Category: World

War is over — but it seems no one told the grandstanding, Israel-hating celebrities who made the “Free Palestine, ceasefire now” movement their entire personality for the last two years.

It’s been two days since President Trump announced the historic and, yes, still precarious ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Such wonderful news — an end to the fighting in Gaza and the return of Israeli hostages — should be met with applause from all sides.

And yet, there’s been relative crickets from the keffiyeh chorus of Hollywood.

Actor Mark Ruffalo, among the loudest critics of Israel, has been very active on instagram. But has he shared any heartfelt messages about this first step toward peace? Nah, just a bunch of anti-Trump posts from his friends, including Robert DeNiro telling everyone to come out for the next No Kings Day.

Ceasefire to grease fire!

“Hacks” comedian Meg Stalter showed up to September’s Emmys with a black handbag covered in a large piece of tape with the word “Ceasefire” written on it.

Now? Nada from her on the ceasefire.

To be fair, it’s not just Hollywood celebs. Suddenly, Rep. Rashida Talib, who is Palestinian American, has better things to talk about. Greta “How dare you?” Thunberg is relentlessly posting about her useless flotilla of influencers. Nothing about the ceasefire, because that would end her genocide grift.

Last month, more than 2,000 artists signed a petition pledging to not work with Israeli filmmakers or “institutions that are complicit in Israel’s human rights abuses against the Palestinian people.”

Boldface signees included John Cusack, Joaquin Phoenix and director Ava DuVernay. This week, those three have simply shared videos criticizing Trump and the peace plan.

I expected a huge celebration from Stalter’s “Hacks” co-star Hannah Einbinder, who literally wore an “Artists4Ceasefire” pin to the Emmys and used her win to scream: “Free Palestine and f–k ICE.”

After this week’s news, she initially posted a video of her decrying Zionisim as a betrayal of Judaism and a sad meme about the Eagles losing to the Giants. By Friday night, two days after the fact, Einbinder found the right prepared post to share: “We are elated by the Gaza ceasefire news,” it reads in small type.

Larger are the words, “Now the world must hold Israel to account for 2 years of genocide.”

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. When Hamas murdered more than 1,200 innocent Israelis and kidnapped 251 hostages on October 7, 2023, there was relative silence from Hollywood’s hypocrites. And it eventually became much more fashionable to become a shameless Israel-basher.

Perhaps most shameless of all is Spanish actor Javier Bardem. He has posted a few videos of children celebrating in Gaza, but his happiness was tempered by whinging posts that the ceasefire does not address the real issue of a free Palestine.

Maybe he should take that up with boys from Hamas.

In 2014, Bardem and wife Penélope Cruz signed an open letter, published in a Spanish newspaper, accusing Israel of genocide.

When the actor received blowback, he issued a statement saying, “While I was critical of the Israeli military response, I have great respect for the people of Israel and deep compassion for their losses.”

Fast-forward to the Emmys, when he showed up in a keffiyeh and once again accused Israel of genocide.

Source: https://nypost.com/2025/10/10/opinion/why-arent-all-the-israel-bashing-celebrities-celebrating-ceasefire/

On Day 10 of the US government shutdown, the Trump administration began mass federal layoffs, with OMB chief Russell Vought confirming “substantial” Reductions in Force (RIFs). Agencies like HHS and the Department of Education have started issuing permanent layoff notices to non-essential staff.

On the 10th day of the ongoing US government shutdown, the Trump administration has officially begun laying off federal workers, a rare and controversial move during a funding lapse. Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought confirmed the action in a post on X, writing, “The RIFs have begun,” referring to Reductions in Force, the formal term for permanent layoffs of federal employees.
Shortly after the post, the OMB confirmed to CNN that “RIFs have begun and are substantial.” While thousands of federal employees have already been furloughed without pay, it is not common practice to issue permanent layoffs during shutdowns.
A White House official reiterated that the layoffs are “substantial” and blamed the Democratic Party for the shutdown, “It will be substantial, and we regret that the Democrats have shut down the government and forced workers to be put in this position,” the official told CNN.

Which Agencies Are Affected?
Layoff notices are reportedly being issued across multiple government departments.

Health and Human Services (HHS):
An HHS spokesperson confirmed that reduction-in-force notices have gone out to employees deemed “non-essential” during the shutdown. “All HHS employees receiving reduction-in-force notices were designated non-essential by their respective divisions,” the agency said in a statement.
Department of Education:
A spokesperson said that “some” Education Department staff would be impacted by the layoffs but declined to provide exact numbers or timelines. The department had already cut nearly 50% of its workforce in March during earlier budget reductions.

Source: https://www.timesnownews.com/world/us/us-news/us-government-shutdown-day-10-what-is-rif-mass-federal-layoffs-begin-white-house-announces-article-152979373

Taliban minister Muttaqi’s maiden visit to India was marked by India restoring full diplomatic relations with Afghanistan.

Terror groups like the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad have long operated from Afghan soil. But the Taliban has wiped out all terrorists in the last four years, claimed visiting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi during his India visit, advising Pakistan to follow the same path of peace.

“Not a single one of them is in Afghanistan. Not an inch of land is controlled by them in Afghanistan. The Afghanistan against whom we carried out an operation (in 2021) has transformed,” Muttaqi said this to a question from NDTV on Pakistani terror groups earlier using Afghan soil to operate.

He also had a message for Pakistan, delivered from the Indian soil that has been a victim of crossborder terrorism: “Let other countries also act against such terror groups like Afghanistan did for peace.”

Muttaqi’s maiden visit to India was marked by India restoring full diplomatic relations with Afghanistan. New Delhi will also upgrade its Technical Mission in Kabul to an embassy, Jaishankar said during his meeting with Muttaqi, asserting a “deep interest” in the progress of the neighbouring country.

In his press conference, Muttaqi also addressed the reports of a recent blast in Kabul and accused Pakistan of orchestrating the act.

“There has been an attack near the border in remote areas. We consider this act of Pakistan wrong. Problems cannot be solved like this. We are open for talks. They should solve their problems on their own. Afghanistan has peace and progress after 40 years. No one should have a problem with it. Afghanistan is now an independent nation. Why are people troubled if we have peace?” he said.

He also warned that the courage of Afghans should not be tested. “If someone wants to do this (cause Afghans trouble), they should ask the Soviet Union, America, and NATO. They will explain that it is not good to play games with Afghanistan,” the minister said.

Kabul also wants better relations with Islamabad, but it cannot be one-sided, he asserted.

Speaking on India relations, he praised New Delhi for being the first responder after the recent earthquake in Afghanistan.

“Afghanistan looks at India as a close friend. Afghanistan wants relations based on mutual respect, trade, and people-to-people relations. We are ready to create a consultative mechanism of understanding, which helps towards strengthening our relations,” said the visiting minister.

He also mentioned the tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump while stressing the need for more cooperation between India and Afghanistan.

Source: https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/taliban-ministers-message-from-indian-soil-to-pakistan-on-terrorism-9432342?pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are back on American soil.

A few days after making her Paris Fashion Week debut at the Balenciaga show, the Duchess of Sussex stepped out with her prince in New York City for the Project Healthy Mind Gala, where she rocked another minimalist look — an all-black Armani suit with a plunging blazer and matching slacks.

She pulled her hair into a ponytail, accessorizing with a substantial gold chain necklace and stud earrings. She also carried a small black clutch while holding hands with Harry on the event’s black carpet.

Prince Harry coordinated his attire in a black suit as well, layering the look with a white button down shirt and a black tie.

The royal couple are being honored with the Humanitarians of the Year award, in recognition of the work they have done through their Archewell Foundation to make the digital world safer for young people and their families.

Last month, Meghan and Harry released a statement about the award ahead of their planned appearance: “As parents ourselves, we have been moved to action by the power of their stories and are honored to support them.”

“We’re proud to be long-time partners of Project Healthy Minds as we work together to shine a light on what remains one of the most pressing issues of our time,” the statement continued.

While Markle was in Paris until recently, this is the prince’s second big event in New York City this week.

On Wednesday, Harry made a surprise appearance at the Australian American Association for an event held by the Movember Institute of Men’s Health.

Source: https://pagesix.com/2025/10/09/style/meghan-markle-stuns-in-black-suit-for-rare-red-carpet-appearance-with-prince-harry/

Pope Leo made an urgent plea for the world to help immigrants in his first major document, which was released on Thursday and invoked one of the late Pope Francis’ strongest criticisms of U.S. President Donald Trump’s anti-immigration policies.
Leo’s document, known as an apostolic exhortation, is focused on the needs of the world’s poor. It calls for widespread changes to the global market system to address rising inequality and to help people living paycheck-to-paycheck.

The 104-page text started as a writing project by Francis, who was unable to complete it before his death in April after 12 years leading the global Church of 1.4 billion people. It was finished by Leo, the first U.S. pope.
“I am happy to make this document my own – adding some reflections – and to issue it at the beginning of my own pontificate,” Leo writes at the beginning of the text.
Cardinal Michael Czerny, a senior adviser to both Francis and Leo, said that while the new document was started by the late pope it represents Leo’s positions.
“This is Pope Leo’s document,” Czerny told a Vatican press conference.

DOCUMENT REFERENCES CRITICISM OF BORDER WALLS
Elected in May to replace Francis, Leo has shown a much more reserved style than his predecessor, who frequently criticised the Trump administration.
But Leo has been ramping up his disapproval in recent weeks, drawing heated backlash from some prominent conservative Catholics.
“The Church, like a mother, accompanies those who are walking,” the pontiff writes in the document, titled “Dilexi te” (I have loved you). “She knows that in every rejected migrant, it is Christ himself who knocks at the door of the community.”
“Where the world sees threats, (the Church) sees children; where walls are built, she builds bridges,” Leo says, referencing Francis’ 2016 criticism of Trump as “not Christian” because of the president’s plan in his first term to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.
The White House has said Trump was elected based on his many promises, including to deport “criminal illegal aliens”.

WARNS OF ‘CESSPOOL’ WITHOUT MORAL DIGNITY
The number of people living in poverty “should constantly weigh upon our consciences”, the document said.
“There is no shortage of theories attempting to justify the present state of affairs or to explain that economic thinking requires us to wait for invisible market forces to resolve everything,” it said.
“The poor are promised only a few ‘drops’ that trickle down, until the next global crisis brings things back to where they were.”
The document signals that Leo shares some of the same priorities of Francis, who shunned many of the trappings of the papacy and frequently criticised the global market system as not caring for society’s most vulnerable people.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/pope-leo-invokes-criticism-trumps-policies-first-major-document-2025-10-09/

China dramatically expanded its rare earths export controls on Thursday, adding five new elements and extra scrutiny for semiconductor users as Beijing tightens control over the sector ahead of talks between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping.
The world’s largest rare earths producer also added dozens of pieces of refining technology to its control list and announced rules that will require compliance from foreign rare earth producers who use Chinese materials.

The Ministry of Commerce’s announcements follow U.S. lawmakers’ call on Tuesday for broader bans on the export of chipmaking equipment to China.
They expand controls Beijing announced in April that caused shortages around the world, before a series of deals with Europe and the U.S. eased the supply crunch.
“The White House and relevant agencies are closely assessing any impact from the new rules, which were announced without any notice and imposed in an apparent effort to exert control over the entire world’s technology supply chains,” a White House official told Reuters on Thursday.
The new curbs come ahead of a scheduled face-to-face meeting between Trump and Xi in South Korea at the end of October.

“This helps with increasing leverage for Beijing ahead of the anticipated Trump-Xi summit in (South) Korea later this month,” said Tim Zhang, founder of Singapore-based Edge Research.
China produces over 90% of the world’s processed rare earths and rare earth magnets. The 17 rare earths are vital materials in products ranging from electric vehicles to aircraft engines and military radars.
Exports of 12 of them are now restricted after the ministry added five – holmium, erbium, thulium, europium and ytterbium – along with related materials.
Foreign companies producing some of the rare earths and related magnets on the list will now also need a Chinese export licence if the final product contains or is made with Chinese equipment or material. This applies even if the transaction includes no Chinese companies.

The regulations mimic rules the U.S. has implemented to restrict other countries’ exports of semiconductor-related products to China.
It was not immediately clear how Beijing intends to enforce its new regime, especially as the U.S., the European Union and others race to build alternatives, opens new tab to the Chinese rare earth supply chain.
“We’re likely entering a period of structural bifurcation — with China localizing its value chain and the U.S. and allies accelerating their own,” said Neha Mukherjee, a rare earths analyst with Benchmark Mineral Intelligence.
In a nod to concerns about supply shortages, the ministry said the scope of items in its latest restrictions was limited and “a variety of licensing facilitation measures will be adopted”.
China’s latest restrictions on the five additional elements and processing equipment will take effect on November 8, just before a 90-day trade truce with Washington expires.

The rules on foreign companies that make products using Chinese rare earths equipment or material are to take effect on December 1. Shares in China Northern Rare Earth Group (600111.SS), opens new tab, China Rare Earth Resources and Technology (000831.SZ), opens new tab and Shenghe Resources (600392.SS), opens new tab surged by 10%, 9.97% and 9.4%, respectively, on Thursday.
Shares in U.S.-based rare earths companies jumped as well in New York afternoon trading, with Critical Metals Corp (CRML.O), opens new tab gaining 25%, Energy Fuels (UUUU.A), opens new tab adding 9%, MP Materials (MP.N), opens new tab gaining 2.5% and USA Rare Earth (USAR.O), opens new tab up 15%.
Energy Fuels, which owns a uranium and rare earths processing facility in Utah, said in a statement to Reuters that it is working to boost U.S. rare earths production and that its recent pilot project “showcases the technical capabilities of an American company on American soil.”
NioCorp (NB.O), opens new tab, which is developing a Nebraska rare earths mine, said: “It’s clear that the People’s Liberation Army is increasingly calling the shots on rare earth policy in China. That means even more difficult times both for the Pentagon and for a wide range of commercial manufacturers.”

Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-tightens-rare-earth-export-controls-2025-10-09/

When Tesla’s board of directors offered Elon Musk the biggest executive pay package in corporate history in September, it reassured investors that he would have to achieve the equivalent of “Mars-shot milestones” to earn $878 billion in Tesla stock over 10 years.
The board’s proposal said Musk would have to “completely transform Tesla and society as we know it” in robotics and autonomous driving as well as stock value and profits. Conversely, Musk would get “zero” unless he meets those “incredibly ambitious” goals.

Yet Musk could reap tens of billions of dollars without meeting most of those targets, according to a Reuters analysis of his performance goals and more than a dozen experts in executive pay, company valuations, robotics and automotive trends including autonomous driving.
He could collect more than $50 billion by hitting a handful of the board’s easier goals that won’t necessarily revolutionize Tesla’s products or business, the Reuters review found.
Even hitting just two of the easiest targets, along with modest stock growth, would net Musk $26 billion, more than the lifetime pay of the next eight best-paid CEOs combined, a group that includes Meta Platforms’ Mark Zuckerberg, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, Apple’s Tim Cook, and Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, according to an analysis for Reuters by research firm Equilar.

Musk’s vehicle sales goals are exceptionally easy to achieve, according to four automotive experts. If Musk sells 1.2 million cars a year over the next decade, on average, he earns $8.2 billion in stock if Tesla’s market value grows from $1.4 trillion today to $2 trillion in 2035, well under long-term market-average growth. That’s a half-million fewer cars per year than Tesla sold in 2024.
On Tuesday, Tesla unveiled lower-cost versions of its best-selling Model Y SUV and Model 3 sedan to reverse falling sales.
Three other product-development goals are written in vague language that could provide Musk hefty payouts without significantly boosting profit, according to six robotics or autonomous-driving industry experts who reviewed Musk’s goals for Reuters.
Tesla and Musk did not respond to requests for comment.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Tesla board said: “The proposed pay package is actually worth zero to our CEO unless and until the shareholders see the value of the company nearly double and an operational milestone is met.”
The board’s pay proposal requires Musk to remain a Tesla executive for at least seven-and-a-half years to collect any stock compensation. Musk, however, would get the voting rights associated with the share awards as soon as he earns them.
Musk said last month on his social media platform X that the package is “not about ‘compensation,’ but about me having enough influence over Tesla to ensure safety if we build millions of robots.”
In its proposal, the board said Musk is “motivated by more than just conventional forms of compensation.”

SELF DRIVING CARS, ROBOTAXIS AND ROBOTICS
Each goal grants Musk 1% of Tesla stock if he also reaches valuation milestones between $2 trillion and $8.5 trillion.
One goal requires 10 million subscriptions to Tesla’s “Full Self-Driving” (FSD) software, which can’t currently drive itself without human intervention.
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Thursday it is opening an investigation into 2.88 million FSD-equipped Tesla vehicles over more than 50 reports of traffic-safety violations and a series of crashes.
Musk’s performance goal contains no requirement that Tesla make FSD fully autonomous, instead requiring only an “advanced driving system.”
That’s a “made-up term” with no industry-standard definition, said William Widen, a University of Miami law professor specializing in autonomous driving. Autonomous-driving experts say the subscription target might be easily met by dropping the price, currently $8,000 upfront or $99 a month. Tesla’s leading electric-vehicle rival, China’s BYD, already offers a similar system for free.
“If I were Musk’s personal employment lawyer, I would like these definitions,” said Matthew Wansley, a professor at New York’s Cardozo School of Law who focuses on autonomous driving.

Another goal requires one million robotaxis in commercial operation and specifies cars “without a human driver in the vehicle.” That’s a potentially more restrictive definition but four autonomous-vehicle experts said it could be interpreted to allow for humans controlling vehicles remotely or from the passenger seat – as Tesla does now in its first small-scale robotaxi test in Austin, Texas.
Musk’s employment deal also sets a target of one million robots, an apparent reference to the Optimus humanoid robots Musk has long promised. But the goal doesn’t specify “humanoid” and could be interpreted broadly, two robotics-industry experts said. It defines “bot” as “any robot or other physical product with mobility using artificial intelligence.”
“It’s a totally vague formulation,” said Christian Rokseth, an analyst with market research firm Humanoid.guide specializing in robotics and artificial intelligence. Investors, he said, are expecting a humanoid robot.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/legal/transactional/musks-record-tesla-package-will-pay-him-tens-billions-even-if-he-misses-most-2025-10-09/

Angelina Jolie detailed just how difficult her divorce from ex-husband Brad Pitt was on her in a new court filing for the exes’ ongoing legal battle over their home in France, Château Miraval.

The movie star spoke on the split in a declaration filed Monday at the Los Angeles Superior Court in response to her ex’s request that she turn over private messages about their château dispute.

“The events leading to my need to separate from my ex-husband were emotionally difficult for me and our children,” Jolie — who has accused Pitt of abuse in the past — alleged in the docs obtained by Page Six.

“Upon filing for divorce, I left him control (and full residency) of our family homes in Los Angeles and at Miraval, without compensation, which I hoped would make him calmer in his dealings with me after a difficult and traumatic period.”

The “Maria” star, 50, further claimed that she and her kids — Maddox, 24, Pax, 21, Zahara, 20, Shiloh, 19, and twins Knox and Vivienne, both 17 — “have never again set foot” at Miraval given its “connection to the painful events leading to the divorce.”

“Post-separation, I immediately began to look for a new house for me and our children, initially renting a home while looking for a more stable solution,” she added.

Pitt, 61, is suing Jolie for her stake in the lavish French property, as he claimed she sold her share to the wine division of the Stoli Group without his permission. Jolie claimed she did not need his permission.

The “Maleficent” star explained in her declaration that her savings were “tied up in Miraval,” and she hadn’t asked the “Fight Club” actor for “alimony or any other financial support,” so she needed the funds from the château.

“I was also very concerned about the health of our children, and so, for approximately two years, I declined work so that I could focus my attention on caring for our children and their recovery,” she added.

Jolie claimed she was so financially strained that she could not even afford to buy a home “outright” for herself and her children in Los Angeles, so Pitt allegedly agreed to loan her money “with interest.”

The matriarch claimed that in early 2017 she entertained discussions with her ex about selling her Miraval stake to him, but the talks were “always difficult” for her due to her “deep emotional ties” to their family home and “how [their] relationship ended,” per the filing.

“Miraval was one of the first major investments we made together, and it was a focal point of our family life,” she said. “We were married there, I spent part of my pregnancy there and I brought our twin children home there from the hospital. To have such a sudden break from my home and memories has been hard, and it was especially difficult for the children to have their lives so disrupted.”

Jolie also told the court that she is seeking $33,000 from Pitt to cover legal fees she was required to pay in order for her to respond to the “F1” star’s motion to have her turn over her messages.

“Jolie, through counsel, repeatedly asked Pitt to withdraw [the motion],” her lawyers argued in the docs.

“She even warned him numerous times that if the Court denied Pitt’s motion, Jolie would ask the Court to order Pitt to pay Jolie’s attorneys’ fees opposing the motion.”

The attorneys continued, “Pitt still refused to withdraw it. Jolie thus requests that the Court order Pitt to reimburse her for the substantial attorneys’ fees she was forced to incur.”

Pitt claimed in court docs filed in July that he was demanding the messages because Alexei Oliynik of Stoli Group had allegedly refused to comply with deposition demands. A source reiterated and alleged to Page Six at the time, “They’ve been failing to comply with the typical legal process.”

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/10/09/celebrity-news/angelina-jolie-details-emotionally-difficult-brad-pitt-divorce-demands-33k-from-actor/

New York state Attorney General Letitia James was indicted Thursday by a federal grand jury in Virginia on charges of bank fraud and making false claims to a financial institution that netted her nearly $19,000 in savings on a loan for a second home, according to the Department of Justice.

The indictment was handed up in the Eastern District of Virginia, where former FBI Director James Comey was indicted Sept. 25 on charges of lying to Congress and obstruction of justice

“No one is above the law. The charges as alleged in this case represent intentional, criminal acts and tremendous breaches of the public’s trust,” US Attorney Lindsey Halligan said in a statement. “The facts and the law in this case are clear, and we will continue following them to ensure that justice is served.”

James responded in a statement: “This is nothing more than a continuation of the president’s desperate weaponization of our justice system. He is forcing federal law enforcement agencies to do his bidding, all because I did my job as the New York State Attorney General.”

“These charges are baseless, and the president’s own public statements make clear that his only goal is political retribution at any cost,” she added. “The president’s actions are a grave violation of our Constitutional order and have drawn sharp criticism from members of both parties.”

If convicted on both counts, James faces up to 60 years in prison and a fine of up to $2 million.

James, 66, bought the three-bedroom, one-bathroom Norfolk, Va., home in August 2020 for roughly $137,000, most of which was financed with a $109,600 loan that prohibited it from being used as a rental investment property, prosecutors alleged.

That allowed her “to obtain favorable loan terms not available for investment properties,” they noted in the five-page filing, saving her “approximately $18,933 over the life of the loan.”

When a Post reporter visited the Norfolk home in April, neighbors said they had never seen James at the property.

Meanwhile, her income tax forms designated the home as a rental that brought in thousands of dollars in additional income.

Norfolk property records reviewed earlier this year by The Post show James granted power of attorney to her niece, Shamice Thompson-Hairston, on Aug. 17, 2023, authorizing the purchase of the Virginia property — for which they secured a $219,780 mortgage.

Thursday’s indictment puts the timeline of the alleged bank fraud scheme from August 2020 to January 2024 “for the purpose of influencing the action of OVM Financial, a Fannie Mae-backed lender, upon an application for a loan.”

James “represented and affirmed in uniform residential loan applications and related documents that the Peronne Property would be used as a secondary residence, when in truth and fact, as [James] then knew, the property was intended and used as an investment property with no intended or actual personal occupancy or use by her,” the indictment alleged.

Federal housing regulator Bill Pulte referred James to the Justice Department in April, suggesting that she had committed crimes including wire fraud, mail fraud, bank fraud and false statements to a financial institution.

James, 66, had previously called the allegations by Pulte “baseless.”

“What we’re seeing today is nothing less than the weaponization of the Justice Department to punish those who hold the powerful accountable,” Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement.

James won a civil judgment against the Trump Organization last year for allegedly inflating the value of his real estate empire. The president was ordered to pay $355 million in penalties but successfully appealed in August to have the fine thrown out.

James’ office has appealed for reinstatement of the judgement, which had grown to more than $500 million with interest.

“I stand strongly behind my office’s litigation against the Trump Organization,” James added in her Thursday statement. “Judges have upheld the trial court’s finding that Donald Trump, his company, and his two sons are liable for fraud.”

“I am a proud woman of faith, and I know that faith and fear cannot share the same space,” she added. “And so today I am not fearful, I am fearless, and as my faith teaches me, no weapon formed against me shall prosper. We will fight these baseless charges aggressively, and my office will continue to fiercely protect New Yorkers and their rights. And I will continue to do my job.”

FBI investigators began the criminal probe in May after Pulte’s referral, which also contained allegations of James misclassifying her Brooklyn brownstone as having four units instead of five.

That could have given her more favorable loan terms on both the New York and Virginia properties, according to Pulte.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency head has also made similar accusations of mortgage fraud against Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) for improperly claiming a home in Maryland was his primary residence.

Source : https://nypost.com/2025/10/09/us-news/ny-ag-letitia-james-indicted-over-mortgage-fraud-claims-source/

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in Chicago is facing scrutiny after a new video shows him yelling at a local woman “do something, b—-” before pulling over and shooting her five times, a body camera video suggests.

The video is in stark conflict with the government’s account that federal agents in Broadview were “boxed in by 10 cars” and the woman, Marimar Martinez, 30, was one of the drivers. “Agents were unable to move their vehicles and exited the car. One of the drivers who rammed the law enforcement vehicle was armed with a semi-automatic weapon,” officials claimed on X.

However, as court documents emerge, more alleged discrepancies are coming to light.

Martinez’s attorney, Christopher Parente, offered to play an agent’s body-camera video that shows the shooting. In the footage he claims an agent turns a federal vehicle in Brighton Park, not Broadville, into Martinez’s vehicle when he taunts her to “do something, b—-.” He then allegedly exits his vehicle and proceeds to shoot Martinez. It comes after the terrifying moment an ICE agent held a family with a baby and gunpoint and committed a shocking act was caught on camera.

“It’s a miracle she’s still alive,” Parente said.

Officials had initially alleged that Martinez was armed and rammed her car into federal agents, threatening to shoot officers. However, prosecutors now acknowledge that she did not point or display a weapon. Parente also confirmed that while she had a valid firearm, she also had a concealed-carry license.

Martinez is a U.S. citizen who works for a school and has supportive letters about her character filed in court. Another victim of the shooting and co-defendant Anthony Ruiz, 21, is also a U.S. citizen and self-employed as a DJ. Both of them face federal felony assault charges for “forcibly assaulting, impeding, and interfering with a federal law enforcement officer.”

The shooting in Chicago has led to heightened tensions in the city, inspiring a series of protests against the presence of ICE agents in local communities in what the administration calls “Operation Midway Blitz.”

According to DHS, federal agents have arrested over 1,000 migrants in Chicago as a result of the highly-controversial operation.

“During Operation Midway Blitz, our brave DHS law enforcement has made more than 1,000 arrests across Illinois including pedophiles, child abusers, kidnappers, gang members, and armed robbers,” McLaughlin said in a statement.

Source : https://www.themirror.com/news/us-news/out-control-ice-agent-yells-1436299

Mark Zuckerberg is said to have started work on Koolau Ranch, his sprawling 1,400-acre compound on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, as far back as 2014.

