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Five countries won seats on the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday in uncontested elections and will start serving two-year terms in January on the U.N.’s most powerful but deeply divided body.

The 193-member General Assembly held a secret-ballot vote for the five rotating seats on the 15-member council. Bahrain received 186 votes, Congo 183 votes, Liberia 181 votes, Colombia 180 votes and Latvia 178 votes.

This will be the first time on the council for Latvia, which was forcibly incorporated into the Soviet Union and gained independence again after its collapse in 1991.

Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže told reporters after the vote her Baltic nation is ready for the responsibility, saying, “Our historical experience puts us in the position to understand, empathize with, and forge partnerships across every region in the world.”

“We know the value of freedom,” she said. “We know the fragility of peace and the power of multilateralism to safeguard it.”

Braže said Latvia will spare no effort to achieve just and lasting peace in Ukraine and to alleviate suffering in the Middle East, Gaza, Africa and other conflicts around the globe.

Bahrain will be the Arab representative on the council, and Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani said his country’s election to the council for a second time reinforces its determination to be “a proactive contributor” to international peace and security.

“Our goal is to fortify peace and stability within our region,” Al Zayani said, stressing that resolving the decades-old Palestinian-Israeli conflict is “the cornerstone for achieving peace in the region.”

The immediate requirement, he said, is a ceasefire and massive influx of humanitarian aid into Gaza, the release of all hostages taken from Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and progress toward a two-state solution and “a viable state of Palestine.”

The Security Council is mandated in the U.N. Charter with ensuring international peace and security, but it has failed in the two major conflicts because of the veto power of Russia on Ukraine and the United States, Israel’s closest ally, on Gaza.

There have been decades of efforts to reform the Security Council to reflect the geopolitical realities of the world in 2025, not of the post-World War II era 80 years ago, when the United Nations was established. But they have all failed.

The council still includes five veto-wielding permanent members — the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France — and 10 elected members from the U.N.’s different regional groups. One major failing is the absence of a permanent seat for Africa or Latin America and the Caribbean.

Under its current rules, five new council members are elected every year. In January, the newly elected countries will replace Algeria, Guyana, South Korea, Sierra Leone and Slovenia.

Foreign Minister Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner of Congo, which will be serving its third term on the council, told the council its election not only reflects confidence in her country, “it is also a reflection of Africa’s unity and its rightful place in shaping the global peace and security agenda.”

Asked about the ongoing fighting by armed groups in the country’s mineral-rich east, she said Congo will bring to the council the knowledge of dealing with decades of conflict, the challenges of U.N. peacekeeping operations and protecting civilians, and “the convergence between conflict, natural resources, and environmental changes.”

Source : https://apnews.com/article/un-security-council-new-members-latvia-36b9ed65e770f6fed3354872fc14dafe

DONALD Trump has signed a sweeping new travel ban blocking people from a dozen countries from entering the US — with restrictions set to kick in within days.

The bombshell move, announced late Wednesday, will take effect at 12.01am Monday.

The countries hit with a full ban include Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

In addition to the outright ban, heightened restrictions will be slapped on visitors from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.

“I must act to protect the national security and national interest of the United States and its people,” Trump said in a proclamation.

The sweeping list stems from a January 20 executive order, in which Trump tasked the State Department, Homeland Security, and the Director of National Intelligence with flagging “hostile attitudes” and countries that pose a national security risk.

The crackdown mirrors Trump’s highly controversial 2017 executive order from his first term, which initially barred citizens from seven majority-Muslim nations — Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen — triggering chaos at airports and global backlash.

Dubbed the “Muslim ban”, it sparked scenes of confusion as travellers, including students and tourists, were blocked from boarding planes or detained after landing in the US.

After legal challenges, the policy was retooled and upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018, with a version targeting Iran, Somalia, Yemen, Syria and Libya, alongside North Korea and Venezuelan officials.

Trump has consistently defended the bans as vital to national security, despite critics accusing him of religious discrimination.

The latest move ramps up his hardline immigration stance as the Republican firebrand gears up for a second term — once again placing border control and national safety at the heart of his presidency.

Earlier on Wednesday, Trump held an hour-long call with Vladimir Putin, revealing the Kremlin tyrant “will have to respond” to Ukraine’s devastating drone blitz on Russian airfields.

“It was a good conversation, but not a conversation that will lead to immediate Peace,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“President Putin did say, and very strongly, that he will have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields.”

The warning came after Operation Spiderweb — a daring Ukrainian drone assault that wiped out 41 Russian warplanes across four strategic air bases, including nuclear-capable bombers.

The pair also discussed Iran’s nuclear programme, with Trump writing: “I stated to President Putin that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon and, on this, I believe that we were in agreement.”

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14401462/trump-travel-ban-us-dozen-countries-restrictions/

ELON Musk has slammed Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful” tax and spending bill as “disgusting” and “pork-filled” – just days after leaving the White House.

The tech tycoon’s scathing attack on one of the US president’s signature policies comes as he stepped down as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) on Friday.

The bill promises multi-trillion dollar tax breaks, increased defence spending and funding for Trump’s mass deportations of undocumented migrants.

Musk, who campaigned to reduce the national debt, fumed on his platform X: “I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it anymore.

“This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination.

“Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it.

“It will massively increase the already gigantic budget deficit to $2.5trillion and burden American citizens with crushingly unsustainable debt.

“Congress is making America bankrupt.”

In American politics, “pork” refers to spending added to bills by lawmakers to benefit their own constituencies – and are implicitly, unnecessary.

Musk had previously called the bill “disappointing”, claiming it undermined the DOGE’s work.

Mike Johnson, speaker of the US House of Representatives, soon after said: “With all due respect, Elon is terribly wrong about the one big beautiful bill.”

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt similarly said: “The President already knows where Elon Musk stood on this bill.”

“This is one, big, beautiful bill,” she added. “And he’s sticking to it.”

The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” pledges to extend Trump’s 2017 tax cuts and introduce new tax breaks.

It narrowly passed the House of Representatives in May by just one vote – despite warnings from the Congressional Budget Office that it would add $3.8trillion (£3trillion) to the current national debt of $36.2trillion (£28.3trillion).

The bill also proposes raising America’s debt ceiling – the government’s borrowing limit – to $4trillion (£3.1trillion).

Trump sent the bill to Congress several days ago, where it awaits approval from the Senate.

Republicans have set a July 4 deadline to get the bill passed and signed into law.

Musk’s rant on X come just days after his farewell press conference, where Trump praised him for doing a “fantastic job” in the White House.

The US president listed the billionaire’s achievements, which included slashing many offshore projects said to be funded by USAID.

Source: https://www.the-sun.com/news/14391272/elon-musk-blasts-donald-trumps-bill/

Bill Gates has urged African leaders to join him in advancing health and development on the continent. He says his foundation will partner with nations putting people’s health first.

US billionaire Bill Gates on Tuesday announced that the majority of his philanthropic Gates Foundation’s $200 billion (€175 billion) endowment will be spent in Africa over the next two decades.

Gates, who on May 8 said he would wind down the foundation by 2045, made the pledge while addressing African leaders in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

“I recently made a commitment that my wealth will be given away over the next 20 years. The majority of that funding will be spent on helping you address challenges here in Africa,” Gates said as he urged leaders to boost health and development through partnership and innovation.

“By unleashing human potential through health and education, every country in Africa should be on a path to prosperity… and that path is an exciting thing to be part of,” Gates told government officials, diplomats and health workers.

Gates makes pitch as US government slashes aid
“Investing in primary healthcare has the greatest impact on health and wellbeing,” he said. “With primary healthcare, what we’ve learned is that helping the mother be healthy and have great nutrition before she gets pregnant, while she is pregnant, delivers the strongest results. Ensuring the child receives good nutrition in their first four years as well makes all the difference.”

US businessman-philanthropist Gates singled out Ethiopia, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Zambia and Zimbabwe as examples of countries that to his mind show strong leadership fostering innovation. He did not comment on allegations of authoritarianism and rights abuses against the governments of, for example, Ethiopia and Rwanda.

“Our foundation has an increasing commitment to Africa,” Gates said. “Our first African office was here in Ethiopia about 13 years ago. Now we have offices in South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria and Senegal. That’s a great way for us to strengthen partnerships.”

Gates’ pitch comes amid halts to US foreign aid on the advice of US President Donald Trump’s donor and budget oversight advisor, Elon Musk — the world’s richest man — who bragged of “feeding USAID to the wood chipper.”

A recent study in the medical journal The Lancet projected that cuts to American spending on PEPFAR — the program to deliver HIV and AIDS relief abroad — could cost the lives of 500,000 children by 2030. The journal Nature suggested a sustained halt to US aid funding could result in some 25 million additional deaths over 15 years.

The Gates Foundation has invested heavily in projects aimed at reducing childhood and maternal deaths; advancing progress on vaccines for infectious disease, such as malaria or HIV; as well as lifting poor populations out of poverty.

The foundation claims that it has contributed to more than 100 innovations that have saved more than 80 million lives, citing partnerships with GAVI and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Gates says ‘rich should do more in philanthropy’
Gates, who made his fortune with the computer software company Microsoft and started the Gates Foundation with his ex-wife, Melinda, has urged other wealthy individuals to spend their money on humanity not just personal possessions.

When recently asked by The New York Times about why he is donating his fortune he first said, “It makes a big difference to take the money and spend it now versus later,” pointing to its impact on developments in agriculture and AI.

“What am I going to do?” he added, “Just go buy a bunch of boats or something? Go gamble? This money should go back to society in the way that it has the best chance of causing something positive to happen.”

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/bill-gates-to-give-most-of-200-billion-fund-to-africa/a-72769394

THIS terrifying video shows the moment tourists run for their lives as the mammoth Mount Etna erupts behind them.

Groups of hikers were on the volcano’s slopes when it began spewing smoke and hot ash, with some just metres from the mouth forced to flee urgently.

Long lines of tourists could be seen snaking down the mountainside in the shadow of an enormous growing black cloud.

“Very intense and almost continuous” eruptions were reported from the Sicilian stratovolcano – Europe’s highest tinderbox.

Part of the southeastern crater is thought to have collapsed into the bubbling magma setting off the eruption.

A lava fountain has then sent boiling rock, ash, and the poisonous gas sulphur dioxide spewing from Etna’s mouth, visible for miles.

The cloud is now 4miles high – but it is slowly moving northwest and away from the nearby city of Catania.

Despite this the Volcanic Ash Advisory Center Toulouse (VAAC) has issued a code red for flights due to the eruption.

A code red means that there is a “significant” amount of ash in the atmosphere.

Only a small number of flights at Catania airport have been delayed as authorities respond to the safety challenge.

Italian civil aviation is yet to close any airspace.

Eruptions previously around the world have seen planes grounded for days due to risks posed by volcanoes.

Tourists on the fabled mountain captured the moment the eruption happened and the thick grey plume of smoke and ash rushed into the sky.

Other sightseers could be seen running for their lives as their holiday turned into a nightmare.

A terrifying volcanic tremor was felt just moments before the eruption.

The tremor began at roughly 10pm last night before reaching a peak three hours later in the middle of the night.

It was localised at an altitude of 1.7miles below the crater area.

They explained that an ash cloud made predominantly of water and sulphur dioxide was “drifting towards the south west”.

Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology said: “Over the past few hours, the activity flagged in the previous statement issued at 4.14am (3.14am BST) has carried on with strombolian explosions of growing intensity that, at the moment, are of strong intensity and nearly continuous.”

They explained that explosive activity from the Southeast Crater has “moved to a lava fountain,” adding that the “volcanic tremor has reached very high values”.

In the past, Etna’s eruptions have caused nearby towns to be covered in black volcanic ash.

The mountain is one of the most active volcanoes in southern Italy, with the last eruption occurring in May.

In February, Mount Etna turned into a fiery peak as hot lava spewed from the erupting volcano.

Marco Bassot, who has 416,000 Instagram followers, captured the moment on camera.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14377404/etna-erupts-tourists-flee/

While he did not provide further details, Patel said in a social media post: “Our agents and local law enforcement are on the scene already, and we will share updates as more information becomes available.”

Boulder, Colorado: Eight people were injured on Sunday when a 45-year-old man yelled “Free Palestine” and threw incendiary devices into a crowd in Boulder, Colorado where a demonstration to remember the Israeli hostages who remain in Gaza was taking place, authorities said.

Four women and four men between 52 and 88 years old were transported to hospitals, Boulder police said. Authorities had earlier put the count of the injured at six and said at least one of them was in a critical condition.

“As a result of these preliminary facts, it is clear that this is a targeted act of violence and the FBI is investigating this as an act of terrorism,” the FBI special agent in charge of the Denver Field Office, Mark Michalek, said.

Michalek named the suspect as Mohamed Soliman, who was hospitalized shortly after the attack. Reuters could not immediately locate contact information for him or his family.

FBI Director Kash Patel also described the incident as a “targeted terror attack,” and Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said it appeared to be “a hate crime given the group that was targeted.” Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said he did not believe anyone else was involved.

“We’re fairly confident we have the lone suspect in custody,” he said.

The attack took place on the Pearl Street Mall, a popular pedestrian shopping district in the shadow of the University of Colorado, during an event organized by Run for Their Lives, an organization devoted to drawing attention to the hostages seized in the aftermath of Hamas’s 2023 attack on Israel.

In a statement, the group said the walks have been held every week since then for the hostages, “without any violent incidents until today.”

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on X he was shocked by the “terrible antisemitic terror attack,” describing it as “pure antisemitism.”

The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the United States over Israel’s war in Gaza, which has spurred both an increase in antisemitic hate crime as well as moves by conservative supporters of Israel led by President Donald Trump to brand pro-Palestinian protests as antisemitic. His administration has detained protesters of the war without charge and cut off funding to elite U.S. universities that have permitted such demonstrations.

In a post to X, a social network, Trump’s deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller said Soliman had overstayed his visa and been allowed to work by the previous administration. He said it was further evidence of the need to “fully reverse” what he described as “suicidal migration.”

Reuters was not able to independently verify the suspect’s immigration status. When asked about Soliman, the Department of Homeland Security said more information would be provided as it became available.

Victims burned

Brooke Coffman, a 19-year-old at the University of Colorado who witnessed the Boulder incident, said she saw four women lying or sitting on the ground with burns on their legs. One of them appeared to have been badly burned on most of her body and had been wrapped in a flag by someone, she said.

She described seeing a man whom she presumed to be the attacker standing in the courtyard shirtless, holding a glass bottle of clear liquid and shouting.

“Everybody is yelling, ‘get water, get water,'” Coffman said.

Source : https://www.deccanherald.com/world/fbi-investigating-targeted-terror-attack-in-boulder-colorado-director-says-3567056

SEAN “Diddy” Combs can still come out of his federal trial as a winner if he’s not convicted on all charges, despite the scandalous evidence and testimony from witnesses, according to an attorney.

Week three of Combs’ federal trial has wrapped up as more witnesses, including another former assistant, continued to testify about the violence the music executive, 55, inflicted behind closed doors.

The testimonies dived into the prosecution’s accusations that the hitmaker, with the help of an inner circle of close confidants, used his far-reaching power and intimidation to cover up his alleged crimes and protect his public image.

However, Combs’ defense team has argued that the alleged victims all engaged in consensual sexual acts and remained by his side for years because of his lavish lifestyle and career advancements.

Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor who is not involved in the trial, said even if the music mogul is convicted of some crimes but not all, he will come out as a winner.

“Diddy’s defense is that these individuals engaged in these sex acts willingly,” Rahmani told The U.S. Sun.

“There was no force. There was no coercion. They chose to do drugs. They weren’t drugged.

“And the fact that they may have been paid may be unlawful under the prostitution charges, but to the extent that the defense gets guilty verdicts on prostitution only, and not guilties on racketeering and sex trafficking, that would be a huge win for Diddy in the defense.”

WEEK THREE

For the second day, the courtroom heard on Friday gut-wrenching testimony from Combs’ former assistant, referred to only as Mia, about the total control he held over her.

Mia, who worked for Combs for eight years in various capacities starting in 2009, testified how he made her work grueling hours and violently attacked her.

The former assistant, one of Combs’ many ex-employees who have taken the stand, broke down in tears as she told the jury about the multiple times he allegedly raped her.

Mia admitted in her testimony that she never disclosed the alleged sexual assaults to anyone, saying, “I was going to die with this.”

The emotional victim recalled Combs’ spurts of violence towards her and Ventura, telling jurors about the times he allegedly threw a computer and his bowl of spaghetti at her head.

“I wondered, what did I do to make him like this to me?” Mia testified.

The jury heard from Scott Mescudi, better known as rapper Kid Cudi, during the trial’s second week.

Mescudi testified about his brief relationship with Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura in late 2011, and told the court about when Combs flew into a jealous rage over the relationship.

The Mr. Rager rapper, 41, accused Combs of breaking into his house, messing with his dog and locking his pet in the bathroom.

Mescudi’s testimony was dominated by the January 2012 incident when his Porsche was blown up on his driveway by a Molotov cocktail, which he accused Combs of being responsible for.

The jurors were shown pictures of Mescudi’s charred sports car with the cut-up roof where the explosive was thrown.

The trial opened up with powerful testimony from Ventura, Combs’ ex-girlfriend of over a decade.

The singer, 38, emotionally spoke about how Combs forced her to participate in weekly drug-fueled sex marathons, which he called “freak-offs,” with male escorts.

Ventura, who said she did not want to engage in the sex acts, told the court her music career took a backseat due to the toll the “freak-offs” took on her day, testifying how she needed days at a time to recover.

Prosecutors also released photos of the injuries Ventura allegedly suffered from Combs’ years-long abuse, including a gash on her forehead that had become a permanent scar.

Dawn Richard, a singer who once competed in Combs’ reality show Making the Band, also testified how she witnessed the music executive’s abuse of Ventura.

Richard, who was signed to Bad Boy Records and part of the trio Diddy – Dirty Money, described how Combs hit Ventura “on the head and beat her on the ground” during a visit to his home recording studio in 2019.

Combs’ trial is expected to continue until the first week of July, with the prosecution’s case slated to rest the week of June 9.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/14362896/diddy-not-guilty-sex-trafficking-trial-winner-lawyer/

TWO people have died after a plane crash landed into a home and sparked a devastating fire.

A 71-year-old woman, believed to be the pilot, and an 84-year-old were confirmed dead after the horror accident on Saturday afternoon.

The plane smashed into the terrace home at midday local time in western Germany.

The crash severely damaged the building in Kleinenbroich, near Dusseldorf, upon impact.

Photos show the roof’s building smoking as around 50 firefighters desperately battled with the fire which sparked when the small plane hit.

Piles of debris could also be seen strewn outside the home which is said to belong to three people.

One of the residents, an elderly woman, is among the victims.

She is believed to have died when the plane first smashed through the roof.

The experienced pilot reported technical problems from the cockpit just above Kleinenbroich shortly before the crash.

Her final destination is believed to have been Moenchengladbach, which sits just 2.5 miles away from Kleinenbroich.

Harrowing images of the plane’s wreckage sat in the back garden were released by officials.

The tail had been completely ripped away from the aircraft’s body with much of the remainder of the plane scattered across the ground.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14368752/plane-crashes-house-germany/

Xiao Chen turned up at the US Consulate in Shanghai on Thursday morning, hours after Washington announced that it would “aggressively” revoke the visas of Chinese students.

The 22-year-old had a visa appointment: she was headed to Michigan in the autumn to study communications.

After a “pleasant” conversation, she was told her application had been rejected. She was not given a reason.

“I feel like a drifting duckweed tossed in wind and storm,” she said, using a common Chinese expression to describe feeling both uncertain and helpless.

She had been hopeful because she already had the acceptance letter. And she thought she had narrowly escaped the bombshells in recent days.

First, Donald Trump’s administration moved to end Harvard University’s ability to enrol international students, a move that has since been blocked in court. And then it said it had stopped visa appointments for all foreign students.

But now, Chen is ready for plan B. “If I can’t get the visa eventually, I’ll probably take a gap year. Then I’ll wait to see if things will get better next year.”

A valid visa may still not be enough, she adds, because students with visas could be “stopped at the airport and deported”.

“It’s bad for every Chinese student. The only difference is how bad.”

It has been a bleak week for international students in the US – and perhaps even harder for the 280,000 or so Chinese students who would have noticed that their country has been singled out.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem accused Harvard of “co-ordinating with the Chinese Communist Party”.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the move against Chinese students in the US would include “those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields”.

That could hit a wide swathe of them given membership of the Communist Party is common among officials, entrepreneurs, business people and even artists and celebrities in China.

