Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to travel to Ottawa to participate in the outreach sessions to be held on the sidelines of the G7 summit, which will be held at Kananaskis, Alberta, in Canada from June 15 to 17.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi (L); Canadian PM Mark Carney. Credit: PTI, Reuters File Photos
Even as Ottawa claimed to have agreed with New Delhi on “continued law enforcement dialogue”, India is likely to stress that Canada must act fast on its requests for extradition of 26 fugitives, including some top Khalistani Sikh terrorists operating from the North American country.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to travel to Ottawa to participate in the outreach sessions to be held on the sidelines of the G7 summit, which will be held at Kananaskis, Alberta, in Canada from June 15 to 17.
He will also have a bilateral meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on the sidelines of the conclave.
Modi is likely to urge Carney to act on the long-pending requests from New Delhi for Ottawa to extradite the Khalistani Sikh terrorists, including Gurjeet Singh, Gurjinder Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Lakhbir Singh Landa and Arshdeep Singh Gill, as well as to ensure that the extremists can no longer run a secessionist campaign against India from Canada, a source told DH on Sunday.
Carney drew flak from the Khalistani Sikh extremists and their sympathisers after he called Modi on June 6 and invited him to attend the G7 summit even as the law-enforcement agencies were still investigating the role of India in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a fugitive terrorist, in Canada two years back.
Nijjar led the terrorist organisation, Khalistan Tiger Force, in India before fleeing to Canada. He was shot dead at the parking lot of a gurdwara in Surrey in the British Columbia province of the North American country on June 18, 2023. Carney’s predecessor, Justin Trudeau, in September 2023, alleged that agents of the Government of India had been involved in the killing of Nijjar. New Delhi refuted the allegation, which, however, brought India-Canada relations to a new low over the past couple of years.
Carney, however, defended his decision to invite Modi and pointed out that the legal process in connection with the June 18, 2023, killing of Nijjar was “underway and quite advanced” in Canada.
Four citizens of India living in Canada were charged with murdering the Khalistani Sikh terrorist.
The office of the Canadian Prime Minister in Ottawa stated after his phone call to his counterpart in New Delhi on June 6 that the two leaders had agreed to continue “law enforcement dialogue and discussions addressing security concerns”. “Bilaterally, we have now agreed importantly to continued law enforcement dialogue. So, there’s been some progress on that. That recognises issues of accountability (in the case of the killing of Nijjar),” Carney told journalists in response to queries on his decision to invite Modi. “I extended the invitation to Prime Minister Modi in that context, and he has accepted.”
To defend his decision to invite Modi, Carney cited his ‘agreement’ with the prime minister of India on continued dialogue between the law-enforcement agencies of the two nations over the allegation about New Delhi’s role in the killing of Nijjar in Canada.
New Delhi has been steadfastly maintaining that Ottawa had never shared with it any evidence in support of the allegations about its role in the murder of the Khalistani Sikh extremist in Canada.
Modi will convey to Carney that India was and would always be ready to look into any evidence provided by Canada, said the source in New Delhi. He will also underline that the cooperation between the law-enforcement agencies could progress if Ottawa acted fast on the pending 26 extradition requests from New Delhi, as well as many pending requests for provisional arrests of gangsters and terrorists who had fled from India to Canada, said the source.
Ottawa in October 2024 had gone on to accuse India’s High Commissioner to Canada, Sanjay Kumar Verma, and his five colleagues of having a role in the June 18, 2023, killing.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police had on October 14, 2024, publicly accused the agents of the Government of India of orchestrating criminal activities in Canada.
ELON Musk has “White House PTSD” and thinks he made a mistake by helping Trump get reelected, his dad has claimed.
Errol Musk, 79, made the explosive remarks in Moscow, where he’s set to appear at a Kremlin-backed forum organised by Putin’s inner circle.
Errol Musk claims his son Elon has ‘PTSD from the White House’Credit: East2West
It comes just days after his billionaire son’s high-profile alliance with the US President imploded in a fierce online feud.
The world’s richest man — who reportedly donated $288 million to Trump’s 2024 campaign and briefly served as a White House aide — has now turned on the president over his sweeping tax and spending bill.
Elon even claimed on X that Trump was tied to disgraced paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, though the post was later deleted and the White House dismissed the allegation outright.
Their bromance is now beyond repair.
On Sunday, Trump confirmed to NBC that he has no interest in making amends: “I would assume so, yeah,” he said when asked if their relationship was over. “I have no intention of speaking to him.”
Now, the Tesla and SpaceX boss is said to be grappling with regret and fatigue from his turbulent stint in Washington.
Musk Snr told Putin-controlled media: “So at the moment, Elon is inclined to say that he’s made a mistake.”
“Trump will prevail. He’s the president, he was elected as the president.
“Elon made a mistake, I think, but he’s tired, he’s stressed.
He added: “Five months of continuous stress, continuous, continuous stress, stress, stress.
“They are all suffering from a bit of PTSD, a post-traumatic stress disorder over the last few months, they started hitting out at each other.
“And then in the end, it’s just him and Trump left… They still don’t know what to do, so they fight with each other until they can come to normal conditions.”
The South African businessman likened the split to a “marriage going wrong” and suggested his son was out of depth in the brutal political arena.
He told Russian outlet Izvestia: “It happens in marriages, it happens in partnerships, it happens a lot .
“And people have to understand that at the moment, Elon is having second thoughts…
“He’s not a great politician, he is still learning, he’s a great tech innovator and so forth.
“But his politics is, as I’ve said before, is a swimming pool with no bottom, it’s a swimming pool with no sides.
“When you’re in a swimming pool of politics, you’ve got to really know where to go.
“And he [Elon] doesn’t realise that.”
Errol added that Elon had been trying to “get everything right” with a recent bill, but clashed with Trump over what he saw as excessive Democratic spending concessions.
“But unfortunately, he doesn’t realise that in order to get their votes in the Senate and the Congress, Trump has to do that,” he said.
“They are the only two people left in the arena… and they took to each other, which is understandable.”
Errol’s comments were made to Tsargrad TV — owned by Konstantin Malofeev, a businessman with alleged links to Russian military intelligence.
He praised Moscow, saying: “Whoever designed this city is a true genius. These majestic buildings remind me of Ancient Rome.”
He also dismissed Western portrayals of the Russian capital as “nonsense.”
Errol will speak at the Future Forum 2050, organised by Malofeev and Putin ideologist and “philosopher” Alexander Dugin.
Meanwhile, Russia appears eager to capitalize on Musk’s estrangement from the US political elite.
Putin crony Dmitry Medvedev cheekily offered to mediate peace talks between “D and E” — Trump and Elon— “for a reasonable fee and to accept Starlink shares as payment.”
“You are respected in Russia. If you encounter insurmountable problems in the US, come to us and become one of us,” Rogozin wrote.
Russia would offer him “reliable comrades and complete freedom of technical creativity”.
It comes after Trump warned that “serious consequences” could come if Elon Musk supports his political rivals.
Speaking to NBC News, Trump warned there would be backlash if Musk financially supported Democrats who opposed his budget bill.
“If he does, he’ll have to pay the consequences for that,” Trump said.
“He’ll have to pay very serious consequences if he does that.”
The SpaceX boss also previously hinted at launching a new political party amid a spectacular public falling-out with Trump.
As the bromance between the tech mogul and the president came to a screeching halt, Musk asked his 220 million followers whether it was “time to create a new political party”.
By Friday, after 80 per cent of 5.6million responders backed the idea, Musk declared: “This is fate.”
OVER 20 passengers onboard a boat were forced to plunge into the freezing water when their vessel burst into flames.
The group were in the waters off New York City just after 8:30 pm on Saturday when the terrifying explosion took place.
The incident took place just after 8:30 pm on SaturdayCredit: x.com/@FDNY
Emergency teams from the Coast Guard, New York Fire Department and New York Police Department all attended the scene near City Island in the Bronx.
Shocking footage of the moment showed the passengers who were all wearing white and apparently partying onboard screaming and shouting as flames licked the back of the boat.
Another angle showed that thick, black smoke was pouring into the sky from the burning vessel.
The FDNY said that three out of 22 people had to be pulled from the water, one in a critical condition.
All remaining passengers desperately swam to a nearby shoreline on Hart Island to escape the flames.
The frozen and terrified survivors were then rescued from there.
“Marine 4 grabbed three people out of the water,” the FDNY said in a statment.
“At that point, they transported them to one of the docks that was close by, where Engine 70 was waiting and EMS was waiting as well to begin CPR on the victims.
“The other 19 folks swam to Hart Island. They were just off the east end of Hart Island, and then they were picked up by the NYPD Coast Guard and FDNY boats and transported back over to the docks at the Yacht Club on City Island.”
In total, 21 people suffered minor injuries and one was more seriously harmed, the police said, per The New York Post.
They noted that the more injured passenger is stable.
Joshua Brito, from the Bronx was driving the boat at the time and has since been arrested.
The 33-year-old has been charged with DWI and reckless endangerment after driving the boat while intoxicated.
He is being arraigned at the Bronx Criminal Court on June 8.
Footage of the arrest shared by The Post showed Brito in shorts and a black t-shirt being cuffed and walked to a cop car later that night.
Victims were also seen being transported to nearby hospitals for medical attention.
An investigation into what caused the fire is ongoing.
“The boat in order to fit that many people on it had to be a pretty decent size boat,” FDNY Assistant Chief Mike Meyers told WABC-TV from the scene.
“Marine 4 did notice them earlier in the evening and they said there was a lot of people on that boat.
AN American Airlines jet was forced to make an emergency landing just minutes after taking off due to a mechanical fault.
It comes just days after a preliminary report by the NTSB revealed that another American Airlines plane had loose and incorrectly-fitted parts.
An American Airlines jet was forced to make an emergency landing on Saturday morning (stock)Credit: AFP
On Saturday morning 119 passengers were diverted when their aircraft had to make an emergency landing.
Flight 449 heading to Chicago O’Hare International Airport safely landed back at Des Moines International Airport in Iowa.
It had only taken off from there 30 minutes earlier around 6:05 am.
After returning to the tarmac at 6:40 am, passengers were evacuated and re-booked onto another American Airlines flight.
Airport communications manager Sarah Hoodjer told the De Moines Register that the plane had suffered a mechanical issue, forcing its return to the airport.
She reassured travelers that this is not an uncommon occurrence with mechanical problems regularly causing diversions and emergency landings.
Workers immediately started investigating the cause of the issue and the jet was scheduled to take off after it was resolved, she said.
The outlet added that some passengers chose to wait for the repair rather than be re-booked onto a different flight.
It comes just days after the NTSB released an initial report on Thursday about the American Airlines plane that caught fire after an emergency landing on March 13.
Horrified passengers were forced to escape the burning plane by climbing onto the wing at Denver Airport.
American Airlines Flight 1006 from Colorado Springs landed in Denver around 5:15 pm local time after diverting from its planned destination of Dallas.
The crew on Boeing 737-800 reported engine vibrations before it went up in flames, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
All 172 passengers on board, along with six crew members, were evacuated safely after the scary ordeal, the company said with 12 taken to hospital with minor injuries.
Now, investigators say that the plane had incorrectly installed parts and loose fittings in the engines.
One element that was loose “allowing fuel to leak from the fitting.”
Soon after the plane arrived safely at the gate following the route diversion, passengers started yelling “fire” outside as smoke filled the cabin.
Passenger Helen Prager recalled the terrifying moment to CBS News saying: “Everyone was screaming, ‘There’s a fire. There’s a fire,'”
“Literally at the gate and I was screaming, ‘Get the doors open.'”
The exact cause of the fire which was put out in under a minute by ground crews is still being investigated, the report noted.
“The way this is looking is that there was a maintenance issue that led to this fire and we’ve gotta figure out where that error occurred so we can keep that error from happening again,” former NTSB chair Robert Sumwalt, told the outlet.
Israel had vowed to stop the Gaza-bound MadleenImage: Freedom Flotilla Coalition/REUTERS
Freedom Flotilla Coalition confirms Israel intercepted Gaza aid ship
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) has confirmed that the Madleen, a ship carrying humanitarian aid that was bound for Gaza, has been intercepted by Israeli forces.
In a statement, the group said its vessel was “attacked/forcibly intercepted by the Israeli military … in international waters.”
“The ship was unlawfully boarded, its unarmed civilian crew abducted, and its life-saving cargo — including baby formula, food and medical supplies — confiscated,” the FFC said.
Israel has “no legal authority to detain” the volunteers aboard the Madleen, human rights attorney and Freedom Flotilla organizer, Huwaida Arraf, said.
Arraf added that the seizure is a violation of international law and goes against the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) “binding orders requiring unimpeded humanitarian access to Gaza.”
The statement said Israel does not have the legal right to detain the volunteers, who are “not subject to Israeli jurisdiction and cannot be criminalized for delivering aid or challenging an illegal blockade.”
“Their detention is arbitrary, unlawful, and must end immediately,” Arraf said.
Aid ship being brought to Israel after being intercepted
Israel’s Foreign Ministry has said that the Madleen, a ship carrying humanitarian aid bound for the Gaza Strip, has been intercepted and is “safely making its way to the shores of Israel.”
The passengers, who include Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, among others, are expected to return to their home countries, the ministry said on X.
“While Greta and others attempted to stage a media provocation whose sole purpose was to gain publicity — and which included less than a single truckload of aid — more than 1,200 aid trucks have entered Gaza from Israel within the past two weeks,” the ministry said.
“The tiny amount of aid that was on the yacht and not consumed by the ‘celebrities’ will be transferred to Gaza through real humanitarian channels,” the statement added.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the organization that launched the Madleen, has accused Israeli authorities of “kidnapping” the people on board.
In a series of posts on Telegram, the group also said the ship had come “under assault in international waters” and that Israeli forces had sprayed the vessel with a “white irritant substance” before “illegally” boarding the ship.
Madleen surrounded by quadcopters, Freedom Flotilla Coalition says
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, responsible for the Madleen boat carrying aid for Gaza, said it was “under assault in international waters” as it approached the besieged Palestinian enclave in the early hours of Monday.
“Quadcopters are surrounding the ship, spraying it with a white irritant substance,” the Freedom Flotilla Coalition said on its Telegram channel.
“Communications are jammed, and disturbing sounds are being played over the radio.”
The group then said the Israeli army had “boarded the vessel.”
Israel’s Foreign Ministry said the Israeli Navy was communicating with the aid ship, calling it the “selfie yacht.”
“Using an international civilian communication system, the Israeli Navy has instructed the “selfie yacht” to change its course due to its approach toward a restricted area,” the ministry said on X.
Israeli soldiers walk out from a tunnel underneath the European Hospital in Khan Younis at the Gaza Strip, amid the ongoing ground operation of the Israeli army against Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, June 8, 2025. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun Purchase Licensing Rights
The Israeli army said on Sunday it had retrieved the body of Hamas’ military chief Mohammed Sinwar in an underground tunnel beneath a hospital in southern Gaza, following a targeted operation last month.
Another senior Hamas leader, Mohammad Shabana, commander of the Rafah Brigade, was also found dead at the scene along with a number of other militants, who are still being identified, said IDF spokesperson, Brigadier General Effie Defrin.
Israeli forces gave a small group of foreign reporters a tour of the tunnel that had been uncovered beneath the European Hospital in Khan Younis, which Defrin said was a major command and control compound for Hamas.
“This is another example of the cynical use by Hamas, using civilians as human shields, using civilian infrastructure, hospitals, again and again,” said Defrin.
“We found underneath the hospital, right under the emergency room, a compound of a few rooms. In one of them we found, we killed Mohammed Sinwar,” he said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Sinwar’s death last month, but Defrin said they now had his DNA which proved beyond doubt it was him.
Hamas has not commented on reports of the death of either Sinwar or Shabana.
Sinwar was the younger brother of Yahya Sinwar, the Palestinian militant group’s deceased leader and mastermind of the October 2023 attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people according to Israeli tallies, and which triggered the Israeli invasion of Gaza.
Shabana was one of Hamas’s most senior and battle-hardened commanders in southern Gaza. He played a central role in constructing the network of tunnels under the southern city of Rafah, which were used for ambushes and cross-border raids.
DESTRUCTION
The drive to Khan Younis in Israeli military vehicles showed widespread devastation, with countless buildings lying in ruins, and piles of rubble collected at the roadside.
The Israeli military has raided or besieged numerous hospitals during the war, alleging that Hamas uses them to conceal fighters and orchestrate operations — a charge Hamas has repeatedly denied. While Israel has presented evidence in certain cases, some of its assertions remain unverified.
Defrin said the army had carefully planned the strike near the European Hospital in order not to damage it.
A large trench dug infront of the Emergency Room entrance led down to a hole in the claustrophobic, concrete tunnel, that was used as a hideaway by Hamas fighters, the army said.
The FAA confirmed that 20 people were on board the aircraft, a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter, which took off from Tullahoma Regional Airport just before the crash.
A skydiving plane crashed near Tullahoma Airport. (X)
Four people were injured after a twin-engine skydiving plane carrying 20 people crashed in Coffee County, Tennessee, on Sunday afternoon, according to the Tennessee Highway Patrol and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Those with serious injuries were airlifted to nearby hospitals, officials told The New York Times.
The incident occurred around 12:45 PM local time on Old Shelbyville Road, near the Beechcraft Heritage Museum in Tullahoma. The Tennessee Highway Patrol initially reported on social media: “Initial reports suggest 16-20 people were on board. Some have been airlifted to nearby hospitals. This is an active scene. Local officials will update.”
The FAA confirmed that 20 people were aboard the aircraft, a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter, which had taken off from Tullahoma Regional Airport shortly before the crash.
Terry Janiak, a 66-year-old neighbour who lives opposite the airport, witnessed the crash, which appeared to occur near the museum and before the runway. “The cockpit area looked pretty rough on the aeroplane,” he told The New York Times.
Sheila Stone, a 57-year-old resident who has lived opposite the airport for 20 years, was on her back porch with her dogs when the plane flew unusually low overhead, making her fear it might hit the tall trees in her garden.
“How he cleared that tree is a miracle,” Stone said. She added that the plane seemed to be aiming for the airport’s main runway when it clipped a tree. One wing reportedly struck a tree near the museum.
“I’ve never been that scared,” she said. “I have aeroplanes flying over daily, but never that low and close to my house, thinking it’s about to crash in my garden.”
Details about the condition of those on board have not yet been released by the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Local media reported that the plane was used for skydiving expeditions.
US President Donald Trump talks to the press aboard Air Force One on the way to Morristown Municipal Airport in Morristown, New Jersey, on Jun 6, 2025. (File photo: AFP/Andrew Caballero-Reynolds)
US President Donald Trump’s order banning citizens of 12 countries from entering the United States goes into effect at 12.01am Eastern Time (12.01pm, Singapore time) on Monday (Jun 9), a move the president promulgated to protect the country from “foreign terrorists”.
The countries affected by the latest travel ban are Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
The entry of people from seven other countries – Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela – will be partially restricted.
Trump, a Republican, said the countries subject to the most severe restrictions were determined to harbor a “large-scale presence of terrorists”, fail to cooperate on visa security, have an inability to verify travelers’ identities, as well as inadequate record-keeping of criminal histories and high rates of visa overstays in the United States.
He cited last Sunday’s incident in Boulder, Colorado, in which an Egyptian national tossed a gasoline bomb into a crowd of pro-Israel demonstrators as an example of why the new curbs are needed. But Egypt is not part of the travel ban.
The travel ban forms part of Trump’s policy to restrict immigration into the United States and is reminiscent of a similar move in his first term when he barred travellers from seven Muslim-majority nations.
Officials and residents in countries whose citizens will soon be banned expressed dismay and disbelief.
Chad President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno said he had instructed his government to stop granting visas to US citizens in response to Trump’s action.
“Chad has neither planes to offer nor billions of dollars to give, but Chad has its dignity and its pride,” he said in a Facebook post, referring to countries such as Qatar, which gifted the US a luxury airplane for Trump’s use and promised to invest billions of dollars in the US.
Afghans who worked for the US or US-funded projects and were hoping to resettle in the US expressed fear that the travel ban would force them to return to their country, where they could face reprisal from the Taliban.
Islamabad has been pushing lies and indulging in propaganda with new reports falsely claiming that Islamabad hit a Sukhoi-30MKI parked at Adampur air base in Punjab.
Islamabad has been running a disinformation campaign to discredit India’s strikes. (Photo: X/@detresfa_)
After successful execution of Operation Sindoor in which India targeted nine terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK), Pakistan has been living with fantasies and pushing hard to make the world believe that it won during the conflict.
Islamabad has been pushing lies and indulging in propaganda with new reports falsely claiming that Islamabad hit a Sukhoi-30MKI parked at Adampur air base in Punjab and destroyed an S-400 surface-to-air missile unit at Bhuj airfield in Gujarat during the four-day military conflict post Operation Sindoor last month.
However, this latest report was systematically dismantled by Top Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) imagery analyst Damien Symon after closely examining the claims, which left the neighbouring country red-faced again.
With satellite images as proof, Symon exposed how Pakistan attempted to fabricate battlefield success using recycled, manipulated, or misunderstood visuals, including imagery supplied by a Chinese satellite firm.
Here’s a detailed breakdown of Pakistan’s false claims
1.Adampur Airbase: Sukhoi-30MKI ‘Strike’
Pakistan claimed it had struck and damaged a Sukhoi-30MKI at Adampaur airbase. It aslo shared a doctored satellite image showing a jet near what appeared to be a burn mark to supports its claim.
However, upon review, Symon revealed that the image was of before the conflict and the aircraft was a MiG-29 under routine maintenance, and the so-called damage was engine soot buildup from testing, not a missile hit.
New report alleges a direct hit at India’s Adampur Air Base by Pakistan damaged a Su-30, however a review reveals this image taken in March 2025, pre-conflict actually shows a MiG-29 undergoing maintenance, the dark soot near the engine test pad is routine, not battle damage pic.twitter.com/GOC1NVRX9I
Another image shared by Pakistan had claimed that Islamabad destructed an Indian S-400 radar system at Bhuj. The image showed dark patches on a military base apron.
Upon review, it was revealed that these patches were oil stains or fuel spillage from a vehicle maintenance yard. The image was captured well before any hostilities and had no relation to a strike.
An image is being circulated now as a Pakistan destroyed S-400 radar in India, a review however indicates it’s likely just oil stains at Bhuj military base’s vehicle service yard, also the image predates the recent Indo-Pak conflict as it was taken in February 2025 pic.twitter.com/Y850jfk4n9
A separate claim suggested an S-400 battery at Adampur was hit by Pakistan. Upon investigation it was found that the satellite image was digitally edited, with black dots added to mimic bomb craters. Comparison with current, unedited satellite images showed no such marks at the site.
The claim of destroying the S-400 was debunked when Prime Minister Narendra Modi went to the Adampur airbase on May 13, three days after the conflict ended, waving at the jawans, with an MiG-29 jet and an intact S-400 clearly visible in the background.
4. Naliya Airbase: A Cloud’s Shadow
In one of the most absurd claims, Pakistan used an image of Naliya airbase to suggest a bombing raid had darkened the soil. Symon’s analysis showed the “damage” was actually just a passing cloud casting a shadow on the runway.
A new image of Naliya Airbase in India, dated 12 May 2025 is being circulated highlighting the darkening of soil around the runway as damage, however verification of the image reveals a shadow of a cloud overhead as the reason behind this apparent discoloration on ground pic.twitter.com/Xt0YyHFV1o
A hazy image showing the civilian apron at Srinagar airport was used to suggest bomb damage. Multiple clear satellite images taken across different days showed no change to the site. The image being pushed was either altered or misread, with no visible damage found on the ground.
An image now circulating claims to show damage at Srinagar Airport as a result of the recent India-Pakistan conflict, however, a review with multiple recent images shows inconsistencies, no such damage is found at the airport, this image was likely manipulated or misinterpreted pic.twitter.com/MwMYBwRnUg
Adding an international twist, Pakistan also released imagery from a Chinese satellite company to “prove” another hit on Adampur. The supposed “damage” turned out to be a mark that had existed for months, visible in older satellite captures as well.
Chinese released image of Adampur airbase, India – dated 12 May 2025, find only vehicle tracks in the target area shared by Pak ISPR, report no damage, once again leading to an inconclusive result regarding the strike on this location pic.twitter.com/IInEBVYrvW
A widely shared image claimed to show damage at Jammu airport, with blackened spots along the runway and apron area. A comparison with high-resolution, post-strike visuals confirmed no destruction at the site. The original image had been digitally altered.
A doctored, manipulated image of Jammu Airport is being circulated to falsely imply damage on site, however recent visuals confirm no such destruction, infact, the tampered image predates May 09–10, 2025 pic.twitter.com/zMdBhlDpIz
Across all claims, Pakistan has failed to demonstrate any actual damage to Indian airbases or assets in the wake of its attempted retaliation. In contrast, Indian airstrikes on Pakistani military sites, particularly Jacobabad and Bholari, have been more successful.
“Recent imagery from Bholari Airbase, Pakistan indicates that the hangar damaged in the Indian airstrike is now covered with tarpaulin possibly signaling repair activity/restoration is now underway,” Damien Symon wrote in a post on X.
Operation Sindoor
India launched “precision strikes” under Operation Sindoor on nine terror targets in Pakistan and PoK following the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians. The strikes killed over 100 terrorists including 10 family members of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar and four close aides.
Tourists swim near some islands which are part of Jakarta’s Thousand Islands archipelago. Jakarta plans to populate one of these islands with stray cats. (Photo: Thousand Islands Regency)
Fancy visiting an idyllic island in the Java Sea that is home to 1,000 rescue cats?
Indonesia could soon have a “cat island” modelled after the ones in Japan, if Jakarta governor Pramono Anung has his way.
On May 15, Pramono revealed that the city government is considering populating one of the hundreds of islands off the coast of Jakarta with cats in an effort to manage their population and boost tourism.
“The idea about a cat island is not new. Japan has established ones and they have become extraordinary tourist destinations,” the governor told reporters, as quoted by Indonesian news portal Tempo.
On islands such as Aoshima and Tashirojima in Japan, cats vastly outnumber human inhabitants after they were brought in to control the rat population. The presence of these four-legged creatures have put these islands on the map, attracting cat lovers and curious visitors from around the world.
“If we can make it happen, the island can be a source of revenue (for Jakarta),” Pramono said, without providing a timeline.
The governor said ever since he took office in February, keeping Jakarta’s cat population in check has been one of the top demands made by residents. After discussing with several experts, the idea to build a cat island was born.
According to a 2024 estimate by the city government, Jakarta is home to 750,000 stray and 110,000 domesticated cats.
With cats capable of producing three to four litters of kittens a year, experts predict the figure could quadruple in the next five years, heightening the risk of disease transmission, human-animal conflicts and ecological imbalance.
Jakarta has the manpower and budget to only sterilise around 20,000 cats – feral or domesticated – every year, so finding spaces big enough to shelter the rescued animals in a sprawling metropolis of 11 million people is also a challenge.
This is one of the reasons the city is turning its attention to the Thousand Islands, a chain of islands which stretches up to 160km northwest from Jakarta’s mainland.
Contrary to its name, there are around 340 islands and islets in the archipelago.
Many of these islands have been populated by traditional fishermen for generations while others have been turned into popular tourist resorts. Some are uninhabited or manned by only a few people.
“The cats will not be abandoned on this cat island,” Hasudungan Sidabalok, chief of the Jakarta Food Security, Fisheries and Agriculture Agency, which oversees all animal affairs, told CNA.
“We will build a comfortable space for them where they will be well taken care of and groomed. People can visit this island which serves as both a tourism and an educational destination.”
Hasudungan said the island will host primarily rescued strays and abandoned pets. “(The city government) estimated that there will be 1,000 cats on this island and we will take care of them,” he said.
But the idea of relocating cats to an island in the middle of a sometimes inhospitable sea has proved to be controversial among experts and activists, who say the cats may not be able to adapt to the new environment or may upset the Thousand Islands’ delicate habitat and wildlife.
THREAT TO LOCAL BIRDS AND OTHER ANIMALS?
Thousand Islands’ acting regent Muhammad Fadjar Churniawan said his team has been scouting for a viable island for the cats.
“Of the islands we surveyed, the Lesser Tidung island is most suitable,” the regent said on May 21 as quoted by Antara news agency.
The island’s 0.32 sq km area, flat terrain and existing infrastructure make it suitable for a cat sanctuary, he said.
The Lesser Tidung island is virtually uninhabited and used primarily for conservation efforts, unlike its neighbour, the Greater Tidung, which is located 500m away and home to 1,000 people.
Both islands are popular with tourists from mainland Jakarta, some 55km away.
Members of the Jakarta city council are divided on the idea of turning Lesser Tidung into a cat island.
“The Lesser Tidung island is a nature conservation area so the entire flora and fauna there must be protected,” council member Francine Widjojo told CNA. The island is currently home to a sea turtle hatching site and a mangrove seeding ground.
“Cats are predators and they can eat birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians. They can be a threat to conservation efforts,” the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) politician added.
Council members who support the proposal say it can attract more tourists to the Thousand Islands.
“If executed poorly then (the programme) can backfire. But if done seriously it can be a tourist magnet just like the ones in Japan,” said city councillor Taufik Zoelkifli of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), as quoted by Tempo.
Femke den Haas, founder of one of Indonesia’s most prominent animal rights groups, the Jakarta Animal Aid Network, said the entire Thousand Islands archipelago is no place for cats.
“The Thousand Islands is home to many species which need to be protected. If the city government wants to put hundreds of cats on a small island, will they not catch the local wildlife?” Femke told CNA.
The Thousand Islands is home to the brahminy kite, also known as the red-backed sea eagle, which Jakarta adopted as its official bird. The archipelago is also a stopover for many migratory birds.
Cats are already a big problem in the Thousand Islands, including on Lesser Tidung island, Femke said.
There are islands which are being overrun with cats because people from the populated islands are dumping unwanted cats on unpopulated ones. There are also pets that became feral after their owners died or moved to mainland Jakarta.
These cats later reproduced and became a threat to the area’s wildlife.
The cats themselves suffer as they fight with one another or other predators for food. These stand-offs sometimes lead to death or serious injuries.
“And now the government wants to spend money to send more cats to the Thousand Islands?” Femke questioned.
CITY’S THINKING THINGS THROUGH
Hasudungan of the Jakarta agriculture agency said opposition towards the proposed cat island is “premature” as the city government will ensure the cats are well taken care of and endemic wildlife is protected.
“We are in consultation with several environmental experts. They will conduct studies and make recommendations so the cat island can run sustainably,” he said.
The city also welcomes animal rights advocates and conservation groups to get involved in running the island and caring for the cats.
“The presence of a cat island does not mean that we will stop our sterilisation programme or stop building animal shelters,” Hasudungan added. “This is just another tool to control the ever-growing population of cats in Jakarta.”
He said the main objective of the project is to promote a love for animals and educate the public about the importance of cat sterilisation and vaccination.
“At the same time, we can empower the local community and provide jobs as medical professionals or operational staffers. People can also sell food and cat-related souvenirs like t-shirts. Meanwhile, we can use cat excrement to generate biogas,” he said.
The city government envisions the island will have an animal clinic, an exhibition room and a place where visitors can interact with the cats, which Hasudungan said will all be sterilised before they are relocated.
The facility will be enclosed so the cats do not wander and endanger local wildlife.
“We are thinking things through to make sure that the project is sustainable and does not have any negative impact on the environment,” he said.
WILL PEOPLE VISIT THE CAT ISLAND?
Residents on the islands have mixed feelings about the plan.
“Some residents supported this plan because we could see more tourists coming and new economic opportunities emerging,” Greater Tidung Island resident Mukti told CNA.
“But there are residents who wonder if the cats will encroach on our island, steal our food, eat our fish catch and become a nuisance to the community.”
The Greater and Lesser Tidung islands are only separated by 500m of water and a wooden bridge.
Jakartans are also ambivalent about the plan.
“The cats will be better taken care of on the island, because not everyone is friendly towards the cats they see on the streets,” said Jakarta resident Linda Nasution, who supports the idea.
Another resident, Widya Putri, said she is unsure about the project.
“I am a cat lover but would I go (to the cat island)? Perhaps not. There are many animal shelters around Jakarta where I can interact with cats, adopt or interact with other cat owners,” she said.
“I think instead of building a cat island, the government can use that money to build more animal shelters or support existing ones.”
Mahawan Karuniasa, a lecturer from University of Indonesia’s School of Environmental Science, echoed the sentiment.
“The cat islands in Japan happened naturally over generations, not out of relocation like Jakarta is proposing,” he noted.
“The cat population was able to thrive on these (Japanese) islands because they are well cared for by local residents, food is abundant and they have no competition from other predators.”
Mahawan also noted that the number of cats on the Japanese islands is small compared to the 1,000 cats Jakarta plans on housing at the Thousand Islands.
Aoshima in Ehime prefecture, for instance, only had 210 cats at its peak in 2018. The government decided to neuter all the cats as only a handful of elderly inhabitants still occupy the island and care for the cats full-time.
Last year, various news outlets reported that the island’s cats were all aged over seven and a-third are battling illnesses caused by decades of inbreeding. With both its human and cat population declining, it is predicted that within the next five years, Aoshima will become uninhabited.
The MSC IRINA, recognised as the world’s largest container ship by TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit) capacity, is set to dock at the Adani Group’s Vizhinjam International Seaport on Monday and will be berthed till Tuesday.
The monumental arrival marks a significant milestone for the seaport, which was dedicated to the nation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 2.
The MSC IRINA boasts an impressive capacity of 24,346 TEUs, making it a formidable player in global shipping.
