Australia’s Defence Minister Richard Marles, Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Britain’s Defence Secretary John Healey at the Admiralty House in Sydney, Australia on Jul 25, 2025. (File photo: Reuters/Kirsty Needham)
Australia’s government said on Saturday (Jul 26) it signed a treaty with Britain to bolster cooperation over the next 50 years on the AUKUS nuclear submarine partnership.
The AUKUS pact, agreed upon by Australia, Britain and the United States in 2021, aims to provide Australia with nuclear-powered attack submarines from the next decade to counter China’s ambitions in the Indo-Pacific. US President Donald Trump’s administration announced a formal review of the pact this year.
Defence Minister Richard Marles said in a statement that the bilateral treaty was signed with Britain’s Defence Secretary John Healey on Saturday after a meeting in the city of Geelong, in Victoria state.
“The Geelong Treaty will enable comprehensive cooperation on the design, build, operation, sustainment and disposal of our SSN-AUKUS submarines,” the statement said.
The treaty was a “commitment for the next 50 years of UK-Australian bilateral defence cooperation under AUKUS Pillar I”, it said, adding that it built on the “strong foundation” of trilateral AUKUS cooperation.
Britain’s ministry of defence said this week that the bilateral treaty would underpin the two allies’ submarine programmes and was expected to be worth up to 20 billion pounds (US$27.1 billion) for Britain in exports over the next 25 years.
AUKUS is Australia’s biggest-ever defence project, with Canberra committing to spend A$368 billion over three decades on the programme, which includes billions of dollars of investment in the US production base.
Australia, which this month paid A$800 million to the US in the second instalment under AUKUS, has maintained it is confident the pact will proceed.
The defence and foreign ministers of Australia and Britain held talks on Friday in Sydney on boosting cooperation, coinciding with Australia’s largest war games.
Palestinians waiting for food from a charity kitchen
Israel’s military says it has “recently” made an airdrop of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, following weeks of international pressure and a growing hunger crisis in the Palestinian territory.
In a statement early on Sunday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the airdrop “included seven packages of aid containing flour, sugar, and canned food”.
Israel earlier said it was prepared to open humanitarian corridors to allow UN convoys into Gaza.
This came amid calls for Israel to let more aid into Gaza and amid warnings of mass starvation following months of limited supply to the territory’s two million people. Israel denied what it called “the false claim of deliberate starvation” in Gaza.
In its statement, the IDF said the airdrop “was carried out in co-ordination with international organisations and led by Cogat”, referring to the Israeli military body which oversees the entry of aid into Gaza.
The military also posted a video purportedly showing a plane dropping the aid. The footage has not been independently verified.
Palestinian officials are yet to comment on the reported airdrop into Gaza.
Late on Saturday, the IDF said it had “begun a series of actions aimed at improving the humanitarian response in the Gaza Strip”, and was “prepared to implement humanitarian pauses in densely populated areas”.
It also stated that it had resumed supplying power to a desalination plant in Gaza, which it said would “serve about 900,000 residents”.
Israel cut off all supplies to Gaza from the start of March, and resumed with new restrictions in May.
Along with the US, it backed the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) and allowed it to operate in Gaza.
There have been almost daily reports of Palestinians being killed while seeking aid since the GHF began operations in late May. Witnesses have told the BBC most have been shot by Israeli forces. Israel has said that its troops fire warning shots and has disputed reported death tolls. It accuses Hamas of instigating chaos near the aid points.
The UN, aid groups and some of Israel’s allies have blamed the country for a growing food crisis in Gaza, and called for the unrestricted entry and delivery of aid as the Hamas-run health ministry said dozens of people were dying from malnutrition. On Saturday it put the toll from the last few days at 125, including 85 children.
The World Health Organization (WHO) chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, described the crisis as “man-made mass starvation”.
The IDF said that responsibility for food distribution to the population in Gaza “lies with the UN and international aid organisations” and added they must “ensure that the aid does not reach Hamas”.
Israel’s apparent concessions on Saturday followed its acceptance of a Jordanian and UAE plan, backed by the UK, to air drop aid into Gaza. Aid agencies however said such moves would do little to mitigate the hunger of Gazans.
The head of the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency Unrwa, Philippe Lazzarini, said air drops were “expensive, inefficient, and can even kill starving civilians” if they did not go according to plan.
Lazzarini said his organisation had “the equivalent of 6,000 trucks” in Jordan and Egypt waiting to enter Gaza, and urged Israel “lift the siege, open the gates and guarantee safe movements and dignified access to people in need”.
The BBC spoke to several Gazans on Saturday who worried air drops could cause “serious harm”.
One man living in the north of the strip told BBC Arabic’s Middle East Daily that the process was “unsafe” and “caused numerous tragedies” when similar relief efforts were attempted last year.
Greece is battling five major wildfires across the country, with officials evacuating residents in a hard-hit region just 30km (18.6 miles) north of capital city Athens.
The smell of burning wood carried as far as central Athens, as Greece requested European Union assistance to fight the spreading blaze.
The ongoing emergency comes amid a severe heatwave. Temperatures are forecast to reach up to 44C (111.2F) on Sunday, with the extreme heat expected to persist through most of the weekend.
“We have injured firefighters, human lives were put at risk, properties have been burned, and forest areas have been destroyed,” Greece’s Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Giannis Kefalogiannis said.
Greece is battling five major wildfires across the country, with officials evacuating residents in a hard-hit region just 30km (18.6 miles) north of capital city Athens.
The smell of burning wood carried as far as central Athens, as Greece requested European Union assistance to fight the spreading blaze.
The ongoing emergency comes amid a severe heatwave. Temperatures are forecast to reach up to 44C (111.2F) on Sunday, with the extreme heat expected to persist through most of the weekend.
“We have injured firefighters, human lives were put at risk, properties have been burned, and forest areas have been destroyed,” Greece’s Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Giannis Kefalogiannis said.
Volunteers battle to put out a fire burning houses in the residential area of Kryoneri, in the suburbs of Athens, Greece
In Kythira, a third wildfire is engulfing a large part of the island, with residents describing scenes of “total destruction”. Several settlements have been evacuated, and the coastguard, assisted by private boats, rescued 139 people from Limnionas beach, transporting them safely to Kapsali port.
In Messinia, a fourth wildfire broke out in the Polithea area of Trifylia on Saturday morning and intensified later in the day.
Five emergency alerts have been sent via Greece’s 112 system urging people to leave multiple villages. Strong winds are making firefighting efforts difficult, with 84 firefighters, 30 vehicles and seven aircraft tackling the blaze.
Meanwhile, in Crete’s Chania region, a fifth wildfire is raging in Temenia. The fire started in two separate spots and quickly spread, destroying at least two homes.
This model isn’t real, but her beauty standards might still be influential
There’s a new supermodel in town. She’s striking, stylish… and not real.
In August’s print edition of Vogue, a Guess advert features a flawless blonde model showing off a striped maxi dress and a floral playsuit from the brand’s summer collection.
In small print in one corner, the ad reveals that she was created using AI.
While Vogue says the AI model was not an editorial decision, it is the first time an AI-generated person has featured in the magazine.
The advert has been met with controversy and raises questions about what this means for real models who have fought for greater diversity, and for consumers – particularly young people – already struggling with unrealistic beauty standards.
Seraphinne Vallora is the company behind Guess’s controversial advert.
Its founders, Valentina Gonzalez and Andreea Petrescu, tell the BBC they were approached by Guess’s co-founder, Paul Marciano, on Instagram and were asked to create an AI model as part of the brand’s summer campaign.
“We created 10 draft models for him and he selected one brunette woman and one blonde that we went ahead and developed further,” Gonzalez says.
She explains there’s often a misconception that AI image generation is simple, saying it is actually a complex process.
The company has five employees who create AI models, and it can take up to a month from idea inception to the completed product. The pair say they charge anywhere up to low six figures for a client like Guess.
‘Disheartening’
But Felicity Hayward, a plus-size model who has been in the industry for more than a decade, says using AI models in fashion campaigns “feels lazy and cheap”.
“Either Guess is doing this to create a talking point and get free publicity or they want to cut costs and don’t think about the implications of that.”
She describes Vogue’s decision to include the advert as “very disheartening and quite scary”, and worries it could undermine years of work towards more diversity in the industry.
The fashion world was making real progress to be more inclusive in the 2010s – the decade saw Valentina Sampaio become the first openly trans model to walk for Victoria’s Secret, Halima Aden was the first hijab-wearing model in global campaigns, and brands like Savage x Fenty featured plus-size models on the runway.
But in recent years, Hayward believes, the industry has slipped backwards because “these people are just not getting booked any more”.
And the use of AI models is “another kick in the teeth, and one that will disproportionately affect plus-size models”, she warns.
Gonzalez and Petrescu are adamant they don’t reinforce narrow beauty standards.
“We don’t create unattainable looks – actually the AI model for Guess looks quite realistic,” Petrescu says. “Ultimately, all adverts are created to look perfect and usually have supermodels in, so what we are doing is no different.”
The pair admit the AI images on their company’s Instagram page are lacking in diversity and promote unrealistic beauty standards. They say they have tried to be more inclusive, but it’s the users who don’t engage much with those posts.
“We’ve posted AI images of women with different skin tones, but people do not respond to them – we don’t get any traction or likes,” Gonzalez tells the BBC.
“At the end of the day, we are a business and use images on Instagram that will create a conversation and bring us clients.”
The company is yet to experiment with creating plus-size women, claiming “the technology is not advanced enough for that”.
An ad campaign by Dove in 2024 was designed to highlight the biases in AI. In the advert, an image generator is asked to create the most beautiful woman in the world and produces virtually indistinguishable women who are young, thin and white, with blonde hair and blue eyes. The images generated look similar to the Guess AI model.
Hayward worries that seeing these unattainable images could have an impact on people’s mental health and negatively affect their body image.
Concern around unrealistic beauty standards and the damaging effects they can have is nothing new. But unlike traditional airbrushing, which at least began with a real person, these AI models are digitally created to look perfect, free from human flaws, inconsistencies or uniqueness.
While some high-profile figures such as Ashley Graham, Jameela Jamil and Bella Thorne have spoken out against image editing and refuse to have their pictures Photoshopped, the use of AI sidesteps such conversations entirely.
Vogue’s decision to include an AI-generated advert has caused a stir on social media, with one user on X writing: “Wow! As if the beauty expectations weren’t unrealistic enough, here comes AI to make them impossible. Even models can’t compete.”
Vanessa Longley, CEO of eating disorder charity Beat, tells the BBC the advert is “worrying”.
“If people are exposed to images of unrealistic bodies, it can affect their thoughts about their own body, and poor body image increases the risk of developing an eating disorder,” she says.
‘Exceptionally problematic’
Adding to the issue is the lack of transparency – it is not a legal requirement to label AI-generated content in the UK.
While Guess labelled its advert as AI-generated, the disclaimer is small and subtle. Readers may overlook it and, at a glance, the image appears entirely lifelike.
Sinead Bovell, a former model and now tech entrepreneur, wrote an article for Vogue five years ago about the risks of AI replacing modelling.
She tells the BBC that not labelling AI content clearly is “exceptionally problematic” because it could have a detrimental impact on people’s mental health.
“Beauty standards are already being influenced by AI. There are young girls getting plastic surgery to look like a face in a filter – and now we see people who are entirely artificial,” she says.
Aside from the impact AI models could have on a consumer, especially if unlabelled, what about the impact of this technology on those working in the fashion industry?
Sara Ziff is a former model and founder of Model Alliance, an organisation that aims to advance workers’ rights in the fashion industry.
She says Guess’s AI campaign is “less about innovation and more about desperation and need to cut costs”.
More broadly, the former model thinks AI in the fashion industry is not inherently exploitative, but can often come at the expense of the people who bring it to life because there are many more staff involved in a photoshoot than just the model and the photographer.
“AI can positively impact the industry, but there need to be meaningful protections for workers,” she explains.
‘Supplement not replace’
Seraphinne Vallora rejects the notion that it is putting people out of work, and says its pioneering technology “is supplementary and not meant to replace models”.
“We’re offering companies another choice in how they market a product,” Petrescu explains.
The pair add that they have created jobs with their company, and part of the process of creating AI models requires them to hire a real model and photographer to see how the product looks on a person in real life.
However, its website lists one of the benefits of working with them as being cost-efficient because it “eliminates the need for expensive set-ups, MUA artists, venue rentals, stage setting, photographers, travel expenses, hiring models”.
Vogue has come under fire for including the advert in its print edition, with one person on X saying the fashion magazine had “lost credibility”.
Bovell says the magazine is “seen as the supreme court of the fashion industry”, so allowing the AI advert to run means they are “in some way ruling it as acceptable”.
The BBC approached Vogue and Guess for comment. Vogue said it was an advert, not an editorial decision, but declined to respond further.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday participated Saturday in the 60th Independence Day celebrations of the Maldives, concluding a two-day visit to the island nation. During the trip, Modi also announced financial assistance and formally launched talks on a proposed free trade agreement.
The two-day visit was seen as crucial to India’s ambition to control the seas and shipping routes of the Indian Ocean in a race with its regional rival China. It signaled a thaw in diplomatic tensions that followed the election of pro-China Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu in 2023.
Modi joined a distinguished gathering at Republic Square in the capital, Malé, where a military parade and cultural performances marked the anniversary of the Maldives gaining independence from British rule in 1965.
On Friday, following talks with Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu, Modi announced a credit line of $565 million to support development projects in the Maldives.
The visit coincided with the anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two nations in 1965. It also saw the start of talks on a free trade agreement. The two leaders oversaw the exchange of signed agreements to cooperate in sectors such as fisheries, health, tourism and digital development. Modi also handed over dozens of heavy vehicles donated by India to strengthen the Maldives’ defense forces.
The Maldives — an archipelago nation strategically located in the Indian Ocean — is a focal point in the growing geopolitical rivalry between India and China.
Tensions grew when Muizzu, who favored closer ties with China, was elected in 2023 after defeating the India-friendly incumbent Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. Leading up to the election, Muizzu had promised to expel Indian soldiers deployed in the Maldives to help with humanitarian assistance. Last year New Delhi replaced dozens of its soldiers in the Maldives with civilian experts.
Measures by Modi to promote tourism in India’s Lakshadweep archipelago, off the southwestern coast of the Indian mainland, also sparked anger from Maldivians, who saw it as a move to lure Indian tourists away from their country. Indian celebrities then called for a tourism boycott of the Maldives.
Tensions escalated last year when President Muizzu visited China before India, a move widely interpreted in New Delhi as a diplomatic snub. On his return, Muizzu outlined plans to reduce the Maldives’ reliance on India for medical services, pharmaceuticals, and essential imports such as food staples.
Relations started to improve after Muizzu attended Modi’s swearing-in ceremony for a third five-year term last year. Muizzu has since toned down his anti-Indian rhetoric, and official contacts with New Delhi have intensified amid growing concern about the Maldives’ economy.
During a visit by Muizzu to India last October, India pledged financial support to the Maldives, which has been struggling with debt. This included $100 million in short-term government loans and agreeing to a $400 million currency swap to help stabilize the Maldivian economy.
At least 11 people were stabbed in a bloody scene inside a Michigan Walmart Saturday night — causing terrified shoppers and employees to flee — before a brave armed citizen helped detain the knife-wielding maniac, according to police, witnesses and harrowing video.
The terror unfolded around 5 p.m. when the alleged 42-year-old male attacker began randomly stabbing shoppers with a “standard” folding knife in various sections of the big-box chain store in Traverse City, about 255 miles northwest of Detroit, Grand Traverse County Sheriff Michael Shea said.
“Based on the information that we have at this time, they were random acts,” Shea told reporters at a press conference Saturday night, adding that the violent knifing is “very uncommon” for the city.
Police say the suspect was taken into custody after the attack. Channel2 NOW
“Eleven [victims] is too many, but thank God it wasn’t more.”
Six of the victims are in critical condition, with the other five in serious condition.
Shea said the disturbing episode started near the store’s checkout counter.
“The whole store started screaming and running,” employee Tasha Nash told Channel2 Now.
“There was a guy with a knife — he stabbed six people. I saw someone stabbed in the eye.”
The knife-wielding monster was ultimately taken down by a pair of brave shoppers, including one who was armed, before authorities arrived and took him into custody, according to police and witnesses.
Video of the chaotic scene showed the unidentified suspect surrounded by shouting bystanders, including the armed good Samaritan.
Photos from Channel 2 Now show the sadistic suspect being placed into a Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s Office vehicle after the attack.
A shopper, who arrived at the superstore moments after the violent rampage, said she was shocked by the number of first responders on the scene.
“We were getting ready to go into Walmart as this was happening,” one witness wrote on X shortly after investigators asked the public to avoid the area.
“Of course, we weren’t allowed to go in. I have never seen so many police cars, ambulances, fire trucks, rescue vehicles and crime scene vehicles! They sent the employees home and told all of the customers to leave. Wow.”
The 11 victims were rushed to Munson Medical Center, northern Michigan’s largest hospital, where they are being treated, Munson Healthcare announced on Facebook just before 7 p.m.
“Munson Healthcare is aware of the tragic incident that occurred earlier today at the Walmart in Traverse City,” the agency said.
“Our thoughts are with all of those affected by this event, and we are grateful to the first responders and law enforcement for their swift action. As a result, our Emergency Department is currently experiencing a higher-than-usual volume of patients.”
Police have not released the name of the alleged stabber or a motive behind the nightmarish ordeal, but said the vicious suspect appears to be a Michigan resident
“Violence like this is unacceptable. Our thoughts are with those who were injured, and we’re thankful for the swift action of first responders,” a Walmart spokesperson told The Post early Sunday.
“I’m in touch with law enforcement about the horrible news out of Traverse City,” Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said on X.
“Our thoughts are with the victims and the community reeling from this brutal act of violence. I am grateful to the first responders for their swift response to apprehend the suspect.”
At least one person was injured when a plane departing Denver International Airport was forced to abort takeoff due to a landing gear failure — causing passengers to flee the flaming and smoking aircraft on an inflatable emergency slide in a chaotic scene captured on harrowing video Saturday.
American Airlines Flight 3023 had a landing gear incident as it was taking off for Miami around 2:45 p.m. local time, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
“Flight 2023, you got a lot of smoke,” an air traffic controller can be heard telling the pilot in cockpit audio from Live ATC, 9News reported.
The plane aborted takeoff due to a mechanical failure BNO News
“There was some flames. Looks like the smoke is dying down a bit,” they said.
“You are actually on fire,” the controller quickly added moments later.
Video showed passengers frantically sliding down an inflatable safety slide as thick black smoke billowed from flames engulfing the rear left side of the aircraft.
The Denver Fire Department announced it had extinguished the blaze in a social media post at 5:10 p.m. local time.
The airline said there was an issue specifically involving the Boeing 737 MAX 8’s tire, Denver 7 reported.
All 173 passengers and six crew members evacuated the plane “safely,” American Airlines said in its statement.
Six people were evaluated for minor injuries, with one transported to a local hospital after deplaning, according to Denver 7.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard fired back at former President Barack Obama, accusing him of deflecting from his administration’s “absolute failure” to vet intelligence reports used to fuel narratives of Russian collusion with the 2016 Trump campaign.
“The treasonous conspiracy that we have now released to the American people — the complicity, the deflection, and the silence of politicians, of the mainstream media, and of those directly implicated into this speaks volumes,” Gabbard said on Fox & Friends Saturday.
Gabbard fired back at Obama Saturday on Fox. MediaPunch / BACKGRID
On Tuesday, President Trump called for criminal charges against Obama, 63, for allegedly ordering an intelligence report saying Russia meddled to help him win the White House in 2016.
Trump was referring to documents Gabbard declassified last week.
Obama’s office responded, calling the claims an attempt at distracting from the scandal over the administration’s handling of the Epstein files.
“Out of respect for the office of the presidency, our office does not normally dignify the constant nonsense and misinformation flowing out of this White House with a response,” Patrick Rodenbush, a spokesman for Obama said.
“But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one. These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction,” he said, referring to the mounting pressure on Trump to release the Epstein files.
“Nothing in the document issued last week undercuts the widely accepted conclusion that Russia worked to influence the 2016 presidential election but did not successfully manipulate any votes.”
Gabbard lashed out at Obama’s answer during her Fox appearance.
“President Obama’s very carefully worded response that came from his office, again, deflects away from addressing any of the truth that was revealed,” she said.
Following the 12-day war, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, spends most days snoozing and getting “high,” an outrageous post from the Mossad’s Farsi social media account mysteriously claimed.
“How can a leader lead when they sleep half the day and spend the other half high on substances?” the post asked.
The statement came from a bizarre new premium X account that launched in recent weeks, claiming to be the official Farsi-language spokesperson — the official dialect of Iran — for the cunning Israeli intelligence agency, with regular posts trolling the Iranian regime.
An account claiming to be a Farsi spokesperson for the Mossad said the Ayatollah likes to get high. via REUTERS
“Using drugs and speaking to spirits are not appropriate traits for someone leading a nation,” the account said in another recent post.
This isn’t the way the Mossad typically communicates with the public — but according to two intelligence experts interviewed by JFeed, the strange Mossad account does appear to be authentic.
“It’s a new battlefield tool,” said Zvi Yehezkeli, a leading Arab affairs commentator for i24News, who said Iranians have become so disillusioned with the regime and Mossad operates differently there than in other countries.
“Some of the information it has shared could only have come from Mossad,” agreed Beny Sabti, an Iran expert at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies and a former IDF Persian-language officer.
Claims of Ali Khamenei’s drug use have been floated before.
An Iranian academic said in a 2022 television interview on Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated television in Turkey that the Iranian Supreme Leader often uses drugs.
“Many viewers do not know this, but Khamenei himself uses drugs,” Nour Mohamed Omara said on Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated television in Turkey in 2022.
“He has a special village in Balochistan, where the drugs used by the leader are produced. This village is run by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and no one is allowed in.”
As regards Operation Sindoor, he said weapons manufactured under the ‘Make in India’ initiative played a great role during the cross-border military offensive in destroying enemy targets and made enemies lose sleep.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday described the recently concluded FTA between India and UK as ‘historic,’ and said the trade pact showed the world’s trust in the country.
As regards Operation Sindoor, he said weapons manufactured under the ‘Make in India’ initiative played a great role during the cross-border military offensive in destroying enemy targets and made enemies lose sleep.
The PM inaugurated, laid foundation stones and dedicated projects worth Rs 4,900 crore here and underscored the NDA government’s commitment towards Tamil Nadu’s growth.
In his address after inaugurating the projects, PM Modi said he was blessed to directly land in Tamil Nadu after completing his foreign tour during which the India-UK Free Trade Agreement was signed before his visit to the Maldives.
The trade pact with Britain was ‘historic.’ “India and Britain signed a FTA. This shows the growing trust of the world and our self-confidence. We will make Viksit (developed) Bharat and Viksit Tamil Nadu with this self-confidence,” PM Modi said.
“FTA with Britain adds pace to our vision of Viksit Bharat, Viksit TN,” the PM, clad in a traditional veshti (dhoti), shirt and an ‘angavastram’ worn around the neck, said. He landed here directly after wrapping up his official tour of the Maldives.
Promising a developed India and Tamil Nadu, he said, “infrastructure and energy are the backbone of any state’s development; our focus on infrastructure and energy in last 11 years shows our commitment to TN’s growth.” The NDA government has constructed Atal Sethu, Sonmarg Tunnel, Bogibeel bridge in different parts of the country and these created thousands of job opportunities.
As regards the railways, he said it is the lifeline of industrial growth.
The projects he inaugurated on Saturday are related to airport, highways, railways, port and power in Tamil Nadu and he said that infrastructure.
The inaugurated projects include a new state-of-the-art Tuticorin airport terminal building, developed at an estimated cost of around Rs 450 crore.
As regards railway projects, it includes the electrification of the 90 km Madurai-Bodinayakkanur line, commissioned at a cost of Rs 99 Crore and the Rs 650 crore worth doubling of the 21 km Nagercoil Town-Kanniyakumari section.
The PM dedicated to the nation, two strategically significant highway projects– 4-laning of 50 km Sethiyathope-Cholapuram stretch of NH-36, developed at a cost Rs 2,350 crore and 6-laning of the 5.16 km NH-138 Tuticorin Port Road, built at around Rs 200 crore.
He inaugurated the North Cargo Berth-III with a cargo handling capacity of 6.96 MMTPA at V O Chidambaranar Port established at a cost of Rs 285 crore.
On the occasion, he invoked legendary freedom fighters from the region–VO Chidambaram Pillai, king Veerapandia Kattabomman and chieftain Veeran Azhagu Muthukon.
Residents wade along a flooded road as Typhoon Co-may intensified seasonal monsoon rains at Malabon city, Philippines on Friday, July 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
A tropical storm was blowing across the Philippines’ mountainous north Friday, worsening more than a week of bad weather that has caused at least 25 deaths and prompted evacuations in villages hit by flooding and landslides.
The storm was Typhoon Co-may when it blew Thursday night into the town of Agno in Pangasinan province with maximum sustained winds of 120 kilometers (74 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 165 kph (102 mph). It was weakening as it advanced northeastward and had sustained winds of 85 kph (53 mph) Friday afternoon.
Co-may was intensifying seasonal monsoon rains that had swamped a large swath of the country for more than a week.
Disaster-response officials have received reports of at least 25 deaths since last weekend, mostly due to flash floods, toppled trees, landslides and electrocution. Eight other people were reported missing, they said.
There were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries directly caused by Co-may, locally called Emong, the fifth weather disturbance to hit the Philippines since the rainy season started in last month. More than a dozen more tropical storms were expected to batter the Southeast Asian country the rest of the year, forecasters said.
The government shut down schools in metropolitan Manila for the third day Friday and suspended classes in 35 provinces in the main northern region of Luzon. More than 80 towns and cities, mostly in Luzon, have declared a state of calamity, a designation that speeds emergency funds and freezes the prices of commodities, including rice.
The days of stormy weather have forced 278,000 people to leave their homes for safety in emergency shelters or relatives’ homes. Nearly 3,000 houses have been damaged, the government’s disaster response agency said.
Travel by sea and air has been restricted in northern provinces being pounded or in the typhoon’s path.
Thousands of army forces, police, coast guard personnel. firefighters and civilian volunteers have been deployed to help rescue people in villages swamped in floodwaters or isolated due to roads blocked by landslides, fallen trees and boulders.
The United States said it will provide $250,000 in funding to the U.N. World Food Programme to help the Philippine government’s response. “We are tracking the devastation caused by the storms and floods and are deeply concerned for all those affected,” U.S. Ambassador MaryKay Carlson said.
After returning from his White House meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. visited emergency shelters Thursday in Rizal province to help distribute food packs to displaced residents. He later convened an emergency meeting with disaster-response officials, where he underscored the need for the government and the people to adapt to and brace for climate change and the larger number of and more unpredictable natural calamities it’s setting off.
“Everything has changed,” Marcos said. “Let’s not say, `The storm may come, what will happen?’ because the storm will really come.”
Demonstrators holds up a banner during a citizenship rally outside of the Supreme Court in Washington, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)
A federal judge on Friday blocked the Trump administration from ending birthright citizenship for the children of parents who are in the U.S. illegally, issuing the third court ruling blocking the birthright order nationwide since a key Supreme Court decision in June.
U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin, joining another district court as well as an appellate panel of judges, found that a nationwide injunction granted to more than a dozen states remains in force under an exception to the Supreme Court ruling. That decision restricted the power of lower-court judges to issue nationwide injunctions.
The states have argued Trump’s birthright citizenship order is blatantly unconstitutional and threatens millions of dollars for health insurance services that are contingent on citizenship status. The issue is expected to move quickly back to the nation’s highest court.
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement the administration looked forward to “being vindicated on appeal.”
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin, who helped lead the lawsuit before Sorokin, said in a statement he was “thrilled the district court again barred President Trump’s flagrantly unconstitutional birthright citizenship order from taking effect anywhere.”
“American-born babies are American, just as they have been at every other time in our Nation’s history,” he added. “The President cannot change that legal rule with the stroke of a pen.”
Lawyers for the government had argued Sorokin should narrow the reach of his earlier ruling granting a preliminary injunction, saying it should be “tailored to the States’ purported financial injuries.”
Sorokin said a patchwork approach to the birthright order would not protect the states in part because a substantial number of people move between states. He also blasted the Trump administration, saying it had failed to explain how a narrower injunction would work.
“That is, they have never addressed what renders a proposal feasible or workable, how the defendant agencies might implement it without imposing material administrative or financial burdens on the plaintiffs, or how it squares with other relevant federal statutes,” the judge wrote. “In fact, they have characterized such questions as irrelevant to the task the Court is now undertaking. The defendants’ position in this regard defies both law and logic.”
Sorokin acknowledged his order would not be the last word on birthright citizenship. Trump and his administration “are entitled to pursue their interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment, and no doubt the Supreme Court will ultimately settle the question,” Sorokin wrote. “But in the meantime, for purposes of this lawsuit at this juncture, the Executive Order is unconstitutional.”
The administration has not yet appealed any of the recent court rulings. Trump’s efforts to deny citizenship to children born to parents who are in the country illegally or temporarily will remain blocked unless and until the Supreme Court says otherwise.
A federal judge in New Hampshire issued a ruling earlier this month prohibiting Trump’s executive order from taking effect nationwide in a new class-action lawsuit. U.S. District Judge Joseph LaPlante in New Hampshire had paused his own decision to allow for the Trump administration to appeal, but with no appeal filed, his order went into effect.
On Wednesday, a San Francisco-based appeals court found the president’s executive order unconstitutional and affirmed a lower court’s nationwide block.
A Maryland-based judge said last week that she would do the same if an appeals court signed off.
The justices ruled last month that lower courts generally can’t issue nationwide injunctions, but it didn’t rule out other court orders that could have nationwide effects, including in class-action lawsuits and those brought by states. The Supreme Court did not decide whether the underlying citizenship order is constitutional.