Beijing has called it a “politically motivated and discriminatory action”, and its foreign ministry has lodged a formal protest.

There was a time when China sent the highest number of foreign students to American campuses. But those numbers slipped as the relationship between the two countries soured.

A more powerful and increasingly assertive Beijing is now clashing with Washington for supremacy in just about everything, from trade to tech.

Trump’s first term had already spelled trouble for Chinese students. He signed an order in 2020 barring Chinese students and researchers with ties to Beijing’s military from obtaining US visas.

That order remained in place during President Joe Biden’s term. Washington never clarified what constitutes “ties” to the military, so many students had their visas revoked or were turned away at US borders, sometimes without a proper explanation.

One of them, who did not wish to be named, said his visa was cancelled by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) when he landed in Boston in August 2023.

He had been accepted into a post-doctoral program at Harvard University. He was going to study regenerative medicine with a focus on breast cancer, and had done his master’s degree from a military-affiliated research institution in China.

He said he was not a member of the Communist Party and his research had nothing to do with the military.

“They asked me what the relationship was between my research and China’s defence affairs,” he told the BBC then. “I said, how could breast cancer have anything to do with national defence? If you know, please tell me.”

He believes he never stood a chance because the officials had already made up their minds. He recalled one of them asking: “Did Xi Jinping buy your suitcase for you?”

What was surprising, or even shocking then, slowly turned normal as more and more Chinese students struggled to secure visas or admissions to study science and technology in US universities.

Mr Cao, a psychology major whose research involves neuroscience, has spent the past school year applying for PhD programs in the US.

He had graduated from top-tier universities – credentials that could send him to an Ivy League school. But of the more than 10 universities he applied to, only one extended an offer.

Trump’s cuts to biomedical research didn’t help, but the mistrust surrounding Chinese researchers was also a factor. Allegations and rumours of espionage, especially in sensitive subjects, have loomed over Chinese nationals at US universities in recent years, even derailing some careers.

“One of the professors even told me, ‘We rarely give offers to Chinese students these days, so I cannot give you an interview,” Mr Cao told the BBC in February.

“I feel like I am just a grain of sand under the wheel of time. There is nothing I can do.”

For those who did graduate from US colleges, returning home to China has not been easy either.

They used to be lauded as a bridge to the rest of the world. Now, they find that their once-coveted degrees don’t draw the same reaction.

Chen Jian, who did not want to use his real name, said he quickly realised that his undergraduate degree from a US college had become an obstacle.

When he first came back in 2020, he interned at a state-owned bank and asked a supervisor if there was a chance to stay on.

The supervisor didn’t say it outright, but Chen got the message: “Employees should have local degrees. People like me (with overseas degrees) won’t even get a response.”

He later realised that “there really weren’t any colleagues with overseas undergraduate background in the department”.

He went back to the US and did his master’s at Johns Hopkins University, and now works at Chinese tech giant Baidu.

But despite the degree from a prestigious American university, Mr Chen does not feel he has an edge because of the stiff competition from graduates in China.

What also has not helped is the suspicion around foreign graduates. Beijing has ramped up warnings of foreign spies, telling civilians to be on the lookout for suspicious figures.

In April, prominent Chinese businesswoman Dong Mingzhu told shareholders in a closed-door meeting that her company, home appliance maker Gree Electric, will “never” recruit Chinese people educated overseas “because among them are spies”.

“I don’t know who is and who isn’t,” Ms Dong said, in comments that were leaked and went viral online.

Days later, the CIA released promotional videos encouraging Chinese officials dissatisfied with the government to become spies and provide classified information. “Your destiny is in your own hands,” the video said.

The suspicion of foreigners as the US and China pull further away from each other is a surprising turn for many Chinese people who remember growing up in a very different country.

Zhang Ni, who also did not want to use her real name, says she was “very shocked” by Ms Dong’s remarks.

The 24-year-old is a recent journalism graduate from Columbia University in New York. She says she “doesn’t care about working at Gree”, but what surprised her was the shift in attitudes.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1dezrrl3z3o

The U.S. plan for Gaza, seen by Reuters on Friday, proposes a 60-day ceasefire and the release of 28 Israeli hostages – alive and dead – in the first week, in exchange for the release of 1,236 Palestinian prisoners and the remains of 180 dead Palestinians.
The document, which says the plan is guaranteed by U.S. President Donald Trump and mediators Egypt and Qatar, includes sending humanitarian aid to Gaza as soon as Hamas signs off on the ceasefire agreement.

The aid will be delivered by the United Nations, the Red Crescent and other agreed channels.
The White House said on Thursday that Israel had agreed to the U.S. ceasefire proposal.
Israeli media said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the families of hostages held in Gaza that Israel had accepted the deal presented by Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. The prime minister’s office declined to comment.
The Palestinian militant group Hamas said it had received the Israeli response to the proposal, which it said “fails to meet any of the just and legitimate demands of our people” including an immediate cessation of hostilities and an end to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Hamas official Basem Naim said the Israeli response “fundamentally seeks to entrench the occupation and perpetuate policies of killing and starvation, even during what is supposed to be a period of temporary de-escalation”.
However, he said Hamas’ leadership was carrying out a “thorough and responsible review of the new proposal”.
The U.S. plan provides for Hamas to release the last 30 of the 58 remaining Israeli hostages once a permanent ceasefire is in place. Israel will also cease all military operations in Gaza as soon as the truce takes effect, it shows.
The Israeli army will also redeploy its troops in stages.
Deep differences between Hamas and Israel have stymied previous attempts to restore a ceasefire that broke down in March.
Israel has insisted that Hamas disarm completely, be dismantled as a military and governing force and return all 58 hostages still held in Gaza before it will agree to end the war.

Hamas has rejected the demand to give up its weapons and says Israel must pull its troops out of Gaza and commit to ending the war.
Israel launched its campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas attack in its south on October 7, 2023, that killed some 1,200 people and saw 251 Israelis taken hostage into Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.

The subsequent Israeli military campaign has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, Gaza health officials say, and has left the enclave in ruins.

MOUNTING PRESSURE

Israel has come under increasing international pressure, with many European countries that are usually reluctant to criticise it openly demanding an end to the war and a major relief effort.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Friday that Israel is blocking all but a trickle of humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, with almost no ready-to-eat food entering what its spokesperson described as “the hungriest place on earth”.
Witkoff told reporters on Wednesday that Washington was close to “sending out a new term sheet” about a ceasefire by the two sides in the conflict.
“I have some very good feelings about getting to a long-term resolution, temporary ceasefire and a long-term resolution, a peaceful resolution, of that conflict,” Witkoff said then.
The 60-day ceasefire, according to the plan, may be extended if negotiations for a permanent ceasefire are not concluded within the set period.
Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said on Thursday the terms of the proposal echoed Israel’s position and did not contain commitments to end the war, withdraw Israeli troops or admit aid as Hamas has demanded.

AID DISTRIBUTION

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a private group backed by the United States and endorsed by Israel, said it had distributed a total of more than 1.8 million meals this week and it expanded its aid distribution to a third site in Gaza on Thursday. GHF plans to open more sites in coming weeks.
The group, heavily criticised by the United Nations and other aid groups as inadequate and flawed, began its operation this week in Gaza, where the U.N. has said 2 million people are at risk of famine after an 11-week blockade by Israel on aid entering the enclave.
There were tumultuous scenes on Tuesday as thousands of Palestinians rushed to distribution points and forced private security contractors to retreat.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-proposes-60-day-ceasefire-gaza-plan-shows-2025-05-30/

North Korea helped Russia to ramp up its missile attacks on key Ukrainian civilian infrastructure through the shipment of thousands of soldiers and artillery shells — with Pyongyang getting sanctions-busting air defense weapons and military equipment in return, officials revealed Thursday.

The Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team, a group comprising 11 United Nation members observing the sanctions against Pyongyang, found that Russia and North Korea had violated UN sanctions to bolster their military ambitions.

Moscow received more than 12,000 North Korean troops to help retake the Russian region of Kursk from Ukraine earlier this year. The Kremlin also got as many as nine million rounds of artillery and rocket launcher ammunition from North Korea, the MSMT confirmed in its first report.

Even before Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un formally signed a new military alliance last year, Pyongyang had shipped ballistic missiles, self-propelled artillery, long-range multiple rocket launchers to the Kremlin, the MSMT added.

“Pyongyang contributed to Moscow’s ability to increase its missile attacks against Ukrainian cities, including targeted strikes against critical civilian infrastructure,” the report said.

In return for the men and weapons, Russia gifted Kim at least one Pantsir mobile air defense system, a medium-range surface-to-air interceptor and anti-aircraft weapon, officials said.

North Korea also received a Pantsir-class combat vehicle, electronic warfare jamming devices and other military equipment to bolster Kim’s defense systems, according to the report.

MSMT found that Moscow also “supported North Korea’s ballistic missile programs by providing data feedback… leading to improvements in missile guidance performance.”

Along with the military trades, the MSMT found that Pyongyang and Moscow were engaging in financial transactions through North Korea-owned bank accounts in South Ossetia, a city in the nation of Georgia.

Neither North Korea nor Russia have publicly confirmed the exchange of military equipment or technology under their mutual defense pact, which Putin and Kim signed last year.

Source : https://nypost.com/2025/05/29/world-news/north-korea-shipped-minions-munitions-to-russia-heres-what-the-hermit-state-got-in-return/

President Donald Trump’s trade war has cost companies more than $34 billion in lost sales and higher costs, according to a Reuters analysis of corporate disclosures, a toll that is expected to rise as ongoing uncertainty over tariffs paralyzes decision making at some of the world’s largest companies.
Across the United States, Asia and Europe, companies including Apple (AAPL.O), Ford (F.N), Porsche and Sony (6758.T), have pulled or slashed their profit forecasts, and an overwhelming majority say the erratic nature of Trump’s trade policies has made it impossible to accurately estimate costs. Reuters reviewed company statements, regulatory filings, conference and media call transcripts to pull together for the first time a snapshot of the tariff cost so far for global businesses.

The $33 billion is a sum of estimates from 32 companies in the S&P 500, three companies from Europe’s STOXX 600 (.STOXX), and 21 companies in Japan’s Nikkei 225 (.N225), indices. Economists say the cost to businesses will likely be multiple times what companies have so far disclosed.
“You can double or triple your tally and we’d still say … the magnitude is bound to be far greater than most people realize,” said Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, professor at the Yale School of Management.
The ripple effects could be worse, he added, citing the potential for lower spending from consumers and businesses, higher inflation expectations.

While a recent pause in Sino-US trade hostilities has offered some relief and Trump has backed down from tariff threats against Europe, it is still not clear what the final trade deals will look like. A U.S. trade court on Wednesday blocked Trump’s tariffs from going into effect. In this environment, strategists say companies will look to strengthen supply chains, boost near-shoring efforts, and prioritize new markets – all of which will push up costs.
Companies themselves are uncertain about the final cost. As the corporate earnings season draws to a close, Reuters found at least 42 companies have cut their forecasts and 16 have withdrawn or suspended their guidance. For instance, earlier this month, Walmart (WMT.N),  declined to provide a quarterly profit forecast and said it would raise prices, drawing a rebuke from Trump. Volvo Cars (VOLCARb.ST), one of the European automakers most exposed to U.S. tariffs, withdrew its earnings forecast for the next two years and United Airlines (UAL.O), gave two different forecasts, saying it was impossible to predict the macro environment this year.

Trump has argued that tariffs will cut America’s trade deficit and prompt companies to move operations to the country, bringing jobs back home. Tariffs will also force countries including Mexico to stop the flow of illegal immigrants and drugs into the United States, Trump has said.
“The Administration has consistently maintained that the United States … has the leverage to make our trading partners ultimately bear the cost of tariffs,” said White House spokesperson Kush Desai.

TARIFF TALK

On earnings conference calls for the January to March quarter, 360 companies, or 72%, in the S&P 500 index mentioned tariffs, up from 150 companies, or 30%, in the previous quarter. Executives at 219 companies listed on the STOXX 600 mentioned tariffs, compared with 161 in the prior quarter. Of the Nikkei 225 companies in Japan, that number was 58, up from 12 earlier.

“I don’t think corporations have an awful lot of visibility about anything in the future,” said Rich Bernstein, CEO of Richard Bernstein Advisors in New York. Referring to withdrawn forecasts, he said, “If you take into account this uncertain world and you can’t guide anybody to a number, it’s safer not to guide.”
Wall Street is expecting net profit for companies in the S&P 500 index to grow at an average 5.1% per quarter through April through December, versus a growth rate of 11.7% a year earlier, according to data compiled by LSEG.

Automakers, airlines and consumer goods importers have been among the worst hit. Levies on raw material costs and parts including aluminum and electronics have risen, and tariffs on multiple countries are making assembling cars more expensive because of far-flung supply chains. Moving any production to the United States will also raise labor costs.

Kleenex tissue maker Kimberly Clark (KMB.N), slashed its annual profit forecast last month and said it would incur about $300 million in costs this year as tariffs push up its supply-chain costs. A few days later the company said it would invest $2 billion over five years to expand its manufacturing capacity in the U.S., a number not included in the Reuters tally. Companies including Apple and Eli Lilly have this year announced investments in the United States.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/trumps-tariff-tally-34-billion-counting-global-companies-say-2025-05-29/

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Mohammad Sinwar, Hamas’ Gaza chief and the younger brother of the Palestinian militant group’s deceased leader and mastermind of the October 2023 attack, Yahya Sinwar, had been killed.
Mohammad Sinwar had been the target of an Israeli strike on a hospital in southern Gaza earlier this month and Netanyahu said on May 21 that it was likely he was dead.

The Israeli leader announced that Sinwar had been “eliminated” in an address to the Israeli parliament as he listed off names of other Hamas officials that Israel had killed over the past 20 months, including Sinwar’s brother Yahya.
“In the last two days we have been in a dramatic turn towards a complete defeat of Hamas,” he said, adding that Israel was also “taking control of food distribution”, a reference to a new aid distribution system in Gaza managed by a U.S.-backed group.
Hamas has yet to confirm Sinwar’s death.
Netanyahu’s announcement comes as the Israeli military has intensified its war campaign in Gaza after breaking a fragile ceasefire with Hamas in March. Israel has said it aims to dismantle Hamas’ governing and military capabilities and secure the release of hostages that are still held in Gaza.

The war erupted on October 7, 2023 when Hamas-led militants stormed out of Gaza, rampaging through southern Israeli communities and killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians.
More than 250 were captured and taken as hostages into Gaza.
Israel’s retaliatory assault on Gaza has decimated the coastal territory, killing more than 53,000, according to health officials in Gaza, and displaced over 2 million Palestinians.
Gazan health officials have said most of those killed have been civilians but have not said how many militants have died. Israel believes it has killed tens of thousands of militants but has not provided any evidence to support those claims.
Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir on May 26 said Hamas had lost many assets, including its command and control centre.
Sinwar was elevated to the top ranks of the Palestinian militant group last year after Israel killed his brother Yahya in combat.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/netanyahu-says-hamas-gaza-chief-mohammed-sinwar-has-been-eliminated-2025-05-28/

Billionaire Tesla (TSLA.O), CEO Elon Musk is leaving the Trump administration after leading a tumultuous efficiency drive, during which he upended several federal agencies but ultimately failed to deliver the generational savings he had sought.
His “off-boarding will begin tonight,” a White House official told Reuters late Wednesday, confirming Musk’s departure from government. Musk earlier on Wednesday took to his social media platform X to thank President Donald Trump as his time as a special government employee with the Department of Government Efficiency draws to an end.

His departure was quick and unceremonious. He did not have a formal conversation with Trump before announcing his exit, according to a source with knowledge of the matter, who added that his departure was decided “at a senior staff level.”
While the precise circumstances of his exit were not immediately clear, he leaves a day after criticizing Trump’s marquee tax bill, calling it too expensive and a measure that would undermine his work with the U.S. DOGE Service.
Some senior White House officials, including Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, were particularly irked by those comments, and the White House was forced to call Republican senators to reiterate Trump’s support for the package, a source familiar with the matter said.

While Musk remains close to the president, his exit comes after a gradual, but steady slide in standing.
After Trump’s inauguration, the billionaire quickly emerged as a powerful force in Trump’s orbit: hyper-visible, unapologetically brash and unfettered by traditional norms. At the Conservative Political Action Conference in February, he brandished a red metallic chainsaw to wild cheers. “This is the chainsaw for bureaucracy,” he declared.
On the campaign trail, Musk had said DOGE would be able to cut at least $2 trillion in federal spending. DOGE currently estimates its efforts have saved $175 billion so far, a number Reuters was not able to independently verify.
Musk did not hide his animus for the federal workforce, and he predicted that revoking “the COVID-era privilege” of telework would trigger “a wave of voluntary terminations that we welcome.”

But some cabinet members who initially embraced Musk’s outsider energy grew wary of his tactics, sources said. Over time, they grew more confident pushing back against his job cuts, encouraged by Trump’s reminder in early March that staffing decisions rested with department secretaries, not with Musk.
Musk clashed with three of Trump’s most senior cabinet members – Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. He called Trump’s trade adviser Peter Navarro a “moron” and “dumber than a sack of bricks.” Navarro dismissed the insults, saying, “I’ve been called worse.”
At the same time, Musk began to hint that his time in government would come to a close, while expressing frustration at times that he could not more aggressively cut spending.
In an April 22 Tesla conference call, he signaled he would be significantly scaling back his government work to focus on his businesses.

“The federal bureaucracy situation is much worse than I realized,” Musk told The Washington Post this week. “I thought there were problems, but it sure is an uphill battle trying to improve things in D.C., to say the least.”

DOGE GOES ON

Musk’s 130-day mandate as a special government employee in the Trump administration was set to expire around May 30. The administration has said DOGE’s efforts to restructure and shrink the federal government will continue.
Several cabinet secretaries are already discussing with the White House how to proceed without further alienating Congressional Republicans. But even as department heads will keep some DOGE infrastructure in place, they will likely move to reassert control over budgets and staffing, sources have told Reuters.
“The DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government,” Musk said.
Trump and DOGE have managed to cut nearly 12%, or 260,000, of the 2.3 million-strong federal civilian workforce largely through threats of firings, buyouts and early retirement offers, a Reuters review of agency departures found.
At the same time, DOGE has hit a number of roadblocks, with federal courts at times propping back up agencies shortly after DOGE had moved to eliminate them. In some cases, staff and funding cuts have led to purchasing bottlenecks, increased costs and a brain drain of scientific and technological talent.
The most recent source of friction came on Tuesday when Musk criticized the price tag of Republicans’ tax and budget legislation making its way through Congress.
“I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decreases it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing,” Musk told CBS News.
One source said the billionaire’s decision to trash Trump’s bill on television deeply upset senior White House aides.
His political activities have drawn protests and some investors have called for him to leave his work as Trump’s adviser and more closely manage Tesla, which has seen falls in sales and its stock price.
Musk, the world’s richest person, has defended his role as an unelected official who was granted unprecedented authority by Trump to dismantle parts of the U.S. government.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us/elon-musk-leaving-trump-administration-white-house-official-confirms-2025-05-29/

Six people were still missing following the explosion at the plant operated by Shandong Youdao Chemical in the city of Weifang in Shandong province late on Tuesday morning, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV and state-run Xinhua agency reported.

The plant, situated in an industrial park, manufactures chemical components for use in pesticides and pharmaceuticals, they said.

Videos circulating on Chinese social media and verified by the Reuters news agency showed plumes of orange and black smoke billowing into the sky.

Windows of nearby buildings were ripped from their hinges by the explosion, one of the videos showed.

Authorities launched a large response to the explosion and the blaze it ignited, with officials sending more than 230 responders to the scene, according to CCTV.

Drone video posted by The Beijing News, a government-run publication, showed smoke emerging from the chemical plant and from a second, unidentified facility nearby.

Baidu Maps, a navigation app, shows other manufacturing companies next to Youdao’s plant, including a textile company, a machinery company and a firm that makes industrial coating materials.

The Weifang Ecological Environment Bureau dispatched staff to test the site of the blast, but said no results were available yet. It advised nearby residents to wear face masks in the meantime, The Beijing News reported.

A local resident, who did not wish to be identified for fear of repercussions, said in a video that his home, more than 7km (4.3 miles) from the plant, shook from the impact of the explosion, The Associated Press news agency reported.

A statement from China’s emergency response authority urged response crews to quickly contain the fire and establish the number of people affected.

Shandong Youdao Chemical was established in August 2019 in the Gaomi Renhe chemical park in Weifang, according to the company’s website. The plant covers about 47 hectares (116 acres) and has more than 300 employees.