It is set to include a shelter, complete with its own energy and food supplies, though the carpenters and electricians working on the site were banned from talking about it by non-disclosure agreements, according to a report by Wired magazine. A six-foot wall blocked the project from view of a nearby road.

Asked last year if he was creating a doomsday bunker, the Facebook founder gave a flat “no”. The underground space spanning some 5,000 square feet is, he explained, is “just like a little shelter, it’s like a basement”.

That hasn’t stopped the speculation – likewise about his decision to buy 11 properties in the Crescent Park neighbourhood of Palo Alto in California, apparently adding a 7,000 square feet underground space beneath.

Though his building permits refer to basements, according to the New York Times, some of his neighbours call it a bunker. Or a billionaire’s bat cave.

Then there is the speculation around other Silicon Valley billionaires, some of whom appear to have been busy buying up chunks of land with underground spaces, ripe for conversion into multi-million pound luxury bunkers.

Reid Hoffman, the co-founder of LinkedIn, has talked about “apocalypse insurance”. This is something about half of the super-wealthy have, he has previously claimed, with New Zealand a popular destination for homes.

So, could they really be preparing for war, the effects of climate change, or some other catastrophic event the rest of us have yet to know about?

In the last few years, the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) has only added to that list of potential existential woes. Many are deeply worried at the sheer speed of the progression.

Ilya Sutskever, chief scientists and a co-founder of the technology company Open AI, is reported to be one them.

By mid-2023, the San Francisco-based firm had released ChatGPT – the chatbot now used by hundreds of millions of people across the world – and they were working fast on updates.

But by that summer, Mr Sutskever was becoming increasingly convinced that computer scientists were on the brink of developing artificial general intelligence (AGI) – the point at which machines match human intelligence – according to a book by journalist Karen Hao.

In a meeting, Mr Sutskever suggested to colleagues that they should dig an underground shelter for the company’s top scientists before such a powerful technology was released on the world, Ms Hao reports.

“We’re definitely going to build a bunker before we release AGI,” he’s widely reported to have said, though it’s unclear who he meant by “we”.

It sheds light on a strange fact: many leading computer scientists who are working hard to develop a hugely intelligent form of AI, also seem deeply afraid of what it could one day do.

So when exactly – if ever – will AGI arrive? And could it really prove transformational enough to make ordinary people afraid?

A near-complete skeleton found on Dorset’s Jurassic coast has been identified as a new species of ichthyosaur, a type of prehistoric marine reptile that once ruled the oceans.

The dolphin-sized ichthyosaur has been named Xiphodracon goldencapensis, or the “sword dragon of Dorset” and is the only known example of its kind.

Scientists say that marks on its skull suggest that the “sword dragon” may have been killed by a bite to the head, possibly inflicted by a much larger species of ichthyosaur.

First discovered by a prolific fossil hunter at Golden Cap in Dorset in 2001 the new ichthyosaur was then acquired by a museum in Canada.

It has only recently been fully analysed by experts and a paper published identifying it as a new species of ichthyosaur.

“I thought long and hard about the name,” said ichthyosaur expert Dr Dean Lomax, who co-authored authored the paper identifying the skeleton as a new species.

“Xiphodracon translates to sword-like dragon and that is in reference to that very long, sword-like snout, but also the fact that ichthyosaurs have been referred to as sea dragons for about 200 years.”

Ichthyosaurs are classified as marine reptiles, not dinosaurs, because they spent their lives in the water. This particular ichthyosaur is thought to have swum the seas about 185 million years ago, a period from which very few ichthyosaur fossils have been found.

“During this time ichthyosaurs are incredibly rare, and Xiphodracon is the most complete individual ever found from there, helping to fill a gap,” Dr Lomax said. “It’s a missing piece of the puzzle in the ichthyosaur evolution.”

The “sword dragon” is thought to have been about 3m long and has several features that have not been seen in other species of ichthyosaur. Scientists say the strangest detail is a prong-like bone near its nostril. The skull has an enormous eye socket and a long sword-like snout that it used to eat fish and squid.

There are also clues as to how this particular specimen lived and died.

“The limb bones and teeth are malformed in such a way that points to serious injury or disease while the animal was still alive, ” said study co-author Dr Erin Maxwell from the State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart.

“The skull appears to have been bitten by a large predator – likely another much larger species of ichthyosaur – giving us a cause of death for this individual. Life in the Mesozoic oceans was a dangerous prospect.”

The ‘sword dragon’ is one of numerous ichthyosaur fossils that have been found along Dorset’s Jurassic Coast since the first discoveries of pioneering palaeontologist Mary Anning in the early 1800s.

This “sword dragon” was discovered in 2001 by fossil hunter Chris Moore and then acquired by the Royal Ontario Museum in Canada where it took more than 15 years to be fully analysed.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdjzvzzy0mxo

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un declared the country’s global standing was growing stronger every day at an event on Thursday (Oct 9) attended by visiting foreign heads of state marking the founding of the ruling Workers’ Party, state media reported on Friday.

Kim honoured the legacy of the party that he said had made “not a single mistake or error” in its 80-year history, leading the country on a path of ascent riding on the wisdom and strength of the people, KCNA state news agency said.

“Today, we stand before the world as a mighty people with no obstacles we cannot overcome and no great achievement we cannot accomplish,” he said at a speech at May Day stadium in Pyongyang attended by high-level foreign delegations, KCNA reported.

The events come after Kim’s visit to Beijing last month for China’s 80th anniversary of World War II victory, standing with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a massive military parade in his first public appearance on the multilateral diplomatic stage.

KCNA did not name the guests attending Thursday’s events. Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Vietnamese leader To Lam and Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev had arrived in Pyongyang to attend anniversary celebrations, state media had reported.

Mass games and art performances were held at the stadium, with Kim accompanied by guests whom the large crowd gathered greeted with cheers “that shook the capital’s night sky”, KCNA said.

State media made no mention of a large-scale military parade the country was expected to stage to mark the anniversary.

Kim held talks with China’s Li, where they said the visit marked a “new chapter” in advancing the two countries’ ties under their supreme leaders and pledged to expand strategic dialogue and high-level exchanges, KCNA said.

The state news agency also reported that Kim praised Li’s visit as “showing the invariable support and special friendly feeling towards the WPK and the government and people of the DPRK” as well as Beijing’s efforts to maintain “traditional DPRK-China friendly and cooperative relations and further develop them”.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/east-asia/north-korea-kim-jong-un-boast-standing-celebration-foreign-guest-vietnam-russia-china-5393386

The foreign minister of Taliban -ruled Afghanistan is set to meet with his Indian counterpart Friday, in a first high-level diplomatic engagement with New Delhi since the group seized power in 2021 after two decades of U.S. military presence.

Amir Khan Muttaqi, who is among multiple Afghan Taliban leaders under U.N. sanctions that include travel bans and asset freezes, arrived in New Delhi on Thursday after the U.N. Security Council Committee granted a temporary travel exemption to him. The visit comes after Muttaqi’s participation Tuesday at an international meeting on Afghanistan in Russia that included representatives from China, India, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Muttaqi’s India visit highlights the Taliban administration’s efforts to seek international recognition and underscores India’s strategic move to counter its regional rivals, Pakistan and China, who are deeply involved in Afghanistan.

Randhir Jaiswal, Indian’s foreign ministry spokesman, extended a welcome to Muttaqi in a post on X on Thursday and said: “We look forward to engaging discussions with him on bilateral relations and regional issues.”

India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met Muttaqi in Dubai in January. It was followed by telephone conversations between Muttaqi and Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, India’s foreign minister. India’s special envoy to Afghanistan visited Kabul in April to discuss political and trade relations.

Experts say India’s decision to engage with the Taliban at higher levels reflects its strategic reassessment, shaped in part by the consequences of previous non-engagement as well as to avoid falling behind its primary strategic rivals.

Praveen Donthi, senior analyst with the International Crisis Group, said Muttaqi’s visit marks India’s pragmatic engagement with the Taliban.

“New Delhi views the world through the prism of its rivalry with either China, Pakistan, or both. The Taliban’s efforts at a balanced foreign policy, which involves establishing relations with rival countries and groups, mirror New Delhi’s own playbook,” Donthi said.

The visit comes while Afghanistan’s ties with Pakistan are strained, especially over refugee deportations and border tensions, and India’s engagement is seen as a strategic counterbalance to Pakistan’s influence. India also aims to limit Chinese dominance in Afghanistan through infrastructure and diplomatic presence.

“With Beijing proactively engaging the Taliban, New Delhi wouldn’t want its primary strategic rival to hold exclusive influence over Kabul,” Donthi said. He said Pakistan had a similar hold over the Taliban in the past but due to its deteriorating ties with Islamabad, New Delhi sees an opportunity to “develop modest influence over Kabul and strengthen its position as a regional power.”

When the Taliban took over Kabul four years ago, Indian security analysts had feared that it would benefit their bitter rival Pakistan and feed a long-simmering insurgency in the disputed region of Kashmir, where militants already have a foothold.

But New Delhi maintained a steady contact with the Taliban despite these concerns and established a technical mission in Kabul in 2022, a year after the Taliban returned to power, focusing on humanitarian aid and development support. It continued engagement through backchannel diplomacy and regional forums that subsequently prompted increased engagement between the two countries this year.

India has long hosted tens of thousands of Afghan nationals, including students and businesspeople, many of whom fled the country after the Taliban rule. Afghanistan’s embassy in New Delhi shut down permanently in November 2023 but its consulates in Mumbai and Hyderabad continue to operate with limited services.

Gautam Mukhopadhaya, who was India’s ambassador in Kabul between 2010 to 2013, said the engagement between India and Afghanistan “may or may not lead to formal de jure recognition (of the Taliban government), although protocol gestures for the visit suggest the former.”

Source : https://apnews.com/article/india-afghanistan-taliban-muttaqi-899bac27dee2422e88a54372bdd9efaa

Israel approves ceasefire with Hamas for hostage release in Gaza; Netanyahu praised by US delegates. US to send 200 troops to monitor, joining Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, UAE.

The Israeli government has approved the ceasefire resolution, which includes the release of all hostages held in Gaza, signed with Hamas and mediators, the Prime Minister’s office said on Thursday.

According to The Times of Israel, most cabinet ministers during the meeeting voted in favour of the deal, including Minister Ofir Sofer of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s far-right Religious Zionism party, all of whose other ministers opposed the deal.

Speaking at the government meeting for the approval of the hostages’ release framework, Prime Minister Netanyahu said, “We are at a momentous development. In the last two years, we’ve fought to achieve our war aims. And a central one of these war aims is to return the hostages. All of the hostages, the living and the dead. And we’re about to achieve that.”

Netanyahu further thanked US President Donald Trump and said that Israel couldn’t have achieved it without the extraordinary help of President Trump and his team, Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner.

The meeting held late on Thursday evening passed the resolution that stated the IDF to withdraw to new lines inside of the Gaza Strip, after which the 72-hour window for Hamas to release all the hostages will begin.

During the opening remarks of the meeting, US President Donald Trump’s delegates – foreign envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner – lauded Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decisions during the war.

“Prime Minister Netanyahu made some very, very difficult calls, and lesser people would not have made those calls. And here we are today, because Hamas had to. They had to do this deal. The pressure was on them,” Witkoff said.

CNN quoted Kushner lauding Netanyahu, saying he did a “great job in negotiations”.

The Israeli PM thanked both leaders and said: ““I think you put in your brains and your hearts, and we know that it’s for the benefit of Israel and the United States, for the benefit of decent people everywhere, and for the benefit of these families, who will finally get to be with their loved ones.”

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/israeli-government-okays-deal-to-free-hostages-us-to-send-200-troops-to-oversee-gaza-truce-ws-l-9626020.html

At just 19, Barron Trump has reportedly built a fortune of $150 million, making him one of the youngest millionaires in the Trump family. Forbes reports that his wealth mainly comes from his stake in the family’s crypto venture, World Liberty Financial, launched in 2024.

At just 19, Barron Trump, the youngest son of Donald and Melania Trump, has reportedly built a fortune worth $150 million, according to Forbes.
Reports suggest that Barron has been playing an active role in World Liberty Financial, a crypto venture launched by the Trump family in late 2024. During the company’s launch, Donald Trump even joked about his son’s tech skills, saying, “He’s got four wallets or something, and I’m saying, ‘What is a wallet?’”
According to Forbes, Barron holds around 10% of the company, which became highly profitable after crypto investor Justin Sun injected $75 million into it, sending token sales soaring. Barron reportedly earned around $38 million after taxes from this deal alone.

The U.S. Senate on Wednesday blocked a preliminary move to terminate President Donald Trump’s use of the military to destroy boats carrying alleged Venezuelan drug traffickers, unless he gets authorization from Congress.
The effort, spearheaded by Democratic Senators Adam Schiff of California and Tim Kaine of Virginia – and with the backing of Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky – was stopped by a vote of 48-51.

One other Republican, Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, joined in the effort, which was a procedural step to bring up the legislation for a vote on passage by the full Senate.
“Using the U.S. military to conduct unchecked strikes in the Caribbean risks destabilizing the region, provoking confrontation with neighboring governments and drawing our forces into yet another open-ended conflict without a clear mission or exit strategy…because of one man’s impulsive decision-making,” said Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the senior Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Senator Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee and sits on the Armed Services panel, said the president is simply following through on a campaign pledge.

“President Trump stated very clearly and repeatedly during the campaign that he would attack these cartels if necessary. This is simply him keeping his word to the American people,” Cotton said, adding that the “strikes were lawfully sound and extremely limited.”
The U.S. military has carried out at least four strikes in the Caribbean Sea against vessels allegedly carrying illegal drugs, most recently on October 3 just off the coast of Venezuela. At least four people were killed in that attack, according to U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Trump in recent days has dangled the possibility of land attacks as well.
At least 21 individuals, still unidentified, have been killed, according to U.S. officials.
Earlier on Wednesday, Kaine told reporters that during a classified briefing for Senate Armed Services Committee members last week, administration officials provided no information on why the U.S. military has been ordered to attack and destroy these vessels, rather than intercept them.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-senate-blocks-debate-ending-military-action-against-venezuelan-vessels-2025-10-09/

ACTRESS Nicole Kidman puts the lime and effort into her clothes and relationships — but hinted it may not always have been enough.

The 58-year-old Big Little Lies star, who is divorcing singer Keith Urban after 19 years together, posed in a striking lime green dress for US Vogue.

And during an interview with the mag, conducted before news of the split was revealed, she suggested that she may have been unhappy for some time.

Asked how she felt as a woman in her 50s, she said: “How many times do you have to be taught that you think you know where your life is going and then it isn’t going in that direction?”

The twice-wed mum of three also opened up about making mistakes. She said: “Taking a risk is what I’ve always done. You get back up and you try again and you learn.”

And she suggested she wants to reflect some of her life events in future on-screen projects. Nicole said: “So much to say and so little time to say it.

“About death and life and joy and grief and loss and sex and why we’re here and what is truth and is truth even necessary.

“Are we human? Are there parallel universes? What is the future? Do we even care? Are we living in a dream? What is reality? Where are we going? Why do I keep working?

“Why stop? You’ll have to tie me down, tie me up!

“My sense of duty and of being a good girl is so strong, but at this age, I’m protecting myself when I need to.”

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/15312834/nicole-kidman-hint-keith-urban-split/

THIS is the jawdropping moment an unsuspecting pedestrian cheats death by mere inches as a concrete balcony collapses above her.

Chilling footage shows the woman next to her shopping bag while on the phone – just moments before heaps of rubble fall from the skies.

In the extraordinary clip recorded in Greece the woman is seen standing on a street corner wearing a pink coat with her groceries on the floor.

Just seconds later she makes a quick dash as she realises what is about to happen.

The quick-thinking woman even makes time to grab her shopping from off the floor during her heartstopping escape.

As she runs off into the road from the pavement, an entire balcony falls from above.

Concrete blocks and metal piping pummel the street where the woman was stood just seconds before.

On the way down, the devastating debris hit a nearby parked car, destroying its left hand side.

A group of fellow pedestrians start to crowds around the wreckage, making sure no one was caught in the chaos.

The woman who managed to survive the harrowing ordeal then squats down – seemingly in awe of the fact she was metres away from catastrophe.

The jawdropping footage was recorded in Lavrio on Tuesday, with at least three cars reportedly damaged by the collapse.

Fortunately, no deaths or casualties were reported following the dramatic ordeal.

The building is home to pharmacy and sits at the intersection of Fok. Negri and Agias Paraskevi street.

Shortly after the rubble fell, police and fie services rushed to the scene.

Shocking images showed the aftermath of the crumbling – with several cars squashed by chunks of the building and firefighters assessing the damage.

The woman reportedly suffered abrasions from the debris but was not seriously injured.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15312604/woman-dodges-falling-balcony-inches-saves-shopping/

LOVE is Blind star Sparkle Megan has dropped over $1.3 million on a stunning Denver mansion and has subtly revealed a clue on her relationship status with her fiance Jordan.

Megan Walerius is engaged to Jordan Keltner on Netflix’s Love is Blind.

On the series, Megan, 33, boasted about her wealth, which is how she received the nickname “Sparkle Megan,” and how her status has affected her dating life.

In the recent episode drop, Megan and Jordan go house hunting.

She reveals to her real estate agent that her budget is between $1.5 to $2 million, leaving Jordan shocked.

The U.S. Sun can exclusively reveal Megan ended up purchasing a $1,363,102 home in Denver, Colorado in June 2024.

The stars began filming for the series in early 2024.

The house boasts four bedrooms, four bathrooms and is 3,751 square feet.

According to the real estate listing, the home was remodeled in 2019 with “luxurious finishes.”

The main floor has high ceilings, hardwood floors and a fireplace.

The kitchen boasts white cabinets, stainless steel appliances and an island with seating.

The kitchen is connected to the family room and a private outdoor space.

The carpeted bedroom suite has two walk-in closets and a bathroom with a shower, soaking tub and double vanity.

The lower level has an office, which Megan revealed on the show is a must-have.

According to property records viewed by The U.S. Sun, the home is owned by a trust belonging to Megan’s family.

Jordan is not listed on the home deed or mortgage, signaling a potential clue the two are not together today.

HOME SWEET HOME?

On the show, Megan said when going to view a home, which is not the one she purchased, “I am super excited to look at homes with Jordan.

“Having a nice home is something that is very, very important to me. That’s one of the things I definitely don’t skimp on.”

Megan revealed she has a home in Los Angeles, and told her real estate agent, “Now that we’re engaged, we’re figuring out next steps.”

She then said she is looking for “at least three bedrooms and an office.”

After viewing the abode, Megan said she is “obsessed” with the home, while Jordan said, “I just don’t know what I would utilize all of this space for.”

He also joked one of the bedrooms is “the size of my whole apartment.”

He continued of his concerns, “I just wanna not be like a financial burden, you know? Cause I’m, like bringing essentially nothing to the table, you know?

“I wouldn’t say I’m strapped for cash, but I’ m being very financially conscious.”

Megan suggested selling her $1.5 million Los Angeles pad, and having both “go in for a loan on the remaining $500,000.”

The U.S. Sun can confirm Megan sold her two-bedroom, two-bathroom Los Angeles home for $1,565,500 in May 2024.

Jordan responded, “I don’t know. I’d really have to crunch the numbers. I think it’s just a little too much house for what we need.”

She then said, “I don’t want you to feel like you’re spending or stepping beyond your means.”

He then explained in his confessional that he doesn’t want to “mooch” off her.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/tv/15305137/love-is-blind-sparkle-megan-denver-mansion-relationship-clue/

The global economy is doing better than expected, even as it faces prolonged uncertainty and underwhelming medium-term growth prospects, the head of the IMF said Wednesday (Oct 8).

The world economy is doing “better than feared, but worse than we need,” International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva told reporters in Washington.

She added that the Fund now expects global growth to slow “only slightly this year and next,” propped up by better-than-expected conditions in the United States, and among some other advanced, emerging market and developing countries.

Georgieva’s remarks came ahead of next week’s gathering of finance ministers and central bank governors at the World Bank and the IMF in Washington.

Trade is once again likely to dominate the agenda at the annual meetings, following US President Donald Trump’s decision earlier this year to unleash sweeping tariffs against many trading partners.

“STRAINS FROM MULTIPLE SHOCKS”

“All signs point to a world economy that has generally withstood acute strains from multiple shocks,” Georgieva said, pointing to “improved policy fundamentals,” the adaptability of the private sector, lower-than-expected tariffs, and supportive financial conditions.

“The world has avoided a tit-for-tat slide into trade war – so far,” she added.

She noted that the average US tariff rate has fallen from 23 per cent in April to 17.5 per cent today, while the US effective tariff rate of around 10 per cent remains “far above” the rest of the world.

But, she warned, the full effect of those tariffs “is still to unfold,” adding that the resilience of the world economy has yet to be “fully tested”.

GROWTH TO REMAIN AROUND 3 PER CENT

Against this backdrop, the Fund still expects global growth to remain at roughly three per cent over the medium term, in line with previous forecasts – below the 3.7 per cent, on average, seen before the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Global growth patterns have been changing over the years, notably with China decelerating steadily while India develops into a key growth engine,” Georgieva said.

To boost lacklustre growth prospects elsewhere, she called on countries to act swiftly to “durably” lift output, rebuild fiscal buffers, and address “excessive” trade imbalances.

The Fund’s prescriptions for policymakers differed by region, with Asia urged to deepen its internal trade, and to strengthen the service sector and access to finance.

Carried out correctly, this could raise economic output by as much as 1.8 per cent in the long run, Georgieva said.

African countries should promote “business-friendly reforms” and continue with efforts to build up the Continental Free Trade Area, which, she said, could lift their real GDP per capita by “over 10 per cent.”

“Gains from this region can be especially large,” she said.

“SINGLE MARKET CZAR”

Georgieva reserved her harshest criticism for Europe, which has struggled with economic growth in recent years, in marked contrast to the United States.

To raise competition in the bloc, Georgieva called on the European Union to appoint a new “single market czar” to drive reforms, a move that would simplify the EU’s structure and consolidate the power to make the changes required.

These changes include steps to deepen EU single market integration in financial services and energy.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/world-economy-not-doing-badly-feared-imf-chief-says-5390081

The United Nations will be forced to reduce its peacekeeping forces worldwide by around 25 per cent due to a lack of funding, largely linked to US aid cuts, a senior UN official said on Wednesday (Oct 8).

About 13,000 to 14,000 military and police personnel, as well as their equipment, will have to be repatriated, the official said on condition of anonymity, with “a large number of civilian staff in missions” also to be affected.

The United States was expected to contribute US$1.3 billion of the total US$5.4 billion budget for 2025-2026 peacekeeping operations.

But it has now informed the UN that it will only pay around half the amount, or US$682 million – which includes US$85 million earmarked for a new international anti-gang mission in Haiti that was not in the original budget.

China is expected to contribute US$1.2 billion to the peacekeeping budget, which had US$2 billion in unpaid contributions as of July.

Of its total budget, the UN now expects a shortfall of 16 to 17 per cent in the current peacekeeping budget.

President Donald Trump has long claimed that international institutions have taken advantage of the United States and has overseen massive cuts to US foreign aid since his return to the White House in January.

“We know that there will be consequences in terms of monitoring ceasefires, protection of civilians, working with the humanitarians, or other peacekeeping activities,” the official said.

The 25 per cent reduction in troops will be spread across nine of the 11 peacekeeping missions, which had already developed contingency plans for potential budget cuts, the official said.

The UN has peacekeepers deployed in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, southern Lebanon, Central African Republic, South Sudan, and Western Sahara, among other places.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/un-peacekeeping-force-cut-25-budget-strains-5390911

The European Parliament (EP) has voted to ban the use of words like “burger” or “steak” to describe their plant-based variants.

The 355-247 majority vote is seen as a victory for livestock farmers who say the labels threaten their industry and livelihoods.

A full ban, however, is not imminent – or even certain – as the proposal needs the backing of the European Commission – the EU’s executive arm – as well as the governments of the 27 member countries to become law.

The plant-based food industry has grown exponentially in recent years, with more people opting for a meat-free lifestyle.

“Let’s call a spade a spade,” Celine Imart, the French member of the parliament who led the initiative was quoted by AFP news agency as saying about plant-based products.

Marketing plant-based products using meat labels “is misleading for the consumer”, the member of the conservative EPP group in the EP said.

Under the proposal, other labels like, “egg yolk”, “egg white” and “escalope” would be restricted to products that contain meat.

The EU has already defined dairy items as products coming from the “normal mammary secretion”. This includes products like milk, yogurt and cheese.

Oat milk, for instance, is called an oat drink on European shelves.

Greens and liberal lawmakers have criticised the now-approved EP text as “useless”.

“While the world is burning, the EPP has nothing better to do this week than to involve us all in a debate about sausages and schnitzel,” Anna Cavazzini of Germany’s Green Party was quoted by Deutsche Welle as saying.

Environmentalists have said that the ban would be a setback for sustainability.

The proposal has also drawn criticism from key food industry voices in Germany – the largest market for plant-based products in the EU, according to a report by the Good Food Institute of Europe.

Major German supermarkets such as Aldi and Lidl, fast food joint Burger King and sausage producer Rügenwalder Mühle have pushed back against the proposal in a joint open letter.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3w5v75deewo

Restrictions have been placed on content on some social media platforms in Afghanistan, Taliban government sources told BBC Afghan.

Filters have been applied to restrict certain types of content on sites including Facebook, Instagram and X, the sources at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology said.

It is not clear exactly what sort of posts are subject to filtering. Some social media users in Kabul told the BBC that videos on their Facebook accounts are no longer viewable, while access to Instagram has also been restricted.

These restrictions on social media content come a week after internet and telecommunications services were cut off across the country for two days.

The move caused widespread problems for citizens and its end was greeted with celebration.

The 48-hour blackout disrupted businesses and flights, limited access to emergency services and raised fears about further isolating women and girls whose rights have been severely eroded since the hardline Islamist group swept back to power in 2021.

Social media users in Afghanistan have been complaining about limited access to different platforms in various provinces since Tuesday.

A Taliban government source said: “Some sort of controls have been applied to restrict certain types of content on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and X.

“We hope this time there wouldn’t be any full ban on internet.

“The filtering is almost applied for the whole county and most provinces are covered now.”

There is no formal explanation from Taliban government officials for the restrictions.

Cybersecurity organisation NetBlocks said “restrictions are now confirmed on multiple providers, the pattern shows an intentional restriction”. Social sites have been intermittently accessible on smartphones, according to news agency AFP.

A man who works in a government office in eastern Nangarhar province told the BBC he could open Facebook but could not see pictures or play videos.

He said the “internet is very slow as a whole”.

Another user in southern Kandahar province, who runs a private business, said his fibre optic internet had been cut off since Tuesday but mobile phone data was working, with Facebook and Instagram being “severely slow”.

The Taliban government has not given an explanation for the total shutdown last week. However, last month, a spokesperson for the Taliban governor in the northern province of Balkh said internet access was being blocked “for the prevention of vices”.

Since returning to power, the Taliban have imposed numerous restrictions in accordance with their interpretation of Islamic Sharia law.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgrq8d0jpdwo

“It’s not about him, it’s about me,” declares Victoria Beckham (“him” being her husband Sir David Beckham).

And that’s exactly what we get in a new three-part documentary, which drops on Netflix on Thursday.

The former Spice Girl and fashion entrepreneur, 51, is determined to tell her own story – two years after former England captain Sir David, 50, released his own, hugely successful TV series.