Plaintiffs in the Boston case earlier argued that the principle of birthright citizenship is “enshrined in the Constitution,” and that Trump does not have the authority to issue the order, which they called a “flagrantly unlawful attempt to strip hundreds of thousands of American-born children of their citizenship based on their parentage.”
They also argue that Trump’s order halting automatic citizenship for babies born to people in the U.S. illegally or temporarily would cost states funding they rely on to “provide essential services” — from foster care to health care for low-income children, to “early interventions for infants, toddlers, and students with disabilities.”
Notorious sex criminal Ghislaine Maxwell answered questions from Justice Department officials about “100 different people” linked to late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, an attorney for the disgraced socialite claimed Friday following two days of interrogation led by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche during which she was reportedly granted limited immunity.
David Oscar Markus told reporters that his client, currently serving a 20-year sentence after being convicted in Manhattan of federal sex trafficking and conspiracy charges in December 2021, was “asked about every possible thing you could imagine – everything.”
“This was the first opportunity she’s ever been given to answer questions about what happened,” Markus added. “The truth will come out about what happened with Mr. Epstein and she’s the person who’s answering those questions.”
Ghislaine Maxwell was interviewed by DOJ officials on Friday, and gave information on about ‘100 different people’ who were linked to Jeffrey Epstein.
Blanche had “every single question” answered during the sitdown, Maxwell’s attorney also said, with the British-born convict declining to plead the Fifth Amendment.
“If she lies they could charge her with lying,” Markus noted.
“They did charge her with lying,” a reporter challenged him, referring to two perjury counts that Markus noted were dropped by the feds after her conviction.
“No one is above the law — and no lead is off-limits,” Blanche posted on X Tuesday in announcing he would speak with Maxwell.
Maxwell, 63, is appealing her conviction and sentencing, and legal observers have speculated her willingness to answer questions is tied to a potential clemency grant by President Trump.
Her attorney described the commander in chief Friday as “the ultimate dealmaker” and claimed his client had “been treated unfairly for the past five years” and “didn’t get a fair trial.”
“We hope he exercises that power in a right and just way,” Markus added.
Trump, 79, told reporters after landing in Glasgow, Scotland that “I don’t know anything about the conversation” between Blanche and Maxwell because “I haven’t really been following it.”
“This is no time to be talking about pardons,” the president added after saying hours earlier while leaving the White House that “I haven’t thought” about the idea.
Maxwell reportedly initiated the sitdowns with the DOJ and answered questions for roughly nine hours, according to ABC News.
The proffer immunity granted to Maxwell allowed her to answer questions without her responses later being used against her in a criminal case, sources told the outlet.
Proffer immunity is typically granted to individuals prosecutors want cooperation from in a criminal case.
In 2022, the Department of Justice expressed doubts that Maxwell could be truthful, writing in court filings that she displayed a “significant pattern of dishonest conduct” and failed to take responsibility for her heinous crimes.
Court papers the prior year revealed that prosecutors never seriously entertained the prospect of offering the women dubbed “Epstein’s madam” a plea agreement after the financier was found dead in his Manhattan jail cell while awaiting his own federal trial on Aug. 10, 2019.
According to Markus, Epstein’s attorneys had been informed that “no potential co-conspirators would be prosecuted” as part of his talks with government lawyers following his July 2019 arrest on sex trafficking charges.
“I don’t think President Trump knows that the Justice Department took the position that that promise should not be upheld,” he claimed.
In February, Attorney General Pam Bondi teased a full disclosure of federal investigatory files on Epstein during a Fox News interview — including a purported “client list” of high-powered associates — but no such reveal came.
On July 6, the DOJ and FBI put out a two-page memo disclosing that there was “no credible evidence” that 66-year-old had a “client list” or “blackmailed prominent individuals” in his sickening sexual exploitation of girls — some as young as 14 years old.
“We did not uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties,” the memo also stated.
Epstein counted influential politicians and businessmen as his associates — including former President Bill Clinton, Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Trump.
The 47th president had a falling out with Epstein in 2004 — and reportedly later banned him from Mar-a-Lago for acting inappropriately with a club member’s daughter.
Two flight attendants were injured after a commercial Southwest Airlines jet suddenly dropped 475 feet to avoid a “midair collision” shortly after takeoff at a Los Angeles-area airport Friday, with one frightened passenger saying the aircraft “was just in a freefall.”
Southwest Flight 1496 dove from 14,100 feet to 13,625 feet just six minutes after taking off from Hollywood Burbank Airport, according to FlightRadar24 data.
The pilot told concerned flyers that the drastic maneuver was carried out to avoid “a midair collision,” passenger Steve Ulasewicz told ABC News.
The sudden evasive maneuver left two flight attendants injured. Shutterstock
“The plane was just in a free fall. It was pandemonium,” he told NBC 4 Los Angeles.
Passengers screamed as the plane dropped for what felt like 10 seconds, according to Ulasewicz.
Comedian Jimmy Dore was on the flight, relaying that he and several other flyers were tossed about the cabin during the startling descent.
“Pilot had to dive aggressively to avoid midair collision over Burbank airport,” he wrote on X after landing in Sin City.
“Myself & Plenty of people flew out of their seats & bumped heads on ceiling, a flight attendant needed medical attention,” the California-based funnyman, 60, said.
Dore’s manager was also on the plane and was floored by the near-catastrophe.
“We’re driving home,” Stef Zamoramo said in a video posted on X from the cabin.
Tracking data showed that the plane — moving at 450 mph — proceeded to climb 20 seconds after the initial and sharp decline.
Southwest said two flight attendants were injured during the desperate life-saving swerve, but no passengers were injured.
Another plane, a Hawker Hunter aircraft, was near the Southwest plane at approximately 14,633 feet, according to ABC News.
✈️ Close Call in the Skies Near Burbank
This Friday (25), a Southwest Airlines flight out of Hollywood Burbank Airport had to make a rapid descent of 475 feet to avoid another aircraft, according to flight tracking data and passengers onboard.
The pilots of the Hawker Hunter reported having the Boeing 737 in sight, but were not properly instructed by air traffic control, ABC News reported, citing sources.
Multiple Hawker Hunters — a British-designed, fixed-wing military-style aircraft — were being operated in the area, according to the outlet.
Southwest said in a statement that its pilots were responding to two onboard traffic alerts and that the descent action was to “comply” with those warnings.
The pilot told passengers in an onboard update after the scare that the plane used software to make the evasive move, Ulasewicz told NBC.
Far-left Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez flouted House ethics rules by accepting more than $3,700 in rented apparel and other gifts for her notorious appearance at the 2021 Met Gala — including a glitzy gown emblazoned with “Tax The Rich” in blood-red letters and a free ticket for her then-boyfriend Riley Roberts — but paying under $1,000 for the goodies.
The House Ethics Committee faulted the Bronx and Queens “Squad” member for not complying with its regulation on gifts and improperly giving Roberts a free ride to the $35,000-per-ticket annual charity event hosted by Vogue grande dame Anna Wintour — but said it wouldn’t sanction AOC further.
Fair-market value to rent the Brother Vellies couture dress designed by Aurora James with a retail price tag of more than $18,000 — as well as luxury shoes, jewelry, a floral hairpiece, and a handbag — amounted to $3,724.04, according to the 10-member panel.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Riley Roberts attend the Met Gala in 2021. GC Images
Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign stiffed vendors on the payments for months, and the congresswoman ultimately forked over just $990.76, the bulk of which was paid with personal funds.
The lefty pol’s reps also disputed costs listed on the initial invoice and tried to drive them down by offering comparisons to similar gowns listed on the website Rent the Runway.
“Representative Ocasio-Cortez’s attempt to apply a retail rental cost to a handmade couture gown was unrealistic,” the report stated flatly.
The 26-page report also found “most payments were not made until after repeated attempts at collection from unpaid vendors, threatened legal action, or following the initiation of OCC’s [Office of Congressional Conduct] review.”
The OCC’s initial review in 2022 had spurred the Ethics Committee to issue subpoenas, but a designer and publicist sat instead for voluntary interviews with the House panel.
The more-than-three-year investigation “did not find evidence” that Ocasio-Cortez intentionally underpaid for any goods or services” — but placed some blame on members of her staff, including ex-campaign manager Rebecca Rodriguez.
In one notable interaction, Rodriguez — who had been fired by 2023 — asked a publicist why an initial invoice for the gown amounted to $1,300. The amount was later reduced to $300.
Another $477.73 bill to a hairstylist went unpaid by Rodriguez for almost half a year, leading the stylist to threaten “to file a complaint with the NY Dept of Labor against Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for Congress.”
“[T]he Committee determined that no sanction was merited, provided Representative Ocasio-Cortez: (1) donates the $250 value of Mr. Roberts’ Met Gala meal to the Costume Institute and (2) pays Brother Vellies an additional $2,733.28 for the fair market value of the goods that she received in connection with her 2021 Met Gala attendance,” concluded the report, which the ethics panel unanimously voted to adopt in a closed-door session Tuesday.
Mike Casca, AOC’s chief of staff, said in a statement: “The Congresswoman appreciates the Committee finding that she made efforts to ensure her compliance with House Rules and sought to act consistently with her ethical requirements as a Member of the House. She accepts the ruling and will remedy the remaining amounts, as she’s done at each step in this process.”
House rules bar lawmakers from accepting gifts, with tickets to “charity” balls or “widely-attended” events for oneself and a spouse or child among the exceptions.
However, Wintour personally invited Ocasio-Cortez and Roberts to the soiree “as guests of Vogue” — rather than the Metropolitan Museum of Art or its Costume Institute — and directed a designer at Brother Vellies “to make a dress from scratch” for the occasion, putting the lawmaker in the crosshairs of the ethics committee.
In July 2021, with the gala just four months away, the designer claimed the demand by Wintour was “insane” because the designer fashioned shoes or handbags and “do[es]n’t make clothes.”
Staff instructed vendors to “keep costs down” but there were “multiple occasions where the Congresswoman and her team were met with responses from collaborators and involved companies to the effect of ‘Met Gala attendees don’t normally pay for this,’” AOC’s counsel said.
The rented shoes were valued at $635 and rented for $160. The Brother Vellies handbag had a retail price of $995 and a rental value of $157. Jewelry was rented for $78, and a paper hibiscus flower was bought for $35.
Matcha mania is sweeping the world. The bright green Japanese tea can be found in everything from Starbucks’ lattes in the UK to Krispy Kreme doughnuts in Singapore.
The global matcha craze is being driven by social media, with influencers sharing brewing tips, reviews and recipes. The “Matcha Tok” hashtag has clocked up tens of millions of views.
Matcha’s growing popularity is also linked to Japan’s post-pandemic tourism boom, with the country’s weak currency making it an attractive destination as well as boosting demand for Japanese goods.
In the midst of the hype, demand for the powder is soaring. US-based tea importer Lauren Purvis tells the BBC her customers are seeing what was once a month’s supply of matcha running out in days.
“Some cafes are even asking for a kilo a day. They’re desperate to keep up,” says Ms Purvis, who runs Mizuba Tea Co.
But that surging demand, combined with smaller tea crops due to heatwaves and US tariffs on Japan, is also pushing up matcha prices.
Traditionally, Matcha – which is sought for its health benefits, caffeine and flavour – is the product of a centuries-old and highly-specialised process.
It is made from green tea leaves called tencha, which are kept under shade for weeks while they’re still growing. This step is crucial for developing the tea’s signature “umami” flavour – a savoury taste that complements its natural sweetness.
The leaves are harvested, dried and ground into powder using stone mills, which can produce just 40g (1.4oz) of matcha an hour.
But in recent months growers have struggled, as record-breaking heatwaves have hit crops.
In the Kyoto region, where about a quarter of Japan’s tencha comes from, hot weather has led to poor harvests even as demand soars.
The country also faces a shortage of farmers as its population ages and not enough younger people go into the industry.
Shops in Uji, a city in Kyoto famous for matcha, often see their shelves emptied by tourists as soon as their doors open.
As a result, many retailers have set limits on how much customers can buy.
Kyoto-based Camellia Tea Ceremony allows customers to purchase only one tin of matcha each as visitor numbers doubled over the last year, says director Atsuko Mori.
Tea master Rie Takeda says she also has to closely monitor her stocks of matcha, as orders that would previously arrive in just days can now take more than a week.
She works for Chazen, a tea ceremony chain based in Tokyo, which hosts traditional rituals serving matcha to guests.
Shortages mean tea prices at Chazen’s outlets have risen by around 30% this year.
“[The demand] is good,” Ms Takeda said through a translator. “It’s a gateway for more people to know about Japanese culture.”
It has also attracted more growers.
Matcha production nearly tripled between 2010 and 2023, according to Japan’s agricultural ministry.
It also says green tea exports, including matcha, also rose 25% last year to 36.4bn yen (£180m; $250m).
Savour, not hoard
The matcha craze has sparked a movement to promote more mindful consumption.
Advocates call out people they see as hoarding matcha or profiteering from its popularity. Others urge tea drinkers to be careful about how much they use, and to savour matcha in its purest form rather than as an ingredient in recipes.
It’s “a bit sad” to see high-grade matcha used in cooking – where its delicate flavour is often lost – or stockpiled for resale, said Ms Mori.
“Matcha is the highest grade of tea and it’s so special to us. So there’s a bit of a contradiction when I hear stories about how it’s resold or used in food.”
The Global Japanese Tea Association is encouraging people to use lower-grade matcha from later harvests, which is more abundant and better-suited for cooking.
High-grade matcha often loses its delicate flavour when used in drinks like lattes, it adds.
“Promoting awareness of these distinctions helps ensure Japanese tea is enjoyed with respect, while supporting the craft and tradition behind it,” the association says.
It also says matcha prices are likely to rise further due to tariffs the US is imposing on Japan.
On Tuesday, Washington and Tokyo announced a trade deal that will mean a 15% import tax on Japanese products going into the US.
Matcha distributors like Ms Purvis are bracing for the impact. The Oregon-based entrepreneur says orders surged by more than 70% in early July ahead of a deadline for the two countries to reach a trade agreement.
International concern has risen this week with warnings that starvation has gripped Gaza
Almost one in three people in the Gaza Strip are going for days without eating, the UN’s food aid programme has warned.
“Malnutrition is surging with 90,000 women and children in urgent need of treatment,” the World Food Programme (WFP) said in a statement.
Warnings of starvation in Gaza have intensified this week. Nine more people died of malnutrition on Friday, according to the Palestinian territory’s Hamas-run health ministry – bringing the total such deaths since the war began to 122.
Israel, which controls the entry of all supplies into Gaza, says there is no restriction on aid getting into the territory and blames Hamas for any malnutrition.
On Friday, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer suggested the UK would play a role in dropping aid into Gaza by air after more than a third of MPs signed a letter calling on the government to recognise a Palestinian state.
This came after an Israeli security official had said that airdrops of aid into Gaza could be allowed in the coming days – something aid agencies have previously cautioned is an inefficient way to get supplies into Gaza.
“News that Israel will allow countries to airdrop aid into Gaza has come far too late – but we will do everything we can to get aid in via this route,” Sir Starmer wrote in The Mirror.
Sir Keir also said the UK was “urgently accelerating efforts” to evacuate children who need critical medical assistance to the UK for treatment.
While local media reported the United Arab Emirates and Jordan would carry out the latest drops, a senior Jordanian official told the BBC that its military was yet to receive permission from Israel to do so.
The UN has described the move as a “distraction to inaction” by the Israeli government.
The move came amid mounting international concern about humanitarian conditions in Gaza.
On Friday, Germany, France and the UK called on Israel to “immediately lift restrictions on the flow of aid” into the territory.
In a joint statement, they called for an immediate end to the “humanitarian catastrophe that we are witnessing in Gaza,” and to the war itself, adding that Israel must “uphold its obligations under international humanitarian law”.
“Withholding essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable,” read the statement.
The UN Secretary General António Guterres said he could not “explain the level of indifference and inaction we see by too many in the international community – the lack of compassion, the lack of truth, the lack of humanity”.
Addressing the Amnesty International global assembly, he said more than 1,000 Palestinians had been killed while trying to access food since 27 May – when the US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) began distributing supplies as an alternative to the UN-led system.
A US security contractor who worked for the GHF in May and June 2025 told the BBC on Friday that he had “without question… witnessed war crimes” during that time.
Anthony Aguilar said he saw the IDF and US contractors using live ammunition, artillery, mortar rounds, and tank fire on civilians at food distribution sites.
The retired soldier said: “In my entire career, I have never witnessed the level of brutality and use of indiscriminate and unnecessary force against a civilian population until I was in Gaza at the hands of the IDF and US contractors.”
In its response, the GHF said the claims – which came from “a disgruntled former contractor who was terminated for misconduct a month ago” – were “categorically false”.
Meanwhile, the future of talks to secure a new ceasefire and hostage-release deal remains uncertain, after the US and Israel withdrew their negotiating teams from Qatar.
US President Donald Trump said Hamas “didn’t really want to make a deal”.
“I think they want to die,” he said.
Hamas has expressed surprise about the US remarks.
A senior Hamas official also told the BBC’s Gaza correspondent that mediators had informed the group negotiations had not collapsed, and said the Israeli delegation was expected to return to Doha next week.
Israel launched a war in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.
More than 59,000 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Israel imposed a total blockade of aid deliveries at the start of March and resumed its military offensive against Hamas two weeks later, collapsing a two-month ceasefire. It said it wanted to put pressure on the group to release its remaining Israeli hostages.
Although the blockade was partially eased after almost two months amid warnings of a looming famine from global experts, the shortages of food, medicine and fuel have worsened.
KYIV – During a pivotal push by Ukraine to retake territory from Russia in late September 2022, Elon Musk gave an order that disrupted the counteroffensive and dented Kyiv’s trust in Starlink, the satellite internet service the billionaire provided early in the war to help Ukraine’s military maintain battlefield connectivity.
According to three people familiar with the command, Musk told a senior engineer at the California offices of SpaceX, the Musk venture that controls Starlink, to cut coverage in areas including Kherson, a strategic region north of the Black Sea that Ukraine was trying to reclaim.
“We have to do this,” Michael Nicolls, the Starlink engineer, told colleagues upon receiving the order, one of these people said. Staffers complied, the three people told Reuters, deactivating at least a hundred Starlink terminals, their hexagon-shaped cells going dark on an internal map of the company’s coverage. The move also affected other areas seized by Russia, including some of Donetsk province further east.
Upon Musk’s order, Ukrainian troops suddenly faced a communications blackout, according to a Ukrainian military official, an advisor to the armed forces, and two others who experienced Starlink failure near the front lines. Soldiers panicked, drones surveilling Russian forces went dark, and long-range artillery units, reliant on Starlink to aim their fire, struggled to hit targets.
As a result, the Ukrainian military official and the military advisor said, troops failed to surround a Russian position in the town of Beryslav, east of Kherson, the administrative center of the region of the same name. “The encirclement stalled entirely,” said the military official in an interview. “It failed.”
Ultimately, Ukraine’s counteroffensive succeeded in reclaiming Beryslav, the city of Kherson and some additional territory Russia had occupied. But Musk’s order, which hasn’t previously been reported, is the first known instance of the billionaire actively shutting off Starlink coverage over a battlefield during the conflict. The decision shocked some Starlink employees and effectively reshaped the front line of the fighting, enabling Musk to take “the outcome of a war into his own hands,” another one of the three people said.
The account of the command counters Musk’s narrative of how he has handled Starlink service in Ukraine amid the war. As recently as March, in a post on X, his social media site, Musk wrote: “We would never do such a thing.”
Musk and Nicolls didn’t respond to requests from Reuters for comment.
A SpaceX spokesperson said by email that the news agency’s reporting is “inaccurate” and referred reporters to an X post earlier this year in which the company said: “Starlink is fully committed to providing service to Ukraine.” The spokesperson didn’t specify any inaccuracies in this report or answer a lengthy list of questions regarding the incident, Starlink’s role in the Ukraine war, or other details regarding its business.
The office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and the country’s Ministry of Defence didn’t respond to requests for comment. Starlink still provides service to Ukraine, and the Ukrainian military relies on it for some connectivity. Zelenskiy as recently as this year has publicly expressed gratitude to Musk for Starlink.
“Elon Musk’s current global dominance exemplifies the dangers of concentrated power in unregulated domains”
It isn’t clear what prompted Musk’s command, when exactly he gave it, or precisely how long the outage lasted. The three people familiar with the order said they believed it stemmed from concerns Musk expressed later that Ukrainian advances could provoke nuclear retaliation from Russia. One of the people said the shutoff transpired on September 30, 2022. The two others said it was around then, but didn’t recall the exact date. Some senior U.S. officials shared Musk’s concerns that Russia would make good on threats to escalate, one former White House staffer told Reuters.
Musk’s order was an early glimpse of the power the magnate now wields in geopolitics and global security because of Starlink, a fast-growing satellite internet service that barely existed early this decade and now provides connectivity even in remote areas of the world. Even before his brief role as financial backer and advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump, the success of Starlink – and the unrivaled connectivity it offers across the planet – had given Musk increasing influence with political leaders, governments and militaries worldwide.
Coverage Cutoff
The shutoff of Starlink over parts of Ukraine in fall 2022 affected connectivity in some regions, including Kherson and Donetsk, still occupied by Russian forces today.
Musk’s sway in military affairs in Washington and beyond – through Starlink’s dominance in satellite communications and SpaceX’s clout in space launches – has reached a dimension previously limited to sovereign governments, alarming some regulators and lawmakers. “Elon Musk’s current global dominance exemplifies the dangers of concentrated power in unregulated domains,” Martha Lane Fox, a member of Britain’s upper house of parliament, said during a debate earlier this year. The parliamentarian is a businesswoman and former board member at Twitter, the social media site that Musk acquired in 2022 and rebranded as X.
“Its control,” Lane Fox said of Starlink, “rests solely with Musk, allowing his whims to dictate access to vital infrastructure.”
Musk’s political influence, and his massive business with the U.S. federal government, are now being put to the test. Since leaving his role advising Trump, Musk has publicly feuded with the president, announced plans to create a new political party, and criticized a signature spending bill that he said will expand the budget deficit and destroy jobs. Trump, for his part, has threatened to end government contracts and subsidies for Musk’s companies, including lucrative new defense projects.
Whatever the reason for Musk’s decision, the shutoff over Kherson and other regions surprised some involved with the Ukraine war – from troops on the ground to U.S. military and foreign policy officials, who after Russia’s full-scale invasion that February had worked to secure Starlink service for Ukrainian forces. Panicked calls by Ukrainian officials during the outage to seek information from Pentagon counterparts, five people familiar with the incident said, were met with few explanations for what could have caused it.
The U.S. Department of Defense declined to comment. Reuters couldn’t determine whether White House or Pentagon officials after the shutdown had any exchanges with Musk over the outage.
The Kherson episode is distinct from an earlier report of an incident that purportedly occurred that same September, involving Crimea just to the south, and raised concerns about Musk’s ability to influence the conflict in Ukraine.
In his 2023 biography of Musk, author Walter Isaacson reported that the tycoon had ordered Starlink to disable coverage in Crimea, which Russia had annexed from Ukraine after a 2014 invasion that the international community condemned as illegal. Musk, Isaacson wrote, believed a planned Ukrainian attack on Russian vessels in the Crimean port of Sevastopol could prompt nuclear retaliation.
After the book was published, Musk denied a shutdown, saying that there had never been coverage in Crimea to begin with. He said he had, rather, rejected a Ukrainian request to provide service ahead of Kyiv’s planned attack. Isaacson later conceded his account was flawed. A spokesperson at Isaacson’s publisher declined to comment or make him available for an interview.
SpaceX also said in 2023 that it had taken unspecified steps to prevent Ukraine from using Starlink for certain activities, including drone attacks. “Our intent was never to have them use it for offensive purposes,” Gwynne Shotwell, the company’s president, said at a conference in Washington in February of that year. “There are things that we can do, and have done” to prevent it, she added, without providing further detail.
Reuters couldn’t determine if the shutdown affecting Kherson was among the steps she was referring to. Shotwell didn’t respond to requests for comment for this article.
Following the start of the Kherson shutdown, word of an outage emerged in some media reports. At the time, it wasn’t clear to those who lost connectivity whether a technical problem, sabotage or some other factor was responsible. Early in the war, Russia had orchestrated a large cyberattack that disrupted service of another satellite operator, Western officials have said, creating suspicions around any outage and leaving a void quickly filled by Starlink. Russia has denied it conducts offensive cyberattacks.
As of April 2025, according to Ukrainian government social media posts, Kyiv has received more than 50,000 Starlink terminals. Easily transported and deployed, the pizza-box-sized devices communicate with thousands of SpaceX satellites now circling the globe. An initial batch of terminals was provided to Ukraine by SpaceX itself. Further terminals have arrived from donors including Poland, the United States and Germany.
This account of the outage, and the growing dependence on Musk by governments and militaries worldwide, is based on interviews with more than three dozen people with knowledge of SpaceX’s operations and the company’s technology. These people included current and former employees, U.S. and European military officials, and senior politicians and diplomats.
The reporting puts a spotlight on Musk’s control of services now critical to countries including the U.S., which has about $22 billion in contracts with SpaceX. Underscoring the point himself during his recent dispute with Trump, Musk threatened to decommission a SpaceX spacecraft the U.S. now relies upon to transport astronauts and critical cargo.
His threat, later retracted, unnerved attorneys at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, who felt forced to explore whether Musk’s warning could be considered a notice of contract termination, according to two people familiar with the matter. NASA didn’t respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
“There needs to be some contractual assurances” that Musk won’t cut off services to the U.S. government, said Lori Garver, a former deputy administrator of the agency. “We will need to consider how comfortable the U.S. will be at putting SpaceX in the critical path on national security.”
As countries increasingly rely on tech companies for everything from cyber defense to data storage, the question of dependence on one or a few dominant service providers will apply to other nations, too. “Governments have to think through what that means,” said Marcus Willett, former deputy head of Britain’s Government Communications Headquarters intelligence agency and now a senior adviser to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a London-based think tank.
“WE NEED ASSURANCES”
SpaceX is the first company to establish an extensive network of communication satellites in low-Earth orbit, a region of space that is closer to the planet than areas where such satellites historically reside. The proximity of satellites that now make up the company’s constellation allows Starlink to offer space-based wireless connectivity that is faster than any previously available.
Starlink on Thursday suffered a rare global outage of several hours, the company said, because of an internal software problem. A Ukrainian military commander in a social media post said “Starlink is down across the entire front,” updating the post two and a half hours later to say connectivity had returned.
With more than 7,900 satellites now in orbit, SpaceX has become the world’s largest satellite operator. Its devices, which relay signals among each other to create a network that communicates with the ground, account for about two-thirds of all active satellites in space, according to Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Center for Astrophysics, Harvard & Smithsonian.
Starlink began rolling out service in 2020 and now has more than six million customers in over 140 countries, territories and markets, according to a June Starlink social media post. Novaspace, a consulting firm near Paris, estimates that Starlink in 2025 will generate about $9.8 billion in revenue for SpaceX, or about 60% of the company’s income. SpaceX is privately held and doesn’t disclose financial information, but Musk recently said he expects the rocket company to post revenues of about $15.5 billion this year.
Rivals are scrambling to get in on the market.
OneWeb, a European service owned by Eutelsat, a French company, is the furthest along, boasting about 650 satellites in low-Earth orbit. Amazon this year launched its first satellites for Project Kuiper, a $10 billion effort to compete. China is developing multiple networks, including a state-backed venture known as SpaceSail.
Still, Starlink has made much of its first-mover advantage. Its terminals, priced as low as a few hundred dollars for standard models, are known for being affordable and easy to use. “There is no existing system right now to replace Starlink,” said Grace Khanuja, an analyst at Novaspace, the consultancy near Paris.
Compared to the geostationary satellites historically used for communications, the sheer number of SpaceX satellites helps make Starlink less vulnerable to jamming and attacks. Its far reach makes it valuable in remote and hostile terrain – from battlefields to airspace to high seas. In Ukraine, it has facilitated activities including communications, intelligence and drone piloting.
Some Western militaries not engaged in conflict are also using the service. Britain’s armed forces, for instance, three years ago began using Starlink for “welfare purposes,” including personal communications for troops, the Ministry of Defence said in response to a freedom of information request. The ministry said it has fewer than 1,000 Starlink terminals and doesn’t employ them for sensitive military communications. Spain’s navy is also using Starlink, but only for recreation and leisure of troops, a spokesperson said.
“That will change,” said Chris Moore, a retired air vice-marshal in the British military, speaking about high-speed space-based connectivity. Moore also worked as a OneWeb executive and is now a defense industry consultant. Satellites in low-Earth orbit, he said, offer too many advantages for militaries to ignore, especially for modern developments such as drone warfare, a signature element of the Ukraine conflict.
Some leaders are leery.
In Taiwan, ever wary of conflict with China, officials have expressed concern about Musk’s extensive business interests on the mainland, including a major factory for Tesla, the electric vehicle company he controls. Eager for communications backups in the event of war, Taiwan is developing its own low-Earth orbit satellite network. Taiwanese officials have said the government could partner with Amazon’s Kuiper, too.
Spokespersons for the Taiwanese government said it welcomes international satellite providers but that Starlink hasn’t applied for a license in Taiwan. They didn’t respond to questions about Taipei’s relationship with Musk.
In Italy, the government is evaluating whether to employ Starlink for secure communications among the government, defense and other officials. But some officials, including President Sergio Mattarella, remain unconvinced by SpaceX’s assurances that its service would be secure and free from meddling by Musk. “More than Musk’s word, we need assurances that we can’t be shut down, and especially that he can’t access the data,” said a person familiar with the views of the president, who is an influential figure with the armed forces.