Blasts at chemical plants in China in recent years have included one in the northwest region of Ningxia in 2024 and another in the southeastern province of Jiangxi in 2023.

Source : https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/5/27/at-least-five-reported-killed-in-large-explosion-at-china-chemical-plant

EMMANUEL Macron and his wife Brigitte have put on a united front for the world’s cameras a day after the shocking face slap drama.

Viral footage that has overshadowed the start of the couple’s Southeast Asia tour shows the French leader’s wife shoving him in the mouth and jaw after landing in Vietnam.

Furious Macron attempted to downplay the incident last night by claiming the pair were “squabbling and, rather joking”.

He added that the unbelievable incident has been overblown into “a sort of geo-planetary catastrophe”.

The French leader also argued that the clip and viral reaction to it offered a cautionary tale about disinformation in the social media age.

Today, Macron and the First Lady were captured arm-in-arm after arriving at Hanoi’s University of Science and Technology for the French president to make a speech.

The couple were pictured together a few hours after Macron claimed “crackpot” conspiracy theorists were trying to heighten speculation on what their marriage might look like behind closed doors.

Footage of the shove was initially denied by Macron’s office as being an AI-generated fake – but were forced to retract their statement and admit it was genuine.

His office said: “It was a moment where the president and his wife were decompressing one last time before the start of the trip by horsing around.

“It’s a moment of complicity. It was all that was needed to give ammunition to the conspiracy theorists.”

The unbelievable moment captured at Hanoi airport showed Macron facing his wife – who is out of the frame – as the plane’s doors opened.

Despite Brigitte not being visible, her arms are soon seen raised as she shoves a stern-looking Macron in the face.

Appearing shocked, the French leader immediately notices the doors open and quickly turns to wave at the sea of cameras at the bottom of the plane steps.

Despite Macron’s attempts to defuse claims that they weren’t in a heated argument, the couple’s body language immediately after the push seems to suggest otherwise.

Brigitte and Macron emerge together from the aircraft and walk down the staircase, with the French leader extending his arm to his wife.

But she takes hold of the handrail of the walkway for support instead, potentially due to an explosive argument they could have had inside.

The French leader has repeatedly been targeted by conspiracy theories and deepfakes.

He previously had to deny “false and fabricated” rumours his wife was born a man, dubbing the transgender claims as being typified misogynistic online attacks on women.

And recently he blasted a fake Russian claim that he had a bag of cocaine on the table when he was pictured on his way to Kyiv with Keir Starmer and Germany’s Friedrich Merz.

Drawing comparison with the shove video and the cocaine tissue claim, Macron said in Vietnam last night: “For three weeks, there have been people who have watched videos and who think that I shared a bag of cocaine, that I had a mano-a-mano with a Turkish president and now that I am having a domestic dispute with my wife.

“In these three videos, I took a tissue, shook someone’s hand and just joked with my wife, as we do quite often. Nothing more.

“None of this is true. So everyone needs to calm down.”

The politician was just 15 when he started a relationship with the then mother-of-three, his French literature teacher.

Macron is in Hanoi to begin a week-long tour of Southeast Asia, where he will also visit Indonesia and Singapore.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14330698/macron-brigitte-united-front-slap-drama/

North Korea slammed on Tuesday (May 27) United States President Donald Trump’s “Golden Dome” missile shield plan as a “very dangerous” threat that could spark nuclear war in space, state media said.

Trump announced new details and initial funding for the missile shield system last week, calling it “very important for the success and even survival of our country”.

The initiative faces significant technical and political challenges, according to analysts, and could come at a hefty price tag.

In a statement shared by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Pyongyang’s foreign ministry slammed the “very dangerous ‘threatening initiative’ aimed at threatening the strategic security of the nuclear weapons states”.

The US is “hell-bent on the moves to militarise outer space,” the foreign ministry said.

“The US plan for building a new missile defence system is the root cause of sparking off global nuclear and space arms race by stimulating the security concerns of nuclear weapons states and turning the outer space into a potential nuclear war field,” it added.

Washington – Seoul’s key security ally – has in recent years ramped up joint military exercises and increased the presence of strategic US assets, such as an aircraft carrier and a nuclear-powered submarine, in the region to deter the North.

Pyongyang has repeatedly declared itself an “irreversible” nuclear weapons state and routinely denounces joint US-South Korea drills as rehearsals for invasion.

Hong Min, a senior analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification, told AFP that Pyongyang saw Trump’s “Golden Dome” as a threat.

“The North’s strong reaction suggests it views the Golden Dome as capable of significantly weakening the effectiveness of its nuclear arsenal, including its ICBMs,” he said.

“If the US completes its new missile defence programme, the North will be forced to develop alternative means to counter or penetrate it,” he added.

CHINA, RUSSIA MODERNISING WEAPONS

China has similarly expressed strong concerns about Washington’s Golden Dome plan, accusing the US of undermining global stability.

Beijing is closing the gap with Washington when it comes to ballistic and hypersonic missile technology, while Moscow is modernising its intercontinental-range missile systems and developing advanced precision strike missiles, according to a 2022 Pentagon review.

The Kremlin has said Trump’s initiative would require consultations with Russia but was otherwise a “sovereign matter” for the US, softening its tone after also previously slamming the idea as destabilising.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/east-asia/north-korea-us-trump-golden-dome-missile-shield-plan-5154436

A 53-year-old British man plowed a minivan into a crowd of Liverpool soccer fans who were celebrating the city’s Premier League championship Monday, injuring more than 45 people as shouts of joy turned into shrieks of terror.

The driver arrested was believed to be the only one involved and the crash was not being investigated as an act of terrorism, police said.

Ambulances took 27 people to the hospital, including two with serious injuries, and another 20 people were treated at the scene for minor injuries, said Dave Kitchin of North West Ambulance Service. At least four children were injured.

Four of the victims, including a child, were trapped under the van and firefighters had to lift the vehicle to free them. A paramedic on a bicycle was also struck but was not injured.

“It has cast a very dark shadow over what had been a joyous day for the city,” City Council leader Liam Robinson said at a late night news conference.

As the parade was wrapping up, a gray minivan turned onto the parade route and plowed into the sea of fans wrapped in their red Liverpool scarves, jerseys and other memorabilia. A video on social media showed the van strike a man, tossing him in the air, before veering into a larger crowd, where it plowed a path through the group and pushed bodies along the street before coming to a stop.

“It was extremely fast,” said Harry Rashid, who was with his wife and two young daughters as the minivan passed by them. “Initially, we just heard the pop, pop, pop of people just being knocked off the bonnet of a car.”

Rashid said the crowd charged the halted vehicle and began smashing windows.

“But then he put his foot down again and just plowed through the rest of them, he just kept going,” Rashid said. “It was horrible. And you could hear the bumps as he was going over the people.”

Rashid said it looked deliberate.

“My daughter started screaming, and there were people on the ground,” he said. “They were just innocent people, just fans going to enjoy the parade.”

Liverpool fans had come out in the hundreds of thousands to celebrate the team winning the Premier League this season for a record-tying 20th top-flight title.

Peter Jones, who had traveled from Isle of Man, said he heard the car smash into the crowd and saw at least a half-dozen people down.

“We heard a frantic beeping ahead, a car flew past me and my mate, people were chasing it and trying to stop him, windows smashed at the back,” Jones said. “He then drove into people, police and medics ran past us, and people were being treated on the side of the road.”

Police said they were conducting extensive inquiries to establish what led to the collision and asked people not to speculate or share “distressing content online.”

Police identified the suspect as white, in a possible decision to prevent misinformation from flooding social media.

Last summer, a teen in the nearby town of Southport killed three girls in a stabbing rampage at a dance class and wounded 10 others, including two adults. An incorrect name of the suspect was spread on social media and people said he was an asylum seeker. In fact, he had been born in the U.K. Rioting spread across England and Northern Ireland, targeting Muslims and refugees in hotels of asylum seekers and lasted about a week.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the scenes appalling and hailed the bravery of rescuers.

“Everyone, especially children, should be able to celebrate their heroes without this horror,” Starmer said. “The city has a long and proud history of coming together through difficult times. Liverpool stands together and the whole country stands with Liverpool.”

Liverpool Football Club’s legacy is overshadowed by a disaster 36 years ago when 97 of its fans were killed in a stadium crush during a match against Sheffield at Hillsborough Stadium. The tragedy was compounded by a coverup into the cause and missteps by police.

Supporters were denied the chance to publicly celebrate the club’s last league title in 2020 due to restrictions in place during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/liverpool-crystal-palace-arsenal-women-trophy-parade-b2929e5981eeff72e074bf9c901a0bc5

NORTH Korea has arrested three shipyard bosses after a humiliating warship launch flop that Kim Jong-un called a “criminal act”.

The 5,000-tonne destroyer – hailed as a symbol of military might – ended up crushed and listing in the harbour during a high-profile launch in the port city of Chongjin last Wednesday.

State media on Sunday said three officials – chief engineer Kang Jong Chol, hull workshop head Han Kyong Hak, and deputy manager Kim Yong Hak – were detained over the “serious accident”.

Kim Jong-un, who watched the botched launch unfold in person, reportedly fumed that the fiasco had “damaged the country’s dignity”.

The Pyongyang tyrant has since ordered the ship to be restored by next month’s ruling party meeting, with repairs already under way.

KCNA said the incident was “a criminal act caused by absolute carelessness” and insisted those involved “can never evade their responsibility for the crime”.

Satellite images showed the vessel lying on its side, covered in blue tarps.

The stern appeared to have slipped into the water while the bow remained on the shipway – a spectacle experts say amplified the embarrassment for the regime.

“No matter how good the state of the warship is, the fact that the accident is an unpardonable criminal act remains unchanged,” KCNA added.

South Korea’s military, citing joint analysis with US intelligence, said Pyongyang’s side-launch attempt of the ship had failed and left it crippled.

But North Korean state media claimed an “underwater and internal inspection” showed “no holes made at the warship’s bottom”, calling the damage “not serious”.

Despite the regime’s insistence, insiders say Kim is hunting for scapegoats as part of a high-stakes purge.

The manager of the Chongjin shipyard, Hong Kil Ho, has also been summoned by law enforcement and could face similar repercussions.

The failed destroyer is believed to be the same class as the newly unveiled Choe Hyon warship – a 5,000-tonne behemoth reportedly capable of carrying nuclear-capable cruise missiles.

Analysts believe Russian help may have gone into its development, possibly in exchange for North Korean troops aiding Moscow in Ukraine.

International relations expert Edward Howell previously told The Sun the warship fiasco was a double blow for Kim.

“It’s an obstacle, nonetheless, to North Korea’s further development of its navy, the modernisation of its navy and its broader military modernisation,” he said.

He added that it also dented the regime’s “sense of status and prestige. All great powers have strong navies, and Kim Jong-un wants to make sure that North Korea isn’t left out in that regard.”

While it’s unclear what exact punishment awaits the detainees, North Korea’s grisly track record suggests it could be fatal.

In the past, top officials have been executed by anti-aircraft guns or killed for infractions like falling asleep during rallies attended by Kim.

One source told NK News the fact that the incident was publicly reported likely means “North Korea is going to lose some of its best naval engineers.”

The ship’s hull reportedly suffered scratches and seawater entered through a rescue channel, with repairs expected to take around 10 days – though Kim has demanded it be fixed before June.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14317950/north-korea-arrests-three-warship-disaster/

US President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that he was suspending planned 50% tariffs on the European Union until July 9.

He made the announcement on his Truth Social network.

That agreement came after a call Sunday with Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission.

“Good call with @POTUS,” Von der Leyen wrote on X. “The EU and US share the world’s most consequential and close trade relationship. Europe is ready to advance talks swiftly and decisively. To reach a good deal, we would need the time until July 9.”

What did Trump say?

Von der Leyen said “talks will begin rapidly,” Trump posted regarding his phone call with the European Commission president on his Truth Social platform, adding that it was his “privilege” to agree to the “extension.”

Speaking to reporters on Sunday before boarding the US presidential aircraft Air Force One, Trump said Von der Leyen had “asked for an extension on the June 1 date, and she said she wants to get down to serious negotiation.”

How did we get to this stage?

Authorities in Brussels and Washington have been negotiating to avoid a trade war sparked by Trump’s April announcement that he would slap tariffs on most of the US’ trading partners.

Trump threatened a 20% tariff on most EU goods, before halving it to 10% with a deadline of July 8.

On Friday, Trump said he would impose a 50% tariff on the EU from June 1 because trade talks with the bloc were “going nowhere.”

Now, he has agreed to an “extension” to the original July deadline announced last month.

The bloc, which Trump has repeatedly accused of having “taken advantage” of the US, has been hit with three rounds of tariffs: a 25% tax on imports of steel and aluminum and cars, a 20% “reciprocal” tariff on all imports, which has been lifted while trade talks are ongoing. A “universal” baseline 10% tariff, however, remains in place.

The EU, for its part, has said it will tax US goods in response.

Europeans call for “respect” not “threats”

Maros Sefcovic, the EU’s trade commissioner, has said Brussels is “committed” to reaching an agreement but insisted that the transatlantic relationship be based on “mutual respect” instead of “threats.”

On Sunday, Germany’s Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil said he was hoping for “serious negotiations” with the White House but urged against “further provocations,” adding that he had discussed the issue with his American counterpart Scott Bessent.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/us-trump-suspends-planned-50-tariffs-on-eu/a-72666268

Myanmar is caught in a scramble for minerals. Their exploitation is causing deaths and environmental harm in the country’s Kachin State, activists tell DW. Can the region’s independence movement make a difference?

Lahtaw Kai draws an imaginary mountain into the air with her hands and uses her fingers to dot it with holes.

“At the top of the mountains, they drill holes and then pour chemicals like ammonium nitrate into the ground to extract the rare earth minerals at the bottom,” the Myanmar environment activist told DW.

Lahtaw Kai — whose name we’ve changed for security reasons — was illustrating the so-called in-situ leaching technique, which has been applied for decades in mining rare earths in Myanmar’s northern Kachin state.

The process begins at the top of the mountains, where chemicals are injected into the earth through a network of pipes. As the solution tracks downslope, it gathers rare earth elements, which are then collected in large ponds.

At hundreds of mining sites in the region, in-situ leaching is proving to be a huge risk to both the environment and local villagers.

“The rare earth sludge dries out in wood-fired kilns, and areas close to the mining sites constantly smell bad,” said Lahtaw Kai, adding that she and her research team cannot stay there for more than 30 minutes because it’s hard to breathe.

“But people are working there without gloves and masks. Companies don’t provide protection. So, the workers get sick and then [the company] fires them and brings in new workers,” she added.

Seng Li, a human rights activist currently based in Chiang Mai, Thailand, has researched mining sites in Myanmar’s north and says the mountains used to be green before mining started.

“Now those mountains are very ugly, the river turned red. Some of the chemicals they use in the mining pools, they just dump into the waters,” he told DW.

DW met both Lahtaw Kai and Seng Li on the sidelines of a recent tour of Europe, where they were campaigning for support of their cause. They want to make Europeans aware of what happens at the beginning of global supply chains that finally lead to products such as electric vehicles, wind turbines, medical equipment, and even weapons.

Rare earth elements crucial industrial inputs?

Julie Klinger, assistant professor at the University of Delaware in the United States, explains that the term rare-earth elements refers to 17 chemically similar elements in the so-called periodic table of elements.

“The thing that distinguishes these elements is their fantastic, magnetic and conductive, and in some cases thermal properties,” she told DW.

Also called the “spice of industry,” rare earths can be used in relatively small quantities to enhance industrial processes.

Dysprosium, for example, is used as a catalyst in petrochemical refining, said Klinger, and can be found in Myanmar’s north. The element with a metallic silver luster is essential for battery production, increasing their heat efficiency and longevity, making it a key component for the green energy transition.

Dysprosium is also used in producing permanent magnets capable of maintaining a constant magnetic field needed for modern power generators in electric vehicles or wind turbines.

Nonprofit organization Global Witness reported in 2024 that Chinese producers of permanent magnets are sourcing rare earths from Myanmar.

Among the customers of China-made rare-earths products specifically named by the report are global auto giants Volkswagen, Toyota, Nissan, Ford and Hyundai, as well as wind power firms like Siemens Gamesa and Vestas.

Another report compiled by Adams Intelligence— a consultancy for strategic metals and minerals based in Toronto, Canada — found Germany to be China’s biggest customer for sourcing permanent magnets in 2024.

A call for responsible mining

China has reduced domestic mining for rare-earth elements, increasing the exploitation of deposits in neighboring Myanmar.

Chinese imports of so-called heavy rare earth elements from Myanmar skyrocketed from their previous highs of 19,500 tons in 2021 to 41,700 tons in 2023, the Global Witness report says.

“That’s like a page out of the US playbook from the 20th century,” said Julie Klinger, referring to the US approach of strategically not mining its domestic uranium deposits to safeguard them for later.

Lahtaw Kai says people in Myanmar don’t want the Chinese to continue mining, and adds: “If the international community wants to continue buying these minerals, they should be responsibly sourced.”

Myanmar’s lucrative trade in rare earths — worth $1.4 billion (€1.2 billion) in 2023, according to Global Witness — risks financing conflict and destruction in a highly volatile region.

In 2018, Myanmar’s civilian-led government had banned exports and ordered Chinese miners to wind down operations, but since 2021, extraction has continued in the context of a ruthless dictatorship and widening civil conflict.

In late 2024, the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) and its allied military forces wrested control of most of the mineral-rich region in the north from forces allied with the central government. KIO has been fighting for the region’s independence since the 1960s.

This power shift has led to new negotiations between KIO and Chinese producers on taxing rare earth extraction.

While the KIO enjoys broad popular support in Kachin and greater legitimacy than government-allied militias, the 2024 Global Witness report says that on “both sides, this largely unregulated mining is environmentally devastating, and the threat it poses to ecosystems and to human health is becoming ever more urgent.”

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/the-dirty-secrets-behind-myanmars-rare-earths-boom/a-72530460

Gaza’s civil defense agency said an Israeli strike in the southern city of Khan Younis on Friday killed nine of the 10 children of a married doctor couple.

Agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal said Saturday that civil defense “crews transported the bodies of nine child martyrs, some of them charred, from the home of Dr. Hamdi al-Najjar and his wife, Dr. Alaa al-Najjar, all of whom were their children.”

In a statement, Israel’s military said it struck suspects operating from a structure near to its forces and described the area of Khan Younis as a “dangerous war zone.”

The military said it had evacuated civilians from the area and that “the claim regarding harm to uninvolved civilians is under review.”

What do we know about the incident?

Alaa al-Najjar, a pediatrician at Nasser Hospital, was on duty when she ran home and found her family’s house on fire, Ahmad al-Farra, head of the hospital’s pediatrics department told the Associated Press.

Muneer Alboursh, director general of the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, said on X that the strike happened shortly after Hamdi Al-Najjar drove his wife to work.

“Just minutes after returning home, a missile struck their house,” he said, adding the father was “in intensive care.”

Farra said that the couple’s only surviving child, an 11-year-old son, was in critical condition after the strike. The dead children ranged in age from seven months to 12 years old.

Germany’s antisemitism chief urges debate on Israel support

The latest strike in Gaza come as European counties such as the UK and France grow increasingly critical of Israel’s military operations there.

Felix Klein, the German government’s antisemitism commissioner, told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung that, while protecting Israel and defending its right to exist are fundamental to German policy, support can only go so far.

“We must do everything in our power to preserve the security of Israel and Jews worldwide,” he said. “But we must also make it clear that this does not justify everything.”

Protecting Israel’s security and supporting its interests in international organizations is one of Germany’s “Staatsräson” (‘Reason of state’). The policy is tied to Germany’s historical responsibility to Israel after the Holocaust during World War II, in which 6 million Jews were killed.

Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza in response to a Hamas terror attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Hamas’ attack on Israel killed some 1,200 people, with Hamas and other Palestinian groups also taking 251 hostages.

Gaza’s health authorities say nearly 54,000 people have died in the Gaza Strip amid Israeli attacks. Although Israel and the US have criticized this death toll figure, the UN and other international bodies have viewed the Gaza Health Ministry figures as broadly reliable.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/gaza-9-children-of-doctor-couple-killed-in-israeli-strike/a-72660315

At least 60 people were killed by the latest Israeli strikes across Gaza in a 24-hour period, Gaza’s health ministry said Friday.

Israeli MP Ayman Odeh was forcibly removed from the podium in the parliament after he denounced Israel’s war in Gaza amid the rising death toll.