The episodes take us inside Victoria’s pop career, family life, struggles to reinvent herself and preparation for a major show at Paris Fashion Week.

We also learn about the serious financial troubles her fashion business faced, and how she feared she might “lose everything”.

There are contributions from famous friends including Eva Longoria, and fashion titans such as Dame Anna Wintour and Donatella Versace.

Here are our main takeaways from her documentary.

Eswatini, the landlocked nation formerly known as Swaziland, is Africa’s last remaining absolute monarchy. It is the kind of place where King Mswati III—who took the throne as an 18-year-old four decades ago—can warn in a speech, as he did in 2023, that nobody should “complain if mercenaries kill” political activists. When one of the country’s leading human rights lawyers was murdered only hours later, the king’s representatives suggested there was no connection. No one was punished.

In other words, Eswatini is just the kind of country—small, untroubled by democracy, and presumably eager to avoid a superpower’s wrath—with which the Trump administration has been eager to do business.

In May, officials from the US and Eswatini signed a deal that allows the Trump administration to deport people from all over the world to the African nation. A copy of the arrangement I reviewed shows that the United States has agreed to pay Eswatini $5.1 million to take in up to 160 so-called “third-country nationals”—immigrants who came to the US with no ties to the country to which they are being deported.

In July, the first five of such men arrived in Eswatini, where they were sent to a maximum-security prison and detained in the country without any clear legal basis. Last weekend, the Trump administration sent 10 more people to the Eswatini prison. None of the 15 men sent to the nation are from Eswatini. But they are now under the authority of its king.

The situation is a “legal black hole,” according to Tin Thanh Nguyen, a North Carolina–based attorney who is representing five men from Vietnam and Laos now imprisoned in the African country. As he explained in a statement Monday: “I cannot call [my clients]. I cannot email them. I cannot communicate through local counsel because the Eswatini government blocks all attorney access.”

The arrangement with Eswatini, which has a population of 1.1 million, is similar to the deal that allowed the United States to send more than 200 Venezuelans to an infamous prison in El Salvador earlier this year. The Venezuelans sent to the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT)—most of whom had no criminal history—were released in July as part of a prisoner swap following sustained international outrage. (As we reported, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement targeted many Venezuelans because of tattoos that the agency falsely claimed were evidence of gang membership.)

Although the CECOT disappearances led to international outrage, the Trump administration’s efforts to offload people to a prison in Eswatini, along with similar arrangements with South Sudan and other African nations, have attracted much less attention.

A practice that would have been unthinkable under past administrations is becoming normalized: sending ICE detainees, without due process, to far-flung prisons in countries with notorious human rights records.

The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a request for comment. Tricia McLaughlin, DHS assistant secretary for public affairs, warned in a statement last month: “If you come to our country illegally, you could end up in CECOT or a country you didn’t even know existed.” Eswatini’s US Embassy also did not respond to a request for comment.

The legal pathway for third-country deportations became far easier over the summer.

In May, the Trump administration tried to summarily remove a small group of third-country nationals to South Sudan, despite a preliminary injunction from a federal judge in Massachusetts that clearly blocked the move. At an emergency hearing, Judge Brian Murphy found that DHS’s conduct was “unquestionably violative” of his preliminary injunction. He ordered the men not to be handed over to South Sudan.

In late June, the Supreme Court removed the protections Murphy put in place—effectively rewarding the Trump administration for flagrantly disobeying court orders. Justice Sonia Sotomayor excoriated the move in a dissent joined by Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson and Elena Kagan.

“Apparently,” Sotomayor wrote, “the Court finds the idea that thousands will suffer violence in farflung locales more palatable than the remote possibility that a District Court exceeded its remedial powers.” (At another point, Sotomayor compared the administration’s legal nitpicking in the case to an “arsonist who calls 911 to report firefighters for violating a local noise ordinance.”)

DHS quickly took advantage of the power granted it by the Supreme Court’s conservative majority.

In July, the department followed through on the South Sudan removals and announced the first five deportations to Eswatini. In a series of social media posts, DHS claimed the men were so “uniquely barbaric that their home countries refused to take them back.” The posts said the men sent to Eswatini—who were from Cuba, Jamaica, Laos, Vietnam, and Yemen—had been convicted in the United States of serious criminal offenses, including murder and rape.

The severity of the crimes obscures the legal stakes of the case. All of the men DHS sent to Eswatini had served their sentences and been ordered deported. The question was (and is) not whether they can be deported, but whether the Trump administration has the authority to send people anywhere it wants, without due process, and imprison them in countries where the detainees have never broken any law.

Trina Realmuto, one of the lead lawyers in the case before Murphy, stressed that all of the class members she is representing have rights regardless of their criminal histories.

“But make no mistake,” said Realmuto, executive director of the National Immigration Litigation Alliance, “this is going to happen to people without criminal convictions.”

DHS did not name the people it sent to Eswatini but did share their photos. Through those photos, family members and friends in the United States learned that the men had been sent to a small kingdom on the other side of the world. It would be about two weeks before they were able to speak with them.

Nguyen, the North Carolina immigration lawyer, and two other American lawyers who took the cases of the men in Eswatini began working with Sibusiso Nhlabatsi, who is well known in Eswatini for his work as a human rights lawyer.

Nhlabatsi was also a colleague and close friend of Thulani Maseko, the activist and lawyer who was killed in 2023 while watching television at home with his wife and two young children. No one has been held accountable for his friend’s murder, and Nhlabatsi said he fears for his own “safety every day” due to his work. “It’s a risk that you have to take,” he told me. “Unfortunately, sometimes you have to pay the highest price.”

So far, Nhlabatsi’s efforts to represent the people sent to Eswatini from the United States have been thwarted by the kingdom. For the first time in his career, Nhlabatsi said prison officials have repeatedly denied him the chance to meet with his clients at the prison.

In response, Nhlabatsi filed suit to try to force the courts in Eswatini to allow him access to the men deported from the United States. But what has happened since has been Kafkaesque.

After taking the government to court, Nhlabatsi said a legal adviser for the country’s prison system told him that he would be able to meet his clients. But when he returned to the Matsapha Correctional Complex, which houses the maximum-security prison where the men are being held, Nhlabatsi said he was “pushed from pillar to post” and made to wait hours. Finally, Nhlabatsi said the head of the prison told him that he would not be able to meet with his clients after all. The reason was absurd: The prison director claimed the men were refusing to see him.

A close friend of Roberto Mosquera, the Cuban national sent to Eswatini in July, said Mosquera told her during a brief call that he never refused to meet with Nhlabatsi. She said officials in Eswatini “just blatantly lie and say that Mr. Mosquera refuses counsel.”

Mia Unger, an immigration attorney at the Legal Aid Society in New York, represented a man sent to Eswatini named Orville Etoria. “He requested to speak with us numerous times, and he wasn’t allowed,” Unger said. “They didn’t allow him to call us.”

Etoria’s story is particularly galling because there appears to be no basis for DHS’s claim that Jamaica, his home country, refused to take him back. Unger said Etoria, who was convicted of murder nearly three decades ago and released from prison in 2021, was asked by ICE to obtain a Jamaican passport at a check-in earlier this year. He got the passport, went to another ICE check-in in June, and was taken into custody. “There was never any question of whether he was able to go to Jamaica,” Unger said. As a result, it should have been illegal to send him to Eswatini. (US law makes it clear that people can be deported to third countries only when it is “impracticable, inadvisable, or impossible” to send them to countries to which they have close ties.)

After Etoria arrived in Eswatini, Jamaica’s government immediately made clear that it had not refused to take him back. And in September, after being imprisoned for two months at Matsapha, Etoria returned to the Caribbean island. (A Mexican national sent to South Sudan was also repatriated after the Mexican government facilitated his return.)

Alma David, an immigration attorney with Novo Legal, is representing Mosquera and Kassim Saleh Wasil, a Yemeni national in Eswatini. She told me the head of the Matsapha prison said via WhatsApp that the only way to have an unmonitored conversation with her clients would be for her or another attorney to come in person. She noted that Nhlabatsi had tried and been repeatedly turned away. In response, David said the prison chief told her that Nhlabatsi needed to go to the US Embassy to get permission to meet with his clients.

It is unclear what the actual policies are. “It’s a monarchy,” David explained. “Nobody wants to be the person who does the wrong thing or does the thing they’re not supposed to do. But nobody really knows what they’re supposed to be doing.”

“All of these people had served their sentences,” she stressed of the men sent to Eswatini. “They were living in the community and were not considered a danger to anybody until one day, they were picked up and sent to Eswatini.”

When we first spoke late last month, Nhlabatsi said he would soon be in court to secure an order allowing him to meet with the men sent from the United States. Last Friday, he said the court ordered him to have access. But it came with a major caveat: The government immediately appealed the judgment.

It means that Nhlabatsi is likely months away from being able to meet with his clients—if he is able to do so at all. The goal appears to be to try to stonewall until the men are removed from Eswatini, at which point their claims would become moot.

Nhlabatsi said the case has become big news in his country. Many residents have not been happy to learn that their government is holding people convicted of serious crimes in the United States. In contrast to the propaganda video El Salvador released after Venezuelans arrived at CECOT, Eswatini’s government seems to have tried to draw as little attention as possible to what it’s doing on behalf of the United States. (Nhlabatsi said he does not believe that the men are being physically abused while in custody but added that being in prison is bad enough.)

ICE is now doubling down on these deportations. Nguyen, the North Carolina lawyer, said ICE told a group of men in detention in the United States on Saturday that they were about to be deported to Eswatini. Nguyen said the new group of deportees includes people from Cambodia, Chad, Cuba, the Philippines, and Vietnam. Flight tracking records indicate that the plane carrying them arrived in the nation around midnight Monday. (Unlike the first five people sent to Eswatini, this group was able to make short calls after arriving in the country, according to Nguyen.)

Source : https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/10/ice-third-country-deportation-monarchy-eswatini-legal-black-hole-trump/

Victoria Beckham is sharing new details about her “incredibly unhealthy” past eating disorder that left her losing “all sense of reality” after the Spice Girls broke up in 2000.

“When you have an eating disorder, you become very good at lying, and I was never honest about it with my parents,” she shares in the new Netflix docuseries, “Victoria Beckham.”

“I never talked about it in public. It really affects you when you’re being told constantly that you’re not good enough and I suppose that’s been with me my whole life.”

The Spice Girl member, dubbed Posh Spice, 51, admits to being stung by the constant criticism surrounding her body.

“I’ve been everything from Porky Posh to Skinny Posh,” she says in the doc. “I mean, you know it’s been a lot, and that is hard. I had no control over what’s been written about me, pictures that were being taken, and I suppose I wanted to control that, you know, control it with the clothing.”

“I could control my weight,” she continues, “and I was controlling it in an incredibly unhealthy way.”

Victoria recounts being weighed on national television in 1999 six months after she’d given birth to her first child, Brooklyn Beckham, 26, whom she shares with husband David Beckham.

“We laugh about it and we joke about it, when we were on television,” she says, “but I was really, really young and that hurts.”

David adds that during those years, “People felt it was OK to criticize a woman for her weight…there were a lot of things happening on TV then that won’t happen now, that can’t happen now.”

Victoria explains that she began to “doubt myself and not like myself” and slowly began to “lose all sense of reality.”

Body dysmorphia began to develop with the “Wannabe” singer becoming “very critical of myself. I didn’t like what I saw.”

Insiders previously confirmed to Page Six that Victoria would be discussing her struggles with body-image and food in the new series.

“There was a huge scrutiny on Victoria’s appearance and her weight,” our source said. “I think the audience will have some understanding of what she went through.”

The former pop star first opened up about her struggles in her autobiography, “Learning to Fly.”

Though she has a healthy relationship with food now, there’s still one thing she stays away from.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/10/08/celebrity-news/victoria-beckham-reveals-details-of-eating-disorder-in-netflix-doc/

Chinese firms which have relocated operations to the region in a bid to seek lower tariffs on their US exports, as well as Southeast Asian businesses across the supply chain, are feeling the pinch from the 40 per cent US transshipment levy.

In recent years, Chinese firm Huashuo Plastics has moved a significant proportion of its operations from Guangdong in southeastern China to Hai Phong in northern Vietnam.

Before 2016, almost all of its production was focused in Dongguan – an industrial city in Guangdong – but today, around 80 per cent of its products are shipped from Hai Phong, located 100 km from Hanoi.

The firm exports 90 per cent of its goods – hollow plastic boards typically used to make delivery boxes – to the United States, with e-commerce giant Amazon among its key clients.

Qiu Ji De, chairman of Huashuo Plastics, told CNA that tariff penalties imposed by the US on China since a trade war began in 2018 have led the company and other Chinese firms to employ the China Plus One strategy.

It is a business move that attempts to diversify their supply chains in order to avoid US tariffs on goods from China.

However, Qiu added that these plans have been hit, first by US President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs in April, and then more significantly in July, when he announced a 40 per cent levy on goods deemed to be transshipped from China to the US through other countries.

In essence, transshipment, at its most basic, is the process of transferring goods from one mode of transport to another at an intermediary location to continue their journey to a final destination.

While Vietnam was initially hit with a 46 per cent reciprocal tariff rate on Liberation Day, Trump later announced in early July a “Great Deal of Cooperation” with Hanoi, reducing the levy to 20 per cent.

Additionally, some goods would also face an additional 40 per cent export levy for transshipments. It was reportedly supposed to come into effect in August, but details of what constitutes transshipment remain unclear.

“Before (both sets of) the tariff were imposed, production and delivery were going quite smoothly. But after the tariffs increased, things changed … our orders have been heavily affected,” said Qiu, whose factory in Hai Phong was rather quiet and stacks of boards laid in storage when CNA visited in early September.

“Because the decline has been pretty fast – pretty rapid – we had to respond by cutting staff members. We reduced about one-third of our workforce, which is quite a significant amount,” he added, declining to give absolute figures.

Trade experts said that the 40 per cent levy is Washington’s answer to the phenomenon termed as “Southeast Asia-washing”, which refers to Chinese companies trying to disguise the origin of their products by relocating operations to countries in the region.

There has been a focus on Vietnam being used as a gateway for Chinese goods destined for the US, allowing Chinese exporters to take advantage of Hanoi’s lower tariffs and avoid high US duties on goods from China.

Based on the latest tariff numbers, compared to the 20 per cent tariff that Vietnam faces, the US has imposed a 55 per cent levy on Chinese imports, as announced by Trump in June.

Meanwhile Chinese duties on US imports stand at over 10 per cent, as announced in May.

However, there is still a chance that the numbers could be much larger, threatening trade between both countries.

The US had earlier announced a 145 per cent tax on Chinese goods while the Chinese tariffs on US goods were set to hit 125 per cent, but both countries extended a tariff truce until Nov 10 as discussions continue.

However, firms, logistics exporters as well as trade analysts whom CNA spoke to stressed that there is widespread uncertainty over how the US government will define and enforce the additional 40 per cent levy on transshipped goods.

There are question marks over the US government’s criteria for the rules of origin of a product and especially what percentage of Chinese-made components of each product would trigger this levy.

This levy is targeted at Chinese firms which have allegedly been exploiting this loophole, and shipping their products through Southeast Asian countries to avoid high tariffs and restrictions.

The uncertainty has left Chinese companies in a limbo, while also impacting local Southeast Asian companies in the supply chain, triggering pauses in production and layoffs. The situation is playing out in Vietnam most significantly, as well as in other Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia and Thailand.

In some cases, trade experts said it has raised the question over whether the region is now still a viable tariff escape route for Chinese firms, prompting some businesses to diversify to other regions such as South Asia and Europe to expand their customer base.

In the bigger geopolitical context, the transshipment tariffs are seen as Trump’s attempt to squeeze China out directly, by pushing the likes of Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand to reduce the amount of Chinese content in their supply chains.

Experts told CNA that it remains to be seen if some of these Southeast Asian countries – which are strategically important allies for Beijing – will distance themselves from their top trading partner in Asia.

“Washington wants ASEAN to cut the Chinese inputs out of its supply chains. In practice, that is a tall order,” said Nguyen Khac Giang, a regional political and economic expert who is also a visiting fellow at ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute’s Vietnam Studies programme.

“Southeast Asia is not just a staging ground for ‘Made in China’ goods, it is welded into a deeply integrated East Asian production network that keeps costs down and output up,” he added.

BLOW TO EXPORTS, GDP GROWTH IN ASEAN

The term “Southeast Asia-washing” refers to Chinese companies trying to disguise the origin of their products by relocating operations to countries in the region.

The practice reportedly surged after the first rounds of US-China tariffs in 2018-2019 as a trade war unravelled, peaking around 2022 to mid-2024, especially in the solar and electronics supply chains.

According to reports, the practice is widespread in Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand and Cambodia – hubs for industries like solar, electronics and textiles routed from China.

However, the much higher tariffs imposed on Southeast Asian countries this year, along with the penalties on transshipped goods, have reduced the payoff for Southeast Asia-washing, with analysts suggesting that the practice of transshipment and relabelling could be ending.

Northern Vietnam’s burgeoning industrial towns like Bac Ninh and Hai Phong – which over the last few years saw an influx of Chinese firms – have seen production slowed in recent months.

An employee who works in a logistics company which ships goods from Hai Phong port to the US told CNA that the volume of products has dipped by more than half compared to last year.

The employee, who spoke to CNA on condition of anonymity due to corporate sensitivities, said that based on feedback from his clients, this can be attributed to the uncertainties surrounding the 40 per cent transshipment levy and how the possible enforcement of this has spooked some US importers from proceeding with orders, given the potentially higher costs.

“We have seen this trend across a variety of industries – garments, manufacturing, electronics. It’s a chain effect – the levies trigger fewer orders, companies produce less, and everyone including us are impacted,” the official added.

Chinese national Gao Wen Ming, who manages a BYD Forklift distributor facility in Bac Ninh on the outskirts of Hanoi, told CNA that his partner companies, such as Chinese consumer electronics firm TCL Technology, have been impacted by the tariffs as they export their products heavily to the US.

BYD Forklift, a subsidiary of the Chinese automaker BYD, supplies forklifts and pallet trucks to BYD factories and other companies in the region.

Since it moved operations from Shandong in China to Bac Ninh in 2024, BYD Forklift has grown its Vietnam operations from a small one-room office to an entire warehouse.

But stalled orders from some US importers working with BYD Forklift’s clients have paused the company’s expansion and as a result, the firm has had to implement layoffs in recent months, but Gao declined to specify how many workers had been let go.

“Our workforce operates under a constant process of natural selection, survival of the fittest,” he said.

According to United Nations estimates, US tariffs could slash up to one-fifth of Vietnam’s exports to the US, equivalent to more than US$25 billion, making it the worst-hit country in Southeast Asia.

Some experts have projected a 5 per cent dip in the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) if the tariffs persist.

According to US trade data, Vietnam was the world’s sixth-largest exporter to the US last year with US$136.5 billion worth of shipped goods, the largest among Southeast Asia countries.

Dan Martin, a Hanoi-based international business adviser at consultancy firm Dezan Shira & Associates, told CNA that Vietnam has had a huge appeal to international companies because it is one of two Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states which have a free trade agreement with the European Union, the other being Singapore.

“I think a lot of companies – American companies, European companies and also Chinese companies that are based in China – see the writing on the wall about the intended policy of the United States, which is to go and peel companies off (from) China,” said Martin.

He added that northern Vietnam’s geographical advantages – it shares a massive land border with China and has an extensive coastline with several deepwater ports to ship goods further afar, including to the US – boost the Southeast Asian country’s value proposition as an investment destination for Chinese companies.

However, these advantages are not sufficient to defray the costs of doing business there now, especially after Trump slapped Vietnam with a 20 per cent tariff, along with a 40 per cent levy for Chinese firms which transship goods, he said.

“(Many companies have adopted) a wait-and-see approach which started basically back in September-October 2024 and it’s continued up to this point,” said Martin, referring to the period where it increasingly became apparent that Trump was the slight favourite to win the 2024 US presidential election.

“If you’re a company with ties to the US market, it would make a lot of sense to not come to Vietnam, and other countries in the region, because people don’t have a strong understanding of where the tariff numbers are going to land.”

Other countries in the region are also not immune.

In Thailand, the government has estimated that its actions to closely scrutinise exports for transshipment could reduce its exports to the US by US$15 billion, equivalent to one-third of its trade surplus with Washington last year.

According to local reports, Thai exporters to the US must convincingly prove that their goods are sufficiently “Thai”, and that sectors that rely heavily on imported inputs – electronics, auto parts and industrial machinery – are at risk.

Thailand has also promised to look more closely at foreign investments in areas such as the burgeoning electric vehicles industry, where Chinese companies have invested to bring their own suppliers into the country.

In September, the Thai government said it will set up a special task force to manage millions of certificates of origin expected to be required under US trade rules.

The US reduced its tariff on Thai imports to 19 per cent, after initially proposing a 36 per cent levy. Yet, products suspected of being rerouted to conceal their origin could face additional duties of 40 per cent.

Meanwhile, Thailand’s southern neighbour Malaysia has seen overall export numbers increase but in lower numbers than expected.

Total exports rose 1.9 per cent in August from a year earlier, according to data from Malaysia’s Investment, Trade and Industry Ministry released in September, lower than the 3 per cent median estimate in a Bloomberg survey.

Moreover, shipments to the US fell 16.7 per cent year on year, while imports declined 36.7 per cent. Trade with its third-largest trading partner slumped by 25 per cent.

“The overall decline in trade with the US may reflect the early impact of recent tariff adjustments introduced by the US government,” the ministry said in a statement on Sep 19.

As for Singapore, some media reports have cited how Chinese companies like Shein, ByteDance and BYD are setting up operations in the city state purportedly to circumvent tariffs and barriers.

But observers have said that though Singapore is a transshipment hub, the act of companies disguising their product’s origin is not as prevalent due to more stringent enforcement.

During a forum event in September, Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong, who is also Minister for Trade and Industry, warned that companies thinking of arbitraging US tariffs through Singapore should “be careful” of the risk of stiff penalties.

Additionally, Singapore Customs issued a circular in June reminding exporters and agents to accurately declare the country of origin on import, export or transshipment permits.

A list of frequently asked questions on Singapore’s government agency EnterpriseSG’s website explicitly states that the US can verify origin directly with manufacturers in Singapore and that Singapore Customs will even facilitate US authorities verification visits when asked.

Political and economic expert Giang said that Southeast Asian countries like Vietnam “cannot dodge the fallout” from the tariffs, but if the reciprocal rates stay at around 20 per cent as it is presently, the impact is manageable.

He said that Vietnam’s general statistics office projected that economic growth would be shaved by less than a single percentage point.

“That is hardly painless, but it is nowhere near the worst-case scenario of a 3–5 percentage-point hit under the 46 per cent (original Liberation Day) tariff scenario,” said Giang.

“Still, the mood among firms is one of limbo, waiting for Washington to clarify how deep the knife will cut on the transshipment clause,” he added.

UNCERTAINTY OVER TRANSSHIPMENT DEFINITION

The slowdown in trade in some countries in Southeast Asia can be attributed to uncertainties with how the US defines transshipment and how it enforces the 40 per cent levy, which could be the death knell for certain industries, said analysts.

Trump’s executive order of Jul 31 – on new tariff rates for dozens of countries – stated that these are goods transshipped through other countries “to evade applicable duties” instead of coming straight from the country of origin. It added that these goods will face the 40 per cent transshipment levy.

Additionally, this 40 per cent tariff will be on top of whatever tariffs that would have applied if the goods had come directly from the country where they were originally made.

For instance, goods transshipped to the US via Vietnam would face a 20 per cent reciprocal tax plus a 40 per cent transshipment levy.

Steven Okun, chief executive officer of APAC Advisors – a geostrategic and investment consultancy based in Singapore – told CNA that it is presently illegal for companies to manufacture a product in China, send it to Vietnam or other Southeast Asian countries, change the label and declare the certificate of origin to be from Vietnam or elsewhere, and export the finished product to the US.

However, he said that taking a good manufactured in one place, sending it to another country, transforming them into a new product and then exporting, constitutes trade and is legal, though he and other analysts point out that the issue lies in how much of “transformation” constitutes a new product.

Okun said it is even possible that the US has made illegal transshipments permissible with the 40 per cent tariff.

“There is no clarity on if or how the US will expand the definition of an illegal transshipment. Washington could broaden the definition at any time,” said Okun.

“Until then, companies remain uncertain about whether goods assembled in places like Vietnam with a certain amount of made in China constitute Vietnamese origin product when it comes to tariffs.”

Deborah Elms, head of trade policy at the Hinrich Foundation in Singapore, echoed similar sentiments, stressing that firms and other governments are still waiting for greater clarity on what the US administration means by transshipment.

“Goods are supposed to be “substantially transformed”, going beyond simple assembly or disassembly (so as not to be considered as transshipped). But this (transhipment) threshold is still unclear,” she added.

Chinese companies CNA spoke to in Vietnam denied outright that their goods should be subjected to this transshipment tax since they claim the products were produced wholly in Vietnam. They also said that they have not been subjected to the 40 per cent transshipment levy since it came into effect in August.

But they acknowledged that the uncertainty surrounding the definition of transshipment goods has impacted orders and slowed production.

Qiu of Huashuo Plastics told CNA: “This kind of public opinion – once it exists – creates an atmosphere that isn’t very friendly.”

However, Le Minh Ngoc, who runs a local ceramics exporting firm in Bat Trang near Hanoi, told CNA that the practice of transshipment is widespread in Vietnam, and that his firm acts as a middleman for Chinese pottery companies which wish to export to the US.

Some of these products include vases, pots and statues of historical figures in Chinese and Vietnamese history.

“On average, we export about six to seven containers to the US annually, using the largest 40-foot containers,” said Minh.

“Thanks to the trade war, some clients are now considering moving part of their production to Vietnam to ease the pressure. This is actually a benefit for us,” added the 27-year-old, who confirms that Chinese products passing through his firm are relabelled before being exported to the US.

When asked if the transshipment tax impacts his business, Minh said Chinese firms are willing to take risks and pay the additional costs on their end.

However, not all local firms have benefited from the transshipment tariffs.

Nam, a manager of a silk boutique firm located in Hanoi who declined to give his full name, told CNA that increased competition from Chinese firms and higher reciprocal tariffs have made it no longer viable to export products to the US. His firm previously exported 20 per cent of its goods to the US.

“I’ve had to cut 30 per cent to 40 per cent of my workforce since COVID-19 (and the implementation of tariffs thereafter). Profits have decreased. We haven’t been able to sell as much as before – sales have dropped by around 20 per cent to 30 per cent,” said the 35-year-old.

Countries and major cities in Southeast Asia are also uneasy with being labelled as a transshipment hub for Chinese goods.

Penang, widely known as the Silicon Valley of the East as it serves as a key hub in the global supply chain for semiconductors, is increasingly seen as a viable location for Chinese firms under the China Plus One strategy.

It refers to a supply-chain diversification strategy in which Chinese firms keep production in China but add at least one additional manufacturing base elsewhere – often in Southeast Asia – to reduce costs, leverage on free trade agreement networks and to take advantage of government tax incentives offered.

The phenomenon began in the early 2000s when Chinese firms, especially those in the textile industry, began exploring alternatives like Vietnam and Cambodia.

It expanded to countries like Thailand and Malaysia following the escalation of the US-China trade war between 2018 and 2020.