With a length of 399.9 metres and a width of 61.3 metres, the vessel is approximately four times longer than a standard FIFA-designated football field.
Designed specifically to facilitate the transportation of large volumes of containers between Asia and Europe, the MSC IRINA is pivotal in enhancing trade routes and logistics efficiency.
This vessel will be making its maiden visit to a South Asian port, highlighting Vizhinjam’s capabilities in handling Ultra-Large Container Vessels (ULCVs).
The port, developed and operated by Adani Ports and SEZ Ltd, has recently welcomed other icon-class vessels, including MSC Turkiye and MSC Michel Cappellini, further establishing its reputation as a key hub in maritime trade.
The MSC IRINA was launched in March 2023 and embarked on its maiden voyage in April of the same year. It sails under the Liberian flag and is engineered to stack containers up to 26 tiers high, offering unparalleled capacity in container stacking.
Notably, the MSC IRINA surpasses its predecessor, OOCL Spain, by a margin of 150 TEUs.
In alignment with contemporary environmental standards, the vessel is equipped with energy-saving features that contribute to a reduction in carbon emissions by up to 4 per cent, significantly lowering its carbon footprint while maintaining operational efficiency.
Some of the most prevalent UFO conspiracy theories — including about aliens being housed at Area 51 in Nevada — were fueled by the Pentagon in an attempt to provide cover for secret weapons programs, according to a bombshell report.
A review by the Department of Defense found that in the 1980s, an Air Force colonel visited a Nevada bar near Area 51 and gave the owner fabricated photos of flying saucers near the secret government base, according to a review of the 2024 report by the Wall Street Journal.
The incident renewed local fervor over UFOs, with the now-retired colonel confessing to Pentagon investigators that he was on an official mission to spread disinformation and hide the true purpose of the site, where the government was testing the first-ever stealth warplane, the F-117 Nighthawk.
The Pentagon found that at the origin of some of the UFO conspiracy theories came from the Department of Defense itself, the details of which were kept out of last year’s transparency report. AP
The military reasoned that the best way to keep its new technology hidden from the Soviet Union’s prying eye during the Cold War was to bury it amid the trove of conspiracy theories surrounding Area 51, investigators found.
The incident is just one of several where government agencies allegedly played up America’s UFO mythology for the purpose of protecting its military assets, according to the 2024 report.
Other military attempts to obscure secret projects with conspiracy theories were not made public.
Sean Kirkpatrick, the first director of the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), was the man tasked by the government to dissect countless UFO theories in 2022.
As his office probed decades of documents, memos and messages across the Defense Department, he found several conspiracy theories that circled back to the Pentagon itself.
In one instance, Kirkpatrick’s team found that the Air Force hazed members with briefings introducing them to a fake “Yankee Blue” unit that purported investigated alien aircraft.
The briefings came with a direct order never to mention the details to anyone, with many of the targets of the prank never learning it was all a ruse, according to interviews with Kirkpatrick’s team.
The bizarre practice was still taking place during the investigation, with the Pentagon eventually sending an order across the DOD in 2023 to finally put an end to it.
It remains unclear why officials presented subordinates with the fake briefings, with rumors speculating it could have been used as a loyalty test or to spread misinformation.
Kirkpatrick also found that the government deliberately left people in the dark when they witnessed secret military projects, according to the WSJ.
Robert Salas, a former Air Force captain, was one of those people. Salas claims he witnessed a UFO descend over a nuclear missile testing site in Montana in 1967.
During the event, a flashing light was able to disable all 10 nuclear missiles at the bunker, along with all electrical systems.
He was ordered to never discuss what he saw, with Salas maintaining that he witnessed alien visitors chiming in on the Cold War.
Kirkpatrick’s team, however, discovered that Salas was never told that what he actually saw was a test of a fledging electromagnetic pulse test to see if American silos could withstand the radiation of atomic weapons and retaliate if the Soviet Union ever attacked first.
With the test failing, officials decided that it was best no one knew the secret of the vulnerability, so Salas and the other witnesses were intentionally left in the dark to make their own conclusions.
The sun and sky had a much more eerie appearance to it on Saturday evening and Sunday morning.
It was a sign that smoke from wildfires burning more than 4,000 miles (6,400km) away in central Canada had made it across the Atlantic to sit in the skies over the UK.
BBC WeatherWatchers from all corners of the country were out capturing the spectacle.
Why has the sky turned orange?
The fluctuating layer of smoke in our atmosphere meant that the expected blue skies in the evening and morning have taken on more of a dirty orange or milky white hue. The sun has also appeared as a distinct orange disc, leading to captivating sunset and sunrise.
The change in the appearance of the sun and sky is due to smoke particles in the atmosphere scattering the blue wavelengths of light more, allowing predominantly orange and red hues to reach our eyes.
How did wildfires smoke reach the UK?
The presence of wildfire smoke from North America over the UK, whilst not common, does occasionally happen during the summer months.
Large plumes of smoke that rise from intense fires, that can burn for weeks on end, sometimes reach the upper atmosphere to be picked up by the jet stream – a zone of strong winds, close to the level at which planes fly. These winds then carry the smoke particles across the Atlantic.
Over recent weeks numerous fires have raged across many Canadian provinces, especially Manitoba and Saskatchewan forcing mass evacuations and triggering health alerts across Canada and the United States.
Here in the UK, the smoke plume is at too high an altitude to affect our air quality.
It was supposed to be the final leg of Amir Ali’s monthslong journey to Europe. But he was nowhere near his destination, with only death in sight.
The 21-year-old Pakistani had been promised a visa and a flight to Spain. Yet six months, four countries and $17,000 later, he found himself crammed in a fishing boat in the Atlantic Ocean alongside 85 others, screaming for their lives as seawater sloshed over the gunwales.
Forty-four fellow Pakistani migrants perished during the 10-day failed crossing in January from Mauritania’s coast toward Spain’s Canary Islands.
The deadly journey cast a spotlight on how globalized and sophisticated smuggling networks on the West African coast — and specifically Mauritania — have become. Interviews with survivors and relatives of migrants who died revealed how smugglers have adapted to tighter border controls and anti-migration policies across the Mediterranean and North Africa, resorting to lengthier, more dangerous routes.
A journey that began 5,000 miles away
Ali’s odyssey began last July. After making an initial deposit of 600,000 Pakistani rupees ($2,127), he went to Karachi airport, where he was told to wait for a shift change before approaching the immigration counter.
“The smugglers had inside help,” he said. He and other migrants were swiftly put on a flight to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
From there Ali boarded a second flight to Dakar, Senegal, where he was told someone would be waiting for him.
Instead, when he arrived he was told to go to the Senegal River bordering Mauritania, a seven-hour taxi ride north. He joined other Pakistanis traveling to the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott. In each country he passed through, bribes were demanded for visas, Ali said.
Imran Iqbal, 42, took a similar journey. Like Ali, he flew from Karachi to Senegal via Ethiopia before reaching Mauritania. Other Pakistanis Iqbal met, he said, traveled through Kenya or Zimbabwe enroute to Mauritania.
A monthslong waiting game
Once in Mauritania, the migrants were taken to cramped safe houses where smugglers took their belongings and deprived them of food. “Our passports, our money — everything,” Iqbal said. “I was essentially held captive,” Ali said.
During the six months Iqbal and Ali were in Mauritania, smugglers moved them repeatedly, beating them to extract more money.
While he managed to get some money sent from Pakistan, Iqbal did not tell his family of his dire situation.
“Our parents, children, siblings … they would’ve been devastated,” he said.
Ali said the smugglers lied to their families in Pakistan, who asked about their whereabouts and questioned why they hadn’t called from Spain.
Finally, on Jan. 2, Iqbal, Ali and the other Pakistani migrants were transferred to an overcrowded boat that set course for Spain’s Canary Islands.
“On the day of departure, 64 Pakistanis from various safe houses were brought to the port,” Ali recalled. “The Mauritanian police and port officials, who were complicit, facilitated our transfer to the boats.”
“What followed were the hardest 15 days of my life,” Iqbal said.
Mauritanian authorities have launched several investigations into smuggling networks and, in the past two months, heightened surveillance at the country’s borders and ports, according to a Mauritanian embassy official in Madrid who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to comment publicly.
The world’s ‘deadliest’ migration route is only growing
While migration to Europe has been falling steadily, the Atlantic Ocean crossing from West Africa to Spain’s Canary Islands has reemerged since 2020.
Nearly 47,000 people disembarked in the Canaries in 2024, an increase from the nearly 40,000 in 2023, according to Spanish Interior Ministry figures.
Until recently, the route was mostly used by migrants from West African nations fleeing poverty or violence. But since last year, migrants from far-flung countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Yemen, Syria and Afghanistan have increasingly embarked on the fishing boats used to reach the European archipelago.
Smugglers connect with migrants locally in Pakistan and elsewhere, as well as on social media. Migrants post videos of their voyages on TikTok. Although some warn of the dangers, they also share idyllic videos of life in Europe, from Canary Island beaches to the bustling streets of Barcelona and Madrid. For many, Spain is just an entry point for continuing to France, Italy and elsewhere.
Chris Borowski, spokesperson for the European Border and Coast Guard Agency Frontex, believes smuggling networks bringing Pakistanis and other South Asian migrants through the Canaries are still “testing the waters” to see how profitable it is.
However, experts at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Crime warn the route is here to stay.
“With the conflict landscape showing no sign of improvement, movement on the Canary Islands route looks set to increase,” the group warned. “Because it remains the deadliest migration route in the world, this has severe humanitarian implications.”
The Atlantic Ocean crossing can take days or weeks. Dozens of boats have vanished.
Exact figures don’t exist, but the International Organization for Migration’s Missing Migrants Project recorded at least 1,142 deaths and disappearances last year, a number it calls a vast understatement. Spanish rights group Walking Borders reported nearly 9,800 victims on the Canaries route last year — which would make it the world’s deadliest migration route.
Only a tiny fraction of bodies are ever recovered. Some shipwrecked vessels have appeared hundreds of thousands of miles away, in the Caribbean and South America.
The boat Ali and Iqbal boarded had a 40-person capacity but was packed with more than double that. Immediately, there were fights between the Pakistanis and the Africans on board, they said.
The Associated Press wasn’t able to locate non-Pakistani survivors to verify the accusations, but reports of violence on the Canaries journey are frequent even among those of the same nationality and ethnicity. Dehydration can cause hallucinations, exacerbating tensions.
“The weather was terrible,” Ali said. “As water entered the boat, the crew threw our belongings and food into the sea to keep the boat afloat.”
On the fifth day, a man died of a heart attack, Ali and Iqbal said. More people perished every day, their bodies thrown overboard; while some died from hunger and thirst, the majority were killed.
“The crew attacked us with hammers, killing 15 in one night,” Ali said. Both men showed photos of injuries others sustained, although AP couldn’t verify what caused them.
“The beatings were mostly to the head — so brutal that people started losing their sanity,” Iqbal said. They prayed for a merciful death, convinced they had little chance of survival.
On the 10th night, after dozens had died, lights appeared on the horizon. They shouted for help. At daybreak, a fishing vessel approached, handing them food and water before eventually towing them to the West African coast two days later. Forty-four Pakistanis had died.
“Only twelve bodies returned to Pakistan,” Ali said. “The rest were lost at sea.”
Activist Greta Thunberg sits aboard the aid ship Madleen, which left the Italian port of Catania on Jun 1 to travel to Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid, in this picture released on Jun 2, 2025 on social media. (File photo: Freedom Flotilla Coalition via REUTERS)
The organisers of a Gaza-bound aid boat carrying Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and other activists said Israeli forces intercepted the vessel on Monday (Jun 9), after Israel vowed to prevent it from reaching the Palestinian territory.
AFP lost contact with the activists onboard early Monday morning after the organisers said alarms sounded and life jackets were being prepared for a possible interception.
“Connection has been lost on the ‘Madleen’. Israeli army have boarded the vessel”, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), the activist group operating the vessel, posted on Telegram.
It added that the passengers had been “kidnapped” by Israeli forces.
The activist group posted a series of pre-recorded videos from those onboard, including one from Thunberg.
“If you see this video, we have been intercepted and kidnapped in international waters,” she said.
Mahmud Abu-Odeh, a Germany-based press officer with the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, told AFP that “the activists seemed to be arrested”.
The British-flagged yacht Madleen, which is operated by FFC, was aiming to deliver a symbolic amount of aid to Gaza later on Monday and raise international awareness of the humanitarian crisis there.
Among the 12-strong crew are Thunberg and Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament.
Defence Minister Israel Katz said he had ordered Israel’s army to stop the ship from reaching Gaza or violating a blockade he described as needed to prevent Palestinian militants from importing weapons.
The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the activists’ boat was instructed to change course as it approached “a restricted area” on early Monday. About an hour later, it said the boat was being towed to Israeli shores.
“The passengers are expected to return to their home countries,” the ministry wrote on social media.
“The tiny amount of aid that was on the yacht and not consumed by the ‘celebrities’ will be transferred to Gaza through real humanitarian channels,” it added.
Israel imposed a naval blockade on the coastal enclave after Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007.
The blockade has remained in place through multiple conflicts, including the current war, which began after a Hamas-led assault on southern Israel on Oct 7, 2023, that killed more than 1,200 people, according to an Israeli tally.
Gaza’s health ministry says over 54,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of Israel’s military campaign. The United Nations has warned that most of Gaza’s more than 2 million residents are facing famine.
NATIONAL Guard troops have clashed with protesters against immigration raids in LA, with US President Donald Trump vowing to “send whatever is needed”.
Some 300 troops in tactical gear armed with long guns descended on the Californian city on the orders of Trump following two days of protests that began on Friday.
Law enforcement clash with demonstrators outside the Metropolitan Detention Center, MDC, in downtown Los Angeles
The National Guard arrived in LA early Sunday morning as the city braced for violent clashes over ICE immigration raids.
Shocking images show groups of demonstrators facing off with National Guard members and cops.
As the protests continue to unfold, Trump vowed to reporters that his administration would “send whatever we need to make sure there’s law and order”.
He added: “Last night in Los Angeles we watched it very closely, there was a lot of violence there and it could have got much worse.
“We’re going to be watching [the protests] very closely.”
The President later wrote on his Truth Social platform that “violent, insurrectionist mobs are swarming and attacking our Federal Agents to try and stop our deportation operations”.
He explained that he is directing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Defence Sec Pete Hegseth, and Attorney General Pam Bondi to “take all such necessary action” to “put an end to these Migrant riots”.
Trump added: “Order will be restored, the Illegals will be expelled, and Los Angeles will be set free.”
The first unit was deployed from San Bernardino County and assembled outside a Downtown LA detention center on Sunday morning.
Tensions escalated between police and protesters after sweeping raids by ICE agents, after more than 100 immigrant arrests in the city over the past week.
Some police patrolled the streets on horseback while others with riot gear lined up behind Guard troops deployed to protect federal facilities including a detention center where some immigrants were taken in recent days.
By midday, hundreds had gathered outside the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles, where people were detained after earlier immigration raids.
Protesters directed chants of “shame” and “go home” at members of the National Guard, who stood shoulder to shoulder, carrying long guns and riot shields.
After some protesters closely approached the guard members, another set of uniformed officers advanced on the group, shooting smoke-filled canisters into the street.
Minutes later, the Los Angeles Police Department fired rounds of crowd-control munitions to disperse the protesters, who they said were assembled unlawfully.
Much of the group then moved to block traffic on the 101 freeway until California Highway Patrol officers cleared them from the roadway by late afternoon.
“The presence of the Guard was inflaming tensions” in the city, according to a letter sent to Trump by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday afternoon.
He formerly requested Trump remove the guard members, which he called a “serious breach of state sovereignty”.
Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass said the arrival of troops was a “dangerous escalation”.
She said: “We do not want to play in to the [Trump] administration’s hands.”
“What we’re seeing in Los Angeles is chaos provoked by the administration.
“I want the people of LA to know that we stand with all Angelinos, no matter where you were born.”
A prominent SEIU union leader was arrested while protesting and accused of impeding law enforcement.
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) has made 29 arrests – most for failing to disperse, according to CBS News.
And, according to the US Northern Command, the California Military Department has “deployed approximately 300 soldiers to three separate locations” in the greater LA area.
Ahead of the planned protest near City Hall, troops were seen moving through the streets of Paramount.
It comes after Trump deployed 2,000 National Guard troops to LA in response to what he called “two days of violence, clashes and unrest”.
The deployment marked the first time in six decades that a state’s National Guard was activated without a request from its governor, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.
California Governor Gavin Newsom opposed Trump’s order, accusing the President of a “complete overreaction” designed to create a spectacle of force.
A statement from the White House Saturday said Trump was allowed to deploy federal service members when there is ”a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States.”
The order came after demonstrators tried to block Border Patrol vehicles, with some hurling rocks and chunks of cement.
In response, agents in riot gear unleashed tear gas, flash-bang explosives and pepper balls.
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said in a post on X: “We are not intimidated or apprehensive.
“Illegal immigration operations will continue, and anyone using violence to obstruct or impede these operations will be investigated and prosecuted.”
“Multiple arrests” have already been made after protests in LA and New York, he added.
Bongino issued a stern warning: “It will not end well for you if you choose violence. Choose wisely.”
Trump’s immigration chief, Tom Homan, said on Saturday: “We are going to bring the National Guard in tonight. We are making Los Angeles safer.”
On Truth Social, Trump blasted California’s government as “incompetent”, adding that masks will “no longer be allowed” to be worn at protests.
House Speaker Mike Johnson has backed Trump’s call of deploying National Guard troops to LA.
He told ABC News: “I think the president did exactly what he needed to do. That is real leadership and he has the authority and the responsibility to do it.
“These are federal laws, we need to maintain the rule of law, and that is not what is happening.”
The president’s troop deployment came after some protesters hurled flaming projectiles, set cars ablaze, and swarmed federal vehicles in response to raids on undocumented migrants.
The confrontations mainly took place in the predominantly Latino suburb of Paramount.
The area – which is over 80 per cent Hispanic – has become a flashpoint for opposition to the raids.
Tear gas and flash-bang grenades were used to disperse crowds, particularly outside a Home Depot in Paramount, where agents had established a staging area.
Protesters threw flaming projectiles, blocked roads with shopping carts, and set fires.
Footage showed one demonstrator being knocked to the ground as they tried to stop an ICE vehicle, which then sped off.
“ICE out of Paramount. We see you for what you are,” one woman said through a megaphone.
Elsewhere, trains were halted after protesters jumped on the tracks near an immigration detention centre.
And organisers reportedly called for more protests on Sunday.
Trump’s “border tsar” Homan has warned that someone could “lose their life” if the clashes continue.
He told NBC: “It’s a matter of time before someone gets seriously hurt.
“If this violence continues, someone’s going to lose their life.”
As of early Sunday, clashes between cops and demonstrators were ongoing.
The New York Times reported escalating tensions in Paramount, with fireworks aimed at officers and pepper-spray projectiles used in response.
LAPD said unrest continues downtown, with arrests made for violating dispersal orders and some roads closed.
NBC News reported that protests were winding down, with small groups still in the streets, though the exact location was unclear.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, meanwhile, told CNN that two deputies were injured during Saturday’s protests and were treated at a local hospital before being released with non-life-threatening injuries.
While the department had no confirmed reports of injuries to protesters, it noted that a Hyundai was burned and a fire at a strip mall was quickly put out.
According to Homeland Security officials, 118 undocumented individuals have been arrested in Los Angeles this week, including 44 on Friday.
Federal authorities claim the arrests include gang members and individuals considered national security risks.
The White House described the demonstrations as violent and accused California officials of failing to maintain order.
“These operations are essential to halting and reversing the invasion of illegal criminals into the United States,” a statement said.
“That is why President Trump has signed a Presidential Memorandum deploying 2,000 National Guardsmen to address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester.”
The interim US attorney for the Central District of California
Bill Essayli added that the National Guard is needed to “regain order”.
He told the New York Times: “The state has an obligation to maintain order and maintain public safety, and they’re unable to do that right now in Los Angeles.”
California Governor Newsom blasted the move, accusing the federal government of inflaming tensions.
He warned on social media: “This is the wrong mission and will erode public trust.”
But Trump fired back on Truth Social, writing: “If Governor Gavin Newscum, of California, and Mayor Karen Bass, of Los Angeles, can’t do their jobs… then the Federal Government will step in and solve the problem, RIOTS & LOOTERS, the way it should be solved!!!”
Newsom and Trump reportedly spoke for 40 minutes by phone on Saturday, though details of their conversation have not been disclosed.
That same evening, Trump attended the UFC 316 event in Newark, New Jersey.
Under federal law, the president can deploy the National Guard for missions including the “suppression of rebellion”.
Critics argue that such actions, particularly in local jurisdictions, risk escalating tensions rather than calming them.
Mayor Karen Bass also denounced the raids, saying: “These tactics sow terror in our communities.”
Her remarks were sharply rebuked by ICE and DHS officials.
ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons said: “Mayor Bass took the side of chaos and lawlessness over law enforcement.”
Homeland Security accused some Democratic officials of inciting violence against agents, with Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stating: “This violence against ICE must end.”
Angelica Salas, head of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, said at a rally: “Our community is under attack and is being terrorised. These are workers. These are fathers. These are mothers. And this has to stop.”
Local officials in Paramount expressed frustration with the federal operation.
Mayor Peggy Lemons said she was not informed of the Home Depot raids ahead of time.
“There is no communication and things are done on a whim. And that creates chaos and fear,” she told the Los Angeles Times.
Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed that “active duty Marines” are also on “high alert”, ready to mobilize if the violence continues.
Threatening to send in the Marines, Hegseth said: “The violent mob assaults on ICE and Federal Law Enforcement are designed to prevent the removal of Criminal Illegal Aliens from our soil… and a huge NATIONAL SECURITY RISK.”
On Saturday night, the Los Angeles Police Department said that most demonstrations had remained peaceful.
“We commend all those who exercised their First Amendment rights responsibly,” the LAPD said.
The department added that it remained “fully prepared” to respond to any civil unrest.
Despite some calm returning to Paramount, federal law enforcement officers maintained a heavy presence in the area.
Spanish journalist Tessa Romero was clinically dead for 24 minutes and claims she experienced a peaceful, timeless realm. She described floating above her body and feeling “more alive” than ever, challenging her previous skepticism about life after death. Her recovery marked not just a return to life, but a deep emotional and physical healing.
Representative Image: Woman Dies For 24 Minutes, Comes Back With Shocking Afterlife Experience Photo : iStock
What happens after we die? This age-old question has fascinated and puzzled humanity for centuries. While science and medicine have made remarkable progress, they still haven’t provided any definitive answers. Now, an astonishing account from Spain is reigniting the conversation around life after death.
Tessa Romero, a 50-year-old sociologist and journalist from Andalusia, Spain, was pronounced clinically dead for 24 minutes after collapsing unexpectedly one morning. As reported by The Sun, she had just dropped off her daughters at school when she suddenly stopped breathing and her heart ceased to beat. Doctors fought for nearly half an hour to revive her—and ultimately succeeded. But what she brought back was more than a pulse; it was a story that would change her life forever. “I Felt So Alive”: A Glimpse Into the Beyond
During those 24 minutes of clinical death, Tessa says that she experienced something profoundly peaceful and deeply real. According to The Sun, she describes entering a realm “free from pain, sadness, and even the passage of time.” In her own words: “It was like a great weight had been removed from my shoulders.” She recounts floating above a building, observing her own lifeless body below.
“I didn’t know I was dead. I felt so alive just not being seen by anyone around me,” she wrote in her book.
Tessa insists her experience was neither a dream nor a hallucination, but a vivid and conscious encounter with something far greater than herself. She had once dismissed such stories as fantasy—but no longer.
“That world was more real than this one,” she told The Sun. “Time was slower, feelings were deeper, and everything was meaningful.”
Fire and smoke rise in the city after a Russian drone strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine June 6, 2025. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
The United States believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s threatened retaliation against Ukraine over its drone attack last weekend has not happened yet in earnest and is likely to be a significant, multi-pronged strike, U.S. officials told Reuters.
The timing of the full Russian response was unclear, with one source saying it was expected within days. A second U.S. official said the retaliation was likely to include different kinds of air capabilities, including missiles and drones.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity. They did not detail Russia’s expected targets nor elaborate on intelligence matters. The first official said Moscow’s attack would be “asymmetrical,” meaning that its approach and targeting would not mirror Ukraine’s strike last weekend against Russian warplanes.
Russia launched an intense missile and drone barrage at the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Friday and Russia’s Defense Ministry said the strike on military and military-related targets was in response to what it called Ukrainian “terrorist acts” against Russia. But the U.S. officials believe the complete Russian response is yet to come.
A Western diplomatic source said that while Russia’s response may have started, it would likely intensify with strikes against symbolic Ukrainian targets like government buildings, in an effort to send a clear message to Kyiv.
Another, senior, Western diplomat anticipated a further devastating assault by Moscow. “It will be huge, vicious and unrelenting,” the diplomat said. “But the Ukrainians are brave people.”
The Russian and Ukrainian embassies in Washington and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Michael Kofman, a Russia expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said he expected Moscow might seek to punish Ukraine’s domestic security agency, the SBU, for its role in last weekend’s assault. To send a message, Russia could employ intermediate-range ballistic missiles for the attack, he said.
“Most likely, they will attempt to retaliate against (SBU) headquarters, or other regional intelligence administration buildings,” Kofman said, adding Russia could also target Ukrainian defense manufacturing centers.
Still, Kofman suggested Russia’s options for retaliation may be limited as it is already throwing a lot of its military might at Ukraine.
“In general, Russia’s ability to substantially escalate strikes from what they are already doing – and attempting to do over the past month – is quite constrained,” he said. OPERATION ‘SPIDER’S WEB’
Kyiv says Sunday’s audacious attack employed 117 unmanned aerial vehicles launched deep from within Russian territory in an operation code-named “Spider’s Web.”
The United States assesses that up to 20 warplanes were hit – around half the number estimated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy – and around 10 were destroyed.
While JD Vance had earlier showed support for the US President amid his spat with the Tesla CEO regarding the ‘big beautiful bill’, the interview marked his first direct comments on Musk since the spat erupted.
JD Vance has spoken out amid the Trump vs Musk public spat(AP)
US Vice President JD Vance said Tesla CEO Elon Musk is making a ‘huge mistake’ by being at a verbal war with Donald Trump, hoping that he “comes back into the fold” after the public feud went through the roof.
“I’m always going to be loyal to the president and I hope that eventually Elon kind of comes back into the fold,” Vance said, speaking on the “This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von” podcast, which was released on Saturday.
However, Vance worried that a reconciliation might not be possible now because Elon Musk has gone ‘nuclear’.
“Maybe that’s not possible now because he’s gone so nuclear, but I hope it is.”
While Vance had earlier showed support for the US President, the interview marked his first direct comments on Musk since the spat erupted.
Elon Musk making a mistake: JD Vance
Speaking during the podcast interview with comedian Theo Von, JD Vance added that Elon Musk is entitled to his own opinion and he does not have to agree with the bill.
“Elon is entitled to his opinion. I’m not saying he has to agree with the bill or agree with everything that I’m saying.”
He said that the billionaire CEO, who is the world’s richest man, is making a ‘huge mistake’ by feuding with the world’s most powerful man.
“I just think it’s a huge mistake for the world’s wealthiest man — I think one of the most transformational entrepreneurs ever — to be at war with the world’s most powerful man, who I think is doing more to save the country than anybody in my lifetime,” Vance said.
The US Vice President said he did not think that the spat between Musk and Trump is not in national interest.
“I just think you’ve got to have some respect for him and say, ‘yeah, we don’t have to agree on every issue.’ But is this war actually in the interest of the country? I don’t think so.”
“The president doesn’t think that he needs to be in a blood feud with Elon Musk, and I actually think if Elon chilled out a little bit, everything would be fine,” Vance added.
LGBT Pride events across America have seen millions of dollars in sponsorship deals dry up since President Trump returned to the White House, according to reports. lazyllama – stock.adobe.com
“Private companies can do whatever they want,” leftists once snorted in defense of companies like Facebook banning conservative speech.
But now the tables have turned, and LGBTQ activists have found themselves in a state between panicked and sulky as their fair-weather friends in corporate America are pulling sponsorships of Pride celebrations this month.
As a result, Pride events across the nation are facing budget shortfalls, and activists are blaming everyone but themselves.
At least 14 companies — including Pepsi, Citi, MasterCard, Nissan, Garnier, and US defense contractor Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corp. — have dropped or greatly scaled back their financial contributions to annual Pride events nationwide.
Anheuser-Busch, makers of Bud Light, has also backtracked on Pride sponsorship — and for good reason. The company lost an estimated $395 million after its botched partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney led to a nationwide boycott in 2023.
Ever since, Bud Light has struggled to reposition itself as the good ol’ boys, God ’n’ guns beverage, to lukewarm reception.
The numbers are grim: Heritage of Pride, organizers of New York City’s festivities, by far the largest in the nation, faces a $750,000 shortfall this year after nearly a quarter of corporate donations dried up. This follows years of operating at a loss: In 2022, the group was $2.7 million in the hole, and another $1.2 million the following year.
In California, longtime corporate donors ran for the hills when San Francisco Pride executive director Suzanne Ford reached out begging for money. Twin Cities Pride has seen longtime corporate sponsors in Minnesota shift into retreat mode, and now the group is scrambling to meet a $200,000 goal. Organizers in Washington, DC, Milwaukee, and St. Louis all have reported being ghosted by big companies they once relied upon.
All of this is occurring at a time when a dozen companies have withdrawn participation from the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index, a shakedown scheme used by the LGBT nonprofit behemoth to enforce woke capitalism.
For LGBTQAI2S+ activists, the reason for all this is simple: It’s Trump’s fault.
“There’s a lot of fear of repercussions for aligning with our festival,” Wes Shaver, president of Milwaukee Pride, told The New York Times, joining others who believe companies fear they may be penalized by the White House if they donate to Pride events, citing the administration’s effort to curtail DEI initiatives.
(When asked about this, the White House didn’t respond to multiple requests for comment from The Post.)
What’s equally likely is that everyone just has gay fatigue — a collective eye roll at the oversaturation of LGBT themes in culture, combined with all the negative connotations now associated with Pride. Once a niche event of subculture fun and revelry, it’s devolved into a mainstream, month-long orgy of far-leftism that looks more like a tent revival beckoning an impending open-borders transgender race war.
Rage-hungry conservative influencers have latched on to videos of public nudity and shameless parents forcing Pride spectacles onto their children. Transgender insanity has swallowed the entire movement and, in doing so, repelled middle-of-the-road Americans.
Simply put, it’s exhausting.
And what company, in its right mind, wants to be tied to all that? While activists say companies are afraid of Trump, the same could have been true about Biden. Businesses certainly felt the Democrat gun in their back to start coughing up their woke bona fides during his term.
Overall, the corporate retreat from Pride is a good thing for everyone, and it ought to continue. The grotesque parade of political and corporate pandering that’s defined Pride over the last two decades is embarrassing, as any honest gay person will admit.
After all, who wants their sex life validated by junk food companies and bomb-makers?
It’s also alienated plenty of old-timers.
“The cold corporations are more important to the rotating Heritage of Pride than the actual surviving Stonewall veterans. Plenty are still alive and kicking,” former New York City Pride Grand Marshall Williamson Henderson, of the Stonewall Veterans Association, and who participated in the original Stonewall rebellion in June 1969 (the reason Pride Month exists), told The Post.
More than 20 people were arrested Saturday as a mob of nearly 150 protesters cursed at cops and tried to block federal authorities from conducting immigration raids in Lower Manhattan, according to a police source, federal officials and video from the chaotic scene.
The angry, masked demonstrators yelled “motherf–kers” at officers, sat in the roadway, threw objects and even themselves in front of an unmarked white van with tinted windows as it tried to leave 26 Federal Plaza, where the US Immigration Court is housed.
One man’s face was exposed when a cop removed his face mask while he was arrested, the footage shows.
Michael Nigro for NY Post“Back up, back up!” six uniformed Department of Homeland Security officers yelled while shoving the agitators aside, footage of the incident showed.
Demonstrators hauled metal barricades, orange traffic cones and even fished a drawerless dresser from a nearby dumpster to throw into the street in an attempt to block the van, but cops quickly moved it out of the way.
The vehicle was finally able to drive away after about two minutes but the scene later devolved into mayhem as nearly 40 NYPD and federal officers continued to clash with the demonstrators, video shows.
The arrested individuals were issued summonses, according to an NYPD spokesperson, who said cops had responded to a 911 call about a disorderly group, and observed the scofflaws sitting in the roadway to block traffic.
Justin Bieber revealed a mystery leg injury during his recent trip to the spa.
Photos obtained by Page Six show the “Sorry” hitmaker entering Voda Spa in West Hollywood, Calif., on Friday while wearing a black bandage knee brace on his left leg.
Bieber wore a vibrant red hoodie, a pair of green checkerboard shorts and some blue slides for the casual solo outing. He finished off the look with a blue baseball cap.
Justin Bieber revealed he suffered a mystery injury as he continues to spark concern with his odd behavior.
justinbieber/InstagramThe details of the injury remain unclear as the singer has not yet publicly commented on it.
A rep for Bieber did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.
Friday’s outing comes after Bieber started showing problematic behavior online with his casual drug use and unanticipated rants.
The “One Less Lonely Girl” singer most recently garnered attention after he shared a slew of summer snaps featuring his baby boy, Jack Blues, whom he shares with wife Hailey Bieber, via Instagram last month.
In the pictures, the pop star, 31, carried his son on his shoulders and sat on a couch while playing with the 9-month-old’s feet.