“After a year and a half in which you killed 19000 children, 53,000 residents, destroyed all the universities and the hospitals, you feel there is no political win, that’s why you go crazy,” he says before being removed from the podium

His speech created chaos in the parliament. A video shows the MP speaking in the parliament as others oppose. Moments later, he was removed from the podium. He kept speaking as he was being taken away.

Meanwhile, in the latest update, at least 60 people were killed by Israeli strikes across Gaza in a 24-hour period, Gaza’s health ministry said Friday.

The deceased include 10 people in the southern city of Khan Younis, four in the central town of Deir al-Balah and nine in the Jabaliya refugee camp in the north, according to the Nasser, Al-Aqsa and Al-Ahli hospitals where the bodies were brought.

Amid the ongoing war, Israel has blocked humanitarian aid to Gaza for nearly three months, prompting growing alarm from international observers. Experts warn that much of Gaza’s population—over 2 million people—is now at severe risk of famine.

Even the United States, Israel’s closest ally, has expressed concern over the escalating hunger crisis.

The latest wave of airstrikes, which continued into Friday morning, followed a deadly assault on a hospital in northern Gaza. Israeli tanks and drones reportedly targeted the facility, sparking fires and causing extensive destruction.

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/you-killed-19000-children-israeli-mp-removed-from-podium-over-gaza-remarks-video-9350237.html

A US judge on Friday (May 23) suspended the Trump administration’s move to block Harvard from enrolling and hosting foreign students after the prestigious university sued, calling the action unconstitutional.

The order provides temporary relief to thousands of international students who were faced with being forced to transfer under a policy that the university called a “blatant violation” of the US Constitution and other federal laws, and said would have an “immediate and devastating effect” on the university and more than 7,000 visa holders.

“Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard,” the 389-year-old school said in its lawsuit filed earlier on Friday in Boston federal court. Harvard enrolled nearly 6,800 international students in its current school year, equal to 27 per cent of total enrollment.

The US government’s move was the latest escalation in a broader battle between Harvard and the White House, as Trump seeks to compel universities, law firms, news media, courts and other institutions that value independence from partisan politics to align with his agenda. Trump and fellow Republicans have long accused elite universities of left-wing bias.

Harvard has pushed back hard against Trump, having previously sued to restore nearly US$3 billion in federal grants that had been frozen or cancelled. In recent weeks, the administration has proposed ending Harvard’s tax-exempt status and hiking taxes on its endowment, and opened an investigation into whether it violated civil rights laws.

In its complaint, Harvard said the revocation would force it to retract admissions for thousands of people, and has thrown “countless” academic programmes, clinics, courses and research laboratories into disarray, just a few days before graduation.

It said the revocation was a punishment for Harvard’s “perceived viewpoint,” which it called a violation of the right to free speech as guaranteed by the US Constitution’s First Amendment.

The Trump administration may appeal US District Judge Allison Burroughs’ ruling. In a statement, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said, “unelected judges have no right to stop the Trump Administration from exercising their rightful control over immigration policy and national security policy”.

White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller claimed that, in granting a temporary pause, “a communist judge has created a constitutional right for foreign nationals … to be admitted to American universities funded by American tax dollars”.

There will be an injunction hearing on May 29, a court filing showed.

In announcing on Thursday the termination of Harvard’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification, effective starting in the 2025-2026 academic year, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, without providing evidence, accused the university of “fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party”.

Harvard says a fifth of its foreign students in 2024 were from China.

US lawmakers from both parties have expressed concerns about the influence of the Chinese government on US college campuses, including efforts by Beijing-directed Chinese student associations to monitor political activities and stifle academic speech.

The university says it is committed to combating antisemitism and investigating credible allegations of civil rights violations.

HARVARD DEFENDS “REFUSAL TO SURRENDER”

In her brief order blocking the policy for two weeks, Burroughs said Harvard had shown it could be harmed before there was an opportunity to hear the case in full.

The judge, an appointee of Democratic President Barack Obama, scheduled hearings for May 27 and May 29 to consider next steps in the case. Burroughs is also overseeing Harvard’s lawsuit over the grant funds.

Harvard University President Alan Garber said the administration was illegally seeking to assert control over the private university’s curriculum, faculty and student body.

“The revocation continues a series of government actions to retaliate against Harvard for our refusal to surrender our academic independence,” Garber wrote in a letter on Friday to the Harvard community.

The revocation could also weigh on Harvard’s finances. At many US universities, international students are more likely to pay full tuition, essentially subsidising aid for other students.

“It is a privilege, not a right, for universities to enrol foreign students and benefit from their higher tuition payments,” DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement.

Harvard’s bonds, part of its US$8.2 billion debt pile, have been falling since Trump first warned US universities in March of cuts to federal funding.

Leaders of the Harvard chapter of the American Association of University Professors called Trump’s action “the latest in a string of nakedly authoritarian and retaliatory moves against America’s oldest institution of higher education.”

Leo Gerden, a Swedish student set to graduate Harvard with an undergraduate degree in economics and government this month, called the judge’s ruling a “great first step” but said international students were bracing for a long legal fight that would keep them in limbo.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/harvard-international-students-judge-blocks-trump-order-5150586

The limited amount of food that trickled into Gaza after an Israeli blockade was partly lifted has sparked chaotic scenes, as hunger continues to spread.

Bakeries distributing food were overwhelmed by crowds and forced to close on Thursday, and armed looters attacked an aid convoy overnight – sparking a firefight with Hamas security officials who, witnesses say, were then targeted by an Israeli drone strike.

The incident in central Gaza, recounted to BBC News by eyewitnesses, local journalists and Hamas officials, underscores the deteriorating security situation in Gaza, where governance has collapsed and lawlessness has spread.

A convoy of 20 trucks, co-ordinated by the World Food Programme (WFP) and carrying flour, was en route from the Kerem Shalom crossing to a WFP warehouse in the city of Deir al-Balah.

It was being escorted by six Hamas security officers when it was ambushed by five unidentified gunmen, who fired at the tyres of the vehicles and tried to seize the cargo.

The Hamas security team engaged the attackers in a brief firefight, witnesses told BBC News.

Shortly after the clash began, Israeli drones targeted the Hamas unit with four missiles, killing six officers and wounding others.

Hamas issued a statement condemning the attack as “a horrific massacre” and accused Israel of deliberately targeting personnel tasked with protecting humanitarian aid.

In a statement, the IDF said one of its aircraft identified “several gunmen, including Hamas terrorists”, near humanitarian aid trucks in central Gaza and “struck the gunmen following the identification”.

The IDF said it would make “all efforts possible to ensure that the humanitarian aid does not reach the hands of terrorist organizations”.

A small amount of food has been allowed to cross into Gaza this week: around 130 lorries carrying aid have crossed the border in the last three days, after an 11-week blockade was partly lifted by the IDF.

The UN says 500 to 600 trucks of supplies a day are needed in Gaza.

International agencies, including the UN and the WFP, have repeatedly warned that the growing insecurity is hampering the delivery of desperately needed food and medical supplies to the population – the majority of whom are displaced.

Israel says the blockade was intended to put pressure on Hamas to release the hostages still held in Gaza. Israel has also accused Hamas of stealing supplies, which the group has denied.

The WFP said 15 of its aid trucks were looted overnight on Thursday, and that “hunger, desperation and anxiety over whether more food aid is coming is contributing to rising insecurity”. The organisation called on Israel to help ensure the safe passage of supplies.

Philippe Lazzarini, the head of UNRWA, an agency that supports Palestinian refugees, wrote on X that no one should be “surprised let alone shocked” that aid had been looted because the “people of Gaza have been starved [and] deprived of the basics including water and medicines for more than 11 weeks”.

Earlier on Thursday, angry and hungry Palestinians crowded outside bakeries in Gaza in a desperate attempt to obtain bread, but the situation quickly descended into chaos, forcing distribution to halt.

It forced most bakeries to suspend operations, citing a lack of security.

Many residents across Gaza voiced growing frustration over the aid distribution method and criticised the WFP, which oversees food deliveries.

Some called for an immediate shift from distributing baked bread to handing out flour directly at a rate of one sack per family.

Locals argue that distributing flour would allow families to bake at home or in tents – which, they say, would be safer than waiting at the overcrowded aid centres.

Palestinians on the ground have told of the deepening humanitarian crisis and the collapse of basic services facing people living among the fighting or forced from their homes, as the IDF continues to ramp up its military operations against Hamas.

From a displacement camp in southern Gaza’s al-Mawasi, Abd al-Fatah Hussein told BBC News over WhatsApp that the situation is getting worse due to the number of people in the area.

The father-of-two said there is “no room” in al-Mawasi, where people ordered by the Israeli military to leave their homes are being told to go for safety.

“There is no electricity, no food, insufficient portable water, and no available medicine,” he said.

“The repeated air strikes, especially during the night, add to the suffering.”

He described the aid trucks coming in as a “drop in the ocean of Gaza’s needs”.

When he announced some supplies would finally be allowed into the strip earlier this week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said only a “basic amount” would be able to cross.

Humanitarian organisations have warned the amount of food entering Gaza in recent days is not close to what is needed to feed the 2.1 million people living there, while the UN has said about 500 lorries entered the territory on average every day before the war.

Widespread famine, humanitarian groups have warned, looms over Gaza.

Secretary-General António Guterres said 400 trucks had been cleared to enter Gaza this week, but supplies from just 115 had been collected. He said nothing had “reached the besieged north” so far.

While some flour, baby food and medical supplies had made it into Gaza, and some bakeries in the south had begun operating again, Guterres said that amounted to a “teaspoon of aid when a flood of assistance is required”.

“The supplies – 160,000 pallets, enough to fill nearly 9,000 trucks – are waiting,” he added.

Rida, a midwife with charity Project HOPE in Deir al-Balah, said women come to her clinic suffering from fainting, having sought medical help without eating breakfast.

Many of them eat only one meal a day and subsist on high energy biscuits given by the charity, she said.

“Due to malnutrition they are always telling us, ‘my baby cannot take enough supplement from my breast… my baby won’t stop crying… they always need to be breastfed, but my breast is empty’.”

Teenager Saba Nahed Alnajjar lives in Khan Younis, where the IDF ordered a mass evacuation earlier this week ahead of what it said would be an unprecedented military operation there.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2ekv9ez43o

The US Department of Homeland Security announced on Thursday that it revoked Harvard University’s ability to enroll international students.

Trump has expressed his anger over Harvard’s rejection of his demand that it submit to admissions and hiring oversight after he alleged the university was a center of antisemitism and “woke” ideology.

“Effective immediately, Harvard University’s Student and Exchange Visitor (SEVIS) Program certification is revoked,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote in a letter to the Ivy League institution that has produced 162 Nobel Prize winners.

US calls Harvard ‘hostile to Jewish students’

“As I explained to you in my April letter, it is a privilege to enroll foreign students,” Noem wrote.

“As a result of your refusal to comply with multiple requests to provide the Department of Homeland Security pertinent information while perpetuating an unsafe campus environment that is hostile to Jewish students, promotes pro-Hamas sympathies, and employs racist ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ policies, you have lost this privilege,” she added.

Noem’s statement also said the steps taken against Harvard should “serve as a warning to all universities and academic institutions across the country.”

The homeland security secretary said Harvard can regain its ability to host foreign students if it produces a trove of records on foreign students within the next 72 hours.

Her updated request demands all records, including audio or video footage, of foreign students participating in protests or dangerous activity on campus.

“This administration is holding Harvard accountable for fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus,” Noem added in a statement.

Harvard’s certification in the Student and Exchange Visitor Program gave the school the ability to sponsor international students to get their visas and attend school in the US.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/us-blocks-harvard-from-enrolling-foreign-students/a-72639345

TWO people have died after a plane slammed into a neighborhood in San Diego in a fiery crash that set 15 homes and several cars ablaze.

Eight others were injured when the plane plunged from the sky and crashed into military housing in heavy fog.

The small plane crashed in the Murphy Canyon neighborhood, near Tierrasanta, before 4 am, reported San Diego ABC affiliate KGTV.

Two people on board, later identified as former The Devil Wears Prada drummer Daniel Williams and music Agent Dave Shapiro, were killed in the horrific scene.

One hundred people were evacuated from their homes as flames spread from the wreckage to up to 15 homes.

Cars were also torched in the chaos.

“When it hit the street, as the jet fuel went down it took out every single car that was on both sides of the street,” assistant fire chief Dan Eddy told reporters.

“You can see that every single car was burning down both sides of the street.”

In the horrifying aftermath, it was initially unclear how many people were on board the aircraft.

However, police have now confirmed that two people on the private plane were killed in the wreck.

Emergency responders were searching for victims in a large debris field because of the extensive blast radius, and they were seen carrying three Husky puppies from a charred home.

A police spokesman described the horror as “a movie-style scene.”

“I can’t quite put words to describe what the scene looks like,” said San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl.

“But with the jet fuel going down the street, and everything on fire all at once, it was pretty horrific to see.”

Of the eight people who were wounded, one person was hospitalized and two others were treated and released, SDPD said.

HUGE EXPLOSION

Emergency crews rushed to the scene near the Admiral Baker Golf Course just before 3:50 am.

The plane was about to land at Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport when it slammed into the neighborhood.

Responders spent the morning carrying out a primary and secondary search of the area with several blocks under evacuation orders.

The neighborhood is run by Liberty Military Housing, which provides single-family and townhomes to service members on and near bases.

Residents reported being woken up by a large “boom.”

One local woman told KGTV she realized she had to make a speedy escape when she saw a wall of orange flames outside her home.

Another man heard the explosion and described seeing the plane plunge toward the ground.

When he saw a “trail of orange” and the “sky light up orange” following the crash, he knew he had to immediately evacuate his family.

Every single car was burning down both sides of the street.

They safely escaped the inferno.

But their car, which was parked in front of their home, was destroyed.

It ended up being dragged all the way down the street amid the chaos.

The man said he was shocked as he would never have imagined a plane crash in the densely populated residential area.

Christopher Moore, who lives one street over from the crash site, said he and his wife were awakened by a loud bang and saw smoke filling the street.

While escaping, they saw a car engulfed in flames, “It was definitely horrifying for sure.”

Power lines are also down, which has prompted an emergency response from energy workers.

Assistant Fire Department Chief Dan Eddy said earlier, “We have jet fuel all over the place.

“Our main goal is to search all these homes and get everybody out right now.”

Eddy confirmed it was very foggy at the time the private plane crashed.

“You could barely see in front of you,” he added.

He also said during a news conference that they will be investigating whether the plane hit a power line.

THE PLANE’S LAST MOMENTS

The Federal Aviation Administration said the plane was a Cessna 550 aircraft.

It was coming from the Midwestern United States, according to officials.

The plane can carry six to eight people.

Pete Muntean, CNN’s aviation correspondent, said on X that there was, “No apparent distress call from the Citation private jet that crashed into Navy housing on approach into San Diego’s Montgomery Field.”

Everything on fire all at once, it was pretty horrific to see.

The flight tracking site Flight Aware listed a Cessna Citation II jet that was scheduled to arrive at the Montgomery-Gibbs Executive airport in San Diego at 3:47 am from the small Colonel James Jabara Airport in Wichita, Kansas.

The FAA said the National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation.

Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport, and Gillespie Field are located near the devastated area.

The San Diego Police Department has asked people to contact authorities if they find any plane debris or jet fuel.

Emergency teams said they expected to remain at the crash site for the remainder of today, and overnight.

Police have warned local residents against trying to travel to the affected area, to allow emergency crews to search for possible victims.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14298010/plane-crashes-san-diego-neighborhood-cars-home-fire/

Israel allowed 100 aid trucks carrying flour, baby food and medical equipment into the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, the Israeli military said, as UN officials reported that distribution issues had meant that no aid had so far reached people in need.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would be open to a temporary ceasefire to enable the return of hostages. But otherwise he said it would press ahead with a military campaign to gain total control of Gaza.

After an 11-week blockade on supplies entering Gaza, the Israeli military said a total of 98 aid trucks entered on Monday and Tuesday. But even those minimal supplies have not made it to Gaza’s soup kitchens, bakeries, markets and hospitals, according to aid officials and local bakeries that were standing by to receive supplies of flour.
“None of this aid – that is a very limited number of trucks – has reached the Gaza population,” said Antoine Renard, country director of the World Food Programme.
The blockade has left Gazans in an increasingly desperate struggle for survival, despite growing international and domestic pressure on Israel’s government, which one opposition figure said risked turning the country into a “pariah state”.

Thousands of tons of food and other vital supplies are waiting near crossing points into Gaza but until it can be safely distributed, around a quarter of the population remains at risk of famine, Renard said.
“I’m here since eight in the morning, just to get one plate for six people while it is not enough for one person,” said Mahmoud al-Haw, who says he often waits for up to six hours a day hoping for some lentil soup to keep his children alive.
U.N. officials said security issues had prevented the aid from moving out of the logistics hub at the Kerem Shalom crossing point but late on Wednesday there appeared some hope that supplies would move more freely.
Nahid Shahaiber, a major transport company owner, said 75 trucks of flour and over a dozen more carrying nutritional supplements and sugar were inside the southern area of Rafah and witnesses said trucks carrying flour had been seen in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.

Israel imposed a blockade on all supplies entering Gaza in March, saying Hamas was seizing supplies meant for civilians – a charge the group denies.
Under mounting international pressure, it has allowed aid deliveries by the U.N. and other aid groups to resume briefly until a new U.S.-backed distribution model using private contractors operating through so-called secure hubs is up and running by the end of the month. But the United Nations says the plan is not impartial or neutral, and it will not be involved.

‘PARIAH STATE’

As people waited for supplies to arrive, air strikes and tank fire killed at least 50 people across the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, Palestinian health authorities said. The Israeli military said air strikes hit 115 targets, which it said included rocket launchers, tunnels and unspecified military infrastructure.

Efforts to halt the fighting have faltered, with both Hamas, which insists on a final end to the war and withdrawal of Israeli forces, and Israel, which says Hamas must disarm and leave Gaza, sticking to positions the other side rejects.
Netanyahu said an Israeli air strike this month had probably killed Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar and he reiterated his demand for the complete demilitarization of Gaza and the exile of Hamas leaders for the war to end.
The resumption of the assault on Gaza since March, following a two-month ceasefire, has drawn condemnation from countries including Britain and Canada that have long been cautious about expressing open criticism of Israel. Even the United States, the country’s most important ally, has shown signs of losing patience with Netanyahu.
Netanyahu said it was “a disgrace” that countries like Britain were sanctioning Israel instead of Hamas.
There has been growing unease within Israel meanwhile at the continuation of the war while 58 hostages remain in Gaza.
Left-wing opposition leader Yair Golan drew a furious response from the government and its supporters this week when he declared that “A sane country doesn’t kill babies as a hobby” and said Israel risked becoming a “pariah state among the nations.”
Golan, a former deputy commander of the Israeli military who went single-handedly to rescue victims of the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct 7, 2023, leads the left-wing Democrats, a small party with little electoral clout.
But his words, and similar comments by former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in an interview with the BBC, underscored the rift within Israel. Netanyahu dismissed the criticism, saying he was “appalled” by Golan’s comments.
Opinion polls show widespread support for a ceasefire that would include the return of all the hostages, with a survey from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem this week showing 70% in favour of a deal.
But hardliners in the cabinet, some of whom argue for the complete expulsion of all Palestinians from Gaza, have insisted on continuing the war until “final victory”, which would include disarming Hamas as well as the return of the hostages.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/gaza-still-waiting-aid-pressure-mounts-israel-2025-05-21/

DONALD Trump has unveiled plans for a high-tech “Golden Dome” missile defence system, which the president claims should be operational by the end of his term in office.

The futuristic concept announced by Trump would see American weapons put in space for the first time ever.

Trump had already signalled his intent to set up a Golden Dome following his return to the White House, calling missile attacks the “most catastrophic threat facing the United States”.

The idea is modelled on Israel’s Iron Dome defence system, which uses radar to detect incoming missiles and calculates which ones pose a threat to populated areas.

But the Golden Dome would be an infinitely bigger project, not least because the United States is more than 400 times larger than Israel.

During his announcement in the Oval Office yesterday, Trump said his new Golden Dome would be “capable of intercepting missiles even if they are launched from the other side of the world”.

While an initial sum of $25 billion has been allocated for the project, officials believe it will cost far more over coming decades.

Trump said it will cost around $175 billion in total during his announcement yesterday.

But one estimate from the Congressional Budget Office has the space-based components alone costing $542 billion over the next 20 years.

Trump also claimed that Canada “has called us and they want to be part of it”.