In the first half of 2025, northern Malaysian state Penang recorded RM1.85 billion in approved manufacturing investments from China, accounting for nearly 15 per cent of the state’s manufacturing investment in that period.

In comparison, for the same period in 2024, it recorded RM411.8 million in manufacturing investments from China, or only a quarter of the 2025 figure.

In a written response to queries from CNA, Penang’s chief minister Chow Kon Yeow stressed that while Penang welcomes investment from China, it is prioritising projects that “bring high value-added activities to the state” and less so to accommodate companies which transship products.

“We prioritise projects that contribute to local capabilities and innovation, rather than those focused solely on transshipment,” said Chow.

“As such, companies seeking to establish operations purely for transshipment purposes may find Penang less aligned with their needs,” he added.

He did not elaborate on how Penang ascertained whether companies are transshipping goods.

IS THE SOUTHEAST ASIA TARIFF ESCAPE ROUTE CLOSED?

Trade experts whom CNA spoke to stressed that the transshipment tax imposed by the US has diminished Southeast Asia’s appeal as a tariff escape route for Chinese firms.

At the same time, Chinese companies said that they are considering relocating to other regions where the spotlight on transshipment is less intense than countries like Vietnam.

For instance, Qiu of Huashuo Plastics told CNA that his firm is considering relocating some of its operations to India, in a move to diversify its client base beyond the US to include the European Union.

The employee who works in the logistics company which ships goods from Hai Phong port to the US told CNA that Chinese firms operating out of Vietnam are diversifying their client base by exporting to Europe and the Middle East beyond just the US.

Meanwhile, local businesses in Southeast Asia are also feeling the pinch with increased competition from Chinese firms and these countries too could implement protectionistic measures, said Okun.

Okun added that there is evidence that Chinese capacity being diverted into Southeast Asia has been threatening local industries, citing how over the past two years, more than 4,000 Thai factories have shut and tens of thousands of those working in Indonesia’s textile sector have lost jobs.

“This is a clear signal that the spillover is already underway, and governments will take measures to protect themselves,” he added.

On the other hand, a mass exodus of Chinese firms out of Southeast Asia is unlikely as experts said that it is not realistic to take China out of the region’s manufacturing base in the foreseeable future.

Giang told CNA: “Supply chains are sticky. Once you build a factory, train workers, and establish supplier networks, you do not pack up overnight.”

However trade experts told CNA that ultimately, the intent behind the transshipment law by the US is to persuade Southeast Asian countries to sequester China and move away to other trading partners.

Various news reports have said that the US is pursuing a strategic decoupling from China, and is demanding its trade partners in the region do the same.

Experts also noted how Trump’s trade adviser Peter Navarro called Vietnam a “colony of China”, claiming that as much as a third of its exports to the US were, in fact, Chinese goods rebranded as Vietnamese.

Okun added that Vietnam’s deal to reduce its reciprocal tax from 46 per cent to 20 per cent suggests it has agreed to some form of decoupling from China in order to appease the US and achieve a more favourable tariff outcome.

However, he maintained that a complete decoupling is impossible in the “foreseeable future”.

“The US may seek to limit the level of Chinese content. It cannot eliminate it entirely. The policy is really about containment, not complete separation,” said Okun.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/us-tariffs-transshipment-levy-southeast-asia-5386821

Iran on Tuesday (Oct 7) dismissed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s warnings over its missile programme as fabricated, after he alleged the Islamic republic was developing rockets capable of reaching US cities.

In an interview with US podcaster Ben Shapiro released on Monday, Netanyahu said: “Iran is developing now … intercontinental ballistic missiles for 8,000 kilometre range”.

“What does that mean? They add another 3,000 kilometres and they’ve got under their guns … New York City in target, Washington, Boston, Miami, Mar-a-Lago”, he said, referring to the Florida residence of US President Donald Trump.

Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, condemned the comments, saying Israel was trying to portray Iran’s defensive capabilities as a threat.

“Israel is now trying to make an imaginary threat out of our defence capabilities,” Araghchi wrote on X.

Iran has a large arsenal of domestically produced ballistic missiles, including Shahab-3 rockets with a range of 2,000km – enough to reach Israel.

In June, a 12-day war erupted after unprecedented Israeli strikes inside Iran targeted military, political and nuclear-related sites.

Iran responded with missile and drone attacks on Israel and on the largest US base in the Middle East, located in Qatar, after Washington launched a bombing raid of its own.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/iran-dismisses-israels-missile-concern-imaginary-threat-5388616

Anti-government protests in Morocco are organized by an anonymous group of youth activists on a platform meant for gaming. They started off with just four members, and now have almost 250,000. DW spoke with one of them.

Although there’s a temporary pause this week, the protests in Morocco will keep going until they achieve what they set out to do, one of the organizers of the youth-led movement behind the biggest anti-government protests the country has seen in years, told DW.

They were marred by violence last week but the protests have been mostly peaceful and in a statement published early Tuesday morning, the movement — Gen Z 212 — called for the government’s resignation. Analysts have already suggested Morocco’s billionaire Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch may be forced to resign as a result of the Gen Z-led protests. Gen Z 212 has also demanded reforms of the education and health systems and “an independent, impartial judiciary.”

“Health, education and a good living situation isn’t something we should have to demand, these are our rights,” the organizer told DW in a written interview conducted online. “But greed took them from us,” the person said.

The organizer, who spoke to DW on condition of anonymity, is one of the Moroccans behind the group Gen Z 212, which has organized the daily protests.

None of the group’s organizers have been identified and they plan to keep it that way. The person DW interviewed wouldn’t give further details because, they said, the movement speaks for itself.

The organizer did, however, explain how Gen Z 212 began and how it works. The group was first founded on the online platform Discord in mid-September and members called for protests at the end of September.

Gen Z 212 started off with just four people and was originally triggered by anger over what has been called “the hospital of death” in the coastal city of Agadir. Protests around the Hassan II Hospital had been happening for weeks because of patient mistreatment, lack of hygiene, misuse of drugs and patient deaths.

“Morocco just needed a spark,” the Gen Z 212 organizer said, explaining the connection to the hospital. “The movement really started because of the bad situation in Morocco, that my generation has to endure.”

At the time of writing, the group had close to a quarter of a million members. More than 80 other volunteers have since been recruited to help, the anonymous organizer told DW.

Discord, the new digital public square

Discord is a platform that was first founded in 2015 so players of online games could communicate easily while playing. It has text channels, voice chats and various community management features but is usually classified as a “chat for gamers” app, with both a free and a paid service.

Over the past few years, it has become increasingly popular with non-gamers too. In 2017, Discord had 45 million monthly active users. But the COVID-19 pandemic saw use increase and earlier this year, the platform was recording over 200 million users monthly.

Research suggests that almost a third of them don’t even play online games. Discord, which is valued at around $15 billion (€12.8 billion), is now being used for community management by everyone from businesses and schools to climate activists and right-wing extremists, observers point out.

Recently Discord has been in the news more frequently, and not least because of its vital role in various Gen Z protest groups, such as those in Madagascar, Nepal and Morocco.

Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old American who allegedly murdered right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk, discussed the killing on Discord. Other US school shooters and violent extremists have also been traced back to Discord groups. This week, the platform’s chief executive, Humam Sakhnini, will testify before US Congress on “the radicalization of online forum users.”

Long-time users point to Discord’s security flaws too. Anybody can join and everyone is anonymous, so groups can easily be infiltrated. Chat histories are never deleted even if a user leaves and in September, a tranche of Discord user data was stolen by hackers. Nonetheless as digital specialist French website, Zataz, explains, “Discord resonates with people under 30. The absence of intrusive algorithms, freedom of organization, and a sense of ‘peer-to-peer’ dialogue explain its popularity.”

Moroccan police ‘not familiar’ with Discord

Morocco’s Gen Z 212 is using Discord for very similar reasons. “It’s much easier to use, more secure and offers more channels to discuss different topics and to put announcements, not to mention voice chats that allow people to connect and get closer to one another,” the organizer told DW. “Also, the Moroccan police is still not familiar with Discord.”

The decentralized nature of Discord, with multiple groups working in different channels at once and the continuous chatter, also suits Gen Z 212’s evolving, collective ideology.

The group has held online votes to decide what action to take next. After three protesters died during violence last week, organizers asked members to choose whether to demonstrate as usual (but peacefully, and with a time limit), to protest from their own balconies and rooftops so as to avoid police, or whether to take a day off in mourning. The first option won and protests went ahead.

Around half an hour before protests are due to take place, a list of locations for demonstrations is published on Discord. After protests end, there are chat sessions where members share their experiences and advice, in Arabic, English and French.

The group has also asked members to ensure protests remain peaceful, to avoid criticism of Morocco’s king and to help tidy streets as a gesture of goodwill toward their communities.

Gen Z 212 shy away from hierarchies and also regularly use their Discord channel to denounce anybody who claims to speak on their behalf.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/anonymous-digital-democratic-moroccos-gen-z-protests/a-74266285

Plastics will not only choke coastlines but also incubate antibiotic resistance, disrupt food webs and infiltrate the human body, says SCELSE researcher Stephen Summers.

The United Nations’ latest round of plastic treaty negotiations in Geneva has ended in disappointment. Despite two draft texts, nearly 180 countries failed to reach consensus, leaving the world without a binding agreement to curb plastic pollution.

This failure will have an impact on public health. Plastics are more than unsightly litter – they are colonised by microbes, turning into living “plastispheres” that spread pathogens, concentrate toxic chemicals and alter ecosystems. In tropical waters, these microbial communities form rapidly and thrive in ways we are only beginning to understand.

This microbial lens reveals a hidden danger in plastic pollution. Without action, plastics will not only choke coastlines but also incubate antibiotic resistance, disrupt food webs and infiltrate the human body. The crisis is deeper and more insidious than most policymakers realise.

PLASTICS ARE NOT INERT

When we talk about plastic pollution, we tend to think of littered coastlines or garbage patches in oceans. But plastic does not remain static once it enters the environment.

In my work at SCELSE, we study how plastics are rapidly colonised by bacteria and other microbes, forming dense communities known as plastispheres. These plastispheres are not harmless. Research shows they can act as “floating petri dishes”, concentrating pollutants and serving as vectors for antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

In tropical waters such as Singapore’s, the process is accelerated. Microbial communities colonise plastics faster and with greater diversity compared to temperate seas. Preliminary data suggests these communities are enriched in microbes that consume or break down hydrocarbons (oil-like compounds), and in bacteria carrying genes that make them harder to kill.

These changes ripple outward. If key microbial players are replaced or dominated by these groups, plankton communities may shift, affecting the fish that depend on them and, ultimately, the seafood we eat.

For public health, the risk is twofold. Resistant bacteria can move from the sea and come into contact with humans via food, water and coastal recreation, and chemical changes in plastispheres may increase the release of toxins that accumulate in seafood consumed by people.

This microbial dimension of the plastic crisis is rarely discussed in negotiations. Yet it is critical. Plastics are not inert pollutants – they are chemically and biologically active surfaces that disrupt ecosystems at the microbial level.

HARMFUL AND HELPFUL MICROBES

Recent work led by my colleague Cao Bin and his team shows just how complex this picture is. Sampling plastic debris across 14 coastal sites in Singapore, they found both threats and opportunities within the plastisphere.

On the one hand, the debris hosted potentially harmful microbes capable of spreading across habitats, including coral reefs and mangroves. On the other, the team also identified potential plastic-eating bacteria such as Muricauda and Halomonas – organisms that could one day help us develop biologically driven solutions for plastic waste management.

Left unchecked, marine plastics can spread pathogens and resistance genes. But with research investment, they could also point us toward microbial solutions to degrade and detoxify plastics in the future.

PLASTICS AND HUMAN HEALTH

The danger is not confined to oceans. Microplastics have been detected in human blood, placental tissue and breast milk. In Singapore, NUS Tropical Marine Science Institute researcher Dr Sandric Leong and his team found microplastics in prawns sold for consumption.

These findings bring the crisis directly to our dinner tables. We can measure plastic uptake in the body, but we do not yet know what this means for our cells, immune systems, or long-term health. The science is still catching up, but the exposure is already here.

Against this backdrop, biodegradable plastics are often promoted as a fix. However, bioplastics such as polylactic acid degrade only under industrial composting conditions and persist in seawater, fragmenting into smaller pieces that continue to pollute. Without international standards for biodegradability across environments, such solutions risk being little more than greenwashed substitutions.

WHAT CAN BE DONE LOCALLY

With global talks stalling, what can ordinary people and communities do? Here are three areas where local action matters.

First, we can cut down on single-use plastics. Market forces shape production. Every time we refuse unnecessary packaging, bring our own bags, or choose refillable options, we lower the demand for disposables. Consumer behaviour alone cannot solve the problem, but it can undermine the economic incentives that keep virgin plastic production rising.

Second, we can support cleanup and monitoring efforts. While prevention is crucial, plastics already in the environment continue to cause harm. Community cleanups, citizen science initiatives and monitoring projects help remove waste, provide valuable data on pollution sources and build public awareness.

Third, we can push for stronger regulation at home. Even as global treaties falter, national and municipal governments can act. Bans on single-use items, levies on virgin plastic production and dedicated funding for research and waste management all make a difference. Policy shifts in Canada and several US states were informed by cleanup data – showing that evidence-based, local action can move the needle.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/commentary/plastic-pollution-un-treaty-harmful-microbe-public-health-5387956

TROUBLED former NFL star Mark Sanchez had a reputation for “ego issues” when he was drinking and would “start arguing,” a former teammate has told The U.S. Sun.

The 38-year-old was arrested early on Sunday hours after he was stabbed in an alleged altercation with a delivery driver outside a downtown Indianapolis bar.

Disturbing pictures have claimed to show injuries suffered by driver Perry Tole, 69, after police say Sanchez attacked him and Tole fought back by stabbing Sanchez in self-defense.

Sanchez, who was in Indianapolis to cover the Colts versus Las Vegas Raiders game for Fox, was initially booked on charges of battery with injury, public intoxication, and unlawful entry of a vehicle.

Prosecutors later upgraded the case, adding a felony battery charge on Monday.

If convicted on all counts, Sanchez could face up to six years behind bars.

Surveillance footage obtained by the New York Post shows a bleeding Sanchez clutching his torso and staggering down the street around 12:30 am after the stabbing.

The shocking images, however, didn’t surprise one former teammate who spoke to The U.S. Sun on the condition of anonymity.

The NFL player said when he heard the news about Sanchez, he instantly thought that “this was bound to happen.”

The ex-quarterback, according to the unnamed star, “crosses the line” when he drinks, and many of his former colleagues across the NFL felt the same.

“Mark has always had a bit of an ego issue—thinking he was superior to everyone else,” said the friend. “When he’d had a few drinks, he was always an annoying guy.”

He recalls numerous incidents on nights out when Sanchez would start becoming increasingly rude and “start arguing about nonsense” as the boozy nights wore on.

“He killed the party so many times because of his behavior,” the source added.

“I talked with a couple of other guys who played with him, and many of us feel the same way: it had to happen to a guy like him because he absolutely crosses the line when he drinks.”

DESTINED TO HAPPEN

None of this was a shock to his former teammate.

He describes the ex Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys star as an “arrogant, egocentric guy who makes everything about himself” and that his personality changes dramatically when intoxicated.

“Now he’s in trouble because of his behavior, and he has to think about it and change things radically,” claimed the former player. “If you can’t drink and behave well, you need to stop drinking and focus on what’s best for you.

“I started declining invitations whenever he suggested going out. I told him multiple times to behave and stop acting like an idiot, or he would face bad situations one day. He’s definitely not the best person to hang around when you go out for drinks.”

FEARS FOR CAREER

Robert Boland, a former NFL agent, prosecutor, and co-chair of sports practice Shumaker, Loop and Kendrick, told The U.S. Sun that he fears for Sanchez’s TV career following the shameful episode.

He called the incident “beyond bizarre” and says it could spell the end of his fledgling media career.

“He was moving up the ladder as a broadcaster at Fox Sports. Everything seemed to be going well for him,” Boland said. “He has had a history of unusual off-field incidents.

“He may escape serious charges given that he got the worst of it, and has no significant prior criminal record, despite the prosecutor considering felony charges. But he must be very worried about his broadcasting role – this could be career ending.”

TROUBLES IN COLLEGE

It’s not the first time the Californian has been in trouble.

In April 2006 while at USC, he was arrested after a female student accused him of sexual assault.

Sanchez was released from jail the following day and suspended.

Later that summer, it was announced by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office that no charges would be filed.

The college star was reinstated but fined by USC for underage drinking and using false identification following the incident in question.

SHOCKING ATTACK ACCOUNT

According to court documents, the chaos began when Sanchez confronted a truck driver whose vehicle was blocking an alleyway near a hotel’s loading dock.

The driver told investigators he was in the middle of collecting used grease from restaurants when Sanchez, allegedly intoxicated, began shouting at him.

The confrontation escalated so quickly that the older man said he feared for his life.

He first tried to fend Sanchez off with pepper spray, but when the ex-athlete kept coming, the driver pulled a knife and stabbed him “two or three times,” per the documents.

The affidavit claims Sanchez then hurled the man into a dumpster before stumbling away, looking stunned.

Witnesses said he soon banged on the window of a nearby bar, bloodied and desperate for help.

Bartender Scott Bennett recalled dragging him inside while coworkers pressed rags against his wounds and called 911.

In the lawsuit filed Monday, Tole says Sanchez has permanently disfigured him as well as causing serious physical and mental damage.

TMZ reported the truck driver is suffering mostly with head, neck and jaw issues following the attack.

When police caught up with him at the hospital, Sanchez reportedly said he couldn’t remember anything from the night except “grabbing a window.” He never mentioned the stabbing or the fight.

The former Jets star has yet to comment publicly on the incident.

The U.S. Sun reached out to Indianapolis based attorney James Voyles, who is representing Sanchez, but he’s yet to respond.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/sport/15300272/mark-sanchez-nfl-indianapolis-arrest-cops/

A VERY famous Hollywood star looked completely unrecognisable as he showed off his slimmed down figure.

The actor, 41, who has starred in multiple blockbuster movies, was spotted showing off his trim figure on set for his new film.

The movie star in question is Jonah Hill, who looked very different following his dramatic weight loss.

The 21 Jump Street actor showed off a slimmer physique as he filmed his latest picture.

Jonah was in full costume which saw him wearing a sandy haired wig.

He had grown out his beard and he wore sixties inspired clothes.

The actor was seen reading a script as he left his trailer to start filming new movie Cut Off.

Jonah was also spotted on set with his co-star, Kristen Wiig.

But it was the actor’s dramatic wight loss that was really noticeable on the film set in Los Angeles.

Jonah has seen his weight fluctuate over the years, and the star – who suffers from anxiety attacks – admitted being overweight as a child “f****d him up”.

“When I was a kid, exercise and diet was framed to me as like, ‘There’s something wrong with how you look,'” he said in Netflix documentary Stutz,

“But never once was exercise and diet propositioned to me in terms of mental health. I just wish that was presented to people differently.”

Jonah said inside he still feels like “a 14-year-old boy who’s very overweight and has acne and feels very undesirable to the world.”

“​​Inherently, at my core, I’m still this unlovable person,” he added.

“But the work is inching toward [realising] that it’s great to be this person. But that’s still very hard.”

Jonah first landed on our screens in the comedy films Accepted in 2006, and Superbad in 2007.

He said his 21 Jump Street co-star Channing Tatum encouraged him to hire a nutritionist and personal trainer in 2011.

“I called Channing Tatum and said, ‘Hey, if I ate less and go to a trainer, will I get in better shape?'” Jonah shared on The Tonight Show in August 2016.

“And he said, ‘Yes, you dumb motherf–er, of course you will. It’s the simplest thing in the entire world.”

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/15305399/hollywood-star-looks-unrecognisable-slim-jonah-hill/

After eight years in office, Emmanuel Macron’s position as president is coming under increasing pressure as France’s political crisis escalates.

Macron once called himself maître des horloges – master of the clocks – but his command of timing is not what it was. For the third time in a year his choice of prime minister has resigned, and opinion polls suggest almost three-quarters of voters think the president should step down too.

Long-time ally Édouard Philippe, who served as Macron’s first prime minister from 2017 to 2020, has urged him to appoint a technocrat prime minister and call presidential elections in an “orderly manner”.

But Macron is more likely to dissolve parliament than step down.

Famous faces have flocked to Paris Fashion Week, which is continuing with big designers such as Chanel and Miu Miu showcasing their wares for the glitterati.

It was a major moment for Chanel designer Matthieu Blazy, debuting his first collection for the fashion powerhouse.

Harry Potter star Emma Watson was there, along with Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman, who appeared almost a week after she filed for divorce from musician Keith Urban.

Celebrities posed in a room filled with giant planet-like sculptures, some of which hung from the ceiling, lighting up the catwalk.

Watson, who recently hit headlines after a public spat with Potter author JK Rowling, sparked rumours she was engaged by wearing a sparkling ring on her wedding finger.

Kidman was accompanied by daughters Sunday Rose and Faith and her niece Lucia. Model Sunday Rose walked the runway for Dior last week.

Perhaps wisely, Blazy didn’t stray too far from Chanel’s classic look with his first collection, which was marked by stylish tweaks to the fashion giant’s blouses, suits and tweeds.

Kidman’s Australian compatriot and fellow actress Margot Robbie took time to pose in front of the catwalk, wearing a loose black quilted bomber jacket over a black bralette top, paired with wide-leg black trousers.

Supermodel Naomi Campbell looked the epitome of chic in a monochrome outfit, paired with oversized sunglasses that only an A-lister can get away with. Many attendees stuck to a black and white theme, a classic colour combination that was favoured by Coco Chanel herself and also featured on Monday’s runway.

Actress Tilda Swinton sported a similar look but opted for a black long-sleeved top with a chunky necklace.

Another Hollywood star in town was The Fantastic Four’s Pedro Pascal, who kept it simple with a navy jumper, black trousers and roomy man bag (plus the obligatory indoor sunnies).

Elvis and Moulin Rouge director Baz Luhrmann sat with Vogue/Conde Naste executive Dame Anna Wintour on the front row, with the pair sticking to the black and white dress code.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cewn99l7vj1o

Attorney General Pam Bondi repeatedly deflected questions as she sought during a combative congressional hearing on Tuesday to defend herself against growing criticism that she’s turning the law enforcement agency into a weapon to seek vengeance against President Donald Trump’s political opponents.

Democrats sought to use the hearing, coming on the heels of the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey, to warn of what they view as the politicization of a department that has long prided itself on remaining independent from the White House.

Bondi brushed aside with seeming disdain questions about her tumultuous tenure, flatly refusing to answer time and again as Democrats pressed her on politically charged investigations, the firings of career prosecutors and other matters. Her refusal to engage on the questions meant little if any fresh insight was offered about her actions and decisions, with Bondi instead opting to respond to Democrats’ attacks by echoing conservative claims that President Joe Biden’s Justice Department — which brought two criminal cases against Trump — was the one that had been weaponized.

“They were playing politics with law enforcement powers and will go down as a historic betrayal of public trust,” Bondi said of the Biden Justice Department. “This is the kind of conduct that shatters the American people’s faith in our law enforcement system. We will work to earn that back every single day.”

The hearing split early along deeply partisan lines, with Republicans repeatedly leaping to her defense to highlight the criminal cases against the president that they say show the institution she inherited was deeply politicized. They pointed to revelations from a day earlier that the FBI had analyzed phone records of several Republican lawmakers as part of an investigation into Trump’s efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss to Biden, a Democrat.

“This is an outrage, an unconstitutional breach and ought to be immediately addressed by you and Director Patel,” Sen. Chuck Grassley, the Republican chairman of the committee, told Bondi, referring to FBI Director Kash Patel.

Democrats, meanwhile, accused Bondi of destroying the department’s credibility and eroding its longstanding independence from the White House as the Republican president publicly calls for the prosecution of his political foes.

“What has taken place since January 20th, 2025, would make even President Nixon recoil,” Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the top Democrat on the committee, said of the president who resigned to avoid being impeached in connection with the Watergate scandal. “This is your legacy, Attorney General Bondi. In eight short months, you fundamentally transformed the Justice Department and left an enormous stain in American history. It will take decades to recover.”

Democrats press Bondi on her pledge not to play politics

The hearing marked Bondi’s first before the panel since her confirmation hearing last January, when she pledged to not play politics with the Justice Department — a promise Democrats pounced on as they pressed the attorney general on whether she can withstand political pressure from the White House.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat, reminded Bondi of that commitment and asked her if she thought she had upheld it. Bondi replied that she believed she absolutely had.

“I pledged that I would end the weaponization also of the Justice Department and that America would once again have a one tier system of justice for all,” Bondi said. “And that is what we are doing.”

Bondi set the tone for the hearing at the outset, repeatedly snapping with a raised voice at Durbin and deflecting questions from him by pointing to the murder rate in Chicago and asserting that lawmakers from his party were responsible for shutting the government down.

“You’re sitting here grilling me, and they’re on their way to Chicago to keep your state safe,” Bondi said, referring to Patel and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche.

“Madam Attorney General,” Durbin replied, “it’s my job to grill you.”

Bondi refuses to answer questions about Comey and other matters

She refused repeatedly to discuss matters, including a bribery investigation into Trump border czar Tom Homan that was shuttered under the Trump administration. That drew the ire of Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, a Rhode Island Democrat, who accused Bondi of responding with “far-right internet talking points.”

She also declined to say whether she talked to the president about the case against Comey, who was charged last month with lying to the Senate Judiciary Committee when he said he had not authorized anyone else at the FBI to be an anonymous source in news reports about a particular investigation. His indictment came just days after Trump appeared to publicly implore her on social media to take that action against him and other perceived political enemies.

“This is supposed to be an oversight hearing in which members of Congress can get serious answer to serious questions about the coverup of corruption, about the prosecution of the president’s enemies,” Sen. Adam Schiff of California, a Democrat from California, said as Bondi repeatedly interrupted him. “And when will it be that the members of this committee on a bipartisan basis demand answers to those questions and refuse to accept personal slander as an answer to those questions?”

Source : https://apnews.com/article/pam-bondi-justice-department-congress-8674e9110d0d99b884ae9df530aa18bc

Since May 10, Trump has repeatedly claimed that he played a key role in mediating a ceasefire between India and Pakistan

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday praised US President Donald Trump for helping bring about peace between India and Pakistan, calling him a “transformative president” during their meeting at the White House.

“You are a transformative president… the transformation in the economy, unprecedented commitments of NATO partners to defence spending, peace from India, Pakistan through to Azerbaijan, Armenia, disabling Iran as the force of terror,” Carney said during bilateral talks in the Oval Office, as Trump nodded in agreement.

Carney, who took office in April this year, had previously visited the White House in May.

Trump’s Claim On India-Pakistan Ceasefire

Since May 10, Trump has repeatedly claimed that he played a key role in mediating a ceasefire between India and Pakistan. On that day, he announced on social media that both countries had agreed to a “full and immediate” ceasefire following a “long night” of talks brokered by Washington.

Trump has since referred to this claim nearly 50 times, stating that he “helped settle” the tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. However, India has consistently denied any third-party mediation in the matter.

The flare-up between India and Pakistan followed the 22 April Pahalgam terror attack, which left 26 civilians dead. In response, India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting terror camps and infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/transformative-president-canada-pm-credits-trump-for-india-pakistan-peace-nato-unity-ws-kl-9620952.html

Any press is good press.