Poland, a major donor to Ukraine, told Reuters it employs Starlink as well as other military and commercial satellite systems. A mix of providers, Polish officials have said, offers the most security, even if at high cost.
“In peacetime, you want the best product at the best price,” Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said in response to a question from Reuters at a press conference in April. “In wartime, you want redundancy. You want security. You want duplicated systems, so that if one fails, you can still use the other.”
“THERE WAS NOT A CONNECTION”
Even before the conflict began, documents reviewed by Reuters show, SpaceX had already been in discussions with the U.S. government about providing Starlink in Ukraine. Rollout began after Russian troops crossed the border on February 24, 2022.
Two days later, Mykhailo Fedorov, a deputy prime minister in Ukraine, requested Musk’s help. “We ask you to provide Ukraine with Starlink stations,” he wrote on Twitter.
Musk responded in 10 hours. “Starlink service is now active in Ukraine,” he tweeted. “More terminals en route.”
Poland was also instrumental in the early days of the war, shipping thousands of terminals to Ukraine shortly after the invasion. Warsaw this year said it has purchased about 25,000 Starlink terminals for the effort – roughly half the total now in Ukraine – and that it is paying the subscription costs to keep them connected. So far, it has spent about $89 million on Starlink for Ukraine.
The equipment has made a critical difference for Ukraine.
Day-to-day bureaucracy has also benefited. Early in the conflict, Ukraine stored state data in the cloud and relied on Starlink to access it, helping keep some government operations running. “We wouldn’t be anywhere without Starlink,” said Vadym Prystaiko, Ukraine’s ambassador to Britain until 2023. “The whole state was preserved.”
On the battlefield, Ukraine quickly deployed Starlink to enable front-line troops to communicate with commanders. The service also allowed drone operators to transmit surveillance video streams and locate and attack Russian targets. Reuters couldn’t establish just when such attacks may have become a concern for Musk or SpaceX.
By September 2022, a major Ukrainian counteroffensive was underway. Kyiv’s forces were pushing back into territories, including Kherson, that Russia had captured. The drive threatened Russian supply lines, prompting Moscow to threaten the West, including oblique references to Starlink.
That month, in a statement to the United Nations, Russia noted the use of “elements of civilian, including commercial, infrastructure in outer space for military purposes.” It warned that “quasi-civilian infrastructure may become a legitimate target for retaliation.”
It isn’t clear whether Russia has tried to attack any Starlink facilities. Musk has said, however, that Moscow has repeatedly sought to block its connectivity. “SpaceX is spending significant resources combating Russian jamming efforts,” Musk wrote on X last year. “This is a tough problem.”
The Kremlin declined to comment on whether it has sought to interfere with Starlink. The Ministry of Defence didn’t respond to a request for comment. Starlink isn’t licensed for either civilian or military use in Russia.
As Ukraine’s counterattack intensified, Russian President Vladimir Putin on September 21, 2022, ordered a partial mobilization of reservists, Russia’s first since World War II. He also threatened to use nuclear weapons if Russia’s own “territorial integrity” were at risk.
Around this time, Musk engaged in weeks of backchannel conversations with senior officials in the administration of President Joe Biden, according to three former U.S. government officials and one of the people familiar with Musk’s order to stop service. During those conversations, the former White House staffer told Reuters, U.S. intelligence and security officials expressed concern that Putin could follow through on his threats. Musk, this person added, worried too, and asked U.S. officials if they knew where and how Ukraine used Starlink on the battlefield.
Soon after, he ordered the shutdown.
Reuters couldn’t ascertain the full geographic extent of the outage, but the three people familiar with the stoppage said that it covered regions that had recently been taken by Russia. Starlink coverage prior to the order, they said, had been active up to what had been Ukraine’s border with Russia before the full-scale invasion.
Taras Tymochko, a Ukrainian military signals specialist stationed in the Kherson region at the time, said an outage disrupted communications for troops, including colleagues on the front, for several hours. “If you were using Starlink to provide surveillance of the front line, you pretty much would be blind,” said Tymochko, who is now a consultant to Come Back Alive, a non-governmental organization that procures military equipment for Ukraine’s armed forces.
Maryna Tsirkun, a drone expert at Aerorozvidka, an aerial reconnaissance organization that works closely with the Ukrainian military, was also in southern Ukraine at the time. Starlink signals failed as Ukrainian troops began to push toward terrain seized by Russia, she told Reuters. “When we started to proceed there was not a connection,” she said. The outage she and colleagues experienced lasted several days.
On October 3, Musk angered Zelenskiy and other Ukrainian officials by tweeting a suggestion that locals in regions annexed by Russia vote on whether they should remain a part of Ukraine. A day later, Musk tweeted his concern about the conflict spiraling. “I still very much support Ukraine,” he tweeted, “but am convinced that massive escalation of the war will cause great harm to Ukraine and possibly the world.”
Three days later, following one media report about a Starlink outage, Musk tweeted that “what’s happening on the battlefield, that’s classified.” He added that SpaceX by the end of 2022 was on track to spend $100 million on Ukraine. Although the Polish and U.S. governments by then had begun donations of their own, the billionaire complained about the cost of the equipment and services SpaceX was providing.
SpaceX “cannot fund the existing system indefinitely,” Musk wrote in a mid-October post. The next day, in another tweet, he reversed course. “To hell with it,” he wrote, “we’ll just keep funding Ukraine govt for free.”
After the outage, Kyiv worked to charm Musk.
In November 2022, Fedorov, the government minister, publicly expressed trust in the service. Months later – just after Shotwell, the SpaceX president, said the company had taken steps to prevent Ukraine from using Starlink for drone attacks – Fedorov in an interview with a Ukrainian news site recognized Starlink’s ability to “geofence” coverage, selectively limiting signals in some areas.
By February 2023, however, Starlink was fully functional in Ukraine, he said. “All the Starlink terminals in Ukraine work properly,” Fedorov told Ukrainska Pravda, the news site. Fedorov, who recently assumed the title of first deputy prime minister, didn’t respond to a request for comment about Ukraine’s use of Starlink in the war.
An aerial view shows “Alligator Alcatraz” ICE detention center at Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in Ochopee, Florida, U.S. July 24, 2025. REUTERS/Marco Bello/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is preparing to send $608 million to states to construct immigrant detention centers as part of the Trump administration’s push to expand capacity to hold migrants.
FEMA is starting a “detention support grant program” to cover the cost of states building temporary facilities, according to an agency announcement. States have until August 8 to apply for the funds, according to the post.
The Trump administration has been encouraging states to build their own facilities to detain migrants. This program provides a way for the administration to help states pay for it.
The funds will be distributed by FEMA in partnership with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, according to the post.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican, said on Friday morning the state would apply for FEMA reimbursement to pay for its new immigrant detention center known as “Alligator Alcatraz.” DHS officials said this summer the facility will cost an estimated $450 million annually.
U.S. President Donald Trump meets South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 21, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
In early July, the top official at the U.S. embassy in South Africa reached out to Washington asking for clarification on a contentious U.S. policy: could non-whites apply for a refugee program geared toward white South Africans if they met other requirements?
President Donald Trump’s February executive order establishing the program specified that it was for “Afrikaners in South Africa who are victims of unjust racial discrimination,” referring to an ethnic group descended mostly from Dutch settlers.
In a diplomatic cable sent July 8, embassy Charge d’Affairs David Greene asked whether the embassy could process claims from other minority groups claiming race-based discrimination such as “coloured” South Africans who speak Afrikaans. In South Africa the term coloured refers to mixed-raced people, a classification created by the apartheid regime still in use today.
The answer came back days later in an email from Spencer Chretien, the highest-ranking official in the State Department’s refugee and migration bureau, saying the program is intended for white people.
Reuters was unable to independently verify the precise language in the email which was described to the news agency by three sources familiar with its contents.
The State Department, responding to a request for comment on July 18, did not specifically comment on the email or the cable but described the scope of the policy as wider than the guidance in Chretien’s email.
The department said U.S. policy is to consider both Afrikaners and other racial minorities for resettlement, echoing guidance posted on its website in May saying that applicants “must be of Afrikaner ethnicity or be a member of a racial minority in South Africa.”
Chretien declined to comment through a State Department spokesperson. Greene did not respond to Reuters requests for comment.
The internal back-and-forth between the embassy and the State Department – which hasn’t been previously reported – illustrates the confusion in how to implement a policy designed to help white Afrikaners in a racially diverse country that includes mixed-race people who speak Afrikaans, as well as whites who speak English.
So far the State Department has resettled 88 South Africans under the program, including the initial group of 59 who arrived in May. Another 15 are expected to arrive by the end of August, one of the sources said.
Trump, a Republican who recaptured the White House pledging a wide-ranging immigration crackdown, placed an indefinite freeze on refugee admissions from around the world after taking office, saying the U.S. would only admit refugees who “can fully and appropriately assimilate.”
Weeks later, he issued an executive order that called for the U.S. to resettle Afrikaners, describing them as victims of “violence against racially disfavored landowners,” allegations that echoed far-right claims but which have been contested by South Africa’s government.
Since the executive order, U.S. diplomats working to implement the program have been deliberating internally about which racial groups could be considered eligible, one of the sources said.
In the July 8 cable, Greene laid out a summary of the different ethnic and racial groups in the country before seeking guidance on eligibility. In addition to Afrikaners and mixed-race South Africans, Greene mentioned indigenous South Africans known as the Khoisan people.
He said that members of the Jewish community had also expressed interest, but that in South Africa they are considered a religious minority and not a racial group.
“In the absence of other guidance, [the U.S. embassy] intends to give consideration to well-founded claims of persecution based on race for other racial minorities,” Greene wrote.
At least one family identified as coloured has already traveled to the U.S. as refugees, two people familiar with the matter said.
The cable forced the administration to clarify its position on whether the policy is for whites only, and if it does include other aggrieved minorities, who would qualify, two of the people familiar with the matter said.
Chretien, a conservative who wrote op-eds promoting the Heritage Foundation’s “Project 2025” plan to overhaul the federal government, is the senior official at the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration.
During the apartheid era, which ended with the first democratic elections in 1994, South Africa maintained a racially segregated society with separate schools, neighborhoods and public facilities for people classified as Black, coloured, white or Asian.
Blacks make up 81% of South Africa’s population, according to 2022 census data. Coloured South Africans make up 8%, and Indians 3%. Afrikaners and other white South Africans constitute 7% of the population but own three-quarters of the privately held land in the country.
When asked about the program in May, Trump said he was not giving Afrikaners preferential treatment because they are white.
“They happen to be white, but whether they are white or Black makes no difference to me,” he said.
In response to a request for comment, a White House official said the administration’s policy reflected Trump’s executive order.
“We will prioritize refugee admissions for South African citizens, including Afrikaners and other racial minorities in South Africa, who have been targeted by the discriminatory laws of the South African government,” the official said.
USAID logo and U.S. flag are seen in this illustration taken April 23, 2025. (Photo: Reuters/Dado Ruvic/Illustration)
An internal US government analysis released Friday (July 25) found no evidence that the Palestinian militant group Hamas systematically stole US-funded humanitarian aid in Gaza, challenging claims from both Israel and the United States that have been used to justify a controversial new private armed aid effort.
The assessment, completed in late June by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), reviewed 156 reports of stolen or lost aid filed by partner organisations operating in Gaza from October 2023 through May. According to a slide presentation seen by Reuters, the Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) found “no reports alleging Hamas” benefited from US-funded aid.
The finding comes amid deepening food insecurity in the Gaza Strip and growing criticism of a new militarised aid group, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), backed by the Trump administration.
DISPUTES FROM STATE DEPARTMENT, ISRAEL
A State Department spokesperson disputed the USAID findings, saying there was video evidence of Hamas looting aid, though no such footage was provided. The spokesperson also accused traditional aid groups of concealing corruption.
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly questioned the legitimacy of the analysis, claiming no State Department official had seen it and suggesting it “was likely produced by a deep state operative” aiming to undermine President Donald Trump’s humanitarian policies.
Two sources told Reuters the findings were shared with USAID’s inspector general and State Department officials involved in Middle East policy.
Israel continues to assert that Hamas steals aid and uses it to control Gaza’s population and enrich itself, often by reselling supplies at inflated prices. The Israeli military told Reuters its claims were based on intelligence reports showing Hamas militants embedded in aid trucks, seizing up to 25 per cent of shipments for fighters or resale.
Hamas has denied the allegations. A Hamas security official said Israel has killed more than 800 Hamas-affiliated guards responsible for protecting aid convoys in coordination with the United Nations. Reuters could not independently verify the claims from either side.
MIXED FINDINGS ON AID THEFT
According to the BHA slides, at least 44 of the 156 incidents of lost or stolen aid were “either directly or indirectly” caused by Israeli military action, including airstrikes or directives for civilians to evacuate areas. Other cases involved Israeli demands that aid groups use unsafe routes, increasing the risk of looting.
Of the remaining incidents, 63 were attributed to unknown actors, 35 to armed groups, 25 to unarmed civilians, 11 to corrupt subcontractors, and five to aid workers themselves. Six incidents involved theft under unknown circumstances. A slide noted, “A review of all 156 incidents found no affiliations with US-designated foreign terrorist organisations,” which includes Hamas.
One slide added that “the majority of incidents could not be definitively attributed to a specific actor,” as thefts often occurred in transit with no identified perpetrators.
The USAID analysis acknowledged a limitation: it could not rule out the possibility that some aid reached administrative officials affiliated with Hamas. However, no cases were found where Hamas was confirmed to have stolen or diverted the aid.
CRITICISM OF GHF AND TRUMP POLICY SHIFT
The report casts new scrutiny on the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a private aid group launched with US backing that distributes supplies using armed US military veterans and a for-profit logistics firm run by a former CIA officer. The group has come under fire for bypassing traditional humanitarian structures and facing allegations of using militarised distribution methods.
The United Nations and several major aid organisations have rejected calls to cooperate with GHF, saying its operations violate humanitarian principles of neutrality and impartiality. The UN also estimates that more than 1,000 people have been killed by Israeli forces near GHF’s distribution points.
Although aid groups receiving US funds must vet their staff and subcontractors for ties to designated terrorist groups, the Trump administration waived those requirements in approving US$30 million in funding for GHF last month.
The USAID study was completed shortly before the Trump administration froze all foreign aid and began dismantling the agency, folding its operations into the State Department.
According to a source familiar with the situation, the BHA team lost access to classified systems during this process. That source also said they were not aware of any classified US intelligence reports confirming Hamas aid thefts and that US officials were instead relying on Israeli claims.
The outbreak, linked to an imported case, has prompted authorities to urge mosquito control and early medical attention.
Southern China is experiencing an outbreak of chikungunya, with thousands of cases reported since authorities started tracking cases in early July. (File photo: Reuters/Josue Decavele)
China is experiencing an outbreak of chikungunya, a mosquito-borne infection, with thousands of cases reported in the south.
Chikungunya fever cases jumped to 4,014 on Friday (Jul 25), representing a rapid rise in numbers since authorities started tracking cases two weeks ago, according to public records released by health departments in districts in Foshan. The city in China’s southern province Guangdong has been heavily impacted by the surge in infections.
The chikungunya outbreak remains “quite severe”, Sun Yang, deputy director of the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said at a news conference on Wednesday in Foshan.
Chikungunya is spread to people by the bites of infected mosquitoes. It causes fever and severe joint pain, but deaths are rare, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention has issued various advisories on how to prevent chikungunya fever and dengue fever, a similar disease also spread by mosquitoes. Physical protection barriers, such as screen doors, mosquito nets for beds and mosquito repellent on exposed skin, were recommended.
The agency said that the epidemic was “imported” without specifying from where. It also called for people who have symptoms like fever, rash and joint pain to see a doctor.
Shunde district in Foshan, where 90 per cent of the cases are located, is famous for its Cantonese food, and sees many visitors each year.
Patients who tested positive for chikungunya fever stayed in hospital beds covered by mosquito nets, according to photos shown on state-run broadcaster CCTV.
Local media reports said on Thursday that local authorities had almost doubled the number of mosquito-proof isolation beds to 7,220 to meet the growing demand.
Authorities in Guangdong are urging residents to ensure there’s no standing water in their homes, such as in flowerpots, coffee machines or spare bottles. The Health Commission in Foshan stated on Thursday that a fine of up to 10,000 yuan (US$1,400) could be applied if violations are found.
The Beijing CDC said on Tuesday that the city occasionally experiences imported cases of chikungunya fever.
“Cambodia asked for an immediate ceasefire – unconditionally – and we also call for the peaceful solution of the dispute,” said Phnom Penh’s UN ambassador.
A pagoda damaged by Thai artillery is pictured in Oddar Meanchey province on Jul 25, 2025. (Photo: AFP)
Thailand and Cambodia clashed for a third day on Saturday (Jul 26), as the death toll from their bloodiest fighting in years rose to 33.
A long-running border dispute erupted into intense conflict involving jets, artillery, tanks and ground troops on Thursday, prompting the UN Security Council to hold an emergency meeting on the crisis on Friday.
After the closed meeting in New York, Cambodia’s UN ambassador Chhea Keo said his country wanted a ceasefire.
“Cambodia asked for an immediate ceasefire – unconditionally – and we also call for the peaceful solution of the dispute,” Keo told reporters.
Both sides blamed each other for starting the latest clashes.
In its statement to the UN Security Council, Cambodia accused Thailand of attacking areas of historical and cultural significance, including the Preah Vihear temple – something Bangkok has denied.
The UNESCO-recognised temple has been at the heart of a long dispute between Cambodia and Thailand.
“This flagrant act of aggression has dangerously escalated an already volatile situation and poses a serious threat to regional peace and security,” Keo said in his statement.
According to Cambodia’s defence ministry on Saturday, 13 people were now confirmed killed in the fighting – eight civilians and five soldiers – with 71 people wounded.
In Thailand, the army said five soldiers were killed on Friday, taking the toll there to 20 – 14 civilians and six military.
The death toll across the two countries is now higher than the 28 killed in the last major round of fighting between 2008 and 2011.
Both sides reported a clash around 5am on Saturday, with Cambodia accusing Thai forces of firing “five heavy artillery shells” into locations in Pursat province, which borders Thailand’s Trat province.
THAI ACTIONS NOT SELF-DEFENCE: CAMBODIA
The fighting marks a dramatic escalation in a long-running dispute between the neighbours over their shared 800km frontier.
A UN court ruling in 2013 settled the matter for over a decade, but the current crisis erupted in May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a new clash.
Cambodia fired rockets and shells into Thailand on Thursday, and the Thais scrambled F-16 jets to hit military targets across the border. Cambodia has also accused Thai forces of using cluster munitions.
“The deployment of F-16 fighter jets, tanks and the extensive use of cluster munitions and heavy artillery are manifestations of the invasion and aggression,” Cambodia’s UN ambassador said.
“This is clearly not self-defence, as claimed by Thailand.”
Responding to accusations that Cambodia attacked Thailand first, Keo asked how a small country with no air force could attack a much larger country with an army three times its size, saying: “We do not do that.”
DIALOGUE, NOT VIOLENCE: THAILAND
In its statement at the UN, Thailand’s ambassador Cherdchai Chairvaivid said dialogue, not violence, must prevail.
He said that in response to the “unprovoked firing” by Cambodian troops, Thai forces were “compelled to take proportionate and appropriate measures in self-defence, consistent with international law’.
Thailand had accused Cambodia of targeting civilian infrastructure, including a hospital hit by shells and a petrol station hit by at least one rocket.
Cherdchai added that in responding to Cambodia’s actions, Thailand had made “every effort” to avoid civilian harm.
Cluster munitions were “used exclusively to target military objectives”, he said.
Sweden’s historical business transactions with North Korea, particularly a 1974 order for 1,000 Volvo 144 models and equipment worth $73 million, continue to intrigue. North Korea has failed to pay for this order for 52 years, leading to a total debt of approximately $330 million due to accumulating interest.
In 1974, the North Korean regime placed an order for 1,000 Volvo 144 models and other mechanical equipment worth 73 million with Swedish companies. (Source: Sweedish Embassy)
In a world where the West continues to have a complicated relationship with North Korea, Sweden’s “business dealings” with Pyongyang over 50 years ago continues to spark people’s interest. This strange transaction – order for 1,000 Volvo 144 models and other mechanical equipment worth $73 million – involves debt that has been unpaid for 52 years and continues to grow with interest.
The “huge trade contracts” took place in 1974, when the North Korean regime placed an order for 1,000 Volvo 144 models and other mechanical equipment worth $73 million with Swedish companies. Back then Swedish businesses considered North Korea as a promising new market as the country was rebuilding its economy afteer the Korean war.
“At the time, [North Korea] wasn’t doing so badly,” Jonathan D. Pollack, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, told the NPR. “After the Korean War, their economy was rebuilt, it became a functioning industrial state, still very aid-dependent — but it wouldn’t have seemed like such a bad bet, under the circumstances.”
Pyongyang, however, never paid for the order. In the past 5 decades, the total with interest has increased to approximately $330 million.
The incident, which was reported in 2016, keeps appearing up on the internet, along with images of the cars, sparking people’s interest in this strange transaction.
Here is a tweet from the Swedish Embassy that was posted in 2016.
Still going strong. One of the Volvo’s from yr 1974 still unpaid for by DPRK. Running as taxi in Chongjin w almost half million km on odo! pic.twitter.com/2FaMpnPow7
Pakistan’s foreign minister Ishaq Dar claimed linking TRF to Lashkar is incorrect and emphasised that Pakistan has dismantled the group years ago.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio (R) and Pakistani foreign minister Ishaq Dar walk together prior to a meeting at the department of state on July 25, 2025 in Washington, DC.(AFP)
Pakistan’s foreign minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar defended Islamabad’s stance on the proscribed terror group The Resistance Front, shortly after the United States listed the outfit as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO). The Resistance Front – which India and the United States believe is an offshoot of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba – claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22.
“It is obviously a sovereign decision of the United States to designate the TRF. We have no issue. And we welcome, if they have any evidence, that they are involved,” said Dar at an event in Washington DC. Dar met US secretary of state Marco Rubio earlier on Friday.
“Linking the TRF to the Lashkar-e-Taiba is wrong. That outfit was dismantled years ago by Pakistan. The actors were prosecuted, arrested and jailed, and the entire outfit was destroyed,” said Dar, repeating a claim often made by Pakistan’s government.
Earlier, Dar told Pakistan’s Parliament that Islamabad had blocked mention of the TRF in a UN Security Council Resolution which condemned the Pahalgam attacks.
“We opposed the mention of TRF in the UNSC statement. I got calls from global capitals, but Pakistan will not accept. TRF was deleted, and Pakistan prevailed,” said Dar in April.
Dar added at the time that Pakistan would require further proof about the TRF’s activities.
Dar defended that stance in response to a query from HT at a public event on Friday. Pakistan’s foreign minister said no evidence was available at the time against the TRF to justify its inclusion in a UNSC statement.
India declared TRF a terrorist organisation under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in January 2023. The South Asia Terrorism Portal indicates that TRF emerged in 2019 via social media announcements, and since then, it has taken responsibility for several attacks across Jammu and Kashmir, including a grenade attack in Srinagar, injuring seven civilians and targeted killings in 2021.
HULK Hogan’s wife is set to inherit nearly a third of his vast fortune at least in the wake of his death, possibly creating a major rift with his ex-wives and estranged daughter.
Hogan and his third wife, Sky Daily, 49, have only been married for two years, but Florida law guarantees her 30% of his estate, whether or not he updated his will or trust before his sudden death on Thursday at 71.
Hulk owned a gigantic Florida estate and several businesses when he died on ThursdayCredit: Getty
In addition to investments and cash accounts, Hogan owned an $11.5 million mansion in Clearwater, Florida and multiple businesses, and he set up a revocable trust and a personal trust before he died, The U.S. Sun has learned.
Florida estate expert and paralegal, June Frederiksen, at the Schofner Law Firm, explained that the WWE wrestler, movie star, and local business owner likely had “very in-depth estate planning.”
“You set up a trust to protect your assets, so you run everything through the trust,” the expert explained.
The trust is meant to avoid his estate ending up in court, having to figure out where assets need to go and if creditors can collect from it.
But whether or not his new wife, Sky, was included in his trusts, she still stands to inherit a large portion of his wealth.
“He married Sky two years ago, so he probably updated the trust so she would get a spousal elective share,” Fredricksen said.
“Even if Sky was left out of his estate and he didn’t update his trust since they married, she would still get a spousal elective share, which she is entitled to 30% in Florida.”
June said someone in the trusts will be named the trustee and they will do whatever the trusts direct for the distribution of Hulk’s assets.
Things can get dicey, however, if his trusts weren’t fully up to date.
For example, if there were assets that were not rolled into his trusts, or importantly, if someone contests what is directed in the trusts, there may not be a way to avoid estate court.
What’s more, Fredricksen said, if his estate battle does end up in court, then the assets become “susceptible to creditors, and I’m sure he had some creditors.”
Hulk had notoriously fallen out with his daughter Brooke Hogan.
The two have been estranged for several years, and the WWE star never met his twin grandchildren, Oliver and Molly Gene, who were born in January of this year.
“If Brooke is left out of the will, she can contest it,” and the battle would wind up in probate court, the legal expert explained.
INSIDE HULK’S FORTUNE
Hulk’s estimated net worth is $25 million, according to Celebrity Networth.
As The U.S. Sun exclusively revealed, Hulk owns a massive Clearwater property worth about $11.5 million.
He owned several businesses in Florida, with Hogan’s Beach Shop in 2013 which is still going strong, as well as the restaurant Hogan’s Hangout, which is also still open, in Clearwater Beach.
The wrestler also owned Real American Beer, which launched last year.
Hulk has also appeared in a slew of movies beyond his legendary run with the WWE.
SKY’S HEARTBREAKING TRIBUTE
Sky Hogan shared an emotional statement following the sudden passing of her husband on Thursday.
In her Instagram post, she expressed her devastation and reflected on his health struggles.
“My heart is in pieces,” she began. “I wasn’t ready for this. He had been dealing with some health issues, but I truly believed we would overcome them. I had so much faith in his strength. I thought we still had more time.”
She continued, “This loss is sudden and impossible to process. To the world, he was a legend… but to me, he was my Terry. The man I loved. My partner. My heart.”
HULK HOGAN’S FINAL DAYS
Hogan had been battling significant health challenges in the months leading up to his death.
He underwent neck surgery in May, which required a return to the hospital in June after complications.
By mid-year, reports surfaced claiming Hogan was unable to feel his legs or walk without the aid of a cane, with some rumors suggesting he was on his deathbed.
However, these claims were denied or downplayed by those close to him.
On Thursday morning, Hogan suffered cardiac arrest at his $11.5 million mansion in Clearwater, Florida.
Paramedics arrived following a frantic 911 call and spent 30 minutes attempting to revive him.
He was transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
HULK’S FAMILY
Hogan was married twice before meeting Sky.
His first marriage was to Linda Claridge, with whom he shared two children: Brooke, 35, and Nick, 32.
The family starred in the reality series Hogan Knows Best, which aired from 2005 to 2007.
Hogan and Claridge were married for 26 years before divorcing in 2009.
Gunmen attacked a vehicle with people returning from a weekly market in the Bokkos area, killing 14. Residents have called for increased security in rural areas.
Locals have called for more security in rural areas following the attackImage: Sunday Alamba/AP Photo/picture alliance
Unidentified gunmen killed 14 people in a vehicle that was returning from a weekly market in Bokkos, central Nigeria. The attack happened at around midday on Thursday, and the victims include women and children, according to local residents and a Red Cross official, who spoke to AFP.
Farmasum Fuddang, chair of the Bokkos cultural development forum, said attackers had intercepted the vehicle and opened fire.
“Victims included women and little babies,” Fuddang said in a statement.
Nurudeen Hussaini Magaji, a Red Cross official, confirmed the death toll on Friday morning. “Amongst the dead were males, females and children,” he said.
Locals call for more security in Plateau state
The area in central Plateau state has seen an increase in violent conflicts over the years. Land in the rural area, used by farmers and herders, is limited and has been the center of deadly competition by armed gangs.
The government’s presence in the area is sparse, and conflicts have killed hundreds of people in recent years. Following Thursday’s attack, there were calls for stronger security.
The leaders of the UK, France and Germany have jointly urged Israel to allow full humanitarian access to Gaza, urging an immediate ceasefire. Earlier, Paris said it plans to recognize Palestinian statehood.
The leaders said withholding essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population was unacceptableImage: Ali Jadallah/Anadolu/picture alliance
Germany, France, UK leaders press Israel on aid
Leaders of Britain, France and Germany have called on Israel to allow unrestricted humanitarian aid into Gaza, warning of a “humanitarian catastrophe.”
The joint appeal comes after French President Emmanuel Macron pledged to recognize a Palestinian state and followed a call between Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
In it, they demanded an immediate ceasefire and warned that “withholding essential humanitarian assistance” is unacceptable — though the statement broke no new diplomatic ground.
The three leaders said they are ready to take further action to support both a ceasefire and a political process toward lasting security and peace in the region, but did not specify what steps they might take.
Macron’s announcement has revealed divisions among the European trio — known as the E3 — over how to address the humanitarian crisis and bring the Israel-Hamas war to an end.
While all three countries support a Palestinian state in principle, Germany has said it has no immediate plans to follow France’s lead. Macron intends to formalize the recognition at the UN General Assembly in September.
Britain also has not joined the move. On Friday, 221 members of the UK Parliament signed a letter urging recognition.
Trump dismisses France’s intention to recognize Palestine as a state
US President Donald Trump has dismissed the decision by France’s Emmanuel Macron to recognize a Palestinian state as pointless.
“What he says doesn’t matter,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “He’s a very good guy, I like him, but that statement doesn’t carry weight.” Trump told reporters
Trump’s response came after the French president’s announcement yesterday that his country planned to formally recognize the State of Palestine in September at the UN General Assembly.