Then-Canadian Defence Minister Bill Blair acknowledged his country’s interest during a visit to Washington earlier this year, saying Ottawa’s participation would “make sense”.

The Golden Dome would be designed to take on a wide range of missile threats to the United States, including lightning-fast hypersonic missiles that tear through the air faster than the speed of sound.

It also aims to protect America from fractional orbital bombardment systems, which deliver missiles from space.

“All of them will be knocked out of the air,” Trump said, claiming the success rate is “very close to 100%”.

The missile defence system is intended to stop warheads at any stage in their deployment, from before launch to while they are in the air.

Pentagon officials have long sounded the alarm that existing defence systems have not kept up with new missile tech being developed by Russia and China.

China has around 400 intercontinental ballistic missiles and Russia has 350, according to a Defense Intelligence Agency assessment from last week.

Trump signed an executive order shortly after returning to office ordering proposals for a “next-generation missile defense shield”.

He said: “There really is no current system.

“We have certain areas of missiles and certain missile defence, but there is no system… there has never been anything like this.”

Trump wants the Golden Dome to be operational by the end of his term, which expires in January 2029.

But US Air Force secretary Troy Meink has told senators the project is “still in the conceptual stage”.

Space Force General Michael Guetlein, vice chief of space operations, has been earmarked to oversee its development.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14284993/trump-golden-dome-2029/

Repeating his claim on Wednesday, he said, “Somebody had to be the last one to shoot. But the shooting was getting worse and worse, bigger and bigger, deeper and deeper into the countries. And we spoke to them, and I think we, you know, I hate to say we got it settled, and then two days later, something happens, and they say it’s Trump’s fault.”

US President Donald Trump has yet again repeated the claim that help India and Pakistan “settle” their long nights of conflict early this month through “trade”. Speaking during a meeting with visiting South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Trump said the United States was doing a “big deal” with both India and Pakistan.
“If you take a look at what we just did with Pakistan and India. We settled that whole thing, and I think I settled it through trade,” Trump said, quoted PTI. The US President further said, “And I said, What are you guys doing?”
India and Pakistan got engaged in four nights of intense conflict after Pakistan violated the ceasefireacross the Line of Control (LoC) and International Borders (IB) in Rajasthan, Punjab and Gujarat. Pakistan sent drones and missiles to attack key military establishments, civilian areas and holy sites in India. This Islamabad did in response to New Delhi’s ‘Operation Sindoor’ that avenged the brutal killing of 26 tourists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam.

When the two countries reached an understanding for the ceasefire, Trump was the first one to share the news on May 10, and with it, he claimed the US played critical role in the entire setup. He said that India and Pakistan agreed to a “full and immediate” ceasefire after a “long night” of talks mediated by Washington.

Repeating the same on Wednesday, he said, “Somebody had to be the last one to shoot. But the shooting was getting worse and worse, bigger and bigger, deeper and deeper into the countries. And we spoke to them, and I think we, you know, I hate to say we got it settled, and then two days later, something happens, and they say it’s Trump’s fault.”
“But… Pakistan has got some excellent people and some really good, great leader. And India is my friend, Modi,” Trump said; at this point, the South African president replied, “Modi, mutual friend”.
“He’s a Great guy and I called them both. It’s something good,” Trump told the media, as per PTI.

AN OMINOUS cryptic message was broadcast from Russia’s mysterious “doomsday radio station” around the time of Vladimir Putin’s telephone call with Donald Trump yesterday.

It marks the second time year that the Soviet-era relic creaked into action during a conversation between the two presidents.

Just ahead of the White House’s call to Putin, the UVB-76 radio station broadcast the sinister code NZhTI 89905 BLEFOPUF 4097 5573.

This was followed up a few hours later with NZhTI 01263 BOLTANKA 4430 9529.

Known variously known as Buzzer, Dead Hand Radio or Judgement Day Radio, the radio station has been around since the Cold War, although its purpose is classified.

It operates around the clock making a strange buzzing sound, but it sometimes sends out cryptic messages.

It is unknown what these messages actually mean, but the station is widely assumed to have a military purpose – with possible links to Moscow’s nuclear forces.

Back in April, the radio broadcast four words – Neptune, Thymus, Foxcloak, and Nootabu, according to Telegram channel UVB-76 logs, which monitors its activity.

Following his call with Putin, Donald Trump posted that talks “will immediately start negotiations toward a Ceasefire and, more importantly, an END to the War.”

He also suggested that peace talks could be hosted at the Vatican, where newly-elected Pope Leo XIV met with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky following his inaugural mass at St Peter’s Square.

But while the Russian dictator called his discussion with Trump “frank and very useful”, Moscow’s forces went on the attack shortly afterwards.

More than 108 drones were fired at Ukraine, according to Kyiv’s air force.

One struck a civilian minibus in Ukraine’s Kherson region, wounding a woman aged 65.

Kamikaze drones also hit Dnipropetrovsk, triggering a major fire in Synelnykovsky district, while others struck Nikopol, Pokrovska, Myrivska and Marhanetska.

Some 56,000 residents of the Ukrainian border region Sumy have been forced to evacuate over fears of Russian attacks.

Trump had previously pledged to end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours upon assuming office.

But concern appears to be mounting in European capitals that Trump had failed to publicly threaten Putin with harsh sanctions for failing to swiftly agree a ceasefire as a prelude to peace talks.

The previous aim had been a 30-day ceasefire, although Trump appeared not to impose a timescale.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said: “Europe will increase pressure on Moscow with sanctions.

“We agreed on this with US President Donald Trump after his conversation with Putin.”

No humanitarian aid has been distributed yet in the Gaza Strip, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Tuesday (May 20), despite more supplies being dropped off on the Palestinian side of the Kerem Shalom crossing.

“Israeli authorities are requiring us to offload supplies on the Palestinian side of Kerem Shalom crossing and reload them separately once they secure our team’s access from inside the Gaza Strip,” Dujarric told reporters.

“Today, one of our teams waited several hours for the Israeli green light to access the Kerem Shalom area and collect the nutrition supplies. Unfortunately, they were not able to bring those supplies into our warehouse,” he said.

Earlier on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the UN humanitarian office in Geneva said Israel had given permission for about 100 aid trucks to enter Gaza.

UN aid chief Tom Fletcher said on Monday the initial amount of aid approved by Israel was “a drop in the ocean”.

Israel says it plans to intensify military operations against Hamas, to control the whole of Gaza, already devastated by an Israeli air and ground war since Hamas’ cross-border attack on Israeli communities in October 2023.

Israel has said its blockade is aimed in part at preventing Palestinian militants from diverting and seizing aid supplies. Hamas has denied doing so.

A US-backed group plans to start work in the Gaza Strip by the end of May, with a new model of aid distribution in the Palestinian enclave. But the United Nations says the plan is not impartial or neutral, and it will not be involved.

Malnutrition rates in the densely populated territory have risen during the Israeli blockade and could worsen if food shortages continue, a health official at the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA said in Geneva on Tuesday.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/un-says-aid-not-distributed-yet-gaza-despite-trucks-entering-enclave-5142611

DONALD Trump has claimed that Vladimir Putin wants to put an end to the war in Ukraine and hinted that Pope Leo XIV might hold the peace talks.

The US President said the negotiations are set to begin “immediately” as Vladimir Putin has finally admitted he must make a deal.

Trump and Putin held a two-hour phone call on Monday afternoon in a desperate bid to end the three year-long war in Ukraine which has left tens of thousands dead.

The US President claimed that Putin “wants to stop” the war and said that negotiations towards a ceasefire will start immediately.

But he warned that there are some “big egos” involved which could make negotiations difficult.

Trump went on to hint at a possible venue for the peace talks and suggested that the Vatican was “very interested” in hosting the negotiations.

Putin spoke to Russian state media after coming off the call and admitted that he must make a peace deal with Ukraine.

He said Russia is “ready to work with the Ukrainian side” on a possible future peace agreement, but said that both sides must be willing to compromise.

Zelensky also spoke out on Monday evening to reassert his “red lines” for a peace deal.

The Ukrainian President insisted that he would not give into Russia’s territory demands, saying: “Ukraine won’t withdraw its troops on its own territories.”

Zelensky spoke with Trump “for a few minutes” before his chat with Putin.

The pair spoke again after the call as Trump debriefed a select group of European leaders including Emmanuel Macron, Giorgia Meloni, Friedrich Merz and Alexander Stubb.

The crunch talks come after US Vice President JD Vance warned that Trump may be forced to walk away from ceasefire talks if Putin continues to ignore calls for peace.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14240538/putin-russia-ukraine-talks-peace/

Israel has announced it will allow a “basic amount of food” to enter Gaza to ensure that “no starvation crisis develops” after blockading the territory for 10 weeks.

A statement from the prime minister’s office said the move was made on recommendation of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and based on the need to support its renewed military offensive against Hamas.

The announcement came hours after Israel’s military said it had begun “extensive ground operations” throughout Gaza.

Israel has come under increasing pressure to lift its blockade, during which no food, fuel or medicines have been allowed in.

Aid agencies have warned about the risk of famine among Gaza’s 2.1 million population, as footage and accounts emerge of emaciated children suffering malnutrition.

French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot called on Israel to allow the “immediate, massive and unhampered” resumption of aid to Gaza.

The statement from PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said that Israel would allow “a basic quantity of food to be brought in for the population” of Gaza to “make certain no starvation crisis develops” – adding that such a situation would jeopardise its new offensive, named Operation Gideon’s Chariot.

Israel would also “act to deny Hamas’s ability to take control of the distribution of humanitarian assistance”, the statement added.

Earlier on Sunday, the IDF launched strikes on sites including a hospital in northern Gaza. Israel says it aims to free hostages held in Gaza and defeat Hamas.

Strikes hit the southern city of Khan Younis, as well as towns in the north of Gaza, including Beit Lahia and the Jabalia refugee camp, rescuers said.

At least 67 people have been killed and 361 injured in Gaza in the last 24 hours, the Hamas-run health ministry said.

A woman in Khan Younis told the BBC the situation there was “very difficult” and she had been kept awake by the sound of bombing, while enduring “severe shortages of flour and gas and food”.

The civil defence, Gaza’s main emergency service, said the al-Mawasi camp in the south, where displaced people had been sheltering, was also attacked overnight leading to 22 deaths and 100 people injured. The camp had previously been designated as a “safe zone”.

In the broad evacuation order on Sunday that it described as a “final warning”, the Israeli army said it would “launch a powerful strike on any area used for launching rockets”, and urged people to “move immediately west to the known shelters in al-Mawasi”.

Three public hospitals are now “out of action” in the North Gaza governorate, the health ministry said, amid Israel’s escalating air strikes.

Medical staff at one of them, the Indonesian Hospital in Beit Lahia, told the BBC at about 21:40 local time (20:40 GMT) that IDF tanks had pulled up outside and were firing at the hospital.

They said 55 people were inside, including four doctors and eight nurses. The rest were immobilised patients who were not able to flee the hospital after the morning’s attack, they said.

About 50 minutes later staff said the IDF had left the vicinity of the hospital.

The IDF has said its troops are fighting “terrorist infrastructure sites” in northern Gaza, including the area adjacent to the Indonesian Hospital.

Earlier on Sunday, Gaza’s health ministry said staff and patients there had come under “heavy fire”. It accused Israel of besieging the hospital, cutting off access, and “effectively forcing the hospital out of service”.

Medics told the BBC no evacuation order or warning was issued before the attacks, and at no point were there any military targets in the Indonesian Hospital.

The onslaught comes as negotiators from Israel and Hamas continue trying to reach a ceasefire agreement in Qatar.

Israeli media quoted the office of the prime minister as saying Israel’s negotiating team was exhausting “every possibility” for a deal on Sunday.

Netanyahu’s statement said it “would include the release of all the hostages, the exile of Hamas terrorists, and the disarmament of the Gaza Strip”, reports said.

A senior Hamas source told the BBC that “no breakthrough or progress has been achieved so far in the ongoing negotiations in Doha due to continued Israeli intransigence”.

The source said Hamas had expressed willingness to release all Israeli hostages in a single phase, “on the condition of reaching a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire agreement – something the Israeli side continues to reject, as their negotiating team lacks the mandate to decide on key issues”.

The source stressed that Hamas “rejects any partial or temporary arrangements”.

The group has proposed releasing all hostages in exchange for an agreed number of Palestinian prisoners, a full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and the entry of humanitarian aid.

“Israel wants to retrieve its hostages in one or two batches in return for a temporary truce,” the Hamas source told the BBC.

Speaking to the BBC on Sunday, Mohammed Salha, director of the al-Awda private hospital in northern Gaza, said the closure of the Indonesian Hospital would affect the care he was able to provide.

He said al-Awda depended on the Indonesian Hospital for stores of oxygen and for its intensive care unit.

Mr Salha added that there had been a bombing near his hospital overnight causing “a lot of damage” to the facility that staff were attempting to quickly repair.

The latest damage to hospitals comes after Israeli strikes hit two of the largest medical centres in Khan Younis, the Nasser Medical Complex and European Hospital.

Israel accused Hamas of hiding a command and control centre beneath the European Hospital, and said it conducted a “precise strike” on “Hamas terrorists”.

Israeli media reported the target of the strike was senior Hamas figure Mohammed Sinwar – the younger brother of the former Hamas leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar.

Thousands of people have been killed since Israel resumed its strikes on 18 March, following the collapse of a fragile ceasefire which lasted two months.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy90d929yyno

Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist Saifullah Khalid, who planned attacks in Nagpur, Rampur, and Bangalore, was living under a false identity in Nepal before relocating to Pakistan’s Sindh province, where he was killed.

A top Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative, Saifullah Khalid, accused of orchestrating several high-profile terror attacks in India, has been killed in Pakistan’s Sindh province, sources told India Today TV on Sunday. He was attacked by some unknown assailants in Matli city of Badin district in Shind.

According to sources, Abu Saifullah had been given strict instructions by the organisation to limit his movements. He had also been provided security. However, earlier today, as he stepped out of his house in the city of Matli, he was targeted and shot dead at a nearby intersection.

Khalid was a key conspirator in three major attacks: the 2005 Indian Science Congress (ISC) attack in Bangalore, the 2006 attack on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) headquarters in Nagpur and the 2008 CRPF camp assault in Rampur.

These attacks, carried out over a span of three years, claimed several lives and marked a massive escalation in LeT’s operations on Indian soil.

Operating under the alias “Vinode Kumar,” Khalid was based in Nepal for several years, where he lived under a false identity and married a local woman, Nagma Banu.

From Nepal, he is believed to have coordinated activities for LeT, maintaining a low profile while playing a crucial role in recruitment and logistics.

More recently, Khalid had shifted his base to Matli in the Badin district of Sindh province in Pakistan. There, he continued working for Lashkar-e-Taiba, a UN-proscribed Pakistani terrorist group and its front organisation Jamaat-ud-Dawa, primarily focusing on recruitment and fund collection for terror operations.

Last week, three more Lashkar terrorists, including ‘Operations Commander’ Shahid Kuttay, were killed in an encounter with security forces in south Kashmir’s Shopian district.

Kuttay, and the other two, Adnan Shafi, a resident of the Vanduna Melhura area of Shopian, and Ahsan ul Haq Sheikh, a resident of Murran area of the neighbouring Pulwama district, were killed in the Shukroo Keller area. Two AK series rifles, a large quantity of ammunition, grenades, and other war-like stores were found in their possession.

Source : https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/saifullah-khalid-lashkar-terrorist-big-attacks-in-india-killed-in-pakistan-sindh-province-2726649-2025-05-18

Former President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with an “aggressive” form of prostate cancer, a spokesman announced Sunday.

The diagnosis was revealed after doctors found a “small nodule” on Biden’s prostate that “necessitated further evaluation” during a physical exam earlier this month.

“Last week, President Joe Biden was seen for a new finding of a prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms,” read a statement from Biden’s personal office issued Sunday. “On Friday, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone.

“While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive, which allows for effective management,” the statement went on. “The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians.”

The 82-year-old’s longtime physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor deemed Biden “fit to serve” in February 2024 after the then-presumptive Democratic nominee underwent a routine examination at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

Last July, after Biden dropped out of the presidential race, O’Connor told The Post that the former president’s health was “excellent.”

Biden had a cancerous skin lesion removed from his chest after a physical in February, 2023, which turned out to be basal cell carcinoma. However, O’Connor said “all cancerous tissue was successfully removed” and no further treatment was required.

News of his prostate cancer diagnosis comes amid a firestorm of allegations that the erstwhile Biden administration and members of his inner circle knowingly hid his physical and cognitive decline from the American public.

Among the conversations allegedly had behind closed doors by those closest to him were serious discussions of having Biden use a wheelchair during his second term in office if he prevailed in the election, according to a new book “Original Sin,” penned by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios reporter Alex Thompson.

Biden’s cancer diagnosis came just two days after Axios released bombshell audio from a series of interviews the former president held with special counsel Robert Hur in October 2023, pursuant to an investigation into classified documents he improperly had in his possession.

In the recordings — which the White House vehemently refused to release last year as rumors of his failing mental acuity swirled — Biden at times slurred his speech and couldn’t remember details about his own life including when his term as vice president ended, when his son Beau died, and what year President Trump was elected.

Trump wrote a brief message of support for his former rival on Truth Social shortly after his diagnosis was announced.

“Melania and I are saddened to hear about Joe Biden’s recent medical diagnosis. We extend our warmest and best wishes to Jill and the family, and we wish Joe a fast and successful recovery,” he wrote.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris — who controversially took Biden’s place as the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee — also delivered a message of condolence on social media.

“Doug and I are saddened to learn of President Biden’s prostate cancer diagnosis. We are keeping him, Dr. Biden, and their entire family in our hearts and prayers during this time,” Harris wrote on X.

“Joe is a fighter — and I know he will face this challenge with the same strength, resilience, and optimism that have always defined his life and leadership. We are hopeful for a full and speedy recovery.”

Source :https://nypost.com/2025/05/18/us-news/former-president-biden-has-aggressive-prostate-cancer-that-has-spread-to-his-bones/

Two North Korean fishermen say they want to return home after their boat was washed south of the maritime boundary months ago. But Pyongyang hasn’t picked up the phone.

Two North Korean fishermen who “accidentally defected” to South Korea have now spent more time in limbo than any other reluctant defectors in the history of the two nations.

The two men were picked up by a South Korean naval patrol on March 7 in the Yellow Sea. Apparently, wind and strong currents pushed their fishing boat over the Northern Limit Line (NLL) close to Eocheong Island, off the west coast of the Korean Peninsula.

There are no indications that the two men were intending to defect, and they have both repeatedly expressed their desire to return to North Korea during questioning by South Korean military and intelligence agencies.

Their stay in South Korea is now well into its third month, longer than any other loyal North Koreans who had requested repatriation. Dozens of others before them have found it relatively straightforward to make the return journey. This time, however, North Korea has refused to pick up the phone.

Men stuck ‘until relations with the North improve’
The North is “very obviously showing its displeasure” with Seoul and the administration of the now impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, a conservative who led more of a hard-line policy on Pyongyang, Lankov told DW.

“For now, these men appear to be stuck in South Korea until relations with the North improve, although it is of course possible that they will eventually change their minds and decide they no longer want to go back,” he said. “Even if they do still want to return, it seems likely that might take a long time.”

In October, the state-run Korea Central News Agency confirmed in a report that changes to the North’s constitution that were proposed earlier in the year had gone into effect and that South Korea is now officially designated as a “hostile state.” Under Pyongyang’s new attitude to its neighbor, roads across the border have been dug up and blocked with anti-tank obstacles, railway lines have been removed and the frontier is “permanently” sealed.

Pyongyang is no longer interested in reunification and the South is its “principal enemy,” KCNA reported.

North goes fully silent
As a consequence, North Korean personnel at the Panmunjom border post where the two sides have faced off since the armistice was signed to conclude the 1950-’53 Korean War are no longer responding when the South calls the cross-border hotline.

“The relationship was in a bad state before, but now the North has just stopped communicating completely,” said Ahn Yinhay, a professor of international relations at Korea University in Seoul.

“Things became worse after Yoon became president, in part because he reached agreements with the US and Japan for a three-way security alliance in the region,” she said. “And since then, they are not picking up the phone at the border and there is no other way to reach them.”

Ahn said the two fishermen appear to be loyal North Korean subjects, although she questioned whether their repeated desire to return to the North is in part out of concern for the well-being of their families. The regime in Pyongyang has traditionally treated relatives of people who flee the nation harshly, including putting them in labor or political reeducation camps.

Quoting sources in the North, dissident media has reported that those punishments have become even more harsh recently.