Taylor Swift cheekily addressed her music critics after releasing her new “The Life of a Showgirl” album in an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe Tuesday.

“I welcome the chaos,” Swift said with a smile. “The rule of show business is, if it’s the first week of my album release and you are saying either my name or my album title, you’re helping.”

The Grammy winner added that she has “a lot of respect” for “subjective opinions on art.”

“I’m not the art police,” she quipped. “It’s, like, everybody is allowed to feel exactly how they want, and what our goal is as entertainers is to be a mirror.”

Swift, 35, noted that some listeners may not connect with her songs at first because it’s not a reflection of where they are in their own lives at that time.

“Oftentimes, an album is a really, really wild way to look at yourself, right?” she said.

“What you’re going through in your life is going to affect whether you relate to the music that I’m putting out at any given moment,” the singer further explained.

Swift’s 12th studio album — which includes several lyrics centering around her relationship with fiancé Travis Kelce — broke streaming and sales records, and Swifties have expressed their love and support for many of the tunes via social media.

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/10/07/entertainment/taylor-swift-hits-back-at-the-life-of-a-showgirl-album-criticism-with-cheeky-rule/

The ongoing probe into the death of famed Assamese singer Zubeen Garg is opening up a can of worms. New details have emerged that a financial transaction worth around ₹1 crore was made from the bank accounts of Garg’s security personnel, as per the Special Investigating Team (SIT) probing the matter.

Garg died under mysterious circumstances in Singapore on September 19 while swimming in the sea. A number of people belonging to the Assamese community living there had been on a yacht trip with the singer. He was in the country to perform at the 4th edition of the North East India Festival, organised by Shyamkanu Mahanta and his company.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has revealed that the government has requested the Income Tax Department and the Enforcement Directorate to probe the financial angle of the case.

“I hope the central agencies will take cognisance of it,” the CM was quoted by the Times of India as saying.

“Our entire concern now is whether the people living in Singapore will come or not. If they do not come, we will not be able to complete the inquiry. They were the main people behind the yacht trip,” Sarma told reporters after meeting Garg’s family on Saturday.

Development so far

Zubeen’s manager Siddhartha Sharma, musician Shekharjyoti Goswami, singer Amritprava Mahanta and North East India Festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta have been arrested in connection with the singer’s death.

More than 60 FIRs were filed across the state against Mahanta, Sharma and several others, following which Sarma had directed the DGP to transfer all cases to the CID and register a consolidated case for a thorough investigation.

Source : https://www.livemint.com/news/us-news/not-going-to-discuss-epstein-client-list-pam-bondi-grilled-by-senate-over-trump-link-to-late-financier-11759846459260.html

The comments came a day after a federal judge blocked the president from sending National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon.

President Donald Trump on Monday said he would consider using the Insurrection Act to deploy the military if federal courts prevented him from deploying the National Guard to protect federal buildings and conduct law enforcement operations.

The comments came a day after a federal judge blocked the president from sending National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon, which Trump claims has been taken over by left-wing “domestic terrorists.”

Trump told reporters in the Oval Office he did not yet see the need to use the Insurrection Act, but “if I had to enact it, I’d do it, if people were being killed and courts were holding us up, or governors or mayors were holding us up.”

“You look at what’s happening with Portland over the years, it’s a burning hell hole,” Trump added. “And then you have a judge that lost her way that tries to pretend that there’s no problem.”

The Insurrection Act of 1807 is a federal law that allows the president to nationally deploy the U.S. military or federalize state National Guard troops to quell what the president deems an insurrection against the United States.

Earlier Monday, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller said the administration had been contending with a “legal insurrection” and that rulings stifling the White House’s agenda amounted to “an insurrection against the laws and Constitution of the United States.”

“We need to have district courts in this country that see themselves as being under the laws and Constitution and not being able to take for themselves powers that are reserved solely for the president,” Miller added.

Source : https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/06/trump-insurrection-act-national-guard-00595241?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR6xEmLdQ-8LU9lOv1yw-hwxQ34vsVBTSovWU_pMXS-Hm3Rq8nOaV4gjAqnEwQ_aem_XWet_OphxSXZUa7c0r54kA

Two years of Israeli bombardment of Gaza has piled grief upon grief for displaced Palestinian Inas Abu Maamar.
In the first days of the war, a Reuters photograph showed Abu Maamar stricken in a hospital morgue, cradling the shrouded body of her five-year-old niece Saly.

Since then, Israeli airstrikes and tank shells have killed many of her close relatives and left her bereaved, hungry and homeless, caring for her orphaned young nephew.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has embraced a plan by U.S. President Donald Trump for Gaza, and Hamas has partially accepted it, but there is no certainty over when or whether the plan will end the war.
All previous efforts to halt the conflict since Israel began its offensive in response to Hamas’ deadly attack on October 7, 2023, have collapsed.

ISRAELI AIRSTRIKE KILLED YOUNG NIECE

Saly was killed when an Israeli missile struck the family home in Khan Younis in southern Gaza. Reuters photographer Mohammed Salem found Abu Maamar embracing her body at the Nasser Hospital morgue in Khan Younis on October 17, 2023.
The blast also killed Abu Maamar’s aunt and uncle, her sister-in-law and her cousins, as well as Saly’s baby sister Seba. This summer, her father and her brother Ramez, Saly’s father, were killed while bringing food back to the family.

They are among more than 67,000 Palestinians who local health authorities say have been killed by Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. Thousands more are believed to be lying dead under the rubble but not counted in the official death toll.
“The war destroyed us all. It destroyed our family, destroyed our homes. It left pain and loss in our hearts,” said Abu Maamar, who is now 38.
Israel launched its offensive in retaliation for the attack exactly two years ago in which Hamas gunmen burst through border defences from Gaza, killed about 1,200 people and dragged another 250 back into the enclave as hostages.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he will pursue the war until the Palestinian militant group has been destroyed, and the army has intensified its campaign by pushing again into Gaza City in the north.

The Israeli military says it tries to avoid civilian casualties but strikes at Hamas wherever it sees militants emerge, accusing the group of hiding among the civilian population. Hamas denies that.

LIFE IS TOUGH IN CROWDED TENT ENCAMPMENT

Abu Maamar and her remaining relatives have fled waves of Israeli bombing and ground incursions several times over the past two years and are now living in a crowded tent encampment on bare sand near the beach.
Conditions are harsh. Sickness is rife. Food and clean water are scarce. Israeli bombardments terrify the traumatised population.
Abu Maamar’s greatest concern is for her nephew Ahmed, the son of Ramez and younger brother of Saly.
Having lost his mother, both sisters and maternal grandparents 10 days into the conflict, he lost his father and paternal grandfather when they were killed while fetching food in June after it had run out the previous day, Abu Maamar said.
“His father would take him around, play with him, take him to the beach, take him around to see his aunts,” Abu Maamar said of her nephew.
“His life really changed now. He’s in the tent 24 hours (each day),” she said.
After his father’s death, Ahmed spent a lot of time with a cat he named Loz. The cat died in August, Abu Maamar said.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/two-years-after-she-was-pictured-grief-gaza-woman-faces-more-misery-2025-10-07/

Hundreds of Texas National Guard soldiers gathered on Tuesday at an Army facility outside Chicago, as Donald Trump’s threat to invoke an anti-insurrection law and deploy troops to more U.S. cities intensified the battle over the limits to his authority.
The Republican president on Tuesday again left open the possibility that he might use the centuries-old Insurrection Act to sidestep any court rulings blocking the dispatch of Guard troops into Democratic-led cities, over the objections of local and state officials.

A federal judge has temporarily barred Guard troops from heading to Portland, Oregon, though a separate judge has allowed for now a deployment to proceed in Chicago, where federal agents have embarked on a sweeping crackdown on illegal immigration.
“Well, it’s been invoked before,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. He has claimed troops are needed to protect federal property and personnel in carrying out their duties, as well as assisting an overall drive to suppress crime.
“If you look at Chicago, Chicago is a great city where there’s a lot of crime, and if the governor can’t do the job, we’ll do the job. It’s all very simple,” he said.

INSURRECTION LAW NOT USED SINCE 1992

The law, which gives the president authority to deploy the military to quell unrest in an emergency, has typically been used only in extreme cases, and almost always at the invitation of state governors. The act was last invoked by President George H.W. Bush during the Los Angeles riots of 1992.
Under federal law, National Guard and other military troops are generally prohibited from conducting civilian law enforcement. But the Insurrection Act allows for an exception, giving troops the power to directly police and arrest people.
Using the act would represent a significant escalation of Trump’s effort to deploy the military to Democratic cities. Since his second term as president began in January, he has shown little hesitation in seeking to wield governmental authority against his political opponents, as he pushes to expand the powers of the presidency in ways that have tested the limits of the law.

Last week, in a speech to top military commanders, Trump suggested using U.S. cities as “training grounds” for the armed forces, alarming Democrats and civil liberties groups.
Randy Manner, a retired Army major general who served as acting vice chief of the National Guard Bureau, said using the Insurrection Act in the way Trump appears to be contemplating has no real precedent.
“It’s an extremely dangerous slope, because it essentially says the president can just do about whatever he chooses,” said Manner, who served under both Republican and Democratic administrations before retiring in 2012. “It’s absolutely, absolutely the definition of dictatorship and fascism.”

TRUMP TARGETS CHICAGO, PORTLAND

Trump has ordered Guard troops to Chicago, the third-largest U.S. city, and Portland, Oregon, following his earlier deployments to Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. In each case, he has defied staunch opposition from Democratic mayors and governors, who say Trump’s claims of lawlessness and violence do not reflect reality.
Texas Guard troops were seen on Tuesday assembling at the Army Reserve Training Center in Elwood, about 50 miles (80 km) southwest of Chicago. It was not immediately clear when they plan to begin operations in the city itself.
In Chicago and Portland, protests over Trump’s immigration policies had been largely peaceful and limited in size, according to local officials, far from the “war zone” conditions described by Trump.
Since the surge of federal agents to the Chicago area last month, the demonstrations have done little to upset life in a city where violent crime has fallen sharply. Restaurants and theaters are as busy as ever, and crowds have flocked to lakefront beaches to enjoy an unusual stretch of warm weather.
Protests have been much less disruptive than the unrest in 2020 triggered by the death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, at the hands of Minneapolis police officers.
The most regular demonstration has taken place outside an immigration processing facility in suburban Broadview. Several dozen people have engaged in increasingly violent standoffs with federal officers, who have fired tear gas and rubber bullets at them. Several people, including at least one reporter, have been arrested, and dozens of people have been injured.

GOVERNOR ALLEGES TRUMP USING GUARD AS PROPS

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, a Democrat, accused Trump of intentionally trying to foment violence to justify further militarization.
“Donald Trump is using our service members as political props and as pawns in his illegal effort to militarize our nation’s cities,” Pritzker said on Monday.
Illinois and Chicago sued the Trump administration on Monday, seeking to block orders to federalize 300 Illinois Guard troops and send 400 Texas Guard troops to Chicago. During a hearing, Justice Department lawyers told a federal judge that Texas Guard troops were already in transit to Illinois.
The judge, April Perry, permitted the deployment to proceed for now but ordered the U.S. government to file a response by Wednesday.
Separately, a federal judge in Oregon on Sunday temporarily blocked the administration from sending any troops to police Portland, the state’s largest city.
National Guard troops are state-based militia who normally answer to the governors of their states and are often deployed in response to natural disasters.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trumps-threat-invoke-insurrection-act-escalates-showdown-with-democratic-cities-2025-10-07/

The state of Illinois and the city of Chicago sued President Donald Trump on Monday, seeking to block the deployment of federalized National Guard troops to Chicago, as hundreds of National Guard troops from Texas headed to the nation’s third-largest city.
Trump then escalated the widening clash with Democratic-led states and cities over the domestic use of military forces, threatening to invoke the Insurrection Act as a means to circumvent court restrictions on deploying troops where they are unwanted by local officials.

Illinois had sued in response to Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth’s orders over the weekend to bring 300 Illinois National Guard members under federal control and then to mobilize another 400 Texas National Guard troops for deployment to Chicago.
While Illinois’ request for a temporary restraining order plays out, U.S. lawyers told a court hearing on Monday that Texas National Guard troops were already in transit to the state. Trump then issued another memorandum calling up 300 Illinois National Guard troops, reinforcing Hegseth’s previous order.
U.S. District Judge April Perry allowed the federal government to continue the deployment in Chicago while it responds to Illinois’ suit. She set a deadline of midnight Wednesday for the U.S. to reply.

The Illinois dispute came after a federal judge in Oregon on Sunday temporarily blocked Trump’s administration from sending any National Guard troops to police the state’s largest city, Portland.
Shortly after Perry’s ruling, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office he might invoke the Insurrection Act of 1792, which would allow troops to directly participate in civilian law enforcement, for which there is little recent precedent.
“I’d do it if it was necessary. So far, it hasn’t been necessary. But we have an Insurrection Act for a reason. If I had to enact it, I’d do that,” Trump said. “If people were being killed and courts were holding us up, or governors or mayors were holding us up, sure, I’d do that.”
Later, when asked in an interview with Newsmax television whether he would invoke the law, Trump repeated that he would only use it if necessary, and then referenced Portland, Oregon, where the mayor and governor oppose deploying the National Guard to quell protests.

“If you take a look at what’s been going on in Portland, it’s been going on for a long time, and that’s insurrection. I mean, that’s pure insurrection,” Trump said.
The law has been used sparingly, in extreme cases of unrest. The law was last invoked by President George H.W. Bush in 1992, when the governor of California requested military aid to suppress unrest in Los Angeles following the trial of Los Angeles police officers who beat Black motorist Rodney King.
Today, Democratic-led states and cities are pushing back against Trump’s attempt to deploy military forces into cities, which the White House says are needed to protect federal government employees from “violent riots” and “lawlessness.”

Democratic leaders counter that their cities are being illegally targeted and falsely portrayed as awash in crime.
Trump has expanded the use of the U.S. military in his second term, which has included deploying troops along the U.S. border and ordering them to kill suspected drug traffickers on boats off Venezuela without due process.
National Guard troops are state-based militia forces that answer to their governors except when called into federal service.
Trump has ordered them to Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, D.C. and Portland, prompting lawsuits from state and local leaders.
Chicago’s lawsuit, is the fourth legal action opposing Trump’s unprecedented use of soldiers to police U.S. cities. Courts have not yet reached a final decision in any of those cases, but judges in California and Oregon have made initial rulings that Trump likely overstepped his authority.
The Illinois lawsuit alleges the Republican president is deploying the military to Illinois based on a “flimsy pretext” that an ICE facility in a suburb of Chicago needs protection from protesters.
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, in a press conference, accused Trump of unnecessarily escalating tensions by attempting to add National Guard troops to heavily armed federal police from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other agencies already operating in Chicago.
Pritzker said those officers have fired tear gas and rubber bullets on peaceful protesters, with U.S. citizens, including children, being “traumatized and detained.”
“Donald Trump is using our service members as political props and as pawns in his illegal effort to militarize our nation’s cities,” Pritzker said.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/illinois-sues-block-trump-deploying-national-guard-troops-chicago-2025-10-06/

Hours after his latest prime minister was forced to resign — unable to form a cabinet that lasted more than a day — French President Emmanuel Macron was spotted walking alone by the Seine in the chilly autumn morning.
Bodyguards kept their distance ahead and behind as he wandered out through a wrought iron gate onto the stone embankment in a black overcoat.

The scene, captured from afar on video and shown on French TV, evoked images of Charles de Gaulle seeking solace in the wind-swept plains of Ireland after his resignation in the late 1960s — a leader retreating inward as his political era drew to a close.

Macron is president until 2027, but the resignation of Sebastien Lecornu, his fifth prime minister in two years, has raised the chances that the one-time golden boy of French politics fails to make it to the end of his final term.
Macron appeared determined to avoid that fate on Monday, giving Lecornu two days for last-ditch talks with the opposition to try to chart a path out of the morass.
By asking Lecornu to give it one last shot, Macron signalled his distaste for the only other options he faces – fresh parliamentary elections that could hand power to the far right, or his own resignation, a measure he has repeatedly ruled out.

As his options have narrowed, the unpopular Macron has become increasingly isolated domestically, watching erstwhile allies distance themselves as they seek to bolster their own chances of succeeding him in the 2027 election.
Nearly half of French people blame Macron for the current crisis, while 51% of them believe his resignation could break the stalemate, according to an Elabe poll for BFMTV on Monday.
“Macron now finds himself isolated, without direction or support. He must draw the consequences: either resignation or dissolution,” far-right National Rally lawmaker Philippe Ballard posted on X.

FAILED 2024 ELECTION DECISION SPARKED ONGOING CRISIS

Since last year’s failed gamble to call a snap legislative vote, which produced a hung parliament split between three ideologically opposed blocs, Macron has tried to muddle through with minority cabinets.

Determined to preserve his economic legacy of tax cuts and a pension overhaul at a time of growing investor concern about France’s yawning deficit, Macron has appointed premiers from an ad-hoc alliance of conservatives and centrists.
For over a year, these governments struggled to pass deficit-reduction measures. Two prime ministers fell over their inability to fix public finances, but the so-called socle commun — or “common platform” — endured.
That changed with the dramatic rebellion of Bruno Retailleau, the conservatives’ most high-profile figure, who late on Sunday publicly criticised Lecornu’s cabinet hours after it was named.
Macron is hoping Lecornu can lure back the conservatives to the table, giving him a lifeline. If not, he could appoint a left-leaning prime minister, but the Socialists’ insistence on a wealth tax and reversing the pension reform makes them a hard sell for other parties.

PRESSURE ON MACRON NOT GOING AWAY

Despite Monday’s appeal to Lecornu, the pressure on Macron is unlikely to let up.
Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Rally (RN)quickly called for a dissolution of parliament and new elections. Polls show her party leads voting intentions.
“The RN benefits from the centre’s collapse and picks up protest votes, seeing dissolution as a unique opportunity to finally govern,” said political analyst Stewart Chau.
Calls for Macron’s resignation, once confined to the fringes, are now entering the mainstream.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/macron-wanders-alone-by-seine-grip-his-future-slips-away-2025-10-06/

U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration sent another third-country deportation flight to the small African nation of Eswatini on Monday, officials from both countries said, the second in recent months despite objections from lawyers for the migrants.
Eswatini’s government said it received 10 third-country deportees, adding to an initial group of five people it received in July. A White House spokesperson confirmed the deportations, saying those removed were serious criminals. Neither government provided the nationalities of the deportees.

U.S.-based immigration attorney Tin Thanh Nguyen said in a statement that the 10 deportees included three people from Vietnam, one from the Philippines, one from Cambodia and five others. Nguyen said he was representing two of those who arrived on Monday and two others previously sent to Eswatini, but was unable to speak with them.
“I cannot call them. I cannot email them. I cannot communicate through local counsel because the Eswatini government blocks all attorney access,” he said in a statement.
Trump aims to deport millions of immigrants who are in the United States illegally, and his administration has sought to ramp up removals to third countries as part of that crackdown. While the Trump administration has said some of the deportees’ home countries would not accept them, some threatened with deportation to another nation were eventually removed to their native countries.

White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said those deported to Eswatini had been convicted of “heinous crimes,” including murder and rape.
“They do not belong in the United States,” Jackson said.
The first five immigrants deported to Eswatini this year were from Vietnam, Jamaica, Laos, Cuba and Yemen. One man, from Jamaica, has already been repatriated. Two others are expected to be repatriated soon, the Eswatini government said.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/eswatini-will-receive-11-more-third-country-deportees-us-2025-10-06/

Taylor Swift fans have theorized that her song “Actually Romantic” is a diss track about Kim Kardashian thanks to a telling line in the second verse.

In the new song off of her record-breaking album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” Swift laments, “But you keep sending me funny valentines / And I know you think it comes off vicious / But it’s precious, adorable.”

Many fans are speculating that the Grammy winner, 35, is referring to when Kardashian, 44, sent Valentine’s Day gifts to her “haters” in 2018 and revealed the list of recipients on her Instagram Story at the time, which included Swift.

“I decided for this Valentine’s Day everyone deserves a Valentine,” she wrote in the post. “So I’m going to send them to my lovers, to my haters, to everyone that I think of because it’s Valentine’s Day after all.”

Other Swifties are convinced the song is a diss to Charli XCX and a callback to the British singer’s 2024 song “Everything is Romantic.”

There are some telling lyrics that fans think reference Charli like, “I heard you call me ‘Boring Barbie’ when the coke’s got you brave / High-fived my ex and then you said you’re glad he ghosted me / Wrote me a song saying it makes you sick to see my face.”

Fans called it a direct jab at the DJ since she’s been open about her alleged drug use in her music and is close friends with Swift’s ex boyfriend Matty Healy since her husband is Healy’s The 1975 bandmate.

Follow Page Six’s Taylor Swift live updates for the latest news, photos, fan theories and more

If the new clue is about “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” alum, it wouldn’t be the first diss track Swift allegedly made about her.

On the singer’s 2024 album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” she wrote “thanK you aIMee” a song with scathing lyrics about a “bronze, spray-tanned” bully her mom “wish[es] were dead.”

To add more fuel to the fire, the capitalization in the track’s title spells the reality star’s first name, which fans immediately caught onto.

Swift then dropped a retitled version of ‘thank You aimEe’ seemingly aimed at Kardashian’s then-husband Kanye West, changing the capitalization to “thank You aimEe” which spells Ye, the name he now goes by.

Swift and Kardashian’s feud began in 2016 when West, 48, rapped about how he and the songwriter “might still have sex” because he “made that bitch famous.”

When the “Cruel Summer” singer publicly took issue with the lyrics, Kardashian released a phone call of Swift allegedly giving her approval — which Swift later claimed was “illegally recorded.”

Source : https://pagesix.com/2025/10/06/entertainment/taylor-swift-fans-theorize-actually-romantic-diss-track-is-about-kim-kardashian/

Storming an apartment complex by helicopter as families slept. Deploying chemical agents near a public school. Handcuffing a Chicago City Council member at a hospital.

Activists, residents and leaders say increasingly combative tactics used by federal immigration agents are sparking violence and fueling neighborhood tensions in the nation’s third-largest city.

“They are the ones that are making it a war zone,” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said Sunday on CNN. “They fire tear gas and smoke grenades, and they make it look like it’s a war zone.”

More than 1,000 immigrants have been arrested since an immigration crackdown started last month in the Chicago area. The Trump administration has also vowed to deploy National Guard troops in its agenda to boost deportations.

But U.S. citizens, immigrants with legal status and children have been among those detained in increasingly brazen and aggressive encounters which pop up daily across neighborhoods in the city of 2.7 million and its many suburbs.

Arriving by helicopter

Activists and residents were taking stock Sunday at an apartment building on Chicago’s South Side where the Department of Homeland Security said 37 immigrants were arrested recently in an operation that’s raised calls for investigation by Pritzker.

While federal agents have mostly focused on immigrant-heavy and Latino enclaves, the operation early Tuesday unfolded in the largely Black South Shore neighborhood that’s had a small influx of migrants resettled in Chicago while seeking asylum.

Agents used unmarked trucks and a helicopter to surround the five-story apartment building. NewsNation, which was invited to observe the operation, reported agents “rappelled from Black Hawk helicopters.” Agents then went door to door, woke up residents and used zip ties to restrain them.

Residents and the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, which canvassed the area, said those who were zip tied included children and U.S. citizens.

Rodrick Johnson, a U.S. citizen briefly detained, said agents broke through his door and placed him in zip ties.

“I asked if they had a warrant, and I asked for a lawyer,” the 67-year-old told the Chicago Sun-Times. “They never brought one.”

Dixon Romeo with Southside Together, an organization that’s also been helping residents, said doors were knocked off the hinges.

“Everyone we talked to didn’t feel safe,” he said. “This is not normal. It’s not OK. It’s not right.”

Pritzker, a two-term Democrat, directed state agencies to investigate claims that children were zip tied and detained separately from their parents, saying “military-style tactics” shouldn’t be used on children. Several Democratic members of the Illinois congressional delegation met near the site Sunday, calling for an end to immigration raids.

DHS officials said they were targeting connections to the Tren de Aragua gang. Without offering details on arrests or addressing how children were treated, DHS said “some of the targeted subjects are believed to be involved in drug trafficking and distribution, weapons crimes, and immigration violators.”

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Saturday posted heavily edited video clips of the operation to X showing agents blasting through doors, helicopters and adults in zip ties, but music played over most of the roughly 1 minute video.

Agency officials did not return a message left Sunday.

Brandon Lee, with ICIRR, said while some residents were placed on ankle monitors, others remained unaccounted for.

More tear gas and smoke bombs

Meanwhile, the use of chemical agents has become more frequent and visible in the past week. Used initially to manage protesters, agents used it this week on city streets and during immigration operations, according to ICIRR.

An emergency hotline to report immigrant agent sightings topped 800 calls on Friday, the same day activists said agents threw a cannister of a chemical near a school in the city’s Logan Square neighborhood. The activity in the northwest side neighborhood prompted nearby Funston Elementary School to hold recess indoors.

The same day Chicago Alderperson Jessie Fuentes was placed in handcuffs at a hospital. She said she asked agents to show a warrant for a person who’d broken his leg while chased by ICE agents who then transported him to the emergency room.

“ICE acted like an invading army in our neighborhoods,” said state Rep. Lilian Jiménez, a Democrat. “Helicopters hovered above our homes, terrifying families and disturbing the peace of our community. These shameful and lawless actions are not only a violation of constitutional rights but of our most basic liberty: the right to live free from persecution and fear.”

Immigration agents shot a woman they allege was armed and tried to run them over after agents were “boxed in by 10 cars.” She and another person were charged Sunday with forcibly assaulting, impeding and interfering with a federal law enforcement officer. However, activists said immigration agents caused the multi-vehicle crash and detained the woman, who is a U.S. citizen.

Noem has defended the aggressive tactics, calling the mission treacherous to agents and alleging threats on officers’ lives.

“It’s an extremely dangerous situation,” she said Sunday on the “Fox & Friends” weekend show.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/chicago-immigration-federal-arrests-helicopter-trump-ice-8dbf688f78f3b6d1b8fdb989557b28c4

Trump had earlier said he ended a potential war between India and Pakistan after he threatened to snap trade ties.

US President Donald Trump reiterated the claim that his intervention stopped India and Pakistan from going into a full-fledged war early this year. The US President pegged tariffs as the reason for bringing the two nuclear-armed neighbours to agree on a truce a few months earlier.

“If I didn’t have the power of tariffs, you would have at least four of the seven wars raging… If you look at India and Pakistan, they were ready to go at it. Seven planes were shot down,” he said, adding that he used tariffs to stop wars.

He also said that the tariffs not only helped the US make monetary gains, but also maintain peace.

“I don’t want to say exactly what I said, but what I said was very effective… Not only did we make hundreds of billions of dollars, but we’re a peacekeeper because of tariffs,” he said from the White House while claiming a to have a role in India-Pakistan ceasefire.

The border nations saw a military conflict back in May after India launched Operation Sindoor to target terror bases in Pakistan, a move to avenge the killing of 26 civilians in the Pahalgam terror attack. A ceasefire was announced on May 10, a decision India asserts was taken bilaterally, despite Trump’s repeated claims of an intervention.

Last week, Trump had claimed that he warned India and Pakistan to end the conflict or else he would snap any trade relations. “India and Pakistan were going at it. I called them both… They had just shot down seven planes… I said, if you do this, there’s not going to be any trade, and I stopped the war. It was raging for four days,” Trump said.