Among the photos was also a separate picture of him smoking a blunt with a friend on the same couch.
Internet-sleuthing fans quickly noted that the Grammy winner was shirtless and wearing only blue shorts in both pictures, prompting concern for Justin’s baby boy as many called out Justin for outright “smok[ing] in front of [his] kid” and “doing drugs with the baby around.”
While Justin’s rep slammed the “harmful” rumors of drug use in February, the “Peaches” songster has continued to show off his rampant marijuana use in the time since.
Earlier in May, he also admitted to ripping off Hailey with a phone case used to hold blunts modeled after her patented Rhode lip gloss-carrying cases.
In April, several people close to the singer expressed their worry for his mental health, telling the Hollywood Reporter that they feared he was falling apart mentally amid rumors of his financial troubles.
“Seeing him disintegrate like this … it’s watching the embodiment of someone not living their purpose,” a former team member told the outlet.
UK doctors are attempting to clear dangerous superbug infections using “poo pills” containing freeze-dried faeces.
The stool samples come from healthy donors and are packed with good bacteria.
Early data suggests superbugs can be flushed out of the dark murky depths of the bowel and replaced with a mix of healthy gut bacteria.
It is a new approach to tackling infections that resist antibiotics, which are thought to kill a million people each year.
The focus is on the bowels which are “the biggest reservoir of antibiotic resistance in humans” says Dr Blair Merrick, who has been testing the pills at Guys and St Thomas’ hospitals.
Drug-resistant superbugs can escape their intestinal home and cause trouble elsewhere in the body – such as urinary tract or bloodstream infections.
“So there’s a lot of interest in ‘can you get rid of them from the gut?’,” says Dr Merrick.
The idea of poo-pills isn’t as far-fetched as it might seem. Faecal transplants – also known as a trans-poo-tion – are already approved for treating severe diarrhoea caused by Clostridium difficile bacteria.
But scientists noticed hints that faecal transplants for C. difficile also seemed to get rid of superbugs.
New research has focused on patients who had an infection caused by drug-resistant bacteria in the past six months.
They were given pills made from faeces which people had donated to a stool bank.
Each stool sample is tested to ensure it does not contain any harmful bugs, undigested food is removed and then it is freeze dried into a powder.
This is stored inside a pill that can pass through the stomach unscathed and reach the intestines where it dissolves to release its poopy powdery payload.
The trial has taken place on 41 patients at Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospitals in London to lay the groundwork for a large-scale study.
It showed patients were up for taking a poo pill and the donated bacteria were still being detected in the bowels at least a month later.
Dr Merrick says there are “really promising signals” that poo pills could help tackle the rising scourge of superbugs and that donor bacteria could be going to microbial war with the superbugs as they compete over food and space on the lining of the gut and either rid the body of them completely or “reduce them down to a level that doesn’t cause problems”.
The study also suggests the array of gut bacteria becomes more varied after the therapy. This is a sign of good health and “may well be promoting colonisation resistance” so it is harder for new infectious bugs to get in.
“It’s very exciting. There’s a real shift from 20 years ago where all bacteria and viruses were assumed to do you harm; to now where we realise they are completely necessary to our overall health,” says Dr Merrick.
Earlier this week scientists showed the good bacteria our bodies meet – in the hours after we are born – seem to halve the risk of young children being admitted to hospital with lung infections.
Markle marked her daughter Princess Lilibet’s 4th birthday witha throwback clip of her and Prince Harry dancing while she prepared to give birth to their daughter. meghan/Instagram
Meghan Markle is still happy As Ever.
The Duchess of Sussex shared that she’s “so excited for all the good to come” in her brand’s Saturday Instagram post after she and Prince Harry were recently mocked for her “cringe” dance video earlier this week.
The brand’s account posted a photo of Markle dressed in a casual white sleeveless maxi dress as she ran through ocean water on the beach.
“Running into the weekend like 🌊,” reads the rest of the caption.
The post comes after Markle recently faced backlash for sharing a 2021 video of her and her husband awkwardly dropping it low as she prepared to give birth to their daughter, Princess Lilibet.
In the clip, the “Suits” alum, 43, danced to the viral “Baby Momma Dance Song” while holding her still pregnant belly in the hospital room.
The prince, 40, was seen in the video busting a groove alongside his wife as the song sang, “Drop it down, drop it down down low.”
The couple, who tied the knot in 2018, continued to shake it until the video ended.
“Both of our children were a week past their due dates… so when spicy food, all that walking, and acupuncture didn’t work – there was only one thing left to do! 😂,” she captioned the post.
The seemingly “relatable” video apparently did not go over well with some of the former royal family member’s followers as some called it a “cringe” moment in the comments.
“Make it stop. #Cringe,” one person wrote on X, while another described the clip as “fake and cringe.”
A third person said, “Everything they do to be ‘relatable’ is weirdly not relatable. It’s bizarre how they never miss.”
A WOMAN has been shot dead by armed cops after attacking people with a knife in a square used for Oktoberfest.
The perpetrator, 30, reportedly stabbed a 56-year-old man before then attacking a 25-year-old woman in Theresienwiese, Munich.
A police car secures the areaCredit: ReutersCops shot the woman – who is said to be Bulgarian – with a service weapon on the corner of St Pauls Square and Bavariang.
She died in the hospital after undergoing emergency surgery, Bild reports.
The area currently remains cordoned off to the public with armed cops alongside Munich’s Criminal Investigation Department at the scene.
Sniffer dogs are also on the hunt for any clues while bandages were harrowingly seen on the ground at the Oktoberfest site.
The motive behind the attack remains unknown.
Joachim Herrman, Bavaria’s Interior Minister, told Bild: “I am very grateful to the Munich police for their swift intervention and stopping the knife attacker.
“Her death is regrettable, but unfortunately, it was probably unavoidable.”
According to cops, the victims suffered “minor injuries”.
Munich Police said in a statement: “On Saturday, June 7, 2025, the Munich police were notified at around 7:45 p.m that a woman had injured a person with a knife in the Theresienwiese area.
“According to current information, she injured a 56-year-old man with a knife in the Westendstraße area. Shortly thereafter, she also injured a 25-year-old woman with a knife near Schwanthaler Höhe.
“When the perpetrator was encountered by officers in the Bavariaring area at St Pauls-Platz and was about to be arrested, police used firearms.
“The woman was injured and subsequently taken to a hospital. She died there shortly thereafter. The woman was a 30-year-old resident of Munich.
“The further investigation was taken over on site by Police Department 11.
“Regarding the police use of firearms, the investigation is being conducted by the Bavarian State Criminal Police Office.
“Further verified information cannot be provided at this time, as the necessary investigations are currently underway by the Criminal Investigation Department.”
Just a few hours prior, at least five people were injured after a car ploughed into a crowd in Germany.
A five-year-old girl is understood to be among the wounded after the horror crash in Passau.
The driver’s wife, 38, was also hurt, according to Bild.
It is unclear if the driver intentionally drove into the crowd, according to reports.
Three people were seriously injured, according to a police spokesperson.
The incident occurred around 3.30pm near the main train station in the Bavarian city.
“At this time, it cannot be ruled out that the man deliberately drove the vehicle into the group of people,” police told local media.
US President Donald Trump is deploying 2,000 National Guard troops in Los Angeles after a second day of protests following ICE immigration raids. DW has more.
The White House’s move to dramatically ratchet up the response came as protests in Los Angeles eas protesters faced off with law enforcement personnelImage: Daniel Cole/REUTERSWhite House slams LA ‘insurrectionists’ as protests grow over immigration raids
US Vice President JD Vance labeled protesters who confronted immigration agents during raids of local businesses “insurrectionists.”
“Insurrectionists carrying foreign flags are attacking immigration enforcement officers, while one-half of America’s political leadership has decided that border enforcement is evil,” Vance wrote on X.
Another top White House official, Stephen Miller, described the protest against the federal immigration raids as an “insurrection” against the United States.
“An insurrection against the laws and sovereignty of the United States,” Miller, an immigration hardliner and White House deputy chief of staff, wrote on X.
The Trump administration has not invoked the Insurrection Act, two US officials told the Reuters news agency on condition of anonymity.
Marines could be sent to LA if violence continues — Hegseth
The US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has warned that the Pentagon is prepared to send active duty Marines to Los Angeles, where there have been violent clashes between protesters and security forces.
The unrest began on Friday after at least 44 migrants were detained in multiple Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in the city.
Hegseth’s announcement that US Marines could be deployed came shortly after the White House said it was sending 2,000 National Guard troops to LA in response to the violence.
Marines are considered to be among the best trained and most elite in the US Armed Forces. They are known for amphibious landings and unconventional warfare in overseas operations.
“And, if violence continues, active duty Marines at Camp Pendleton will also be mobilized — they are on high alert,” Hegseth said on X.
Abrego Garcia faces smuggling charges his lawyer calls “fantastical,” in a case reflecting tensions between the Trump administration and the courts.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s deportation was described by the Trump administration as ‘an administrative error’Image: Alex Wong/GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/Getty ImagesDeported in error by President Donald Trump’s administration, Kilmar Abrego Garcia is back in the United States to stand trial on smuggling charges.
He appeared in federal court in Nashville on Friday evening.
The indictment was filed on May 21, US Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed at a press conference, over two months after Abrego Garcia had been deported to El Salvador.
Garcia’s deportation in March sparked protests in the US amid anger over the Trump administration’s aggressive approach to tackling undocumented migrants in the country.
The US Supreme Court in April ordered Trump to facilitate the 29-year-old’s return after Washington admitted to an “administrative error” that led to his deportation.
Abrego Garcia’s lawyer call case ‘baseless’
After Abrego Garcia had been deported to El Salvador, the White House continued to insist that he was a member of the international criminal gang MS-13 and refused to facilitate his return, until now.
According to the indictment, Abrego Garcia was involved in smuggling undocumented migrants from Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and other countries into the United States between 2016 and earlier this year.
On Friday, Attorney General Bondi alleged that Abrego Garcia had “played a significant role in an alien smuggling ring” and was a smuggler of “children and women” as well as members of the Salvadoran gang MS-13.
His arraignment is set for June 13, when he will enter a plea, according to local media reports. Until then, he will remain in federal custody.
“The man has a horrible past, and I could see a decision being made, bring him back, show everybody how horrible this guy is,” Trump told reporters on Friday.
Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, Abrego Garcia’s lawyer, called the criminal charges “fantastical” and a “kitchen sink” of allegations.
“This is all based on the statements of individuals who are currently either facing prosecution or in federal prison,” he said. “I want to know what they offered those people.”
He added the Trump administration had returned him to the US “not to correct their error but to prosecute him.”
“Due process means the chance to defend yourself before you’re punished, not after,” Sandoval-Moshenberg said. “This is an abuse of power, not justice.”
Bondi said if convicted, Abrego Garcia would be deported to El Salvador after completing his sentence in the US.
Tensions between the Trump administration and the judiciary
Abrego Garcia entered the US without permission around 2011 while fleeing gang violence in El Salvador.
He and his wife, a US citizen, are raising three children.
His case has become a symbol of escalating tensions between the Trump administration and the judiciary.
He was deported to his home country amid a Trump administration crackdown on migration despite a 2019 judge’s order that granted him protection from deportation.
He was deported in March and held at the Cecot mega-prison in El Salvador, known for its brutal conditions.
“There was a lot of pressure on the US and US President Donald Trump to bring this man back…if he is [convicted], they will say they ‘we were right in the first place to deport him,'” DW’s US correspondent Benjamin Alvarez Gruber said.
A protester throws a stone during a standoff between police and protesters following multiple detentions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in the Los Angeles County city of Paramount, California, US, Jun 7, 2025. (Photo: REUTERS/Daniel Cole)
Donald Trump ordered 2,000 National Guard troops to the streets of Los Angeles on Saturday (Jun 7) in what the White House said was an effort to quell “lawlessness”, after sometimes-violent protests erupted over immigration enforcement raids.
The US president took federal control of California’s state military to push soldiers into the country’s second-biggest city, where they could face off against demonstrators. It is a rare move that Governor Gavin Newsom said was “purposefully inflammatory”.
The development came after two days of confrontations that had seen federal agents shoot flash-bang grenades and tear gas towards crowds angry at the arrests of dozens of migrants in a city with a large Latino population.
Footage showed a car that had been set alight at a busy intersection, while in a video circulating on social media a man in a motorbike helmet can be seen throwing rocks at speeding federal vehicles.
Protestors could be seen jeering at agents and filming them on their phones.
In other scenes, demonstrators threw fireworks at lines of local law enforcement who had been called in to try to keep the peace.
“President Trump has signed a Presidential Memorandum deploying 2,000 National Guardsmen to address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said late Saturday, blaming what she called California’s “feckless” Democratic leaders.
“The Trump Administration has a zero tolerance policy for criminal behavior and violence, especially when that violence is aimed at law enforcement officers trying to do their jobs.”
The National Guard – a reserve military – is frequently used in natural disasters, like in the aftermath of the LA fires, and rarely in instances of civil unrest. It was deployed in Los Angeles after the 2020 killing of George Floyd.
Newsom, a frequent foil for Trump and a long-time foe of the Republican, took to social media to decry Saturday’s White House order.
“That move is purposefully inflammatory and will only escalate tensions,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
“LA authorities are able to access law enforcement assistance at a moment’s notice. We are in close coordination with the city and county, and there is currently no unmet need.
“This is the wrong mission and will erode public trust.”
Trump’s Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth threatened to ramp up tensions further, warning that nearby regular military forces could get involved.
“If violence continues, active duty Marines at Camp Pendleton will also be mobilised – they are on high alert,” he wrote on social media.
Since taking office in January, Republican Trump has delivered on a promise to crack down hard on the entry and presence of undocumented migrants – who he has likened to “monsters” and “animals”.
Saturday’s standoff took place in the suburb of Paramount, where demonstrators converged on a reported federal facility, which the local mayor said was being used as a staging post by agents.
On Friday, masked and armed immigration agents carried out high-profile workplace raids in separate parts of Los Angeles, attracting angry crowds and setting off hours-long standoffs.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass acknowledged that some city residents were “feeling fear” following the federal immigration enforcement actions.
“Everyone has the right to peacefully protest, but let me be clear: violence and destruction are unacceptable, and those responsible will be held accountable,” she said on X.
Palestinians spray water at the site of an Israeli strike on a house, in Gaza City, Jun 7, 2025. (Photo: REUTERS/Ebrahim Hajjaj)
Gaza’s civil defence agency said Saturday (Jun 7) that Israeli forces had killed at least 36 Palestinians, six of them in a shooting near a US-backed aid distribution centre.
The Israeli military told AFP that troops had fired “warning shots” at individuals it said were “advancing in a way that endangered the troops”.
The shooting deaths were the latest reported near the aid centre run by the Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF) in the southern district of Rafah, and came after it resumed distributions following a brief suspension in the wake of similar deaths earlier this week.
Meanwhile, an aid boat with 12 activists on board, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, was nearing Gaza in a bid to highlight the plight of Palestinians in the face of an Israeli blockade that has only been partially eased.
Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that at around 7:00 am (0400 GMT), “six people were killed and several others wounded by the forces of the Israeli occupation near the Al-Alam roundabout”, where they had gathered to seek humanitarian aid from the distribution centre around a kilometre away.
AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls compiled by the civil defence agency or the circumstances of the deaths it reports.
Samir Abu Hadid, who was there early Saturday, told AFP that thousands of people had gathered near the roundabout.
“As soon as some people tried to advance towards the aid centre, the Israeli occupation forces opened fire from armoured vehicles stationed near the centre, firing into the air and then at civilians,” Abu Hadid said.
The GHF said in a statement it had not distributed aid on Saturday because of “direct threats” from Hamas.
Later Saturday, the Israeli army said an operation in Gaza City resulted in the killing of Asaad Abu Sharia, reportedly head of the Mujahideen Brigades.
The armed group is close to Hamas ally Islamic Jihad that Israel has also accused over deaths of hostages seized from Kibbutz Nir Oz near the border.
The army said he had taken part in the bloody attack on Nir Oz when Hamas launched its October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
It said he was “directly implicated” in the killings of Shiri, Ariel and Kfir Bibas, a family who became a symbol of seized hostages for many in Israel.
ACTIVIST BOATS NEAR GAZA
The GHF, officially a private effort with opaque funding, began operations in late May as Israel partially eased a more than two-month-long aid blockade.
UN agencies and major aid groups have declined to work with it, citing concerns it serves Israeli military goals.
On Saturday, the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said that the overall toll for the Gaza war had reached 54,772, the majority civilians. The UN considers these figures reliable.
The war was sparked by Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures.
Israel has come under increasing international criticism over the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, where the UN warned in May that the entire population was at risk of famine.
The aid boat Madleen, organised by an international activist coalition, was sailing towards Gaza on Saturday, aiming to breach Israel’s naval blockade and deliver aid to the territory, organisers said.
“We are now sailing off the Egyptian coast,” German human rights activist Yasemin Acar told AFP, saying they expected to reach Gaza by Monday.
The Palestinian territory was under Israeli naval blockade even before Hamas’s October 2023 attack and the Israeli military has made clear it intends to enforce it.
A 2010 commando raid on the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara, which was part of a similar attempt to breach Israel’s naval blockade, left 10 civilians dead.
Thailand and Cambodia have reinforced their troops at a disputed border after a recent military skirmish. Tourists have been ordered not to use two border crossing points between the neighbors.
At least 28 people have been killed since 2008 during military skirmishes along the border [FILE: Mar 26, 2025]Image: Tang Chhin Sothy/AFP/Getty ImagesThailand on Saturday shut two of its border crossings to tourists as a safety measure amid ongoing tensions with its neighbor, Cambodia.
The decision follows the killing of a Cambodian soldier during a brief military clash on May 28 in an area known as the Emerald Triangle, where the borders of the two neighbors and Laos meet.
Thailand and Cambodia share an 817 kilometer (508 mile) border, first mapped by France in 1907 when Cambodia was its colony. For most of the following century, the neighbors have disputed various un-demarcated points along the frontier.
What did Thai authorities say?
Authorities in the eastern province of Chanthaburi said in a statement that they had “temporarily suspended” crossings by Thai and Cambodian tourists at two permanent border checkpoints.
The Royal Thai Army cited a threat to Thailand’s “sovereignty and security” as the reason for the move.
The army said trade would be unaffected and Cambodian workers could still enter Thailand.
Six other border checkpoints tightened their opening hours and issued bans on six-wheeled vehicles.
Thai Defense Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said the army had reinforced its military presence at the border following an increase in troops on the other side.
“There has been a reinforcement of military presence [by Cambodia], which has exacerbated tensions along the border,” Phumtham, who is also deputy prime minister, said in a statement.
“Consequently, the Royal Thai Government has deemed it necessary to implement additional measures and to reinforce our military posture accordingly.”
The army said Friday it was ready to launch a “high-level operation” to counter any violation of Thailand’s sovereignty.
Meanwhile, the Thai Foreign Ministry said Saturday that the country was committed to holding bilateral talks with Cambodia on June 14 to resolve the dispute.
What has Cambodia said?
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet insisted in a speech Saturday that his country’s stance was “not to initiate conflict, but to defend ourselves.”
Hun said earlier this week that the kingdom would file a complaint with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over the border dispute.
The two neighbors had agreed to ease tensions following last month’s killing but Cambodia then said it would keep its troops in the area, in defiance of a request by Bangkok.
The photo of her kid’s name etched into the woodwork is super cute
KYLIE Jenner’s mega-mansion construction project has been revealed in new aerial photos.
Nestled in Los Angeles’ exclusive Hidden Hills neighborhood, it has been under construction for five years, and is still unfinished.
Kylie:s $15M Hidden Hills mansion is still unfinishedCredit: BackGridThe exclusive estate is surrounded by trees and fences to ensure privacyCredit: BackGrid
Kylie, 27, who currently lives in a $36 million mansion in the same area, originally purchased the exclusive land once owned by Miley Cyrus for $15 million in 2020.
New pictures of the beauty mogul’s fortress show the multi-acre piece of land is coming along – but there’s still more to be done..
The Hidden Hills mansion is surrounded by green trees and a tall fence to upkeep privacy – you can even see what might be her vineyards in the background.
Recently, in rare images of the construction, Kylie revealed a cute photo of her kid’s Stormi’s name written in green pen alongside a heart.
There is also a sweet image which states: “We love you Kylie. You was here.”
On top of the $15 million spent on the land, Kylie, 27, has poured millions of dollars more into the estate’s construction.
The finished property will feature an underground 12-car garage and a bunker, perhaps to protect Kylie and her kids Stormi, seven, and Aire, three, in case of emergency.
According to reports, the mansion will also feature 15 bedrooms, a sports court and a big swimming pool.
The private property will be surrounded by a large fence and lush green trees and also have a vineyard.
When completed, the home will reportedly be at least twice the size of sister Kim Kardashian’s $60 million mansion in the same neighborhood.
Kylie’s real estate portfolio also includes a $13.5 million mansion in Beverly Hills, which she shares with ex Travis Scott.
She also dropped $3.25 million on a Palm Springs plot, where she plans to build a vacation home.
Kylie also lives part-time in boyfriend Timothee Chalamet’s hometown New York City, though it is unclear if she owns her own apartment in the area.
When construction began on Kylie’s new home, L.A. realtor Tony Mariotti, CEO of RubyHome Luxury Real Estate, told The U.S. Sun that building her home is as intricate as building a hotel.
“They are bigger. I know that’s obvious, but bigger homes just take longer,” Tony said.
“For example, that foundation, with the subterranean garage is some serious business. Not only is it huge, but it is way more complex than a typical foundation.”
He added: “If you run out of something or have difficulty with the materials, that’ll cause a delay.
“They’ve got multiple sub-contractors coming and going, doing all sorts of work, all of which is going to be custom and detailed.
“Laying the stone or carpet in that house could take weeks instead of days.
“The city inspections that happen along the way will take longer.
“If the builders violate or overlook any building codes, it’ll take days or weeks to straighten things out.
“This is a project on the scale of a large restaurant or small hotel.”
Kylie’s new home isn’t the first time the media personality has had a home in Hidden Hills.
In 2016, Kylie purchased a $12 million home in Hidden Hills and according to the Daily Mail, she still has the home.
Why the disgraced music mogul might be better off not accpeting the pardon
Sean “Diddy” Combs with Donald Trump and Melania Trump before he became President of the USCredit: Getty
SEAN ‘Diddy’ Combs would be a free man within days if Donald Trump decides to pardon him but it would not bode well for his future, a lawyer has warned.
Trump surprised reporters by commenting on Diddy’s court case during a news conference with Elon Musk last week and revealed he would consider whether the rapper’s been “mistreated.”
Combs has been pictured with the President at several events over the years but they had not been in contact leading up to his arrest for alleged sex trafficking and racketeering.
Asked if he would consider pardoning him, Trump said, “Nobody’s asked. But I know people are thinking about it. I think some people have been very close to asking.”
He said he felt the former music mogul used to like him “a lot” but wasn’t his biggest fan after he went into politics.
Despite this, Trump said, “I would certainly look at the facts. If I think somebody was mistreated, whether they like me or don’t like me, it wouldn’t have any impact on me.”
The U.S. Sun spoke to Los Angeles-based trial attorney Tre Lovell for his opinion on a possible pardon and how that would play out.
He said, “The pardoning power is one of the ultimate powers of the President. It’s virtually unchecked, and he can do it.
“He doesn’t even have to wait for the conviction. He can do it at any time after somebody’s charged, even after the crime occurs.
“So the second that President Trump determines that he’s gonna pardon him [Diddy]. It happens immediately.
QUICK RELEASE
“They basically sign the pardon, it would be sent to Diddy, and assuming he accepted, which obviously he would, then that’s that.”
Lovell said if he had already been convicted there would be an administrative process through the Federal Bureau of Prisons to arrange his release and transportation but it wouldn’t be long before he was out.
“There may be a few hours, maybe one or two days sometimes that they can take time just because of the bureaucracy,” he said.
Combs, 55, is currently on trial in New York after pleading not guilty to five counts of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy, and transportation to engage in prostitution.
He is facing up to life in prison if convicted.
The jury has heard from several witnesses in the case so far, including Combs’ ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, after a damning video emerged of him beating her during their relationship.
He said it wouldn’t make sense for Trump to pardon him halfway into the prosecution’s case when the jury hasn’t yet heard all of the facts, adding that it would be “premature” to act now.
“I was very surprised that Trump is considering pardoning Diddy, especially in light of the fact the trial is ongoing now,” he said.
“We are hearing witness after witness after witness testify to some horrible things.
“It would be a slap in the face to the witnesses, to the victims, to a lot of people to just pardon him, you know.
People will think he got a free ride and beat the system.”
Attorney Tre Lovell on a possible pardon for Diddy
“It would seem that he would want to wait until the trial is over, and if there’s not a conviction then there’s no need for him to get involved.”
He went on to say, “There’s one thing that Americans stand for … it’s accountability, and if he were pardoned in light of what’s been happening, these allegations and this testimony, there would be a sense of loss and lack of accountability.
“And so I don’t know how that would sit with most Americans with respect to President Trump.”
But Lovell said he doesn’t think anybody would be surprised if Trump pardoned Diddy.
“He’s pardoned a lot of people that people take umbrage [with]. And he’s not worried about a re-election, so I don’t really think it would affect him.
“He may have some more detractors, but I don’t think he really cares, and his conduct thus far shows he’s going to do what he wants to do.”
Lovell feels if Diddy is acquitted it would be a sense of victory and it would be easier to acclimate to society because he will have been vindicated in court.
However, if he’s convicted and pardoned by Trump it would have more of a negative impact on him.
“It’ll be a little tougher because people will think he got a free ride and beat the system,” he said.
But regardless, Lovell feels “Diddy’s reputation has been irreparably harmed” and he will never be the billionaire music mogul he was once admired by millions.
Dead as the Trump-Musk bromance plainly is, neither man — nor the American people, heck even the world as a whole — would benefit from a disruption in federal contracts for at least two Musk companies: Starlink and, especially, SpaceX.
It looked to be headed that way at one point in Thursday’s post-war, with President Trump’s Truth Social blast saying one way to save billions is “to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts,” prompting a later Musk tweet about SpaceX “decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately.”
Credit banker Bill Ackman for weighing in on X with a call for the two to “make peace for the benefit of our great country.
Tesla and SpaceX Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk speaks at the SATELLITE Conference and Exhibition in Washington, March 9, 2020.
APWe are much stronger together than apart” — which brought a terse “You’re not wrong” reply from Musk, followed by general radio silence.
Trump has also cooled down, pointedly shrugging off the feud as he chatted with Post reporters Friday.
Which suggests he won’t be taking Steve Bannon’s insane advice to try to deport Musk and have Uncle Sam seize SpaceX.
The Crew Dragon is now the primary vehicle for US astronauts heading to orbit; the Cargo Dragon is now key to supplying the International Space Station.
And SpaceX’s reusable, super-heavy-lift Starship holds huge promise for both public- and private-sector ambitions in space.
And no better alternatives are on the near horizon, though we certainly root for vigorous private-sector competition to keep cutting costs and extending humanity’s off-planet footprint.
Congress’ dithering over President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” has the potential to make life difficult in the coming months — by possibly spiking interest rates, On The Money has learned.
Most Americans don’t appreciate all the ways our elected officials have saddled them with trillions upon trillions of dollars in debt.
The national debt stands at around $36 trillion, and needs to go higher to pay for all the stuff the House didn’t cut in passing the buck to the Senate.
Until Congress crafts a budget and amends that annoying law known as the debt ceiling, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has been tapping something known as the Treasury General Account. Jack Forbes / NY Post Design
Until Congress crafts a budget and amends that annoying law known as the debt ceiling, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has been tapping something known as the Treasury General Account.
The account, known on Wall Street bond trading desks as the “TGA,” is needed to pay short-term bills and acts like a rainy-day fund. It’s like your checking account, except hundreds of billions of dollars larger.
However, it’s massively underfunded and in need of cash (aka more borrowing) so the government can keep the lights on — which could mean a nasty spike in interest rates sometime this summer when the selling begins since higher yields will be needed to attract more buyers, according to the smart Wall Street folks at the Bear Traps Report.
Bessent has been toying with ways to get banks to hold more treasuries as part of the capital cushion. Foreign buyers are needed, but Trump’s trade war makes it difficult to get saving nations like China and Japan to once again come to our rescue.
“The longer it takes for Congress to pass the bill and raise the ceiling, the more Bessent depletes the government’s checking account, and therefore the more money he has to raise once the ceiling is lifted,” Bear Traps analyst Robbert Van Batenburg tells me.
Biden Treasury Secretary Janet “Yellen in the 2023 debt ceiling crisis drove this checking account down to less than $50 billion, forcing her to raise a whopping $800 billion in the summer of 2023.”
To be sure, the dangerous TGA drawdown comes from overspending, but also from how spending works via the debt ceiling law. The ceiling is supposed to apply the brakes on borrowing so future generations don’t have to pay for government largesse we consume today.
Given our addiction to big government and debt to finance it, the ceiling is a misnomer — it’s constantly flouted and amended higher, though the politics of raising it often gets messy.
Trump also said that Chinese President Xi Jinping had agreed to restart the flow of rare earth minerals and magnets to the US.
Shipping containers are seen at the port of Oakland, as trade tensions continued over US tariffs with China, in Oakland, California, May 12, 2025. (Photo: REUTERS/Carlos Barria)Three of President Donald Trump’s top aides will face their Chinese counterparts in London on Monday (Jun 9) for talks to resolve a trade dispute between the world’s two largest economies that has kept global markets on edge.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will represent Washington in the talks, said Trump, who announced the talks in a post on his Truth Social platform but provided no more details.
It was not immediately clear who would represent China. The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for more details.
“The meeting should go very well,” Trump wrote.
Trump also said on Friday that Chinese President Xi Jinping had agreed to restart the flow of rare earth minerals and magnets to the US.
Asked directly by a reporter aboard Air Force One whether Xi had agreed to do so, Trump replied: “Yes, he did.”
He added: “We’re very far advanced on the China deal.
The scheduling of the meeting comes a day after Trump spoke to Chinese President Xi Jinping in a rare leader-to-leader call amid weeks of brewing trade tensions and a battle over critical minerals.
Trump and Xi agreed to visit one another and asked their staffs to hold talks in the meantime.
Both countries are under pressure to relieve tensions, with the global economy under pressure over Chinese control over the rare earth mineral exports of which it is the dominant producer and investors more broadly anxious about Trump’s wider effort to impose tariffs on goods from most US trading partners.
China, meanwhile, has seen its own supply of key US imports like chip-design software and nuclear plant parts curtailed. The countries struck a 90-day deal on May 12 in Geneva to roll back some of the triple-digit, tit-for-tat tariffs they had placed on each other since Trump’s January inauguration.
That preliminary deal sparked a global relief rally in stock markets, and US indexes that had been in or near bear market levels have recouped the lion’s share of their losses.
The S&P 500 stock index, which at its lowest point in early April was down nearly 18 percent after Trump unveiled his sweeping “Liberation Day” tariffs on goods from across the globe, is now only about 2 percent below its record high from mid-February. The final third of that rally followed the US-China truce struck in Geneva.
Still, that temporary deal did not address broader concerns that strain the bilateral relationship, from the illicit fentanyl trade to the status of democratically governed Taiwan and US complaints about China’s state-dominated, export-driven economic model.
Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has repeatedly threatened an array of punitive measures on trading partners, only to revoke some of them at the last minute. The on-again, off-again approach has baffled world leaders and spooked business executives.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has acknowledged that Israel is supporting an armed group in Gaza that opposes Hamas. Meanwhile, four Israeli soldiers died in what the media reported was a Gaza blast.
Palestinians have marked the Muslim Eid al-Adha amid severe destruction and a dire humanitarian crisisImage: Abdel Kareem Hana/AP Photo/picture allianceIsrael faces shortage of over 10,000 soldiers, says army
The Israeli army is short of more than 10,000 troops, including around 6,000 for combat units, its spokesperson has said, nearly 20 months into the war with the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.
“This is a real operational need, and that is why we are taking all necessary measures,” army spokesperson Effie Defrin told a Friday press briefing via video from the Gaza Strip.
Defrin was responding to a question about the recruitment of ultra-Orthodox Jews, who had been exempt from military service for decades. Israel’s Supreme Court ruled in June last year that the country’s compulsory military service system should apply to ultra-Orthodox men, in a highly controversial decision.
Four Israeli soldiers reportedly killed in Gaza blast
Four Israeli soldiers have been killed and five others injured during an operation in the southern Gaza Strip, the Israeli military says.
The incident took place in the city of Khan Younis. According to consistent reports from Israeli media, the soldiers were inside a building that had been rigged with explosives.
The device detonated, causing the building to collapse.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu extended his condolences “to the families of our four fallen heroes in Gaza in the fight to defeat Hamas and bring back our hostages.”
The deaths bring the number of Israeli soldiers killed since the start of the ground offensive in Gaza to 429, as per a tally by the French AFP news agency.
Netanyahu admits Israel backed Gaza clan opposed to Hamas
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has acknowledged that Israel is supporting an armed group in Gaza that opposes Hamas, following claims by a former defense minister that weapons were supplied to the faction.
Israeli and Palestinian media have identified the group as part of a local Bedouin tribe led by Yasser Abu Shabab. The European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) describes him as heading a “criminal gang operating in the Rafah area that is widely accused of looting aid trucks.”
Former defense minister and Knesset member Avigdor Lieberman told public broadcaster Kan that Israel, under Netanyahu’s orders, had been “giving weapons to a group of criminals and felons.”