“They will be aware that the North will be monitoring news reports in the South and I expect they are sticking to their position that they wish to be repatriated to protect their families,” Ahn said.

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/north-koreas-accidental-defectors-stuck-south-of-border/a-72565173

A car bomb exploded near the American Reproductive Centers fertility clinic in Palm Springs, California, resulting in the death of one person

A car bomb exploded near the American Reproductive Centers fertility clinic in Palm Springs, California, resulting in the death of one person, Mayon Ron DeHarte confirmed. A police department spokesperson said that the explosion was an ‘intentional act of violence’.

Authorities confirmed that the explosion took place around 11 AM local time on North Indian Canyon Drive near East Tachevah Drive. Lt. William Hutchinson said police is investigating the incident as an ‘act of terrorism’. ABC News, citing law enforcement sources and the facility, said at least five people were injured in the explosion.

“It has been identified as a bomb that was either in or near the car,” DeHarte said. The Federal Bureau of Investigation in Los Angeles said in a social media post that it was investigating the explosion with bomb technicians deployed to the scene.

Here are 10 key points on the situation in Palm Springs
Explosion Details: A car bomb detonated at 10:52 a.m. PDT outside the American Reproductive Centers on 1199 North Indian Canyon Drive, causing a “massive boom” that shattered windows and was felt miles away.

Casualties: At least one person was killed, with unconfirmed reports of injuries. Graphic images showed human remains, but the victim’s identity is undisclosed, per the Clark County Coroner’s Office.

Clinic Damage: The fertility clinic, specializing in IVF but not abortions, sustained severe structural damage, though its IVF lab and stored embryos were reportedly spared.

Terrorism Investigation: The FBI and ATF are investigating the blast as a possible terrorist act, with Mayor Jeffrey Bernstein confirming the device was a bomb. No group has claimed responsibility.

Police Response: Palm Springs police, led by Lt. William Hutchinson, secured the area, closing North Indian Canyon Drive and urging residents to avoid it. Firefighters assisted.

Motive Uncertainty: No motive is confirmed. Authorities are exploring whether the clinic was targeted due to misperceptions about providing abortions or other ideological factors, but no evidence supports specific claims.

Russia and Ukraine have agreed to swap 1,000 prisoners of war (PoWs) each, according to the head of Moscow’s peace talks delegation, but there is no agreement on the ceasefire between two countries. In the first direct peace talks since February 2022 when Moscow led an invasion of Kyiv, Ukraine also accused Russia of introducing new “unacceptable demands”.

While there was no ceasefire agreement, exchange of 1,000 prisoners of war is the biggest swap between the two countries.

Both sides also discussed a ceasefire and a meeting between their heads of state, according to chief Ukrainian delegate Rustem Umerov.

Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, who headed Moscow’s delegation, said both sides agreed to provide each other with detailed ceasefire proposals and a meeting by their heads of state..

The demands had not been previously discussed, the official said.

During the talks, the Ukrainian side reiterated its call on focusing on agreement on an immediate ceasefire and substantive diplomacy, “just like the U.S., European partners, and other countries proposed.”

The two sides also said they would “present their vision of a possible future ceasefire”, said Russia’s top negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky.

Russia also took note of Ukraine’s request for a meeting of Presidents Putin and Zelensky, he said. Also Read | ‘As soon as we can set it up’: Donald Trump says wants to meet Vladimir Putin

“Overall, we are satisfied with the results and ready to continue contacts,” Medinsky added.

Putin declined to travel to Turkey for the meeting, which he had proposed, sending a second-level delegation instead.

Zelensky said Putin was “afraid” of meeting, and criticised Russia for not taking the talks “seriously”.

Earlier, Volodymyr Zelensky had blasted Vladimir Putin of being “unserious” about peace after the Kremlin leader failed to attend direct negotiations in Turkey aimed at ending the war.

Source : https://www.livemint.com/news/world/ukraines-zelensky-blasts-vladimir-putin-s-no-show-at-peace-talks-russia-does-not-intend-to-end-the-war-11747341678670.html

Razzak Baloch, a prominent Baloch leader, also called for international support, particularly from India and the US, emphasising the need for peace and an end to military oppression by Pakistan.

Baloch leader, Razzak Baloch, has made an explosive claim on how Pakistani authorities have lost control of over 80 per cent of Balochistan. In an interview with TAG TV, Razzak Baloch, secretary general of the Baloch American Congress, claimed that Pakistani forces are afraid to even leave Quetta after dark, and stated that they should withdraw with dignity in time, rather than waiting for a situation like Bangladesh to happen.
“Pakistani forces cannot even leave Quetta after dark,” Baloch told TAG TV, adding that even elected Pakistani officials have admitted to this situation and how the military avoids patrolling from 5 pm to 5 am due to security fears.
He stated that Pakistan has lost control over 70–80 per cent of the region and urged global powers, especially India and the United States, to support the Baloch struggle. “If India supports us, our doors will open,” he said, asserting that delays in support would only strengthen what he described as a “barbaric army,” affecting the region’s stability.

Calling for peace and an immediate end to military oppression across Pakistan’s provinces, the leader further remarked that it would be wiser for the Pakistani army to withdraw with dignity rather than face a situation like Bangladesh, where only their boots were left behind.

The Supreme Court seemed intent Thursday on maintaining a block on President Donald Trump’s restrictions on birthright citizenship while looking for a way to scale back nationwide court orders.

It was unclear what such a decision might look like, but a majority of the court expressed concerns about would happen if the Trump administration were allowed, even temporarily, to deny citizenship to children born to people who are in the United States illegally.

The justices heard arguments in the Trump administration’s emergency appeals over lower court orders that have kept the citizenship restrictions on hold across the country.

Nationwide injunctions have emerged as an important check on Trump’s efforts to remake the government and a source of mounting frustration to the Republican president and his allies.

Judges have issued 40 nationwide injunctions since Trump began his second term in January, Solicitor General D. John Sauer told the court at the start of more than two hours of arguments.

Birthright citizenship is among several issues, many related to immigration, that the administration has asked the court to address on an emergency basis.

The justices also are considering the Trump administration’s pleas to end humanitarian parole for more than 500,000 people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela and to strip other temporary legal protections from another 350,000 Venezuelans. The administration remains locked in legal battles over its efforts to swiftly deport people accused of being gang members to a prison in El Salvador under an 18th century wartime law called the Alien Enemies Act.

Trump signed an executive order on the first day of his second term that would deny citizenship to children who are born to people who are in the country illegally or temporarily.

The order conflicts with a Supreme Court decision from 1898 that held that the Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment made citizens of all children born on U.S. soil, with narrow exceptions that are not at issue in this case.

States, immigrants and rights group sued almost immediately, and lower courts quickly barred enforcement of the order while the lawsuits proceed.

The current fight is over the rules that apply while the lawsuits go forward.

The court’s liberal justices seemed firmly in support of the lower court rulings that found the changes to citizenship that Trump wants to make would upset the settled understanding of birthright citizenship that has existed for more than 125 years.

Birthright citizenship is an odd case to use to scale back nationwide injunctions, Justice Elena Kagan said. “Every court has ruled against you,” she told Sauer.

If the government wins on today’s arguments, it could still enforce the order against people who haven’t sued, Kagan said. “All of those individuals are going to win. And the ones who can’t afford to go to court, they’re the ones who are going to lose,” she said.

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson described the administration’s approach as “catch me if you can,” forcing everyone to file suit to get “the government to stop violating people’s rights.”

Several conservative justices who might be open to limiting nationwide injunctions also wanted to know the practical effects of such a decision as well as how quickly the court could reach a final decision on the Trump executive order.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh pressed Sauer with a series of questions about how the federal government might enforce Trump’s order.

“What do hospitals do with a newborn? What do states do with a newborn?” he said.

Sauer said they wouldn’t necessarily do anything different, but the government might figure out ways to reject documentation with “the wrong designation of citizenship.”

Kavanaugh continued to push for clearer answers, pointing out that the executive order gave the government only about 30 days to develop a policy. “You think they can get it together in time?” he said.

The Trump administration, like the Biden administration before it, has complained that judges are overreaching by issuing orders that apply to everyone instead of just the parties before the court.

Picking up on that theme, Justice Samuel Alito said he meant no disrespect to the nation’s district judges when he opined that they sometimes suffer from an “occupational disease which is the disease of thinking that ‘I am right and I can do whatever I want.’”

But Justice Sonia Sotomayor was among several justices who raised the confusing patchwork of rules that would result if the court orders were narrowed and new restrictions on citizenship could temporarily take effect in more than half the country.

Some children might be “stateless,” Sotomayor said, because they’d be denied citizenship in the U.S. as well as the countries their parents fled to avoid persecution.

New Jersey Solicitor General Jeremy Feigenbaum, representing 22 states that sued, said citizenship could “turn on and off” for children crossing the Delaware River between Camden, New Jersey, where affected children would be citizens, and Philadelphia, where they wouldn’t be. Pennsylvania is not part of the lawsuit.

One possible solution for the court might be to find a way to replace nationwide injunctions with certification of a class action, a lawsuit in which individuals serve as representatives of a much larger group of similarly situated people.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/immigration-supreme-court-birthright-citizenship-nationwide-injunctions-2c495cddc1436e21a9fa976d295dc292

State carrier Qatar Airways signed a deal on Wednesday (May 14) to purchase up to 210 widebody jets from Boeing during President Donald Trump’s visit to the Gulf Arab country, a coup for the US planemaker.

The deal for Boeing and 787 planes with GE Aerospace engines was worth US$96 billion, according to the White House. It is a win for Trump on a high-profile visit to the region, even though it will be years before the jets are delivered.

The sale is also a boost for Boeing and its biggest engine supplier at a time when large versions of rival Airbus’ A350, powered by Rolls-Royce engines, have struggled with maintenance problems from operating in the world’s hottest climates, including the Gulf region.

The agreement is for 160 firm orders, 130 787s and 30 777Xs, and options for another 50 of the two long-haul airplanes, according to Boeing. The company’s shares rose 0.6 per cent in New York, while GE Aerospace stock gained 0.7 per cent.

For the 787s, Qatar opted for GE Aerospace’s GEnx engines rather than Rolls-Royce’s Trent 1000, according to the administration. GE Aerospace’s GE9X is the only engine option for the 777X.

The deal for 400 GE engines is the largest ever for GE Aerospace, the company’s CEO Larry Culp said in a statement, a point echoed by Qatar Airways, which told Reuters in March that it was working on a large order for widebody jets.

Trump and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani joined a signing ceremony with Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg and Qatar Airways CEO Badr Mohammed Al-Meer. Trump said Ortberg told him it was the largest jet order in Boeing’s history.

The deal was signed during Trump’s second stop on a tour of Gulf states after he struck a string of deals with Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/qatar-airways-signs-deal-up-210-boeing-jets-during-trump-visit-5130371

Harvard University is dedicating $250 million of its own funds to support researchers after U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration froze nearly $3 billion in federal grants and contracts in recent weeks, the university announced on Wednesday.
The elite Ivy League university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of Trump’s most prominent targets. The Republican president has been making an extraordinary effort to revamp private colleges and schools across the U.S. that he says foster anti-American, Marxist and “radical left” ideologies. He has criticized Harvard in particular for hiring prominent Democrats to teaching or leadership positions.

Harvard is suing the Trump administration over its decision to cut off grants awarded to the school’s researchers, mostly in the medical sciences. Harvard calls this an unconstitutional attempt to curtail academic freedom and speech rights.
The government announced the cuts last month, hours after Harvard’s president, Dr. Alan Garber, denounced a lengthy list of demands by the Trump administration to overhaul the school’s leadership, teaching and admissions, and audit the views of its students and professors.
Garber, in a joint statement with Provost John Manning, said the Trump administration was “stopping lifesaving research” and called it an “extraordinarily challenging time” for the country’s oldest and wealthiest university.

On Wednesday, Harvard said Garber was taking a temporary, voluntary pay cut of 25% starting in July. The university previously announced a hiring freeze.
The statement said Harvard “cannot absorb the entire cost” of the frozen grants, which the Trump administration says are worth more than $2.6 billion. The school said it was working with researchers to help them find alternative funding.
“The impact of such steps on the nation’s scientific research enterprise could be severe and lasting,” the statement said.
Trump’s administration has accused Harvard of continuing to consider race when reviewing student applications and of allowing discrimination against Jews as a result of the pro-Palestinian student protest movement that roiled American campuses last year.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us/harvard-university-puts-250-million-shore-up-research-hit-by-trump-freeze-grants-2025-05-14/

An Israeli air strike has killed 28 people and injured dozens at the European Hospital in Khan Younis, a spokesman for the Hamas-run civil defence agency has said.

Israeli warplanes dropped six bombs simultaneously on the Gaza hospital, hitting both its inner courtyard and surrounding area, according to local sources.

The Israeli military said it had conducted a “precise strike” on “Hamas terrorists in a command and control centre” which it claimed was beneath the hospital.

A freelance journalist working for the BBC in Gaza was among those injured in the air strike, and is now in a stable condition after receiving medical attention.

The strike at European Hospital resulted in several deep craters inside the hospital compound, which buried several vehicles including part of a large bus.

Eyewitnesses said Israeli drones maintained a tight aerial siege over the building, preventing rescue teams from reaching the site.

A quadcopter drone reportedly wounded two civil defence officers as they attempted to approach the European Hospital.

Dr Tom Potokar, a plastic surgeon working with the Ideals international aid charity, was in the hospital when it was hit.

Speaking to the BBC’s Newshour programme, he described “six enormous explosions one after the other” that directly hit the hospital with “no warning whatsoever”.

“There was complete panic,” he added.

The dead and wounded have been transferred to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, local sources said, where medical teams are reportedly struggling to deal with the casualties.

The emergency department of Nasser Hospital was hit by another strike earlier on Tuesday, according to medical sources and eyewitnesses.

They said a well-known Palestinian photojournalist was among two people killed.

Hassan Aslih, who was being treated for injuries from a previous Israeli strike, was targeted in what witnesses described as a drone attack on the hospital’s surgical wing.

A doctor there confirmed that Aslih had been at the hospital for nearly a month after surviving an air strike on the same facility in April.

The Israeli military had previously accused him of involvement in the 7 October Hamas attack on Israel. The strike in April killed Aslih’s colleague Helmi al-Faqawi and wounded several other journalists.

In a joint statement the IDF and the Israeli Securities Authority (ISA) said Hamas “continues” to use hospitals in Gaza for its activities – a long-standing Israeli allegation which the group denies.

Israeli media reported the target of the strike was senior Hamas figure Mohammed Sinwar – the younger brother of the former Hamas leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2jvx3yjg3o

A statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said that the concerned official has been directed to leave Pakistan within 24 hours.

Pakistan on Tuesday declared a staff member of the Indian High Commission here “persona non grata” for engaging in activities what it called “incompatible” with his privileged status.

A statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said that the concerned official has been directed to leave Pakistan within 24 hours.

“The Government of Pakistan has declared a staff member of the Indian High Commission, Islamabad, as persona non grata for engaging in activities incompatible with his privileged status,” it said.

It added that the Indian Charge d’Affaires was called to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday for a démarche, conveying this decision.

Earlier, India expelled a Pakistani official working at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi for allegedly indulging in espionage.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/pakistam-asks-indian-diplomat-to-leave-country-within-24-hours-8407327

The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) took responsibility for more than 51 attacks on Pakistani forces. The BLA urges the world, especially India, to support efforts to stop Pakistan’s terrorism and prevent nuclear risks.

The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has warned of a regional shift, declaring that “a new order has become inevitable” in South Asia. It rejected the claims of being a foreign proxy, the group called itself “a dynamic and decisive party” in the region’s future.

Separately, the BLA claimed it carried out 71 coordinated attacks at over 51 locations in occupied Balochistan, targeting Pakistani military and intelligence sites.

“We strongly reject the idea that Baloch national resistance is a proxy of any state or power. The BLA is neither a pawn nor a silent spectator,” the group said. “We have our rightful place in the current and future military, political and strategic formation of this region and are fully aware of our role.”

The BLA sharply blasted Pakistan, accusing it of using deceptive peace rhetoric while fostering terrorism. Addressing India directly, the BLA said, “Every talk of peace, ceasefire and brotherhood from Pakistan is merely a deception, a war tactic and a temporary ruse.”

BLA HITS MORE THAN 51 LOCATIONS

In a seperate release, the group claimed that it had carried out a large-scale coordinated offensive against Pakistani military positions. According to BLA spokesperson Jeeyand Baloch, “During the height of India-Pakistan military escalation earlier this week, Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) opened another front for the Pakistani military as it carried out 71 coordinated attacks, which went on for many hours, at more than 51 locations across the occupied Balochistan.”

Targets included military convoys, intelligence centres, and mineral transport vehicles. “The aim of these attacks was not simply to destroy the enemy but to test military coordination, ground control, and defensive positions, in order to strengthen readiness for future organised warfare,” Baloch said.

The BLA also accused Pakistan’s military and intelligence establishment ISI, calling it a breeding ground for terrorism. “Pakistan has not only been a breeding ground for global terrorists but also a centre for the state-sponsored development of deadly terrorist groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad and ISIS,” the statement read. “The ISI is the network behind this terrorism… Pakistan has become a nuclear state of violent ideology.”

The BLA appealed to the international community, including India, for political, diplomatic, and defence support, saying that this could pave the way for “a peaceful, prosperous and independent Balochistan.”

“If we receive political, diplomatic and defence support from the world, especially from India, Baloch nation can eliminate this terrorist state,” the group stated.

WARNING OF NUCLEAR RISK

In its message, the BLA warned of dire consequences if Pakistan’s current trajectory is not addressed. “If Pakistan continues to be tolerated, then in the coming years very existence of this state may lead to the ruin of the entire world,” the statement warned. “The control of nuclear weapons by a fanatical military establishment is a ticking time bomb—not only for the region but for global security.”

Earlier, Pakistani army chief, Asim Munir, claimed that the “unrest” in Balochistan is the result of just 1,500 people, the government in Islamabad has conveniently blamed the Indian government for the home-grown, decades-long resistance in the province.

Source : https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/ready-to-attack-bla-hits-51-locations-in-pakistan-amid-heating-tensions-glbs-2723310-2025-05-12

Global stock markets surged on Monday after the U.S. and China agreed to slash steep tariffs for at least 90 days, tapping the brakes on a trade war between the world’s two biggest economies that had fed fears of a global recession.
But the temporary pause did little to address the underlying schisms that led to the dispute, including the U.S. trade deficit with China and U.S. President Donald Trump’s demand for more action from Beijing to combat the U.S. fentanyl crisis.

While investors cheered the move, businesses were seeking more clarity.
Under the temporary truce, the U.S. will cut extra tariffs it imposed on Chinese imports last month from 145% to 30% for the next three months, the two sides said, while Chinese duties on U.S. imports will fall to 10% from 125%.
In addition to the tariff reductions, China agreed to lift export countermeasures issued after April 2, including restrictions on rare earth minerals and magnets used widely in high tech manufacturing, U.S. trade representative Jamieson Greer said in an interview with Fox News.
Financial markets cheered the reprieve in a conflict that had brought nearly $600 billion in two-way trade to a standstill, disrupting supply chains and triggering layoffs.

Wall Street stocks finished sharply higher, with the S&P 500 closing at its highest level since March 3 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite recording its highest close since February 28.
The dollar rose, while safe-haven gold prices fell as the news eased – but did not erase – concerns that Trump’s trade war could crater the global economy.
Trump and his allies hailed the agreement as proof his aggressive tariff strategy was paying dividends, after the U.S. struck preliminary pacts with Britain and now China.
“They’ve agreed to open China, fully open China, and I think it’s going to be fantastic for China, I think it’s going to be fantastic for us, and I think it’s going to be great for unification and peace,” Trump said at the White House.
It was not yet clear whether the deep trade imbalances that have hollowed out U.S. manufacturing will be addressed.