He also said that Pakistan military chief Asim Munir praised his role for brokering a truce with India.

Source : https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/us-news/trump-now-links-india-pak-truce-to-tariffs-were-a-peacekeeper-because-of-101759795752872.html

Delegations from Hamas and Israel on Monday (Oct 6) began indirect talks in Egypt on ending the nearly two-year war in Gaza, with US President Donald Trump judging that the Palestinian militant group was ready to compromise over his proposals for a deal.

Al-Qahera News, which is linked to Egyptian state intelligence, said the first round of talks ended “amid a positive atmosphere” and would continue on Tuesday.

Behind closed doors and under tight security, negotiators were to speak through mediators shuttling back and forth, only weeks after Israel tried to kill Hamas’ lead negotiators in a strike on Qatar.

Al-Qahera News earlier said delegations were “discussing preparing ground conditions for the release of detainees and prisoners”.

“Egyptian and Qatari mediators are working with both sides to establish a mechanism” for the release of hostages held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinians held in Israeli jails, it said.

Trump told reporters at the White House he was “pretty sure” a peace deal was possible.

“I think Hamas has been agreeing to things that are very important … I think we’re going to have a deal.”

Hamas’s lead negotiator Khalil al-Hayya, who survived Israel’s attack on the Palestinian Islamist movement’s leaders in Doha last month, held a meeting with Egyptian intelligence officials ahead of the talks, an Egyptian security source said.

This round of negotiations, launched on the eve of the second anniversary of Hamas’s Oct 7, 2023 attack that sparked the war, “may last for several days”, said a Palestinian source close to Hamas’ leadership.

“We expect the negotiations to be difficult and complex, given the occupation’s intentions to continue its war of extermination,” he told AFP.

Trump, whose envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner are expected in Egypt, has urged negotiators to “move fast” to end the war in Gaza, where Israeli strikes continued on Monday.

At least seven Palestinians were killed in the latest Israeli air strikes, according to Mahmud Bassal, spokesman for Gaza’s civil defence agency.

AFP footage showed explosions in the Gaza Strip, with plumes of smoke rising over the skyline, even after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Israel must stop bombing the territory.

“REQUIRE SEVERAL DAYS”
Both Hamas and Israel have responded positively to Trump’s proposal, but reaching an agreement on the details is set to be a huge task.

The plan envisages the disarmament of Hamas, which the militant group is unlikely to accept.

It also provides for the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, but Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to redeploy troops “deep inside” the territory while securing the release of hostages.

According to the Palestinian source, the initial hostage-prisoner exchange will “require several days, depending on field conditions related to Israeli withdrawals, the cessation of bombardment and the suspension of all types of air operations”.

Negotiations will look to “determine the date of a temporary truce”, a Hamas official said, as well as create conditions for a first phase of the plan, in which 47 hostages held in Gaza are to be released in return for hundreds of Palestinian detainees.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said it was ready to help with hostage and detainee returns and to facilitate aid access across Gaza, where the UN has declared a famine.

“The war has destroyed everything I built throughout my life,” said Mohammed Abu Sultan, 49, who fled Gaza City with 20 family members to Nuseirat camp in central Gaza.

“We have been running from death for two years.”

Source: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/gaza-peace-talks-israel-hamas-trump-egypt-5387251

There is a buzz that Russia would be supplying engines for Pakistan’s Chinese-origin JF-17 Thunder fighter jets. It’s the same class of engines used by India’s MiG-29 fleet. But why do Chinese jets rely on Russian engines?

There has been a buzz in defence circles that Pakistan could secure advanced Russian jet engines for its JF-17 Thunder fleet. These rumours caused consternation in India because Moscow is a key defence partner of New Delhi, providing much of its military hardware for decades. Supplying fighter jet engines to Pakistan, therefore, could signal a potential warmth in ties. However, sources have debunked claims that Russia would be providing jet engines. But this brings up a question—why does a fighter jet co-developed by China and Pakistan still depend on Russian engines?

The JF-17 Thunder, also called the FC-1 Xiaolong in China, is manufactured in Pakistan with a collaboration between Pakistan’s Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC), and China’s Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC).

Conceived as an affordable upgrade for older aircraft in Pakistan’s arsenal, it combines elements from various nations, mainly to balance cost and performance.

The development of this fighter jet, which Pakistan proudly boasts of, is not accidental. It shows how deeply interdependent the global economy is. Technological gaps exist in developing countries like Pakistan, and even in China, despite its technical prowess. This is where supply chains come into play in the development of war machines like the JF-17 Thunder.

The JF-17 Thunder fighter jet has components from Russia, China, Italy, Turkey, the UK, and Pakistan.

While China plays a central role in the project, the technical prowess that the Russians bring to making machines fly remains unmatched, giving the JF-17 an edge, despite its multinational assembly.

CHINESE JET’S CONNECTION WITH INDIA’S MiG-29

At the heart of the JF-17’s propulsion system is a Russian-designed turbofan engine, specifically a modified version of a well-established powerplant that has powered numerous combat aircraft worldwide.

This engine delivers thrust in the range of 18,000 to 20,000 pounds-force, enabling the jet to achieve supersonic speeds around Mach 1.6. It’s derived from a family of engines used in iconic Russian fighters, such as those in the MiG series, and even appeared in early tests of advanced Chinese prototypes.

The MiG-29 and the JF-17 Thunder use engines from the same class, specifically the Klimov RD-33 family of turbofan engines.

The JF-17 is powered by the RD-93, a variant of the RD-33, while the MiG-29 uses the baseline RD-33 or its derivatives, depending on the model. Both are twin-shaft, afterburning turbofans designed for lightweight fighters.

The choice of this engine for the JF-17 stems from its reliability and widespread use. It is a practical option for a budget-conscious programme in countries like Pakistan, whose economy has been in tatters for decades.

Russia, through its engine manufacturers, supplies these engines, which are produced by facilities known for their expertise in high-performance aviation propulsion.

BUT WHY RUSSIAN ENGINES FOR CHINESE AIRCRAFT?

But why turn to Russia when China is rapidly advancing its own aerospace technology?

The answer lies in development timelines and engineering maturity. When the JF-17 programme kicked off in the late 1990s, China’s indigenous engine technology wasn’t yet at a stage where it could reliably power a modern fighter without significant risks.

Building jet engines is notoriously complex, involving extreme temperatures, precise materials, and intricate designs to ensure durability and efficiency. Russia, with decades of experience from the Soviet era, had already mastered these challenges. By incorporating a Russian engine, the JF-17 team could accelerate development, avoid costly delays, and leverage a proven system that’s been battle-tested in various environments.

This approach allowed Pakistan and China to focus resources on other aspects, like airframe design and avionics integration, rather than reinventing the wheel on propulsion.

GEOPOLITICS PLAYED ROLE IN CHINA USING RUSSIAN ENGINES

Geopolitics also played a major role in Pakistan and China using Russian jet engines.

Pakistan’s defence needs have long been shaped by its position between superpowers. During the Cold War, it leaned on American supplies, but shifting alliances pushed it closer to China.

Russia, meanwhile, maintained strong ties with India, supplying everything from tanks to aircraft. For the JF-17, sourcing from Russia was a bridge of sorts—Pakistan could access high-quality engines without fully alienating its Western connections, and China could benefit from the technology transfer indirectly.

But over time, things changed. With newer versions of the JF-17, Pakistan is exploring Chinese alternatives, potentially phasing out Russian components to achieve greater Chinese-reliance. Reports suggest that upcoming blocks might incorporate homegrown Chinese engines, like one that’s been in development to match or exceed the Russian model’s performance.

JF-17 IS A STUDY IN GLOBAL INTERDEPENDENCE

The JF-17 has an international flavour to it. For instance, the ejection system comes from a British firm renowned for pioneering pilot safety mechanisms.

Its radar technology hails from Italy, provided by a defence electronics specialist that’s part of major European consortia.

The jet’s targeting capabilities draw from Turkey. A pod from a Turkish company equips the JF-17 with high-resolution imaging, laser guidance, and multi-target tracking, essential for precision strikes.

Source : https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/why-does-china-jf-17-thunder-use-russian-engines-pakistan-aeronautical-complex-chengdu-aircraft-corporation-paf-explained-2798737-2025-10-06

American scientists Mary Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi from Japan won the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine on Monday (Oct 6) for their discoveries in peripheral immune tolerance, creating openings for possible new autoimmune disease and cancer treatments.

This year’s prize “relates to how we keep our immune system under control so we can fight all imaginable microbes and still avoid autoimmune disease”, said Marie Wahren-Herlenius, a rheumatology professor at the Karolinska Institute.

Sakaguchi told reporters outside his university laboratory that “I feel it is a tremendous honour”, Kyodo news agency reported.

T-CELLS: THE IMMUNE SYSTEMS “SECURITY GUARDS”
The winners for medicine are selected by the Nobel Assembly of Sweden’s Karolinska Institute medical university and receive a prize sum of 11 million Swedish crowns (US$1.2 million), as well as a gold medal presented by Sweden’s king.

Brunkow is senior programme manager at the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle, while Ramsdell is scientific adviser at Sonoma Biotherapeutics in San Francisco, which he co-founded. Sakaguchi is a professor at Osaka University in Japan.

“Their discoveries have laid the foundation for a new field of research and spurred the development of new treatments, for example for cancer and autoimmune diseases,” the prize-awarding body said in a statement.

The laureates identified so-called regulatory T cells, which act as the immune system’s security guards that keep immune cells from attacking our own body, it added.

After announcing the winners, the institute’s Thomas Perlmann said he had only been able to break the news to one of the three, reaching Sakaguchi by phone at his lab.

“He sounded incredibly grateful, expressed that it was a fantastic honour and he was quite taken by the news,” added Perlmann.

MEDICINE THE FIRST PRIZE OF NOBEL SEASON
The Nobel Prizes were established through the will of Alfred Nobel, the Swedish inventor of dynamite and a wealthy businessman. They have been awarded since 1901 for outstanding contributions in science, literature, and peace, with interruptions mainly during the World Wars.

The economics prize was added later and is funded by Sweden’s central bank, the Riksbank.

Winners are selected by expert committees from various institutions. All prizes are awarded in Stockholm, except for the Peace Prize, which is presented in Oslo — a possible legacy of the political union between Sweden and Norway during Nobel’s lifetime.

Past recipients of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine include renowned scientists such as Alexander Fleming, who shared the 1945 award for discovering penicillin. In recent years, the prize has recognised major breakthroughs, including those that enabled the development of COVID-19 vaccines.

Last year’s medicine prize was awarded to US scientists Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for their discovery of microRNA and its key role in how multicellular organisms grow and live, helping explain how cells specialise into different types.

Medicine, in accordance with traditiom, kicks off the annual Nobels, arguably the most prestigious prizes in science, literature, peace and economics, with the remainder set to be announced over the coming days.

More than a century after their inception, the Nobel Prizes remain steeped in tradition. The awards culminate in ceremonies attended by the royal families of Sweden and Norway, followed by lavish banquets held on Dec 10 — the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death.

Source: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/nobel-2025-prize-medicine-physiology-brunkow-ramsdell-sakaguchi-5386521

Fears over rights violations have overshadowed Ghana’s decision to accept US deportees. Amidst calls to suspend the agreement, analysts fret over the diplomatic implications for the West African nation.

Ghana’s decision to accept West African deportees from the United States has put the country in uncharted territory. Eleven of the first 14 deportees sued Ghana’s government for human rights violations over what they say is unlawful detention.

Lawyers for the deportees have confirmed their clients have been “dumped” in neighboring Togo and are now required to fend for themselves, a move sparking more criticism for Ghana.

“The initial 14 were brought to Ghana on September 6. Three were deported that night. 11 were held in military detention. Out of that 11, 10 were deported with the matter in court, and eight of them are in Togo,” one of the lead lawyers for the deportees, Oliver Barker-Vormawor, told DW.

The country’s parliamentary minority has called for the deportee agreement to be suspended, saying it is unconstitutional, a threat to national security, and a departure from Ghana’s long-standing foreign policy principles.

In 2017, Ghana’s Supreme Court ruled that under Article 75 of the 1992 Constitution, international agreements creating binding obligations for Ghana require parliamentary ratification.

“The government’s conduct in operationalizing the agreement with the United States without parliamentary ratification is a direct constitutional violation,” Samuel Jinapor, a minority spokesperson said, accusing President John Mahama’s government of not respecting the rule of law.

Why is Ghana accepting US deportees?
Ghana says it is accepting US deportees not as an endorsement of President Donald Trump’s immigration policies but on humanitarian and pan-African grounds.

Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa told local media: “We didn’t agree to this because we agree with President Trump’s immigration policies. We are not doing the US a favor. We are doing our fellow Africans a favor. We want to position Ghana as that country which has always been the Mecca of Africa.”

The government says it is vetting all deportees before acceptance, indicating its strong disapproval for hardened and convicted criminals, persons associated with terrorism, and persons on Interpol wanted list.

Muhammad Dan Suleiman, founder of the Center for Alternative Politics and Security in West Africa, described Ghana’s decision to accepts deportees as “complex.”

“The move doesn’t make sense to me. Secondly, it raises more questions than answers. My first impression was the United States was outsourcing its problems to a country like Ghana,” he told DW.

Ghanaians question ‘problematic’ agreement
DW spoke to Accra-based citizens who find the agreement inconsistent — both in scope, and in accordance with Ghana’s constitution.

“However I think about this, I struggle to agree with the government’s position. They’ve said they did it on humanitarian and pan-African grounds and yet limited it to only West African nationals. That is not exactly pan-African, is it?” Manuel Koranteng told DW.

Another citizen, Abena Mante, told DW: “It [the agreement] does not speak well of government. It also undermines our democracy, and it undermines our laws. If government is able to side-step the provisions within the law, I do not see it as beneficial to us.”

Both critics, and the government, insist Ghana gains “nothing” from the agreement.

“Given the fact that the Foreign Minister says this wasn’t transactional, so the question is, what are we getting from this? I believe it puts undue pressure on the Ghanaian economy,” analyst Muhammad Dan Suleiman told DW.

However, in late September, Ghanaian Foreign Minister Okudzeto Ablakwa alluded to a development where the US would reverse visa restrictions on Ghanaians traveling there — which has been interpreted as part of a deal where Ghana would accept more deportees.

The minority group in Ghana’s parliament says the deportee agreement raises concerns about “sovereignty, security, and policy.”

Other critics argue the government’s decision breaches several international, continental and country-specific laws. These include: the United Nations’ 1951 Refugee Convention, the African Union’s Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa, and Ghana’s own constitution.

“If Ghana continues, it means it is not ready to take a U-turn and listen to its citizens, because I believe a lot of Ghanaians are calling on the government to reconsider its position. Diplomatically, it may raise a lot of friction between Ghana and Nigeria, especially given that Nigeria has opted to reject these deportees,” Suleiman said.

In recent years, the United States and some European countries have tried to strike deals with African nations where irregular migrants are sent to third-party nations. Notable examples have included the United Kingdom’s attempts to deport migrants to Rwanda, and the Trump administration’s current efforts to deport unwanted people with migration backgrounds to Africa.

Human Rights Watch has called on African nations to reject “opaque” US deportee deals, which the group says sometimes involve millions of dollars in financial assistance, and violate global rights law. Analysts, including Suleiman, say that multilateral organizations like the UN, the African Union, and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), should provide more clarity and guidelines to member countries on how deportees from the US can be received or hosted.

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/ghana-faces-growing-criticism-over-us-deportee-agreement/a-74139561

The man, identified only by his surname Hong, was part of a hiking group scaling the 5,588-metre peak on September 25 when he stepped close to a crevasse for pictures.

A 31-year-old hiker has died in a tragic fall on Mount Nama in China’s Sichuan province after reportedly untying his safety rope to take photos near the summit.

The man, identified only by his surname Hong, was part of a hiking group scaling the 5,588-metre peak on September 25 when he stepped close to a crevasse for pictures. According to witnesses, he had removed his safety line and wasn’t using an ice axe when he suddenly slipped on the snow-covered slope.

As others watched in horror, Hong lost control and slid nearly 200 metres down the icy mountainside. A video that surfaced online shows the moment he vanished over the edge.

Videos circulating on Chinese social media show the terrifying moment he slipped and disappeared down the mountainside. Rescue teams rushed to the scene but confirmed Hong was already dead when they reached him. His body was later transported to nearby Gongga Mountain Town.

Hong’s cousin told local media it was his first attempt at climbing the mountain. He had reportedly undone his safety rope to help others take pictures, only to trip moments later — possibly over his own crampons, the metal spikes attached to boots for walking on ice.

AUTHORITIES SAY GROUP VIOLATED SAFETY RULES

Donald Trump claimed his trade tariffs stopped global wars, including the India-Pakistan crisis, boasting that “seven planes were shot down” before his very effective intervention through tariffs.

US President Donald Trump has once again repeated that the threat of tariffs imposed by the United States helped prevent multiple global wars, including one between India and Pakistan. He claimed that his trade tactics turned America into a peacekeeping nation.

“If I didn’t have the power of tariffs, you would have at least four of the seven wars raging,” Trump said during an address on Monday. “If you look at India and Pakistan, they were ready to go at it. Seven planes were shot down… I don’t want to say exactly what I said, but what I said was very effective.”

Trump said the United States had become rich and powerful again under his watch, adding that his trade leverage helped stop wars worldwide. “Not only did we make hundreds of billions of dollars, but we’re a peacekeeper because of tariffs,” he said.

TRUMP FALSELY CLAIMS CREDIT

Trump has issued a slew of new executive order as he designated cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organisations

DONALD Trump is continuing to strike illegal drug boats off Venezuela’s coast and may now be thinking about expanding his crackdown on land.

The US President praised the Navy’s efforts to “blow the cartel terrorists the hell out of the water” on Sunday as he continues to wage war with the cartels.

Trump has now hinted at further action inside Venezuelan territory.

Speaking at Naval Station Norfolk while standing beside the aircraft carrier USS Harry S Truman, he announced: “In recent weeks, the Navy has supported our mission to blow the cartel terrorists the hell out of the water… We did another one last night.”

Trump continued, saying inland cartels would be the new targets – even threatening to strike inside Venezuela.

“They’re not coming in by sea any more, so now we’ll have to start looking about the land because they’ll be forced to go by land,” he said.

Any potential move would be unprecedented as the US military has never directly attacked cartels in Mexico or Venezuela.

Javed Ali, an associate professor at the University of Michigan, said a direct attack on cartels north of the border would give the president the widest opportunity for action inside Mexico.

He said Trump could also put Article II of the US Constitution into play, meaning the president is free to use the military to defend the US.

Ali said the US could also invoke the War Powers Act, which would give Trump 60 days to carry out military operations before having to seek congressional approval.

Trump’s choices come alongside a slew of new executive order where he designated cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organisations.

The order designated eight Latin American cartels, including six from Mexico, as terrorist groups.

The executive order is one of several Trump signed to deal with the problems of drugs, unchecked immigration, and human trafficking.

Regardless of whether Trump followed the domestic legalities of cross-border action, his first option would likely be airstrikes, most likely using powerful Reaper drones.

For this to happen, Mexican authorities would have to approve any military action carried out by the US.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said the executive order would only be applicable if there was close coordination between the two governments.

“We all want to fight the drug cartels,” Sheinbaum said.

“The US in their territory [and] us in our territory.”

Trump would also face other problems, including deciphering which cartels to target first.

It comes as Pete Hegseth, US Defence Secretary, showed off one of the pinpoint strikes on a narcotics boat last week.

The footage shows a boat travelling through international waters before a web of missiles fall around the vessel causing the boat to explode on impact.

Hegseth told Fox News that “all options are on the table if we’re dealing with what are designated to be foreign terrorist organisations”.

He said he had “every authorisation needed” to conduct the attacks.

He did not provide more details on who authorisation came from.

On the social media platform X, he said the vessel had been carrying “substantial amounts of narcotics – headed to America to poison our people”.

“These strikes will continue until the attacks on the American people are over,” he wrote.

Source: https://www.the-sun.com/news/15298597/trump-land-war-on-drug-cartels-venezuela-boat-blitz/

Three Gujarati people linked to the motel business were killed last week in Pennsylvania and North Carolina in two separate incidents. In all, seven Gujarat-origin people have been killed in motel crimes across the US this year. Gujaratis own 60% of the motel business in the US. Why is the motel business so risky, and how are Gujaratis coming in harm’s way?

The Gujarati community, the Patels in particular, is known for owning and running profitable businesses across the US. But a pattern of the community’s vulnerability to crime while operating businesses has emerged in recent years. This year alone, there have been at least seven deaths of Gujaratis operating or owning motels in the US. The most recent incident was reported on Monday, from Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, where Rakesh Patel (50), a native of Surat, was shot point-blank in the head. Patel, who was a partner in the motel, worked as the manager there.

Another incident was reported on October 5, when Anil Patel and Pankaj Patel, with roots in Gujarat, were shot dead at a motel in North Carolina. This came months after a Gujarati woman and her father were gunned down in South Carolina during an attempted robbery at a convenience store.

Reports suggest that most attacks on Gujaratis in the US have been linked to robberies or disputes at motels, gas stations, and convenience stores—businesses the community is known to own.

These businesses, especially motels and gas stations, are often tucked along highways, or in isolated towns, according to a New York Times report, making them a hotspot for crimes ranging from drug deals to prostitution, break-ins, and shootings.

On September 10, Chandra Mouli ‘Bob’ Nagamallaiah, a Karnataka native managing the Downtown Suites Dallas Motel, was beheaded on its premises. The motel that Nagamallaiah managed was owned by a person of Gujarat origin.

OVER 60% OF US MOTELS OWNED BY GUJARATIS

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday praised US President Donald Trump’s “efforts” in brokering peace in Gaza, hours after Hamas accepted parts of Trump’s 20-point peace plan.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday praised US President Donald Trump for his peace efforts in Gaza, hours after Hamas accepted parts of Trump’s 20-point peace plan.

“We welcome President Trump’s leadership as peace efforts in Gaza make decisive progress. Indications of the release of hostages mark a significant step forward. India will continue to strongly support all efforts towards a durable and just peace,” PM Modi said in a post on X.

PM Modi, earlier this week, had backed Trump’s Gaza peace plan, saying it provides a viable pathway to long-term and sustainable peace for both Palestinian and Israeli people.

“We welcome President Donald J. Trump’s announcement of a comprehensive plan to end the Gaza conflict. It provides a viable pathway to long-term and sustainable peace, security, and development for the Palestinian and Israeli people, as also for the larger West Asian region. We hope that all concerned will come together behind President Trump’s initiative and support this effort to end conflict and secure peace,” he wrote on X.

The PM’s endorsement was later reshared by Trump on his Truth Social platform, without adding any words of his own.

Hamas on Friday night accepted certain parts of Trump’s Gaza peace plan, including ending the war, Israel’s withdrawal, the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian captives, aid and recovery efforts, and opposition to Palestinian expulsion from the territory – hours after the Republican leader had issued an ultimatum to the Palestinian group to accept his peace plan by Sunday, 6 pm (US time) or face “all hell”.

Trump’s response

Trump called on Israel to “immediately stop the bombing of Gaza” and said he believes Hamas is ready for a “lasting peace”.

“Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the Hostages out safely and quickly! Right now, it’s far too dangerous to do that. We are already in discussions on the details to be worked out. This is not about Gaza alone, this is about long sought PEACE in the Middle East,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

He also posted a video message thanking all the countries that helped broker the ‘peace’ in the Middle East.

“I want to thank the countries for helping me put this together – Qatar, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, and so many others. So many people fought so hard. This is a big day. We’ll see how it all turns out. We have to get the final word down and concrete. Very importantly, I look forward to having the hostages come home to their parents. Some of the hostages – unfortunately, you know the condition they’re in – come home likewise to their parents because their parents wanted them just as much as though that young man or young woman were alive,” he said.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/significant-step-pms-praise-for-trump-as-hamas-says-it-will-release-hostages-9393365?pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

The United States killed four people in a strike against a vessel allegedly carrying illegal drugs just off the coast of Venezuela, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Friday, at least the fourth such attack in recent weeks.
The strike is the latest example of President Donald Trump’s efforts to use U.S. military power in new, and often legally contentious, ways, from deploying active-duty U.S. troops in Los Angeles, to carrying out counter-terrorism strikes against drug trafficking suspects.

Hegseth said Friday’s strike was carried out in international waters and that all of the people killed were men. He said the vessel was transporting “substantial amounts of narcotics – headed to America to poison our people.”
“These strikes will continue until the attacks on the American people are over!!!!,” Hegseth said in a post on X.
In a nearly 40-second video shared by Hegseth, a vessel can be seen moving through the water before a web of projectiles fall on the boat and the surrounding water, causing the boat to explode on impact.
Hegseth said, without providing evidence, that the intelligence “without a doubt” confirmed that the vessel was carrying drugs and that the people on board were “narco-terrorists.” He did not disclose the amount or type of the alleged drugs on board the vessel.

Trump, also without providing evidence, said the boat had enough drugs to kill 25,000 to 50,000 people.
The Venezuelan communications ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

MILITARY BUILDUP

In the past, counter-drug operations have been generally carried out by the U.S. Coast Guard, the main U.S. maritime law enforcement agency, not the U.S. military.
But earlier this week, the Pentagon disclosed to Congress in a notification reviewed by Reuters that Trump has determined the United States is engaged in “a non-international armed conflict” with drug cartels. The document aimed to explain the Trump administration’s legal rationale for unleashing U.S. military force in the Caribbean.
Some former military lawyers say the legal explanations given by the Trump administration for killing suspected drug traffickers at sea instead of apprehending them fail to satisfy requirements under the law of war.

Trump has said his administration is also considering attacking drug cartels “coming by land”, actions that could raise further legal questions.

A large U.S. military buildup is taking place in the southern Caribbean. In additional to F-35 aircraft in Puerto Rico, there are eight U.S. warships in the region, carrying thousands of sailors and marines, and one nuclear-powered submarine.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/us-carries-out-new-strike-against-alleged-drug-vessel-near-venezuela-2025-10-03/

President Donald Trump told Israel on Friday to immediately stop bombing Gaza after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a U.S. plan to end the war, but vexing issues like disarmament appeared unresolved.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Israel was preparing for an “immediate implementation” of the first stage of Trump’s Gaza plan for the release of Israeli hostages following Hamas’ response.

Shortly after, Israeli media reported that the country’s political echelon had instructed the military to reduce offensive activity in Gaza.

BOMBING REPORTED AFTER TRUMP ANNOUNCEMENT

The Israeli military chief of staff instructed forces in a statement to advance readiness for the implementation of the first phase of Trump’s plan, without mentioning whether there would be reduction of military activity in Gaza.
Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that controls Gaza, responded to Trump’s 20-point plan after the U.S. president gave the group until Sunday to accept or face grave consequences.
Trump, who has cast himself as the only person capable of achieving peace in Gaza, has invested significant political capital in efforts to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and left U.S. ally Israel increasingly isolated on the world stage.

Trump said he believed Hamas had showed it was “ready for a lasting PEACE” and he put the onus on Netanyahu’s government.
“Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the Hostages out safely and quickly!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.”We are already in discussions on details to be worked out. This is not about Gaza alone, this is about long sought PEACE in the Middle East.”
Netanyahu’s office said Israel “will continue to work in full cooperation with the President and his team to end the war in accordance with the principles set out by Israel, which align with President Trump’s vision.”
Residents said Israeli tanks bombarded Talateeni Street, a major artery in the heart of Gaza City, after Trump’s message to Israel to stop.
Witnesses said Israeli military planes also intensified bombing in Gaza City in the hour after Hamas issued its statement, hitting several houses in the Remal neighborhood.