Netanyahu confirmed the collaboration in a video posted online Thursday, saying: “What did Lieberman leak? That security sources activated a clan in Gaza that opposes Hamas? What is bad about that? It is only good, it is saving [the] lives of Israeli soldiers.”
The UK has joined other European countries in endorsing Morocco’s position in the Western Sahara conflict. Algeria and the independence-seeking Polisario are losing out.
The UK changed its stance and supports Morocco’s claim on the disputed Western Sahara regionImage: Bernat Armangue/AP Photo/picture allianceThe UK has repositioned its stance in the Western Sahara conflict. According to British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, the Moroccan autonomy plan represents the “most credible” position.
The proposal, which dates back to 2007, is the “most viable and pragmatic basis for a lasting resolution of the dispute,” Lammy said in Morocco’s capital Rabat earlier this week.
These words mark a turnaround from London’s previous support for the UN’s decades-long call for a referendum to determine the future of what it classifies as a ‘non-self-governing territory’. The new position is in line with that of a number of other, predominantly Western countries.
Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita welcomed the change of course. According to media reports, the new British position “contributes significantly” to promoting the UN’s path to a “final and mutually acceptable solution”.
In its plan, Morocco outlines an allegedly far-reaching autonomy for the Western Sahara albeit under Moroccan sovereignty.
The change of position is likely to anger Morocco’s regional rival Algeria, which backs the Polisario Front, a movement seeking an independent West Saharan state. In a statement on Sunday, Algeria said Morocco’s proposal was “empty of content and incapable of contributing to a serious and credible settlement of the conflict.”
UK is ‘showing flexibility’
“The British position nevertheless leaves a door open,” Isabelle Werenfels, Maghreb observer at the Berlin-based German Institute for International and Security Affairs, told DW.
“When Foreign Minister Lammy describes the Moroccan proposal as the ‘most credible solution,’ he is not saying that it is the only solution,” Werenfels said. “Unlike France, the UK is holding back in its positioning and is showing flexibility.”
Last summer, French President Emmanuel Macron had called the Moroccan proposal the “only basis” for resolving the conflict.
In doing so, he massively angered Algeria , which is advocating for a complete independence of Western Sahara. Since then, French-Algerian relations have been strained. The move is all the more serious as France is a permanent member of the UN Security Council, political scientist Hasni Abidi from the Geneva-based think tank CERNAM told DW a few weeks ago.
During his first term in office from 2017 to 2021, US President Donald Trump recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over the Western Sahara. This decision ignored the UN’s position on the territory, and paved the way for other countries to follow suit. The recognition also paid tribute to Morocco’s willingness to establish diplomatic relations with Israel.
Then in 2022, Spain, too, started backing the Moroccan autonomy plan, but it’s trying to do so in a similarly balanced manner to the UK.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez describes the plan as the “most serious, realistic and credible basis.”
The UK on the other hand is also trying to be diplomatically considerate with regard to the UN, says expert Werenfels.
“London continues to emphasize the relevance of the UN-led political process,” she told DW.
The UN has long been proposing a referendum in which the inhabitants of the region should vote on whether they want to be part of Morocco or independent.
Highly coveted region
Up until 1976, Western Sahara was a Spanish colony. However, when Spain began to vacate its positions, Morocco had already occupied first the northern, then the southern part of Western Sahara.
The Polisario movement, founded in 1973, sees itself as the representative of the Sahrawi people traditionally living in Western Sahara. The movement has been fighting for the independence of Western Sahara with the support of Algeria.
In 1976, it proclaimed the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic in the interior of the territory, which is recognized by 44 countries. Shortly afterwards, armed clashes with Morocco’s army began. Almost 50 years later, Morocco’s de facto rule over Western Sahara has not yet been recognized under international law.
Western Sahara is a coveted territory due to its mineral resources. Its phosphate deposits are estimated to be the largest in the world.
Since the 2000s, Morocco has been investing in hotels, beach resorts and leisure facilities to attract tourists, particularly around the city of Dakhla in south-western Western Sahara. An airport has also been in operation there since 1993.
Morocco’s rising clout
The British step could be considered another sign of Morocco’s growing global significance.
For Spain, the main issue is migration, Werenfels says. Refugees have repeatedly attempted to enter Spain and the EU irregularly via the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, located on Morocco’s northern coast. For some time now, Morocco has been tightening its border controls on the two enclaves. According to Werenfels, Spain’s support for Morocco’s position on Western Sahara may well be due to that.
The UK, on the other hand, is likely to have economic interests above all, Werenfels said.
“In 2024, [the UK and Morocco] expanded their trade relations enormously,” she added. According to a report by the Moroccan state press agency MAP, London is said to consider “supporting projects in the Sahara.”
In general, Morocco is becoming increasingly successful as gateway to Africa, Werenfels states. It is also becoming more and more attractive as a production location.
Elon Musk greets US President Donald Trump as they attend the NCAA men’s wrestling championships in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US on Mar 22, 2025. (Photo: Reuters/Nathan Howard)
US President Donald Trump is not interested in talking with Elon Musk, a White House official said on Friday (Jan 6), signaling the president and his former ally might not resolve their feud over a sweeping tax-cut bill any time soon.
The White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said no phone call between Trump and the Tesla CEO was planned for the day. Earlier, a different White House official had said the two were going to talk.
In interviews with several US media outlets, Trump said he was focused on other matters.
“I’m not even thinking about Elon. He’s got a problem, the poor guy’s got a problem,” Trump told CNN on Friday morning.
Trump may get rid of the red Tesla Model S that he bought in March after showcasing Musk’s electric cars on the White House lawn, the official said.
Musk, for his part, did not directly address Trump but kept up his criticism of the massive Republican tax and spending bill that contains much of Trump’s domestic agenda.
On his social-media platform X, Musk amplified remarks made by others that Trump’s “big beautiful bill” would hurt Republicans politically and add to the nation’s US$36.2 trillion debt. He replied “exactly” to a post by another X user that said Musk had criticized Congress and Trump had responded by criticizing Musk personally.
People who have spoken to Musk said his anger has begun to recede and they think he will want to repair his relationship with Trump, according to one person who has spoken to Musk’s entourage.
The White House statements came one day after the two men battled openly in an extraordinary display of hostilities that marked a stark end to a close alliance.
Tesla stock rose on Friday, clawing back some losses from Thursday’s session, when it dropped 14 percent and lost US$150 billion in value, the largest single-day decline in the company’s history.
Musk’s high-profile allies have largely stayed silent during the feud. But one, investor James Fishback, called on Musk to apologize.
“President Trump has shown grace and patience at a time when Elon’s behavior is disappointing and frankly downright disturbing,” Fishback said in a statement.
Musk, the world’s richest man, bankrolled a large part of Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign. Trump named Musk to head a controversial effort to downsize the federal workforce and slash spending.
Terrified parents scrambled to break their fall after watching them plunging from the inflatable
The bouncy castle later landed around 50 feet from where it took offCredit: X/@heinkaiser
THIS is the terrifying moment a freak wind blew a bouncy castle 40ft into the air sending children plunging to the ground.
The shocking footage shows children falling from the inflatable as onlookers scream in horror.
The incident happened when an unexpected gust blew the castle into the sky at a fundraising day at a school in South Africa.
Instead of dropping back down to earth, the video shows the inflatable continuing to spiral upwards over Laerskool Protearif primary at Krugersdorp.
But the most heart-stopping moment comes when two kids fall off the floating castle.
Terrified parents scramble to break their fall as they drop from the inflatable, no longer able to cling on.
While the onlookers managed to form a human crash mat, the two kids are still reported to have been seriously injured.
One of the children is understood to have suffered a fractured skull, and the other a broken arm.
The bouncy castle later landed around 50ft from where it took off.
It is not known if any other children were on it at the time of the incident.
A statement on the school’s Facebook page confirmed that two kids had been taken to hospital following the incident.
The fundraising event was attended by more than 1,000 parents, pupils and friends last Saturday.
The school’s statement reads: “It is with great gratitude that we are happy to share the very good news with you.
“The two children who sustained injuries during the fracture accident at the Protea festival on Saturday were discharged from hospital on 31/5 and 3/6 respectively.
“The necessary trauma-counselling was given to both children, as well as to their co-learners, who experienced the event and thank you all for standing together.
“We thank you very much for everyone’s positive support, help and prayers.”
The school, which has 620 pupils aged 6 to 13, previously hit headlines in 2017 when a tornado blew off its roof and destroyed its buildings.
An eyewitness of the bouncy castle takeoff said: “When they fell I thought they were dead.
“I was watching from a food stall with my girls when I heard screaming and turned around and just saw this blue, green and red thing shooting up to the heavens.
“Then there was a huge scream when first one child and then another fell out but of all the places they could have landed it was right over a group of parents below.
“They reached up their arms to try to catch the falling children and undoubtedly saved their lives or saved them from much worse injuries by cushioning them.
“It was not a very windy day but it seemed this huge gust just came from nowhere and it was said the bouncy castle had not been secured to the ground.”
It is unclear from the footage if the bouncy castle had been securely tethered ahead of the incident.
Melissa Vere Russel of ABC Jumping Castles, which was not the company used, said: “In high gusts a bouncy castle can act like a parachute and the wind can carry it away.
“All castles are manufactured with mechanisms to secure them to the ground and failing to anchor them properly could end in disaster and could be fatal.”
It comes after an Australian bouncy castle operator was found not guilty of failing to comply with safety laws after the tragic death of six children in Tasmania when strong winds blew an inflatable into the air.
The horror incident happened in 2021 when a bouncy castle was blown three feet into the air and landed in a tree 160ft away.
Six children died and three others were seriously injured.
But owner of operator Taz-Zorb Rosemary Gamble was cleared of breaching work safety laws after the tragedy was ruled to be “due to an unprecedented weather system that was impossible to predict and avoid”.
Angry parents reportedly shouted at the bouncy castle owner after the verdict.
Gamble’s lawyer read a statement on her behalf, saying: “I never meant for something like this to happen. And I am just so sorry that it did.
If the missile used is what Russia believes it is then it would be seen as ‘unprecedented escalation’ in the conflict
The severity of the attack has led to Russians accusing Kyiv of using German-supplied Taurus missilesCredit: Getty
VLADIMIR Putin has been left shell-shocked by a brand new mystery missile he claims Ukraine attacked him with overnight.
A massive strike ripped through an airport in Bryansk and reportedly destroyed a placement of Putin’s Iskander missile system.
Thursday saw one of the most explosive evenings of fighting for some time during the gruelling war.
The night of hell saw Putin exact revenge for Ukraine’s stunning Operation Spiderweb drone blitz last weekend.
The Russia tyrant hammered Ukraine with 407 drones and 44 missiles – unleashing a deadly wave of strikes that killed three and injured dozens.
But a valiant Ukraine hit back with their own set of attacks.
Dramatic footage shows one explosion, believed to be from the mystery weapon, followed by a powerful secondary blast.
A follow up attack also took out a launcher for the Iskander a day earlier, Ukraine claimed.
But the blasts were something never been seen before by the quaking Russians during their illegal invasion.
This led to speculation on pro-Kremlin media channels that Ukraine may have fired a powerful German-supplied Taurus missile.
Putin-loyalists Tsargrad said on Telegram: “Did the first Taurus strike Russia?
“Unprecedented escalation in Bryansk and destruction of Iskander missiles.”
As channel MIG Russia claimed the pinpoint Bryansk strike was carried out with Western-made long-range missiles.
If it was a Taurus, it would mark the first ever time it has been used by Kyiv.
The Russians would also view it as an “unprecedented escalation” in the conflict due to the damage the weapon can cause.
Discourse around German weapons has ramped up in the parts 24 hours ever since Chancellor Friedrich Merz met in the Oval Office with Donald Trump.
German sources have had to deny that any agreement had been reached during the talks to send supplies of long-range Taurus’ to Ukraine.
Merz had announced at the end of May that Ukraine’s key backers – including Germany, France, the UK and the US – had all lifted restrictions on where donated weapons can be used.
And the announcement could even mean that Britain’s state-of-the-art Storm Shadow missiles could soon be used by Ukraine.
Britain’s bunker-busting Storm Shadow rockets are a nightmare for enemies as they are capable of dodging air defences.
The £800,000 missiles – already being fired within Ukraine – use GPS to precisely hit targets, and can travel at 600mph.
The Taurus missile system is widely regarded as Germany’s equivalent to the Storm Shadow.
The tit-for-tat attacks came hours after US President Donald Trump said it might be better to let Ukraine and Russia fight for a while.
The president has been so far unsuccessful on getting the two countries to agree to peace – with Moscow not moving on its demands.
The American was full of praise for Ukraine though as he labelled the daring Operation Spiderweb attack as “strong and badass”.
The daring operation saw a fired up Ukraine wreck 41 Russian planes across the strategic airfields.
Putin’s doomsday bomber fleet was crippled with a third of his most prized aircraft lying in smouldering wrecks.
It comes as a new report accused Putin of plotting a final killer offensive along three fronts to win the war this summer.
The Russian army is nearing one million casualties in its bungled three-year-old invasion as peace talks continue to stall.
Now, some 125,000 Russian soldiers are reportedly right now massing along the Sumy and Kharkiv frontiers, according to Ukraine’s military intelligence.
Over the past fortnight border villages have fallen to Russia as it is may to be preparing the ground for the offensive.
The suspect posted pictures of an animal skeleton weeks before the murders
Travis Decker, 32, is on the loose after allegedly killing his daughtersCredit: Facebook/chelancountysheriffsoffice
THE dad accused of killing his three daughters is believed to be hiding near a popular tourist destination, cops said.
Travis Decker is on the run in Washington state as cops search the woods near the Canadian border and theories swirl about the fugitive’s whereabouts based on his social media posts.
Investigators launched the manhunt after the bodies of Decker’s daughters, Olivia, 5, Evelyn, 8, and Paityn Decker, 9, were tragically found at a campground on Monday.
The girls’ mom reported them missing on Friday after Decker didn’t return them as scheduled after a custody visit.
The siblings were likely suffocated to death, cops said. They were found about 75 to 100 yards away from Decker’s truck, which he was living out of at the time of the killings.
Decker was nowhere to be found at the gruesome crime scene at Rock Island Campground in Leavenworth, Washington, about two hours east of Seattle.
Prosecutors charged Decker with kidnapping and killing his daughters, sparking a massive search for the suspect, who is a veteran with extensive military skills.
Investigators are now searching for Decker on the Pacific Crest Trail, which is a popular tourist hiking spot in the state
The trail spans 2,650 miles from Mexico to Canada and passes through Chelan County, the center of the search area.
On Friday morning, officials closed multiple paths off the Pacific Crest Trail in the ongoing search for Decker, according to the Pacific Crest Trail Association.
“Trails are closed until further notice due to ongoing search operations for a suspect in Chelan County,” the PCTA said.
The US Forest Service also issued an emergency closure of the Icicle River area in the Okanogan-Wenatchee Forest, shutting down multiple trails and parks.
On Thursday, cops urged residents of Okanogan, Chelan, Kittitas, King, and Snohomish counties to lock their doors and to leave their outside lights on as Decker is on the loose.
Investigators zeroed in on the area after executing search warrants on properties and electronic devices, the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office said.
The GMPCS licence is issued for a period of 20 years and allows companies to offer satellite communication services in licenced service areas.
After a three-year wait, Elon Musk-owned Starlink has finally received the green light to launch its satellite internet services in India – a move that could provide connectivity in rural areas where physical infrastructure remains poor.
India has said that the IWT will remain in abeyance until Islamabad “credibly and irrevocably” ends its support for cross-border terrorism.
Pakistan urged India to resume the Indus Waters Treaty: Report Photo : PTI
Pakistan wrote to India as many as four times urging it to reconsider its decision to suspend the Indus Water Treaty (IWT), which has now left Pakistan battling for water, reported news agency IANS, citing sources. Syed Ali Murtaza, Secretary of Pakistan’s Ministry of Water Resources, sent four letters to the Ministry of Jal Shakti, which has since then forwarded them to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). Sources said Murtaza has urged India to revoke the suspension and resume the agreement. The suspension has led to a water shortage in Pakistan, with many dams left without water.
India had suspended the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan on April 23, a day after terrorists shot dead 26 tourists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam. It was one of the punitive measures India took against Pakistan; others being suspending all visa services, closing Attari border and asking Pakistan nationals to leave.
India said that theIWT will remain in abeyanceuntil Islamabad “credibly and irrevocably” ends its support for cross-border terrorism. This is the first time New Delhi has hit pause on the World Bank-brokered agreement.
After India launched Operation Sindoor, Prime Minister Narendra Modi clearly said that “water and blood cannot flow together” and “terror and talks cannot happen at the same time”, underlining the government’s uncompromising position.
Exposed around the globe, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has been expressing Islamabad’s willingness to engage in peace talks with India to resolve ongoing disputes.
Notably, Pakistani politicians had issued repeated warnings calling the IWT suspension an “act of war”. Many leaders pleaded to the Shehbaz government to “defuse” the “water bomb” that is hanging over the country.
“We would die of hunger if we don’t resolve the water crisis now. The Indus Basin is our lifeline as three-fourths of our water comes from outside the country, nine out of 10 people depend on the Indus water basin for their living, as much as 90 per cent of our crops rely on this water and all our power projects and dams are built on it. This is like a water bomb hanging over us and we must defuse it,” Pakistan Senator Syed Ali Zafar was heard saying during a Senate Session last month.
Equality is a good thing. I support human rights. But the Human Rights Campaign? That’s something else. REUTERS
Why does Uber make videos where people say, “I’m non-binary or genderqueer”? And why does Lockheed Martin fund floats at Pride parades?
Because companies want to raise their score on the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index.
Equality is a good thing. I support human rights. But the Human Rights Campaign? That’s something else.
“They have nothing to do with actual human rights,” says Robby Starbuck. “They’re an LGBTQ+ advocacy organization that pushes topics about transgenderism into the workplace.”
Starbuck uses his social-media following to criticize the many companies that partner with the Human Rights Campaign.
The campaign “does great harm,” he says, because companies that want a high score must do things like pay for trans employees’ gender reassignment surgery and fund puberty blockers for employees’ kids.
I push back, “I know people who’ve had the surgery, and they seem happier!”
“If you’re an adult and you make a set of decisions I disagree with, that’s your prerogative,” replies Starbuck. “I don’t want to give my money to a company that’s going to use it to fund any sex changes of any child.”
People can debate the age when you’re considered competent to medically change your gender. What surprises me is how many companies suck up to the Human Rights Campaign by paying for it.
Google even brags about providing a “trans liaison” to help people transition.
Even some of your Amtrak tax subsidy goes to pay for this stuff. Amtrak’s “Lead Environmental Specialist” touts “education on personal pronouns.”
To raise their Corporate Equality Index scores, companies are encouraged to donate to LGBTQ+ groups — like the Human Rights Campaign! That helps the campaign collect millions in tax-free money.
The more I looked at the organization, the less it seems to be about human rights, and the more it seems to be about left-wing advocacy.
Its homepage features protesters holding signs saying, “I will aid and abet abortion.”
When I point that out to Starbuck, he says, “Yeah, which humans? Which rights? Apparently, if you’re a small enough human, you don’t have rights.”
The campaign’s president says its Corporate Equality Index is “about partnership with businesses to make workplaces as inclusive as possible for LGBTQ+ people.”
But today, most businesses are inclusive, and in America, LGBT people are more accepted than ever. Twenty years ago, 37% of Americans supported gay marriage; 45% said gay relationships are moral. Today, support for gay marriage is at 69% and 64% consider gay relationships moral.
Yet, as life gets better for LGBT people, the Human Rights Campaign declared a “national state of emergency for LGBTQ+ Americans!”
“This is a crisis right now!” said HRC president Kelley Robinson.
I think I know why she said that. If activists acknowledge that Americans have come to accept LGBT people, the campaign might go out of business. One HRC executive says, “We are never going to reach a destination.”
Of course not. There’s money to be made and leftist propaganda that needs spreading.
Starbuck, by pointing out what the HRC really does, has persuaded some companies to stop sucking up.
Ford, Harley-Davidson, Lowe’s, Molson Coors, Toyota, Tractor Supply, Walmart and others announced that they will no longer participate in the Index.
“We came along and told people the story and they backtracking began,” says Starbuck.
The campaign’s president says, “What we’re seeing from these companies is short-sighted.”
The boy was on holiday with his mother when the accident happened last summer
A 12-year-old boy fell to his death at Ireland’s Cliffs of Moher after slipping in a puddle close to the edge, an inquest has heard.
Zhihan Zhao and his mother, both Chinese nationals, were with her friends at the beauty spot on the County Clare coast on 23 July last year when he walked ahead of the group.
The coroner embraced Zhihan’s distraught mother after recording a verdict of accidental death.
The accident was the second fatal fall at the Cliffs of Moher within a three-month period last year.
Warning: this story contains details some may find distressing.
Zhihan and his mother, Xianhong Huang, had arrived in Ireland 12 days before his fatal fall.
In her deposition, Ms Huang said that Zhihan was walking ahead of her on the Cliffs of Moher trail when she lost sight of him.
“My son walked very fast and was ahead of us by 50 metres,” she said.
“As there was only one path, I thought we would meet him along the way.
“When I didn’t, I walked to the visitor centre and I checked the visitor centre.”
Unable to find him at the visitor centre, she returned to the path to search for him and when there was no sign of him, she reported him missing.
Ms Huang said she had last seen Zhihan at 13:00 that day and the court heard she had provided gardaí (Irish police) with a photo of him she had taken earlier on the trail.
Speaking through an interpreter at the inquest in Kilrush, County Clare, Ms Huang, wiping away tears, asked: “What exactly caused Zhihan to fall from the cliffs?”
Clare County Coroner Isobel O’Dea told the grieving mother that the evidence of an eyewitness would help answer that question.
A French tourist who witnessed him fall told Clare Coroner’s Court she had seen him slip and try to pull himself up by grasping at grass, before he disappeared over the edge.
French tourist Marion Tourgon told the inquest she had witnessed the fall at about 13:45 that day.
Ms Tourgon explained she had been at the edge of the cliffs with her husband and two children, taking a selfie at the time.
She describing seeing a young Asian boy, who was alone, come into view.
“I saw him slipping in the puddle that appears in the photo that my husband sent to the police,” the witness said.
“His right foot slipped into the puddle, with him trying to stop himself from falling with his left foot but his left foot ended up in the air.”
Ms Tourgon added: “It was very quick – he found himself in an awkward position with his left foot in a void over the cliff and his right knee on the edge of the cliff.”
She continued: “His right knee eventually fell into the void over the cliff and he was trying to grasp the grass with his hands to pull himself up.
“He didn’t shout and there was no noise.”
The Tourgon family then phoned the emergency services.
An air, land and sea search operation began involving the Irish Coast Guard, gardaí and Irish civil defence volunteers who used boats, drones, divers and a helicopter.
Five day search for missing boy
A police witness, Garda Colm Collins, told the inquest he had received a call at 14:00 that day after a male was seen falling off the edge of the Cliffs of Moher.
He said that the Irish Coast Guard had spotted a body floating in the water at the base of the cliffs.
The court heard a lifeboat had been launched but had not been able to access the site where the body was spotted because of the sea conditions.
It was another five days before Zhihan’s body was eventually recovered from the sea.
The boy was found by a fisherman, Matthew O’Halloran, from Corofin, County Clare.
He spotted a body face down with arms extended in the water between Doolin and the Aran Islands shortly after 10:00 on 28 July.
Mr O’Halloran alerted the Irish Coast Guard and its members retrieved Zhihan’s body and brought it ashore at Doolin.
Safety driver Huo Kangtian thinks the driverless trucks are “pretty good and safe”
They rumble down the highway between Beijing and Tianjin port: big lorries, loaded up and fully able to navigate themselves.
Sure, there is a safety driver in the seat, as per government regulations, but these lorries don’t require them, and many analysts say it won’t take long before they are gone.
When “safety driver” Huo Kangtian, 32, first takes his hands off the wheel, and lets the lorry drive itself, it is somehow impressive and disconcerting in equal measures.
For the initial stages of the journey, he is in full control. Then – at a certain point – he hits a few buttons, and the powerful, heavy machine is driving itself, moving at speed along a public road to Tianjin.
“Of course, I felt a bit scared the first time I drove an autonomous truck,” says Mr Huo. “But, after spending a lot of time observing and testing these machines, I think they are actually pretty good and safe.”
As the lorry veers off the freeway and up a ramp towards the toll gates, the machine is still driving itself. On the other side of the tollgate, Mr Huo again presses a few buttons, and he is back in charge.
“My job as a safety driver is to act as the last line of defence. For example, in the case of an emergency, I would have to take back control of the vehicle immediately to ensure everyone’s safety,” he explains.
In terms of the upsides for a driver, he says that switching to autonomous mode can help combat stress and fatigue, as well as freeing up hands and feet for other tasks. He says it doesn’t make his job boring, but rather more interesting.
When asked if he is worried that this technology may one day render his job obsolete, he says he doesn’t know too much about this.
It’s the diplomatic answer.
Pony AI’s fleet of driverless lorries, currently operating on these test routes, is only the start of what is to come, the company’s vice-president Li Hengyu tells the BBC.
“In the future, with driverless operations, our transportation efficiency will definitely be greatly improved,” he says. “For example, labour costs will be reduced but, more importantly, we can deal better with harsh environments and long hours driving.”
What this all boils down to is saving money, says industry expert Yang Ruigang, a technology professor from Shanghai Jiaotong University, who has extensive experience working on driverless technology in both China and the US.
“Anything that can reduce operating costs is something a company would like to have, so it’s fairly easy to justify the investment in having a fully autonomous, driverless truck,” he tells the BBC.
In short, he says, the goal is simple: “Reduce the driver cost close to zero.”
However, significant hurdles remain before lorries will be allowed to drive themselves on roads around the world – not the least of which is public concern.
In China, self-driving technology suffered a major setback following an accident which killed three university students after their vehicle had been in “auto pilot” mode.
Economist Intelligence Unit analyst Chim Lee says the Chinese public still has quite a way to go before it is won over.
“We know that recent accidents involving passenger cars have caused a huge uproar in China. So, for driverless trucks – even though they tend to be more specific to certain locations for the time being – the public’s image of them is going to be absolutely critical for policy makers, and for the market as well, compared to passenger vehicles.”
Professor Yang agrees that lorry drivers are unlikely to lose their jobs in large numbers just yet.
“We have to discuss the context. Open environment? Probably not. High speed? Definitely no. But, if it is a low-speed situation, like with the last mile delivery trucks, it’s here already.”
In Eastern China’s Anhui Province, hundreds of driverless delivery vans navigate their way through the suburban streets of Hefei – a city with an official population of eight million – as human-driven scooters and cars whizz around them.
It was once one of country’s poorest cities, but these days its government wants it to be known as a place of the future, prepared to give new technology a chance.
Gary Huang, president of autonomous vehicle company, Rino.ai, says they discovered a market niche where driverless delivery vans could send parcels from big distribution hubs run by courier companies to local neighbourhood stations. At that point, scooter drivers take over, dropping off the packages to people’s front doors.
“We’re allowing couriers to stay within community areas to do pickup and drop off while the autonomous vans handle the repetitive, longer-distance trips. This boosts the entire system’s efficiency,” he tells us.
Rino has also been talking to other countries, and the company says the quickest uptake of its vehicles will be in Australia later this year, when a supermarket chain will start using their driverless delivery vehicles.
Meanwhile, in China, they say they’re now running more than 500 vans with road access in over 50 cities.
However, Hefei remains the most advanced.
Apart from Rino, the city has also now given permission for other driverless delivery van companies to operate.
Gary Huang says this is due to a combination of factors.
“Encouragement came from the government, followed by local experimentation, the gaining of experience, the refinement of regulations and eventually allowing a broad implementation.”
And you can see them on the roads, changing lanes, indicating before they turn, pulling up at red lights and avoiding other traffic.
For the courier companies, the numbers tell the story.
The mystery of a maritime disaster has been solved after experts found a vessel that sank almost 140 years ago.
Diver and explorer Dom Robinson identified the SS Nantes, off Plymouth, after examining the wreck site and finding crockery.
Dr Harry Bennett, an expert in maritime history, said the dive team had found “the underwater archaeological equivalent of a needle in a haystack”.
Mr Robinson said solving the mystery ensured those who died were not forgotten.
Dr Harry Bennett said the SS Nantes sank “with the loss of a substantial number of the crew”
In November 1888, the SS Nantes, which was operated by the Cunard Steamship Company, collided with a German sailing vessel, the Theodor Ruger, said Dr Bennett.
The crew spent “several hours” trying to save their ship, the honorary associate professor in history at the University of Plymouth said.
“They used mattresses to plug the gap which had opened up in the hull of the SS Nantes,” he said.
“[The ship sank] with the loss of a substantial number of the crew. There were some 23-odd fatalities. There were three survivors.”
Bodies from the wreckage washed ashore at Talland Bay and Looe, in Cornwall, and “locals were confronted by this picture of horror, pieces of ship together with bodies,” he said.
Afterwards the “wreck was essentially lost, obviously you’re dealing in a period with no satellite navigation,” said Dr Bennett.
He added while the crew tried to save the ship it “drifted for several hours, before it finally made its way to the bottom, sadly, with many of its crewmen on board”.
He said the wreck was lost until a local dive team identified it in 2024.
Mr Robinson, who has been diving for about 35 years, said he heard about the unidentified wreck from the UK Hydrographic Office.
On the back of a plate is the stamp of the Cunard Steamship Company
‘Bingo, we’ve found it’
He said the wreck “was clearly an early steamship when we got down there” but “at the end of my dive I found a broken piece of plate… I decided to bring it up to the surface [and] we found that had the Cunard Steamship crest on it”.
“It was then bingo, we’ve found it,” he said.
Dr Bennett said it was identified by the build and dimensions of the wreck, the technology on board, the cargo and “lastly and most telling, they find a plate on the back of which is stamped Cunard – this is a Cunard ship”.
“[It was] very methodical, very, very dedicated detective work,” he said.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia, whose mistaken deportation to El Salvador became a political flashpoint in the Trump administration’s stepped-up immigration enforcement, was returned to the United States on Friday to face criminal charges related to what the Trump administration said was a large human smuggling operation that brought immigrants into the country illegally.
His abrupt release from El Salvador closes one chapter and opens another in a saga that yielded a remarkable, months-long standoff between Trump officials and the courts over a deportation that officials initially acknowledged was done in error but then continued to stand behind in apparent defiance of orders by judges to facilitate his return to the U.S.
The development occurred after U.S. officials presented El Salvador President Nayib Bukele with an arrest warrant for federal charges in Tennessee accusing Abrego Garcia of playing a key role in smuggling immigrants into the country for money. He is expected to be prosecuted in the U.S. and, if convicted, will be returned to his home country of El Salvador at the conclusion of the case, officials said Friday.
“This is what American justice looks like,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in announcing Abrego Garcia’s return and the unsealing of a grand jury indictment.
Abrego Garcia’s attorneys called the case “baseless.”
“There’s no way a jury is going to see the evidence and agree that this sheet metal worker is the leader of an international MS-13 smuggling conspiracy,” attorney Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg said.Federal Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes in Nashville, Tennessee, determined that Abrego Garcia will be held in custody until at least next Friday, when there will be an arraignment and detention hearing.
Abrego Garcia appeared in court wearing a short-sleeved, white, button-down shirt. When asked if he understood the charges, he told the judge: “Sí. Lo entiendo.” An interpreter then said: “Yes. I understand.”
Democrats and immigrant rights group had pressed for Abrego Garcia’s release, with several lawmakers — including Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, where Abrego Garcia had lived for years — even traveling to El Salvador to visit him. A federal judge had ordered him to be returned in April and the Supreme Court rejected an emergency appeal by directing the government to work to bring him back.
But the news that Abrego Garcia, who had an immigration court order preventing his deportation to his native country over fears he would face persecution from local gangs, was being brought back for the purpose of prosecution was greeted with dismay by his lawyers.
The case also prompted the resignation of a top supervisor in the U.S. attorney’s office in Nashville, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a personnel matter.
Ben Schrader, who was chief of the office’s criminal division, did not explain the reason for his resignation but posted to social media around the time the indictment was being handed down, saying: “It has been an incredible privilege to serve as a prosecutor with the Department of Justice, where the only job description I’ve ever known is to do the right thing, in the right way, for the right reasons.”
He declined to comment when reached by The Associated Press on Friday.
Abrego Garcia’s lawyer calls charges ‘preposterous’
“This administration … instead of simply admitting their mistake, they’ll stop at nothing at all, including some of the most preposterous charges imageable,” Sandoval-Moshenberg said.
Ama Frimpong, legal director with the group CASA, said Abrego Garcia’s family has mixed emotions about his return to the U.S.
“Let him talk to his wife. Let him talk to his children. This family has suffered enough,” she said.
Sandoval-Moshenberg said Abrego Garcia is one of the first, if not the first, person released from a notorious prison in El Salvador, though he was later imprisoned at another facility.
“So it’s going to be very interesting to hear what he has to say about the way in which he was treated,” the attorney said.
The indictment, filed last month and unsealed Friday, lays out a string of allegations that date back to 2016 but are only being disclosed now, nearly three months after Abrego Garcia was mistakenly deported and following the Trump administration’s repeated claims that he is a criminal.
It accuses him of smuggling throughout the U.S. thousands of people living in the country illegally, including children and members of the violent MS-13 gang, from Central America and abusing women he was transporting. A co-conspirator also alleged that he participated in the killing of a gang member’s mother in El Salvador, prosecutors wrote in papers urging the judge to keep him behind bars while he awaits trial.
The indictment does not charge him in connection with that allegation.