Even U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who hammered out Monday’s agreement with Chinese counterparts in weekend talks in Geneva, has acknowledged it will take years to reset Washington’s trade relationship with Beijing.
China’s state media said Beijing held firm to its principles while opening a path to more cooperation with the U.S., breaking from its tone of defiance a week earlier.
“Economic and trade cooperation between China and the U.S. has a deep foundation, great potential and broad space,” government-run broadcaster CCTV said in a commentary.
Trump campaigned in the 2024 election on addressing unfair trade practices and resurrecting U.S. manufacturing capacity. He won votes from blue-collar workers in states like Michigan and Pennsylvania that have lost manufacturing jobs for decades.
But Trump’s tariff policy also drew fire from a range of groups. Small businesses and truckers were girding for major repercussions from the China tariffs, while American consumers worried about rising costs.
Scott Kennedy, a China business and economics expert at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the administration needed to pull back or risk severe damage to the U.S. economy.
“This is 100% a retreat by the U.S., not a Chinese cave,” Kennedy said. “The U.S. was the one that launched the trade war and escalated it. The Chinese retaliated and they’ve only withdrawn their retaliatory measures.”
But Kelly Ann Shaw, an attorney with Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld who worked as a key trade adviser during Trump’s 2017-2021 term, said Trump was simply fulfilling his campaign promises.

“The president is doing what he said he would. This is absolutely about resolving disparities in the trading relationship,” she said.
She acknowledged that 90 days was not much time to address major U.S. concerns over non-tariff barriers such as subsidies for capital and labor.
“They’ve got their work cut out for them.”

ON-AND-OFF APPROACH

Seeking to reduce the U.S. trade deficit, Trump targeted countries worldwide with an array of tariffs and especially aggressive levies on China, which he blames for exacerbating the U.S. fentanyl crisis.
Markets shuddered in response, and last month Trump quickly paused most of his “reciprocal” tariffs on dozens of countries, except China.
Trump’s on-and-off approach has rattled investors and weakened his approval ratings among U.S. voters worried tariffs will lift prices on everything from toys to cars.
The remaining U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports are still stacked atop prior duties. Even before Trump took office in January, China was saddled with 25% U.S. tariffs he had imposed on many industrial goods during his first term, with lower rates on some consumer goods.
The agreement leaves these duties unchanged, along with tariffs of 100% on electric vehicles and 50% on solar products imposed by former Democratic President Joe Biden.
Retailers may take a wait-and-see approach to 30% tariffs that would drive up prices for shoppers, said Gene Seroka, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, the nation’s busiest and the No. 1 ocean entry point for imports from China.
Monday’s accord also does not include the “de minimis” exemptions for low-value e-commerce shipments from China and Hong Kong, which the Trump administration terminated on May 2.
However, the tariffs were cut by more than many analysts had anticipated. Last week, Trump floated a much higher rate of 80%.
Shipping industry representatives said the temporary cuts may prompt many companies to restart loadings of goods while tariffs remain low, but uncertainty around any eventual deal may leave businesses wary of ramping up orders dramatically.
Mike Abt, co-president of family-owned Abt Electronics in Chicago, said the company is working down inventories squirreled away before tariffs went live.
“Everyone wants consistency, and that’s been the hard part of this whole thing,” he said. “It’s so fluid. It’s like a game of Risk, you really don’t know what the right answer is.”

Within the administration, the truce marked a victory for Bessent, a former hedge fund executive who had advocated for the earlier 90-day pause in the global reciprocal tariffs to allow time for negotiation.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/china/us-china-reach-deal-slash-tariffs-officials-say-2025-05-12/

The US and China have agreed on a deal to help resolve the trade war raging between the world’s two largest economies, top Trump administration officials announced Sunday.

Details of the deal — struck during negotiations in Switzerland over the weekend — were not revealed, but officials teased that more information will be shared on Monday.

“The U.S. has a massive $1.2 trillion trade deficit, so the President declared a national emergency,” US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Sunday. “We’re confident that the deal we struck with our Chinese partners will help us work toward resolving that national emergency.”

President Trump has imposed tariffs of up to 145% on goods from China, with China slapping retaliatory tariffs on American exports.

Greer joined Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng for the talks in Geneva, Switzerland, over the weekend to address the triple-digit tariff.

“I can tell you that the talks were productive,” Bessent teased.

The announcement comes after the Trump administration unveiled a framework for a trade deal with the United Kingdom last week.

China is America’s third-largest trading partner and has long drawn ire from Trump over its practices, including exporting deadly fentanyl, currency manipulation, intellectual property theft, forced technology transfers and more.

Some estimates have pegged annual Chinese IP theft from the US at $225 to $600 billion annually.

Last year, the US had a $295.4 billion trade deficit with China, a major pet peeve of Trump’s.

During his second term, Trump slapped a 20% tariff against China, seeking concessions on the fentanyl crisis.

Then on “Liberation Day,” he unveiled so-called “reciprocal” tariffs on Beijing, prompting swift retaliation.

Despite the vast differences, Trump administration officials claim that they made remarkable progress with China in about two days.

“It’s important to understand how quickly we were able to come to [an] agreement, which reflects that perhaps the differences were not so large as maybe thought,” Greer added.

“There was a lot of groundwork that went into these two days.”

On Saturday, Trump crowed that “GREAT PROGRESS MADE” in deliberations with China.

The president’s team is frantically working to strike lightning deals with a bevy of countries, given Trump’s July 8 deadline to reach an agreement or else face the customized higher rates he announced last month.

Those “Liberation Day” tariffs tossed the global markets into chaos when Trump announced them in the White House Rose Garden on April 2.

The pandemonium that ensued as world leaders, businesses and consumers alike struggled to wrap their heads around the tariffs – many of which seemed to be determined with little financial analysis – tanked the stock markets, all but wiping out the economic “Trump bump” the president enjoyed since his November election.

Source : https://nypost.com/2025/05/11/world-news/us-and-china-have-hammered-out-a-trade-deal-us-trade-representative-says/

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday proposed direct talks with Ukraine on May 15 in Turkey that he said should be aimed at bringing a durable peace, an initiative welcomed by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Putin sent thousands of troops into Ukraine in February 2022, unleashing a war that has left hundreds of thousands of soldiers dead and triggering the gravest confrontation between Russia and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

The Russian leader, who has offered few concessions towards ending the conflict so far, said the talks in the Turkish city of Istanbul will be aimed at eliminating the root causes of the war and restoring a “long-term, lasting peace” rather than simply a pause for rearmament.
“We are proposing that Kyiv resume direct negotiations without any preconditions,” Putin said from the Kremlin in the early hours of Sunday. “We offer the Kyiv authorities to resume negotiations already on Thursday, in Istanbul.”
Putin said that he would speak to Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan later on Sunday about facilitating the talks, which he said could lead to a ceasefire.

“Our proposal, as they say, is on the table. The decision is now up to the Ukrainian authorities and their curators, who are guided, it seems, by their personal political ambitions, and not by the interests of their peoples.”
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s office and Ukraine’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment on the proposal.
In a message on the social network Truth Social, Trump hailed Putin’s proposal as a positive for ending the war.
“A potentially great day for Russia and Ukraine!” Trump said. “Think of the hundreds of thousands of lives that will be saved as this never ending ‘bloodbath’ hopefully comes to an end.”

NO CEASEFIRE?

Putin’s proposal for direct talks with Ukraine came hours after major European powers demanded on Saturday in Kyiv that Putin agree to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire or face “massive” new sanctions.

Putin dismissed what he said was the attempt by some European powers to lay down “ultimatums”.
Russia, Putin said, had proposed several ceasefires, including a moratorium on striking energy facilities, an Easter ceasefire and most recently the 72-hour truce during the celebrations marking 80 years since victory in World War Two.
Both Russia and Ukraine accused each other of violating the temporary truce proposals, including the May 8-10 ceasefire.
Despite Putin’s call for peace talks, Russia on Sunday launched a drone attack on Kyiv and other parts of Ukraine, injuring one person in the region surrounding the Ukrainian capital and damaging several private homes, Ukrainian officials said.
Putin said that he does not rule out that during his proposed talks in Turkey both sides will agree on “some new truces, a new ceasefire,” but one that would be the first step towards a “sustainable” peace.

PEACE?

Putin, whose forces have advanced over the past year, has stood firm in his conditions for ending the war despite public and private pressure from Trump and repeated warnings from European powers.
In June 2024, he said that Ukraine must officially drop its NATO ambitions and withdraw its troops from the entirety of the territory of four Ukrainian regions claimed by Russia.
Russian officials have also proposed that the U.S. recognise Russia’s control over about one-fifth of Ukraine and demanded that Ukraine remains neutral though Moscow has said it is not opposed to Kyiv’s ambitions to join the European Union.
Putin specifically mentioned the 2022 draft deal which Russia and Ukraine negotiated shortly after the Russian invasion started.
Under that draft, a copy of which Reuters has seen, Ukraine should agree to permanent neutrality in return for international security guarantees from the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council: Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.
“It was not Russia that broke off negotiations in 2022. It was Kyiv,” Putin said. “Russia is ready to negotiate without any preconditions.”
He thanked China, Brazil, African and Middle Eastern countries and the United States for their efforts to mediate.
Trump, who says he wants to be remembered as a peacemaker, has repeatedly said he wants to end the “bloodbath” of the Ukraine war which his administration casts as a proxy war between the United States and Russia.
“I will continue to work with both sides to make sure that it happens,” Trump said in his Truth Social post on Sunday. “The USA wants to focus, instead, on Rebuilding and Trade. A BIG week upcoming!”
Former U.S. President Joe Biden, Western European leaders and Ukraine cast the invasion as an imperial-style land grab and repeatedly vowed to defeat Russian forces.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/putin-proposes-direct-talks-with-ukraine-may-15-2025-05-10/

Pakistan violates ceasefire: Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said that the armed forces were giving an “adequate and appropriate response” to these violations by Pakistan.

Hours after India and Pakistan agreed to halt military action, in a late-night press briefing, India said that Pakistan has violated the understanding arrived at earlier and Indian forces were giving an “adequate and appropriate response” to the violations. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Saturday said, “For the last few hours, there have been repeated violations of the understanding arrived at earlier this evening between the Directors General of Military Operations of India and Pakistan. This is a breach of the understanding arrived at earlier today.”
“The armed forces are giving an adequate and appropriate response to these violations and we take very very serious note of these violations,” he added.

The Foreign Secretary said, “We call upon Pakistan to take appropriate steps to address these violations and deal with the situation with seriousness and responsibility. The armed forces are maintaining a strong vigil on the situation. They have been given instructions to deal strongly with any instances of repetition of the violations of the border along the International Border as well as the Line of Control.”

Earlier on Saturday, Misri, in a less than five-minute briefing, said that the directors general of military operations (DGMO) of India and Pakistan agreed to stop all firings and military action on land, air and sea with effect from 5 pm on Saturday. The DGMO of Pakistan called the DGMO of India at 3.35 pm earlier this afternoon, he added.

“It was agreed between them that both sides would stop all firing and military action on land, and in the air and sea, with effect from 1700 hours IST Saturday,” he said, adding that. the “Instructions have been given on both sides to give effect to this understanding. The DGMOs will talk again on May 12 at 1200 hours.”
The brief announcement by the foreign secretary came shortly after US President Donald Trump said India and Pakistan have agreed to a “full and immediate” ceasefire after talks mediated by the US.

Source : https://www.timesnownews.com/india/pakistan-violating-understanding-reached-on-stopping-firings-foreign-secretary-vikram-misri-article-151606682

Russia marked the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II with a massive military parade on Red Square on Friday.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/russia-victory-day-photos-fe4bb13744424a1a7c1f7b77f66c0759

The locations include Baramulla, Srinagar, Avantipora, Nagrota, Jammu, Ferozpur, Pathankot, Fazilka, Lalgarh Jatta, Jaisalmer, Barmer, Bhuj, Kuarbet and Lakhi Nala.

Drones have been sighted at 26 locations ranging from the Baramulla in the North to Bhuj in the South, along both the International Border and the Line of Control with Pakistan. These include suspected armed drones posing potential threats to civilian and military targets, according to a defence official.
The locations include Baramulla, Srinagar, Avantipora, Nagrota, Jammu, Ferozpur, Pathankot, Fazilka, Lalgarh Jatta, Jaisalmer, Barmer, Bhuj, Kuarbet and Lakhi Nala.
An armed drone targeted a civilian area in Ferozpur, resulting in severe injuries to members of a local family. The injured have been provided medical assistance and the area has been sanitised by security forces.

The Indian Armed Forces are maintaining a high state of alert, and all such aerial threats are being tracked and engaged using counter-drone systems. The situation is under close and constant watch, and prompt action is being taken wherever necessary.

Source : https://www.timesnownews.com/india/from-baramulla-to-bhuj-drones-spotted-at-26-locations-along-india-pak-border-article-151600764

Bill Gates pledged on Thursday to give away $200 billion via his charitable foundation by 2045 and lashed out at Elon Musk, accusing the world’s richest man of “killing the world’s poorest children” through huge cuts to the U.S. foreign aid budget.
The 69-year-old billionaire co-founder of Microsoft said he was speeding up his plans to divest almost all of his fortune and would close the foundation on December 31, 2045, years earlier than previously planned. Gates said he believed the money would help achieve several of his goals, such as eradicating diseases like polio and malaria, ending preventable deaths among women and children, and reducing global poverty.

His announcement follows moves by governments, including the Trump administration, to slash international aid budgets used to prevent deadly disease and famine.
The U.S. cuts have been overseen by Musk, who has publicly bragged about feeding the U.S. Agency for International Development “into the wood chipper,” and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Around 80% of USAID programs are set to be cut; the agency spent $44 billion worldwide in fiscal 2023.
“The picture of the world’s richest man killing the world’s poorest children is not a pretty one,” Gates told the Financial Times.
In an interview with Reuters, Gates warned of a stark reversal to decades of progress in reducing mortality over the next four to six years due to the funding cuts by governments worldwide.

“The number of deaths will start going up for the first time … it’s going to be millions more deaths because of the resources,” Gates told Reuters.
The Gates Foundation’s annual budget will reach $9 billion by 2026 and around $10 billion annually after that due to the accelerated spending. Gates has warned the White House that his foundation and other philanthropies cannot fill the gaps left by governments.
“I think governments will come back to caring about children surviving” over the next 20-year period though, Gates said on Thursday.
Gates and Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, once agreed over the role of the wealthy in giving away money to help others, but have since clashed several times.
Asked if he had appealed to Musk recently to change course, Gates said it was now up to Congress to decide on the future for U.S. aid spending.

“Gates is a huge liar,” Musk said in reply to a tweet on his X social media platform that featured an interview with Gates warning about U.S. aid cuts. Musk’s spokespeople were not immediately available for comment.

Gates said that despite his foundation’s deep pockets, progress would not be possible without government support.
“There are too many urgent problems to solve for me to hold onto resources that could be used to help people,” Gates wrote in a post on his website. “It’s unclear whether the world’s richest countries will continue to stand up for its poorest people.”
He praised the response to aid cuts in Africa, where some governments have reallocated budgets, but said that, as an example, polio would not be eradicated without U.S. funding.
Gates made the announcement on the foundation’s 25th anniversary. He set up the organization with his then-wife Melinda French Gates in 2000, and they were later joined by billionaire investor Warren Buffett.

‘WHAT MY PARENTS TAUGHT ME’

Since inception, the foundation has given away $100 billion, helping to save millions of lives and backing initiatives like the vaccine group Gavi and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
It will close after it spends around 99% of Gates’ personal fortune, he said. The founders originally expected the foundation to wrap up in the decades after their deaths.
Gates, whose fortune is currently valued at around $108 billion, expects the foundation to spend around $200 billion by 2045, with the final figure dependent on markets and inflation.
The foundation has faced criticism for its outsized power and influence in the field without the requisite accountability, including at the World Health Organization.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/business/bill-gates-give-away-fortune-by-2045-200bn-worlds-poorest-2025-05-08/

Amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan, the sound of explosions was heard near the Line of Control (LoC) in the Poonch and Rajouri districts of Jammu and Kashmir early Friday morning.

Amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan, the sound of explosions was heard near the Line of Control (LoC) in the Poonch and Rajouri districts of Jammu and Kashmir early Friday morning.

Further details are awaited.

Meanwhile, the Border Security Forces (BSF) foiled a major infiltration attempt along the International Boundary in the Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday. The attempt was made around 11 pm on May 8.

In a post on X, BSF Jammu wrote, “At around 2300 hours on 8 May 2025, BSF foiled a major infiltration bid at the International Boundary in Samba district, J&K.”

Earlier, multiple sources told ANI that a Pakistani Air Force jet was shot down by Indian Air Defence systems in the Pathankot sector of Punjab. However, official confirmation from the government is still awaited, and more details are expected soon.

Defence sources also said that the Indian Army shot down two Pakistani drones in the Naushera sector of Jammu and Kashmir. The drones were intercepted during a heavy exchange of artillery fire between Indian and Pakistani forces.

According to the Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff, Pakistan also tried to target military stations in Jammu, Pathankot, and Udhampur, all located near the International Border. The Indian Armed Forces responded strongly, and no loss of life was reported.

In a post on X, the Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff stated: “Military Stations of Jammu, Pathankot and Udhampur in proximity to the International Boundary, in Jammu and Kashmir targeted by Pakistan using missiles and drones. No losses. Threat neutralised by Indian Armed Forces as per SoP with kinetic and non-kinetic means.”

These developments come after India launched “Operation Sindoor” on May 7. During the operation, the Indian Armed Forces carried out missile strikes on nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK).

Source : https://www.freepressjournal.in/india/india-pakistan-tensions-escalate-explosions-heard-near-loc-in-poonch-and-rajouri-video

Speaking to Fox News, Vance said, “We are concerned about any time when nuclear powers collide and have a major conflict. We want this thing to de-escalate as quickly as possible. We can’t control these countries, as India has its gripes with Pakistan and Pakistan has responded to India.”

Reacting to the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, US Vice President JD Vance on Thursday said, the India-Pakistan conflict is ‘fundamentally none of our business’. Vance further said that the conflict has ‘nothing to do with America’s ability to control it’.

Speaking to Fox News, Vance said, “We are concerned about any time when nuclear powers collide and have a major conflict. We want this thing to de-escalate as quickly as possible. We can’t control these countries, as India has its gripes with Pakistan and Pakistan has responded to India.”

“What we can do is try to encourage these folks to de-escalate, but we are not going to get involved in the middle of a war that is fundamentally none of our business and has nothing to do with America’s ability to control it,” he added.

Vance’s statement comes a day after President Donald Trump called the escalating tensions between the two countries ‘terrible’. When asked about his position, the POTUS added that he ‘gets along with both.’

Source : https://www.freepressjournal.in/world/none-of-our-business-vice-president-jd-vance-says-america-will-not-get-involved-in-india-pakistan-war-video

Thick black smoke emerged on Wednesday (May 7) from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel in a sign that cardinals had failed to elect a new head of the Catholic Church in their first conclave vote.

Tens of thousands of people gathered in St Peter’s Square to await the smoke, which came around three hours and 15 minutes after the 133 cardinals were closed in.

The prelates will now withdraw to the Santa Marta guesthouse, where they are staying for the election, before starting to vote again on Thursday.

Cardinals were called back to Rome following the death of Pope Francis on Apr 21 after 12 years as head of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.

Under a centuries-old ritual, those aged under 80 vote in secrecy in the Sistine Chapel until one of them secures a two-thirds majority – 89 votes – to be elected pope.

Locked away to avoid distraction, their only means of communicating the outcome is by burning their ballots with chemicals to produce smoke.

It is black if there is no decision, white if they have a new pope.

This conclave is the largest and the most international ever, assembling cardinals from around 70 countries, many of whom did not previously know each other.

There is no clear frontrunner to succeed the charismatic Argentine Francis, with the cardinals representing a range of progressive and conservative traditions within the Church.

But the challenges facing the 2,000-year-old institution are clear.

The new pope will have to face diplomatic balancing acts at a time of geopolitical uncertainty, as well as deep splits within the Church.

There is also the continued fallout from the clerical child abuse scandal and – in the West – increasingly empty pews.

WAITING FOR THE SMOKE

The start of the conclave, with a solemn procession of cardinals and other clergy into the Sistine Chapel, was streamed live on large screens in front of St Peter’s Basilica.

As night fell, the crowds swelled, including many young people and children. Some sang hymns while others danced, while one young woman showed off her black miniature poodle dressed as the pope.

The screens went black at 9pm local time, eliciting groans from the crowds, minutes before the black smoke was spotted wafting from the chimney, bringing on a new wave of disappointed reaction.

Still, James Kleineck, 37, from Texas, said he was “excited” to witness the unique event.

“I don’t mind that it’s black smoke, it shows the Holy Spirit is at work. There will be other votes soon enough, we will get our pope,” he told AFP.

The cardinal electors had earlier gathered in the nearby Pauline Chapel in silent prayer before proceeding to the 15th-century Sistine Chapel, where tables and chairs were laid out beneath Michelangelo’s frescoes.

They took a group oath of secrecy before each cardinal approached the altar to utter his personal vow not to reveal what happened in the conclave, on pain of excommunication.