There were strikes on Khan Younis but no reports of casualties, residents said.

PRESSURE ON NETANYAHU

Before Israel’s latest announcements, families of those being held by Hamas in Gaza called on Netanyahu “to immediately order negotiations for the return of all hostages.”
Domestically, the prime minister is caught between growing pressure to end the war — from hostage families and a war-weary public — and demands from hardline members of his far-right coalition who insist there must be no let-up in Israel’s campaign in Gaza.

Israel began its offensive in Gaza after the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel in which some 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken as hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies. Israel says 48 hostages remain, 20 of whom are alive.
Israel’s military campaign has killed more than 66,000 people in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to Gaza health authorities. Its assault has destroyed much of the strip while aid restrictions have triggered a famine in parts of Gaza, with conditions dire across the enclave.
A U.N. Commission of Inquiry and multiple human rights experts have concluded that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza. Netanyahu’s government says it has acted in self-defense.
Hamas, in a copy of its response seen by Reuters, did not say whether it would agree to disarm and demilitarize Gaza — something Israel and the U.S. want but Hamas has rejected before.
It also did not agree to an Israeli withdrawal in stages, as opposed to the immediate, full withdrawal Hamas demands.
A senior Hamas official told Al Jazeera that the group would not disarm before Israel’s occupation of the enclave ends, comments that underscored the gap between the parties.
Qatar has begun coordination with mediator Egypt and the United States to continue talks on Trump’s Gaza plan, the Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson said on X.
Trump’s plan specifies an immediate ceasefire, an exchange of all hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, a staged Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the disarmament of Hamas and the introduction of a transitional government led by an international body.

THORNY ISSUES REMAIN

In its response to Trump’s plan, Hamas said it “appreciates the Arab, Islamic, and international efforts, as well as the efforts of U.S. President Donald Trump, calling for an end to the war on the Gaza Strip, the exchange of prisoners, (and) the immediate entry of aid,” among other terms.
It said it was announcing its “approval of releasing all occupation prisoners — both living and remains — according to the exchange formula contained in President Trump’s proposal, with the necessary field conditions for implementing the exchange.”
But Hamas added: “In this context, the movement affirms its readiness to immediately enter, through the mediators, into negotiations to discuss the details.”
The group said it was ready “to hand over the administration of the Gaza Strip to a Palestinian body of independents (technocrats) based on Palestinian national consensus and supported by Arab and Islamic backing.”
Hamas did not make clear whether it would agree to Trump’s proposal that it be barred from exercising political power in Gaza. But the group said it should be “included and will contribute” to any Palestinian national discussion on Gaza’s future.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/china/trump-gives-hamas-until-sunday-evening-reach-gaza-deal-2025-10-03/

U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration froze $2.1 billion in Chicago transit funding on Friday, starving another Democratic city of funds as a bid to end the government shutdown failed again in the Senate.
On the shutdown’s third day, Trump ramped up pressure on Democrats to end the standoff and agree to a Republican plan that would restore government funding. But that failed in a 54-44 Senate vote, short of the chamber’s 60-vote standard, ensuring that the shutdown will last until at least Monday.

The administration has now frozen at least $28 billion in funding for Democratic cities and states, escalating Trump’s campaign to use the extraordinary power of the U.S. government to punish political rivals. Budget director Russ Vought said the Chicago money, earmarked for elevated train lines, had been put on hold to ensure it was not “flowing via race-based contracting.”
Trump has made Chicago, the nation’s third-largest city, a regular rhetorical punching bag and has threatened to send in National Guard troops.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, a high-profile Trump critic seen as a possible 2028 Democratic presidential candidate, said the funding freeze amounted to hostage-taking.

“It’s attempting to score political points but is instead hurting our economy and the hardworking people who rely on public transit,” he said on social media.
The White House said it was also identifying funds that could be withheld from Portland, Oregon, a left-leaning city that was home to high-profile protests during Trump’s first term.
Trump has also threatened to fire more federal workers, beyond the 300,000 he is forcing out this year, and dozens of agencies have submitted workforce reduction plans, according to a White House source speaking on condition of anonymity.

CONCERN ABOUT ‘BAD-FAITH ENVIRONMENT’

Many Republicans say they are not troubled by Trump’s pressure campaign, even though it undercuts Congress’ constitutional authority over spending matters. In addition to cutting funds to Democratic cities, Trump and his allies have taken to posting social media images with cartoon mustaches and sombreros drawn on his Democratic opponents.

“Is he trying to apply pressure?” House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, told reporters. “He probably is, yeah. And I applaud that.”
But others say the cuts are complicating efforts to reach a deal that would allow the government to reopen. “If you do that, you’re going to create a bad-faith environment here,” said Republican Senator Thom Tillis, who is involved in informal talks to end the impasse. Tillis has opted not to seek re-election next year.

Trump’s funding freeze so far has targeted transit and green-energy projects, two areas that are championed by Democrats. His administration has also tried to cut counterterrorism funding for Democratic states, which is typically a Republican priority. That has been temporarily blocked in court, and Trump restored $187 million in funding for New York on Friday.

NO SIGN OF SWIFT SOLUTION

In Washington, the Senate rejected both the Republican funding plan and a Democratic alternative and then adjourned until Monday. The House of Representatives will be out of town all next week, which means it would not be available to vote on any compromise that emerges from the Senate.
If the shutdown stretches past Monday, it will become the fourth-longest in U.S. history. The longest shutdown lasted 35 days in 2018-2019, during Trump’s first term in office.
Trump’s pressure campaign did not appear to sway Democrats. Only three voted for the Republican plan, which would extend funding through November 21, the same number who backed it in earlier votes.
Democrats say any funding package must also expand pandemic-era healthcare subsidies due to expire at the end of December, while Republicans say that issue should be dealt with separately. Those subsidies were passed as part of a 2021 Democratic COVID relief package and now help 24 million Americans pay for coverage. Nearly 8 in 10 Americans support keeping them in place, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation poll.
The standoff has frozen about $1.7 trillion in funds for agency operations, which amounts to roughly one-quarter of annual federal spending. Much of the remainder goes to health and retirement programs and interest payments on the growing $37.5 trillion debt.

SERVICES INTERRUPTED

The shutdown, the 15th since 1981, has suspended scientific research, financial regulation, and a wide range of other activities. Pay has been suspended for roughly 2 million federal workers, though troops, airport security screeners, and others deemed “essential” must still report to work.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-senate-vote-dueling-plans-end-shutdown-though-neither-likely-pass-2025-10-03/

Sanae Takaichi came out top in a male-dominated race to lead Japan’s ruling party on Saturday, putting her on course to emulate her hero, former British leader Margaret Thatcher, and become her country’s first female prime minister.
The fiscal dove’s surprise victory may jolt investor confidence in one of the world’s most indebted economies, while her nationalistic positions could stoke friction with powerful neighbour China, political analysts say.

She has also raised the possibility of redoing an investment deal with the U.S. that reduced President Donald Trump’s punishing tariffs on Japanese goods.
NOISEMAKER WITH NATIONALIST BENT
Having lost a run-off against Shigeru Ishiba to lead the Liberal Democratic Party last year, Takaichi, 64, will now seek approval from parliament to replace him as prime minister.
That is expected as the LDP is the largest party in parliament but it is not assured, as the ruling coalition no longer has a majority in either house after losses in elections over the last year under Ishiba.
Hosting Trump in Japan later this month is expected to be one of Takaichi’s first acts as leader.

“Rather than being happy, I feel like the tough work starts here,” Takaichi said in a speech to her fellow LDP lawmakers after her victory.
A former economic security and interior minister, Takaichi has repeatedly referred to Thatcher as a source of inspiration, citing her strong character and convictions coupled with her “womanly warmth”.
She said she met the conservative Thatcher, a divisive figure in British politics known as “the Iron Lady”, at a symposium shortly before Thatcher’s death in 2013.
A drummer and a fan of heavy metal, Takaichi is no stranger to creating noise herself.

She is a regular visitor to the Yasukuni shrine, which honours Japan’s war dead – including some executed war criminals – and is viewed by some Asian neighbours as a symbol of its past militarism.
Takaichi favours revising Japan’s pacifist postwar constitution to recognise the role of its expanding military. She suggested this year that Japan could form a “quasi-security alliance” with Taiwan, the democratically governed island claimed by China.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/inspired-by-thatcher-japans-pm-in-waiting-takaichi-smashes-glass-ceiling-2025-10-04/

Hamas officials were in Egypt on Monday ahead of talks with Israel that the U.S. hopes will lead to a halt in fighting and the freeing of hostages in Gaza.
Israeli negotiators were also due to travel to Egypt’s Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh later in the day for talks about freeing hostages, part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war.

However, Israel’s chief negotiator, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, himself was only expected to join later this week, pending developments in the negotiations, according to three Israeli officials. Spokespeople for Dermer and the prime minister did not immediately comment.

“We will know very quickly whether Hamas is serious or not by how these technical talks go in terms of the logistics,” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” on Sunday.
Trump was optimistic. “I am told that the first phase should be completed this week, and I am asking everyone to MOVE FAST,” he said in a social media post.
The first phase deals with the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. There are 48 remaining hostages in Gaza, 20 of whom are alive.
A Hamas delegation, led by the group’s exiled Gaza chief, Khalil Al-Hayya, landed in Egypt late on Sunday to join representatives of the U.S. and Qatar for talks over the implementation of the most advanced effort yet to halt the conflict.

It was the first visit by Hayya to Egypt since he survived an Israeli strike in Doha, the Qatari capital, last month.
Trump has promoted a 20-point plan aimed at ending the fighting in Gaza, securing the release of remaining hostages, and defining the territory’s future. Israel and Hamas have agreed to parts of the plan.
Hamas on Friday accepted the hostage release and several other elements but sidestepped contentious points, including calls for its disarmament — which it has long rejected.
Trump welcomed Hamas’ response and told Israel to stop bombing Gaza, but its attacks have continued.
AVOIDING A PHASED APPROACH
An official briefed on the talks in Egypt said negotiators would focus on hammering out a comprehensive deal before a ceasefire can be implemented.
“This differs from earlier rounds of negotiations which followed a phased approach, where the first phase was agreed and then required more negotiations to reach subsequent phases in the ceasefire,” the official told Reuters.

“These subsequent rounds of negotiations is where things broke down previously and there is a conscious effort among mediators to avoid that approach this time around.”
STRIKES CONTINUE
The plan has stirred hopes for peace among Palestinians, but there was no let-up of Israeli attacks on Gaza on Sunday. Planes and tanks pounded areas across the enclave, killing at least 19 people, local health authorities said.
Four of those killed were seeking aid in the south of the strip, and five were killed in an airstrike in Gaza City in the early afternoon, they said.
Ahmed Assad, a displaced Palestinian man in central Gaza, said he had been hopeful when news broke of Trump’s plan, but said nothing had changed on the ground.
“We do not see any change to the situation; on the contrary, we don’t know what action to take, what shall we do? Shall we remain in the streets? Shall we leave?” he asked.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-strikes-gaza-palestinians-pin-hopes-trumps-gaza-plan-2025-10-05/

DONALD Trump has warned of a “massive bloodshed” if Hamas fails to agree to a peace deal in the coming days.

Trump warned he will “not tolerate delay” from Hamas – and has urged both sides to move quickly towards a deal or else “all bets will be off”.

Trump revealed indirect talks between Israel, Hamas and other mediators from the Arab countries have been “very positive” – and that he expects the first phase of his proposed peace deal should be completed “this week”.

Taking to his Truth Social platform, the US president said: “There have been very positive discussions with Hamas, and Countries from all over the World (Arab, Muslim, and everyone else) this weekend.

“These talks have been very successful and are proceeding rapidly. The technical teams will again meet on Monday, in Egypt, to work through and clarify the final details.

“I am told that the first phase should be completed this week, and I am asking everyone to MOVE FAST.

“Time is of the essence, or massive bloodshed will follow – something that nobody wants to see.”

It comes after Hamas agreed to some parts of the 20-point US peace plan, including releasing hostages and handing over Gaza governance to Palestinian technocrats.

Though it said it was seeking negotiations on other issues.

Negotiators from both sides will now gather at the Egyptian resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressing hope that the hostages could be released within days.

The White House said Trump had also sent two envoys to Egypt – his son-in-law, Jared Kushner and Middle East negotiator Steve Witkoff.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday urged Israel to stop bombing Gaza ahead of the discussions in Egypt.

“You can’t release hostages in the middle of strikes, so the strikes will have to stop,” Rubio told CBS News talk show “Face the Nation”.

“There can’t be a war going on in the middle of it.”

The radical Islamist fanatics seized 251 hostages during their October 7 attack, 47 of whom are still in Gaza.

Of those, the Israeli military says 25 are dead.

Israel, meanwhile, has continued to carry out strikes.

Gaza’s civil defence agency, a rescue force operating under Hamas authority, said Israeli attacks killed at least 20 people across the territory on Sunday, 13 of them in Gaza City.

Trump said a ceasefire and release of hostages will take place “immediately” after Hamas agrees to Israeli forces’ partial withdrawal from Gaza.

He revealed that Tel Aviv agreed to the initial withdrawal line presented to Hamas – and that a peace process will begin as soon as the terror group accepts the proposal.

Hamas has previously rejected a phased Israeli withdrawal, insisting instead on an immediate and full pullout.

Over the weekend, the terror group called for a swift start to a hostage-prisoner exchange with Israel, as negotiators from both sides prepared to meet in Egypt for crucial talks.

However, there is so much that could still go wrong.

Source: https://www.the-sun.com/news/15294398/israel-hamas-gaza-peace-ceasefire-hostages/

NEARLY 1,000 people have been trapped on Mount Everest after a massive snowstorm.

A huge search operation was launched earlier today to reach the campsites located almost 16,000 ft above ground.

Hundreds of local villagers and rescue teams have been deployed to help shovel snow and clear the roads.

Treacherous condition have collapsed some climbers’ tents, while others have caught hypothermia from the freezing temperatures.

No deaths have been confirmed and some tourists on the mountain have already been brought down, a report said.

The snowfall began on Friday evening and continued throughout Saturday.

Ticket sales and entry to the Everest Scenic Area were suspended from late Saturday.

Just across the border in Nepal, heavy rains have triggered landslides and flash floods.

The storms have sparked chaos, blocking roads and washing away bridges.

Some 350 trekkers have now been rescued and guided to safety.

Source: https://www.the-sun.com/news/15294069/tibet-mountain-everest-storm/

Indonesian rescuers searching for missing students after a prayer hall at an Islamic boarding school collapsed last week recovered the bodies of dozens of students over the weekend, bringing the confirmed death toll to 49.

Using heavy excavators equipped with jackhammers, circular saws and sometimes their bare hands, rescue teams diligently removed tons of rubble in an attempt to find the 14 students reportedly still missing. Rescuers found 35 bodies over the weekend alone, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency said.

The structure fell on top of hundreds of students, mostly boys between the ages of 12 and 19, on Sept. 29 at the century-old Al Khoziny school in Sidoarjo on the eastern side of Indonesia’s Java island. Only one student escaped unscathed, authorities said, while 97 were treated for various injuries and released. Six others suffered serious injuries and remained hospitalized Sunday.

Police said two levels were being added to the two-story building without a permit, leading to structural failure. This has triggered widespread anger over illegal construction in Indonesia.

“The construction couldn’t support the load while the concrete was pouring (to build) the third floor because it didn’t meet standards and the whole 800 square meters (8,600 square feet) construction collapsed,” said Mudji Irmawan, a construction expert from Tenth November Institute of Technology.

Irmawan also said students shouldn’t have been allowed inside a building under construction.

Sidoarjo district chief, Subandi, confirmed what the police had announced: The school’s management had not applied for the required permit before starting construction.

“Many buildings, including traditional boarding school extensions, in non-urban areas were built without a permit,” Subandi, who goes by a single name, told The Associated Press on Sunday.

Source: https://apnews.com/article/indonesia-islamic-boarding-school-collapse-missing-students-6b91494c60c5e1a8114e3aa5e65dc7da

The Trump administration will begin mass layoffs of federal employees if President Donald Trump determines that negotiations with congressional Democrats to end the partial government shutdown are “absolutely going nowhere”, a senior White House official said on Sunday (Oct 5).

As the shutdown entered its fifth day, White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett told CNN that the administration still hoped for a deal to avert layoffs threatened by budget director Russell Vought.

US President Donald Trump on Sunday (Oct 5) said Russian President Vladimir Putin’s offer to voluntarily maintain limits on deployed strategic nuclear weapons “sounds like a good idea”.

Putin last month proposed keeping voluntary caps on the size of the world’s two largest nuclear arsenals, as set by the 2010 New START treaty, if Washington agreed to do the same. The pact is due to expire in February.

“Sounds like a good idea to me,” Trump told reporters as he departed the White House when asked about Putin’s proposal.

RUSSIA AWAITING RESPONSE
Russia’s UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said last week that Moscow was still waiting for a formal response from Washington to Putin’s offer to maintain the voluntary limits on deployed strategic weapons once the treaty lapses.

Any new understanding would mark a rare moment of cooperation amid mounting strains between the two countries since Trump and Putin met in Alaska in mid-August, as reports surfaced of Russian drones straying into NATO airspace.

PUTIN WARNS AGAINST MISSILE SUPPLIES
In a video released Sunday, Putin warned that any US decision to supply long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine for deep strikes inside Russia would “destroy” relations between Moscow and Washington.

US Vice President JD Vance said last month that the US was considering Kyiv’s request for such missiles, but no final decision had been made.

“This will lead to the destruction of our relations, or at least the positive trends that have emerged,” Putin said in remarks carried by Russian state television.

One US official and three other sources told Reuters that the Trump administration’s desire to send Tomahawks to Ukraine may not be viable because most are already allocated for naval use.

Trump, who has expressed frustration that Putin has not moved to end the war in Ukraine, was not asked on Sunday about possible missile deliveries.

Source: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/trump-says-putins-nuclear-arms-proposal-sounds-good-idea-5385686

Fresh Israeli strikes were reported in Gaza as negotiators from Israel, the US and Hamas head to Egypt for talks. Meanwhile, Syria is holding its first elections since the ouster of Bashar Assad.

TWO teenage girls including a 13-year-old have been found dead in a suspected subway-surfing tragedy in New York.

The young pair were found on top of a train at Marcy Avenue-Broadway station in Brooklyn in the early hours of Saturday.

Local cops rushed to the station in Williamsburg at 3:10am, before pronouncing the two girls dead at the scene.

The subway-surfing trend involves passengers climbing on top of trains and riding on them, rather than getting inside the carriages.

The latest deaths bring the total number of subway-surfing victims this year to five, according to police.

Authorities confirmed the two girls were found on top of the Brooklyn-bound J train.

One of the girls was 13 years old, while the other is believed to be between the ages of 13 and 18.

NYC Transit President Demetrius Crichlow said: “It’s heartbreaking that two young girls are gone because they somehow thought riding outside a subway train was an acceptable game.

“Parents, teachers, and friends need to be clear with loved ones: getting on top of a subway car isn’t ‘surfing’— it’s suicide.”

He continued: “I’m thinking of both the grieving families, and transit workers who discovered these children, all of whom have been horribly shaken by this tragedy.”

Officers were also seen speaking to three teen boys inside the station, before driving two of the them away in a car.

Witnesses also reported seeing cops carrying plastic bags and a skateboard out of the station, but it is unclear if any of the items belonged to the victims.

The tragic girls were with a group of some 15 teens running around inside the train before they were found dead on the roof, witnesses told cops.

In 2024, six people died after subway surfing, while in 2023 five deaths related to the trend were reported.

In July this year, a 15-year-old boy was killed when he fell off a southbound 7 train around 2:45 a.m. as it pulled into the Queensboro Plaza station.

The tragic death made Carlos Oliver, from the Bronx, the latest suspected victim of the deadly trend.

And on March 14, 12-year-old Gustavo Guaman-Quizhpilema from Queens was critically injured while involved in another example of subway-surfing.

The young boy was riding on top of a 7 train at the 111th Street station in Corona around 8:15 a.m.

He tragically died four days after plunging from the train.

Source: https://www.the-sun.com/news/15293117/teen-girls-killed-subway-surfing-new-york-train/

Customers with outstanding tickets have been left in the dark

AMERICAN Airlines has abruptly canceled flights as it confirms it is scrapping an entire route.

The airline says is has made the “difficult decision” as it works to improve its services.

After four years, the carrier is scrapping a domestic route between to US cities with refunds being offered to customers.

American Airlines will no longer run flights between Dallas, Texas, and Eugene, Oregon, it confirmed.

“As part of a continuous evaluation of our network, American has made the difficult decision to discontinue service between Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) and Eugene, Oregon (EUG),” the airline told The Street.

All airlines continually assess their flight schedules and readjust them based on customer demand and other factors.

The route was first launched in 2021 but had already been scaled back earlier this year.

American Airlines put the route on a seasonal schedule, only running it during peak travel times.

This ended on August 5, 2025, and there will be no more flights on this route, seasonal or not.

The move has left some customers who have already booked flights for next year in the dark.

“We’re proactively reaching out to impacted customers and apologize for any inconvenience,” a company spokesperson said.

Affected customers will be offered either a full refund or an adjusted itinerary.

American will still be running flights to Eugene, but not from Dallas.

Instead, passengers will have to travel from Phoenix to Eugene.

It is not the only change that American has rolled out.

The carrier has also announced that there will be a baggage change affecting all passengers from Monday.

The airline will no longer be assessing carry-on baggage at the gate in the same way, with more customers likely being asked to check their oversized carry-on baggage before security.

Meanwhile, rival Delta is modernizing its planes and Southwest Airlines has scrapped its open-seating policy.

Plus, major airlines have grouped together to fight new rules regarding a ‘hidden fees’ law saving passengers from surcharges.

Source: https://www.the-sun.com/travel/15293870/american-airlines-permanently-cancels-flights-route-dallas-eugene/

Three people are in a life-threatening condition, including children

AT LEAST two people have died and 12 have been injured in a horrific shooting in Alabama.

Gunfire broke out in downtown Montgomery overnight on Saturday with emergency services still on scene at 1:30 am this morning.

Cops declared a “mass casualty incident” with a total of 14 people suffering from gunshot wounds.

An adult woman is among those killed, Montgomery Police Department Lt. Tina McGriff said.

“In total, three victims remain in life-threatening condition, and nine sustained non-life threatening injuries,” she added.

At least two of the injured are children.

It is believed that two parties started shooting at each other in the busy tourist area near the Rosa Parks Museum around 11:30pm.

Crowds had gathered in the tourist area following the end of the Tuskegee University vs Morehouse College football game.

The city had also set up attractions for those going to the game including a Ferris wheel.

A police cordon remains in place at the scene with the public urged to stay away.

An investigation into what happened is ongoing as detectives ask anyone with information to come forward.

At the scene, Montgomery Police Chief Jim Graboys told the press that officers were already interviewing “a number of people” in relation to the incident.

He slammed it as a “senseless act of violence” and vowedc to “use every resource” to catch those responsible.

“We will stay up all night, we will do whatever we need to do and use every resource to charge and hold the people responsible who were involved in this offence,” the Police Chief said.

“We are using every technological resource we have, we are using every detective we have and every bit of evidence that we are collecting now to sort out what has been a tragic and chaotic event that took place earlier tonight.

“My heart is weeping for the families and I am incredibly angry because this was not a typical mass shooting that people read about.

“This was two parties that were involved that were shooting at each other in a crowd.

“The people who did what they did, who are responsible for opening fire on each other like that, did not care about the people around them when they did it.

“Now we have 14 people wounded shot, two of them deceased. We will not rest until we get you.”

Source: https://www.the-sun.com/news/15293434/dead-injured-montgomery-alabama-shooting /

In eastern Nepal, over 52 fatalities have been reported due to landslides and floods triggered by heavy rainfall. The hardest-hit area is Ilam district, where 37 deaths occurred.

At least 52 people have been killed in landslides, floods, and rain-related incidents across eastern Nepal in the past 24 hours, officials said Sunday. Most deaths occurred in Koshi Province, where torrential rainfall triggered widespread destruction, blocked roads, and swept away homes.
Kalidas Dhaubaji, spokesperson for the Armed Police Force (APF), said majority of the deaths — from Saturday morning 10 am till Sunday 10 am — were from the worst hit Koshi province that saw floods, landslides, lightning and road accidents. The toll at 37 in this province. The monsoon remained active across five of Nepal’s seven provinces – Koshi, Madhes, Bagmati, Gandaki, and Lumbini.
Rivers Overflow, Red Alerts Issued
Heavy downpours since Friday pushed eight major rivers above danger levels, according to the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, as quoted by local media. Authorities issued red alerts for the Bagmati and East Rapti river basins.

Domestic flights from Kathmandu resumed on Sunday morning after improved weather conditions. Flights to several provinces had been grounded since Saturday due to poor visibility.

Rescue and Relief Efforts Underway
Rescue teams from the Nepal Army, Nepal Police, and APF were deployed across affected areas. Four people, including a pregnant woman, were airlifted from Ilam district to a hospital in Dharan for treatment.
The government announced immediate relief of NPR 2,00,000 to the families of those who died and promised free medical treatment for the injured.
Apart from the monetary compensation for the next of kin of the deceased, the injured will be provided with free treatment, a statement by the National Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Authority (NDRRMA) said.
PM Modi Offers India’s Assistance
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the loss of lives and offered support to Nepal.
“The loss of lives and damage caused by heavy rains in Nepal is distressing. India stands with the people and government of Nepal in this difficult time,” Modi posted on X.
“As a friendly neighbour and first responder, India remains committed to providing any assistance required,” he added.
Widespread Damage and Trekkers Missing
According to the NDRRMA, eight people died each in Deumai and Maijogmai municipalities, six each in Ilam and Sandakpur, five in Suryodaya, and several others across Panchthar, Udayapur, and Khotang districts.
At least four people were swept away by the swollen river in Langtang Conservation Area of Rasuwa district, and one each remained missing due to floods in Ilam, Bara and Kathmandu.
Those who were swept away in Langtang were part of a group of 16, who were on a trekking expedition in that area, Dhaubaji said.
Landslides also blocked trekking routes in the Everest region, prompting authorities to urge tourists to use alternative trails.

Source: https://www.timesnownews.com/world/asia/nepal-floods-and-landslides-kill-52-what-we-know-so-far-about-the-monsoon-havoc-article-152947484

Rakesh Ehagaban, 50, stepped outside to check the situation after the accused shot a female companion outside the motel following an argument.

An Indian-origin motel manager in Pittsburgh, was reportedly shot dead after he stepped outside to check on an argument that was going on in the parking lot of a Robinson Township motel. Fifty-year-old Rakesh Ehagaban was shot in the head at point-blank range and died at the scene on Friday.

The accused has been identified as 37-year-old Stanley Eugene West and has been charged with criminal homicide, attempted homicide, and recklessly endangering another person.

Police said West fired at Ehagaban when he asked, “Are you alright, bud?” Officers also said that surveillance footage showed West walking towards him and, as he got within a feet of Ehagaban, he raised his gun and shot him in the head.