Israeli to allow foreign aid drops over Gaza, reports say
Israel will once again allow foreign aid to drop over Gaza, sources told media outlets on Friday, as pressure on Israel mounts to end the hunger crisis in the besieged enclave.
“Humanitarian aid air drops on the Gaza Strip will resume in the upcoming days. They will be managed by the UAE and Jordan,” an unnamed Israeli official told the French AFP news agency.
The Israeli army radio also reported the news, with an unnamed military official suggesting air drops could start as early as Friday.
Myanmar’s military chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing attends a press conference following talks with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Russia, March 4, 2025. Pavel Bednyakov/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
The United States lifted sanctions designations on several allies of Myanmar’s ruling generals on Thursday, two weeks after the head of the ruling junta praised President Donald Trump and called for an easing of sanctions in a letter responding to a tariff warning.
Human Rights Watch called the move “extremely worrying” and said it suggested a major shift was underway in U.S. policy towards Myanmar’s military, which overthrew a democratically elected government in 2021 and has been implicated in crimes against humanity and genocide.
A notice from the U.S. Treasury Department said KT Services & Logistics and its founder, Jonathan Myo Kyaw Thaung; the MCM Group and its owner Aung Hlaing Oo; and Suntac Technologies and its owner Sit Taing Aung; and another individual, Tin Latt Min, were being removed from the U.S. sanctions list.
KT Services & Logistics and Jonathan Myo Kyaw Thaung were added to the sanctions list in January 2022 under the Biden administration in a step timed to mark the first anniversary of the military seizure of power in Myanmar that plunged the country into chaos.
Sit Taing Aung and Aung Hlaing Oo were placed on the sanctions list the same year for operating in Myanmar’s defence sector. Tin Latt Min, identified as another close associate of the military rulers, was placed on the list in 2024 to mark the third anniversary of the coup.
The Treasury Department did not explain the reason for the move, and the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
On July 11, Myanmar’s ruling military general, Min Aung Hlaing, asked Trump in a letter for a reduction in the 40% tariff rate on his country’s exports to the U.S. and said he was ready to send a negotiating team to Washington if needed.
“The senior general acknowledged the president’s strong leadership in guiding his country towards national prosperity with the spirit of a true patriot,” state media said at the time.
In his response to a letter from Trump notifying Myanmar of the tariff to take effect on August 1, Min Aung Hlaing proposed a reduced rate of 10% to 20%, with Myanmar slashing its levy on U.S. imports to a range of zero to 10%.
Min Aung Hlaing also asked Trump “to reconsider easing and lifting the economic sanctions imposed on Myanmar, as they hinder the shared interests and prosperity of both countries and their peoples.”
Myanmar is one of the world’s main sources of sought-after rare earth minerals used in high-tech defense and consumer applications. Securing supplies of the minerals is a major focus for the Trump administration in its strategic competition with China, which is responsible for 90% of rare earth processing capacity.
Most of Myanmar’s rare earth mines are in areas controlled by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), an ethnic group fighting the junta, and are processed in China.
John Sifton, Asia advocacy director of Human Rights Watch, called the U.S. move “shocking” and its motivation unclear.
Several ground beef options are displayed in a butcher’s case at Eastern Market in Washington, U.S., August 14, 2024. REUTERS/Kaylee Greenlee Beal/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
The United States will sell “so much” beef to Australia, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday after Canberra relaxed import restrictions, adding that other countries that refused U.S. beef products were on notice.
Australia on Thursday said it would loosen biosecurity rules for U.S. beef, something analysts predicted would not significantly increase U.S. shipments because Australia is a major beef producer and exporter whose prices are much lower.
“We are going to sell so much to Australia because this is undeniable and irrefutable Proof that U.S. Beef is the Safest and Best in the entire World,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
“The other Countries that refuse our magnificent Beef are ON NOTICE,” the post continued.
Trump has attempted to renegotiate trade deals with numerous countries he says have taken advantage of the United States – a characterisation many economists dispute.
“For decades, Australia imposed unjustified barriers on U.S. beef,” U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said in a statement, calling Australia’s decision a “major milestone in lowering trade barriers and securing market access for U.S. farmers and ranchers.”
Australia is not a significant importer of beef but the United States is and a production slump is forcing it to step up purchases.
Last year, Australia shipped almost 400,000 metric tons of beef worth $2.9 billion to the United States, with just 269 tons of U.S. product moving the other way.
Australian officials say the relaxation of restrictions was not part of any trade negotiations but the result of a years-long assessment of U.S. biosecurity practices.
Canberra has restricted U.S. beef imports since 2003 due to concerns about bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease. Since 2019, it has allowed in meat from animals born, raised and slaughtered in the U.S. but few suppliers were able to prove that their cattle had not been in Canada and Mexico.
On Wednesday, Australia’s agriculture ministry said U.S. cattle traceability and control systems had improved enough that Australia could accept beef from cattle born in Canada or Mexico and slaughtered in the United States.
The decision has caused some concern in Australia, where biosecurity is seen as essential to prevent diseases and pests from ravaging the farm sector.
“We need to know if (the government) is sacrificing our high biosecurity standards just so Prime Minister Anthony Albanese can obtain a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump,” shadow agriculture minister David Littleproud said in a statement.
The recent truce between the Congolese government and the M23 rebel group — along with an earlier DRC-Rwanda peace deal — was expected to usher in new era of regional stability. Yet even the signatories show little hope.
Experts believe M23 rebels are reluctant to surrender any of the territorial gains they have made in eastern CongoImage: Hugh Kinsella Cunningham/Getty Images
The US, UN and the African Union (AU) were among the first to welcome the July 19 truce between the Democratic Republic of Congo and the M23 rebel group which had been championed by the US and Qatar.
The Doha Declaration of Principles , building on a peace deal Congo and Rwanda signed in Washington on June 27, was meant to serve as another “meaningful step toward advancing lasting peace and stability in the Great Lakes region,” according to the US Department of State.
Rwanda’s willingness to sign, and its passive observation of, the Doha agreement was seen as tacit admittance to its role in the long-standing conflict, although Kigali continues to deny its support of the M23.
Is the DRC a no-go zone?
Just one day after the signing in Doha, the US updated its security advisory for Congo and especially its capital, Kinshasa, advising US nationals in the country to “exercise increased awareness, avoid large gatherings, and monitor local news and security updates.”
The list of recommended actions include the provision of “enough food and water should you need to stay home for several days” and having “essential items (clothing, medications, travel documents) packed in a bag that you can carry.”
The advisory resembles the kind of advice US authorities issue residents to prepare for major natural disasters.
Reagan Miviri, a conflict analyst and lawyer working with the Congo Research Group in Kinshasa — an independent, nonprofit research project — understands the importance of the US State Department’s latest travel advisory.
“The crisis in eastern Congo is also visible in Kinshasa in some ways,” she told DW. “Actors in the US [who] are worried about what could happen in Kinshasa … probably know much more than we do, so perhaps they have other information we don’t have.”
According to Lidewyde Berckmoes, an associate professor and senior researcher at the African Studies Center Leiden in the Netherlands, many parts of Congo still actively remain under the control of the M23, which is unlikely to change despite this deal.
“This region has seen many violent rebel movements, who have been there since the 1990s. There are many places where there’s a lot of tension, and where authority is contested,” Berkmoes, whose work is focused on Africa’s Great Lakes region, told DW.
M23 expansion course continues
On the ground, the reality of a state of war effectively continues to dictate daily lives in various parts of the country — especially eastern Congo’s North and South Kivu provinces. Mere days after the DRC-M23 truce was signed, fresh reports of M23 rebels seizing new ground surfaced.
According to UN-backed Radio Okapi in Congo, at least 19 civilians were killed by M23 fighters as part of that expansion, in particular around the village of Bukera.
This latest escalation is in clear breach of the Doha ceasefire deal, which calls on all sides in the conflict to stop efforts to expand their territorial gains — among various other stipulations.
A truce with an ambiguous message
Human rights activist Philemon Ruzinge believes the Doha deal will ultimately be of little consequence, despite whatever concessions Kinshasa may make to keep the peace.
“The agreement of principles is supposed to be … so important towards a lasting peace agreement,” he told DW, adding that the ongoing actions of M23 rebels leave little hope for it to work in the long run.
According to Ruzinge, M23 leaders feel they can continue to enjoy free reign over northeastern Congo on account of the text of the agreement “containing no withdrawal clause” and deliberately being worded in an ambiguous manner.
This view was only further solidified by the M23 itself, whose delegation leader at the signing in Doha, Benjamin Mbonimpa, reiterated that the group “will not retreat, not even by one meter.”
“We will stay where we are,” Mbonimpa said.
Rebels trying to leverage political control
Researcher Berckmoes believes Mbonimpa’s attitude is indicative of the overall M23 position. “I don’t think M23 will let themselves be sidelined. Rather, I expect that they are looking for ways to have an important say as part of the government.”
Conflict analyst Miviri agrees, pointing out that “M23 are saying that they are not leaving.” She added that this should be taken at face value. “M23 will do whatever it pleases.”
That view is also shared by people in North Kivu province. Complaints by civil society groups about a lack of government intervention are mounting. In the province’s beleaguered capital, Goma, democracy activist Justin Murutsi told DW: “The state has a security mandate for the population. But when there are killings like this and no word from the state, it shows that there’s a serious institutional vacuum.”
“The signing of the Declaration of Principles gives us a little hope, because it clearly shows that the government has accepted the rebels’ demands and conditions,” said Julien, a resident of the city who believes M23 will remain in control of large parts of the region.
Skepticism seems to outweigh hope
Political scientist Christian Moleka in Kinshasa wonders whether the parties the conflict are interested in peace. “Do the various parties even have the will to achieve lasting peace?” he told DW. “Are the follow-up mechanisms really going to work better than in the past, to support the full implementation of these various provisions?”
Berckmoes had similar reservations, stressing there has been “series of agreements in the past, which have not been upheld.” She added that for a sustainable peace plan to succeed, various parties and factions all have to be included in all negotiations — not just M23 but “all 160 groups” vying for control. To that end, Berckmoes believes “there’s still a long way to go.”
Miviri took an even more sober stance: “Before speaking of a lasting peace agreement, it just has to first happen. And I’m not seeing it happen, even now.”
Amid skepticism, criticism and the surge in violence since the Doha signing, there have also been a few hopeful voices — among them, the US senior adviser for Africa, Massad Boulos.
The initial bill, which Ukraine’s parliament passed on Wednesday, would have given the government more oversight of anti-corruption bodies. Zelenskyy reversed course after protests and backlash from the European Union.
Zelenskyy came under criticism, from both at home and abroad, over a decision to remove the independence of anti-graft bodies earlier in the weekImage: Vadym Sarakhan/AP Photo/picture alliance
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced he would send a new anti-corruption bill to Parliament on Thursday after a previous attempt sparked protests at home, and condemnation from the European Union.
The previous iteration of the bill gave the government more powers to focus on the work of anti-corruption watchdogs.
What did Zelenskyy say about the new text of the bill?
“I have just approved the text of a draft law that guarantees real strengthening of the rule of law in Ukraine, independence of anti-corruption bodies and reliable protection of the rule of law from any Russian influence or interference,” Zelenskyy posted on X, vowing to send the new bill to parliament on Thursday.
“It is important that we respect the position of all Ukrainians and are grateful to everyone who stands with Ukraine,” he added.
What was the reaction from Ukrainians to the earlier legislation?
The move from the Ukrainian president to remove the independence of two anti-corruption bodies earlier in the week had sparked nationwide protests — the country’s first large-scale unrest since Russia’s full scale invasion began in February 2022 — and criticism from the European Union.
Thousands took to the streets across Ukraine this week to protest against the Ukrainian government amid the scandal.
Protesters highlighted what they saw as a “return” to the era of pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych, who was forced to flee to Russia during the Euromaidan Revolution in 2014.
The EU has been a key supporter of Kyiv since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, but Brussels has also said reforms are essential for closer European integration.
How did the controversy impact EU-Ukraine ties?
Tackling corruption is crucial for Ukraine’s ambitions to join the EU while also acquiring billions of dollars in Western aid as it continues to fend off Russia’s invasion.
EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos expressed concern on Wednesday over the earlier legislation, describing it as “a serious step back.”
Thai residents who fled homes following clashes between Thai and Cambodian soldiers rest at an evacuation centre in Surin province, Thailand on Jul 25, 2025. (Photo: AP/Sakchai Lalit)
Thailand’s acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai warned Friday (Jul 25) that cross-border clashes with Cambodia that have uprooted more than 130,000 people “could develop into war”, as the countries traded deadly strikes for a second day.
A long-running border dispute erupted into intense fighting with jets, artillery, tanks and ground troops on Thursday, and the United Nations Security Council is set to hold an emergency meeting on the crisis later Friday.
A steady thump of artillery strikes could be heard from the Cambodian side of the border, where the province of Oddar Meanchey reported one civilian – a 70-year-old man – had been killed and five more wounded.
More than 138,000 people have been evacuated from Thailand’s border regions, its health ministry said, reporting 15 fatalities – 14 civilians and a soldier – with a further 46 wounded, including 15 troops.
“We have tried to compromise as we are neighbours, but we have now instructed the Thai military to act immediately in case of urgency,” said Wechayachai.
“If the situation escalates, it could develop into war, though for now, it remains limited to clashes,” he told reporters in Bangkok.
In the Cambodian town of Samraong, 20km from the border, AFP journalists saw families speeding away in vehicles with their children and belongings as gunfire erupted.
“I live very close to the border. We are scared because they began shooting again at about 6am (7am, Singapore time),” Pro Bak, 41, told AFP.
He was taking his wife and children to a Buddhist temple to seek refuge.
“I don’t know when we could return home,” he said.
AFP journalists also saw soldiers rushing to man rocket launchers and speeding off towards the frontier.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, whose country currently holds the chair of regional bloc ASEAN, said he held talks with both countries leaders on Thursday and called for a ceasefire and dialogue.
“I welcome the positive signals and willingness shown by both Bangkok and Phnom Penh to consider this path forward,” he said in a Facebook post late on Thursday.
But despite Anwar’s optimism, fighting resumed in three areas around 4am on Friday, the Thai army said.
Cambodian forces carried out bombardments with heavy weapons, field artillery, and BM-21 rocket systems, the army said, and Thai troops responded “with appropriate supporting fire”.
CALLS FOR CALM
The fighting marks a dramatic escalation in a long-running dispute between the neighbours – both popular destinations for millions of foreign tourists – over their shared 800km frontier.
Dozens of kilometres in several areas are contested and fighting broke out between 2008 and 2011, leaving at least 28 people dead and tens of thousands displaced.
A UN court ruling in 2013 settled the matter for over a decade, but the current crisis erupted in May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a new clash.
Fighting on Thursday was focused on six locations, according to the Thai army, including around two ancient temples.
Ground troops backed up by tanks battled for control of territory, while Cambodia fired rockets and shells into Thailand and the Thais scrambled F-16 jets to hit military targets across the border.
Both sides blamed each other for firing first, while Thailand accused Cambodia of targeting civilian infrastructure, including a hospital hit by shells and a petrol station hit by at least one rocket.
Thursday’s clashes came hours after Thailand expelled the Cambodian ambassador and recalled its own envoy after five members of a Thai military patrol were wounded by a landmine.
Cambodia downgraded ties to “the lowest level” on Thursday, pulling out all but one of its diplomats and expelling their Thai equivalents from Phnom Penh.
At the request of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, the UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Friday to discuss the deadly clashes, diplomatic sources told AFP.
The United States urged an “immediate” end to the conflict, while Cambodia’s former colonial ruler France made a similar call.
The EU and China – a close ally of Phnom Penh – said they were “deeply concerned” about the clashes, calling for dialogue.
Stars sparkle a little extra thanks to Monica Vinader’s styles. Getty/Shutterstock/SplashNews
Nordstrom’s Anniversary Sale is filled with gems.
The once-a-year blowout is a one-stop shop for rarely discounted labels, including jewelry from Monica Vinader — a label beloved by everyone from princesses to pop stars.
Shop all our favorites below before they fly off the shelves — including designs similar to those we’ve spotted on Kate Middleton, Ariana Grande and Kendall Jenner. (Plus, for more can’t-miss markdowns, don’t forget to peruse our official guide to the best of the sale.)
Monica Vinader Nura Baroque Pearl Pendant Necklace
What do Kate Middleton and Ariana Grande have in common? Both own pearl pieces from Monica Vinader’s Nura collection.
Monica Vinader Tapered Small Hoop Earrings
Dakota Johnson, Nina Dobrev, Selena Gomez and more stars often wear styles from Vinader’s collaboration with celeb stylist Kate Young. While the special drop isn’t included in the sale, this design looks strikingly similar to the sculptural hoops stars love.
Monica Vinader Alta Capture Pearl Charm Bracelet
Kendall Jenner rocked a version of this luxe-looking bracelet on repeat during summer 2021.
Monica Vinader Siren Muse Huggie Hoop Earrings
In search of something a bit more budget-friendly? These classic hoops are similar to the many Monica Vinader designs stars Selena Gomez owns.
Another shining star of the sale? Over $700 (!) on this luxe lab grown diamond tennis necklace.
Monica Vinader Deco Paper Clip Chain Necklace
Olivia Rodrigo stacked several paperclip necklaces from the label for the 2022 Super Bowl.
Monica Vinader Large Essential Two Tone Hoop Earrings
Plenty of famous folks rock Monica Vinader’s hoops, from Bella Hadid to Zoe Saldaña. And if you can’t decide between silver and gold, why not rock both at once with this nifty $100-off pair?
Nordstrom Anniversary Sale FAQs answered
When is the 2025 Nordstrom Anniversary Sale?
This year’s sale goes live online and in-person beginning with early access on Tuesday, July 8 for Nordy Club members, and will be available to the general public Saturday, July 12 through Sunday, August 3.
How can I get early access?
Check your Nordy Club status — you may qualify for early access through one of the tiers below:
Icon status: July 8
Ambassador status: July 9
Influencer status: July 10
Everyone else: July 12
What’s on sale, and is it worth shopping?
Page Six editors — and readers alike — love to take advantage of Nordstrom’s Anniversary Sale to score major discounts on luxury labels, celebrity-loved accessories, beauty sets and much more. We’re keeping an eye out for brand favorites like Frye, Madewell, Jo Malone, Tom Ford and Farm Rio. This year’s sale will see 65+ new brand names featured in the catalog, including Alice + Olivia, Florence by Mills and many more, as well as the introduction of Anniversary Big Deals — offering select products up to 50% off.
Jessica Simpson has joined the pantheon of greats who’ve peed their pants on stage, we hear, after she accidentally let loose live on the “Today” show on Wednesday.
The pop singer performed a medley as part of the NBC breakfast show’s summer concert series, and she’s such a pro that viewers wouldn’t have known anything was amiss.
Jessica Simpson performed a medley on the “Today” show Wednesday. GC Images
But Page Six hears that after the “Newlyweds” star returned backstage after her performance, she… spilled… to people in the greenroom.
Those high notes can be hazardous, it seems.
It’s pretty common, in fact. Greats including Pattie Labelle, Fergie, Joe Jonas, Ed Sheeran and Hugh Jackman have all had onstage bathroom mishaps.
Jackman, for example, once said on Rachael Ray’s show that he’d been appearing in “Beauty and the Beast” early in his career, and had been drinking a ton of water to treat headaches.
“I go down to the stage, getting ready for my first number…and I’m like I really need to go again,” he said, “[The routine is] the most cardiovascular song I’ve ever done: literally I’m picking up Belle and as I pick her up, I stopped singing and right in that moment I realized the muscles you need to release in order to sing are the ones you do not want to release if you need to go.”
Hulk Hogan, a mustachioed, headscarf-wearing professional wrestler who turned the sport into a massive business and cultural touchstone, died Thursday at 71. As WWE’s biggest star, Hogan won at least six championships and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005. (July 24)
Hulk Hogan, the mustachioed, headscarf-wearing, bicep-busting icon of professional wrestling who turned the sport into a massive business and stretched his influence into TV, pop culture and conservative politics during a long and scandal-plagued second act, died Thursday in Florida at age 71.
Hogan was pronounced dead at a hospital less than 90 minutes after medics in Clearwater arrived at his home to answer a morning call about a cardiac arrest, police said.
“There were no signs of foul play or suspicious activity,” Maj. Nate Burnside told reporters.
Hogan, whose real name was Terry Bollea, was perhaps the biggest star in WWE’s long history. He was the main draw for the first WrestleMania in 1985 and was a fixture for years, facing everyone from Andre The Giant and Randy Savage to The Rock and even WWE co-founder Vince McMahon.
But outside the the ring, Hogan also found trouble. WWE in 2015 cut ties with him for three years, even removing him from its Hall of Fame, after it was reported that he was recorded using racial slurs about Blacks. He apologized and said his words were “unacceptable.”
Hogan won at least six WWE championships and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005 and reinstated there in 2018. WWE matches are now held in professional sports stadiums, and millions of fans have watched the company’s weekly live television program, “Raw,” which debuted in January on Netflix.
“He was a trailblazer, the first performer who transitioned from being a wrestling star into a global phenomenon,” McMahon said of Hogan.
Hogan’s own brand of passion
“Hulkamania,” as the energy he created was called, started running wild in the mid-1980s and pushed professional wrestling into the mainstream. He was a flag-waving American hero with the horseshoe mustache, red and yellow gear and massive arms he called his “24-inch pythons.” Crowds were hysterical when he ripped off his T-shirt in the ring — a trademark move — revealing a tan, sculpted body.
Hogan was also a celebrity outside the wrestling world, appearing in numerous movies and television shows, including a reality show about his life on VH1, “Hogan Knows Best.”
In recent years, Hogan added his celebrity to politics. At the 2024 Republican National Convention, he merged classic WWE maneuvers with then-candidate Donald Trump’s rhetoric to passionately endorse him for president.
“Let Trumpamania run wild brother! Let Trumpamania rule again! Let Trumpamania make America great again!” Hogan shouted into the raucous crowd.
He ripped off a T-shirt emblazoned with a picture of himself on a motorcycle to reveal a bright red Trump-Vance campaign shirt underneath. Trump stood to applaud the move.
“We lost a great friend today, the “Hulkster,”” Trump said Thursday on Truth Social. “Hulk Hogan was MAGA all the way — Strong, tough, smart, but with the biggest heart.”
Hogan lately began to invest in alternatives to theatrical, professional wrestling, announcing plans in April to serve as the first commissioner for the Real American Freestyle organization, which describes itself as the “first unscripted pro wrestling” league in the world. The first event is Aug. 30 at Cleveland State University.
“The idea was so exciting that I get a chance to be involved with all these young people and help guide them in any way, especially to make them huge stars and create a future for them,” Hogan said. “People might be surprised, but wrestling is wrestling, brother.”
The league released a statement, saying it is now part of Hogan’s legacy “and we intend to honor it.”
Broken leg and a new attitude
Hogan was born in Georgia but lived much of his life in the Tampa, Florida, area. He recalled skipping school to watch wrestlers at the Sportatorium, a professional wrestling studio in Tampa.
“I had been running my mouth, telling everybody I’m going to be a wrestler, and in a small town, the word gets out,” Hogan told the Tampa Bay Times in 2021. “And so when I went down there, they were laying low for me. They exercised me till I was ready to faint.”
The result: a broken leg and a subsequent warning from his dad.
“Don’t you ever let anybody hurt you again,” Hogan recalled his father saying. “So I went back four or five months later with a whole new attitude. The rest is history.”
Hogan first became champion in what was then the World Wrestling Federation in 1984, and pro wrestling took off from there. His popularity helped lead to the creation of the annual WrestleMania event in 1985, when he teamed up with Mr. T to beat “Rowdy” Roddy Piper and “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff in the main event.
He slammed and beat Andre the Giant at WrestleMania III in 1987, and the WWF gained momentum. His feud with the late “Macho Man” Randy Savage – perhaps his greatest rival — carried pro wrestling even further.
Hogan was a central figure in what is known as the Monday Night Wars. The WWE and World Championship Wrestling were battling for ratings supremacy in 1996. Hogan tilted things in WCW’s favor with the birth of the Hollywood Hogan character and the formation of the New World Order, a villainous stable that put WCW ahead in the ratings.
He returned to the WWE in 2002 and became a champion again. His match with The Rock at WrestleMania X8, a loss during which fans cheered for his “bad guy” character, was seen as a passing of the torch.
Hogan was perhaps as well known for his larger-than-life personality as he was his in-ring exploits. He was beloved for his “promos” — hype sessions he used to draw fans into matches. He often would play off his interviewer, “Mean” Gene Okerlund, starting his interviews off with, “Well, lemme tell ya something, Mean Gene!”
Outside the ring
He crossed over into movies and television as well. He was Thunderlips in the movie “Rocky III” in 1982.
In 2016, a Florida jury awarded Hogan $115 million in a lawsuit against Gawker Media and then added $25 million in punitive damages. Hogan sued after Gawker in 2012 obtained and posted video of him having sex with his former best friend’s wife. He said the post violated his privacy.
Hogan ended up settling the case for millions less after Gawker filed for bankruptcy.
There was other fallout. The litigation led to the discovery that Hogan had used racial slurs on the tape.
A former top White House official blamed ex-Attorney General Merrick Garland for the Biden administration’s failure to do a deep dive into files related to notorious pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Neera Tanden, a senior adviser to former President Joe Biden who became director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, threw Garland under the bus Wednesday when asked, “Why didn’t the Biden administration do anything” about the so-called Epstein files by “Bulwark Podcast” host Tim Miller.
Tanden claimed that the Biden White House did not discuss the Epstein case — or hardly anything — with the Department of Justice when questioned by “Bulwark Podcast” host Tim Miller. X/@BulwarkOnline
“Any time I say anything about Epstein, they’re like, ‘Why didn’t Joe Biden’s — why didn’t Joe Biden release the files?’ And this is what I say: Have you met Merrick Garland?” Tanden responded.
“[T]he Joe Biden White House had nothing to do with enforcement on any topic,” she continued, charging that “because of the abuses of the Trump administration, the White House didn’t engage in any particular enforcement matter.”
“We barely did engage on policy with the Department of Justice. They were so arms-length to us.”
Tanden claimed the Biden White House had “no idea” what — if anything — Garland was doing related to the Epstein files, but that she believes the former attorney general couldn’t tolerate being potentially viewed as biased if he were to open more criminal cases related to Epstein’s underage sex trafficking endeavors.
“I can’t really tell you why Merrick Garland didn’t do it. I would say that he was hypersensitive about any perceptions of unfairness to a point where I think, you know, I’m not sure justice was always even done,” Tanden said.
“And I can imagine he thought, you know, after he’s doing [Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot cases] and all the conservative blowback on that — maybe he wouldn’t even look into Ghislaine Maxwell — but someone should ask him,” she added.
“I wish he had looked into it.”
A House Oversight panel subcommittee on Wednesday voted to subpoena Garland, a slew of other former top Justice Department officials, former President Bill Clinton and ex-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton related to a congressional investigation into Maxwell – an Epstein accomplice who was convicted of sex trafficking conspiracy charges in 2022.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas (left) and French President Emmanuel Macron during talks in Paris in July 2022
France will officially recognise a Palestinian state in September, President Emmanuel Macron has said, which will make it the first G7 nation to do so.
In a post on X, Macron said the formal announcement would be made at a session of the UN General Assembly in New York.
“The urgent need today is for the war in Gaza to end and for the civilian population to be rescued. Peace is possible. We need an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, and massive humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza,” he wrote.
Palestinian officials welcomed Macron’s decision, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the move “rewards terror” following Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack in Israel.
The US “strongly rejects” Macron’s announcement, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, calling the decision “reckless”.
The G7 is a group of major industrialised nations, which alongside France includes the US, the UK, Italy, Germany, Canada and Japan.
In his Thursday post on X, Macron wrote: “True to its historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, I have decided that France will recognise the State of Palestine.
“We must also guarantee the demilitarisation of Hamas, and secure and rebuild Gaza.
“Finally, we must build the State of Palestine, ensure its viability, and ensure that by accepting its demilitarisation and fully recognising Israel, it contributes to the security of all in the Middle East. There is no alternative.”
Macron also attached a letter to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas confirming his decision.
Responding to Macron’s announcement, Abbas’ deputy Hussein al-Sheikh said, “This position reflects France’s commitment to international law and its support for the Palestinian people’s rights to self-determination and the establishment of our independent state”, according to the AFP news agency.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu wrote in a post on X: “We strongly condemn President Macron’s decision to recognise a Palestinian state next to Tel Aviv in the wake of the 7 October massacre.
“A Palestinian state in these conditions would be a launch pad to annihilate Israel – not to live in peace beside it. Let’s be clear: the Palestinians do not seek a state alongside Israel; they seek a state instead of Israel,” Netanyahu added.
Hamas said France’s decision was a “positive step in the right direction” and urged all countries of the world “to follow France’s lead”.
Currently, the State of Palestine is recognised by more than 140 of the 193 member states of the UN.
A few European Union countries, including Spain and Ireland, are among them.
But Israel’s main supporter, the US, and its allies including the UK have not recognised a Palestinian state.
In a statement on Thursday, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he will hold an “emergency call” with French and German leaders on Friday to discuss “what we can do urgently to stop the killing”.
Statehood is an “inalienable right of the Palestinian people”, Sir Keir said, adding that a ceasefire would “put us on a path to the recognition of a Palestinian state and a two-state solution”.
Sir Keir’s statement came as he faces growing pressure, including from his own MPs, for the UK to follow France’s lead.
On Friday, a majority of MPs on the foreign affairs committee, which scrutinises UK foreign policy, called for the immediate recognition of the state of Palestine, adding it should make the move “while there is still a state to recognise”.
“An inalienable right should not be made conditional,” a committee report said.
Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry praised France’s decision, saying it “reaffirms the international community’s consensus on the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent state”.
