U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday said he wants to “get Cuba done” before he leaves office and that the administration is “watching it very closely.”

“I want to get Cuba done before I leave,” he told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt on Salem News Channel.

“We are watching it very closely, it’s doing very poorly,” the president said. “It’s essentially a failed, you know, place, nation, whatever you wanna call it.”

He said Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whose parents are from Cuba, “would love to do it.”

Trump also said he won the Cuban vote by a lot in Florida.

“I’d love to be able to do it for the people, for the Cubans that came and were treated really badly, and they came to America,” he continued.

When asked if he would be OK with the use of military force, the president said he “would certainly consider that.”

Trump has repeatedly suggested that an intervention in Cuba could be on the horizon. Earlier in the week, he said he thought Cuba “will fall fairly soon.”

“Cuba is falling. It’s a failing nation. It’s got an ideology very similar to what the Democrat ideology is, and it’s a failing nation. It’s a communist nation, socialist nation, sort of everything all wrapped in into one,” he said during a press briefing Monday, after a reporter asked if the president still planned on taking Cuba, according to The Hill.

He added that the U.S. will help Cuba “on a humanitarian basis.”

The Trump administration announced another wave of sanctions against Cuba earlier this month that targeted 10 individuals and entities tied to the country’s government, military and oil industry.

U.S. President Donald Trump said he would “not hesitate” to launch new military strikes against Iran if Tehran terrorizes U.S. allies or ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

“No, no hesitation,” Trump told Salem News Channel when asked whether he would use military force again if U.S. allies were threatened, including vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

“We’re doing very well with it right now,” he said of the Iran conflict. “Nobody has been killed in the last five months,” he added.

“We control the Gulf in terms of the Hormuz Strait. We totally control it,” Trump said.

“If I saw things going the other way, I would do that,” Trump said of renewing strikes, before adding, “I would do that right now.”

“The regime is collapsing. They always make these harsh statements about ’we are doing well. We will fight back.’”

“They are not doing well,” Trump said. “They have 310 percent inflation. Their economy is gone. They are not paying their soldiers.”

“They always talk with great bravado,” Trump added.

“If something doesn’t work out, I would not hesitate,” he said of potentially resuming military strikes.

Trump warned that Iran would “not exist very long” if the regime assassinated a senior U.S. official, amid reports that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was relocated to a military base following threats against his life linked to Tehran.

“If the Iranians kill a senior American official, what will happen to them?” Hugh Hewitt asked Trump during the interview Thursday on Salem News.

“They will not exist very long any longer,” Trump replied.

Bessent was moved from his Washington, D.C., home to a military base because of threats against his life linked to Iran.

“Threats against Sec. Bessent reached more than an advanced stage, which is why he and his family made the move,” an official had told Fox News Digital on Tuesday.

A Treasury Department spokesperson also said Bessent will “not be deterred by the Iranian regime’s threats,” according to Fox News.

A disruption of Microsoft services such as Outlook, Teams and Copilot stretched into Asia-Pacific business ‌hours on Friday after affecting thousands of US users, as the tech giant struggled to fix server problems it blamed for the outage, Reuters reported.

The outage hit government agencies in Australia, Japan and the United States, as well as companies including OpenAI and Anthropic. It is the second disruption to Microsoft’s 365 services this year, raising concerns that repeated failures could push corporate clients to question Microsoft’s reliability.

In its latest update, Microsoft said it had applied adjustments to the affected servers, but they did not result in sustained recovery. It said it had observed some partial recovery in the regions where it applied the adjustments.

“We’re reviewing what additional actions we can take to improve overall infrastructure stability,” the company said on X.

Downdetector, which tracks outages by collating status reports from a number ⁠of sources, showed more than 18,000 reports of Outlook problems in the US at 11:30 p.m. ET (0430 GMT). It also showed outages for several Microsoft services in the Asia-Pacific region, including India, Australia and Japan, early Friday local time.

At its peak, Downdetector showed more than 130,000 reports of Outlook problems in the US around 1 p.m. ET on Thursday. The outage has lasted for about 12 hours.

In a service health notice, Microsoft said features of Microsoft 365 services that depended on Exchange Online and email were affected, while elements that did not rely on Exchange Online remained functional. Exchange Online is the company’s cloud-based messaging platform that delivers email, calendar, contacts, and tasks.

The company added that it was “not aware” of any malicious activity that was causing the outage.

Microsoft said it is “seeing positive results” for service stability and increased capacity as it continues to work on fixing the outage.

Earlier, reports suggested the problem was caused by an overloading of certain servers after others had failed.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) told Al Jazeera that it had not sent any instructions to Israel about the need to prepare for resuming military actions against Iran.

CENTCOM said the reports were “mere speculation,” according to Al Jazeera.