Meanwhile, West was also reportedly injured in an encounter with the police on Friday. As the police tracked and approached his vehicle, officers said the suspect opened fire and hit a Pittsburgh detective in the leg. The officers then returned fire, hitting West several times, police told CBS News.

Notably, Ehagaban stepped outside to check the situation after West shot a female companion outside the motel following an argument. When the motel manager arrived, the suspect shot him in the head and killed him, Allegheny County Superintendent Christopher Kearns said.

The woman was rushed to the hospital and was listed in critical condition as per the last update.

What happened during the shooting?

Police said that West had been staying at the motel for nearly two weeks with the woman as well as a child. He also listed a residence on Page Street in Pittsburgh’s North Side.

Officers said that the woman was sitting in a black sedan with the child when the shooter approached the driver’s side door and shot at the sedan, shattering the window.

However, she was still able to drive the car to Dick Kernick Tire & Auto Service Centre at about 1 pm (local time) before the police found her.

Police said that the child, who was in the back seat, was not injured in the incident. The attack on the woman was what led Ehagaban to step outside the motel and confront West.

After the shooting, the suspect “nonchalantly walks to the U-Haul and drives away,” the complaint said.

In a statement, Martin Devine, Acting Chief of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, said, “The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police detective injured by gunfire during the critical incident in East Hills on Friday is resting comfortably at home with his family and with the full support of his fellow officers and the Bureau. The family asks for privacy at this time.”

Source : https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/us-news/are-you-alright-rakesh-ehagaban-indian-origin-man-asked-gunman-in-pittsburgh-us-shot-dead-later-101759714275577.html

Pakistan has proposed to the US the development of a civilian port in Pasni, Balochistan, to enhance bilateral relations amidst shifting dynamics.

Pakistan has reportedly approached US President Donald Trump with an offer to build and run a port on the Arabian Sea as it seeks to warm up to America amid a reset in ties. The proposed civilian port in Pasni, a town in Balochistan’s Gwadar district, is strategically close to the Chabahar port, being developed by India in Iran.
Interestingly, Pasni is located just 100 km from Gwadar, where China operates the port facility.
According to the Financial Times, the advisers to Pakistani army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir have approached top US officials with the offer to transform the fishing town of Pasni into a hub for transporting Pakistan’s critical minerals, including copper and antimony, essential for batteries, fire-retardant materials, and missile production. The development of the deep-water port is expected to cost $1.2 billion.

DEEP-WATER PORT IN PASNI
As per the blueprint, the US would build and operate a terminal at the port, giving it access to Pakistan’s critical minerals in Pasni. The town in the restive Balochistan province borders Afghanistan and Iran.

The development comes days after Pakistan army chief Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a closed-door meeting with Trump at the White House in September.
In the meeting, Sharif sought investment from American companies in the mining sector. Later, the White House shared a photograph showing Munir handing over a wooden box filled with rare earth minerals to Donald Trump in the Oval Office.
Previously, Pakistan offered the US its vast untapped oil, gas, and mineral resources, mostly in the troubled Balochistan region.
However, it is not known if Munir discussed the port deal offer with Trump.
The blueprint, however, rules out the use of the port for US military purposes or setting up of a military base.
Is Pakistan playing both China and US?
Pakistan’s “sweet offer” to the US comes as its “all-weather” ally China grows increasingly frustrated with Islamabad.
According to Pakistan’s Planning Commission, only 32 of the 95 projects announced under CPEC have been completed to date despite billions pouring in from Beijing.
Critics argue that Islamabad has overpromised and under-delivered, allowing corruption, bureaucratic red tape, and insurgency to hollow out what was once marketed as a “game-changer.”
Pakistan is facing mounting security failures, an economic crisis that has gutted investor confidence, and growing frustration in Beijing over Islamabad’s inability to protect Chinese nationals.

Source: https://www.timesnownews.com/world/pakistan-offers-donald-trump-access-to-arabian-sea-port-in-palani-balochistan-gwadar-district-near-indias-chabahar-article-152941560

At least 10 people were killed in anti-government protests in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Similar clashes last year also turned deadly.

The announcement brings an end to days of violent protests that left at least 10 people dead.

Under the deal, the regional government led by Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq agreed to accept the alliance’s demands, including cheaper wheat and reduced electricity tariffs.

It also pledged to improve health, education, and other public sectors, as well as to reduce the size of the Cabinet.

Shaukat Nawaz Mir, the alliance’s leader, called on the protesters to disperse in Muzaffarabad, the region’s capital.

“I am grateful to the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the whole of Pakistan for understanding our problems and agreeing to resolve them,” he told reporters.

What happened in Pakistan-administered Kashmir?
On Monday, thousands of protesters from nearby towns first converged on Muzaffarabad.

The protests were led by Awami Action Committee (AAC), a civil rights organization formed to fight for local rights.

Demonstrators were demanding an end to lucrative benefits for the political class, such as free electricity and expensive cars.

The protests triggered clashes with security forces. Seven civilians and three police officers were killed, according to Khawaja Amiruddin, a local police officer.

The breakthrough came two days after Sharif had sent a high-level delegation to Muzaffarabad for talks with AAC leaders.

“Public interest and peace are our priorities, and we will continue to serve Azad Kashmir,” Sharif said in a statement.

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/pakistan-deal-ends-days-of-kashmir-violent-protests/a-74236060

MEGHAN Markle surprised fans as she stepped out at Paris Fashion Week during her solo Europe trip.

The Duchess of Sussex, 44, jetted away from her Montecito haven without Prince Harry to support a friend at the glitzy event.

Meg made the appearance to honour fashion designer Pierpaolo Piccioli at Paris Fashion Week.

This also marks the first time the Duchess has ever appeared at the prestigious affair.

Although she used to attend New York and Toronto Fashion Weeks when she was an actress on hit legal drama Suits.

Industry giant Piccioli left Valentino in 2024 after 25 years, having been sole creative director since 2016.

A spokesman for the Duchess said: “Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attended the Balenciaga show in Paris on Saturday night in support of Pierpaolo Piccioli, who recently assumed the role of creative director for the house.

“This marks her first time back to the shows in over a decade.

“Over the years, the duchess has worn a number of designs by Pierpaolo.

“They have worked closely together collaborating on design for key moments on the world stage.

“She has long admired his craftsmanship and modern elegance, and tonight was no different.

“This evening reflects the culmination of many years of artistry and friendship, reflected in her support for his new creative chapter at Balenciaga.”

Meghan, who showed off her arrival in Paris with an Instagram story, donned an all-white outfit.

She paired wide-leg trousers with a blazer from the collection for the show on Saturday.

The Duchess has worn Valentino to several events over the years.

In April 2022, Meghan opened the Invictus Games wearing a white suit from the designer, with matching Aquazzura shoes and Valentino bag.

And in February 2019 she wore a red Valentino dress when she arrived with Harry for a three-day tour of Morocco.

Meghan’s Paris Fashion Week appearance comes just days after it was reported her dad was trapped in his 19th floor apartment in the Philippines.

His daughter Samantha made the shocking claim after the country was rocked by a deadly earthquake.

Thomas Markle, 81, has since revealed he is “fine” and urged people not to worry after fears swept social media that he was unable to leave his home.

“Please don’t worry about me, everything is okay,” he said – before thanking “everyone” for their concern.

The reassurance came after Meghan’s half-sister Samantha Markle sparked alarm by posting online that their father was unable to walk and had been left stranded following the 6.9-magnitude quake.

Samantha had written on X: “My father is stuck on the 19th floor of a building in the Philippines after a massive earthquake and he can’t walk and he is trapped.”

She gave no details about why Thomas was supposedly trapped – or whether the earthquake inflicted any damage to his apartment.

Thomas has been living in an apartment in the building on Cebu with his son Thomas Markle Jnr, 58, in recent months.

Source: https://www.the-sun.com/royals/15292431/meghan-markle-paris-fashion-week-solo-trip-europe/

Police in Georgia have clashed with anti-government protesters trying to storm the presidential palace in the capital, Tbilisi.

Security forces used water cannons and pepper spray to disperse demonstrators.

The Caucasus country has been in crisis since the ruling Georgian Dream party claimed victory in last year’s parliamentary election, which the pro-European Union opposition says was stolen. Since then the government has paused talks on joining the EU.

The protest took place on the same day as local elections, which the opposition is largely boycotting following a government crackdown. One organiser had earlier called for leaders of the Georgian Dream party to be arrested.

Waving Georgian and EU flags, tens of thousands of protesters marched in central Tbilisi on Saturday.

One of the organisers, opera singer Paata Burchuladze, read out a declaration urging the employees of the ministry of internal affairs to obey the will of the people and to immediately arrest six senior figures from the Georgian Dream party.

Demonstrators then marched on the presidential palace and tried to enter the compound, prompting riot police to fire pepper spray.

The demonstration follows a crackdown on activists, independent media and political opposition in recent months, with most of the leaders of the pro-Western opposition now behind bars.

Twenty-one-year-old Ia and her friends came to the Saturday rally prepared, dressed all in black, wearing helmets and gas masks.

“If we wear something colourful it will be easier to identify us, and if they identify us we are going to jail,” she said, referring to the AI surveillance cameras installed on the main Rustaveli Avenue – the focal point for the ongoing protests.

Hundreds of protesters have been penalised with massive 5,000 Georgian lari ($1,835; £1,362) fines for what the authorities consider an illegal act of “blocking the streets”.

“I want Georgian Dream to go. I want my country back. I want to be able to live peacefully and for my friends who are in jail, illegally imprisoned, to be free.”

Ia sarcastically referred to the ruling party as “Russian Dream”. This sentiment is shared by many of the anti-government protesters.

In the regions the Georgian Dream party enjoys support with its message that it can keep the peace, while in urban centres many Georgians believe their government is acting in Russia’s interests.

The protest took place on the day of the municipal elections boycotted by most mainstream opposition parties, whose leaders are in jail.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce86kgnj7zro

A federal judge in Oregon temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s administration from deploying the National Guard in Portland, ruling Saturday in a lawsuit brought by the state and city.

U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut issued the order pending further arguments in the suit. She said the relatively small protests the city has seen did not justify the use of federalized forces and allowing the deployment could harm Oregon’s state sovereignty.

“This country has a longstanding and foundational tradition of resistance to government overreach, especially in the form of military intrusion into civil affairs,” Immergut wrote. She later continued, “This historical tradition boils down to a simple proposition: this is a nation of Constitutional law, not martial law.”

State and city officials sued to stop the deployment last week, one day after the Trump administration announced that 200 Oregon National Guard troops would be federalized to protect federal buildings. The president called the city “war-ravaged.”

Oregon officials said that characterization was ludicrous. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in the city has been the site of nightly protests that typically drew a couple dozen people in recent weeks before the deployment was announced.

Judge: The federal response didn’t match the facts

Generally speaking the president is allowed “a great level of deference” to federalize National Guard troops in situations where regular law enforcement forces are not able to execute the laws of the United States, the judge said, but that has not been the case in Portland.

Plaintiffs were able to show that the demonstrations at the immigration building were not significantly violent or disruptive ahead of the president’s order, the judge wrote, and “overall, the protests were small and uneventful.”

“The President’s determination was simply untethered to the facts,” Immergut wrote.

White House suggests an appeal is coming

Following the ruling, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said that “President Trump exercised his lawful authority to protect federal assets and personnel in Portland following violent riots and attacks on law enforcement — we expect to be vindicated by a higher court.”

Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield called the ruling “a healthy check on the president.”

“It reaffirms what we already knew: Portland is not the president’s war-torn fantasy. Our city is not ravaged, and there is no rebellion,” Rayfield said in a statement. He added: “Members of the Oregon National Guard are not a tool for him to use in his political theater.”

Trump has deployed or threatened to deploy troops in several U.S. cities, particularly ones led by Democrats, including Los Angeles, Washington, Chicago and Memphis. Speaking Tuesday to U.S. military leaders in Virginia, he proposed using cities as training grounds for the armed forces.

Last month a federal judge ruled that the president’s deployment of some 4,700 National Guard soldiers and Marines in Los Angeles this year was illegal, but he allowed the 300 who remain in the city to stay as long as they do not enforce civilian laws. The Trump administration appealed, and an appellate panel has put the lower court’s block on hold while it moves forward.

Portland protests were small, but grew after deployment was announced

The Portland protests have been limited to a one-block area in a city that covers about 145 square miles (375 square km) and has about 636,000 residents.

They grew somewhat following the Sept. 28 announcement of the guard deployment. The Portland Police Bureau, which has said it does not participate in immigration enforcement and only intervenes in the protests if there is vandalism or criminal activity, arrested two people on assault charges. A peaceful march earlier that day drew thousands to downtown and saw no arrests, police said.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/deployment-trump-portland-national-guard-lawsuit-8a0323d49b708ebf905527f897352832

The fear is not academic. Iran demonstrated skills that astonished even combat-seasoned intelligence professionals, and Israel’s formerly celebrated air defence system demonstrated flaws that Tehran will certainly exploit in the next round. Meanwhile, Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities have fallen short of conclusively crippling Tehran’s nuclear program. June’s war was a teaser, not the main course. Both now have an appreciation of the other’s power that they did not have before. That information cuts both ways—it may deter or inspire.

The hypersonic challenge

The worst news for Israel was the Iranians’ launching of their Fattah-1 and Fattah-2 hypersonic missiles, which performed much better than anticipated. In the war’s most fiercely contested 24 hours, Israel’s intercept rate of these missiles declined from its normal 90 per cent to as low as 65 per cent. The mathematics are sobering. Iran fired over 400 missiles during the 12-day conflict, with more than 40 causing damage or casualties despite Israel’s layered defense system. In a prolonged engagement, those numbers could multiply exponentially.

“The hypersonic threat remakes the math entirely,” said Dr Tal Kalisky, a missile defence expert from Israel. Even as he highlighted that Israel had successfully shot down more than 95 per cent of ordinary missiles, he acknowledged the unprecedented challenge posed by missiles descending from beyond the atmosphere at speeds a decade faster than the speed of sound, splitting their warheads in flight.

Only Arrow 3 and David’s Sling are capable of mid-air adjustment to pursue such threats, and both are dependent upon interceptor reserves that dipped perilously low during June’s action. An early-July Israeli Defence Ministry evaluation reported a general success rate of 86 per cent against ballistic missiles in the conflict. But here lies the key question: What if Iran fires not 400 missiles over 12 days, but 400 missiles in 24 hours?

The nuclear question mark

While the White House proclaimed Iranian nuclear sites “obliterated” in a late June announcement, independent analysts paint a more nuanced picture that should trouble both camps.

David Albright’s Institute for Science and International Security, analyzing satellite images taken on 14 June, reported surface damage to Iran’s Fordow enrichment plant but identified the difficulty in assessing internal damage to deeply buried complexes. CNN’s analysis, using Albright verbatim, suggested “a considerable amount of damage might have been inflicted on the enrichment hall and adjacent halls that service enrichment.”

But “substantial damage” is not the same as destruction. More concerning, recent satellite photos examined by The Wall Street Journal show Iran has moved to expand construction at the Fordow buried plant, “with active work” featuring excavators and personnel positioned at entrance shafts to the plant.

The leadership vulnerability factor

Israel’s June campaign introduced a dangerous new variable that will make any future war that much more unstable: deliberate targeting of Iranian leadership. The campaign, which assassinated senior military, political, and at least nine nuclear scientists, has not gone unnoticed by Tehran’s ruling elite.

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian publicly admitted to being on Israel’s hit list, yet secretly assured advisors that any attempt on top leaders’ lives would be met with a region-shaking military response. Iran’s leadership succession crisis only increases the stakes. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 85, has signaled three possible successors but has not directly appointed any. Israeli intelligence officials believe that such a power vacuum would either radicalise or moderate Tehran’s response, depending on the individuals who ultimately come to power. Decapitation tactics cut both ways. Israel showed that it can reach deep into Iran’s command hierarchy. However, that capability may actually accelerate rather than decelerate conflict if Tehran’s leadership concludes that it needs to act before it becomes a target itself.

Lessons learned, strategies revised

Israel demonstrated its ability to strike deep within Iranian borders, hitting nuclear facilities that Tehran believed were secure. The strategic arithmetic is also made more complex by what didn’t happen in June. Hezbollah in Lebanon and other Iranian-backed militias in Syria and Iraq mainly waited out of the immediate fighting, choosing to save their strength rather than open up several fronts against Israel. Round two could be multi-front. Iran learned that trying it alone wasn’t a successful move. Israel knew that its deterrents could be overwhelmed. Both indications lead to an even worse scenario the next time around.

The Russian and Chinese roles

Russia and China won’t intervene directly in a renewed Israel-Iran war but will both defend Tehran and introduce a dangerous element of complexity. Russia, particularly, owes a debt to Iran for providing drones that have been crucially effective in Ukraine. That debt is now being repaid with the provision of intelligence, ammunition, and electronic warfare gear, which could be used to counteract some of the disadvantages Iran experienced in June. The Russians won’t send in troops, but will outfit Tehran appropriately. With what Iran has done for Russia in Ukraine, they see such help as a strategic investment.

China’s interest is less noisy but arguably more important. Beijing aims to prevent a wider Middle East conflict that could threaten to destabilize oil supplies and complicate its broader great power rivalry with Washington. Even in the face of rivalry, China will strive to prevent Iran from disintegrating under Western pressure. China views Tehran as a valuable counterweight to American influence in the region.

Source : https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20251004-round-two-why-the-next-israel-iran-war-will-shatter-the-middle-east

Sean “Diddy” Combs was sentenced on Friday (Oct 3) to more than four years in prison over the hip-hop mogul’s Jul 2 conviction on prostitution-related charges.

Combs, 55, was convicted on two counts of arranging for paid male escorts to travel across state lines to take part in drug-fueled sexual performances – sometimes known as “Freak Offs” – with Combs’ girlfriends while he recorded video and masturbated.

The jury acquitted him on the more serious charges of racketeering and sex trafficking, which could have earned him a life sentence.

Combs pleaded not guilty and is expected to appeal his conviction.

Combs, the founder of Bad Boy Records, is credited with elevating hip-hop’s stature in American culture.

The New York-born entrepreneur is one of the most prominent men in the entertainment industry to have faced trial on sex crimes charges.

The sentence was imposed by US District Judge Arun Subramanian at a hearing in Manhattan federal court.

Prosecutors had pushed for Combs to spend 11 – 14 years in prison, while defence lawyers pushed for his swift release.

Combs has been behind bars at a Brooklyn jail since his Sep 16, 2024, arrest.

TRIAL CENTERED ON “FREAK OFFS”

Over the course of a two-month trial earlier this year, prosecutors with the Manhattan US Attorney’s office argued Combs coerced two of his former girlfriends – the rhythm and blues singer Casandra Ventura and a woman known in court by the pseudonym Jane – into partaking in the performances through violence and threats to withhold financial support.

Jurors saw surveillance footage of Combs kicking and dragging Ventura in a hotel hallway in 2016, an incident she testified took place after a Freak Off. Jane testified that Combs last year attacked her and told her to perform oral sex on a male escort after she said she did not want to.

Combs’ lawyers acknowledged he had physically abused his girlfriends, but argued they willingly took part in the sexual performances. Both Ventura and Jane testified that they at times took part consensually because they loved Combs and wanted to please him.

COMBS TAUGHT JAIL COURSE

Defence lawyers had pushed for a 14-month sentence.

In urging leniency, Combs’ lawyers said he helped his fellow inmates at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center by teaching a six-week course on business management and personal development called “Free Game with Diddy.” As part of the class, inmates were required to write an essay about “lessons learned from Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ journey,” court filings show.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/sean-diddy-combs-sentenced-more-4-years-in-prison-over-prostitution-conviction-5384351

A prominent Bangladeshi business leader from Queens is turning his back on Zohran Mamdani after repeatedly backing the socialist lawmaker — and urging his community to now block the prostitution-boosting pol from becoming mayor.

“Supporting prostitution means supporting human trafficking,” said Fahad Solaiman, who lives near the infamously sex-worker-riddled Roosevelt Avenue.

Solaiman, who plans to vote for former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, urged members of his mosque to also reject the progressive Democratic nominee in an exclusive interview with The Post Friday.

“Come over here in the evening, after 8 o’clock, after the sun sets, you will see that you cannot walk Roosevelt Avenue [without seeing] many prostitutes,” Solaiman said at the Darul Hidaya Mosque after a service Friday.

The influential businessman, who is general secretary at the Jackson Heights Bangladeshi Business Association, spoke alongside Cuomo at the service, urging others in his community to back the former gov instead of Mamdani.

The community leader claimed he used to support Mamdani primarily because of his position on Palestine — but as the race has progressed, Solaiman has had a change of heart.

“The more he moves forward, the more we are seeing it; he’s a hypocrite. That’s the reason we took ourselves out,” Solaiman said.

Mamdani, who is Muslim, co-sponsored an bill in the state Assembly to “decriminalize” prostitution between consenting adults, meaning there would be no arrests for sex workers or johns — but he’s been vague about his support of it in recent months.

Standing side-by-side, the leaders of the mosque, along with Solaiman, passionately called for the congregation to get out and support Cuomo, who is running on an independent line for mayor and trailing Mamdani by at least 20 point in the latest polls.

“I am proud to endorse Andrew Cuomo for mayor, and will work hand in hand with him to unite our city, rather than divide us,” said Imam Qazi Qayyoon.

The key issue that all of the Cuomo backers raised about the Queens assemblyman was his plan to reinstate former Mayor Bill de Blasio’s policy of not arresting or prosecuting sex workers.

Since taking office in 2021, the lawmaker has co-sponsored multiple versions of statewide legislation to decriminalize sex work — bills that remain stalled. He continues to support the proposals annually and has consistently spoken out in favor of changing the law.

Source : https://nypost.com/2025/10/03/us-news/prominent-nyc-bangladeshi-business-leader-turns-back-on-zohran-mamdani-over-pro-prostitution-stance

From Wall Street trading floors to the Federal Reserve to economists sipping coffee in their home offices, the first Friday morning of the month typically brings a quiet hush around 8:30 a.m. eastern as everyone awaits the Labor Department’s crucial monthly jobs report.

But with the government shut down, no information was released Friday about hiring in September.

The interruption in the data has occurred at a particularly uncertain time, when policymakers at the Federal Reserve and Wall Street investors would need more data on the economy, rather than less. Hiring has ground nearly to a halt, threatening to drag down the broader economy. Yet at the same time, consumers — particularly higher-income earners — are still spending and some businesses are ramping up investments in data centers developing artificial intelligence models. Whether that is enough to revive hiring remains to be seen.

It’s the first time since a government shutdown in 2013 that the jobs report has been delayed. During the 2018-2019 partial government closure, the Labor Department was one of several agencies that remained open because Congress had agreed to fund them. September’s jobs figures will be released eventually, once the shutdown ends.

If the shutdown continues for another week or more, it could also postpone the release of other high-profile data, including the next inflation report, set for Oct. 15.

The Trump administration has blamed Senate Democrats for the shutdown, while Democrats levy similar charges against the White House.

“Businesses, families, policymakers, markets, and even the Federal Reserve are flying blind at a key juncture in America’s economic resurgence because the Democrats’ government shutdown has halted the release of key economic data,” said White House spokesman Kush Desai.

Yet President Donald Trump himself has often trashed government jobs data when it has painted an unflattering picture of the economy. In August, he fired the then-head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics after the agency reported that job gains in May and June had been sharply lower than previously reported.

For now, economists are turning to alternative measures of the job market provided by nonprofits and private-sector companies. Those measures mostly show a job market with little hiring, but not many layoffs, either. Those who have jobs appear to be mostly secure, while those looking for work are having a tougher time.

Payroll processor ADP, for example, said Wednesday that its estimate showed the economy had lost a surprising 32,000 private-sector jobs last month. Companies in the construction, manufacturing, and financial services industries all cut jobs, ADP found. Restaurants and hotels, and professional services such as accounting and engineering, also shed workers.

Businesses in health care, private education, and information technology were the only sectors to add workers, ADP said.

“We’ve seen a significant decline in hiring momentum throughout the year,” said Nela Richardson, ADP’s chief economist. “This is consistent with a low hire — even a no-hire — and low fire economy.”

Austan Goolsbee, before becoming president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago in January 2023, was one of those busy economists on the first Friday morning of the month, often dissecting the data for the financial news network CNBC. Now he still checks the data Friday mornings and has a team of research economists that analyze the report.

“It’s still the best data — the BLS numbers are the best labor market numbers in the world,” Goolsbee said in an interview with The Associated Press. “And when we don’t have them, we suffer.”

Just last month, however, the Chicago Fed began issuing its own estimates of the unemployment rate and other job-market indicators, using a combination of public and private-sector data, which it updates every two weeks. On Thursday, its latest figures put the unemployment rate in September at 4.3%, the same as in August and still low historically.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/jobs-economy-shutdown-trump-77afb7e7a6ef75c564f81cd611664271

A major Japanese beverage producer says it has been hit by a cyberattack that left its operations disrupted for the fifth day on Friday, and Japanese media are reporting that stocks of the company’s popular beer and other beverages are running low in some stores.

Asahi Group Holdings said its computer systems were hit by a cyberattack on Monday, creating glitches that have affected orders, shipments and a customer call center in Japan. Overseas systems were not affected.

A company spokeswoman told The Associated Press on Friday that the problem had still not been fixed, though some emergency shipments were made on Wednesday, with employees entering information into computer systems manually.

The cause and motive of the attacks were still under investigation, the spokeswoman said. She requested anonymity, which is customary for Japanese companies.

Japanese media said some convenience stores weren’t getting their deliveries and that stocks were low and the products were even being sold out in some places.

A 7-Eleven convenience store in Tokyo visited by an AP reporter on Friday evening still stocked plenty of Asahi beer, though the saleswoman said she expected the stocks to start running low soon.

It’s unclear when the system will be back up and running, Asahi said. The company has canceled events and is delaying the launch of products. Some Japanese media reports said the attacks may be ransomware, but Asahi declined to comment.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/asahi-japan-cyberattacks-ransomware-beer-supplies-e8854524dcd02eee4aa9e3d65464d019

U.S. technology company Nvidia and Fujitsu, a Japanese telecommunications and computer maker, agreed Friday to work together on artificial intelligence to deliver smart robots and a variety of other innovations using Nvidia’s computer chips.

“The AI industrial revolution has already begun. Building the infrastructure to power it is essential in Japan and around the world,” Nvidia Chief Executive Jensen Huang said, hugging his Fujitsu counterpart Takahito Tokita on stage.

“Japan can lead the world in AI and robotics,” Huang told reporters at a Tokyo hotel.

The companies will work together on building what they called “an AI infrastructure,” or the system on which the various futuristic AI uses will be based, including health care, manufacturing, the environment, next-generation computing and customer services. The hope is to establish that AI infrastructure for Japan by 2030.

It initially will be tailored for the Japanese market, leveraging Fujitsu’s decades-long experience here, but may later expand globally, and will utilize Nvidia’s GPUs, or graphics processing units, which are essential for AI, according to both sides.

The two executives did not outline specific projects or give a monetary figure for planned investments. But exploring a collaboration in AI for robots with Yaskawa Electric Corp., a Japanese machinery and robot maker, was noted as a possible example. AI will be constantly evolving and learning, they said.

Fujitsu and Nvidia have been working together on AI, speeding up manufacturing with digital twins and robotics to tackle aging Japan’s labor shortages.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/nvidia-fujitsu-ai-japan-technology-3e800f495124c9f66fa654deaec41e52