The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the attack on southern Israel, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.
At least 59,106 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s health ministry.
Much of Gaza has been reduced to rubble since then.
On Thursday, simmering tensions between Thailand and Cambodia exploded into a deadly battle at the border.
At least 12 Thai nationals, most of whom are civilians, have been killed, Thai authorities have said.
How many people – if any – have lost their lives on the Cambodian side is not known.
Each side is blaming each other for causing the escalation, which reportedly began with gunfire over the border.
Thailand has accused Cambodia of then firing rockets, while Bangkok carried out air strikes on Cambodian military targets.
So how did we get here – and where is it going?
What’s behind the tensions?
This is not a recent dispute. In fact, the argument between Thailand and Cambodia dates back more than a century, when the borders of the two nations were drawn after the French occupation of Cambodia.
Things officially became hostile in 2008, when Cambodia tried to register an 11th Century temple located in the disputed area as a Unesco World Heritage Site – a move that was met with heated protest from Thailand.
Over the years there have been sporadic clashes that have seen soldiers and civilians killed on both sides.
The latest tensions ramped up in May after a Cambodian soldier was killed in a clash. This plunged bilateral ties to their lowest point in more than a decade.
In the past two months, both countries have imposed border restrictions on one another. Cambodia banned imports from Thailand such as fruits and vegetables, and stopped importing power and internet services.
Both countries have also strengthened troop presence along the border in recent weeks.
What exactly happened on Thursday?
Thailand and Cambodia have given differing versions of what happened.
Thailand’s National Security Council (NSC) claims that just after 07:30 local time (00:30GMT) on Thursday, Cambodia’s military deployed drones to conduct surveillance of Thai troops near the border.
Shortly afterwards, Cambodian military personnel carrying rocket-propelled grenades gathered near the border. Soldiers on the Thai side attempted negotiations by shouting, but were unsuccessful, the NSC spokesman said, adding that Cambodian soldiers opened fire at around 08:20, forcing the Thai side to retaliate.
Thailand has accused Cambodia of deploying heavy weapons, including BM-21 rocket launchers and artillery, causing damage to homes and public facilities including a hospital and a petrol station along the Thai side of the border.
Meanwhile, Cambodia claims that Thai soldiers initiated the conflict at around 06:30, when they violated a prior agreement by advancing on a Khmer-Hindu temple near the border and placing barbed wire around its base.
Thai soldiers then deployed a drone just after 07:00, and fired shots “into the air” at around 08:30, according to Maly Socheata, a spokesperson from Cambodia’s Ministry of National Defence.
At 08:46, Thai soldiers “pre-emptively” opened fire on Cambodian troops, leaving them no choice but to exercise their right to self-defence, according to the Phnom Penh Post newspaper quoting Socheata.
Socheata further accused Thailand of deploying excessive troops, using heavy weapons and carrying out air strikes on Cambodian territory.
Will this escalate into a full war?
Thailand’s acting premier Phumtham Wechayachai said that its dispute with Cambodia remains “delicate” and must be addressed with care, and in line with international law.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said his country wants to resolve the dispute peacefully and that it has “no choice” but to “respond with armed force against armed aggression”.
While there have been serious exchanges of fire in the past, they de-escalated relatively quickly – a path our correspondent Jonathan Head thinks will be followed again.
However, he warns, there’s a lack of leadership with the strength and confidence to pull back from this confrontation in both countries at the moment.
LITTLE People, Big World star Matt Roloff dropped $1.4 million to build a dream home for his fiancee Caryn Chandler before their sudden split, The U.S. Sun has learned.
Matt, 63, announced his breakup with his fiancee Caryn, 58, after eight years together.
Matt Roloff and Caryn Chandler have split after eight years togetherCredit: TLC
Last year, Matt completed construction on a stunning mansion on Roloff Farms that he built for his fiancee.
The U.S. Sun can exclusively reveal Matt dropped a whopping $1,461,520 on the construction.
According to public records, he spent $397,500 in 2023 and $1,064,020 in 2024 on improvements to the property.
He began building the single-family residence in 2023 and completed construction in 2024.
The home boasts three bedrooms, three bathrooms and is 3,949 square feet.
HOME SWEET HOME
Matt has provided updates on the construction over social media.
In October 2023, Matt showed off his kitchen in the house, as he installed low countertops and a sink for him to be able to reach.
He also revealed the house has a standard kitchen for his fiancee, who is not a little person.
In January 2024, Matt showed off the front of the home, as the exterior features brick, aluminum siding that resembles wood, and large windows.
“Hi everyone… soon i’ll take a bunch of new photos to show you our new house here on the farm… but in the meantime check out this amazing low maintenance siding accent we used,” he captioned the video.
The inside of the home features light hardwood floors and a stone fireplace.
The living room has wood beams on the ceiling and floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook the property.
Matt and Caryn were also able to watch the gorgeous sunset on a patio as well.
The home has stone columns throughout.
Matt built Caryn a home on the farm because she didn’t want to move into the big house, which is the home he shared with his ex-wife Amy and their four children.
Caryn explained of her decision on Little People, Big World, “It’s probably not a good decision for so many reasons.
“If we were to have Thanksgiving here, you know, the kids would come in and have that baggage of Amy cooking in there and now I’m trying… it’s really just the emotions behind it.
“People can get over that stuff, but we don’t have to do that. You have options. Having this giant house, it almost feels unfair, right? It should go to a family with kids.”
SAD SPLIT
Matt met Caryn when she worked as a manager for Roloff Farms.
They began dating in 2017, years after his divorce from wife Amy, 62.
They got engaged in April 2023.
Matt announced their split earlier this week in an Instagram post that read, “Hi everyone, I have some tough news to share… Caryn and I have decided to part ways and end our engagement.
“Life’s a continued journey and this is the right step for us at this time. We remain amicable and will always appreciate the many wonderful memories we have shared.
“Your support means the world to me and I’m committed to moving forward with positivity and trust in the path ahead.”
The U.S. Sun exclusively reported Caryn was the one to end the relationship.
A source claimed to The U.S. Sun, “The family has been blindsided. They did not see this coming.
“Matt and Caryn seemed normal and happy earlier this month on the farm. Things were great.
“The split was instigated by Karen, but publicly, they are saying it was mutual after having issues for a while.
The insider added, “It’s a really difficult time for them both, and there will be a lot they have to figure out in the coming weeks and months.
“They had been talking about the wedding for so long, it was pushed back more than once, but they still hadn’t set a date.”
The pair was reportedly meant to tie the knot last May, but they were forced to postpone the plans after Matt’s mother’s health issues.
MOVING ON
Little People, Big World was canceled by TLC after 25 seasons, The U.S. Sun reported in November 2024.
The cancellation came after Matt’s son Zach and daughter-in-law Tori revealed they would not be returning to the series.
Tori said on an episode of their podcast Raising Heights, “Let’s just talk about the elephant in the room. Are we coming back to Little People, Big World?”
Zach, who had been on the show for two decades, responded, “We are not. We made that pretty clear the last cycle.”
Tori added, “But I don’t think it’s been officially announced to people like we are not coming back to Little People, Big World. We are done. That part in our lives, that chapter has closed.”
The show would be difficult to film without the stars, as the only characters who remained were Matt and Caryn, and his ex-wife Amy and her husband Chris Marek.
Matt and Amy’s other children, Jeremy, Molly, and Jacob, along with their spouses, have not appeared on recent seasons.
As for the farm, it has been on and off the market for years, sparking a family feud with Matt’s sons Zach and Jeremy, who wanted to purchase the property.
A NEW front in Vladimir Putin’s bloody war erupted as Ukraine and Russia traded deadly Black Sea strikes after peace talks collapsed.
The tit-for-tat attacks were the fiercest in months and marked a chilling escalation in a war showing no signs of ending.
Russia launched a terrifying assault on Ukrainian Black Sea city OdesaCredit: East2West
In the Russian resort city of Sochi – Putin’s glittering showcase to the world and personal playground – massive Ukrainian drones tore through vital infrastructure.
Explosions rocked oil depots, ignited railway warehouses, and tore apart road links in Sirius Federal Territory, where elite schools, luxury developments, and whispers of Putin’s own children echo.
In an embarrassing blow to the Kremlin, a Russian S-400 missile system misfired during the chaos, smashing into a residential block and killing at least two civilians.
One woman was among the dead, and another 11 people were wounded.
Tourists at Sochi’s five-star beachside hotels were seen cowering in underground car parks as their luxury summer breaks were shattered by war.
This was the first major Ukrainian strike on Sochi in almost two years – and the symbolism couldn’t be clearer.
The city is home to Russia’s most elite gymnastics academy run by Alina Kabaeva, Putin’s long-time secret lover.
It’s also just a stone’s throw from the palace Mad Vlad is building after razing his last one – and only a mile from the Sirius school where he once held private talks with Donald Trump.
Ukraine used Lyutyi‑196 long-range drones in the daring raid that lit up the night sky with fireballs.
The Lukoil-Yugnefteprodukt oil depot exploded in flames as local officials scrambled to control the chaos.
Sochi airport was also shut down, delaying more than 100 flights.
While Sochi burned, the heart of Odesa bled.
The historic Ukrainian port city, often described as the soul of the nation, suffered yet another hellish night under a hail of Russian drones.
A nine-storey residential building was torn apart from the fifth to eighth floors, and the city’s beloved Privoz Market – a cultural landmark since 1827 – was engulfed in flames.
Regional governor Oleh Kiper said: “There is damage to architectural monuments in the historic centre of Odesa, which is under UNESCO protection.”
Russia also launched drone strikes on Mykolaiv and a missile assault on Cherkasy, injuring seven people and a child.
Fires raged across Ukrainian industrial sites as sirens screamed through the night.
All this, just hours after peace talks in Istanbul collapsed into bitter recriminations.
Kremlin negotiator Vladimir Medinsky admitted the two sides were “quite far from each other”.
Ukraine’s Rustem Umerov demanded an immediate ceasefire and face-to-face negotiations.
He warned: “We emphasise that the ceasefire must be real.
“It must include a complete halt to strikes on civilian and critically important infrastructure.”
‘Prepping for nuclear war’
As the bloodshed on the ground escalates, Putin’s propaganda machine turns even more apocalyptic.
Leading Russian media outlets – or Kremlin mouthpieces – have begun preparing their citizens for nuclear war.
Newspapers such as Komsomolskaya Pravda ran chilling features warning that war with the West could come before the end of the decade, fuelled by what they claim is Nato aggression.
Accusing the West of wanting to “dismember” Russia to access its resources, Russian military analyst Andrei Klintsevich warned: “The aim is to provoke Russia… and launch direct confrontation.”
He called for a nuclear test in the Arctic – the first since the Cold War – in a move meant to terrify Western powers.
The warnings coincided with threats from Putin’s infamous crony Dmitry Medvedev, who claimed World War Three has already begun, and urged Russia to bomb the West.
Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, raged that Nato and the West are effectively already at war with Russia as he pushed the Kremlin’s view that his country is the victim.
That’s despite it being Russia who invaded Ukraine and is continuing to wage a bloody war.
The Kremlin’s fury was further stoked after US General Christopher Donahue declared Nato could capture Kalinigrad – the strategic fortress Russia clings to in the heart of Europe – “faster than we’ve ever done before.”
It comes after Trump threw his own firepower to the mix.
He pledged to arm Ukraine with advanced defence systems and slap Russia with brutal 100 per cent tariffs – unless Putin strikes a peace deal within 50 days.
Meanwhile, Volodymyr Zelensky has found himself facing a new kind of battle – not with Putin, but with his own people.
The Ukrainian leader is under intense fire after signing a controversial anti-corruption bill that critics say hands him near-absolute power over previously independent watchdogs.
Thousands poured into the streets of Kyiv in the biggest anti-government protest since the war began.
“We chose Europe, not autocracy,” read one handmade placard.
Another one read: “My father did not die for this.”
Zelensky insisted the law was needed to purge Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies of Russian infiltration, claiming: “We all share a common enemy: the Russian occupiers…
“Those who work against Ukraine must not feel comfortable or immune to the inevitability of punishment.”
TRIBUTES have poured in for a college tennis player who died while running a half marathon.
Toby Atwood’s death at age 21 was announced by Thiel College in a heartbreaking statement.
A GoFundMe page was set up to help the family with funeral expenses.
She was the No. 1 singles player on Thiel’s tennis team and a co-captain.
The college called her a standout in the classroom and on the court.
Toby was a business administration and accounting double major with a 4.0 GPA.
She received numerous awards, including for excellence in athletics, academics and leadership.
Vice president for student life and athletics Michael McKinney said, “Her presence touched the lives of so many, and she will be deeply missed.
“During this heartbreaking time, we mourn for Toby and extend our heartfelt sympathy to her family, friends, classmates, teammates, coach, instructors, and all who knew her.”
Atwood collapsed while running the Presque Isle Half Marathon in Erie, Pennsylvania last Sunday.
She posted on Instagram in May celebrating running her first half marathon.
And fans congratulated her by saying she “ran right through” the finish line.
Atwood was also a member of the college’s Zeta Tau Alpha women’s fraternity.
A statement read, “Toby was a light in everyone’s life.
“There was never a dull moment with her and she was always there for the people she loved when they needed it.
“Toby truly left her mark while she was with us.
“She was seen as a leader, role model and mentor.
“She was strong, resilient, and never afraid to speak her mind.
“There will forever be a hole in our hearts and our chapter without her.
“She has touched the lives of so many.”
As of Thursday morning, more than $24,000 has been raised via GoFundMe.
Her page read, “Toby was one of those rare souls whose presence alone could light up an entire room.
“Always glowing with joy and positivity, she radiated warmth and happiness to everyone she encountered.
A DAD has died surrounded by over a hundred empty beer bottles after he only drank booze for an entire month.
Thaweesak Namwongsa, 44, reportedly suffered a seizure and tragically passed away before paramedics could save him.
A dad has died surrounded by over a hundred empty beer bottles after he only drank booze for an entire monthCredit: Facebook
Namwongsa was discovered by his 16-year-old son who lived with him after his parents divorced.
The teen revealed his dad had shunned food and was only drinking only beer in the month before his death.
He told police he had tried to cook hot meals for his father every day, but he simply refused to eat anything.
Then one day when the teenager came home from school he found Namwongsa unconscious after suffering a seizure.
Rescue workers from the Siam Rayong Foundation were called to a house in the Ban Chang district of Rayong, Thailand but by the time they arrived the dad-of-one had died.
Paramedics recalled finding over 100 empty beer bottles neatly arranged on the bedroom floor.
A narrow path had been laid out between them to allow the man to get in and out of his bed.
His son said the man started to drink heavily after becoming divorced.
It is suspected that this emotional strain could have led him to replace food with beer.
Namwongsa’s cause of death is yet to be confirmed.
An autopsy is set to be performed on the body later this week.
Officials do believe the excessive alcohol consumption is likely to have contributed.
It comes as at least six people died and dozens more were left fighting for their lives after drinking ‘rotgut’ booze infused with toxic chemicals in Bangkok.
There are four evaluations Kohberger has to complete
KILLER Bryan Kohberger has been pictured looking gaunt with a blank stare after he was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences.
The creepy new mug shot was released on Thursday as the convicted murderer was transferred out of jail, but it’ll be two weeks before he’s locked behind bars at the lone maximum security prison in Idaho.
Kohberger, 30, was sentenced to spend the rest of his days in prison for the murders of University of Idaho students Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin.
In his new mugshot, his pupils are dilated as he gazes at the camera with an empty look in his eyes.
He’s wearing the same orange prison uniform that he wore during his sentencing on Wednesday, which had two “Ls” for size large on the collar of the shirt.
However, Kohberger is not reporting directly to prison after Judge Steven Hippler handed him his sentence.
The killer is set to undergo two weeks of evaluations first, according to the Idaho Department of Corrections.
Officials utilize the tests to determine where the criminals will live.
“Once in IDOC custody, the person goes through a reception and diagnostic process to evaluate their needs and determine appropriate housing placement,” an IDOC spokesperson told People.
The process in the Reception and Diagnostic Unit can take up to two weeks, officials said.
“We wait until a person completes RDU to determine their classification or housing placement,” the spokesperson explained.
The RDU is at the Idaho State Correctional Institution south of Boise, where prisoners are photographed, fingerprinted, evaluated, and classified, according to the IDOC website.
Prisoners receive a physical exam, a psychological evaluation, an educational assessment, and a substance abuse evaluation.
Officials also use the RDU process to create a case plan to address the inmate’s needs.
After the process, Kohberger’s information will be reviewed by a committee that classifies the inmate in one of five levels: community custody, minimum custody, minimum restricted custody, medium custody, and close custody.
Once offenders are in prison, they can move up and down in classification.
“From RDU, inmates are transferred to the facility
that is most appropriate for their level of custody and has a bed available,” according to IDOC.
After the evaluations, Kohberger will likely be assigned to the only maximum security prison in Idaho, but he could also be sent to an out-of-state facility due to the high-profile nature of the case.
IDOC told People that out-of-state placements are determined on a case-by-case basis.
JAIL TIME SO FAR
Kohberger has spent over 900 days in jail so far, between his time in Latah County Jail and Ada County Jail.
He was extradited to Idaho following his arrest on quadruple murder charges at his parents’ Pennsylvania home on December 30, 2022.
The killer waited behind bars for the start of his murder trial in August 2025, but suddenly decided to plead guilty to four counts of murder and one count of burglary.
In pleading guilty on July 2, Kohberger avoided being executed and waived his right to appeal.
He confessed to brutally murdering the four friends as they slept in their off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho, on November 13, 2022.
A motive for the murders hasn’t been determined and likely won’t be after Kohberger refused to speak during his sentencing hearing.
The murderer only uttered “I respectfully decline” after he was asked by the judge if he had anything to say.
He remained silent and emotionless as the victims’ friends and family shared powerful impact statements during the three-hour hearing.
Then the judge secured the decision to keep Kohberger away from society for the rest of his life.
“Truth be told, I’m unable to come up with anything redeeming about Mr. Kohberger,” Hippler said.
“His actions have made him the worst of the worst.”
In a post on X, PM Modi said he had “a very good meeting with His Majesty King Charles III” during the meeting at his Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, eastern England.
PM Modi presented a tree sapling to King Charles III.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on King Charles III at his residence on Thursday during which he presented a tree sapling as part of his “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam” environmental initiative.
In a post on X, PM Modi said he had “a very good meeting with His Majesty King Charles III” during the meeting at his Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, eastern England.
PM Modi said both also covered aspects such as Yoga and Ayurveda as well as the India-UK Free Trade Agreement, known as Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA).
“We discussed different aspects of India-UK relations, including the ground covered in trade and investment in the wake of CETA and Vision 2035. Other subjects of discussion included education, health and wellness, particularly Yoga and Ayurveda, which are subjects His Majesty is very passionate about. We also talked about environmental protection and sustainability,” he said.
The sapling he presented to the King will be planted on the estate during planting season in the autumn, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri told reporters during a Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) briefing around the Prime Minister’s visit.
“This afternoon, the King received the Prime Minister of the Republic of India, Narendra Modi, at Sandringham House,” Buckingham Palace said in a social media statement along with an image of Modi with King Charles.
“During their time together, His Majesty was given a tree to be planted this Autumn, inspired by the environmental initiative launched by the Prime Minister, ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’, which encourages people to plant a tree in tribute to their mothers,” the statement said.
King Charles and PM Modi are known to share a common holistic environmental vision and topics such as Yoga and Ayurveda were expected to have been covered during their meeting.
According to official sources, the tree presented to the King is known as Davidia involucrata ‘Sonoma’, commonly known as the Sonoma dove tree or handkerchief tree, is an ornamental tree celebrated for its early and abundant flowering.
Unlike the species form of Davidia involucrata, which often takes 10 to 20 years to bloom, ‘Sonoma’ is a precocious cultivar that typically begins flowering within two to three years of planting.
Its most iconic feature is the pair of large, fluttering white bracts that resemble handkerchiefs or doves suspended from the branches, creating a spectacular visual display in late spring.
The royal audience came towards the end of a packed prime ministerial schedule during which PM Modi and Starmer held wide-ranging bilateral talks and oversaw the signing of the historic India-UK Free Trade Agreement at Chequers – the British Prime Minister’s official country residence in Buckinghamshire, near London.
“At Chequers, PM Keir Starmer and I saw an exhibition which gave a glimpse of the strong economic linkages between India and the UK. With the signing of CETA, these linkages will rise manifold,” Prime Minister Modi said in a social media post.
“Interacted with business leaders at Chequers. The signing of the India-UK CETA has opened up new avenues for trade and investment. It marks a pivotal step in strengthening our economic partnership,” he said.
He also highlighted how both nations are connected by a “shared passion for cricket” during an interaction with players from Buckinghamshire Street Cricket Hubs.
“Great to see sport fostering people-to-people ties between our nations. Also gave my young friends a bat signed by the Indian cricket team which won the T20 World Cup,” PM Modi said.
World IVF Day: Sperm freezing is gaining popularity as men recognise the importance of preserving fertility amidst changing lifestyles and delayed parenthood.
Sperm freezing may be used by men with medical conditions or even those who want to delay fatherhood.(Freepik)
When famous cyclist Lance Armstrong was diagnosed with testicular cancer at just 25, his doctors advised him to freeze his sperm before surgery and chemotherapy. After surviving cancer and when he wanted to start a family, the seven-time Tour de France winner became the father of three children through IVF thanks to the sperm he froze before treatment.
In recent times, more men are opting for sperm freezing or semen freezing early to preserve fertility, while couples are embracing IVF as a planned path to parenthood — free from the stigma it once carried. With changing lifestyles, late marriages, and growing awareness about reproductive health, fertility preservation is becoming a lifestyle decision, say experts on World IVF Day 2025.
For years, the fertility conversation is almost always about women, egg freezing, biological clocks and hormone tests. But the truth is that men aren’t immune to the ticking clock either, and sperm freezing, or cryopreservation, is slowly coming into the spotlight.
What is sperm freezing?
Sperm freezing, also known as sperm cryopreservation, is the process of preserving sperm cells for future use. It is done in single visit, where a man provides a semen sample, which is then processed in a laboratory. A special protective solution is added to prevent damage, and the sperm is stored in liquid nitrogen at -196°C. This keeps the sperm viable for years, allowing it to be used later for fertility treatments like IVF or IUI.
Why is sperm freezing gaining popularity among men today?
Is it mostly fertility concerns, lifestyle choices, or medical reasons? “It is a mix of all three,” Dr Jyoti Gupta, Senior Consultant – Reproductive Medicine at Motherhood Hospital, tells Health Shots.
“While medical reasons such as upcoming cancer treatments or surgeries remain common, persistent low sperm count, lifestyle and fertility planning are becoming significant factors. Men are marrying later, focusing on careers, or facing unpredictable life events. For those in high-risk jobs or undergoing gender reassignment, sperm freezing offers control over future parenthood,” adds Dr Gupta.
According to medical experts in the Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) space, there have even been successful pregnancies with sperm that had been frozen for over 20 years.
“Today’s men are delaying marriage and parenthood, focusing on careers, traveling, or just figuring out life first. Fertility isn’t the first thing on anyone’s mind at 25, but sperm quality does decline with age,” explains gynaecologist and IVF expert Dr Vaishali Sharma.
She highlights some of the main reasons men freeze sperm:
• Medical treatments like cancer therapy or testicular surgery.
• Lifestyle — extended work hours, stress, and environmental toxins can harm the sperm health.
• Preplanned backup for IVF cycles or family planning later in life.
• “Why not?” mindset. Some men just like having the reassurance that they’ve preserved their fertility and hence, possibility of father while they’re young.
“People are realizing that you don’t have to wait for a crisis or a diagnosis. The best time is when you’re healthy and in your prime.
If you’re between 20 and 35, your sperm is likely at its peak quality — with better motility and fewer DNA defects. After 40, sperm DNA fragmentation increases, and conception might take longer,” adds Dr Sharma.
How sperm quality changes with age
Even though men are technically capable of fathering children even in their 50s or even 60s, the uncertainties and risks may tend to increase. “Older sperm is more prone to DNA damage, which can therefore, impact embryo quality, increase miscarriage risk, and in some studies, even link to certain childhood disorders,” says Dr Sharma.
What is the best time for sperm freezing?
Ideally, men should consider sperm freezing in their late 20s to early 30s, when sperm quality is typically optimal. However, it can be done at any age, especially when there’s a medical reason or if there’s a delay in family planning, adds Dr Gupta.
How does sperm freezing work?
Here’s a step-by-step procedure for sperm freezing that is typically used:
1. Collection of sample: This refers to the process where you’ll be providing a semen sample, usually at a clinic.
2. Sperm health testing: This includes the process where the lab checks your sperm for various health parameters like its count, movement (motility), and shape. They want to freeze only the healthiest ones because obviously, they are the most viable, hence this is a crucial step in the process, explains Dr Sharma.
3. Sperm freezing: The tested healthy and viable sperm is then mixed with a protective solution and cooled to a temperature of -196°C using liquid nitrogen.
4. Storage of sperm: It is then stored in a cryogenic tank for as long as you want — 5, 10, even 20 years. This is known as sperm banking.
5. Future use: When you think you’re ready, the sperm is thawed, tested again, and used for treatments like IVF.
What is the success rate of pregnancy with sperm freezing?
Looking at ICSI (Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection) outcomes with frozen sperm, the evidence is extremely reassuring, says Dr Navina Singh, Fertility Specialist, Birla Fertility & IVF, Mumbai.
“Multiple studies published in PubMed reviews and Human Reproduction show that fertilisation rates consistently land between 60–71% and clinical pregnancy rates can reach up to 55%. Cohort studies show a modest rise in DNA fragmentation after sperm freezing but it is mitigated by advanced, contemporary protocols, where sperm is carefully selected. Most importantly, neonatal health, birth weight, and congenital anomaly rates are comparable to fresh sperm cycles. Science now gives patients genuine confidence about banking sperm for future fertility needs,” adds Dr Singh.
Common myths around sperm freezing
Taking the IVF route to parenthood can come with a mix of many myths and misconceptions. When it comes to sperm freezing or semen freezing, here are some common myths and facts, explained by Dr Priti Arora Dhamija, Senior Consultant – Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Sitaram Bhartia Institute of Science and Research.
Myth: Freezing of sperms deteriorates over time
Fact: Frozen sperms remains viable for years, without significant loss of their quality. In fact, frozen sperms can be just as effective like fresh samples for IVF procedures.
Myth: Semen freezing is only for people with medical conditions
Fact: Semen freezing can also be done for various reasons, including delayed parenthood, high risk occupations such as military or works which involve chemical and radiation exposure, and out of personal choice. Healthy men are now freezing sperm as part of long-term family planning — just like women freeze eggs.
Myth: Semen freezing can only be done at younger age
Fact: Quality of sperms decline with age but it typically happens after 45-50 years. Semen freezing is beneficial at a younger age, but not necessarily.
What is the cost of sperm freezing in India?
The cost of sperm freezing can vary depending on the number of years the sample is being frozen for, and the number of vials.
The experts say India has made sperm freezing widely accessible, especially in urban centers. “The process is far more affordable here than in many Western countries. Freezing costs range from ₹8,000 to ₹15,000,” says Dr Gupta.
As per Dr Sharma, initial testing may cost ₹5,000, initial freezing is around ₹15,000, annual storage fees may cost ₹10,000, and thawing for IVF later may cost ₹5,000.
More than 100,000 people have fled the bloodiest border fighting between Thailand and Cambodia in a decade, Bangkok said on Friday (Jul 25), as the death toll rose and international powers urged a halt to hostilities.
Thai residents who fled homes following clashes between Thai and Cambodian soldiers rest at an evacuation centre in Surin province, Thailand on Jul 25, 2025. (Photo: AP/Sakchai Lalit)
A long-running border dispute erupted into intense fighting with jets, artillery, tanks and ground troops on Thursday, and the United Nations Security Council is set to hold an emergency meeting on the crisis later Friday.
The Thai interior ministry said more than 100,000 people from four border provinces had been moved to nearly 300 temporary shelters, while the kingdom’s health ministry announced that the death toll had risen to 14 – 13 civilians and one soldier.
In the Cambodian town of Samraong, 20km from the border, AFP journalists reported hearing distant artillery fire on Friday morning.
As the guns started up, some families packed their children and belongings into vehicles and sped away.
“I live very close to the border. We are scared because they began shooting again at about 6am,” Pro Bak, 41, told AFP.
He was taking his wife and children to a Buddhist temple to seek refuge.
“I don’t know when we could return home,” he said.
AFP journalists also saw soldiers rushing to man rocket launchers and speeding off towards the frontier.
CALLS FOR CALM
The fighting marks a dramatic escalation in a long-running dispute between the neighbours – both popular destinations for millions of foreign tourists – over their shared 800km frontier.
Dozens of kilometres in several areas are contested and fighting broke out between 2008 and 2011, leaving at least 28 people dead and tens of thousands displaced.
A UN court ruling in 2013 settled the matter for over a decade, but the current crisis erupted in May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a new clash.
Fighting on Thursday was focused on six locations, according to the Thai army, including around two ancient temples.
Ground troops backed up by tanks battled for control of territory, while Cambodia fired rockets and shells into Thailand and the Thais scrambled F-16 jets to hit military targets across the border.
Both sides blamed each other for firing first, while Thailand accused Cambodia of targeting civilian infrastructure, including a hospital hit by shells and a petrol station hit by at least one rocket.
Thursday’s clashes came hours after Thailand expelled the Cambodian ambassador and recalled its own envoy after five members of a Thai military patrol were wounded by a landmine.
Cambodia downgraded ties to “the lowest level” on Thursday, pulling out all but one of its diplomats and expelling their Thai equivalents from Phnom Penh.
At the request of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, the UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Friday to discuss the deadly clashes, diplomatic sources told AFP.