Israel’s state-run TV and radio broadcaster Kan earlier reported, citing a US source, that CENTCOM had instructed the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to prepare for resuming a military campaign against Iran in the near future.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Friday they targeted a US early-warning radar in Bahrain, ‌the first such claim of an attack on American military assets in a Gulf country since early September, Reuters reported.

The Guards said the strike was in retaliation for ⁠what they described as an air attack on a telecommunications tower in Iran’s southern Sirik county, in Hormozgan province, according to Iranian state media.

The claim came amid a fragile lull in the conflict between Iran and the US, which began with US and ‌Israeli ⁠strikes on Iran on February 28 and has since spread across the region.

Iran launched missile and drone attacks on US bases in ⁠Gulf states and sought to restrict shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for ⁠global oil and gas supplies. Washington, in turn, imposed a naval blockade on ⁠Iranian ports.

There was no immediate comment from the US or Bahrain.

According to the Iranian Tasnim news agency, the operation was carried out in response to an “enemy airstrike” on a telecommunications tower in Sirik, southern Iran.

The 17th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17), held in Yerevan, was unprecedented for Armenia in both scale and outcomes. The 49 decisions adopted at the conference, the outline of the Yerevan Pathway, the four initiatives presented by Armenia and new international partnerships have laid the groundwork for further cooperation on biodiversity conservation.

Speaking to Armenpress, Armenia’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Robert Abisoghomonyan, discussed COP17’s main achievements, Armenia’s increased international standing, new funding opportunities and the country’s priorities for the next two years.

He said hosting COP17 was unprecedented for Armenia in both scope and substance. Some 14,000 participants received passes for the conference’s Blue Zone alone, while around 400 side events took place, including those organised by Armenia.

“The conference adopted 49 decisions, an unprecedented number in the history of biodiversity COPs. Of the 52 documents under consideration, 49 were adopted. Their substance is very important for future work and for the activities of the parties,” Abisoghomonyan said.

The deputy minister singled out the decision on the global review, which he said was also important for Armenia. Among other things, the decision outlined the Yerevan Pathway, which calls for work to continue over the next four years to meet the targets of the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework by 2030.

“The decision on the global review was also noteworthy because it covered every target. Despite differences between the parties, we managed to bring them together in a single document, which was perhaps an unprecedented result,” he said.

Turning to the conference’s international significance, Abisoghomonyan said its success had helped raise Armenia’s international standing and visibility. He said that, two weeks after the conference ended, Armenia was still receiving congratulations and praise from various partners for both the organisation and the substance of the event.

He also highlighted the positive response in the international press, noting that international media had published numerous favourable reports on both COP17 and Armenia during and after the conference.

“Armenia raised its standing and visibility on the international stage, which will certainly help attract more tourists in future, among other benefits. Even after COP17 ended, many delegates, including representatives of the secretariat, stayed in Yerevan for another week or two to spend their holidays. This also helps raise Armenia’s profile,” he said.

Discussing the agreements reached at the conference and how they could be put into practice, Abisoghomonyan highlighted four initiatives presented by Armenia concerning the mountain agenda, the digitalisation of reporting, positive incentives and protected areas.

He said the initiatives had been undertaken with several international partners, including the secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, and would continue beyond the conference.

“Work has already begun to put these initiatives on an institutional footing, implement them and follow through on the agreements reached. We have already appointed points of contact who will continue working with international partners and stakeholders to carry out the initiatives,” Abisoghomonyan said.

Funding for biodiversity conservation programmes was another major focus of the conference. Abisoghomonyan said the results in this area were also unprecedented.

“Pledges of funding for biodiversity were made at COP17. In particular, nearly $2 billion will be provided to address biodiversity challenges worldwide,” he said.

The deputy minister said the new international partnerships also created opportunities to carry out new environmental programmes in Armenia and address the challenges facing the country.

Turning to Armenia’s priorities after COP17, Abisoghomonyan noted that, by hosting the conference, Armenia had assumed the presidency of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity. He said this was only the beginning of Armenia’s presidency and that the country would continue working actively with international partners over the next two years.

Discussing the development of a green economy and the involvement of the private sector, the deputy minister said one of Armenia’s four priorities concerned protected areas and offered scope to expand both protected and green spaces.

He said COP17 had also hosted nine mandated parallel events in addition to the side events. They covered a range of topics, including the links between business and biodiversity and between finance and biodiversity.

“These events also looked at what businesses can contribute to biodiversity and how biodiversity can contribute to business development. I think this is a very promising area. Over the next two years, Armenia will take into account the topics discussed at these events and the need to build on their outcomes,” Abisoghomonyan said.

The deputy minister said all four initiatives presented by Armenia would continue after the conference. COP17 had marked their launch, he said, and substantial work was still needed to put them into practice.