“Later, as part of his immigration proceedings in the United States, the defendant claimed he could not return to El Salvador because he was in fear of retribution from the 18th Street gang,” the detention memo states.
“While partially true — the defendant, according to the information received by the Government, was in fear of retaliation by the 18th Street gang — the underlying reason for the retaliation was the defendant’s own actions in participating in the murder of a rival 18th Street gang member’s mother,” prosecutors wrote.
The charges stem from a 2022 vehicle stop in which the Tennessee Highway Patrol suspected him of human trafficking. A report released by the Department of Homeland Security in April states that none of the people in the vehicle had luggage, while they listed the same address as Abrego Garcia.
Abrego Garcia was never charged with a crime, while the officers allowed him to drive on with only a warning about an expired driver’s license, according to the DHS report. The report said he was traveling from Texas to Maryland, via Missouri, to bring in people to perform construction work.
In response to the report’s release in April, Abrego Garcia’s wife said in a statement that he sometimes transported groups of workers between job sites, “so it’s entirely plausible he would have been pulled over while driving with others in the vehicle. He was not charged with any crime or cited for any wrongdoing.”
Immigrant rights advocates vs. the Trump administration
Abrego Garcia’s background and personal life have been a source of dispute and contested facts. Immigrant rights advocates have cast his arrest as emblematic of an administration whose deportation policy is haphazard and error-prone, while Trump officials have pointed to prior interactions with police and described him as a gang member who fits the mold they are determined to expel from the country.
Abrego Garcia lived in the U.S. for roughly 14 years, during which he worked construction, got married and was raising three children with disabilities, according to court records. Trump administration officials said he was deported based on a 2019 accusation from Maryland police that he was an MS-13 gang member. Abrego Garcia denied the allegation and was never charged with a crime, his attorneys said.
A U.S. immigration judge subsequently shielded Abrego Garcia from deportation to El Salvador because he likely faced persecution there by local gangs. The Trump administration deported him there in March, later describing the mistake as “an administrative error” but insisting he was in MS-13.
ARussian official said that the nation could offer American billionaire Elon Musk political asylum over his fierce dispute with U.S. President Donald Trump.
Why It Matters
The U.S. president and the world’s richest man have had a dramatic fallout, leaving many wondering what will come of the relationship.
The comments come as tensions between Washington and Moscow remain high as ceasefire talks for the Russia-Ukraine war have stalled, with the last round of negotiations lasting just 90 minutes with little progress outside of an agreement to release prisoners on both sides.
Last month, Trump said about Russian President Vladimir Putin, “I’ve always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him.”
What To Know
Dmitry Novikov, first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, made the comments to Russian state news outlet TASS.
“I think that Musk has a completely different game, [so] he will not need any political asylum, although if he did, Russia, of course, could provide it,” Novikov said, in remarks translated from Russian.
Musk and Trump, who had been political allies over desired cuts to federal spending, have publicly clashed recently with the feud escalating on June 5 in a series of exchanges across social media and in comments to reporters.
Elon Musk looks on during a news conference with President Donald Trump at the White House on May 30, 2025. ALLISON ROBBERT/AFP via Getty Images
The spat began over Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which includes an extension of his signature tax cuts and spending for other priorities, such as border security. Musk has expressed worries about the impact this bill will have on national debt.
Trump has claimed that Musk is upset that the president has taken away mandates for electric vehicles (EVs).
“Elon was ‘wearing thin,’ I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!” he wrote in a post on Truth Social.
Musk wrote later on X on Thursday: “Time to drop the really big bomb:@realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!”
In another post, he added: “Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out.”
The Tesla CEO also suggested that Trump should be impeached.
What People Are Saying
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Newsweek on Thursday: “This is an unfortunate episode from Elon, who is unhappy with the One Big Beautiful Bill because it does not include the policies he wanted. The President is focused on passing this historic piece of legislation and making our country great again.”
Elon Musk, on X: “Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate. Such ingratitude.”
The argument over the “One Big Beautiful Bill” intensified in several posts on social media, leaving netizens as mere spectators, with some wanting to grab a popcorn and watch what’s happening.
X users react to Trump-Musk fight |
The internet is buzzing after corporate lawyer and general counsel Matt Margolis summed up the chaos of a recent Trump-Musk online faceoff with one viral post: “We’re like four or five tweets away from national secrets.”
Shared on X (formerly Twitter), Margolis’s remark has already racked up over a million views — and an avalanche of reactions and memes.
The comment came in the wake of a heated digital clash between former U.S. President Donald Trump and tech mogul Elon Musk. The exchange, which unfolded publicly on social media, felt like an episode of a chaotic discussion rather than political commentary to people.
We’re like four or five tweets away from national secrets
It all kicked off when Trump, speaking from the Oval Office, slammed Musk for criticising a Republican-backed spending bill. The argument over the “One Big Beautiful Bill” intensified in several posts on social media, leaving netizens as mere spectators, with some wanting to grab a popcorn and watch what’s happening.
Netizens react
As Musk fired back with a series of posts, a tweetstorm quickly spiraled.
“More love and power to you, Rafif and everyone fighting for their everyday life,” one user wrote.
Parle-G biscuit ₹2,342 in Gaza, claims viral X post | X@Mo7ammed_jawad6
A viral post from war-torn Gaza has left many online heartbroken, especially in India, after a resident shared how much it took to get his daughter her favourite treat — a pack of Parle-G biscuits.
Mohammad Jawad, a Gaza-based X user, posted a touching video of himself with his daughter sitting on his lap as she carefully opened a biscuit wrapper and began to eat.
“After a long wait, I finally got Ravif her favourite biscuits today,” he wrote, adding that the price had skyrocketed from €1.5 to over €24 — roughly ₹2,342. In India, the same pack (single) of Parle-G sells for just ₹5. However, it was unclear whether the Gaza man mentioned the price of a single packet or a multiple set for the hefty price.
Take a look at the X post
After a long wait, I finally got Ravif her favorite biscuits today. Even though the price jumped from €1.5 to over €24, I just couldn’t deny Rafif her favorite treat. pic.twitter.com/O1dbfWHVTF
— Mohammed jawad 🇵🇸 (@Mo7ammed_jawad6) June 1, 2025
The post quickly went viral, not just for the emotional moment it captured, but also for highlighting the alarming food crisis in Gaza.
The Israel-Hamas war began in October 2023, and it continues with no clear end in sight. Gaza reportedly remains under siege — cut off from essentials and facing famine-like conditions. Basic food items, once affordable, are now scarce luxuries. This now-viral X post by Jawad was the proof.
Muhammad Yunus, head of the Bangladesh interim government, has announced elections in the first half of April 2026. This improves the situation of prevailing uncertainty even if just marginally. Parties are pitted in a reform-vs-election fight, and the announcement seems to be an attempt by Yunus to buy time amid pressure from parties and the Army.
In his Eid address, Muhammad Yunus announced that the next elections will be held in the first half of April 2026. (AFP Image)
Muhammad Yunus, the chief adviser to the interim government in Bangladesh, on Friday addressed the nation and declared that elections would be held in the first half of April 2026. The announcement runs counter to the demands of polls in December by a host of parties, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which is the frontrunner to win the election. The situation of uncertainty in Bangladesh improves just marginally with Yunus’ announcement.
While the Communist Party of Bangladesh insisted on polls in December, the student-led National Citizens Party (NCP) said it was fine with polls in April if effective steps were taken to implement the July Charter, July Declaration and reforms by then, according to reports by Dhaka-based Prothom Alo.
While declaring that the election would be held in April, Yunus didn’t provide any specific dates. Revealing that he wasn’t really prepared, no details or schedule were provided as to how the administration plans to utilise the months in the run-up to the election in April.
“There is a possibility that Yunus might not be able to conduct the election in a very free and fair way due to the given political circumstances, inherent flawed electoral laws and political uncertainty,” Dhaka-based activist academic Rezaur Rahman Lenin told India Today Digital.
Since he took over as the Chief Adviser to the interim government in Bangladesh in August 2024 after protesters forced PM Sheikh Hasina into a self-imposed exile, Yunus has ruled in confusion, chaos and uncertainty.
The announcement reveals that he plans to continue in that same way.
Muhammad Yunus and advisers on his council had earlier said that elections would be held between December 2025 and June 2026.
With the announcement, Yunus and his team, including the student advisers, have around nine months to prepare for the election. While governments have conducted elections in such a timeframe, this might be a difficult task because the entire machinery has been shaken up and those in power are talking about reforms.
The student-founded NCP is also demanding a revamp of the election commission to purge it of “BNP loyalists”.
While Yunus and the NCP have been prioritising reforms, the BNP wants elections held first. It knows that with Hasina’s Awami League becoming infamous and banned, it has the momentum with it now, which might fizzle out for some time.
Also, there is a genuine fear of the NCP becoming the “king’s party” with student advisers still part of the Yunus government. The lines between the NCP and the interim government have blurred.
BNP leader Ruhul Kabir Rizvi had just on June 5 accused the interim government of “resorting to tactics” to delay the election. Not just the BNP, around 50 other parties have been demanding that the polls be held in December, according to a report by the Dhaka-based Daily Jugantar.
Bangladesh Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman also called for elections by December, saying that an elected government should take policy decisions for the country.
Under pressure, Yunus told the advisory council and NCP leader Nahid Islam that he planned to resign as the Chief Advisor. This saw a flurry of activity, and leaders said they had persuaded Yunus to stay on.
That the road ahead isn’t going to be smooth and without major arguments was hinted by the NCP on Friday, right after Yunus announced that the election would be held in April.
“If effective steps are taken to implement the July Charter, July Declaration and reforms within this period, then we have no objection to holding the elections on the announced date,” NCP member secretary Akhtar Hossain told Prothom Alo.
The NCP is trying to project itself as a rising force to take on the established BNP, which has seen frequent clashes.
Chile’s President Gabriel Boric speaks during his annual address at the National Congress building in Valparaiso, Chile June 1, 2025. REUTERS/Rodrigo Garrido/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
An effort by Chilean President Gabriel Boric to expand abortion rights in the final months of his administration could finally give him a progressive legacy after three years in office but it is an uphill task that Latin American conservatives are hoping will fail as they seek to reverse gains for the abortion rights movement in the region.
Leftist Boric set off a fierce debate in Congress this week with a bill to ease restrictions on abortion.
The attempt to fulfill a campaign promise comes at the tail end of an administration that has failed to deliver on progressive proposals such as wideranging tax reforms and a liberal new constitution, which was rejected at a referendum in 2022.
Chile’s proposed law would decriminalize abortion and allow for the termination of pregnancies up to 14 weeks under any circumstance, putting the country on par with neighboring Argentina.
Recent expansions in Colombia and Mexico have cemented even broader abortion rights. But Boric’s proposal does not appear to have the support in Congress to pass, potentially making the issue a central part of campaigns ahead of a November vote to replace him as president and elect most of the legislature.
Reproductive rights may also face push back in neighboring Argentina where abortion was decriminalized in 2020.
Argentine President Javier Milei, an ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, has cut some federal funding for contraceptives and emergency contraception, commonly known as the ‘morning after pill.’
“Demographic policies should be rethought beyond the atrocity of killing human beings developing in their mother’s womb,” Milei wrote in a recent op-ed.
Milei has focused on taming runaway inflation, but mid-term elections later this year are likely to broaden his support, based on his strength in a recent Buenos Aires vote. That could test his readiness to push through a socially conservative agenda.
Constanza Schonhaut, a lawyer and executive director of human rights organization Corporacion Humanas, noted that the abortion debate has increasingly transcended borders as both far right groups and feminist organizations form alliances online.
“What happens in Chile can influence other countries and vice versa,” Schonhaut said. “In an increasingly connected world, it is not only feminist organizations that are coordinating internationally.”
When Boric announced the legislation during his last annual address to the nation on Sunday, legislators waving green and purple bandanas that represent abortion rights cheered.
“Generations of women have lived and fought for this,” Boric said. “Don’t deny them at least the democratic debate as citizens capable of deciding for themselves.”
Members of the conservative bench jeered and shouted, “No abortion!” and several walked out.
“Why does (Boric) insist knowing he doesn’t have the votes? Why? To insult us,” Johannes Kaiser, a far-right firebrand legislator and among the leading presidential contenders, told reporters after leaving the room.
Japan’s Ispace Says It’s Trying to Make Contact With Moon Lander
Tokyo-based ispace Inc. said it’s trying to make contact with its lunar lander after attempting to become the first non-US company to reach the moon’s surface intact.
Ispace’s Resilience lander was expected to touch down on the moon after 4 a.m. Japan time on Friday, but the company ended its live stream of the landing attempt without confirming the status of the mission.
A press conference is scheduled for 9 a.m., the company said.
The mission follows a failed attempt in 2023 when a programming error led to a crash of the spacecraft. Success today would make ispace the third company to park a spacecraft safely on the moon after Texas-based rivals Intuitive Machines Inc. and Firefly Aerospace Inc., as countries race to explore the moon.
The Japanese lander launched into space aboard one of Elon Musk-led SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets in January. The rocket also launched a lander from Firefly that touched down on the lunar surface in March.
Resilience was expected to dispatch its rover, named Tenacious, which is equipped with a high-definition camera and a shovel to collect lunar regolith and transmit data back to the lander. Ispace signed a contract in 2020 with NASA to provide the US agency with regolith collected on the moon’s surface.
Aboard the lander are customer payloads with varying purposes including a commemorative plate from Bandai Namco Research Institute Inc. — an affiliate of the entertainment company behind game brands like Pac Man and Gundam — and experimental equipment such as a device to extract hydrogen from water.
Ispace plans to send its landers more frequently to the moon starting in 2027, with an aim to transport payloads two or three times a year, according to company’s founder and CEO Takeshi Hakamada. The plan is based on his belief that humans could start making a living on the moon as early as the 2040s.
PORNHUB has pulled out of France as a stringent clampdown on adult sites makes its way to Europe.
A furious backlash over the country’s new age verification rules has prompted the site to block access.
Pornhub is the world’s most visited porn site, with France being one of its biggest marketsCredit: Getty
It comes over objections to a new law requiring porn sites to verify the age of users.
Aylo, the adult entertainment company that owns Pornhub, has announced it will block access to the site in France as a result.
The company claims the French law poses a privacy risk to users.
The law could see users required to enter credit card details or other forms of official ID to verify their age.
Aylo also runs other popular porn sites such as Youporn and RedTube – which will also now be unavailable in France.
The company argues that device-based age verification is a better solution than requiring porn sites to police the age of users.
Aylo’s VP for Brand and Community Alex Kekesi said: “All it requires is that the government enforce regulations on three companies – Apple, Google and Microsoft – the three operating system manufacturers requiring age verification at the device level prior to accessing adult content.
“The French government refuses to take this simple step and instead are focused on futile and entirely symbolic regulatory actions which are unenforceable, do not protect children and expose your private data.”
Pornhub is the world’s most visited porn site, with France being one of its biggest markets.
The website claims that France was its second biggest audience in 2024 after the United States.
Kekesi added: “We’ve made the difficult decision to suspend access to our sites in France and instead use our platforms to speak directly to the French people.
“French citizens deserve a government and a regulator who are serious about preventing children from accessing adult content.
“They also deserve laws which protect their privacy and safeguard their sensitive data.”
French Gender Equality Minister Aurore Bergé posted on X that Aylo’s decision meant there would be “less violent, degrading and humiliating content accessible to minors in France”.
She added: “Pornhub, Youporn, and RedTube refuse to comply with our legal framework and decide to leave. Good!”
It comes after Aylo made similar moves to block access to its porn sites in several US states over age verification laws.
So far, 19 US states have passed laws requiring porn sites to verify users’ ages.
The military alliance looks set to satisfy US President Donald Trump’s demands to commit to a massive increase in defense spending. Some creative counting proposed by NATO head Mark Rutte could soften the financial blow.
Companies like Rheinmetall, the maker of these tanks, are expected to be overrun with orders in the years to comeImage: Fabian Bimmer/REUTERS
A NATO defense ministers’ meeting in Brussels on Thursday showed “broad support” for signing off a historic hike in defense spending at a crunch summit later this month. This was their response to the growing threat from Russia and a “more dangerous world” in general, the military alliance’s Secretary General Mark Rutte told reporters.
“I will propose an overall investment plan that would total 5% of gross domestic product in defense investment,” Rutte announced, following months of pressure from US President Donald Trump for allies to more than double the present target.
Current NATO guidelines encourage states to spend 2% of their economic output on their militaries. But not all of the alliance’s members meet this target, raising questions of how they will reach an even higher spending goal.
Splitting the bill
In response, NATO chief Rutte has specified a division of the new spending goal that could allow Trump to claim a headline figure, while giving the other 31 nations room to maneuver their national budgets. Thus, of the 5%, 3.5% of national GDP could be allotted to “core defence spending”, while the remaining 1.5% could be diverted to “defense- and security-related investment like infrastructure and industry,” he said.
Trump has long criticized NATO allies for relying on the US’ large military might as a strategy to defend the European continent. In 2023, more than two thirds of the 32 NATO countries’ collective $1.3 trillion (€1.14 trillion) military spending came from Washington, according to data compiled by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
On Thursday, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth drove home the message to the rest of the alliance once again. “Every shoulder has to be to the plough. Every country has to contribute at that level of 5% as a recognition of the nature of threat,” he said.
Leaders of the world’s most powerful defense alliance are set to gather in three weeks in the Dutch city The Hague. Topping the agenda will be discussions on the ongoing war in Ukraine, and Russia’s resulting massive rearmament drive. It seems likely that NATO members will officially commit to the 5% goal at these upcoming talks.
Giving in to pressure
Under US pressure, and with Europeans alarmed by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, NATO military spending has already burgeoned in recent years. Most countries now meet the 2% threshold, which was agreed upon 11 years ago. But around one third of the alliance still doesn’t, including Portugal, Italy, Canada, Belgium, and Spain.
Most NATO states had indicated willingness to spend more, but the 5% goal was considered far-fetched when Trump floated the idea earlier this year. Almost half a year on, the message seems to be resonating with many in the alliance.
Earlier this week, 14 NATO states, including the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and the five Nordic states, published a joint statement in which they said they were “moving towards reaching at least 5% of GDP on defense and defense-related investments.”
Last month, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadepuhl also indicated Germany could get on board with the goal.
Several NATO countries, including Poland, Estonia and Lithuania, have already committed to spending 5% or more in the future. All are former Soviet states, and two of them share a border with Russia.
Since taking office in January, the “America-first” president has strained the NATO alliance with threats not to help defend alliance members that didn’t meet spending targets should they be attacked. His designs on the semi-autonomous Danish territory Greenland have also alienated allies, as have his attempts at bilateral talks to find an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine, which sidelined European partners and left Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy largely marginalized.
Questions remain
There are still many open questions to be answered, one of them being the timeline.
On Thursday, Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur spoke of committing to reaching 5% within five years. “We don’t have time for ten years, we don’t even have time for seven years, to be honest,” he said.
But the official focus at this week’s meeting was on working out what exact capabilities NATO would need and may currently be missing to defend itself if a member of the alliance were attacked. After the talks, Rutte spoke of the need to upgrade air defense systems and long-range missiles, among other things.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Germany might need as many as 50,000 – 60,000 more troops in its standing forces to meet defense needs in the coming years.
Increased spending amid economic downturn
While consensus appears to be forming, it is also clear that increasing military spending to 5% of GDP would be an enormous strain on public finances, particularly as Europe’s two major economies, Germany and France, face tough times.
Paris and Berlin are touting increased defense spending as a chance to fuel economic growth in Europe, but there is a risk of public backlash. In April in Rome, the opposition Five Star Movement led a protest against an EU drive to rearm the bloc — a move supported by the government of far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni — reportedly drawing tens of thousands of people.
According to Cullen Hendrix, an expert from the Peterson Institute for International Economics, a US think tank, a 5% spending target would essentially put NATO countries on “war footing.”
Germany’s chancellor held a friendly meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House, and said he hopes for progress on trade talks and putting pressure on Russia. More on DW.
Merz and Trump before taking questions from the press at the White HouseImage: Alex Brandon/ASSOCIATED PRESS/picture alliance
Merz blames antisemitism in Germany on migration
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has called the sharp rise in antisemitism in Germany a “terrible challenge” for the country.
“We are doing everything we can to bring these numbers down,” he said during an interview on US broadcaster Fox News.
The number of antisemitic incidents in Germany almost doubled in 2024, a report released on Wednesday found.
It registered 8,627 incidents of violence, vandalism and threats against Jews in Germany.
In the Fox News interview, Merz blamed the increasing antisemitism on migrants.
“Frankly, we have imported antisemitism with the big numbers of migrants we have within the last 10 years,” he said.
According to Wednesday’s report, antisemitic attacks came from all parts of society — from the radical left, Muslim communities and the far right.
The report found that antisemitic incidents with a right-wing extremist background reached their highest level since it started colleting data in 2020.
Merz has used the rhetoric of “imported antisemitism” before, something critics say fuels Islamaphobia and enables Germany to ignore the growing problem of antisemitism within its society.
Ukraine launched drones out of trucks to destroy Russian bomber planes far from the frontlines. It is a classic example of how technology has rewritten the playbook of war, says defence writer Mike Yeo.
A satellite image shows a destroyed TU 22 aircraft in the aftermath of a drone strike at the Belaya air base, Irkutsk region, Russia, Jun 4, 2025, Maxar Technologies/Handout via REUTERS
Ukraine has held out against a stronger adversary for more than three years, thanks to its ability to wage asymmetric warfare. Even so, the drone attack deep inside Russia on Sunday (Jun 1) was particularly audacious.
Multiple drone swarms launched from container trucks hit four airbases thousands of kilometres from the frontlines and destroyed several Russian long-range bombers. For some, it was a “genius” move; for others, it confirms a nightmare scenario.
Ukraine’s Operation Spider’s Web is a classic example of how technology has rewritten the playbook of war, and how long-range strikes into enemy territory can be conducted cheaply and quietly with disproportionate results.
Beyond Russia, the attack would have sent reverberations among defence planners around the world.
For some time now, even though some analysts have warned that something like this was not beyond the realm of possibility given the technology already available, it would have undoubtedly been a shock to see it put into practice so successfully and on such a scale. Everyone and their valuable military assets can be vulnerable to such threats.
WHAT WENT DOWN IN OPERATION SPIDER’S WEB
Hundreds of drones, each carrying an explosive munition, struck bases deep inside Russia – with the farthest one, Belaya, located in Siberia, just north of Russia’s border with Mongolia and more than 4,000km from the Ukraine.
These bases were likely chosen due to their housing of long-range, high-value Russian air assets such as bombers and surveillance aircraft. The former have been lobbing cruise missiles at Ukraine with impunity since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022.
Ukraine’s intelligence service revealed the drones were smuggled into Russia on specially designed racks housed inside modified standard shipping containers. They were driven to spots near the air bases by unwitting Russian truck drivers.
The Ukrainians added that the drones were mostly flown autonomously, with video feeds and some operator input sent via the Russian mobile phone network. One of their videos appears to suggest this was the case, with the drone hovering above the wing of a Russian Tu-95MS bomber and gingerly adjusting its position before plunging down near where the plane’s wing met its fuselage.
This is one of its most vulnerable spots – the location of its fuel tanks. Another video released by Ukraine that has been geolocated by open-source intelligence (OSINT) investigators to Olenya air base in northern Russia showed three more Tu-95MS bombers and a transport aircraft burning fiercely.
UNCONVENTIONAL MEANS, DEVASTATING RESULTS
The attack is the latest demonstration of Ukraine’s ingenuity and ability to harness technology and use unconventional methods to exploit a stronger adversary’s vulnerabilities.
The Ukrainians claimed to have hit 41 Russian aircraft, though a United States assessment put the number closer to 20, of which about 10 were destroyed. Given that Russia’s long-range bomber fleet has been estimated to be about 80 aircraft, the loss of almost 13 per cent of the force represents a significant blow to this area of Russian military capabilities.
This was not the first time Ukraine has used drones to strike Russian bases far from the frontlines.
Previous occasions have utilised larger, longer-ranged drones launched from Ukraine. But these attacks have lower rates of successes against defended targets as the drones are bigger and more easily detected and targeted by air defences.
Still, these have had some success, particularly with attacks on Russian ammunition storages that have triggered spectacular explosions and fires and deprived their enemy of bombs and other explosives.
They have also forced the Russians to base their aircraft further from Ukraine, which imposes a cost: increased transit times to and from operating areas, increased strain on aircraft and crews, which reduced the number of missions that can be flown.
HEADACHE TO DEFEND AGAINST
So what are the options for militaries seeking to protect valuable assets if conventional air defences would struggle to detect and destroy such drones?
There are a range of anti-drone systems (or Counter Unmanned Aircraft Systems, C-UAS) available, ranging from guns and missiles to electronic jammers that disrupt the signals between the drone and its operator. Other solutions are also being developed, such as the use of laser (directed energy) weapons to destroy the drone.
A Harvard sign is seen at the Harvard University campus in Boston, Massachusetts, on May 27, 2025. (File photo: AFP/Rick Friedman)
Harvard University said on Thursday (Jun 5) that US President Donald Trump’s move to bar foreign nationals seeking to study at the Ivy League school from entering the United States is illegal, and asked a judge to block it immediately pending further litigation.
Harvard amended an earlier lawsuit, which it had filed amid a broader dispute with the Republican president, to challenge the proclamation that Trump issued on Wednesday.
“The Proclamation denies thousands of Harvard’s students the right to come to this country to pursue their education and follow their dreams, and it denies Harvard the right to teach them. Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard,” the school said in the filing.
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson called Harvard “a hotbed of anti-American, anti-Semitic, pro-terrorist agitators”, claims that the school has previously denied.
“Harvard’s behaviour has jeopardised the integrity of the entire US student and exchange visitor visa system and risks compromising national security. Now it must face the consequences of its actions,” Jackson said in a statement.
Trump cited national security concerns as justification for barring international students from entering the US to pursue studies at the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based university.
The suspension will initially be for six months but can be extended. Trump’s proclamation also directs the US State Department to consider revoking academic or exchange visas of any current Harvard students who meet his proclamation’s criteria.
In Thursday’s court filing, Harvard said Trump had violated federal law by failing to back up his claims about national security.
“The Proclamation does not deem the entry of an alien or class of aliens to be detrimental to the interests of the United States, because noncitizens who are impacted by the Proclamation can enter the United States – just so long as they go somewhere other than Harvard,” the school said.
The Trump administration has launched a multifront attack on the nation’s oldest and wealthiest university, freezing billions of dollars in grants and other funding and proposing to end its tax-exempt status, prompting a series of legal challenges.
Harvard argues the administration is retaliating against it for refusing to accede to demands to control the school’s governance, curriculum and the ideology of its faculty and students.
Trump’s directive came a week after a federal judge in Boston, US District Judge Allison Burroughs, announced she would issue a broad injunction blocking the administration from revoking Harvard’s ability to enroll international students, who make up about a quarter of its student body.
Harvard said in Thursday’s court filing that the proclamation was “a patent effort to do an end-run around this Court’s order”.
The university sued after Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced on May 22 that her department was immediately revoking Harvard’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification, which allows it to enroll foreign students.
Noem’s action was temporarily blocked almost immediately by Burroughs. On the eve of a hearing before her last week, the department changed course and said it would instead challenge Harvard’s certification through a lengthier administrative process.
Nonetheless, Burroughs said she planned to issue a longer-term preliminary injunction at Harvard’s urging, saying one was necessary to give some protection to Harvard’s international students.
US President Donald Trump and Elon Musk attend a press conference in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 30, 2025. (Photo: Reuters/Nathan Howard)
United States President Donald Trump threatened on Thursday (Jun 5) to cut off government contracts with billionaire Elon Musk’s companies, while Musk suggested Trump should be impeached, turning their bromance into an all-out brawl on social media.
The hostilities began when Trump criticised Tesla CEO Musk in the Oval Office. Within hours, the once-close relationship had disintegrated in full public view, as the world’s most powerful man and its richest launched personal barbs at one another on Trump’s Truth Social and Musk’s X platforms.
“The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
Wall Street traders dumped shares of Musk’s electric vehicle maker, and Tesla closed down 14.3 per cent, losing about US$150 billion in market value. It was Tesla’s largest single-day decline in value in its history.
Minutes after the closing bell, Musk replied “yes” to a post on X saying Trump should be impeached. Trump’s Republicans hold majorities in both chambers of Congress and are highly unlikely to impeach him.
The trouble between the two started brewing on Tuesday, when Musk denounced Trump’s sweeping tax-cut and spending Bill. The president initially held his tongue while Musk campaigned to torpedo the Bill, saying it would add too much to the nation’s US$36.2 trillion in debt.
Trump broke his silence on Thursday, telling reporters in the Oval Office he was “very disappointed” in Musk.
“Look, Elon and I had a great relationship. I don’t know if we will anymore,” Trump said.
As Trump spoke, Musk responded in real time with increasingly acerbic posts on X.
“Without me, Trump would have lost the election,” wrote Musk, who spent nearly US$300 million backing Trump and other Republicans in last year’s election. “Such ingratitude.”
In another post, Musk asserted that Trump’s signature tariffs would push the US into a recession later this year.
Besides Tesla, Musk’s businesses include rocket company and government contractor SpaceX and its satellite unit Starlink.
Musk, whose space business plays a critical role in the US government’s space programme, said that as a result of Trump’s threats, he would begin decommissioning SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft.
Dragon is the only US spacecraft capable of sending astronauts to the International Space Station.
PUGILISTIC PAIR
The feud was not entirely unexpected, with many observers predicting an eventual falling out.
Even before Musk’s departure from the Trump administration last week, his influence had waned following a series of clashes with Cabinet members over his cuts to their agencies.
For Trump, the fight was the first major rift he has had with a top adviser since taking office for a second time, after his first term was marked by numerous blow-ups.
Trump parted ways with multiple chiefs of staff, national security advisers and political strategists during his 2017 to 2021 White House tenure. A few, like Steve Bannon, remained in his good graces, while many others, like former ambassador John Bolton, became loud and vocal critics.
After serving as the biggest Republican donor in the 2024 campaign season, Musk became one of Trump’s most visible advisers as head of the Department of Government Efficiency, which mounted a sweeping and controversial effort to downsize the federal workforce and slash spending.
Musk was frequently present at the White House and made multiple appearances on Capitol Hill, sometimes carrying his young son.
WEF CEO Borge Brende said India is the world’s bright spot but added that to stay ahead, it must double down on reforms, infrastructure, and coordination across states.
Even as trade tensions escalate, global growth slows, and geopolitical risks mount, the President and CEO of the World Economic Forum, Brge Brende, says India is emerging as the world’s most resilient major economy.
Speaking to Business Today’s Siddharth Zarabi and India Today Consulting Editor Rajdeep Sardesai, Brende said that among all large economies, India is currently outperforming expectations and may soon leapfrog Japan to become the world’s fourth-largest economy.
“Of the largest economies of the world, India is the bright spot. It is really doing well. In the last quarter, it even did better than expected—7.5% growth,” Brende said. “If it continues like this, India will be the fourth-largest economy in the world—$5 trillion—maybe already this year, and take over the fourth place from Japan.”
His comments come as the WEF’s 2025 global outlook warns of serious headwinds, including rising trade barriers, record-high debt levels, and a fragmented geopolitical order. Brende noted that global growth is now “far below trend,” with trade slowing to levels not seen in decades. But India, he said, has managed to buck the trend.
Brende also praised India’s positioning in a rapidly changing global trade order.
“There is a change in trade that is more structural. Trade in services and digital trade are growing three times faster than trade in manufacturing,” he said. “I think this is one of the reasons why India is doing relatively well—because India is very strong on services and digital trade.”
India’s rising influence isn’t just economic—it is becoming more strategic, Brende noted, especially as companies and countries reconfigure supply chains after the pandemic and amid ongoing US-China tensions.
“Just in time is not good enough anymore. You have to have just in case,” he said. “We are seeing friend-shoring, home-shoring, and near-shoring. That complicates things, but India is well-positioned to benefit.”
He pointed to the rapid rise of India’s manufacturing ecosystem as a case in point.
“A few years ago, there were no iPhones produced in India. Now, 25% of the production comes from India,” he said. “And the US administration is already saying iPhones should be produced in the US. So there are first questions there. But India has a huge opportunity.”
He also highlighted India’s demographic advantage and its role in the digital economy.
“The median age in India is 28 years. The workforce is growing every year, and there is a lot of tech-savvy talent. That helps when it comes to the digital revolution,” Brende said.
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ last girlfriend, a “Jane Doe” who dated him up until his arrest in September 2024 and says he brutally beat her and forced her to have unprotected sex with strangers, took the stand Thursday in the bombshell sex-trafficking case against him.
The disgraced mogul’s anonymous abuse accuser told the jury that 90% of their three-year relationship was spent in the drugged-up “freak-offs” Diddy orchestrated, filmed and pleasured himself to.
Combs, 55, is accused of using his fame, fortune and many businesses to run a decade-long scheme in which he controlled and manipulated his longtime girlfriend, R&B singer Cassie Ventura, 38, using violence and threats, forcing her and others — including several male escorts — into the sex marathons that went on for days.
The rapper has pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution. He faces life in prison if convicted.
The trial is not televised because cameras are prohibited inside the federal courthouse, but we’re there following all the action — so watch this space for the latest updates.
Sean “Diddy” Combs speaks to his lawyers Thursday before the start of the day’s proceedings at Manhattan federal court. REUTERS
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ and his girlfriend, “Jane” regularly used “two dozen or more” bottles of baby oil during “freak-off” sex-sessions.