The United States urged an “immediate” end to the conflict, while Cambodia’s former colonial ruler France made a similar call.
The EU and China – a close ally of Phnom Penh – said they were “deeply concerned” about the clashes, calling for dialogue.
The Ukrainian and Russian delegations concluded negotiations in Istanbul in less than an hour. According to reports, another prisoner exchange has been agreed upon.
Ukrainian delegation arrives at Ciragan Palace for talks with Russian negotiatorsImage: Emrah Gurel/AP/dpa/picture alliance
Ukraine retrieves over 1,000 POWs from Russia, Zelenskyy says
Kyiv on Wednesday brought back over 1,000 prisoners of war from Russia, as part of an exchange agreed in Istanbul, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
“Seriously ill and severely wounded defenders are returning home,” Zelenskyy wrote on X. “For a thousand families, this means the joy of embracing their loved ones again. I am grateful to everyone who contributed to this effort.”
Many of those returned on Wednesday had been imprisoned for over three years, Zelenskyy added, vowing that they will all receive the necessary support and medical assistance.
“Bringing all our people back is a priority for the state. And we will continue doing everything possible to ensure that every one of our people returns from captivity,” the Ukrainian president wrote.
Russia says agreed with Ukraine to swap 1,200 POW each
Moscow and Kyiv have agreed to exchange 1,200 prisoners of war each during peace talks in Istanbul, a Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said after the talks in Istanbul.
In addition to the POW exchange, Russia also offered to hand Ukraine the bodies of 3,000 killed soldiers, the negotiator added.
“Continuing the exchange of prisoners of war, we have agreed that at least 1,200 additional prisoners of war will be exchanged on both sides in the near future,” Medinsky said at a press conference.
Medinsky also said that Russia offered Ukraine a 24-hour to 48-hour ceasefire.
When asked about Kyiv’s bid for a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Medinsky said such a meeting should only be for signing documents and not for holding discussions.
“We discussed at length the positions set out by our sides in the memoranda submitted last time. The positions are quite distant. We agreed to continue contacts,” Medinsky told reporters.
The ruling is the first in a series of attempts by US President Trump to release information related to the Epstein case. Meanwhile, a panel of lawmakers voted to subpoena the Justice Department for its files on Epstein.
Trump’s 15-year friendship with the late sex offender disintegrated over a property deal falloutImage: Thomas Krych/AP Photo/picture alliance
A US judge has denied a bid by US President Donald Trump’s administration to unseal grand jury transcripts concerning the late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in Florida in the 2000s.
US District Judge Robin Rosenberg found on Wednesday that the US Justice Department’s request failed to fall into any of the exceptions to rules requiring grand jury material be kept secret.
Wednesday’s ruling has no impact on two other pending requests by the Justice Department seeking to obtain transcripts of grand jury proceedings related to later federal investigations of Epstein in New York, CNBC reported. The proceedings in question led to Epstein’s criminal indictment, as well as the indictment of his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.
House panel votes to subpoena Justice Department for Epstein files
A House subcommittee, meanwhile, voted on Wednesday to subpoena the Department of Justice for files in the sex trafficking investigation into Epstein.
It came after Democrats successfully pushed Republican lawmakers to defy Trump and the party leadership and to support the action. Three Republicans on the panel voted with Democrats for the subpoena, sending it through on an 8-2 vote tally.
The motion passed just hours before the House was scheduled to end its July work session and depart Washington for a monthlong break.
Clay Higgins, the Republican subcommittee chairman, said that work was beginning to draft the subpoena but that it would take some time for both sides to work out the final language.
The move by Democrats showed how they were piling pressure to force Republicans to act on the Epstein files.
Why does Trump want to reveal more information on the Epstein case?
Trump is facing the biggest internal challenge in his second term in the White House as of yet as a result of the Epstein case.
His supporters from the MAGA (Make America Great Again) campaign have lashed out at the US president after the Justice Department closed the case two weeks ago, announcing there was no more information to share.
The July 7 memo declared that there was no Epstein “client list,” despite claims from Attorney General Pam Bondi that she was reviewing it. The memo affirmed that the disgraced sex offender did in fact die by suicide in his prison cell.
MAGA supporters have been told by their leaders for years that the “deep state” was hiding information in the Epstein case to protect Democratic Party figures they accuse of being Epstein’s clients. Some MAGA leaders have even fanned conspiracy theories suggesting Epstein did not die by suicide but was murdered by orders made by said clients.
Such conspiracies fueled a furious backlash from Trump’s MAGA supporters regarding the Justice Department’s decision to close the case, prompting the US president to authorize Bondi to release “credible” information on the case. Trump has also asked courts to unseal grand jury transcripts concerning Epstein.
What are Trump’s ties to Epstein?
All of this is happening against the backdrop of an increasing amount of reporting on Trump’s 15-year friendship with the late sex offender. Several pictures of the pair partying together document this relationship, which disintegrated in 2004 when they fell out over a property deal. At the time, Trump denounced his former ally.
The White House has been furiously refuting a report by the Wall Street Journal that suggests the US president had contributed a “bawdy” letter with his signature for Epstein’s 50th birthday in 2003.
Trump has sued the publication and its owner Rupert Murdoch over the report.
Little more than half a year into 2025, mankind has already hit Earth Overshoot Day, consuming resources at a rate that far outpaces the capacity to restore them. Are there ways to slow things down?
How can we fix the overexploitation of our planet?Image: Sergey Nivens/Shotshop/picture alliance
July 24 marks the day where humanity has used up nature’s entire budget of ecological resources for the year. That’s according to the international sustainability organization Global Footprint Networkand York University in Toronto, Canada.
The day, which is observed annually, comes just over a week earlier than last year’s date— mainly due to the fact that oceans can absorb less CO2 than previously reported.
We are overconsuming by depleting nature’s capital faster than it can replenish, which is visible in deforestation, loss of biodiversity and the accumulation of carbon emissions in the atmosphere. And it is part of a trend that started back in the early 1970s.
Mathis Wackernagel, co-founder of the Global Footprint Network, told DW that using too many resources is driving many “environmental ills,” and that regularly using more than the planet can naturally reproduce has a cumulative effect.
“Even if we keep it at the same level, we increase the ecological debt that the world endures,” he said, adding that the ensuing “debt is measurable.”
Overconsumption is a global problem
Qatar, Luxembourg and Singapore were first in hitting their respective country overshoot days back in February. The US was not far behind. If everyone on the planet consumed like people in the US, resources would be depleted by March 13. Germany and Poland land on May 3, China and Spain on May 23, South Africa on July 2.
Wackernagel said high income “typically leads to higher resource consumption,” but added that it is not the only driver.
Qatar, with a desert climate with low annual rainfall and intensely hot, humid summers, relies heavily on air conditioning powered by fossil fuel energy.
“They have easy access to fossil fuels, so fossil fuel use is cheap and that has a big footprint,” he said, adding the country also uses up a lot of resources for the energy intensive process of desalinating seawater.
Uruguay, on the other hand, is not projected to start overconsuming until December 17. It has successfully turned to renewable energy to power its grid, relying mainly on hydroelectricity, wind and biomass.
Sticking to what Earth can replenish
And then there are the countries that stay within bounds of the planet’s capacity such as India, Kenya and Nigeria, among others. In order to stay within our means, the world’s ecological footprint would have to equal the available biocapacity per person on our planet, which currently stands at about 1.5 global hectares.
Biocapacity is defined as land and ocean areas that provide resources such as food and timber, can accommodate urban infrastructure and absorb excess CO2. Anything higher than the global available biocapacity per person is overexploiting resources.
Germany has about the same amount of biocapacity per person as the global average, but uses about three times more, Wackernagel said.
While India, the world’s most populous country, uses more than the country itself can renew in a year, globally speaking “the level of consumption is less than one planet,” he said, adding that one planet should not be the goal. “There are also other species, so we should probably be below one planet to be robust.”
Decades of overusing are taking a toll
Wackernagel said we are taking resources “far beyond what Earth can regenerate” yet have a collective understanding that what we are doing is fine. “But we’re fooling ourselves.”
Paul Shrivastava, co-president of think tank Club of Rome, said it’s time to rethink how we understand economies. “We need to change from that extractive mindset of the economy to a regenerative one,” he told DW.
“Mining is a kind of extraction. Oil is a kind of extraction. Once we take it out of the earth, we don’t give anything back,” he added.
Wackernagel said it’s not about what we need to give up, but rather how we can prepare ourselves for the future and what will be valuable then.
Rather than adjusting economies to reduce overshooting, people are trying to squeeze the last bit out of the toothpaste tube, Wackernagel said.
“In the United States, where I live, I could see that many of the themes around the elections last year were very overshoot related. For example, the fear of not having enough energy,” he said. However, the government has failed to address the problem of overshooting and instead pushed to “drill more holes and get more fossil fuels” out of the ground.
How to push back Overshoot Day?
The Global Footprint Network has outlined a number of solutions in five key areas to push back the date of Earth Overshoot Day.
The energy sector is by far the biggest factor at play: Placing a price on carbon emissions that reflects the true cost of carbon pollution on the planet would help move the date by 63 days.
Smart cities with integrated transport systems, advanced energy management and foresight through sensors to regulate energy in buildings could add another 29 days to the calendar.
Replacing coal and gas-fired power plants with renewable energy such as solar and wind and generating 75% of electricity from low-carbon sources would move the date by another 26 days.
Halving food waste would provide another 13 extra days and replacing 50% of global meat consumption with plant-based alternatives would add seven days from CO2 emissions and land use alone. Just one meatless day per week would add around two days.
THE father of NFL rookie Travis Hunter has been arrested for allegedly violating his probation.
A warrant was issued for Travis Hunter Sr., 39, after his probation officer lost track of him for 11 minutes on June 28.
Travis Hunter Sr., left, with Travis Hunter Jr.Credit: Instagram
Hunter Sr. was arrested and jailed in Palm Beach County, Florida, on Tuesday, police records show.
He had been monitored as he was on a three-year probation following gun and drug charges in 2023.
After Hunter Sr. generated a “bracelet gone” alarm between 8:07 pm and 8:18 pm on June 28, he told his probation officer that he had been in his room while the tracking device was in his living room.
A few days later, he changed his story and said he lost the bracelet.
Hunter Jr., 22, is an NFL rookie and the winner of the 2024 Heisman Trophy.
The young athlete just started his first training camp with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
He was the second overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft.
The football star has turned off comments on his Instagram account following his dad’s second arrest.
Hunter Sr. was arrested in November 2023 after a traffic stop because his license plate wasn’t visible, court records said.
Cops then found he was driving without a license, and his car allegedly contained drugs and a loaded gun, court records said.
The dad was charged with illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon after he was previously convicted of selling heroin in 2018.
Last year, Hunter Sr. reached a plea deal to plead guilty to drug possession and the gun charge.
He was sentenced to three years of probation, including a year of community control supervision.
Hunter Sr. also spent 90 days in jail and was released on December 5, just over a week before Hunter Jr.’s Heisman ceremony.
While Hunter Sr. didn’t attend, Hunter Jr. thanked his dad for his support when he accepted the award.
“I want to say something to my father,” Hunter Jr. said at the New York event.
“He’s not here and wasn’t able to make it but I know you’re watching on TV.
“Dad, I love you. For all the stuff you went through man,” he continued.
“Now look at your oldest son. I did it for you, man.”
Hunter Sr. told the Palm Beach Post why he didn’t go to the ceremony.
RUSSIAN media is preparing its citizens for a nuclear war with the West in the near future.
Several media outlets in Moscow – part of Putin’s propaganda machine – have been actively publishing articles discussing a nuclear armageddon between Russia and the West.
Vladimir Putin’s news outlets are preparing the population for nuclear warCredit: Getty
Komsomolskaya Pravda (KP) newspaper uses Russian “experts” to explain how such a conflict could happen – ramping up the nuclear war rhetoric.
Readers are told that Britain and Europe want to engage in a conflict with Russia.
This could happen by the end of the decade when “European forces reach full operational readiness”, the newspaper reports.
It comes after a senior US army general threatened to launch a “faster than ever” attack on a Russian WW3 flashpoint.
The newspaper argues multiple Western politicians and military figures have threatened war.
And it threatens to launch an attack on the West – claiming “there is no place in Europe [Russia] cannot hit”.
Andrei Klintsevich, head of the Centre for the Study of Military and Political Conflicts, told the newspaper: “They need a big war to dismember Russia into small independent states and get free access to our resources.”
Lintsevich accused the West of mobilising its military-industrial complex, mining borders, and building defences.
The aim is to provoke Russia, accuse Moscow of “aggression”, and launch direct confrontation, he told the paper.
He demanded that Russia now stage a nuclear weapons test in the Arctic – the first since the end of the Cold War – to deter the West.
Independent news outlet Agentsvo said the report in KP – said to be Putin’s favourite newspaper – was “intended to prepare Russian public opinion for a potential war with Nato”.
“Russia would have to respond — not only diplomatically. Missile strikes would be inevitable, as securing a land corridor through Odesa and Mykolaiv would require considerable time and force,” explained the newspaper.
General Christopher Donahue, commander of the United States Army Europe and Africa, said Nato could capture Kaliningrad – Moscow’s strategic military fortress in the heart of Europe.
Wedged between Poland and Lithuania, the region of Kaliningrad is heavily militarised by the Russians.
It is cut off from the rest of Putin’s empire, but could be used by the tyrant to launch an attack on Europe.
Using the strategic exclave, the Russians could also take over the Suwalki Gap – a hard-to-defend strip of land less than 60 miles wide that links the rest of the Nato countries to the Baltic nations.
Donahue had argued that Nato could destroy the heavily militarised Kaliningrad “in a timeframe that is unheard of and faster than we’ve ever been able to do” in the event of Russian threats against allied states.
“Donahue’s words confirm that they are preparing to seize Kaliningrad,” said Klintsevich.
“The Swedish island of Gotland is already being turned into a powerful warship — with air defence systems, anti-ship missiles, and more being deployed there. Estonia and Finland are forming a joint group.”
He warned Russians: “Under a made-up pretext, they’ll block Kaliningrad’s air and sea routes.
“Our protests and ultimatums will be ignored, forcing our troops to fight their way through the Suwałki Gap [a 60-mile wide strip of land connecting NATO states Lithuania and Poland, flanked by Russia – Kaliningrad – and its ally Belarus].
“In such a case, Europe would launch a ground operation in Kaliningrad using large numbers of rockets, artillery, and drones,” said the newspaper.
“The Alliance believes that occupying Kaliningrad would cut Russia off from the Baltic once and for all,” said military expert Alexander Zimovsky.
Another flashpoint starting a new war in Europe could be ex-Soviet state Moldova, says KP.
Russia’s foreign intelligence service SVR has warned that Nato “is rapidly turning Moldova into a military staging ground.
Another trigger point for World War Three could be the north, claimed Sergey Sudakov, of the Russian Academy of Military Sciences.
The most likely threat is Finland, which recently joined NATO.
They have “solid military infrastructure, which the alliance could use for attacks on St Petersburg, Karelia, and Murmansk,” said Zimovsky.
KP stressed: “While a Kaliningrad conflict might be settled, an assault on St Petersburg would risk triggering World War Three.”
The Kremlin has ramped up its nuclear rhetoric after the threats from the US commander – with Putin’s henchmen accusing the US of “unleashing World War Three”.
Terrifying secret plans setting out how London would deal with a nuke attack have been obtained by The Sun.
The chilling documents lay bare the grim reality of how Londoners would face nuclear Armageddon in great detail.
The tirade from Moscow comes as the Kremlin pushes on with its war against Ukraine – launching nightly bombing raids to wreak havoc.
Meanwhile, Trump agreed to sell defence systems to Ukraine and slap brutal 100 per cent tariffs on Russia if Moscow does not reach a peace agreement with Ukraine within 50 days.
It comes after ex-Russian president Dmitry Medvedev said that WW3 has already begun and that his boss Putin should bomb the West.
Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, raged that Nato and the West are effectively already at war with Russia as he pushed the Kremlin’s view that his country is the victim.
That’s despite it being Russia who invaded Ukraine and is continuing to wage a bloody war.
Cardi B is being sued for assault and battery after she allegedly struck a woman with a microphone during her performance in Las Vegas two years ago.
The woman — identified as Jane Doe — claims in the lawsuit that the “I Like It” rapper had asked the audience at Drai’s Beachclub to throw water at her to help her cool off, TMZ reported Wednesday.
Doe alleges that several people answered the pop star’s request, but Cardi chucked the mic at her when she did so.
Cardi B is being sued by a woman claiming the rapper hit her with a microphone during a performance in Las Vegas two years ago. Brian Prahl / SplashNews.com
The microphone, meanwhile, was auctioned off for $99,000, which Doe claims “exacerbated [her] emotional distress.”
The “Up” singer, 32, was not charged when the incident occurred.
Reps for Cardi weren’t immediately available to Page Six for comment.
Shortly before Cardi lost her cool, she was seen in a video encouraging the crowd to “splash” water “in [her] p—y.”
“That s–t feels good,” she said, as the DJ encouraged fans to “splash her down.”
Seconds later, the woman, who accused the hitmaker of assault, threw a cup full of water at Cardi.
After the mic was thrown, security escorted the woman out of the venue.
Cardi later addressed her heated moment, saying, “I don’t want to look [like] that ghetto bitch.”
“I said splash my p—y, not my face, bitch.”
Cardi hasn’t shied away from calling out fans in the past, including after they accused her of copying Nicki Minaj’s style.
She also told fans to “shut the f–k up” after several claimed that she got back together with her estranged husband, Offset, in 2023.
Paramedics fought for hours to save Ozzy Osbourne before the Black Sabbath frontman’s death on Tuesday, according to a new report.
A Thames Valley air ambulance landed in a field close to the rocker’s mansion at 10:30 that morning, the Daily Mail claimed.
The outlet alleged medics tried and failed to save the singer’s life for two hours.
A Thames Valley air ambulance arrived near the rocker’s home at 10:30 Tuesday morning, according to the Daily Mail. BACKGRID
A spokesperson for the organization told Daily Mail, “We can confirm that our helicopter was dispatched to provide advanced critical care at an incident near Chalfont St Giles yesterday.”
Locals told the outlet that they worried “something serious was happening” when they saw the chopper.
One noted, “We immediately feared it may be for him as he was known to be in fragile health.”
Osbourne’s family members’s reps have yet to respond to Page Six’s requests for comment.
The Grammy winner’s loved ones released a statement Tuesday revealing Osbourne’s death “with more sadness than mere words can convey.”
They wrote that the Prince of Darkness was “with his family and surrounded by love” in his final moments.
He is survived by wife Sharon Osbourne and their three kids — daughter Aimee, 41, daughter Kelly, 40, and son Jack, 39.
Additionally, Ozzy was the father of son Elliot, daughter Jessica and son Louis from his first marriage to Thelma Riley.
The songwriter’s cause of death has yet to be revealed.
Ozzy suffered from a myriad of health issues prior to his passing, from Parkinson’s disease to limited mobility from a 2003 accident exacerbated by a 2019 fall.
The musician retired from touring in 2023 but did perform a farewell Black Sabbath show with bandmates Tony Iommi, Bill Ward and Geezer Butler earlier this month.
Meryl Streep was spotted on set of “The Devil Wears Prada 2” for the first time Wednesday, reprising her role as the iconic Miranda Priestly.
Streep was snapped filming in New York City, rocking her character’s signature icy white long pixie cut. The actress looked chic in a long tan trench coat, a purple blouse tucked into a belted brown leather skirt and matching brown heels.
A pair of stylish black sunglasses completed her look as the Runway magazine editor-in-chief.
Meryl Streep was spotted for the first time filming “The Devil Wears Prada 2” Wednesday in New York City. GC Images
“The Devil Wears Prada 2” — the long-awaited sequel to the 2006 hit “The Devil Wears Prada” starring Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci — follows Priestly as she navigates her career amid the decline of traditional magazine publishing, according to Variety.
The sequel has her facing off against Blunt’s character, Emily, who’s now a high-powered executive for a luxury group with advertising dollars that Priestly needs.
Hathaway, Blunt and Tucci are all returning to the sequel alongside Streep. Newcomers include Kenneth Branagh (who will play Priestly’s husband), Lucy Liu, Justin Theroux and B.J. Novak.
It’s set to hit theaters May 1, 2026.
Hathaway sent fans into a frenzy Monday, when she shared a TikTok getting ready to film “The Devil Wears Prada 2” in a cerulean blue sweater — a clear call back to the famous shade of knitwear from the original 2006 movie.
Page Six sources also think “Cerulean” is the code name the film is using to film in NYC.
Hathaway, 42, has been spotted filming in NYC for the movie, rocking one stylish look after another as her character, Andy Sachs.
Standout pieces have included a colorful patchwork Gabriela Hearst maxi dress, a denim zippered coverall from Re/Done’s 2022 collaboration with Ford and a vintage pinstriped Jean Paul Gaultier vest-and-trouser combo.
Back in 2021, Streep admitted she didn’t enjoy filming “The Devil Wears Prada” due to her embodying the icy character — which is, of course, rumored to be based on Vogue bigwig Anna Wintour — off set as well.
U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent speaks during a press conference following a weekly policy luncheon on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 24, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Mohatt/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
Talks between top South Korean and U.S. officials to negotiate over U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs have been postponed due to a scheduling conflict for U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, South Korea’s finance ministry said on Thursday.
The two sides will reschedule the so-called 2+2 meeting between Bessent and South Korean Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol, as well as the top trade envoys of both countries, as soon as possible, the ministry said.
Koo was set to board a flight for Washington on Thursday to attend the meeting on Friday in the hope of hammering out a deal that would spare Asia’s fourth-largest economy from Trump’s punishing 25% tariffs set to take effect on August 1.
The sudden announcement by the finance ministry an hour before Koo’s departure cast fresh doubts about whether Seoul would be able to pull off an agreement to avert U.S. import duties that could hit some of its major exporting industries.
“It might be difficult to reschedule 2+2 again before August 1st, so the best we can do is for the trade chief Yeo to request an extension of the tariff exemption,” said Heo Yoon, international trade professor at Sogang University, referring to Minister for Trade Yeo Han-koo
The benchmark KOSPI (.KS11), stock index trimmed early gains to trade up 0.7% as of 0134 GMT, as auto and auto parts makers fell on news of the postponed talks, with Hyundai Motor (005380.KS), dropping as much as 1.8%.
Washington gave no further details for postponing Friday’s meeting, the finance ministry said, though U.S. officials are embroiled in a flurry of different negotiations.
Bessent was set to meet China’s Vice Premier He Lifeng in Sweden for a new round of trade talks ahead of the August 12 deadline set for Beijing. Washington is also moving towards a deal with the European Union.
Trade minister Yeo and Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan, who have travelled to Washington this week, have been meeting with U.S. officials as scheduled, the South Korean government said.
Yeo will hold a meeting with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, the industry ministry said.
PRESSURE TO MATCH JAPAN DEAL
Pressure on South Korea heightened this week after Japan clinched a deal with the United States, which Trump said would see Tokyo allowing greater market access for American products including autos and some agricultural products.
The agreement includes a commitment by Japan for a $550 billion package of U.S.-bound investment and loans.
The two major Asian security allies of the United States compete in areas such as autos and steel, and Japan’s deal was seen by investors as a benchmark for the type of agreement Seoul should try to squeeze out in negotiations, analysts have said.
The involvement of a range of ministerial-level officials from Seoul in broad discussions with U.S. officials in recent days suggested the two sides were at work on a trade package that could potentially involve a range of sectors, including South Korea’s sensitive farm markets.
South Korean officials have said access to U.S. markets is key to industrial cooperation between the allies that would help rebuild American manufacturing industries.
Seoul is set to propose to Washington an investment package plan worth at least $100 billion which would involve major South Korean conglomerates like Samsung and Hyundai Motor Group, Yonhap News Agency reported.
President Lee Jae Myung met Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung and LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo this month and discussed their U.S. investments, Lee’s office said.
More than 100 international aid organisations and human rights groups are warning of mass starvation in Gaza and pressing for governments to take action.
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Save the Children and Oxfam are among the signatories of a joint statement that says their colleagues and the people they serve are “wasting away”.
Israel, which controls the entry of all supplies into the territory, rejected the organisations’ statement and accused them of “serving the propaganda of Hamas”.
Their warning came as Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry said another 10 Palestinians had died as a result of malnutrition in the last 24 hours.
That brings the number of such deaths across Gaza since Sunday to 43, according to the ministry.
The UN has reported that hospitals have admitted people in a state of severe exhaustion caused by a lack of food, and that others are collapsing in the streets.
“As the Israeli government’s siege starves the people of Gaza, aid workers are now joining the same food lines, risking being shot just to feed their families,” the 109 humanitarian organisations said in the statement published on Wednesday.
“With supplies now totally depleted, humanitarian organisations are witnessing their own colleagues and partners waste away before their eyes.”
Israel imposed a total blockade of aid deliveries to Gaza at the start of March and resumed its military offensive against Hamas two weeks later, collapsing a two-month ceasefire. It said it wanted to put pressure on the armed group to release its remaining Israeli hostages.
Although the blockade was partially eased after almost two months, amid warnings of a looming famine from global experts, the shortages of food, medicine and fuel have worsened.
“Doctors report record rates of acute malnutrition, especially among children and older people. Illnesses like acute watery diarrhoea are spreading, markets are empty, waste is piling up, and adults are collapsing on the streets from hunger and dehydration,” the humanitarian organisations warned.
“An aid worker providing psychosocial support spoke of the devastating impact on children: ‘Children tell their parents they want to go to heaven, because at least heaven has food.'”
The World Health Organization (WHO) has said its assessments show that a quarter of the population is facing famine-like conditions, and that almost 100,000 women and children are suffering from severe acute malnutrition and need treatment as soon as possible.
Its director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday: “As you know, mass starvation means starvation of a large proportion of a population, and a large proportion of the population of Gaza is starving.
“I don’t know what you would call it other than mass starvation, and it’s man-made.
“And that’s very clear, this is because of the blockade.”
Dr Ahmad al-Farra, the head of paediatrics at Nasser hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis, told the BBC that no food had been available for three days.
He said children come to his unit going through varying degrees of starvation.
Some were malnourished and died in the hospital’s care, he added. Others came with separate health issues that prevented nutrients from being absorbed by their bodies.
“We were afraid we would reach this critical point – and now we have,” he said.
The shortages of basic supplies has caused prices at local markets to skyrocket and left most families unable to afford to buy anything.
“It’s outrageous – prices are on fire,” one Gaza resident said. “Every day we need 300 shekels ($90; £66.50) just for flour.”
The humanitarian organisations also noted that the UN says it has recorded the killing by the Israeli military of more than 1,050 Palestinians trying to get food since 27 May – the day after the controversial aid distribution mechanism run by the Israel- and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) began operating as an alternative to the UN-led mechanism.
According to the UN human rights office, 766 people have been killed in the vicinity of the GHF’s four aid sites, which are located inside Israeli military zones and operated by US private security contractors. Another 288 people have been killed near UN and other aid convoys.
The Israeli military says its troops deployed near the GHF sites have only fired warning shots and that they do not intentionally shoot civilians. The GHF says the UN is using “false and misleading” figures from Gaza’s health ministry.
The humanitarian organisations also said almost all of Gaza’s population has been displaced and is now confined to less than 12% of the territory not covered by Israeli evacuation orders or within Israeli militarised zones, making aid operations untenable.
And they said an average of only 28 lorry loads of aid is being distributed in Gaza each day.
“Just outside Gaza, in warehouses – and even within Gaza itself – tons of food, clean water, medical supplies, shelter items and fuel sit untouched with humanitarian organisations blocked from accessing or delivering them.”
The UN says Israel, as the occupying power, has an obligation under international law to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches all the population in need.
Israel insists it acts in accordance with international law and facilitates the entry of aid while ensuring it does not reach Hamas.
It has acknowledged recently that there has been a significant drop in supplies reaching Palestinians but blamed UN agencies.
Israeli military body Cogat, which co-ordinates the entry of aid into Gaza, wrote on X on Monday that almost 4,500 lorry loads had entered Gaza over the past two months, including 2,500 tonnes of baby food and high-calorie special food for children.
It also published drone footage showing what it said was some of the 950 lorry loads of aid waiting to be collected by the UN and other international organisations on the Gazan side of the Kerem Shalom and Zikim crossings.
“The collection bottleneck remains the main obstacle to maintaining a consistent flow of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip,” Cogat said.
The UN has repeatedly said it struggles to get the necessary Israeli authorisation to collect incoming supplies with Gazan drivers from inside the crossing points and transport it through military zones.
The ongoing hostilities, badly damaged roads, and severe fuel shortages have exacerbated problems. Criminal looting by armed gangs has also sometimes stopped operations.
The UN has said a major problem in recent weeks has been that it is struggling to get commitments from the Israeli military that desperate Palestinians will not be killed while trying to collect aid from its convoys.
UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told a briefing on Tuesday: “In too many cases where UN teams are permitted by Israel to collect supplies from closed compounds near Gaza’s crossings, civilians approaching these trucks come under fire despite repeated assurances that troops would not engage or be present.”
“This unacceptable pattern is the opposite of what facilitating humanitarian operations should look like. Absolutely no one should have to risk their lives to get food.”
The humanitarian organisations said it is time for governments to “take decisive action”.
“Demand an immediate and permanent ceasefire; lift all bureaucratic and administrative restrictions; open all land crossings; ensure access to everyone in all of Gaza; reject military-controlled distribution models; restore a principled, UN-led humanitarian response and continue to fund principled and impartial humanitarian organisations.”
“States must pursue concrete measures to end the siege, such as halting the transfer of weapons and ammunition,” they added.
Israel’s foreign ministry said it categorically rejected the statement, accusing the organisations of “using Hamas’s talking points”.
“These organisations are serving the propaganda of Hamas, using their numbers and justifying their horrors,” it added.