According to a video feed produced by the Vatican, they filed up one by one in front of the Renaissance master’s depiction of the Last Judgement, when Christians believe God determines who goes to heaven or hell.

The conclave’s master of ceremonies then declared “Extra omnes” – “Everybody out” in Latin – and then shut the heavy doors of the chapel.

There are four votes a day until a winner is elected.

Both Francis and his predecessor Benedict XVI were elected within two days, but the longest papal election lasted 1,006 days, from 1268 to 1271.

PRAY FOR UNITY

The cardinals joined a mass in St Peter’s Basilica ahead of the conclave on Wednesday morning, where Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, offered some final advice.

“We are here to invoke the help of the Holy Spirit, to implore his light and strength so that the pope elected may be he whom the Church and humanity need at this difficult and complex turning point in history,” he said.

“This is also a strong call to maintain the unity of the Church … a unity that does not mean uniformity, but a firm and profound communion in diversity.”

He called it a choice of “exceptional importance”, requiring the red-robed prelates to set aside “every personal consideration”.

Battista Re himself is too old to vote.

The mass was the last rite to be celebrated publicly before the 267th pope is presented to the world from a balcony of St Peter’s Basilica.

WOMEN PROTEST

The cardinals have spent days discussing the most pressing challenges facing the Catholic Church and the character traits its new leader needs.

Burning issues include falling priest numbers, the role of women, the Vatican’s troubled balance sheets and how to adapt the Church to the modern world.

Battista Re urged cardinals to pray for “a pope who knows how best to awaken the consciences of all … in today’s society, characterised by great technological progress but which tends to forget God”.

Meanwhile across Rome, women’s rights activists gathered to protest the absence of women in the conclave.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/black-smoke-papal-conclave-no-new-pope-first-try-5115956

The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed President Donald Trump’s administration to enforce a ban on transgender people in the military, while legal challenges proceed.

The court acted in the dispute over a policy that presumptively disqualifies transgender people from military service and could lead to the expulsion of experienced, decorated officers.

The court’s three liberal justices said they would have kept the policy on hold. Neither the justices in the majority or dissent explained their votes, which is not uncommon in emergency appeals.

Just after beginning his second term in January, Trump moved aggressively to roll back the rights of transgender people. Among the Republican president’s actions was an executive order that claims the sexual identity of transgender service members “conflicts with a soldier’s commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle, even in one’s personal life” and is harmful to military readiness.

In response, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a policy in February that gave the military services 30 days to figure out how they would seek out and identify transgender service members to remove them from the force. Those actions had been stalled by the lawsuits.

“No More Trans @ DoD,” Hegseth wrote in a post on X following Tuesday’s Supreme Court order. Earlier in the day, before the court acted, Hegseth said that his department is leaving wokeness and weakness behind. “No more pronouns,” he told a special operations forces conference in Tampa. “No more dudes in dresses. We’re done with that s—-.”

The Defense Department said Tuesday that officials are currently determining the next steps, but officials were not aware of any actions being taken right away.

Three federal judges had ruled against the ban.

In the case the justices acted on Tuesday, U.S. District Court Judge Benjamin Settle in Tacoma, Washington, had ruled for seven long-serving transgender military members who say that the ban is insulting and discriminatory and that their firing would cause lasting damage to their careers and reputations. A prospective service member also sued.

The individual service members who challenged the ban together have amassed more than 70 medals in 115 years of service, their lawyers wrote. The lead plaintiff is Emily Shilling, a Navy commander with nearly 20 years of service, including as a combat pilot who flew 60 missions in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

The Trump administration offered no explanation as to why transgender troops, who have been able to serve openly over the past four years with no evidence of problems, should suddenly be banned, Settle wrote. The judge is an appointee of Republican President George W. Bush and is a former captain in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General Corps.

Settle imposed a nationwide hold on the policy and a federal appeals court rejected the administration’s emergency plea. The Justice Department then turned to the Supreme Court.

The policy also has been blocked by a federal judge in the nation’s capital, but that ruling has been temporarily halted by a federal appeals court, which heard arguments last month. The three-judge panel, which includes two judges appointed by Trump during his first term, appeared to be in favor of the administration’s position.

In a more limited ruling, a judge in New Jersey also has barred the Air Force from removing two transgender men, saying they showed their separation would cause lasting damage to their careers and reputations that no monetary settlement could repair.

The LGBTQ rights groups Lambda Legal and the Human Rights Campaign Foundation called the high court order a devastating blow to dedicated and highly qualified service members.

“By allowing this discriminatory ban to take effect while our challenge continues, the court has temporarily sanctioned a policy that has nothing to do with military readiness and everything to do with prejudice. Transgender individuals meet the same standards and demonstrate the same values as all who serve. We remain steadfast in our belief that this ban violates constitutional guarantees of equal protection and will ultimately be struck down,” the groups said in a statement.

The federal appeals court in San Francisco will hear the administration’s appeal in a process that will play out over several months at least. All the while, though, the transgender ban will remain in place under the Supreme Court order.

In 2016, during Barack Obama’s presidency, a Defense Department policy permitted transgender people to serve openly in the military. During Trump’s first term in the White House, the Republican issued a directive to ban transgender service members, with an exception for some of those who had already started transitioning under more lenient rules that were in effect during Obama’s Democratic administration.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-transgender-military-ban-ef67038857bd5b99e128bf0b8866afb4

Evidence has been circulated through heads of multilateral development banks to show how the money given to Pakistan is being misused to stoke terror in India and the world

India, after ensuring that Pakistan’s economy is hurt by its important economic decisions, is now working to ensure that the neighbour is cut off from much of the world’s aid in the aftermath of the deadly Pahalgam attack.

There are several development banks like World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMD), and Asian Development Bank (ADB) which provide aid to countries for developmental work. For instance, as of December 31, 2024, ADB had committed about $43.4 billion to Pakistan over many loans, grants, and technical assistance. The World Bank had, till January 2025, approved a $20 billion aid package for Pakistan.

Now, apart from the diplomatic war, in Stage 2 of the global economic war against Pakistan, sources say India has been working the phone lines and other channels to convince the multilateral development banks, or MDBs as they are called, to cut off aid to Pakistan. Evidence and proof have been kept ready and circulated through heads of these banks concerned to show how the money given to Pakistan for development is being misused—the people continue to live in poverty while the army gets richer and the funds are being channelised to stoke terror in India.

In fact, the MDBs have also been given proof to show that Pakistan has emerged as a school of terror and terror attacks in, say the Moscow theatre or London bridge, had Pakistani imprint. A senior official told News18: “This is proof for the world and these MDBs on why they should snap aid to Pakistan. This money would be the lifeline for terrorists and not just India, even they could face terror acts.”

World Bank, for example, has committed over $50 billion for various road and infrastructure projects. Pakistan has about 25 financial arrangements with IMF, while the ADB has promised over $3.4 billion. The IMF will meet on May 9 to review the decision, while the ADB board will meet on May 20.

Source : https://www.news18.com/india/india-points-to-pakistans-global-terror-footprint-in-fresh-move-to-choke-neighbours-world-aid-ws-kl-9325097.html

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday an expanded offensive against Palestinian militant group Hamas would be “intensive” after his security cabinet approved plans that may include seizing the Gaza Strip and controlling aid.
However an Israeli defence official said the operation would not be launched before U.S. President Donald Trump concludes his visit next week to the Middle East.

The decision, after weeks of faltering efforts to agree a ceasefire with Hamas, underlines the threat that a war heaping international pressure on Israel amid dwindling public support at home could continue with no end in sight.
A report by Israel’s public broadcaster Kan, citing officials with knowledge of the details, said the new plan was gradual and would take months, with forces focusing first on one area of the battered enclave.
Netanyahu said in a video message the operation would be “intensive” and would see more Palestinians in Gaza moved “for their own safety”.
He said Israeli troops would not follow previous tactics based on short raids by forces based outside Gaza. “The intention is the opposite,” he said, echoing comments from other Israeli officials who have said Israel would hold on to the ground it has seized.

U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said Israel is a sovereign state that makes its own decisions, according to Axios, which also reported that he hopes for progress on a hostage and ceasefire deal before or during Trump’s visit. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Israeli troops have already taken over an area amounting to around a third of Gaza, displacing the population and building watchtowers and surveillance posts on cleared ground the military has described as security zones, but the new plan would go further.
One Israeli official said the newly approved offensive would seize the entire territory of the Gaza Strip, move its civilian population southward and keep humanitarian aid from falling into Hamas’ hands.
The defence official said aid distribution, which has been handled by international aid groups and U.N. organizations, would be transferred to private companies and handed out in the southern area of Rafah once the offensive begins.

The Israeli military, which throughout the war has shown little appetite for occupying Gaza, declined to comment on the remarks by government officials and politicians.
Israel resumed its offensive in March after the collapse of a U.S.-backed ceasefire that had halted fighting for two months. It has since imposed an aid blockade, drawing warnings from the UN that the 2.3 million population faces imminent famine.
The defence official said Israel would hold on to security zones seized along the Gaza perimeter because they were vital for protecting Israeli communities around the enclave.
But he said there was a “window of opportunity” for a ceasefire and hostage release deal during Trump’s visit.
“If there is no hostage deal, Operation “Gideon Chariots” will begin with great intensity and will not stop until all its goals are achieved,” he said.
Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi rejected what he called “pressure and blackmail”.

“No deal except a comprehensive one, which includes a complete ceasefire, full withdrawal from Gaza, reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, and the release of all prisoners from both sides,” he said.

‘OCCUPATION’

Israel has yet to present a clear vision for post-war Gaza after a campaign that has displaced most of Gaza’s population and left it depending on aid supplies that have been dwindling rapidly since the blockade.
Ministers have said that aid distribution cannot be left to international organizations which it accuses of allowing Hamas to seize supplies intended for civilians.
Instead, officials have looked at plans for private contractors to handle distribution, through what the United Nations has described as Israeli hubs.
On Monday, Jan Egeland, secretary-general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, said on X that Israel was demanding that the U.N. and non-governmental organisations shut down their aid distribution system in Gaza.
The decision to expand the operation was immediately hailed by Israeli government hardliners who have long pressed for a full takeover of the Gaza Strip by Israel and a permanent displacement of the population, along the lines of the “Riviera” plans outlined by Trump in February.
“We are finally going to conquer Gaza. We are no longer afraid of the word ‘occupation’,” Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich told a pro-settler conference in an online discussion.
However, opinion polls show the Israeli public increasingly wants a deal to bring back the remaining 59 hostages still held in Gaza and there were angry scenes outside parliament with dozens of protesters scuffling with police.
“All the families are tired,” said Ruby Chen, whose son Itay was killed in the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. “All the families have been scared about this new manoeuvring because there is no guarantee that it will get us to where the families want.”
With Israel facing threats from the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen, who on Sunday fired a missile that hit close to Ben Gurion Airport, an unstable Syria next door and a volatile situation in the occupied West Bank, the capacity for prolonged military operations also faces growing constraints.
Israel’s Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said on Sunday that the military has already begun issuing tens of thousands of call-up orders for reservists.
A government spokesman said reserve soldiers were being called up to expand operations in Gaza, not to occupy it.
Zamir, who took office in March, has pushed back against calls by government hardliners who want to choke off aid entirely and has told ministers aid must be let in soon, according to Kan.
The war was triggered by the Hamas October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli tallies, and saw 251 taken hostage into Gaza.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israeli-cabinet-approves-expansion-gaza-offensive-broadcaster-kan-reports-2025-05-05/

The Trump administration will offer a US$1,000 stipend and travel assistance to migrants who elect to voluntarily “self-deport” from the United States, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said on Monday (May 5).

The stipend and potential airfare for migrants who voluntarily depart would cost less than an actual deportation, the agency said. The average cost of arresting, detaining and deporting someone without legal status is currently about US$17,000, according to DHS.

President Donald Trump, a Republican, took office in January pledging to deport millions of people but so far has trailed deportations under his Democratic predecessor Joe Biden.

Biden’s administration faced high levels of illegal immigration and quickly returned many caught crossing the border.

The Trump administration has deported 152,000 people since Jan 20, according to DHS, lower than the 195,000 deported from February to April last year under Biden.

Trump’s administration has tried to encourage migrants to leave voluntarily by threatening steep fines, trying to strip away legal status and deporting migrants to notorious prisons in Guantanamo Bay and El Salvador.

“If you are here illegally, self-deportation is the best, safest and most cost-effective way to leave the United States to avoid arrest,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement.

In March, the administration launched a rebranded app called CBP Home to facilitate self-deportation. The app, previously called CBP One, was used by the Biden administration to allow migrants to enter the US legally.

Trump previewed the stipend plan in April, saying the US would consider allowing migrants to return.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/us-offers-1000-stipend-encourage-migrants-self-deport-5109891

Elon Musk’s vision has materialised as voters in South Texas approved a ballot measure to establish SpaceX site ‘Starbase’ as an official city.

Elon Musk’s long-standing dream is now a reality. Voters in South Texas have approved a ballot measure to establish the South Texas home of Musk’s SpaceX rocket company as an official city, and with a fittingly galactic name: Starbase. In a social media post on X, the tech billionaire confirmed the announcement and said that Starbase was now a real city.
The mandate was in favour of establishing Starbase as a city by a margin of 212 to 6, according to results published online by the Cameron County Elections Department. Most of the 283 eligible voters at the ballot are said to be SpaceX employees or those who had connections to the company, AP reported.
The incorporation of Starbase will give SpaceX the authority to set the pace of its own development in the area. It is expected that the new city will be governed by a city commission, comprising current or former SpaceX employees, who will have authority over zoning, building projects, and other aspects of life.

US President Donald Trump says he will hit movies made in foreign countries with 100% tariffs, as he ramps up trade disputes with nations around the world.

Trump said he was authorising the US Department of Commerce and Trade Representative to start the process to impose the levy because America’s movie industry was dying “a very fast death”.

He blamed a “concerted effort” by other countries that offer incentives to attract filmmakers and studios, which he described as a “National Security threat”.

“It is, in addition to everything else, messaging and propaganda!” Trump said on his Truth Social platform. “WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN!”

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick responded to the latest announcement, saying “We’re on it”.

But the details of the move are unclear. Trump’s statement did not say whether the tariff would apply to American production companies producing films abroad.

Several recent major movies produced by US studios were shot outside America, including Deadpool & Wolverine, Wicked and Gladiator II.

The governments of Australia and New Zealand have spoken out in support of their countries’ film industries.

“Nobody should be under any doubt that we will be standing up unequivocally for the rights of the Australian screen industry,” Australia’s home affairs minister Tony Burke said.

New Zealand’s Prime Minister Christopher Luxon told a news conference that his government was awaiting further details of the proposed tariffs.

“But we’ll be obviously a great advocate, great champion of that sector and that industry,” he added.

Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has imposed tariffs on countries around the world.

He argues tariffs will boost US manufacturers and protect jobs – but the global economy has been thrown into chaos as a result, and prices on goods around the world are expected to rise.

Ahead of his inauguration, Trump appointed three film stars – Jon Voight, Mel Gibson and Sylvester Stallone – to be special ambassadors tasked with promoting business opportunities in Hollywood, which he described as a “great but very troubled place”.

“They will serve as Special Envoys to me for the purpose of bringing Hollywood, which has lost much business over the last four years to Foreign Countries, BACK—BIGGER, BETTER, AND STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE!” Trump wrote at the time.

The US remains a major film production hub globally despite challenges, according to movie industry research firm ProdPro.

Its most recent annual report shows the country saw $14.54bn (£10.94bn) of production spending last year. That was down by 26% since 2022, though.

Countries that have attracted an increase in spending over the same period include Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the UK, according to the report.

Even before this most recent announcement, the US movie industry had been impacted by the fallout from Trump’s trade policies.

In April, China said it was reducing its quota of American films allowed into the country.

“The wrong action of the US government to abuse tariffs on China will inevitably further reduce the domestic audience’s favourability towards American films,” the China Film Administration said.

“We will follow the market rules, respect the audience’s choice, and moderately reduce the number of American films imported.”

Trump has hit China hardest with his tariffs salvo, imposing import taxes of up to 145% on goods from there.

His administration said last month that when the new tariffs are added on to existing ones, the levies on some Chinese goods could reach 245%.

Beijing has hit back with a 125% import duty on goods from the US.

Other countries currently face a blanket US tariff of 10% until a pause on higher levies expires in July.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump said he was meeting with many countries, including China, on trade deals.

He added, however, that he had no plans to speak with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping this week – despite previous reports that Washington had approached Beijing about holding trade talks.

Asked if any trade agreements would be announced this week, Trump said that could “very well be”, but gave no details.

Earlier, Trump signalled he may be willing to lower tariffs on China.

“At some point, I’m going to lower them, because otherwise, you could never do business with them, and they want to do business very much,” he said in an interview that aired Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press.

In the same interview, Trump said he may grant another extension to a deadline for China-based ByteDance to sell the US operations of TikTok.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjr7e2z1rxyo

The United Nations Security Council will meet today to discuss the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack

The United Nations Security Council will meet today to discuss the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.

Pakistan’s foreign office said yesterday it would brief the UN on regional developments in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, including the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty by India.

“This important diplomatic move is part of Pakistan’s efforts to present accurate facts to the international community,” said the foreign office of Pakistan, a non-permanent member of the Security Council.

India had suspended the Indus treaty, citing “sustained cross-border terrorism” from Pakistan after terror links to the neighbouring country emerged in the Pahalgam attack. Denying responsibility, Pakistan had called for a “neutral investigation”.

A week ago, India also warned the UN over Pakistan misusing and undermining the global forum to “indulge in propaganda and make baseless allegations against India.”

India has also reached out to eight non-permanent member nations of the Security Council as part of its diplomatic offensive.

Following the Pahalgam attack, India announced a string of measures against Pakistan, including the expulsion of Pakistani military attaches, suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty and immediate closure of the Attari land-transit post.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/un-security-council-to-meet-today-to-discuss-india-pakistan-tensions-8331546

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejected Putin’s short ceasefire offer by saying it’s “more of a theatrical performance” on the Russian president’s part. DW has the latest.

Billionaire investor Warren Buffett announced he was going to step down as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway by the end of the year. He has tapped Berkshire Hathaway executive Greg Abel replace him.

The billionaire investor took over the reins of Berkshire Hathaway back in 1965, when it was a medium-sized textile manufacturer.

Buffett then acquired businesses across a range of industries and built the conglomerate into the economic powerhouse known to investors and market observers today.

In doing so, Buffett also became known for his investing acumen and, at 94 years old, is one of the world’s most famous investors and had previously said he did not intend to retire.

Buffett taps Greg Abel to take over

Buffett said he would convene the board of directors to have 62-year-old Greg Abel, currently the vice chairman for non-insurance operations at Berkshire Hathaway, take over as chief executive officer of the conglomerate.

“The time has arrived where Greg should become the chief executive officer of the company at year end,” Buffett said.

“I would still hang around and could conceivably be useful in a few cases, but the final word would be what Greg said in operations, in capital deployment, whatever it might be,” he added.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/warren-buffett-to-step-down-as-ceo-of-berkshire-hathaway/a-72427949

Buckingham Palace has issued a rare statement after Prince Harry lost an appeal Friday to regain taxpayer-funded security in the UK and later told the BBC that he wanted to reconcile with his family.

“All of these issues have been examined repeatedly and meticulously by the courts, with the same conclusion reached on each occasion,” a Palace spokesperson said of the decision to strip Harry of his security detail.

The legal team behind the ruling said it would not be appropriate for Harry to have the publicly-paid-for security since shirking his royal duties.

Harry’s wife Meghan Markle, and their children, Archie and Lilibet, have not been to the UK since the Prince left the Royal Family for Los Angeles in 2020.

Harry admitted after the court loss he “can’t see a world in which I would bring my wife and children back to the UK at this point.”

He also said Charles “won’t speak to me because of this security stuff” and that he didn’t know how long his father, who was diagnosed with cancer last year, had left to live.

The palace normally tries to keep family matters under wraps, but it’s occasionally been known to issue statements when allegations emerge that could affect their reputation.

In 2021, the Royal Family issued a statement after Meghan and Harry’s jaw-dropping interview with Oprah, in which Harry claimed a family member had “concerns” about their then-unborn son Archie’s mixed race and how dark his skin might be.

The palace said it was “saddened” by what it heard in the interview, calling the race allegations “concerning.”

Source : https://nypost.com/2025/05/02/world-news/buckingham-palace-issues-rare-statement-after-prince-harry-loses-bid-for-uk-security-his-bombshell-bbc-interview/