Jane — who referred to “freak-offs” as “hotel nights” — said they had to cover “everything” in the hotel rooms with bedsheets, blankets and towels “for the excessive use of baby oil everywhere.”
She says they always used baby oil for “hotel nights” and would go through “two dozen or more” bottles of the lubricating product during a single sex session.
“He really enjoyed watching me pour oil all over myself, all over the man,” Jane said.
Sean “Diddy” Combs talked his ex-lover “Jane” out of starting an OnlyFans account where she considered posting photos of herself in bikinis and lingerie, she testified.
“I told Sean that one of my model girlfriends had been really lucrative on this website. Once I started saying OnlyFans, I remember he was giving me this energy that was hesitant, like ‘uhmm no,” the woman told jurors.
The accuser, who is testifying under an alias, said her girlfriend had reported making $4 million on the risqué website in just one year. Jane testified Thursday that “if I joined at that time, it would have been lucrative for me.”
But Combs talked her out of it and “would say ‘let’s just give it time,'” Jane testified.
Prosecutors allege that Combs coerced Jane into fulfilling his sexual desires in part by keeping her financially dependent on him.
Sean “Diddy” Combs threatened to stop paying the rent of his one-time girlfriend “Jane” if she refused to take part in “freak-offs,” according to her testimony.
Jane testified that she repeatedly told Combs throughout their relationship that she didn’t want to keep having sex with other men.
“He would just say things like, ‘If you want to break up, that’s fine. You have three months left on the house because I’m not about to be paying rent,'” Jane recalled Combs saying.
Jane said Combs paid for the rent on her home.
Sean “Diddy” Combs and his ex-girlfriend and alleged victim “Jane” referred to “freak-offs” by two other euphemisms, she told the jury.
Jane said they called it “debauchery” or “hotel nights” when Combs had her take part in drugged-up sex sessions with male escorts while the Bad Boy Records founder filmed them and pleasured himself.
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ alleged victim, “Jane” said the first time she had a “freak-off” with the mogul in May 2021 it “opened a Pandora’s Box,” that she was never able to close again.
Jane said after the first time she had sex with a male escort, Don, in front of Combs — 90% of the rest of her time with the hip-hop tycoon was during a sex marathon with escorts.
“I truly felt that night just opened a Pandora’s Box in our relationship,” Jane testified. “It just completely set the tone for our relationship moving forward.”
“There was so much of it after and there was too much of it,” Jane said.
Jane said she thought the first “freak-off” was a one-time thing and she didn’t want to keep having sex with other men.
Sean “Diddy” Combs and his ex-girlfriend and alleged victim used to watch pornography together, according to testimony.
Alleged victim “Jane” dabbed her eyes as she started explaining to the jury that she and the Bad Boy Records founder “started having intense conversations” when they watched porn.
The pair would be high when Combs put on the x-rated content and asked her to fantasize and describe having sex with other men, Jane told the jury.
“It was more like a question, like do you like what you see there?” Jane recounted Combs saying. “Do you like that? Do you want that? Can you imagine that? Pretend that that’s here and I’m that person.”
Then in May 2021, Combs told Jane she could “make this fantasy a reality,” Jane told the jury.
Donald Trump has said he will visit China after speaking to its leader Xi Jinping over the phone.
The US president said he had reciprocated with an invite to the White House during the “very good talk” – though such a trip has not been confirmed by either side.
Thursday’s call is the first time the two leaders have spoken since Trump launched a trade war with Beijing in February. Chinese state media reported that the call happened at the White House’s request.
Trump wrote on social media that the hour-and-a-half conversation was primarily focused on trade and had “resulted in a very positive conclusion for both countries”.
“He invited me to China and I invited him here,” Trump said of the call with Xi while meeting German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office.
“We both accepted, so I will be going there with the first lady at a certain point and he will be coming here hopefully with the first lady of China.”
The Chinese readout of the conversation mentioned the its invitation but not the reciprocal one to the White House.
According to Chinese state news agency Xinhua, Xi reportedly told Trump that the US should “withdraw the negative measures it has taken against China”.
The Chinese leader was also said to have told Trump that China always kept its promises and since a consensus had been reached, both sides should abide by it – a reference to a recent deal between the two nations struck in Geneva.
Both sides have accused the other of breaching the deal aimed at dramatically reducing trade tariffs – a deal Trump touted as a “total reset”.
It came after Trump raised tariffs on imports from a number of countries, but reserved the highest rates for China. Beijing responded with its own higher rates on US imports, sparking tit-for-tat increases that peaked at 145%.
The tentative truce struck in May brought that US tariff on Chinese products down to 30%, while Beijing slashed levies on US imports to 10% and promised to lift barriers on critical mineral exports.
The agreement gave both sides a 90-day deadline to try to reach a trade deal.
But since then, talks have seemed to grind to a halt amid claims on both sides that the deal had been breached.
The US has accused China of failing to restart shipments of critical minerals and rare earth magnets vital to car and computer industries.
The Chinese Ministry of Commerce has denied the claims and accused the US of undermining the deal by introducing new restrictions on computer chips.
Trump introduced new export restrictions on semiconductor design software and announced it would revoke the visas of Chinese students.
The US president said following the call that “there should no longer be any questions respecting the complexity of Rare Earth products”.
He told reporters in the White House: “Chinese students can come, no problem, no problem – its an honour to have them frankly. But we want to check them.”
Chinese state media reported that Xi warned Washington that it should handle Taiwan “with caution” to avoid conflict, just days after US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said China posed an “imminent” threat to the self-governed island.
Hegseth told the Shangri-la Dialogue in Singaport that Beijing was “credibly preparing to potentially use military force to alter the balance of power”.
China sees Taiwan as a breakaway province that will eventually be reunified, and has not ruled out the use of force to achieve this. The US supports Taiwan militarily but does not officially recognise it due to the “One China” policy.
According to the readout of Thursday’s call given to Chinese media, Xi stressed that the US should handle the “Taiwan issue prudently to prevent a small number of Taiwan Independence separatists from dragging China and the US into a dangerous situation of conflict and confrontation”.
The call between Trump and Xi is long awaited and comes after months of silence between the two leaders.
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk speaks at the SATELLITE Conference and Exhibition, March 9, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
As President Donald Trump and Elon Musk argued on social media on Thursday, the world’s richest man threatened to decommission a space capsule used to take astronauts and supplies to the International Space Station.
After Trump threatened to cut government contracts given to Musk’s SpaceX rocket company and his Starlink internet satellite services, Musk responded via X that SpaceX “will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately.”
It’s unclear how serious Musk’s threat was. But the capsule, developed with the help of government contracts, is an important part of keeping the space station running. NASA also relies heavily on SpaceX for other programs including launching science missions and, later this decade, returning astronauts to the surface of the moon.
The Dragon capsule
SpaceX is the only U.S. company capable right now of transporting crews to and from the space station, using its four-person Dragon capsules.
Boeing’s Starliner capsule has flown astronauts only once; last year’s test flight went so badly that the two NASA astronauts had to hitch a ride back to Earth via SpaceX in March, more than nine months after launching last June.
Starliner remains grounded as NASA decides whether to go with another test flight with cargo, rather than a crew.
SpaceX also uses a Dragon capsule for its own privately run missions. The next one of those is due to fly next week on a trip chartered by Axiom Space, a Houston company.
Cargo versions of the Dragon capsule are also used to ferry food and other supplies to the orbiting lab.
NASA’s other option: Russia
Russia’s Soyuz capsules are the only other means of getting crews to the space station right now.
The Soyuz capsules hold three people at a time. For now, each Soyuz launch carries two Russians and one NASA astronaut, and each SpaceX launch has one Russian on board under a barter system. That way, in an emergency requiring a capsule to return, there is always someone from the U.S. and Russian on board.
With its first crew launch for NASA in 2020 — the first orbital flight of a crew by a private company — SpaceX enabled NASA to reduce its reliance on Russia for crew transport. The Russian flights had been costing the U.S. tens of millions of dollars per seat, for years.
NASA has also used Russian spacecraft for cargo, along with U.S. contractor Northrup Grumman.
SpaceX’s other government launches
The company has used its rockets to launch several science missions for NASA as well as military equipment.
Last year, SpaceX also won a NASA contract to help bring the space station out of orbit when it is no longer usable.
FILE PHOTO: A view of the Business School campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S., April 15, 2025. REUTERS/Faith Ninivaggi/File Photo
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday (Jun 4) suspended for an initial six months the entry into the United States of foreign nationals seeking to study or participate in exchange programs at Harvard University, amid an escalating dispute with the Ivy League school.
Trump’s proclamation cited national security concerns as a justification for barring international students from entering the United States to pursue studies at the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based university.
Harvard in a statement called Trump’s proclamation “yet another illegal retaliatory step taken by the Administration in violation of Harvard’s First Amendment rights”.
“Harvard will continue to protect its international students,” it added.
The suspension can be extended beyond six months. Trump’s proclamation also directs the US State Department to consider revoking academic or exchange visas of any current Harvard students who meet his proclamation’s criteria.
The directive on Wednesday came a week after a federal judge in Boston announced she would issue a broad injunction blocking the administration from revoking Harvard’s ability to enrol international students, who make up about a quarter of its student body.
The administration has launched a multifront attack on the nation’s oldest and wealthiest university, freezing billions of dollars in grants and other funding and proposing to end its tax-exempt status, prompting a series of legal challenges.
Harvard argues the administration is retaliating against it for refusing to accede to its demands to control the school’s governance, curriculum and the ideology of its faculty and students.
Harvard sued after Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on May 22 announced her department was immediately revoking Harvard’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification, which allows it to enrol foreign students.
Her action was almost immediately temporarily blocked by US District Judge Allison Burroughs. On the eve of a hearing before her last week, the department changed course and said it would instead challenge Harvard’s certification through a lengthier administrative process.
Nonetheless, Burroughs said she planned to issue a longer-term preliminary injunction at Harvard’s urging, saying one was necessary to give some protection to Harvard’s international students.
Last month, the State Department ordered all its consular missions overseas to begin additional vetting of visa applicants looking to travel to Harvard University for any purpose, according to an internal cable seen by Reuters.
Accusing Harvard of “extensive entanglements with foreign adversaries,” the proclamation said Harvard received more than US$150 million from China alone. It said many agitators behind antisemitic incidents on campus were “found to be foreign students”.
The FBI has “long warned that foreign adversaries take advantage of easy access to American higher education to steal information, exploit research and development and spread false information”, the proclamation said.
FILE – Jessie J appears at the Brit Awards 2023 in London on Feb. 11, 2023. (Photo by Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP, File)
The English pop singer Jessie J says she has been diagnosed with breast cancer and will undergo surgery after her performance at the London music festival Capital’s Summertime Ball next weekend.
Jessie J, 37, shared the news in an Instagram video on Wednesday (Jun 4). “I was diagnosed with early breast cancer,” she said in the clip. “Cancer sucks in any form, but I’m holding onto the word ‘early’.”
“It’s a very dramatic way to get a boob job. I am going to disappear for a bit after Summertime Ball to have my surgery, and I will come back with massive (expletive) and more music.”
The annual Summertime Ball will be held at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, Jun 15.
She told her social media audience that she felt compelled to share her diagnosis.
“I just wanted to be open and share it,” she said. “One, because, selfishly, I do not talk about it enough. I’m not processing it because I’m working so hard. I also know how much sharing in the past has helped me with other people giving me their love and support and also their own stories. I’m an open book. It breaks my heart that so many people are going through so much similar and worse – that’s the bit that kills me.”
The Grammy-nominated Jessie J has long been celebrated for her robust soprano and R&B-informed pop hits, like the 2014 collaboration with Nicki Minaj and Ariana Grande, Bang Bang, and 2011’s Domino.
Rubble from collapsed houses is seen in Anguwar Hausawa Gangari community, due to the flooding that killed 151 people and forced several thousand from their homes in Mokwa, Niger State Nigeria, May 31, 2025. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
At least 98 people are still missing in addition to 160 confirmed dead a week after floods ripped through a town in central Nigeria, the national emergency agency said on Wednesday, as hopes of finding survivors fade.
Heavy rainfall unleashed waters that destroyed homes and overwhelmed local drainage systems in Mokwa, about 270 km (168 miles) west of Abuja, in one of the deadliest floods to hit Africa’s most populous country.
Although search and rescue operations continue, damage to roads and bridges was hampering access, said the National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA), which has enlisted the help of Nigeria Red Cross, police and army.
“Teams are working to locate missing persons. There is heightened risk of disease outbreaks due to overcrowding and contaminated water sources,” NEMA said in a statement.
Habiba Abdulahi, a 27-year-old resident, said four of her five children had been washed away by the floods, and that like other victims’ relatives she was still hoping that the bodies would be found.
“Just like that, my children were gone. Even now, we haven’t found them, but we are still hoping to recover their bodies,” she told Reuters by phone.
The number of people who have fled Sudan since the beginning of its civil war in 2023 has surpassed four million, U.N. refugee agency officials said on Tuesday, adding that many survivors faced inadequate shelter due to funding shortages.
“Now in its third year, the 4 million people is a devastating milestone in what is the world’s most damaging displacement crisis at the moment,” U.N. refugee agency spokesperson Eujin Byun told a Geneva press briefing.
“If the conflict continues in Sudan, thousands more people, we expect thousands more people will continue to flee, putting regional and global stability at stake,” she said.
Sudan, which erupted in violence in April 2023, shares borders with seven countries: Chad, South Sudan, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Central African Republic and Libya.
A Sudanese woman, who fled the conflict in Geneina in Sudan’s Darfur region, talks to her relative through a fence next to makeshift shelters, in Adre, Chad August 5, 2023. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
More than 800,000 of the refugees have arrived in Chad, where their shelter conditions are dire due to funding shortages, with only 14% of funding appeals met, UNHCR’s Dossou Patrice Ahouansou told the same briefing.
“This is an unprecedented crisis that we are facing. This is a crisis of humanity. This is a crisis of … protection based on the violence that refugees are reporting,” he said.
Many of those fleeing reported surviving terror and violence, he added, describing meeting a seven-year-old girl in Chad who was hurt in an attack on her home in Sudan’s Zamzam displacement camp that killed her father and two brothers and had to have her leg amputated during her escape. Her mother had been killed in an earlier attack, he said.
Pope Leo XIV meets U.S Vice President JD Vance and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Vatican, May 19. Vatican Media/Simone Risoluti Purchase Licensing Rights
In his first month, Pope Leo has taken a very different approach to his predecessor Francis.
Leo, the former Cardinal Robert Prevost, has led some two dozen public events since he was elected as the first U.S. pope on May 8 but not made notable appointments, nor announced plans for foreign trips, nor said where he will live at the Vatican.
It’s a stark contrast to when Francis, originally from Argentina, was selected as the first pope from the Americas in March 2013.
Within a month, Francis had announced he would be the first pontiff in more than a century to live outside the Vatican’s apostolic palace, appointed his successor as Archbishop of Buenos Aires and created a new formal advisory group of senior Catholic cardinals.
Two of Leo’s long-time associates told Reuters they expect the 69-year-old Pope to take a deliberative approach to the challenges facing the Catholic Church and may require months before making major decisions.
“Leo is taking his time,” Rev. Mark Francis, a friend of the new pontiff since the 1970s, told Reuters. “While he is going to continue in the path indicated by Pope Francis, his disposition is very different.”
Leo was first appointed a bishop by Francis in 2015 and then chosen by the late pope to take up a senior Vatican role two years ago. He has frequently praised his predecessor in his first weeks.
He has also repeated some of Francis’ main themes, and has echoed the Argentine pontiff’s emotional appeals for an end to the wars in Gaza and Ukraine.
But the two men have different temperaments, according to Rev. Francis, who attended seminary with Leo in Chicago and later knew him when they both lived in Rome in the 2000s.
“Leo is much more focused and methodical and not inclined to hasty decisions,” he said.
Among the challenges facing the American pope is the Vatican’s 83-million-euro ($95 million) budget shortfall, which Reuters reported in February had stirred contention among senior cardinals under his predecessor.
Other looming issues facing the 1.4 billion-member Church include declining adherence to the faith in Europe, ongoing revelations of clerical sexual abuse, and doctrinal debates over matters such as inclusion of LGBT Catholics and the possibility of women’s ordination.
Francis, who sought to modernise the Church, did not formally change many doctrines but garnered criticism from conservative cardinals by opening the door to communion for divorcees and blessings for same-sex couples.
Rev. Anthony Pizzo, who has known Leo since 1974 when they attended Villanova University outside Philadelphia together, said the pope is someone who listens carefully and seeks to hear many viewpoints before making decisions.
“This is going to be his modus operandi,” said Pizzo, who leads the Midwest U.S. province of the Augustinian religious order, to which Leo also belongs.
“When you first come into leadership, listen well, get to know your constituency … to make a well-informed decision,” Pizzo added, describing the pope’s thought process.
A ‘SHY’ LISTENER
Francis and Leo came to the papacy at different ages and with different career backgrounds.
Francis, elected at age 76, had been a cardinal for 12 years before ascending to the papacy. He had earlier been a leading contender in the 2005 conclave that elected his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI.
Leo, seven years younger when he donned the white papal cassock, is a relative unknown on the world stage who only became a cardinal and Vatican official two years ago. He spent most of his prior career as a missionary in Peru.
Early in his tenure, Francis told journalists that, due to his age, he expected to have a brief papacy of only a few years. Leo, the youngest pontiff since John Paul II was elected at age 58 in 1978, can perhaps expect a papacy of ten or more years.
Among the challenges facing the new pope is a Vatican budget shortfall estimated at 83 million euros, two knowledgeable sources told Reuters.
The city-state also has a much larger gap in its pension fund, said to total some 631 million euros by the Vatican’s finance czar in 2022 but estimated by several insiders to have since ballooned significantly.
In his first weeks, Leo has not addressed the budget issues and has made only a few new appointments to Vatican roles.
But he has held formal one-on-one meetings with many senior Vatican officials, which Pizzo suggested the pope could be using to try to learn quickly.
Rev. Jorge Martinez Vizueta, who knew Leo in Peru, said he is someone who pays close attention to what people tell him. “He listens a lot, even with a certain shyness,” said Martinez, an Augustinian at a monastery where Leo previously was a spiritual advisor.
Although Leo has not announced where he will live, more than three informed sources said he is expected to move into the official papal apartments in the Vatican’s apostolic palace overlooking St. Peter’s Square.
Francis shunned the palace in favour of a Vatican hotel.
One senior source, who asked not to be identified, said the papal apartments, which have not been lived in since 2013, will require at least 2 to 3 months of renovations.
CAREFUL WITH RESPONSES
While Francis made some big decisions quickly in his first month, he also took time on other issues. He did not make his first trip abroad until late July 2013, four months into his papacy.
Leo’s first foreign trip is likely to be to Turkey, to celebrate the 1,700th anniversary of an early Church council with Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of the Eastern Orthodox Church.
The Vatican has not announced the trip, but it was previously planned for Francis. Bartholomew told an Italian television station that he and Leo discussed the possibility of the new pope travelling to Turkey in late November.
A drone view shows emergency specialists working at the crash site of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane near the city of Aktau, Kazakhstan December 25, 2024. REUTERS/Azamat Sarsenbayev/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
Proliferating conflict zones are an increasing burden on airline operations and profitability, executives say, as carriers grapple with missiles and drones, airspace closures, location spoofing and the shoot-down of another passenger flight.
Airlines are racking up costs and losing market share from cancelled flights and expensive re-routings, often at short notice. The aviation industry, which prides itself on its safety performance, is investing more in data and security planning.
“Flight planning in this kind of environment is extremely difficult … The airline industry thrives on predictability, and the absence of this will always drive greater cost,” said Guy Murray, who leads aviation security at European carrier TUI Airline (TUI1n.DE).
With increasing airspace closures around Russia and Ukraine, throughout the Middle East, between India and Pakistan and in parts of Africa, airlines are left with fewer route options.
“Compared to five years ago, more than half of the countries being overflown on a typical Europe-Asia flight would now need to be carefully reviewed before each flight,” said Mark Zee, founder of OPSGROUP, a membership-based organisation that shares flight risk information.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the Middle East since October 2023 led to commercial aviation sharing the skies with short-notice barrages of drones and missiles across major flight paths – some of which were reportedly close enough to be seen by pilots and passengers.
Russian airports, including in Moscow, are now regularly shut down for brief periods due to drone activity, while interference with navigation systems, known as GPS spoofing or jamming, is surging around political fault lines worldwide.
When hostilities broke out between India and Pakistan last month, the neighbours blocked each other’s aircraft from their respective airspace.
“Airspace should not be used as a retaliatory tool, but it is,” Nick Careen, International Air Transport Association (IATA) senior vice president for operations, safety and security, told reporters at the airline body’s annual meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday.
Isidre Porqueras, chief operating officer at Indian carrier IndiGo (INGL.NS), said the recent diversions were undoing efforts to reduce emissions and increase airline efficiencies.
WORST-CASE SCENARIO
Finances aside, civil aviation’s worst-case scenario is a plane being hit, accidentally or intentionally, by weaponry.
In December, an Azerbaijan Airlines flight crashed in Kazakhstan, killing 38 people. The plane was accidentally shot down by Russian air defences, according to Azerbaijan’s president and Reuters sources.
In October, a cargo plane was shot down in Sudan, killing five people.
Six commercial aircraft have been shot down, with three near-misses since 2001, according to aviation risk consultancy Osprey Flight Solutions.
Governments need to share information more effectively to keep civil aviation secure as conflict zones proliferate, IATA Director General Willie Walsh said this week.
Safety statistics used by the commercial aviation industry show a steady decline in accidents over the past two decades, but these do not include security-related incidents such as being hit by weaponry.
IATA said in February that accidents and incidents related to conflict zones were a top concern for aviation safety requiring urgent global coordination.
TOUGH CHOICES
Each airline decides where to travel based on a patchwork of government notices, security advisers, and information-sharing between carriers and states, leading to divergent policies.
The closure of Russian airspace to most Western carriers since the outbreak of war in Ukraine in 2022 put them at a cost disadvantage compared to airlines from places like China, India and the Middle East that continue to take shorter northern routes that need less fuel and fewer crew.
Shifting risk calculations mean Singapore Airlines’ (SIAL.SI), flight SQ326 from Singapore to Amsterdam has used three different routes into Europe in just over a year, Flightradar24 tracking data shows.
When reciprocal missile and drone attacks broke out between Iran and Israel in April 2024, it started crossing previously avoided Afghanistan instead of Iran.
Last month, its route shifted again to avoid Pakistan’s airspace as conflict escalated between India and Pakistan. Flight SQ326 now reaches Europe via the Persian Gulf and Iraq. Singapore Airlines did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
Pilots and flight attendants are also worried about how the patchwork of shifting risk might impact their safety.
“IATA says airlines should decide if it’s safe to fly over conflict zones, not regulators. But history shows commercial pressures can cloud those decisions,” said Paul Reuter, vice president of the European Cockpit Association, which represents pilots.
A general view shows Nuuk as the sun sets in Greenland, February 4, 2025. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
The European Union on Wednesday announced 13 new raw material projects outside the bloc to increase its supplies of metals and minerals essential for it to stay competitive in the energy transition as well as defence and aerospace.
The announcement follows China’s decision in April to impose export curbs on rare earth magnets until new licences are obtained, leaving diplomats, carmakers and other companies from Europe and elsewhere scrambling to secure meetings with Beijing officials and avert factory shutdowns.
“We must reduce our dependencies on all countries, particularly on a number of countries like China (…) The export bans increase our will to diversify,” European Commissioner for industry Stephane Sejourne told reporters.
China controls more than 90% of global processing capacity for the magnets, used in everything from vehicles and fighter jets to home appliances. It is also the main supplier of many key inputs for renewable energy, especially rare earth minerals, batteries and solar panels, a situation Brussels is keen to change.
The EU list is part of the implementation of the Critical Raw Material Act agreed in 2023 under which the bloc aims to mine 10%, process 40% and recycle 25% of its needs by 2030.
Ten of the new projects will be focused on materials essential for electric vehicle batteries and battery storage, including lithium, cobalt, manganese and graphite. Two projects for rare earths are located in Malawi and South Africa.
Other projects are located in Britain, Canada, Greenland, Kazakhstan, Madagascar, Norway, Serbia, Ukraine, Zambia, Brazil and the French territory of New Caledonia.
The British project is to extract tungsten and the ones in Ukraine and Greenland will be for graphite, with the project in Greenland run by GreenRoc Strategic Materials (GROC.L). Tungsten is key for the defence industry.
POLITICAL TENSIONS
Greenland has been a point of tension between Brussels and Washington this year after U.S. President Donald Trump repeatedly said he wants to acquire the Danish overseas territory.
U.S. officials have discussed a plan to pull Greenland into America’s sphere of influence with a type of agreement called COFA that the United States has used to maintain close ties with several Pacific Island nations. Under COFA, the U.S. government offers essential services and in exchange, the U.S. military operates freely while trade with the U.S. is largely duty-free.
The Serbian project, run by major miner Rio Tinto, could produce 90% of Europe’s lithium needs. However, the project nearly fell apart after the government revoked the miner’s licence in 2022. A Serbian court restored Rio Tinto’s rights last year. Many Serbs oppose the Jadar project, saying its development will damage the environment.
“With an estimated production of 58,000 tons of lithium carbonate annually, Serbia has the potential to become a key player in the electric vehicle supply chain,” Rio Tinto said in a statement.
Three days after Ukraine launched its most complex attack against Russia since the full-scale war began, details of how it was carried out and the damage it caused to Russia’s strategic bomber fleet are still emerging.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy described the operation, dubbed “Spider’s Web”, as “absolutely brilliant”, although the extent of Russian military losses remains unclear. On Wednesday, he said that of the 41 planes damaged, half cannot be repaired.
The attacks targeted at least four Russian military air bases, the furthest of which from Ukraine is the Belaya base in the Siberian region of Irkutsk, around 4,850 km (3,000 miles) from Kyiv.
According to Ukrainian authorities, the operation involved 117 drones that were smuggled into Russia: they were concealed beneath the retractable roofs of wooden sheds, transported to locations close to military bases and piloted remotely to hit strategic, nuclear-capable bombers. In some cases, artificial intelligence was used to guide the drones to their target.
Russian officials said on Wednesday that military options were “on the table” for its response to Ukrainian attacks deep inside Russia and accused the West of being involved in them.
Ukraine’s main offensive threat in the war so far has been its long-range drones, which have struck targets deep inside Russia, including oil refineries, military bases and arms depots.
Yet, despite some technological advances and increased production, the drones have a maximum range well short of 5,000 km and can be detected as they fly into Russian air space, meaning air defences down many of them.
The June 1 operation, including the attack on the Belaya air base, relied on a different threat: relatively small “kamikaze” drones launched from locations just a few kilometres away.
The element of surprise was vital, denying Russia’s military the time to move mobile air defences into place or block the drones with electronic jamming.
How the attack unfolded
According to Ukraine’s security service, the SBU, the drones were smuggled into Russia by its operatives and concealed within the roof space of wooden sheds.
An image shared by Ukrainian authorities showed around 20 drones, each with four propellors, placed in wooden cavities below a roof.
Video footage verified by Reuters shows that the roof of at least one of the sheds had been removed to release the attack drones at the designated place and time.
On the day of the strike, a hidden mechanism retracted the trucks’ roofs, revealing drone launch platforms inside.
Source: Social media, Ukrainian Presidential Press Service.
Russian authorities have given few details about the attack.
The Defence Ministry said Ukraine had launched drone strikes targeting military airfields in Murmansk, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Ryazan, and Amur regions. Air defences repelled the assaults in three regions, but not Murmansk and Irkutsk, it said, adding that in those places several aircraft caught fire.
The Kremlin said on Tuesday that an official investigation into the attack was underway.
The Baza news service, which has close contacts in Russian security and law enforcement, named the main suspect as a 37-year-old Ukrainian who had moved to the Russian region of Chelyabinsk in recent years. Reuters has not been able to verify independently Baza’s account.
According to Baza, which cited unnamed sources, the Ukrainian opened a transportation business in October last year and acquired several trucks in December. It was from these vehicles that the drones used in the attacks were launched, the news service said.
Baza said the drivers of four trucks, who apparently did not know about the nature of their cargoes, were told to drive to different destinations across Russia carrying wooden sheds.
When the trucks were close to their destinations, the drivers were given instructions over the phone where to stop. In one case, Baza reported, the drones began to fly out of the sheds the moment the truck was parked, and in another while the truck was still moving.
Neither Ukraine nor Russia has commented on accounts in the Russian media.
Based on images posted on social media, Reuters has established that the truck used in the attack on the Belaya base was parked along the P-255 highway at the time, some 7 km from the airfield.
A Ukrainian source with knowledge of the matter said the drones were piloted remotely via the Russian cellular telecommunications network.
The SBU said in a statement on Wednesday that during the operation, modern drone control technology was used in the operation combining autonomous artificial intelligence algorithms and manual intervention by the operator. Due to signal loss, some drones switched to performing the mission using artificial intelligence along a pre-planned route. When a drone approached and made contact with a specific target, its explosive was automatically triggered.
The SBU said the operatives involved were all back in Ukraine by the time the attacks began. President Zelenskiy said the Ukrainian agents worked across multiple Russian regions in an operation that was 18 months in the planning.
Damaged and destroyed
Satellite imagery after the attack on the Belaya base show that several strategic bombers — experts say between six and eight — were either destroyed or badly damaged there.
At Olenya, footage released by the SBU and verified by Reuters showed two burning bombers which appeared to be nuclear-capable Tu-95s and a third, also a Tu-95, being hit by a large explosion.
New SBU drone footage released on Wednesday showed drones landing on the dome antennae of two A-50 military spy planes, of which there are only a handful in Russia’s fleet. There was no video showing the drones detonate.
Reuters was able to independently verify the locations of all four air bases in the footage, including the Ivanovo airbase where the A-50s were stationed. The news agency could not independently verify what date the footage was filmed.
The SBU said in a statement that the struck aircraft included the A-50, the Tu-95 strategic bomber, Tu-22 supersonic jet bomber, Tu-160 strategic bomber, as well as the An-12 and Il-78 military cargo planes.
There was no immediate public response from Moscow to the SBU statement.
Fabian Hinz, research fellow for defence and military analysis at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), said the attack would prove costly to Russia, partly because the types of aircraft that were hit are mostly out of production.
“The Russians can find a billion here and there, but these aircraft are not produced anymore,” he said. “That’s actually probably much more serious than losing a billion dollars or a few billion dollars. So I think it was a very significant attack.”
Estimates of the number of aircraft struck vary, but some experts said that between 10 and 13 strategic bombers – Tu-95s and Tu-22s – were destroyed and others damaged, based on imagery from two of four bases targeted – in Irkutsk and Murmansk.
This is only a part of the total fleet, but it reduces the number of planes that Russia can use to carry out cruise missile attacks on Ukraine.
Hinz said that Russia could take measures to protect its air bases in the future, but this kind of operation using drones launched locally could be applied to many targets.
“You suddenly have this whole new world of opportunities for sabotage within a country,” he said. “And this is the most spectacular attack and probably the most impactful attack we’ve seen that has worked like that.”
U.S. President Donald Trump’s Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg, told Fox News that the damage to the bombers was less important than the psychological impact on Russia. He added that he was particularly concerned by unconfirmed reports of a Ukrainian attack on a naval base in northern Russia.
According to sources, the destruction at the Nur Khan airbase represents both material and psychological losses to Pakistan’s army
An image released by a Chinese satellite firm shows damage at Pakistan’s Nur Khan airbase after a precision strike by the Indian Air Force. (File image: @detresfa_/X)
Pakistan sustained significant damage at Nur Khan airbase during India’s Operation Sindoor, top intelligence sources told CNN-News18 on Wednesday.
India’s precision strikes on the base’s hangars, runways, and radar sites disrupted the operations of VIP transport fleets, drones, and surveillance aircraft, degrading 20% of Pakistan’s air force infrastructure, they said. The strikes, the sources added, exposed critical gaps in Pakistan’s air defences and highlighted its inability to intercept ballistic missiles targeting high-value sites deep inside the country.
“While Pakistan’s army attempts to downplay the damage, satellite evidence reveals visible debris, indicating ongoing repairs and an attempt to avoid showing weakness. The military has ordered against rapid cleanup to prevent exposing the full extent of the damage to India or the public. The proximity of the base to nuclear facilities has heightened security concerns, potentially delaying external access for clearance,” a source said.
The military has not removed debris from the airport due to fear and resource shortages or the prioritisation of other damaged bases, the sources said. “Satellite imagery revealed the demolition of a 7,000 sq ft complex near the strike site, contradicting initial reports of limited damage. Mobile control centres and support vehicles used for air force operations were destroyed, severely compromising command capabilities. High-resolution images showed crater impacts near fortified underground facilities likely used for storing sensitive equipment or overseeing nuclear systems,” said a source.
Indian attacks, sources said, severely hit Saab Erieye AWACS, a strategic location just 25 km from Islamabad and near Pakistan army headquarters and nuclear command centres, symbolising a direct breach of Pakistan’s core defences. The base, home to Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drones and the nerve centre for Air Mobility Command, faced increased operational losses, they added.
Shona Banu was allegedly picked up by the police last month and sent to Bangladesh; she was sent back to India four days later
Shona Banu still shudders when she thinks of the past few days.
The 58-year-old, a resident of Barpeta district in India’s north-eastern state of Assam, says that she was called to the local police station on 25 May and later taken to a point at the border with neighbouring Bangladesh. From there, she says, she and around 13 other people were forced to cross over to Bangladesh.