“Instead of challenging the terror organisation, they embrace it as their own.”
The ministry also claimed that they were “harming the chances” of a new ceasefire and hostage release deal, which Israel and Hamas are negotiating at indirect talks in Qatar.
Artwork: The new system predicts missing text from broken inscriptions, their date and original location
A new AI tool has the potential to turbocharge our understanding of all human history, researchers say.
Artificial intelligence has already been used to fill in gaps in ancient Roman scrolls, but a new system goes much further.
It can fill in missing words from ancient Roman inscriptions carved on monuments and everyday objects, as well as dating and placing them geographically.
AI often introduces errors in its analysis of even simple modern texts, so there are concerns that relying too much on this technology might distort rather than enhance our understanding of history.
But historian Prof Dame Mary Beard of Cambridge University has described the technology as potentially “transformative” to our study of past events.
She said that the system, called Aeneas, after a Greek and Roman mythological figure, could accelerate the rate at which historians piece together the past from ancient texts.
“Breakthroughs in this very difficult field have tended to rely on the memory, the subjective judgement and the hunch/guesswork of individual scholars, supported by traditional, encyclopaedic databases. Aeneas opens up entirely new horizons.”
Ancient inscriptions are usually incomplete, of unknown origin and date, and often all three. Historians and classicists attempt to fill in the blanks by drawing on texts that are similar in wording, grammar, appearance and cultural setting, known as ‘parallels’. Ancient inscriptions tend to be formulaic so historians can often infer what the missing part of a sentence goes on to say.
The process is painstaking and can take months and years but opens new vistas in our understanding of the past, according to Dr Thea Sommerschield, an historian at Nottingham University, who co-led the research.
“Inscriptions are the earliest forms of writing. They are so precious to historians because they offer first-hand evidence for ancient histories, languages and societies.
“But they degrade over the centuries and interpreting them is like solving a gigantic jigsaw puzzle with tens of thousands of pieces, of which 90 per cent are lost.”
It’s not the first time AI has been used to join up the missing dots in Roman history.
Earlier this year, another team of scientists digitally “unwrapped” a badly burnt scroll from the Roman town of Herculaneum using a combination of X-ray imaging and AI, revealing rows and columns of text.
Dr Sommerschield developed Aeneas along with her co-research leader Dr Yannis Assael, an AI specialist at Google DeepMind. It automates the process of contextualising based on parallels, in the blink of an eye.
Aeneas draws on a vast database of of 176,000 Roman inscriptions including images and uses a carefully designed AI system to pull up a range of relevant historical parallels, to support the work of historians, according to Dr Assael.
“What the historian can’t do is assess these parallels in a matter of seconds across tens of thousands of inscriptions, and that is where AI can come in as an assistant.”
The team tested out the system in dating a famous Roman text at the Temple of Augustus in Ankara in Turkey, known as the queen of inscriptions because of its importance to our understanding of Roman history. The Res Gestae Divi Augusti was composed by the first Roman Emperor, Augustus, giving an account of his life and accomplishments. Its date is hotly contested among historians.
Aeneas was able to narrow down the options to two possible ranges, the most likely being between 10 and 20 CE and a second slightly less likely range from 10 to 1 BCE. This showed the system’s accuracy as most historians agree on these two as the most likely possibilities.
In tests of the system with 23 historians the team found that an historian working with Aeneas came up with more accurate results than either Aeneas on its own or an historian on their own.
“The feedback was that Aeneas was not only allowing the historians to accelerate their work but it also revealed parallels that they had previously not identified,” according to Dr Sommerschield.
Shehbaz Sharif took to his official social media account and praised Bangladesh cricket team and also commended the Pakistani cricket team for their spirited performance.
Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif (L) & Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan (R) | File Pic
In a bizarre incident, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was brutally trolled on social media after Pakistan cricket team’s humiliating defeat against Bangladesh. Shehbaz Sharif took to his official social media account and praised Bangladesh cricket team and also commended the Pakistani cricket team for their spirited performance. However, the internet users brutally trolled the Prime Minister asking details about their former Prime Minister and star cricketer Imran Khan, who was jailed in 2023. Earlier, there were also news of him being killed inside the jail making rounds on social media.
Congratulations to Bangladesh on winning the 2025 T20I Series with Pakistan.
I also commend our cricket team for their spirited performance.
Wins and losses are part of the game, and that is the true spirit of sportsmanship.
May these sporting ties between our two countries…
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sahrif said, “Congratulations to Bangladesh on winning the 2025 T20I Series with Pakistan. I also commend our cricket team for their spirited performance. Wins and losses are part of the game, and that is the true spirit of sportsmanship. May these sporting ties between our two countries continue to unite our peoples and strengthen our bonds of friendship.”
While the message struck a tone of diplomacy and sportsmanship, it didn’t sit well with the social media users. The internet users started trolling the Pakistani Prime Minister. AI was also pulled into the drama as one of the users asked Perplexity, “Where is Imran Khan?”
Congratulations to Bangladesh on winning the 2025 T20I Series with Pakistan.
I also commend our cricket team for their spirited performance.
Wins and losses are part of the game, and that is the true spirit of sportsmanship.
May these sporting ties between our two countries…
To which the chatbot replied, “Imran Khan is currently in prison in Pakistan— he’s been behind bars since August 2023, mainly facing corruption and other legal charges that his supporters say are politically motivated. Despite his imprisonment, he’s still active through public statements and his political party PTI continues to rally for his release.”
Congratulations to Bangladesh on winning the 2025 T20I Series with Pakistan.
I also commend our cricket team for their spirited performance.
Wins and losses are part of the game, and that is the true spirit of sportsmanship.
May these sporting ties between our two countries…
Another user said, “Got humiliated now even from Bangladesh?” One of the users said, “Beggars Lost from Stinkers…”
A user also said, “Pakistan cricket has mastered the art of losing with a smile and a speech. Maybe next time, send the press release before the match — save everyone the suspense. At this rate, even Zimbabwe’s B team is double-checking their passports.”
Thanks to Indian Army that Pak PM is making that post, before 1971 this was not possible
A user also gave credit to the Indian Army for PM’s tweet. He said, “Thanks to Indian Army that Pak PM is making that post, before 1971 this was not possible.”
PAK vs BAN, T20I Series Results
Bangladesh is leading the 3-match series against Pakistan 2-0. They defeated Pakistan in the first two matches and clinched the three match T20I series played in Bangladesh. In a dismal performance, Pakistan managed to score only 110, while batting first in the first match. Bangladesh chased the score in just 15.3 overs. Man of the Match was awarded to Parvez Hossain Emon for his unbeaten 56 runs.
China reacted to the development, calling it a positive move and assured that Beijing will maintain communication and consultation with India to further ease travel between the two countries.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and PM Narendra Modi | ANI\
In a major development aimed at reviving cross-border travel and people-to-people ties, Indian government has announced the resumption of tourist visa services for Chinese citizens starting July 24, 2025. China reacted to the development, calling it a positive move and assured that Beijing will maintain communication and consultation with India to further ease travel between the two countries.
The announcement, shared via the official social media account of the Indian Embassy in China, outlines the step-by-step procedure for Chinese nationals to apply for a tourist visa to visit India.
Online Application & Appointment Required
As per the notification, applicants must first complete an online visa application form via the designated webpage link and schedule an appointment online. Once the form is filled and printed, the applicant must appear in person with their passport, completed visa form, and other necessary documents at the relevant Indian Visa Application Center based on their region.
We take note of India’s resumption of tourist visas for Chinese citizens. This is a positive move.
Easing cross-border travel is widely beneficial. China will maintain communication and consultation with India to further facilitate travel between the two countries. pic.twitter.com/pBi8tB0jTX
— CHINA MFA Spokesperson 中国外交部发言人 (@MFA_China) July 23, 2025
The Indian Visa Application Centers in China are located at the following addresses:
1. Beijing:
5th Floor, Block A, Guangcheng Plaza, No. 18 East Third Ring North Road, Chaoyang District
2. Shanghai:
Room 11B38, No. 2299 West Yan’an Road, Changning District
3. Guangzhou:
Room 2401A, North Tower, Fuli Yingli Building, No. 3-2 Huacheng Avenue, Tianhe District
This step comes after a prolonged suspension of tourist visas due to the COVID-19 pandemic and strained diplomatic relations in recent years.
China Welcomes the Move
Shortly after the announcement, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) spokesperson issued a public statement on social media, saying, “We take note of India’s resumption of tourist visas for Chinese citizens. This is a positive move.”
The spokesperson further added that “Easing cross-border travel is widely beneficial,” and emphasized that China will maintain communication and consultation with India to further facilitate travel between the two countries.
A view of the main campus of Columbia University in New York City, New York, U.S., April 12, 2025. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
Columbia University said on Wednesday it will pay over $200 million to the U.S. government in a settlement with President Donald Trump’s administration to resolve federal probes and have most of its suspended federal funding restored.
Trump has targeted several universities since returning to office in January over the pro-Palestinian student protest movement that roiled college campuses last year. He welcomed the agreement between his administration and Columbia in a post on social media late on Wednesday.
In March, the Trump administration said it was penalizing Columbia over how it handled last year’s protests by canceling $400 million in federal funding. It contended that Columbia’s response to alleged antisemitism and harassment of Jewish and Israeli members of the university community was insufficient.
“Under today’s agreement, a vast majority of the federal grants which were terminated or paused in March 2025 – will be reinstated and Columbia’s access to billions of dollars in current and future grants will be restored,” the university said in a statement.
Columbia said it also agreed to settle investigations brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for $21 million and that its deal with the Trump administration preserved its “autonomy and authority over faculty hiring, admissions, and academic decision-making.”
After the government canceled funding, the school acquiesced later in March to a series of demands that included scrutiny of departments offering courses on the Middle East and other concessions that were widely condemned by U.S. academics.
Last week, Columbia adopted a controversial definition of antisemitism that equates it with opposition to Zionism. The school said it would no longer engage with pro-Palestinian group Columbia University Apartheid Divest.
“Imagine selling your students out just so you can pay Trump $221 million dollars and keep funding genocide,” the pro-Palestinian group said on Wednesday, calling the settlement a bribe.
Israel denies genocide accusations in Gaza and casts its military action as “self-defense” after a deadly October 2023 attack by Palestinian Hamas militants.
Campus protesters demanded an end to U.S. support for Israel’s devastating military assault on Gaza and a commitment that the university will cease investing any of its $14.8 billion endowment in weapons makers and companies that support Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon said Columbia agreed “to discipline student offenders for severe disruptions of campus operations, make structural changes to their Faculty Senate, bring viewpoint diversity to their Middle Eastern studies programs, eliminate race preferences from their hiring and admissions practices, and end DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) programs.”
The government has labeled pro-Palestinian protesters as antisemitic. Protesters, including some Jewish groups, say the government has wrongly conflated their criticism of Israel’s actions with antisemitism and their advocacy for Palestinian rights with support for extremism.
Wednesday’s announcement came a day after Columbia disciplined dozens of students over a May pro-Palestinian protest in which demonstrators seized its main library.
The agreement asks Columbia to “undertake a comprehensive review of its international admissions processes and policies,” according to the deal’s terms.
Columbia is required to designate within 30 days an administrator answerable to the university president and responsible for overseeing the deal’s compliance.
A digital illustration released by Swarm Biotactics shows what they describe as cyborg cockroaches equipped with specialized backpacks that enable real-time data collection via cameras. SWARM Biotactics/Handout via REUTERS Purchase Licensing Rights
For Gundbert Scherf – the co-founder of Germany’s Helsing, Europe’s most valuable defence start-up – Russia’s invasion of Ukraine changed everything.
Scherf had to fight hard to attract investment after starting his company – which produces military strike drones and battlefield AI – four years ago.
Now, that’s the least of his problems. The Munich-based company more than doubled its valuation to $12 billion at a fundraising last month.
“Europe this year, for the first time in decades, is spending more on defense technology acquisition, than the U.S.,” said Scherf.
The former partner at McKinsey & Company says Europe may be on the cusp of a transformation in defence innovation akin to the Manhattan Project – the scientific push that saw the U.S. rapidly develop nuclear weapons during World War Two.
“Europe is now coming to terms with defense.”
Reuters spoke to two dozens executives, investors and policymakers to examine how Germany – Europe’s largest economy – aims to play a central role in the rearming the continent.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government views AI and start-up technology as key to its defence plans and is slashing bureaucracy to connect startups directly to the upper echelons of its military, the sources told Reuters.
Shaped by the trauma of Nazi militarism and a strong postwar pacifist ethos, Germany long maintained a relatively small and cautious defence sector, sheltered by U.S. security guarantees.
Germany’s business model, shaped by a deep aversion to risk, has also favoured incremental improvements over disruptive innovation.
No more. With U.S. military support now more uncertain, Germany – one of the biggest backers of Ukraine – plans to nearly triple its regular defence budget to around 162 billion euros ($175 billion) per year by 2029.
Much of that money will go into reinventing the nature of warfare, the sources said.
Helsing is part of a wave of German defence start-ups developing cutting-edge technology, from tank-like AI robots and unmanned mini-submarines to battle-ready spy cockroaches.
“We want to help give Europe its spine back,” said Scherf.
Some of these smaller firms are now advising the government alongside established firms – so-called primes such as Rheinmetall (RHMG.DE) and Hensoldt (HAGG.DE) – that have less incentive to focus primarily on innovation, given their long backlogs for conventional systems, one of the sources said.
A new draft procurement law, approved by Merz’s cabinet on Wednesday, aims to reduce hurdles for cash-strapped start-ups to join tenders by enabling advance payment to these firms.
The law would also entitle authorities to limit tenders to bidders inside the European Union.
Marc Wietfeld, CEO and founder of autonomous robots maker ARX Robotics, said a recent meeting with German defence minister Boris Pistorius hammered home how deep the rethink in Berlin goes.
“He told me: ‘Money is no longer an excuse – it’s there now’. That was a turning point,” he said.
GERMANY IN THE LEAD
Since Donald Trump’s return to the political stage and his renewed questioning of America’s commitment to NATO, Germany has committed to meet the alliance’s new target of 3.5% of GDP on defense spending by 2029 – faster than most European allies.
Officials in Berlin have emphasized the need to foster a European defence industry rather than rely on U.S. companies. But the hurdles towards scaling up industry champions in Germany – and Europe more broadly – are considerable.
Unlike in the United States, the market is fragmented in Europe. Each country has its own set of procurement standards to fulfill contracts.
The United States, the world’s top military spender, already has an established stable of defence giants, like Lockheed Martin and RTX, and an advantage in key areas, including satellite technology, fighter jets and precise-guided munitions.
Washington also began boosting defence tech startups in 2015 – including Shield AI, drone maker Anduril and software company Palantir – by awarding them parts of military contracts.
European startups until recently languished with little government support.
But an analysis by Aviation Week in May showed Europe’s 19 top defence spenders – including Turkey and Ukraine – were projected to spend 180.1 billion this year on military procurement compared, to 175.6 billion for the United States. Washington’s overall military spending will remain higher.
Hans Christoph Atzpodien, head of Germany’s security and defence sector association BDSV, said one challenge was that the military’s procurement system was geared toward established suppliers and not well suited to the fast pace that new technologies require.
Germany’s defence ministry said in a statement it was taking steps to accelerate procurement and to better integrate startups in order to make new technologies quickly available to the Bundeswehr.
Annette Lehnigk-Emden, head of the armed forces’ powerful procurement agency, highlighted drones and AI as emerging fields that Germany needs to develop.
“The changes they’re bringing to the battlefield are as revolutionary as the introduction of the machine gun, tank, or airplane,” she told Reuters.
SPY COCKROACHES
Sven Weizenegger, who heads up the Cyber Innovation hub, the Bundeswehr’s innovation accelerator, said the war in Ukraine was also changing social attitudes, removing a stigma towards working in the defence sector.
“Germany has developed a whole new openness towards the issue of security since the invasion,” he said.
Weizenegger said he was receiving 20-30 Linkedin requests a day, compared to maybe 2-3 weekly back in 2020, with ideas for defence technology to develop.
Some of the ideas under development feel akin to science fiction – like Swarm Biotactics’ cyborg cockroaches that are equipped with specialised miniature backpacks that enable real-time data collection via cameras for example.
Electrical stimuli should allow humans to control the insects’ movements remotely. The aim is for them to provide surveillance information in hostile environments – for example information about enemy positions.
“Our bio-robots – based on living insects – are equipped with neural stimulation, sensors, and secure communication modules,” said CEO Stefan Wilhelm. “They can be steered individually or operate autonomously in swarms.
In the first half of the 20th century, German scientists pioneered many military technologies that became global standards, from ballistic missiles to jet aircraft and guided weapons. But following its defeat in World War II, Germany was demilitarized and its scientific talent was dispersed.
Wernher von Braun, who invented the first ballistic missile for the Nazis, was one of hundreds of German scientists and engineers transported to the United States in the wake of World War II, where he later worked at NASA and developed the rocket that took Apollo spacecraft to the Moon.
In recent decades, defence innovation has been a powerful driver of economic progress. Tech like the internet, GPS, semiconductors and jet engines originated in military research programs before transforming civilian life.
Hit by high energy prices, a slowdown in demand for its exports and competition from China, Germany’s $4.75 trillion economy contracted over the last two years. Expanding military research could provide an economic fillip.
“We just need to get to this mindset: a strong defense industrial base means a strong economy and innovation on steroids,” said Markus Federle, managing partner at defence-focused investment firm Tholus Capital.
ESCAPING ‘THE VALLEY OF DEATH’
Risk aversion among European investors had in the past disadvantaged startups, which struggled to get the capital they need to survive the ‘valley of death’ – the critical early stage when costs are high and sales low.
But a boost in defence spending by European governments following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has investors looking for opportunities.
Europe now boasts three start-ups with a unicorn valuation of more than $1 billion: Helsing, German drone maker Quantum Systems, and Portugal’s Tekever, which also manufactures drones.
“There’s a lot of pressure now on Germany being the lead nation of the European defense,” said Sven Kruck, Quantum’s chief strategy officer.
Germany has become Ukraine’s second-biggest military backer after the United States. Orders that might once have taken years to approve now take months and European startups have had the opportunity to test their products quickly in the field, several sources said.
Venture capital funding of European defence tech hit $1 billion in 2024, up from a modest $373 million in 2022, and is expected to surge even more this year.
“Society has recognized that we have to defend our democracies,” said Christian Saller, general partner at HV Capital, an investor in both ARX and Quantum Systems.
Venture capital funding has grown faster in Germany than elsewhere, according to a data analysis by Dealroom for Reuters. German defence startups have received $1.4 billion in the last five years from investors, followed by UK, the data shows.
Storms and tidal surges linked to climate change are causing devastation in low-lying countries, including Marshall Islands
A landmark decision by a top UN court has cleared the way for countries to sue each other over climate change, including over historic emissions of planet-warming gases.
But the judge at the International Court of Justice in the Hague, Netherlands on Wednesday said that untangling who caused which part of climate change could be difficult.
The ruling is non-binding but legal experts say it could have wide-ranging consequences.
It will be seen as a victory for countries that are very vulnerable to climate change, who came to court after feeling frustrated about lack of global progress in tackling the problem.
The unprecedented case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) was the brainchild of a group of young law students from low-lying Pacific islands on the frontlines of climate change, who came up with the idea in 2019.
One of those students, Siosiua Veikune from Tonga, was in the Hague to hear the decision.
“I’m lost for words. This is so exciting. There’s a ton of emotions rushing through us. This is a win we take proudly back home to our communities,” he told BBC News.
“Tonight I’ll sleep easier. The ICJ has recognised what we have lived through – our suffering, our resilience and our right to our future,” said Flora Vano, from the Pacific Island Vanuatu, which is considered the country most vulnerable to extreme weather globally.
“This is a victory not just for us but for every frontline community fighting to be heard.”
The ICJ is considered the world’s highest court and it has global jurisdiction. Lawyers have told BBC News that the opinion could be used as early as next week, including in national courts outside of the ICJ.
Campaigners and climate lawyers hope the landmark decision will now pave the way for compensation from countries that have historically burned the most fossil fuels and are therefore the most responsible for global warming.
Many poorer countries had backed the case out of frustration, claiming that developed nations are failing to keep existing promises to tackle the growing problem.
But developed countries, including the UK, argued that existing climate agreements, including the landmark UN Paris deal of 2015, are sufficient and no further legal obligations should be imposed.
On Wednesday the court rejected that argument.
Judge Iwasawa Yuji also said that if countries do not develop the most ambitious possible plans to tackle climate change this would constitute a breach of their promises in the Paris Agreement.
He added that broader international law applies, which means that countries which are not signed up to the Paris Agreement – or want to leave, like the US – are still required to protect the environment, including the climate system.
The court’s opinion is advisory, but previous ICJ decisions have been implemented by governments, including when the UK agreed to hand back the Chagos Islands to Mauritius last year.
“The ruling is a watershed legal moment,” said Joie Chowdhury, Senior Attorney at the Centre for International Environmental Law (CIEL).
“With today’s authoritative historic ruling, the International Court of Justice has broken with business-as-usual and delivered a historic affirmation: those suffering the impacts of climate devastation have a right to remedy for climate harm, including through compensation,” she added.
A spokesperson for the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said it was “taking time” to look at the opinion before commenting in detail, but added:
“Tackling climate change is and will remain an urgent UK and global priority. Our position remains that this is best achieved through international commitment to the UN’s existing climate treaties and mechanisms.”
The court ruled that developing nations have a right to seek damages for the impacts of climate change such as destroyed buildings and infrastructure.
It added that where it is not possible to restore part of a country then its government may want to seek compensation.
This could be for a specific extreme weather event if it can be proved that climate change caused it, but the Judge said this would need to be determined on a case by case basis.
“This is a huge win for climate vulnerable states. It’s a huge win for Vanuatu, which led this case and is going to change the face of climate advocacy,” said barrister Jennifer Robinson at Doughty Street Chambers, who represented Vanuatu and the Marshall Islands.
It is not clear how much an individual country could have to pay in damages if any claim was successful.
But previous analysis published in Nature, estimated that between 2000 and 2019 there were $2.8 trillion losses from climate change – or $16 million per hour.
During the evidence sessions in December, the court heard from dozens of Pacific Islanders who have been displaced as a result of rising sea level, caused by climate change.
The Marshall Islands highlighted that the costs for their island to adapt to climate change are $9 billion.
“That is $9 billion the Marshall Islands does not have. Climate change is a problem they have not caused, but they are forced to consider relocating their capital,” said Ms Robinson.
As well as compensation, the court also ruled that governments were responsible for the climate impact of companies operating in their countries.
It said specifically that subsidising the fossil fuel industry or approving new oil and gas licenses could be in breach of a country’s obligations.
Developing countries are already exploring bringing new cases seeking compensation for historic contributions to climate change against richer, high emitting nations citing the ICJ opinion, according to lawyers the BBC spoke to.
If a country wants to bring a case back to the ICJ to make a ruling on compensation then it can only do so against countries which have agreed to its jurisdiction, which includes the likes of the UK, but not US or China.
But a case can be brought in any court globally, whether that be domestic or international, citing the ICJ opinion, explained Joie Chowdhury from CIEL.
So instead a country may choose to take their case not to the ICJ but a court where those countries are bound e.g. federal courts in the US.
Former Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and his wife Megan Kerrigan Byron’s neighbors find his alleged infidelity “disgusting” but believe the family deserves “privacy” as they navigate overnight fame and heartbreak.
Those who live in the pair’s Kennebunk, Maine, neighborhood told the Daily Mail Thursday — just over a week after Andy’s alleged affair with an employee was exposed at a Coldplay concert — that “everyone has seen” the viral “kiss cam” video.
“The family do not want to talk about it,” one angry local explained before asking the outlet to leave the exclusive street next to the Webhannet Golf Club.
Former Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and his wife Megan Kerrigan Byron’s neighbors find his infidelity “disgusting” but believe the family deserves “privacy” as they navigate overnight fame and heartbreak. Megan Kerrigan/Facebook
According to the Daily Mail, Megan fled the duo’s $1.4 million home in Northborough, Mass., and has been hiding out at their $2.4 million Maine mansion while holding crisis talks about her marriage.
Multiple family members were seen going in and out of the four-bedroom, four-bathroom, 4,169-square-foot property over the weekend, including her older sister, Maura, per the outlet.
It’s unclear whether Andy, 50, came to speak to Megan, also 50, following the incident.
Last Wednesday, while at the Coldplay concert in Boston, Andy and Kristin Cabot, a top HR executive at Astronomer, were caught canoodling on the big screen.
“Whoa, look at these two,” frontman Chris Martin exclaimed into the mic.
However, once the couple noticed they were on the jumbotron, Andy let out a “f–king hell, it’s me” and immediately ducked out of view, while Cabot, who acknowledged that “this is awkward,” hid her face in embarrassment.
“Either they’re having an affair, or they’re just very shy,” the musician joked as the audience erupted in laughter.
A TikTok of the moment spread like wildfire online, prompting Megan to remove her married name from her Facebook page before deleting her account altogether.
Banknotes of Japanese yen are seen in this illustration picture taken September 22, 2022. REUTERS/Florence Lo/Illustration/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
Market focus was on the yen on Wednesday, which traded choppily as traders weighed speculation about the future of Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba against U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement of a trade deal with Japan.
The yen initially hit its strongest level since July 11 at 146.20 per dollar on the trade news but flipped to losses after reports Ishiba intends to step down next month following a bruising upper house election defeat.
Ishiba said the reports he had already decided to resign were “completely unfounded”, and the yen recovered somewhat and was last steady on the day at 146.83 to the dollar.
The trade deal – which lowers tariffs on auto imports and spares Tokyo from punishing new levies – affects the yen both because of what it means for the economy and also the Bank of Japan, which has been cautiously raising interest rates.
“A trade deal does allow more potential for the Bank of Japan to hike interest rates this year,” said Jane Foley, head of FX strategy at Rabobank. “That’s a yen positive and clearly makes a move back to 150 (yen per dollar) harder.”
“When there was trade and political uncertainty, clearly they weren’t going to do anything. Of course we haven’t sidestepped all the political uncertainty, and that’s going to stop the BOJ from making any hasty decisions, but no one was expecting anything hasty anyway.”
Moves in other currencies were pretty muted due to the uncertainty around tariffs, as well as doubts about how currencies would react even if there were there any greater certainty.
The U.S. dollar has been one of the biggest losers since Trump announced sweeping tariffs on trading partners on April 2, weakness which continued as those duties were suspended to allow further negotiations, but which has petered out somewhat this month.
The euro was last down 0.1% on the day at $1.1744 but still near a four-year high it touched at the start of the month. Sterling was up a touch at $1.1354.
In contrast to the euro, European equities rallied on hopes the trade deal with Japan could pave the way for more deals, including with Europe.
Trump said negotiators from the European Union would be in Washington on Wednesday.
The European Central Bank meets on Thursday, but is unlikely to have a dramatic effect on the currency and is expected to hold rates steady.
U.S. President Donald Trump accused former President Barack Obama of “treason” on Tuesday, accusing him, without providing evidence, of leading an effort to falsely tie him to Russia and undermine his 2016 presidential campaign.
A spokesperson for Obama denounced Trump’s claims, saying “these bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction.”
While Trump has frequently attacked Obama by name, the Republican president has not, since returning to office in January, gone this far in pointing the finger at his Democratic predecessor with allegations of criminal action.
During remarks in the Oval Office, Trump leaped on comments from his intelligence chief, Tulsi Gabbard, on Friday in which she threatened to refer Obama administration officials to the Justice Department for prosecution over an intelligence assessment of Russian interference in the 2016 election.
She declassified documents and said the information she was releasing showed a “treasonous conspiracy” in 2016 by top Obama administration officials to undermine Trump, claims that Democrats called false and politically motivated.
“It’s there, he’s guilty. This was treason,” Trump said on Tuesday, though he offered no proof of his claims. “They tried to steal the election, they tried to obfuscate the election. They did things that nobody’s ever imagined, even in other countries.”
An assessment by the U.S. intelligence community published in January 2017 concluded that Russia, using social media disinformation, hacking and Russian bot farms, sought to damage Democrat Hillary Clinton’s campaign and bolster Trump. The assessment determined that the actual impact was likely limited and showed no evidence that Moscow‘s efforts actually changed voting outcomes.
A 2020 bipartisan report by the Senate intelligence committee had found that Russia used Republican political operative Paul Manafort, the WikiLeaks website and others to try to influence the 2016 election to help Trump’s campaign.
“Nothing in the document issued last week (by Gabbard) undercuts the widely accepted conclusion that Russia worked to influence the 2016 presidential election but did not successfully manipulate any votes,” Obama spokesperson Patrick Rodenbush said in a statement.
TRUMP UNDER PRESSURE
Trump, who has a history of promoting false conspiracy theories, has frequently denounced the assessments as a “hoax.” In recent days, Trump reposted on his Truth Social account a fake video showing Obama being arrested in handcuffs in the Oval Office.
Trump has been seeking to divert attention to other issues after coming under pressure from his conservative base to release more information about Jeffrey Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
Backers of conspiracy theories about Epstein have urged Trump, who socialized with the disgraced financier during the 1990s and early 2000s, to release investigative files related to the case.
Trump, asked in the Oval Office about Epstein, quickly pivoted into an attack on Obama and Clinton.
Former U.S. President Barack Obama and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump speak at an event in Washington, D.C. on January 9, 2025. Ricky Carioti/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
“The witch hunt that you should be talking about is they caught President Obama absolutely cold,” Trump said.
Trump suggested action would be taken against Obama and his former officials, calling the Russia investigation a treasonous act and the former president guilty of “trying to lead a coup.”
“It’s time to start, after what they did to me, and whether it’s right or wrong, it’s time to go after people. Obama has been caught directly,” he said.