“The good news is that the launch of all four initiatives drew considerable interest. Many countries and international organisations were interested in the events and programmes and want to contribute and take part in putting them into practice,” he said.

Abisoghomonyan said that, in the current international climate, programmes of this scale required active participation from partners, since initiatives of this kind could not be carried out alone.

“I am pleased to say that we have already identified many partners across all four initiatives and have begun working with them. I think other countries and international organisations will also express interest in joining these initiatives and contributing to their implementation. This will certainly help address biodiversity challenges worldwide,” the deputy minister said.

Abisoghomonyan said Armenia should continue taking an active part in events of international and global significance and contributing to global efforts.

November 13, 2026, Yerevan — Months of preparatory work, 75,000 meters of cabling, and approximately 6,500 users connected to the network simultaneously within the same venue—this was the scale of the operation carried out by Team Telecom Armenia within the framework of technological partnership for the 17th  Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity held in Armenia.

Nader Ibrahim, a representative of the Secretariat of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, highly appreciated the work of Team Telecom Armenia, specifically highlighting the efficiency of the communications infrastructure and the successful outcomes of the work. 

“I must say that the network this time for COP17 was the most one of exceptional network we have ever had. We did not hear one complaint despite the large number of delegates. The large number of delegates were concentrated in the major key rooms and it was quite impressive. We are very grateful to all the hard and all the hard work paid off” noted Nader Ibrahim referring to the communications infrastructure.

Within the framework of COP17 Team Telecom Armenia spent months for designing, constructing, and preparing the infrastructure with purpose of providing essential technological base for the conference. The work extended to both the Blue and Green Zones of the event, i.e. the Meridian Exhibition Centre and the Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concert Complex. 

The technological infrastructure of Team enabled approximately 15,000 conference participants, international delegations, and organizers to enjoy uninterrupted connectivity ensuring the proper technological operation of this event of international significance.

About Telecom Armenia

Telecom Armenia OJSC (brand name: Team Telecom Armenia) is an Armenian telecommunications company holding a leading position in the country’s telecommunications and information technology sectors. As the successor to Armenia’s first telecommunications network, the company has a heritage of more than 100 years of service in the industry. Team Telecom Armenia provides mobile and fixed broadband internet, digital television, mobile and fixed telephony services to both residential and corporate customers.

The company’s mission is to deliver high-quality telecommunications services to all residents of Armenia. To achieve this goal, Team Telecom Armenia continuously modernizes and expands its mobile and fixed networks while launching new international connectivity routes that further enhance the reliability, resilience, and security of internet services in Armenia.

Armenian Minister of Environment Hambardzum Matevosyan has met with Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change; Astrid Schomaker, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity; and Yasmine Fouad, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification on the sidelines of COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye.

“As COP17 President, I attach great importance to strengthening cooperation and synergies among the three Rio Conventions. Climate change, biodiversity loss and land degradation are interconnected challenges that require coordinated and mutually reinforcing action. Forest restoration, sustainable land management and the protection of aquatic ecosystems contribute to the objectives of all three conventions. This approach should also be reflected in national programmes, supporting the effective implementation of our commitments, the conservation of nature and the well-being of communities,” Matevosyan said in a statement.

Armenia’s Environment Minister Hambardzum Matevosyan took part in a high-level discussion on interministerial cooperation to pursue opportunities for the green transition and support economic transformation. The discussion was held as part of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP31) in Antalya, Türkiye. Matevosyan shared details of the discussion on his Facebook page.

“I presented Armenia’s experience, highlighting the joint work of the environment and finance ministries, the climate law and mandatory climate expenditure tagging in the state budgeting process. These tools allow climate priorities to be incorporated into public financial management and the assessment of investment programmes.

“I stressed that delivering on climate commitments requires coordinated work, linking economic planning and financial decisions to emissions reduction and climate adaptation goals,” Matevosyan wrote.

Armenian Minister of Environment Hambardzum Matevosyan met with Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), on the sidelines of COP31 in Antalya.

Matevosyan said in a Facebook post that he presented Armenia’s candidacy to host COP34 in 2029.

“I presented Armenia’s candidacy and readiness to host COP34 in 2029. I touched upon the outcomes of COP17 held in Yerevan and the experience and successes gained in organizing the conference and conducting multilateral negotiations. I emphasized that our initiative to host COP34 is also an opportunity to contribute to global climate action. In this context, I highlighted the importance of fulfilling commitments in the areas of climate change mitigation, adaptation and climate finance, emphasizing the vulnerability and adaptation needs of mountainous countries. I also addressed the next steps in the candidacy process, reaffirming our readiness for open and constructive cooperation with the member countries of the Eastern European Group and the Convention Secretariat,” Matevosyan said.