She says she was not told why. But it was a scenario she had been dreading – Ms Banu says she has lived in Assam all her life but for the past few years, she has been desperately trying to prove that she is an Indian citizen and not an “illegal immigrant” from Bangladesh.
“They pushed me over at gunpoint. I spent two days without food or water in the middle of a field in knee-deep water teeming with mosquitoes and leeches,” Ms Banu said, wiping away tears. After those two days in no man’s land – between India and Bangladesh – she says she was taken to what appeared to be an old prison on the Bangladeshi side.
After two days there, she and a few others – she is not sure if all of them were from the same group sent with her – were escorted by Bangladeshi officials across the border, where Indian officials allegedly met them and sent them home.
It’s not clear why Ms Banu was abruptly sent to Bangladesh and then brought back. But her case is among a spate of recent instances where officials in Assam have rounded up people declared foreigners by tribunals in the past – on suspicion of being “illegal Bangladeshis” – and sent them across the border. The BBC found at least six cases where people said their family members had been picked up, taken to border towns and just “pushed across”.
Officials from India’s Border Security Force, the Assam police and the state government did not respond to questions from the BBC.
Crackdowns on alleged illegal immigrants from Bangladesh are not new in India – the countries are divided by a 4,096km (2,545 miles) long porous border which can make it relatively easy to cross over, even though many of the sensitive areas are heavily guarded.
But it’s still rare, lawyers working on these cases say, for people to be picked up from their homes abruptly and forced into another country without due process. These efforts seem to have intensified over the past few weeks.
The Indian government has not officially said how many people were sent across in the latest exercise. But top sources in the Bangladesh administration claim that India “illegally pushed in” more than 1,200 people into the country in May alone, not just from Assam but also other states. Out of this, they said on condition of anonymity, Bangladesh identified 100 people as Indian citizens and sent them back.
In a statement, the Border Guard Bangladesh said it had increased patrolling along the border to curb these attempts.
India has not commented on these allegations.
While media reports indicate that the recent crackdown includes Rohingya Muslims living in other states too, the situation is particularly tense and complex in Assam, where issues of citizenship and ethnic identity have long dominated politics.
The state, which shares a nearly 300km-long border with Muslim-majority Bangladesh, has seen waves of migration from the neighbouring country as people moved in search of opportunities or fled religious persecution.
This has sparked the anxieties of Assamese people, many of whom fear this is bringing in demographic change and taking away resources from locals.
The Bharatiya Janata Party – in power in Assam and nationally – has repeatedly promised to end the problem of illegal immigration, making the state’s National Register of Citizens (NRC) a priority in recent years.
The register is a list of people who can prove they came to Assam by 24 March 1971, the day before neighbouring Bangladesh declared independence from Pakistan. The list went through several iterations, with people whose names were missing given chances to prove their Indian citizenship by showing official documents to quasi-judicial forums called Foreigners Tribunals.
After a chaotic process, the final draft published in 2019 excluded nearly two million residents of Assam – many of them were put in detention camps while others have appealed in higher courts against their exclusion.
Ms Banu said her case is pending in the Supreme Court but that authorities still forced her to leave.
The BBC heard similar stories from at least six others in Assam – all Muslims – who say their family members were sent to Bangladesh around the same time as Ms Banu, despite having necessary documents and living in India for generations. At least four of them have now come back home, with no answers still about why they were picked up.
A third of Assam’s 32 million residents are Muslims and many of them are descendants of immigrants who settled there during British rule.
Maleka Khatun, a 67-year-old from Assam’s Barpeta who is still in Bangladesh, says she has temporarily been given shelter by a local family.
“I have no-one here,” she laments. Her family has managed to speak to her but don’t know if and when she can return. She lost her case in the foreigners’ tribunal and in the state’s high court and hadn’t appealed in the Supreme Court.
Days after the recent round of action began, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma cited a February Supreme Court direction which ordered the government to start deportation proceedings for people who had been “declared foreigners” but were still held in detention centres.
“The people who are declared foreigners but haven’t even appealed in court, we are pushing them back,” Sarma said. He also claimed that people with pending court appeals were not being “troubled”.
But Abdur Razzaque Bhuyan, a lawyer working on many citizenship cases in Assam, alleged that in many of the recent instances, due process – which would, among other things, require India and Bangladesh to cooperate on the action – was not followed.
“What is happening is a wilful and deliberate misinterpretation of the court order,” he said.
Mr Bhuyan recently filed a petition on behalf of a student organisation seeking the Supreme Court’s intervention in stopping what they said was a “forceful and illegal pushback policy” but was asked to first approach the Assam high court.
In Morigaon, around 167km from Barpeta, Rita Khatun sat near a table which had a pile of papers on it.
Her husband Khairul Islam, a 51-year-old school teacher, was in the same group as Ms Banu that was allegedly picked up by authorities.
A tribunal had declared him a foreigner in 2016, after which he spent two years in a detention centre before being released. Like Ms Banu, his case is also being heard in the Supreme Court.
“Every document is proof that my husband is Indian,” Ms Khatun said, leafing through what she said was Mr Islam’s high school graduation certificate and some land records. “But that wasn’t enough to prove his nationality to authorities.”
She says her husband, his father and grandfather were all born in India.
But on 23 May, she says that policemen arrived at their home and took Mr Islam away without any explanation.
It was only a few days later – when a viral video surfaced of a Bangladeshi journalist interviewing Mr Islam in no man’s land – that the family learnt where he was.
Like Ms Banu, Mr Islam has now been sent back to India.
While his family confirmed his return, the police told the BBC they had “no information” about his arrival.
President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariff plan would cut deficits by $2.8 trillion over a 10-year period while shrinking the economy, raising the inflation rate and reducing the purchasing power of households overall, according to an analysis released Wednesday by the Congressional Budget Office.
The numbers were revealed in a letter sent to Democratic congressional leadership outlining how the Trump administration’s plan to impose wide-ranging tariffs on countries around the world will affect American households.
Baked into the CBO analysis is a prediction that households would ultimately buy less from the countries hit with added tariffs. The budget office estimates that the tariffs would increase the average annual rate of inflation by 0.4 percentage points in 2025 and 2026.
The budget office’s model also assumes that the tariffs, announced through executive action between January and May, will be in place permanently.
Since the analysis was conducted, a federal court struck down sweeping tariffs that Trump invoked under an emergency-powers law. An appeals court allowed the Trump administration to continue collecting the tariffs while the case goes through appeals.
Largely confirming what other economic models have predicted, the CBO’s estimations show that the tradeoff for a $2.8 trillion deficit reduction over 10 years would be an overall reduction in household wealth. In addition, the tariffs would shrink the economy, or reduce the rate of the gross domestic product by 0.06 percentage points per year.
The Penn-Wharton Budget Model’s April report predicted that the Republican president’s tariffs would reduce long-run GDP by about 6% and wages by 5%.
A major caveat of the CBO’s estimates is written into the report — its estimates are “subject to significant uncertainty, in part because the Administration could change how the tariff policies are administered.”
Trump has often announced changes and pauses to his tariff plans on his social media platform.
In April, he posted that he was backing off his tariffs on most nations for 90 days and jacking up the tax rate on Chinese imports to 125%.
Last week, he announced plans to hike the tariffs on steel and aluminum imports to a punishing 50%, a move that’s set to hammer businesses and likely push up prices for consumers even further. The 50% tariffs went into effect Wednesday.
Annalena Baerbock of Germany addresses the United Nations General Assembly after she was elected as president of the 80th session of the body, Monday, June 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
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.”
The Trump administration has expanded Palantir’s work with the government, spreading the company’s technology — which could easily merge data on Americans — throughout agencies.
Alex Karp, a co-founder and the chief executive of Palantir, at a forum in Washington in April. The Trump administration has expanded Palantir’s work across the federal government.Credit…Caroline Gutman for The New York Times
In March, President Trump signed an executive order calling for the federal government to share data across agencies, raising questions over whether he might compile a master list of personal information on Americans that could give him untold surveillance power.
Mr. Trump has not publicly talked about the effort since. But behind the scenes, officials have quietly put technological building blocks into place to enable his plan. In particular, they have turned to one company: Palantir, the data analysis and technology firm.
The Trump administration has expanded Palantir’s work across the federal government in recent months. The company has received more than $113 million in federal government spending since Mr. Trump took office, according to public records, including additional funds from existing contracts as well as new contracts with the Department of Homeland Security and the Pentagon. (This does not include a $795 million contract that the Department of Defense awarded the company last week, which has not been spent.)
Representatives of Palantir are also speaking to at least two other agencies — the Social Security Administration and the Internal Revenue Service — about buying its technology, according to six government officials and Palantir employees with knowledge of the discussions.
The push has put a key Palantir product called Foundry into at least four federal agencies, including D.H.S. and the Health and Human Services Department. Widely adopting Foundry, which organizes and analyzes data, paves the way for Mr. Trump to easily merge information from different agencies, the government officials said.
Creating detailed portraits of Americans based on government data is not just a pipe dream. The Trump administration has already sought access to hundreds of data points on citizens and others through government databases, including their bank account numbers, the amount of their student debt, their medical claims and any disability status.
Mr. Trump could potentially use such information to advance his political agenda by policing immigrants and punishing critics, Democratic lawmakers and critics have said. Privacy advocates, student unions and labor rights organizations have filed lawsuits to block data access, questioning whether the government could weaponize people’s personal information.
Palantir’s selection as a chief vendor for the project was driven by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, according to the government officials. At least three DOGE members formerly worked at Palantir, while two others had worked at companies funded by Peter Thiel, an investor and a founder of Palantir.
Some current and former Palantir employees have been unnerved by the work. The company risks becoming the face of Mr. Trump’s political agenda, four employees said, and could be vulnerable if data on Americans is breached or hacked. Several tried to distance the company from the efforts, saying any decisions about a merged database of personal information rest with Mr. Trump and not the firm.
This month, 13 former employees signed a letter urging Palantir to stop its endeavors with Mr. Trump. Linda Xia, a signee who was a Palantir engineer until last year, said the problem was not with the company’s technology but with how the Trump administration intended to use it.
“Data that is collected for one reason should not be repurposed for other uses,” Ms. Xia said. “Combining all that data, even with the noblest of intentions, significantly increases the risk of misuse.”
Mario Trujillo, a lawyer with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital rights group, said the government typically collected data for good reasons, such as to accurately levy taxes. But “if people can’t trust that the data they are giving the government will be protected, that it will be used for things other than what they gave it for, it will lead to a crisis of trust,” he said.
Palantir declined to comment on its work with the Trump administration and pointed to its blog, which details how the company handles data.
“We act as a data processor, not a data controller,” it said. “Our software and services are used under direction from the organisations that license our products: these organisations define what can and cannot be done with their data; they control the Palantir accounts in which analysis is conducted.”
The White House did not comment on the use of Palantir’s technology and referred to Mr. Trump’s executive order, which said he wanted to “eliminate information silos and streamline data collection across all agencies to increase government efficiency and save hard-earned taxpayer dollars.”
Some details of Palantir’s government contracts and DOGE’s work to compile data were previously reported by Wired and CNN.
Palantir, which was founded in 2003 by Alex Karp and Mr. Thiel and went public in 2020, specializes in finding patterns in data and presenting the information in ways that are easy to process and navigate, such as charts and maps. Its main products include Foundry, a data analytics platform, and Gotham, which helps organize and draw conclusions from data and is tailored for security and defense purposes.
In an interview last year, Mr. Karp, Palantir’s chief executive, said the company’s role was “the finding of hidden things” by sifting through data.
Palantir has long worked with the federal government. Its government contracts span the Defense Department and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. During the pandemic, the Biden administration signed a contract with Palantir to manage the distribution of vaccines through the C.D.C.
Mr. Trump’s election in November boosted Palantir’s stock, which has risen more than 140 percent since then. Mr. Karp, who donated to the Democratic Party last year, has welcomed Mr. Trump’s win and called Mr. Musk the most “qualified person in the world” to remake the U.S. government.
At the I.R.S., Palantir engineers joined in April to use Foundry to organize data gathered on American taxpayers, two government officials said. Their work began as a way to create a single, searchable database for the I.R.S., but has since expanded, they said. Palantir is in talks for a permanent contract with the I.R.S., they said.
A Treasury Department representative said that the I.R.S. was updating its systems to serve American taxpayers, and that Palantir was contracted to complete the work with I.R.S. engineers.
Palantir also recently began helping Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s enforcement and removal operations team, according to two Palantir employees and two current and former D.H.S. officials. The work is part of a $30 million contract that ICE signed with Palantir in April to build a platform to track migrant movements in real time.
Some D.H.S. officials exchanged emails with DOGE officials in February about merging some Social Security information with records kept by immigration officials, according to screenshots of the messages viewed by The New York Times.
In a statement, Tricia McLaughlin, a D.H.S. spokeswoman, did not address Palantir’s new work with the agency and said the company “has had contracts with the federal government for 14 years.”
Palantir representatives have also held talks with the Social Security Administration and the Department of Education to use the company’s technology to organize the agencies’ data, according to two Palantir employees and officials in those agencies.
The Social Security Administration and Education Department did not respond to requests for comment.
The goal of uniting data on Americans has been quietly discussed by Palantir engineers, employees said, adding that they were worried about collecting so much sensitive information in one place. The company’s security practices are only as good as the people using them, they said. They characterized some DOGE employees as sloppy on security, such as not following protocols in how personal devices were used.
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.
President Donald Trump gestures after speaking during a summer soiree on the South Lawn of the White House on June 4Credit: AP
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.”
Islamabad police have launched a murder probe after a teenage social media influencer was shot dead in her home. The news has reignited fears about the safety of women, particularly those in the public eye.
Yousaf had nearly 800,000 followers on TikTok and close to 500,000 on InstagramImage: Instagram/sanayousaf22
Police in Islamabad on Tuesday were investigating the killing of 17-year-old Sana Yousaf after she was found shot dead in her home.
The killing of the popular teenager, who had more than a million followers across TikTok and Instagram, has raised renewed concerns over the safety of online personalities in Pakistan, particularly young women.
What we know about the case
Police were said to have filed a case against an unidentified suspect after a complaint by Yousaf’s mother.
“The murder occurred within the victim’s residence and seems to have been carried out by someone she was acquainted with,” Station House Officer Malik Asif from the Sumbal Police Station confirmed to DW.
“The suspect was a familiar guest, indicating a personal relationship between them,” said Asif.
The news website Dawn cited early police information that a man entered the family’s home at around 5 p.m. on Monday and shot Sana twice in the chest.
She was rushed to the hospital but died from her injuries. The suspect was said to have fled the scene and remains to be publicly identified.
The mother said the suspect had a “smart appearance, moderate physique and height,” and was dressed in a black shirt and pants.
She said that both she and her sister-in-law, who was visiting, had witnessed the incident and would be able to identify the suspect in person.
Her mother added that her 15-year-old son was not present at the house as he had gone to their native village while her sister-in-law was visiting them for a few days.
Who was Sarah Yousaf?
Yousaf was widely known on social media for her short videos and lifestyle content. She had nearly 800,000 followers on TikTok and close to 500,000 on Instagram.
She gained popularity for content about culture, women’s rights, and youth empowerment.
Her videos often featured humorous reels, inspirational messages, and cultural insights that resonated with with her young audience.
After her death, tributes appeared on social media platforms with the hashtag #JusticeForSanaYousaf trending and fans and activists demanding a thorough investigation.
The news comes amid growing conversations about the safety of women, particularly those in the public eye, and the challenges faced by female content creators in the country.
THREE missing sisters have been found dead days after they were reported missing while visiting their dad.
Authorities are being accused of “failing” the sisters by not issuing an Amber Alert for them as cops launch a manhunt for their father, who is charged with kidnapping and killing them.
Whitney Decker with her daughters Olivia, Evelyn, and Paityn DeckerCredit: GoFundMe
Paityn, 9, Evelyn, 8, and Olivia Decker, 5, were found dead on Monday night after cops swarmed Rock Island Campground, about an hour outside of Wenatchee, Washington, where the girls lived with their mother.
Cops are now searching for Travis Decker, 32, who the girls were last seen with on what was supposed to be a three-hour custody visit on Friday.
Decker, who cops say is homeless, didn’t drop his daughters off at the end of the visit, prompting their mom to report them missing that night.
Washington State Patrol then issued an endangered missing persons alert for the siblings after Decker was seen leaving Wenatchee with the girls.
Cops decided not to send out an Amber Alert, designed to warn of child abductions, because they thought it was a custody issue.
“AMBER alerts involve more imminency, like we know something will happen, versus what we were dealing with over the weekend was more of an overdue child scenario,” Wenatchee Police Sergeant Joe Eaton told NCWLIFE.
Now, members of the public are lashing out at police for not doing more to alert people to the unfolding situation.
“This isn’t just heartbreaking, it’s infuriating,” one Facebook user commented on WPD’s Facebook post.
“These girls are gone because the system FAILED them. The police didn’t take it seriously, and the court system let them down too.
“There was a predator out there and instead of protecting our community, you stayed silent. No alerts, no warnings nothing.”
Another wrote, “How come an amber alert was not issued until it made national news? You failed this mother and her kids.
“The amber alert should have been issued the day he didn’t come back and no contact could be made.”
It’s unclear how the three girls died, but Decker has been charged with their murders.
Cops warned members of the public not to approach Decker, a veteran who they believe is mentally unstable.
HEADING out to Travis Scott’s Astroworld concert with a group of pals, excited fan Ayden Cruz was looking forward to the night of his life.
Instead, he found himself in a hellish crush that claimed the life of his close friend Brianna Rodriguez and nine others, including a nine-year-old boy.
Travis Scott at the third annual Astroworld festival, which descended into chaosCredit: AP
What began as a highly anticipated event in the wake of pandemic restrictions, in November 2021, quickly descended into one of the US’ worst concert disasters, with dozens of people left fighting for their lives.
As the rapper took to the stage, the over-capacity crowd at Houston’s NRG Park surged forward, triggering a stampede which left several people trapped.
Fans say their screams for help fell on deaf ears as Scott continued performing amid the chaos.
In the aftermath of Astroworld, the heartbroken families of the victims – the youngest of whom was nine-year-old Ezra Blount – were left questioning how such a tragedy was allowed to occur.
In a new Netflix documentary, Trainwreck: The Astroworld Tragedy, Ayden and other survivors speak out about the harrowing ordeal that has left them traumatised four years on.
“Everyone was really hype. And everyone’s body moves forward. And then the wave comes back,” says Ayden, who was also with girlfriend Mikaela at the festival.
“That was like being stuffed into one little spot and just being squeezed. I started to feel a certain fear. That’s when I was like, ‘Hold on, this is not okay.’
“One of those waves just hit both me and Bri. We all fell to our backs. I could hear her in pain asking, ‘Help me get out,’ and stuff like that. I was the second layer.
“There were people under me. And then me falling on my back, and then people stacking on top of me.”
As Ayden struggled to escape the mountain of bodies piled on top of him, he realised that the more he fought, the worse it became for him.
“I could feel the oxygen leaving my body. I don’t know how long I was under there, but it felt like forever. And then people moved off me. I saw someone’s face. They looked at me.
“He pulled me out, and I just remember feeling so many different things. Where’s Mikaela? Did Bri get out? I looked for Mikaela. I found her.
“I knew where I saw Bri. Anyone who was at the same level as me was not receiving oxygen. I just remember panicking in that moment.”
Ayden tried his best to stop the show so others could get help. In footage taken on the night, Ayden can be seen climbing a camera platform to get the attention of the crew.
I knew where I saw Bri. Anyone who was at the same level as me was not receiving oxygen. I just remember panicking in that moment.
Ayden Cruz
He told the workers: “Shut the f**k up! People are f**king dying. I’m trying to save somebody’s life. That’s somebody’s kid. I want to save them.”
Ayden then frantically went searching for Brianna, believing there was a chance she was still struggling under the crowd. He was eventually told she had been taken to the hospital.
He emotionally recalls: “Right when we get there, her family just starts crying really loudly. We are thinking they are still trying. It’s not over yet. There’s still an opportunity for her to be saved.
“Until they come back and they [said], ‘We can’t do anything.’ Everyone just dropped to the floor. I just remember crying and feeling like this is the worst night of my life. I felt defeated.”
‘Stole my heart’
Raul and his friends, including Rudy Pena, 27, could hardly contain their excitement as they made their way to the main stage to watch Travis’ set.
In the film, he explains: “That’s when it started getting pretty hectic. We lost each other.”
There was a clock counting down the minutes till Travis’ big performance. With each passing minute, the crowd surged forward to get a closer look at the rapper.
When the situation got worse, Raul says he could hear Rudy behind him saying he couldn’t breathe. After assuring him to drink water and calm down, Raul thought all was well.
After the concert, Raul and his friends designated a meeting spot – but as all his mates gathered, one was missing.
He recalls: “Everybody started getting there slowly, but Rudy. That was so strange to me because the whole time I had thought he got out safely. But he’s the only one missing.
“That’s when I hit full panic.”
Their friend Manuel raced towards the emergency crews and ambulances without any sign of Rudy. He even started calling hospitals. One hospital said that Rudy was there.
Manuel says in the film: “There was no information due to us not being family. So that’s when I called Rudy’s mum.”
This was not a case of missing red flags. This was a case of ignoring blaring warning sirens.
Scott Davidson, crowd safety expert
Rudy’s mum, Maria Pena, rushed to Houston to check on her son but, on arrival at the hospital, she was given the devastating news that Rudy had died.
In the film, she tearfully says: “That’s when I just lost it. I was screaming ‘What am I gonna tell his siblings? What am I gonna tell his friends? What am I going to say to my heart, to my soul?
“They stole my heart. They stole a part of my heart. I couldn’t bear it. And I still can’t.”
‘I’m gonna die here’
As the crowd were frantically looking for an escape route, Sofia, who was celebrating getting her nursing certificate, was certain she would not make it out alive.
She says in the film: “The crowd was swaying, and I was swaying with the crowd because of how tight it was. I had no control over my body.
“And I just remember thinking, ‘Don’t fall down because you won’t make it back up. In the commotion, I lost my balance and fell on someone. And I just remember feeling pressure because people were falling on me.
“I remember looking up and just being like, ‘I’m gonna die here.’ And then someone saw my hand and they helped me up. Travis Scott was still playing the whole time. I was shaking.
“At this point, I was like, ‘I need to be out there helping people because I’m a registered nurse. There was this guy on the floor. I do my assessment on him.
“He has a pulse, but it’s really faint. I grabbed his legs, and I just remember putting them up.” Sofia heroically tried several methods to revive him.
Eventually, his heart started beating normally, and he regained consciousness, to Sofia’s relief.
That stranger was Arturo, who also appears in the film.
He says: “I was practically being suffocated to death. What led up to me passing out was like a heart attack. The doctors had to really explain to me what had really happened.
“And I was like ‘Holy shit, she brought me back to life. She was there for me. God bless her.'”
Putin’s payback strike in Odesa on June 3, days after the humiliating operation SpiderwebCredit: Reuters
VLADIMIR Putin has brazenly listed his “surrender demands” for Ukraine – despite being humiliated by Russia’s “Pearl Harbour”.
The deranged tyrant’s negotiators said an end to the war would only be agreed if Kyiv surrenders huge chunks of territory and accepts limits on the size of its army.
Moscow’s audacious demands came just a day after Ukraine orchestrated Operation Spiderweb – which wiped out a third of Putin’s nuclear bombers.
The sophisticated attack saw 117 drones smuggled into Russia before unleashing hell on Putin’s airfields.
Spiderweb – dubbed Russia’s “Pearl Harbour” – took 18 months to plan and is understood to have cost Putin billions in damages.
Despite being left red-faced by the mammoth assault, Putin’s mouthpieces shamelessly gave his terms for a ceasefire during a second round of direct peace talks in Istanbul on Monday.
Its first section contained Moscow’s “basic parameters of a final settlement”.
The sham proposal demands Ukraine withdraw its troops from four eastern regions that Russia only partly occupies at the moment.
It also ordered that the international community recognise Crimea as Russia’s sovereign territory – after they annexed the peninsula in 2014.
Putin’s shopping list of demands went on to detail that Kyiv must commit to limiting the size of its military.
The tyrant also wants Ukraine to permanently declare neutrality and host no foreign troops whatsoever on its territory.
Other terms of the settlement included a bizarre ban on the “glorification or promotion of Nazism and neo-Nazism” in Ukraine – an accusation that Putin’s propaganda teams have consistently peddled.
Moscow also asked for diplomatic and economic ties between the neighbouring countries to be reinstated.
This would include the resumption of Russian natural gas flowing through Ukraine in order to be sold to other countries.
The unrealistic demands have been seen as yet another ploy to stall peace talks while Putin continues to carry out his bloody invasion.
The second section in the settlement listed the Kremlin’s conditions for agreeing to a temporary 30-day ceasefire.
It gave Kyiv two choices -either withdraw troops from four regions claimed by Russia, or agree to cancelling martial law and holding elections.
Additional requirements packaged up with the two options included a total cessation of all foreign military aid, and for Ukraine to start demobilising.
The negotiations were brokered by the US and Turkey at the Ciragan palace – but appeared to bring neither side closer to a truce.
But they did manage to agree to an exchange of 6,000 dead bodies, and an “all-for-all” swap of seriously wounded prisoners of war, and captured servicemen under the age of 25.
Musk has launched his first public attack on the government since leaving the Trump administration last week
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.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said it is “unacceptable that Palestinians are risking their lives for food.” Witnesses have reported a second attack on civilians waiting for aid.
The UN condemned alleged shootings near aid sites in GazaImage: AFP/Getty Images
Witnesses and relief workers on Tuesday said that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in Gaza had fired on Palestinian civilians waiting for aid for the second time in three days. Medics said at least 27 people were killed.
The IDF said that it had fired at people who “posed a threat” near the the Al-Alam roundabout in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. The location is close to an aid center run by the controversial US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) aid center.
Witnesses reported being fired at by drones and helicopters.
UN human rights chief Volker Türk condemned the shootings, saying: “Deadly attacks on distraught civilians trying to access the paltry amounts of food aid in Gaza are unconscionable…Attacks directed against civilians constitute a grave breach of international law and a war crime.”
UN’s Guterres saying killings are ‘unacceptable’
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday had called for an independent investigation into the deaths of dozens of Palestinians near an aid distribution site in Gaza, prompting a fierce response from Israel.
Guterres said in a statement that he was “appalled by the reports of Palestinians killed and injured while seeking aid in Gaza.”
“It is unacceptable that Palestinians are risking their lives for food,” the UN leader’s statement said.
“I call for an immediate and independent investigation into these events and for perpetrators to be held accountable,” Guterres said.
Aid workers and civilians said on Sunday that Israeli forces fired on Palestinians waiting to receive aid close to a distribution site in Gaza. Journalists also reported receiving an off the record statement from the Israeli military saying that they had fired on “suspects” who posed a threat.
At least 21 were killed and scores more injured, according to a Red Cross field hospital and numerous witnesses.
Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned Guterres’ statement as a “disgrace,” and criticized him for ignoring the role of the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Hamas, which is in charge of Gaza, is considered a terrorist group by Israel, the US and several other countries.
Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein wrote in a post on X that Guterres’ statement did not mention “the fact that Hamas is the one shooting civilians and trying to prevent them from collecting aid packages.”
Marmorstein’s claims have not been confirmed by any other source.
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.
Microsoft founder Bill Gates is hoping to spur African leaders to invest in health care and innovation (FILE: January 8, 2025)Image: Jae C. Hong/AP
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.”
Researchers can document eruptions at Mount Etna back at least 2,700 yearsImage: Marco Restivo/REUTERS
Where is Mount Etna?
Mount Etna rises 3,357 meters (11,014 feet) above Catania, a city on the east coast of Sicily, Italy.
It covers an area of 1,250 square kilometers (482 square miles).
What type of volcano is Mount Etna?
Mount Etna is what geologists and volcanologists call a stratovolcano or composite volcano.
Stratovolcanoes typically have steep inclines and many separate vents, formed over tens to hundreds of thousands of years.
According to Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), Etna has more than 500,000 years of eruptive history, but it’s only taken its current, conical shape in the past hundred thousand years.
Stratovolcanoes can be highly explosive when they erupt. They spew a variety of magma types, including basalt, andesite, dacite, and rhyolite.
When UNESCO inscribed Mount Etna as a World Heritage Site in 2013, it said it was “an iconic site” that continued “to influence volcanology, geophysics and other Earth science disciplines. The volcano also supports important terrestrial ecosystems including endemic flora and fauna, and its activity makes it a natural laboratory for the study of ecological and biological processes.”
How dangerous is Mount Etna?
It is difficult to determine the exact level of danger posed by Mount Etna. When it began erupting in June 2025, INGV set its alert level for Etna as “basic.”
While the volcano has been spewing lava non-stop for thousands of years, volcanologists can pinpoint new eruptions at least once or twice a year.
According to the INGV, Mount Etna is in a state of persistent activity, with “continuous outgassing [which] can evolve into low energy Strombolian activity.”
“Strombolian” describes a type of eruption, caused by expanding gas that ejects clots of glowing lava in a cycle of almost continuous, small eruptions.
Etna is also prone to “terminal and sub-terminal eruptions” at craters at the top of the volcano or nearby, and “lateral and eccentric eruptions” at vents along the slopes of the volcano.
What threat does Mount Etna pose to people?
Few people live within 5-10km (3.1-6.2 miles) of Mount Etna, but they do face a constant threat of debris and dust, even from the smallest eruptions.
Lava flows have been known to reach as far as the eastern seaboard of Sicily and run off into the Ionian Sea.
It is about 40km from Etna to Catania, which has a population of more than 300,000 people, mostly in its outskirts.
Research by the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research in Kiel, Germany, suggested the eastern flank of Mount Etna was “slowly sliding towards the sea.”
In 2021, researchers at the Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences said the flank was sliding into the Ionian Sea at a rate of centimeters per year: “Such unstable flanks could fail catastrophically, triggering landslides that could generate tsunamis.”
This has happened in the past, about 8,000 years ago.
Brooke Shields didn’t hold back when sharing comments about Meghan Markle’s awkward appearance at a 2024 SXSW panel.
The actress, along with the Duchess of Sussex, participated in an International Women’s Day conversation called “Breaking Barriers, Shaping Narratives: How Women Lead On and Off the Screen” and moderated by journalist Katie Couric at the iconic film festival last March.
“Katie asks the first question to Meghan and she talks about how at a young age, she was already advocating for women,” Shields told India Hicks on the latest episode of her “An Unexpected Journey” podcast, via the Independent.
“She starts telling a story about how when she was 11 — and she keeps saying, ‘Well, when I was 11, I saw this commercial and they were talking about how washing dishes was for women’ And she said, ‘I didn’t think only women wash dishes. It wasn’t fair, so I wrote to the company.’”
Brooke Shields recalled Meghan Markle’s awkward appearance at a SXSW panel in March 2024. Getty Images
“She kept saying she was 11!” the “Mother of the Bride” star exclaimed.
“She wrote to the company, they changed the text, they changed the commercial. It was just too precious, and I was like, ‘They’re not going to want to sit here for 45 minutes and listen to anybody be precious or serious.’”
Shields, 60, recalled intervening at one point in an effort to switch up the mood.
“I go, ‘Excuse me, I’m so sorry, I’ve got to interrupt you there for one minute.’ I was trying not to be rude, but I wanted to be funny because it was so serious,” Shields remembered.
“I just want to give everybody here a context as to how we’re different. When I was 11, I was playing a prostitute,” she joked, referencing her 1978 historical drama, “Pretty Baby.”
“The place went insane,” Shields shared, claiming the crowd became “more relaxed” after her comments.
The story Markle shared during the panel was nothing new, as the “Suits” alum has previously spoken about how she took matters into her own hands after seeing the controversial Ivory dishwashing soap campaign.
During the 2019 International Women’s Day panel at SXSW, Markle said the ad — which originally featured the slogan “Women all over America are fighting greasy pots and pans” — had inspired a formative feminist experience for her.
“Truth be told, at 11 I don’t think I even knew what sexism meant. I just knew that something struck me internally that was telling me it was wrong, and I knew that it was wrong,” she said at the time, per People.
A view shows the Crimean Bridge, a section of which was damaged by an alleged overnight attack, as seen form the city of Kerch, Crimea, Jul 17, 2023. (Photo: REUTERS/Alexey Pavlishak)
Ukraine’s SBU security service said on Tuesday (Jun 3) that it had hit the road and rail bridge linking Russia and the Crimean peninsula below the water level with explosives.
In a statement, the SBU said it had used 1,100 kilograms of explosives that were detonated early in the morning and damaged underwater pillars of the bridge, a key supply route for Russian forces in Ukraine in the past.
The official Russian outlet which provides regular status updates on the bridge said its operation had been suspended for about three hours between 4 am and 7 am local time (9 am and 12 pm, Singapore time).
It gave no reason for the temporary closure, but said the bridge had been reopened and was functioning as normal.
“Previously, we hit the Crimean Bridge twice, in 2022 and 2023. So today we continued this tradition underwater,” the SBU said in its statement, adding that the operation had been prepared over several months.
The SBU shared video footage that showed an explosion next to one of the many support pillars of the bridge.
Reuters was able to confirm the location from the structure and bearing elements of the bridge that matched satellite and file imagery of the area. Reuters was not able to independently verify when the video was filmed.
Russian military bloggers said the attack had been unsuccessful and speculated that it had been carried out by a Ukrainian sea drone.
On Sunday, Ukraine launched drones in an operation codenamed “Spider’s Web” to attack Russian nuclear-capable long-range bomber planes at distant airfields across Russia.
