. “I mean you have no idea how many times I was shaken by a lineman and told that we got this, and I never doubted it.”

Lewis endured a difficult night for much of the game, but the Colorado quarterback steadied himself late. Before the winning touchdown drive, he helped the Buffaloes drain 9:07 off the clock with a 17-play, 61-yard march that ended when 6-foot-9 Georgia Tech tight end Kevin Roche Jr. blocked a field goal attempt.

Georgia Tech responded with a field goal scoring drive to take a 13-7 lead, but with newfound confidence, Lewis led a clutch two-minute drill for the win.

“I talked to him at halftime in front of the whole team… I told (Lewis) ‘Let’s go. Be that man. We believe in you. Let’s go.’ You know, I challenged him in front of the whole team,” Sanders said. “He took advantage of the moment.”

After a first half with six completions for 41 yards, Lewis finished the night 14-of-27 for 124 yards and a touchdown. Running back Micah Welch put the Buffaloes on the board with a 5-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter, giving Colorado a short-lived 7-0 lead.

Georgia Tech responded 14 seconds later as Rahkeem Smith returned a kick 100 yards for a touchdown and tied the game. It was Smith’s first touch as a Yellow Jacket and the program’s first kick returned for a touchdown since Jahmyr Gibbs against Boston College in 2021.

Mendoza finished the night 17-of-23 for 237 yards and dodged an injury scare that onlookers feared could affect his second half availability.

His debut featured promising moments, like scrambling away from traffic in the second quarter and throwing a 22-yard dart to Jordan Allen on the move. Mendoza capped off Georgia Tech’s final drive with his longest completion of the night, a 42-yarder, to put the Yellow Jackets in field goal range.

He was sacked three times for a loss of 22 yards.

Colorado’s last time starting the season 1-0 was in 2023 in Sanders’ debut with a 45-42 win against TCU, and it, too, was a thriller.

The Buffaloes were the last to find the end zone in a barnburner, with Shedeur Sanders leading a 6-play, 82-yard drive late in the fourth.

Takeaway

Colorado: After seven seasons without a 1,000 yard rusher, Colorado has two strong prospects with Welch and Damian Henderson II splitting snaps in the backfield. Welch finished the night with 58 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. Henderson had 12 carries for 65 yards.

Georgia Tech: Atlanta’s 74% humidity didn’t impact fan attendance, with 51,913 fans packed in Bobby Dodd Stadium’s third consecutive sell-out. The humidity helped contribute to ball control issues for Georgia Tech who fumbled three times in the first half, losing one.