The 19 km Crimea Bridge over the Kerch Strait is the only direct link between the transport network of Russia and the Crimean peninsula, which Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
A staff entering a laboratory at a social hygiene clinic in Quezon City, Metro Manila on May 10,2023. (File photo: AFP/Jam Sta Rosa)
Philippine medical authorities on Tuesday (Jun 3) warned of a looming “public health emergency” as HIV infections have soared this year, with young males especially hard-hit.
On average, 57 new cases a day were tallied in the country of 117 million people over the first three months of 2025, a 50 per cent jump from a year earlier, health department data shows.
“We now have the highest number of new cases here in the Western Pacific,” Health Secretary Ted Herbosa said in a video message released Tuesday.
“What is frightening is, our youth make up many of the new cases,” he said.
“It would be in our interest to (declare) a public health emergency, a national emergency for HIV to mobilise the entire society, the whole of government to help us in this campaign to reduce the number of new HIV cases,” Herbosa added.
The health department said 95 per cent of newly reported cases were male, with 33 per cent aged 15 to 24 and 47 per cent aged 25 to 34.
The government did not explain the causes behind the surge, which it said had set back government attempts to hit global targets set by a United Nations campaign to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030.
Under Philippine law, the president can declare a health emergency if an epidemic poses a threat to national security. The start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 was the last time that was done.
Just 55 per cent of those living with HIV in the Philippines have been diagnosed, the health department said, while only 66 per cent of those diagnosed are on life-saving antiretroviral therapy.
South Korea has handed a decisive victory to opposition candidate Lee Jae-myung six months after his predecessor’s martial law bid failed.
The brief yet disastrous move set off huge protests and ended former president Yoon Suk Yeol’s career: impeached and removed from office, he still faces criminal charges for abusing his power.
But the political chaos that followed means victorious Lee’s biggest challenge is still ahead of him. He must unite a polarised country that is still reeling from it all.
He also faces challenges abroad – crucially, negotiating a trade deal with US President Donald Trump to soften the blow of tariffs from South Korea’s closest ally.
His main rival was the ruling party candidate and a former member of Yoon’s cabinet, Kim Moon-soo.
He had been trailing Lee for weeks in polls and in the early hours of Wednesday, he conceded defeat, congratulating Lee “on his victory”.
In an earlier speech, Lee had hinted at the win but stopped short of declaring it. He said “recovering” South Korea’s democracy would be his first priority.
The snap election comes just three years after the 61-year-old lost his last presidential bid by a razor-thin margin to Yoon.
It’s a remarkable comeback for a man who has been caught in several political scandals, from investigations over alleged corruption to family feuds.
Analysts say Lee’s win is also a rejection of the ruling People Power Party (PPP), which was tarred by Yoon’s martial law order.
“Voters weren’t necessarily expressing strong support for Lee’s agenda, rather they were responding to what they saw as a breakdown of democracy,” Park Sung-min, president of Min Consulting, told the BBC.
“The election became a vehicle for expressing outrage… [and] was a clear rebuke of the ruling party, which had been complicit in or directly responsible for the martial law measures.”
Lee’s win, he adds, shows that voters had put South Korea’s democracy “above all else”.
What lies ahead
Yoon’s departure also left his former party divided and in disarray, with infighting delaying the announcement of a presidential candidate until early May.
The chaos in the PPP went beyond just Yoon, as two acting presidents who followed were also impeached, before one of them was reinstated – a sign of how contentious South Korean politics had become.
All of this certainly helped the opposition Democratic Party and its candidate Lee, who signalled more stability.
But while he has won the election, his challenges are far from over.
He faces a trial in the Supreme Court over charges of violating the election law. The court postponed the trial until after the election to avoid interference because a conviction could have barred him from contesting.
But it’s not clear what happens if Lee is now found guilty, though the law says sitting presidents cannot be prosecuted for criminal offences, with the exception of insurrection or treason.
Lee has had a controversial career in which he has built a loyal base but he has also drawn disapproval and ire for what some have called an abrasive style.
He has spoken openly of a tough childhood in a working class family, before he went to college and became a human rights lawyer.
He then switched to a political career, making his way up the DP until – in 2022 – he became their presidential candidate. He campaigned on a more liberal platform, promising to address gender inequality, for instance.
But after he lost the vote, he pivoted, opting this time to move more toward the centre and play it safer with his policies.
In office, he will also need to reach across the aisle and work with the PPP, a party he battled regularly during Yoon’s term. But he may need some of them to work with him to rebuild public trust and mend a fractured country.
“Years of escalating polarisation under both the [previous] Moon and Yoon administrations have left South Korea’s political landscape bitterly divided,” Mr Park said.
“Lee may speak of national unity, but he faces a profound dilemma: how to pursue accountability for what many view as an attempted insurrection without deepening the very divisions he seeks to heal.”
Despite the PPP’s loss, Yoon still has a considerably strong and vocal support base – and they are unlikely to go away anytime soon.
His supporters, mainly young male voters and the elderly, often echo strong right-wing narratives and many of them believe his declaration of martial law was necessary to protect the country.
Many also peddle conspiracy theories, believing Yoon’s party was a victim of election fraud.
Thousands protested against his impeachment and in January, shortly after his arrest, a pro-Yoon crowd stormed a courthouse and assaulted police officers.
With Yoon gone, there are questions about who might fill that vacuum for his base.
One name in particular has emerged: Lee Jun Seok, who also ran for president, but dropped out earlier on Tuesday, when exit polls suggested he was trailing too far behind, with just 7.7% of the votes.
Still, he has been especially popular with many young men for his anti-feminist views, which has reminded some of Yoon, under whom equality for women became a polarising subject.
Young men in their 30s came out in higher numbers than usual to vote this time, drawn in part by candidates like Lee Jun-seok. Those wanting to hold the PPP-led government accountable, and others wanting to ensure Lee Jae-myung’s presidency was dashed, led to this year’s voter turnout reaching 79.4% – the highest since 1997.
However, it is not just healing these divides at home that will keep Lee busy in the immediate future. He also faces urgent challenges abroad, such as navigating the US-Korea alliance under the new Trump administration.
US President Donald Trump has signed an order doubling tariffs on steel and aluminium imports from 25% to 50%.
The move hikes import taxes on the metals – key inputs in everything from cars to canned food – for the second time since March.
Trump has said the measures, which come into effect on Wednesday, are intended to secure the future of the American steel industry.
However, critics say the protections could wreak havoc on steel producers outside the US, spark retaliation from trade partners, and come at a punishing cost for American users of the metals.
Hours before he hiked the duties, many firms directly affected could scarcely believe the plan was moving forward, hoping it would turn out to be temporary or some kind of negotiating ploy.
Even as Trump moved forward with the deal, the UK was granted a carve-out from the measures, leaving duties on its steel and aluminium at 25%, a move Trump said reflected its ongoing trade discussions with the US.
“Always the question with Mr Trump is, is this a tactic or is this a long-term plan?” said Rick Huether, chief executive of Independent Can Co, a Maryland-based business, which brings in steel from Europe and turns it into decorative cookie tins, popcorn boxes, and other products.
He said he had put investments on hold and feared the abrupt changes, and price increases would lead his customers to turn to alternatives such as plastic or paper boxes.
“There’s a lot of chaos,” he said.
The US is the biggest importer of steel in the world, after the European Union, getting most of the metal from Canada, Brazil, Mexico and South Korea, according to the US government.
During his first term, Trump imposed tariffs of 25% on steel and 10% on aluminium, citing a law that gives him authority to protect industries considered vital to national security.
But many imports ultimately escaped the duties after the US struck trade deals with allies and granted exemptions to certain imports at the request of firms.
Trump ended those carve-outs in March, saying he was unhappy with the way the protections had been weakened.
At Friday’s rally at the US Steel factory, he said wanted to make tariffs so high that US businesses would have no alternative but to buy from American suppliers.
“Nobody’s going to get around that,” he said of the 50% rate. “That means that nobody’s going to be able to steal your industry. It’s at 25% – they can get over that fence. At 50%, they can no longer get over the fence.”
Reaction in the UK and Europe
As of May, imports and the rate of raw steel production in the US had changed little since last year before Trump raised tariffs, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute.
But steel imports fell 17% in April, compared to March. And businesses selling the metals into the US said they expected Trump’s latest announcement to lead to an even more dramatic drop.
Trump’s moves in March had already prompted Canada and the European Union to prepare to hit back with tariffs of their own American products.
On Tuesday, Olof Gill, spokesperson for economic security and trade for the European Commission told the BBC the two sides were engaged in intense talks to try to make progress toward an agreement.
“We’re negotiating hard to try and make good deals,” he said.
“We really hope that the Americans will roll back on this latest tariff threat, as they have done on others, but that remains to be seen.”
In the UK, Trump’s announcement put new pressure on the government to pin down the trade deal in the works with the US, which had been expected to provide some protection from the March metals tariffs.
Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds met with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in Paris on Wednesday.
His office said it was “pleased” that the trade talks had protected UK steel from the latest duties.
“We will continue to work with the US to implement our agreement, which will see the 25% US tariffs on steel removed,” he said.
Gareth Stace, director general of UK Steel, which represents steelmakers, told the BBC that his members had already seen orders cancelled and delayed as a result of the 25% tariffs put in place in March.
He warned that a 50% tariff would be “catastrophic” for UK exports to the US, about 7% of overall exports.
“The introduction of 50% tariffs immediately puts the shutters up,” he said. “Most of our orders, if not all of them, will now be cancelled.”
Economists said the US economy is also facing damage, as prices rise as a result of the new measures.
A 2020 analysis estimated that Trump’s first term tariffs created roughly 1,000 jobs in the steel industry, but cost the economy 75,000 jobs in other sectors, such as manufacturing and construction.
Erica York, vice president of federal tax policy at the Tax Foundation, said that she expected to see even more extreme job losses this time.
“Some of the strongest evidence is against tariffs on intermediate inputs like steel and aluminium, finding they are much more harmful because they increase the cost of production in the United States,” she said. “It’s just very foolish to double down on this type of tariff in particular.”
Chad Bartusek is director of supply chain management at Drill Rod & Tool Steels, a small, family-owned manufacturing business in Illinois, which brings in about 800,000 pounds of Austrian-made steel each year, at specifications he says are not produced in the US.
Mr Bartusek said he was currently waiting on three containers worth of steel rod, which would have entered the US without duties at the start of the year.
As of last week, he had expected to pay tariff costs about $72,000. Instead, he is looking at a tariff bill of almost $145,000.
A person sits at a desk inside of a mobile FEMA command center after tornadoes ripped through several U.S. states in downtown Dawson Springs, Kentucky, U.S., December 14, 2021. REUTERS/Jon Cherry/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
Staff of the Federal Emergency Management Agency were left baffled on Monday after the head of the U.S. disaster agency said he had not been aware the country has a hurricane season, according to four sources familiar with the situation.
The remark was made during a briefing by David Richardson, who has led FEMA since early May. It was not clear to staff whether he meant it literally, as a joke, or in some other context.
The U.S. hurricane season officially began on Sunday and lasts through November. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecast last week that this year’s season is expected to bring as many as 10 hurricanes.
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, FEMA’s parent agency, said the comment was a joke and that FEMA is prepared for hurricane season.
The spokesperson said under Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Richardson “FEMA is shifting from bloated, DC-centric dead weight to a lean, deployable disaster force that empowers state actors to provide relief for their citizens.”
Richardson said during the briefing that there would be no changes to the agency’s disaster response plans despite having told staff to expect a new plan in May, the sources told Reuters.
Richardson’s comments come amid widespread concern that the departures of a raft of top FEMA officials, staff cuts and reductions in hurricane preparations will leave the agency ill-prepared for a storm season forecast to be above normal.
Democrats criticized Richardson following the Reuters report.
Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer posted the Reuters headline about Richardson on X and said he was “unaware of why he hasn’t been fired yet.”
Representative Bennie Thompson, the senior Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee with oversight of FEMA, issued a statement to Reuters that read:
“Suffice to say, disaster response is no joke. If you don’t know what or when hurricane season is, you’re not qualified to run FEMA. Get someone knowledgeable in there.”
Hurricanes kill dozens of people and cost hundreds of millions of dollars annually across a swath of U.S. states every year. The storms have become increasingly more destructive and costly due to the effects of climate change.
Richardson’s comment purporting ignorance about hurricane season spread among agency staff, spurring confusion and reigniting concern about his lack of familiarity with FEMA’s operations, said three sources.
Richardson, who has no disaster response experience, said during Monday’s briefing, a daily all-hands meeting held by phone and videoconference, that he will not be issuing a new disaster plan because he does not want to make changes that might counter the FEMA Review Council, the sources said.
President Donald Trump created the council to evaluate FEMA. Its members include DHS head Noem, governors and other officials.
In a May 15 staff town hall, Richardson said a disaster plan, including tabletop exercises, would be ready for review by May 23.
CONFUSION
The back-and-forth on updating the disaster plan and a lack of clear strategic guidance have created confusion for FEMA staff, said one source.
Richardson has evoked his military experience as a former Marine artillery officer in conversations with staff.
Before joining FEMA, he was assistant secretary at DHS’ office for countering weapons of mass destruction, which he has told staff he will continue to lead.
Richardson was appointed as the new chief of FEMA last month after his predecessor, Cameron Hamilton, was abruptly fired.
Hamilton had publicly broken with Trump over the future of the agency, but sources told Reuters that Trump allies had already been maneuvering to oust him because they were unhappy with what they saw as Hamilton’s slow-moving effort to restructure FEMA.
Trump has said FEMA should be shrunk or even eliminated, arguing states can take on many of its functions, as part of a wider downsizing of the federal government. About 2,000 full-time FEMA staff, one-third of its total, have been terminated or voluntarily left the agency since the start of the Trump administration in January.
A member of the former rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham stands guard near an image of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad at the fourth division headquarters in Damascus, Syria, January 23, 2025 REUTERS/Yamam Al Shaar/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
The United States has given its blessing to a plan by Syria’s new leadership to incorporate thousands of foreign jihadist former rebel fighters into the national army, provided that it does so transparently, President Donald Trump’s envoy said.
Three Syrian defence officials said that under the plan, some 3,500 foreign fighters, mainly Uyghurs from China and neighbouring countries, would join a newly-formed unit, the 84th Syrian army division, which would also include Syrians.
Asked by Reuters in Damascus whether Washington approved the integration of foreign fighters into Syria’s new military, Thomas Barrack, the U.S. ambassador to Turkey who was named Trump’s special envoy to Syria last month, said: “I would say there is an understanding, with transparency.”
He said it was better to keep the fighters, many of whom are “very loyal” to Syria’s new administration, within a state project than to exclude them.
The fate of foreigners who joined Syria’s Hayat Tahrir al-Sham rebels during the 13-year war between rebel groups and President Bashar al-Assad has been one of the most fraught issues hindering a rapprochement with the West since HTS, a one-time offshoot of al Qaeda, toppled Assad and took power last year.
At least until early May, the United States had been demanding the new leadership broadly exclude foreign fighters from the security forces.
But Washington’s approach to Syria has changed sharply since Trump toured the Middle East last month. Trump agreed to lift Assad-era sanctions on Syria, met Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh and named Barrack, a close friend, as his special envoy.
Two sources close to the Syrian defence ministry told Reuters that Sharaa and his circle had been arguing to Western interlocutors that bringing foreign fighters into the army would be less of a security risk than abandoning them, which could drive them into the orbit of al Qaeda or Islamic State.
The U.S. State Department and a Syrian government spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment.
CHINESE CONCERNS
Thousands of Sunni Muslim foreigners joined Syria’s rebels early in the 13-year civil war to fight against Assad, who was himself aided by Iranian-backed Shi’ite militias.
Some fighters formed their own factions, while others joined established groups such as Islamic State, which briefly declared a caliphate in swathes of Syria and Iraq before being routed by an array of forces backed both by the United States and Iran.
Foreign fighters within HTS earned a reputation as loyal, disciplined and experienced militants, and formed the backbone of the group’s elite so-called suicide units. They fought against Islamic State and against other wings of al Qaeda from 2016, when HTS broke away from the group founded by Osama bin Laden.
The Uyghur fighters from China and Central Asia are members of the Turkistan Islamic Party, a group designated as terrorists by Beijing. A Syrian official and a foreign diplomat said China had sought to have the group’s influence in Syria restricted.
A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said: “China hopes that Syria will oppose all forms of terrorism and extremist forces in response to the concerns of the international community.”
Osman Bughra, a TIP political official, told Reuters in a written statement that the group had officially dissolved and integrated into the Syrian army.
“At present, the group operates entirely under the authority of the Ministry of Defence, adheres to national policy, and maintains no affiliations with external entities or groups,” he said.
In December, the appointment of a handful of foreign jihadists who were part of HTS’s senior leadership to top military posts had alarmed Western governments, raising concerns over the direction of Syria’s new Islamist leadership.
Demands to freeze the appointments and expel rank-and-file foreign fighters became a key point of contention with Washington and other Western countries up until the week of Trump’s landmark meeting with Sharaa.
NATO must be ready for war in the next four years, Germany’s defence chief warned, as he claimed Russia is gearing up to attack more European nations.
Keir Starmer meanwhile announced 12 new nuclear submarines to combat the “immediate and pressing threat” from Putin.
Russian Belaya Air Base in Irkutsk region, Siberia, was ablaze after a major Ukrainian drone strike over the weekendCredit: East2West
General Carsten Breuer said Nato is facing a “very serious threat” from Russia – the most severe he has seen in his 40 years of service.
Breuer explained that Russia is producing weaponry at a rapid pace – with around 1,500 battle tanks and four million rounds of artillery each year.
Crucially, not all of this is being directed to Ukraine – possibly indicating munitions are being stockpiled for use against Nato countries.
He said: “There’s an intent and there’s a build up of the stocks.”
Breuer doubled down on his warning that “analysts are assessing 2029” as Russia’s potential timeframe for an assault, concluding: “We have to be ready by 2029”.
“If you ask me now, is this a guarantee that’s not earlier than 2029? I would say no, it’s not. So we must be able to fight tonight,” he said.
In April, the general warned that Putin will have amassed a 3million-strong army by next year, and that he wants to “weaken and destroy Nato as an alliance and discredit our Western form of society”.
The Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are particularly vulnerable, according to the defence expert.
Breuer said: “The Baltic States are really exposed to the Russians, right?
“And once you are there, you really feel this […] in the talks we are having over there.”
The Estonians use the analogy of being close to a wildfire and being able to “feel the heat, see the flames and smell the smoke”.
Germany and other European nations “probably see a little bit of smoke over the horizon and not more,” Breuer said.
The general added a call to action, urging fellow Nato nations to rebuild their militaries.
He said: “What we have to do now is really to lean in an to tell everybody: ‘Hey, ramp up […] get more into it because we need it.
“We need it to be able to defend ourselves and therefore also to build up deterrence.”
Recognising this need, the British government announced that the UK will build a dozen new nuclear submarines armed with Tomohawk missiles.
The UK’s nuclear warhead programme will also be bolstered, with Defence Secretary John Healey saying the deterrent is “what Putin fears most”.
The government is in talks with US officials over the move, which would be the UK’s biggest deterrent development since the Cold War.
The news came as part of the strategic defence review, designed to get Britain moving “to war-fighting readiness”.
Starmer will say during a trip to Scotland: “From the supply lines to the front lines, this government is four-square behind the men and women upholding our freedom and security.”
Up to 12 nuclear-powered subs will be built under the AUKUS security partnership with the US and Australia.
They are conventionally-armed with Tomahawk missiles and are mainly used as intelligence gatherers, lurking off hostile coastlines to intercept communications.
They can also deploy special forces and drones.
Russia’s weapon stocks took a hit over the weekend when a daring Ukrainian drone plot blitzed 34 percent of Putin’s cruise missile carriers, according to Volodymyr Zelensky.
THIS is the shocking moment a tourist jumps a railing around the famous Terracotta Army and smashes up two of the priceless statues.
The 30-year-old visitor leapt over the guard rail surrounding the clay warrior figures at a museum in the city of Xi’An in China on Friday.
The tourist leapt down into the 18ft-deep pit, landing amongst Terracotta Army warriorsCredit: News Flare
Footage shows the aftermath of his jump and senseless destruction of the 2000-year-old artefacts.
He can be seen lying on his back and rolling around – apparently in pain – at the bottom of an 18ft-deep pit.
The alleged vandal is leaning against one of the ancient statues as alarmed onlookers peer down into the pit.
Another angle shows the devastating extent of the damage to the statues.
Two have been knocked over and lie in pieces on the floor after the man “pushed and pulled” the clay figures.
Officials reported they were damaged to “varying degrees”.
Security guards for the museum quickly stepped in to grab the intruder before he inflicted more damage.
Authorities said the man, identified only by his surname Sun, suffers from mental health problems.
They also confirmed an investigation has been launched into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Concerns have been raised about how Sun managed to breach the security measures – consisting of a railing protective net – to plunge into the deep pit.
Despite the intrusion, museum staff confirmed that the Xi’An exhibition remains open to the public.
In 2017, an American man admitted to stealing a thumb from one of the terracotta warriors while it was on exhibition in Pennsylvania.
Michael Rohana, in his early 20s, snapped it off when it was on display at the Franklin Institute museum.
In that case, the statue was estimated to be worth $4.5million.
By that figure, the damage inflicted by the rogue tourist in Xi’An could amount to a whopping $9million, if the statues are ruined.
Rohana was acquitted after his prosecution ended in a mistrial.
His lawyer successfully argued that he was wrongly charged under laws that usually apply to major museum thefts.
Surveillance footage had captured him “clowning around” with the statues and taking selfies, before appearing to break something from one before leaving.
Lee Jae-myung (left) and Kim Moon Soo are the two main candidates in South Korea’s presidential electionImage: Yonhap/YNA/dpa/picture alliance
The legal controversy around frontrunner Lee Jae-myung explained
Lee Jae-myung is widely expected to win South Korea’s presidential election.
But he is facing charges — for a second time — of violating election laws in his 2022 presidential campaign.
Prosecutors appealed to retry Lee after the constitutional court overturned his original conviction.
But the high court in Many then postponed Lee’s trial until June 18, which is two weeks after the election.
If his original conviction had been upheld, Lee wouldn’t have been eligible to run for president.
The case is just one of five that Lee is currently fighting.
Impeached former President Yoon Suk Yeol casts vote
Impeached former President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee have voted at a school near their private residence in the capital, Seoul
They were accompanied by security guards, according to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency.
Neither made any comment to the waiting media, with Yoon turning to smile at the press as they peppered him with questions.
It was the first time that Yoon’s wife had been seen in public for more than 50 days.
Yoon was formally stripped of his office in April after being impeached and suspended for imposing martial law in December.
He attended his fifth court hearing last week over charges of leading an insurrection and abuse of power for declaring martial law on December 3, 2024.
South Korea’s foreign policy battles await new president
The winner of South Korea’s presidential election will immediately face foreign policy challenges dealing with the United States and China.
The Asian country is already under pressure on trade and security issues from the Trump administration, even though the United States is its most important ally against North Korea.
At the same time, South Korea has to walk a fine line with China, South Korea’s top trading partner.
“The winner is going to face a lot of big issues very quickly,” said Chinese foreign policy expert Choo Jae-woo, from Seoul’s Kyung Hee University.
FILE PHOTO: Suspected illegal migrants sit on the ground after they were detained by German police during their patrol along the German-Polish border to prevent illegal migration, in Forst, Germany, September 20, 2023. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner/File Photo
The new German government on Monday (Jun 2) said it would continue its flagship policy of turning asylum seekers away at its borders, despite a court ruling against the practice.
The policy was brought in on May 7, just a day after conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his cabinet took office with a promise to crack down on irregular migration.
However, Berlin’s Administrative Court ruled on Monday that people “who express the wish to seek asylum while at a border check on German territory may not be sent back” before it was determined which state was responsible for processing their claim under the EU’s so-called “Dublin” system.
Despite this, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said hours after the judgement that “we will continue with the pushbacks”, adding that “we think we have the legal justification for this”.
Monday’s court decision follows an appeal made by three Somali nationals who encountered an immigration check at a train station at Frankfurt an der Oder on the Polish border on May 9.
They expressed their wish to claim asylum in Germany but were sent back to Poland the same day.
The court said that their pushback was illegal and that its “findings can also be applied to other cases” of people being turned away at Germany’s borders.
However, the court also ruled that “the petitioners cannot demand to be allowed into” Germany.
The process of establishing which EU state is responsible for the asylum application “can be carried out at or close to the border”, the court said.
The court rejected the government’s argument that the Dublin procedure could be disregarded if this is necessary to “keep public order and protect domestic security”.
The government had failed “to demonstrate a danger to public security or order” that would justify such a move, the court said.
Dobrindt insisted that Monday’s judgment only had a direct impact on the “individual case” of the three Somali complainants.
He said he wanted the court to start another procedure in which the government could explain its case “more firmly”.
However, it is unclear whether this is legally possible given that the court said Monday’s decision was final.
Under the Dublin procedure, irregular migrants should be registered in the EU country they first enter. Should they head to another nation in the bloc, they can in most cases be returned to their first port of call in the EU.
IRRITATED NEIGHBOURS
The new policy of pushing back undocumented migrants at Germany’s borders, including almost all asylum seekers, was quickly introduced after Merz’s government took office early last month.
This was despite worries voiced by some in his coalition’s junior partner, the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD), that the policy was not legally sound.
The government has also stressed that the pushbacks were temporary and that the longer-term solution has to be improved security at the EU’s external borders.
According to the interior ministry, more than 2,800 people have been denied entry to Germany in the first two weeks of the new policy being applied, including 138 people who wanted to claim asylum.
A crackdown on irregular migration was a key plank of Merz’s platform for February’s general election.
That vote saw the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) score its best-ever result of just over 20 per cent, and Merz insists that action on migration is the only way to halt the party’s growth.
The new government’s pushback policy has led to some irritation among Germany’s neighbours as well as fears of adverse impacts on cross-border commuters and border communities.
A drone (left) lifts off from wooden sheds loaded onto a truck that was driven to the perimeter of an air base, as smoke rises in the background, in Mal’ta, Irkutsk Region, Russia; and smoke rises above the area following what local authorities called a drone attack on a military unit in the Sredny settlement, in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict in the Usolsky district of the Irkutsk region, Russia, in these still images obtained from social media video released on Jun 1, 2025. (Images: Social media via REUTERS, Handout via REUTERS/Governor of Irkutsk Region Igor Kobzev via Telegram)
Ukraine said on Sunday (Jun 1) that its drones destroyed Russian bombers worth billions of dollars as far away as Siberia in its longest-range assault of the war, as it geared up for talks on prospects for a ceasefire.
In a spectacular claim, Ukraine said it damaged US$7 billion worth of Russian aircraft parked at four airbases thousands of kilometres across the border, with unverified video footage showing aircraft engulfed in flames and black smoke.
A source in the Ukrainian security services (SBU) said the strikes hit 41 planes that were used to “bomb Ukrainian villages”.
The drones were concealed in the ceilings of transportation containers that were opened remotely for the assault, the source added.
CEASEFIRE TALKS
The long-planned operation came at a delicate moment three years into Russia’s invasion.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday that he was sending a delegation to Istanbul led by his Defence Minister Rustem Umerov for talks on Monday with Russian officials.
Türkiye is hosting the meeting, which was spurred by United States President Donald Trump’s push for a quick deal to end the three-year war.
Zelenskyy, who previously voiced scepticism about whether Russia was serious in proposing Monday’s meeting, said priorities included “a complete and unconditional ceasefire” and the return of prisoners and abducted children.
Russia, which has rejected previous ceasefire requests, said it had formulated its own peace terms but refused to divulge them in advance.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his US counterpart Marco Rubio spoke by telephone on Sunday about “several initiatives aimed at a political solution to the Ukraine crisis”, including Monday’s talks, the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement carried by the TASS news agency.
“SPIDER’S WEB”
Zelenskyy on Sunday hailed “brilliant” results of the coordinated attack, code-named “Spider’s Web”, which he said had used 117 drones and was the country’s “most long-range operation” in more than three years of war.
Russia’s defence ministry confirmed on Telegram that several of its military aircraft “caught fire”, adding that there were no casualties.
Rybar, an account on the Telegram message platform that is close to the Russian military, called it a “very heavy blow” for Moscow and pointed to what it called “serious errors” by Russian intelligence.
The SBU source said the strikes targeted Russian airbases in the eastern Siberian city of Belaya, in Olenya, in the Arctic near Finland, and in Ivanovo and Dyagilevo, both east of Moscow.
The operation was prepared for over a year and a half, the SBU source said, and aimed to destroy “enemy bombers far from the front”.
Zelenskyy said one of the targeted locations was right next to one of the offices of the FSB Russian security services.
“FIRST SUCH STRIKE ON SIBERIA”
Russia said it had arrested several suspects, including the driver of a truck from which a drone had taken off, state agencies said.
But Zelenskyy said people involved in preparing the attacks were “extracted from Russian territory in time”.
Igor Kobzev, governor of Russia’s Irkutsk region, which hosts the Belaya airbase, said it was “the first attack of this sort in Siberia”.
He called on the population not to panic and posted an amateur video apparently showing a drone in the sky and a large cloud of grey smoke.
RUSSIA DRONE STRIKES
Russia has been announcing Ukrainian drone attacks on a near-daily basis, usually saying they had all been shot down.
At the same time, Russia has been carrying out constant attacks on Ukraine.
On Sunday, Ukraine’s air force said it was hit by 472 Russian drones and seven missiles overnight, a record number since the beginning of the invasion in February 2022.
In a rare admission of its military losses, the Ukrainian army said Russia’s “missile strike on the location of one of the training units” had killed a dozen soldiers, most of whom had been in shelters during the attack, and wounded more than 60.
Dolly Parton reportedly snubbed Meghan Markle after she turned down an invite to appear on the actress’s Netflix series “With Love, Meghan.”
“Her team was livid,” celebrity commentator Kinsey Schofield claimed on a recent podcast appearance of “The Nerve with Maureen Callahan.”
“Because no, they don’t want to risk Dolly’s reputation Q score [and] her popularity by associating with Meghan Markle.”
An A-list celebrity reportedly bashed Meghan Markle after refusing to appear on “With Love, Meghan.” Netflix
“They knew that this ask was just to give Meghan Markle credibility in this lifestyle space, a space that Dolly does have a lot of credibility in,” she continued.
Schofield, 40, elaborated on Parton’s success in the country music industry and as a lifestyle guru with her variety of baking batter mixes and beauty products.
“Dolly is not only incredibly popular and loved by the general public, but she also is somebody who can float around within these different places,” she added.
“Her team really feels like Meghan was trying to take advantage of her popularity,” Schofield alleged.
Callahan described Parton as “authentic” and claimed it would’ve been “spontaneous combustion of good versus evil” if she agreed to appear alongside “a fake royal” in her “fake kitchen.”
Reps for Parton, 79, and Markle, 43, weren’t immediately available to Page Six for comment.
The Duchess of Sussex’s lifestyle series was released on Netflix in March.
It was immediately renewed for Season 2 despite criticism from trolls claiming that Markle was “thirsty” for fame.
Several celebrities joined the “Suits” alum in her show, including Mindy Kaling and Abigail Spencer.
Blake Lively is attempting to drop claims that Justin Baldoni caused her emotional distress while working on their 2024 blockbuster “It Ends With Us.”
Court documents obtained by Page Six on Monday revealed that the “Gossip Girl” alum requested to withdraw claims that she suffered from “intentional infliction of emotional distress” and “negligent infliction of emotional distress” as a result of Baldoni’s alleged misconduct.
Lively’s filing came after the “Jane the Virgin” star’s legal team requested she sign a release form for them to access her medical and mental health records.
Baldoni’s legal team argued the records were vital to the actress’s “emotional distress” allegations cited in her December 2024 lawsuit.
“Instead of complying with the Medical RFPs, Ms. Lively’s counsel recently advised us, in writing, that Ms. Lively is withdrawing her [infliction of emotional distress] Claims,” Baldoni’s team responded in a filing viewed by Page Six.
The court will determine if Lively’s request will be approved.
Attorneys for the “Another Simple Favor” star told Page Six via a statement that her request was “a routine part of the litigation process that is being used as a press stunt.”
“We are doing what trial lawyers do: preparing our case for trial by streamlining and focusing it,” they said, adding that Baldoni’s team was “desperately seeking” media attention.
“The Baldoni-Wayfarer strategy of filing retaliatory claims has exposed them to expansive new damages claims under California law, rendering certain of Ms. Lively’s original claims no longer necessary,” the statement continued.
“Ms. Lively continues to allege emotional distress, as part of numerous other claims in her lawsuit, such as sexual harassment and retaliation, and massive additional compensatory damages on all of her claims.”
Lively, 37, accused Baldoni, 41, of inflicting upon her “severe emotional distress and pain, humiliation, embarrassment, belittlement, frustration and mental anguish” in her bombshell sexual harassment lawsuit.
According to the filing, a “hands-on” meeting had to be held with Lively, Baldoni and the movie’s production team to discuss his alleged behavior, including how he allegedly showed her “nude videos or images of women” and discussed his past addicition to porn.
She accused Baldoni of launching a smear campaign to destroy her reputation as a result of reporting the alleged sexual harassment.
Lively later claimed her and Ryan Reynolds’ children — James, 10, Inez, 8, Betty, 5, and Olin, 2 — were also “traumatized” by the ongoing drama.
At the time, the “Five Feet Apart” producer’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, slammed the “shameful” and “false accusations.”
“These claims are completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media,” he told Page Six.
Baldoni filed his own $400 million lawsuit against Lively and Reynolds in January.
In the docs, he accused Lively of using Reynolds’ and her bestie Taylor Swift’s influence to get her way.