Democratic Representative Jim Himes responded on X: “This is a lie. And if he’s confused, the President should ask @SecRubio, who helped lead the bipartisan Senate investigation that unanimously concluded that there was no evidence of politicization in the intelligence community’s behavior around the 2016 election.”
Former Republican Senator Marco Rubio is now Trump’s secretary of state.
Since returning to office, Trump has castigated his political opponents whom he claims weaponized the federal government against him and his allies for the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by his supporters and his handling of classified materials after he left office in 2021.
ATTACKS ON PREDECESSORS
Obama has long been a target of Trump. In 2011 he accused then-President Obama of not being born in the United States, prompting Obama to release a copy of his birth certificate.
In recent months, Trump has rarely held back in his rhetorical broadsides against his two Democratic predecessors in a way all but unprecedented in modern times.
He launched an investigation after accusing former President Joe Biden and his staff, without evidence, of a “conspiracy” to use an autopen, an automated device that replicates a person’s signature, to sign sensitive documents on the president’s behalf. Biden has rejected the claim as false and “ridiculous.”
Gabbard’s charge that Obama conspired to subvert Trump’s 2016 election by manufacturing intelligence on Russia’s interference is contradicted by a CIA review ordered by Director John Ratcliffe and published on July 2, a 2018 bipartisan Senate report and declassified documents that Gabbard herself released last week.
The documents show that Gabbard conflated two separate U.S. intelligence findings in alleging that Obama and his national security aides changed an assessment that Russia probably was not trying to influence the election through cyber means.
One finding was that Russia was not trying to hack U.S. election infrastructure to change vote counts and the second was that Moscow probably was using cyber means to influence the U.S. political environment through information and propaganda operations, including by stealing and leaking data from Democratic Party servers.
The January 2017 U.S. intelligence assessment ordered by Obama built on that second finding: that Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized influence operations to sway the 2016 vote to Trump.
FILE PHOTO: A woman walks past the main entrance of the Sri Lanka’s Central Bank in Colombo, Sri Lanka February 7, 2017. REUTERS/Dinuka Liyanawatte/ File Photo
Sri Lanka’s central bank held its benchmark interest rate steady at 7.75 per cent on Wednesday, pausing after May’s surprise cut, to monitor the impact of U.S. tariffs and the effects of earlier monetary easing on the economy.
The decision was widely expected, with most analysts in a Reuters poll predicting a hold amid stable inflation and a steady economic recovery.
“There may be further room for easing but we will closely monitor developments and see if it is warranted,” Central Bank Governor P. Weerasinghe told reporters at a post-policy briefing in Colombo.
“We feel this monetary policy is appropriate and will steer inflation towards our 5 per cent target.”
Supported by a $2.9 billion programme from the International Monetary Fund, the country is gradually recovering from its worst financial crisis in decades, triggered by a record dollar shortage three years ago.
The inflation rate was minus 0.6 per cent in June but the central bank expects it to turn positive this quarter, ending almost a year of deflation.
The Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) had trimmed its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points in May in a surprise move to support growth.
The economy expanded 5 per cent in 2024, and Weerasinghe said growth will be above 3 per cent this year.
“If the recovery in headline and core inflation remains gradual, there can still be space for another 25 bps cut in the rest of the year,” said Thilina Panduwawala, head of research at Frontier Research.
Ten of 13 analysts and economists polled by Reuters had expected the CBSL to hold rates steady at its July meeting, citing benign inflation, stable growth, and uncertainty over U.S. trade policy.
The United States initially imposed 44 per cent tariffs on Sri Lankan goods but lowered them to 30 per cent earlier this month.
Colombo resumed talks with Washington last week in a bid to reduce the duties further before they take effect on August 1.
Trump made the remarks while hosting Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at the White House, where he praised the “fantastic military relationship” with Manila as the U.S. looks to counter China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific region.
Donald Trump said the U.S. is “getting along with China very well.
President Donald Trump on Tuesday said a trip to China might be “not too distant,” raising prospects that the leaders of the world’s two largest economies may meet soon to help reset relations after moving to climb down from a trade war.
Trump made the remarks while hosting Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at the White House, where he praised the “fantastic military relationship” with Manila as the U.S. looks to counter China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific region.
Yet, Trump still said the U.S. is “getting along with China very well. We have a very good relationship.” He added that Beijing has resumed shipping to the U.S. “record numbers” of much-needed rare earth magnets, which are used in iPhones and other high-tech products like electric vehicles.
Widely speculated about since Trump returned to the White House, a summit between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping would be expected to stabilize — even for a short while — a difficult relationship defined by mistrust and competition.
Beijing believes a leader-level summit is necessary to steady U.S.-China relations and that Trump must be wooed because he has the final say on America’s policy toward China, despite more hawkish voices in his Cabinet, observers say.
The question, however, is when.
Danny Russel, a distinguished fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute, said Trump has consistently shown his hunger for a visit to China and that Beijing has used that to bolster leverage.
“As soon as the leadership in Beijing is satisfied that Trump will be on his best behavior and will accept terms for a deal that they think are favorable, they will give a green light to the visit,” Russel said.
Sun Yun, director of the China program at the Washington-based think tank Stimson Center, said a visit “is in the making” with two sides likely to strike a trade deal.
What Trump said might mean the visit would not be in September but “potentially November, but still depends on whether they play ball on trade and other things we want,” Sun said.
Trump’s campaign to impose tariffs on other countries kicked off a high-stake trade war with Beijing. China raised tariffs on U.S. goods to 125% in response to Trump’s hiking the tax on Chinese goods to 145%.
Both sides also imposed on each other harsh trade restrictions on critical products: China on rare earths, and the U.S. on computing chips and jet engine technology.
Trade tensions, however, eased following two rounds of high-level talks in Geneva and London, when the two sides agreed to lower tariffs — pending a more permanent deal by mid-August — and pull back on trade restrictions.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Tuesday on Fox Business’ “Mornings with Maria” that he will be meeting with his Chinese counterparts in Stockholm next week to work on “what is likely an extension” of the Aug. 12 deadline.
“I think trade is in a very good place with China,” Bessent told host Maria Bartiromo. “Hopefully, we can see the Chinese pull back on some of this glut of manufacturing that they’re doing and concentrate on building a consumer economy.”
He said he also expects to bring up China’s purchases of Russian and Iranian oil and Beijing’s role in aiding Moscow in its war against Ukraine.
Beijing has not announced any travel plans for Vice Premier He Lifeng, who led trade negotiations in both Geneva and London on behalf of the Chinese government, but it is not unusual for China to make such announcements closer to a travel date.
In a possible friendly gesture, Beijing on Tuesday said it suspended an antitrust investigation into chemical maker DuPont’s operations in China. China’s State Administration for Market Regulation made the announcement in a one-line statement but gave no explanation for the decision.
DuPont said in a statement that it is “pleased” with China’s action.
Chinese regulators launched the investigation in April against DuPont China Group, a subsidiary of the chemical giant, as part of Beijing’s broad, retaliatory response to Trump’s sky-high tariffs.
DONALD Trump has said it is “appropriate” for the Department of Justice to meet and quiz Epstein’s ex-girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell.
It comes after a leading Trump official announced his intention to seek a meeting with the disgraced financier’s close associate.
Donald Trump has said it is right for the DOJ to question Ghislaine MaxwellCredit: AP
When asked about the DOJ questioning Maxwell, the US President told reporters on Tuesday: “I don’t know about it, but I think it’s something that sounds appropriate to do.”
He added: “I didn’t know that they were going to do it. I don’t really follow that too much. It’s sort of a witch hunt.”
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche revealed earlier on Tuesday his plans to meet with the disgraced British socialite.
He posted on X: “Justice demands courage.
“For the first time, the Department of Justice is reaching out to Ghislaine Maxwell to ask: what do you know?”
He added that he had contacted Maxwell’s counsel on the direction of Attorney General Pam Bondi.
“I intend to meet with her soon. No one is above the law—and no lead is off-limits,” he wrote.
Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence after being found guilty of child sex trafficking and other crimes.
But her family has suggested that “government misconduct” could be used as new evidence to challenge her imprisonment.
Her brother Ian Maxwell, 68, hopes to get her out of jail using new evidence.
He recently told the Daily Mail that he fears for his sister’s life.
A statement from Blanche posted on Bondi’s X account reads: “President Trump has told us to release all credible evidence. If Ghislane Maxwell has information about anyone who has committed crimes against victims, the FBI and the DOJ will hear what she has to say.
“Therefore, at the direction of Attorney General Bondi, I have communicated with counsel for Ms. Maxwell to determine whether she would be willing to speak with prosecutors from the Department.
“I anticipate meeting with Ms. Maxwell in the coming days.
“Until now, no administration on behalf of the Department had inquired about her willingness to meet with the government. That changes now.”
Maxwell’s attorney David Oscar Markus told Axios that discussions with the government are underway.
The House Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee also voted on Tuesday to subpoena Ghislaine Maxwell.
A committee spokesperson said: “Since Ms. Maxwell is in federal prison, the Committee will work with the Department of Justice and Bureau of Prisons to identify a date when Committee can depose her.”
Since Epstein’s death, speculatIion has been rife that he blackmailed prominent figures involved with his heinous crimes.
It comes after the final footage of Jeffrey Epstein alive was finally released six years after his death.
He was in prison at the time as he waited for a major trial over sex-trafficking charges.
The disgraced financier was found hanged in jail on the 10 August, 2019.
But ever since his death there has been speculation and conspiracy theories that others were involved.
The Department of Justice (DoJ) announced this month that Epstein died by suicide – despite rife conspiracy theories to the contrary.
One key claim centres around a rumoured client list of individuals – although the Trump administration has now denied this list exists.
Maxwell’s brother told the Daily Mail: “There’s such overcrowding in Tallahassee that higher-category prisoners are being placed there and it’s becoming a facility that is more dangerous – we’ve got to get her out of there.
“Normally she spends a lot of time in the prison library helping other prisoners with things like form filling, but she has to go from A to B and isn’t always surrounded by guards.
The smell hanging in the air is the first sign there’s something unusual about the farmhouse on the outskirts of one of Pakistan’s largest cities, Lahore.
Once inside, the cause becomes clear: the property is home to 26 lions, tigers and cubs – and belongs to Fayyaz.
The rain, he says, has turned the ground into mud.
But the animals are “happy here”, he insists. “When they see us, they come over, they eat… they’re not aggressive.”
Almost instantly, one of the lions roars.
“That one is aggressive, it’s his nature,” Fayyaz says.
This cub was rescued by Punjab’s wildlife rangers during a raid on the outskirts of Lahore
Fayyaz loves big cats. From this facility – thought to be the largest of its kind in private hands nationwide – the 38-year-old has sold cubs and breeding pairs for the last 10 years. He is widely considered to be one of the biggest lion dealers in Pakistan.
For decades these animals – lions, tigers, pumas, cheetahs and jaguars – have been a sign of power, status and even political fealty in the country. The tiger, for example, is a symbol of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.
More recently, with the dawn of short video social media apps like TikTok and Instagram, there’s been a surge in ownership, with lions now sometimes even brought along to wedding events.
But in the wake of a pet lion escaping and attacking a woman and her two children as they walked down the street in Lahore, the government has launched a crackdown – one which is already impacting people like Fayyaz.
Among the new rules, owners must pay a one-time registration fee of 50,000 Pakistani rupees ($176; £129) per animal and farms are to keep a maximum of 10 big cats from no more than two species. The sites must also be open to the public for visits.
Violating new laws could result in a fine of up to 200,000 Pakistani rupees and, for the worst offenders, up to seven years in prison.
At another property on the outskirts of Lahore, five lion cubs – their coats muddied – pace around a cage.
“But where are the parents?” a wildlife official asks himself.
Nearby, there are several empty cages. Wildlife officials are here after receiving a tip-off that a man was holding lions and cubs without a licence, and was breeding them for sale illegally. By the time they arrived, the owner was missing, leaving his caretaker holding the bag.
“I was only hired two weeks ago,” he complains, as he was placed in the back of a truck and taken away for questioning.
The officials suspect the owner may have taken the cubs’ parents away and hidden them.
The rescued cubs have now been transferred to a public zoo in Lahore, and isolated for medical checks.
But in a country where big cats have been sold for decades, officials worry the raids are barely scratching the surface. They believe there are in fact hundreds, if not thousands, of undeclared big cats in the state of Punjab alone.
“This is going to take at least six months,” Mubeen Ellahi, the director general of Wildlife & Parks, tells the BBC. He expects 30-40% of the lions in Punjab will not be voluntarily declared.
There is also another complication. Mubeen explains inbreeding has become a common practice in Pakistan, and some big cats may have to be euthanised. “They have a lot of health problems. We are still considering the policy,” he added.
He pointed to another incident in December last year, when another lion escaped in Lahore, and was then shot and killed.
Back at Fayyaz’s property, he is considering what to do next.
An official told the BBC they’re dissatisfied with the size of the cages, and that the farm needs to convert itself into a zoo. Fayyaz now has three months to comply.
The outbreak of violence in southern Syria’s Druze-majority Suweida province has caused alarm in recent days
Syrian government forces have been accused of carrying out a massacre at a hospital during sectarian clashes which erupted just over a week ago.
The BBC has visited Suweida’s National Hospital, where staff claim patients were killed inside wards.
The stench hit me before anything else.
In the car park of the main hospital in Suweida city, dozens of decomposing corpses are lined up in white plastic body bags.
Some are open to the elements, revealing bloated and mutilated remains of those who were killed here.
The tarmac beneath my feet is greasy and slippery with blood.
In the sweltering sun, the smell is overwhelming.
“It was a massacre,” Dr Wissam Massoud, a neurosurgeon at the hospital, tells me.
“The soldiers came here saying they wanted to bring peace, but they killed scores of patients, from the very young to the very old.”
Earlier this week, Dr Massoud sent me a video which he said was in the immediate aftermath of the government raid.
In it, a woman shows you around the hospital. On the ground in the wards are dozens of dead patients still bundled up in their bloodied bed sheets.
Everyone here, doctors, nurses, volunteers say the same thing.
That last Wednesday evening, it was Syrian government troops targeting the Druze religious community who came to the hospital and carried out the killings.
Kiness Abu Motab, a volunteer at the hospital, said of the victims: “What is their crime? Just for being a minority in a democratic country?”
“They are criminals. They are monsters. We don’t trust them at all,” Osama Malak an English teacher in the city told me outside the hospital gates.
“They shot an eight-year-old disabled boy in the head,” he said.
“According to international law, hospitals should be protected. But they attacked us even in the hospitals.
“They entered the hospital. They started shooting everybody. They shot the patients in their beds as they slept.”
All sides in this conflict have been accusing each other of committing atrocities.
Both Bedouin and Druze fighters as well as the Syrian army have been accused of killing civilians and extra judicial killings.
There is not yet a clear picture of what happened at the hospital. Some here estimate the number of people to be killed last Wednesday at more than 300 but that figure cannot be verified.
On Tuesday night the Syrian defence ministry said in a statement that it was aware of reports of “shocking violations” by people wearing military fatigues in the country’s predominantly Druze city of Suweida.
Earlier this week, Raed Saleh, the Syrian Minister for Disaster Management and Emergency Response, told me that any allegations of atrocities committed by all sides would be fully investigated.
Access to Suweida city has been heavily restricted, meaning gathering first hand evidence has been difficult.
The city is in effect under siege, with Syrian government forces restricting who is allowed in and out.
To get in, we had to pass through numerous checkpoints.
As we entered the city, we passed burned out shops and buildings, and cars that had been crushed by tanks.
Suweida city had clearly seen a serious battle between Druze and Bedouin fighters.
It was at that point that the Syrian government first intervened to try and enforce a ceasefire.
Although numerous Druze villages in Suweida province have been recaptured by government forces, the city, home to more than 70,000 people, remains under full Druze control.
The Paris-headquartered Unesco has 194 member states around the world, and is best known for listing world heritage sites
The US has said it will leave the United Nations’ culture and education agency Unesco, accusing it of supporting “woke, divisive cultural and social causes”.
Unesco’s Director General Audrey Azoulay described the decision as “regrettable” but “anticipated”.
The move is the latest step in the Trump administration’s efforts to cut ties with international bodies, after removing the US from the World Health Organization and Paris Climate Agreement, as well as cutting funding for foreign relief efforts.
Unesco has 194 member states around the world, and is best known for listing world heritage sites. The US’ decision will take effect from December 2026.
The state department said Unesco’s “globalist, ideological agenda for international development” was “at odds with our America First foreign policy”.
It also described the inclusion of the Palestinians in Unesco in 2011, as “highly problematic, contrary to US policy, and contributed to the proliferation of anti-Israel rhetoric within the organization”.
Those claims “contradict the reality of Unesco’s efforts, particularly in the field of Holocaust education and the fight against antisemitism,” the organisation’s head Audrey Azoulay said.
“This decision contradicts the fundamental principles of multilateralism, and may affect first and foremost our many partners in the United States of America— communities seeking site inscription on the World Heritage List, Creative City status, and University Chairs,” she added.
The Unesco head said the agency had been preparing for Washington’s move, diversifying its sources of funding. Currently, she said, Unesco was getting about 8% of its budget from the US.
In 2017, during his first presidency, Trump pulled the US out of Unesco but the decision was later reversed under Joe Biden’s administration.
During the Obama administration, in 2011, the US halted $60m in funds that had been earmarked for Unesco.
A state department spokesperson at the time said former President Barack Obama’s hand was forced due to a US law that prohibited the transfer of funds after Unesco granted the Palestinian Authority full membership.
An algal bloom catastrophe which has turned usually pristine South Australian waters toxic green and suffocated masses of marine life is a “natural disaster”, the state premier has declared.
The algal bloom – a rapid increase in the population of algae in water systems – has been spreading since March and is now twice the size of the country’s capital territory.
The federal government has unveiled an assistance package of A$14m ($9m; £6.7m) but refused to designate the event a natural disaster – a term usually used for cyclones, floods and bushfires and which would trigger a greater response.
Authorities say more than 400 species of marine life have died and local industries are suffering.
Algal bloom is naturally occurring but is caused by ocean warming, marine heatwaves, and nutrient pollution – all exacerbated by climate change.
“This is a natural disaster and should be acknowledged as such… I think politicians can do themselves a disservice when they get caught up in technicalities,” South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Tuesday.
He announced his government would match the federal government’s A$14m in funding, with money to go towards research, clean up, and industry support measures.
Some dead fish have been washed ashore
Greens Senator for South Australia Sarah Hanson-Young is among those openly criticising the federal government, accusing them of underplaying the situation.
“If this toxic algal bloom was wreaking havoc on Bondi Beach or on the north shore in Sydney, the prime minister would have already been on the beach with a response,” she said.
However, federal Environment Minister Murray Watt on Monday said while the bloom and its impacts were “incredibly disturbing”, the catastrophe did not meet the definition of a natural disaster under the country’s laws.
The bloom – which now stretches from Coorong to the Yorke Peninsula, an area about double the size of the Australian Capital Territory – is decimating the local environment and lining the coastline with dead wildlife.
“It is like a horror movie for fish,” Brad Martin – from OzFish, a non-profit organisation that protects fishing habitats – told the BBC in May.
Injured Palestinians are transferred to an ambulance after being wounded while waiting for aid arriving from the northern Gaza Strip, in Gaza City, Tuesday, July 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since May while trying to get food in the Gaza Strip, mostly near aid sites run by an American contractor, the U.N. human rights office said Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Israeli strikes killed 25 people across Gaza, according to local health officials.
Desperation is mounting in the Palestinian territory of more than 2 million, which experts say is at risk of famine because of Israel’s blockade and nearly two-year offensive. A breakdown of law and order has led to widespread looting and contributed to chaos and violence around aid deliveries.
Israel accuses Hamas of siphoning off aid — without providing evidence of widespread diversion — and blames U.N. agencies for failing to deliver food it has allowed in. The military says it has only fired warning shots near aid sites. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an Israeli-backed American contractor, rejected what it said were “false and exaggerated statistics” from the United Nations.
The Gaza Health Ministry, which is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals, said Tuesday that 101 people, including 80 children, have died in recent days from starvation.
The deaths could not be independently verified, but U.N. officials and major international aid groups say the conditions for starvation exist in Gaza. During hunger crises, people can die from malnutrition or from common illnesses or injuries that the body is not strong enough to fight.
Israel eased a 2½-month blockade in May, allowing a trickle of aid in through the longstanding U.N.-run system and the newly created GHF. Aid groups say it’s not nearly enough.
‘I do it for my children’
Dozens of Palestinians lined up Tuesday outside a charity kitchen in Gaza City, hoping for a bowl of watery tomato soup. The lucky ones got small chunks of eggplant. As supplies ran out, people holding pots pushed and shoved to get to the front.
Nadia Mdoukh, a pregnant woman who was displaced from her home and lives in a tent with her husband and three children, said she worries about being shoved or trampled on, and about heat stroke as daytime temperatures hover above 90 F (32 C).
“I do it for my children,” she said. “This is famine — there is no bread or flour.”
The U.N. World Food Program says Gaza’s hunger crisis has reached “new and astonishing levels of desperation.” Ross Smith, the agency’s director for emergencies, told reporters Monday that nearly 100,000 women and children are suffering from severe acute malnutrition, and a third of Gaza’s population is going without food for multiple days in a row.
MedGlobal, a charity working in Gaza, said five children as young as 3 months had died from starvation in the past three days.
“This is a deliberate and human-made disaster,” said Joseph Belliveau, its executive director. “Those children died because there is not enough food in Gaza and not enough medicines, including IV fluids and therapeutic formula, to revive them.”
The charity said food is in such short supply that its own staff members suffer dizziness and headaches.
Aid delivery model criticized
Of the 1,054 people killed while trying to get food since late May, 766 were killed while heading to sites run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, according to the U.N. human rights office. The others were killed when gunfire erupted around U.N. convoys or aid sites.
Thameen al-Kheetan, a spokesperson for the U.N. rights office, says its figures come from “multiple reliable sources on the ground,” including medics, humanitarian and human rights organizations. He said the numbers were still being verified according to the office’s strict methodology.
Palestinian witnesses and health officials say Israeli forces regularly fire toward crowds of thousands of people heading to the GHF sites. The military says it has only fired warning shots, and GHF says its armed contractors have only fired into the air on a few occasions to try to prevent stampedes.
A joint statement from 28 Western-aligned countries on Monday condemned the “the drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians.”
“The Israeli government’s aid delivery model is dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity,” read the statement, which was signed by the United Kingdom, France and other countries friendly to Israel. “The Israeli government’s denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable.”
Israel and the United States rejected the statement, blaming Hamas for prolonging the war by not accepting Israeli terms for a ceasefire and the release of hostages abducted in the militant-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which triggered the fighting.
Hamas has said it will release the remaining hostages only in return for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal. Israel says it will keep fighting until Hamas has been defeated or disarmed.
Strikes on tents sheltering the displaced
Israeli strikes killed at least 25 people Tuesday across Gaza, according to local health officials.
One strike hit tents sheltering displaced people in the built-up seaside Shati refugee camp in Gaza City, killing at least 12 people, according to Shifa Hospital, which received the casualties. The Israeli military said that it wasn’t aware of such a strike by its forces.
The dead included three women and three children, the hospital director, Dr. Mohamed Abu Selmiya, told The Associated Press. Thirty-eight other Palestinians were wounded, he said.
An overnight strike that hit crowds of Palestinians waiting for aid trucks in Gaza City killed eight, hospitals said. At least 118 were wounded, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent.
“A bag of flour covered in blood and death,” said Mohammed Issam, who was in the crowd and said some people were run over by trucks in the chaos. “How long will this humiliation continue?”
The Israeli military had no immediate comment on that strike. Israel blames the deaths of Palestinian civilians on Hamas, because the militants operate in densely populated areas.
Israel renewed its offensive in March with a surprise bombardment after ending an earlier ceasefire. Talks on another truce have dragged on for weeks despite pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump.
Ex-socialite Ghislaine Maxwell will try to cut a deal with federal authorities during a jailhouse meeting with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, sources told The Post.
Blanche said Tuesday he plans to meet with the convicted madam, currently serving a 20- year sentence in Florida for sex trafficking young women for her former boss, notorious pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
“She’s going to make a deal,” said Alan Dershowitz, a lawyer and law professor who was pals with, and previously represented, Epstein, who died in federal custody in August 2019.
“That’s the way things are done. They make deals with the mafia, so I’m certain they are going to try to make a deal with her.”
Epstein and Maxwell (center) pose with Gwendolyn Beck( right), a former girlfriend of disgraced former New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez. Getty Images
A separate legal expert explained meeting with Blanche presents an opportunity for Maxwell to potentially lessen her sentence or get out of prison in exchange for spiling secrets about her and Epstein’s life, which she has closely guarded since his death.
Dershowitz has referred to Maxwell, 63, as the “Rosetta stone” of information about Epstein, and told The Post Tuesday “she knows everything — not just about the perpetrators but the victims. And she knows about the victims who became perpetrators.”
Some of Epstein’s victims – which number over 1,000 in total according to the Department of Justice – were groomed to recruit other young women, according to court papers.
Maxwell has been closely associated with Epstein since the death of her publishing magnate father Robert Maxwell in 1991. The pair were inseparable at high society parties across New York and the world spanning the next two decades.
Maxwell benefitted from Epstein’s mysteriously accumulated fortune, while she was seen as his social fixer, able to gain the somewhat unrefined character access to rarefied society circles. Maxwell – who was, at one point, Epstein’s girlfriend – got him access even to the UK royal family and facilitated his friendship with Prince Andrew.
The British prince shelled out more than $16 million to Virginia Giuffre, one of the young women recruited by Maxwell and Epstein. Giuffre, who took her own life in April, also alleged she had been passed around as a sex slave to others, although their identities have never properly been established.
Maxwell said through her brother she would be willing to testify before a Congressional Committee on her relationship with Epstein.
It could be the first time federal prosecutors hear her version of events, as both her defense lawyers and prosecutors said they had not engaged in plea negotiations which would require such an interview before her trial.
Her lawyers at the time said she did not need to negotiate as she was innocent.
The case has been thrust back into the spotlight by the justice department’s promise to release all the information gathered by the FBI from raiding Epstein’s properties earlier this year, only to then walk it back.
A Justice Department-FBI joint memo concluded the 66-year-old financier killed himself in a federal lockup and did not have a “client list” of powerful friends who allegedly took part in sexual encounters with underage women.
With no more information expected to be released by the federal government, Maxwell’s version of events once again becomes of prime importance.
She is believed to have kept silent while her appeals process played out for fear of jeopardizing her chances in the case. However, with most of her possibilities of appeal recently exhausted – apart from one petition to the Supreme Court – she may now feel compelled to give her side of the story.
Her brother, Ian Maxwell, speaks to his sister frequently and has, alongside other members of his family, fought her corner since her initial arrest in 2020.
He also denied the existence of a client list of powerful people girls had been trafficked to.
“Let’s not try and big it up for more than it is. I think it was a high-quality address book. I don’t think it constitutes ‘a list’, let alone a list of alleged people to whom young minor girls were trafficked,’ Ian told “Piers Morgan Uncensored”.
“Ghislaine’s position on this, for what it’s worth, has been, she doesn’t ever believe that such a list existed.”
Ian Maxwell has also said he believes his sister should never have been prosecuted due to a deal Epstein cut with Florida federal prosecutors when he was first convicted of sex offenses in 2007.
In exchange for pleading guilty to lesser charges of soliciting a prostitute, the deal Epstein signed said he and any co-conspirators would be immune from further federal prosecution. New York prosecutors later argued successfully in court that the deal’s jurisdiction ended in Florida.
Maxwell was then convicted after a trial in New York in 2021, and has been serving her sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution in Tallahassee, a low security prison, since July 2022.
Her family has long claimed the prison is unsafe and Maxwell is subject to poor living conditions, and frequently placed in solitary confinement. They also say they fear for her life.
“Prisons are very dangerous places and we know from Ghislaine that there are serious staff shortages and more dangerous higher-risk-category prisoners now being admitted to … Tallahassee,’ said Ian Maxwell.
With questions about the circumstances of Epstein’s death in federal prison in 2019 still raging, some fear for Ghislaine’s wellbeing and vulnerability while in prison.
Vice President JD Vance headlined a big-ticket fundraiser Tuesday on Nantucket, raking in $3 million in donations for Republicans as the 2026 midterm elections draw closer, The Post can reveal.
The fundraising dinner, hosted at a private residence by Laura and Rob Reynolds with Dave Kelsey and Ozzie Palamo, raised a record amount of money for any donor event on the Massachusetts island for the Republican National Committee, according to a source.
“Vance as RNC finance chair has been a difference maker already,” one GOP strategist said.
Vice President JD Vance headlines a notable big-ticket fundraiser taking place at Nantucket, Massachusetts, on Tuesday. Ron Sachs/CNP / SplashNews.com
“If you look at the DNC, there is no one with a similar stature headlining event after event for them.”
The RNC has already surpassed the Democratic National Committee in contributions in 2025, racking up more than $96 million in donations and holding a war chest of nearly $81 million.
DNC coffers currently include a little more than $15 million cash on hand, with fundraisers pulling down more than $69 million since the start of the year.
Admission to the dinner on Nantucket set each attending couple back a minimum of $100,000, with membership in the “host committee” running a steep $250,000.
Reynolds serves as the President and CEO of Putnam Investments and Chair of Great-West Lifeco US, and has been credited with popularizing employer-sponsored 401(k) plans.
He spent years as an NCAA football referee, which he says “sharpened [his] eye for spotting winning teams,” according to LinkedIn.
Ahead of the 2022 midterms, the GOP fundraising power couple hosted a “Take Back the Senate Reception & Dinner,” which drew a number of big name Republicans to the Reynolds residence, including Vance, who was a GOP Senate candidate in Ohio at the time.
Palomo is a founding partner and managing director of Chartwell Strategy Group, a lobbying firm specializing in communications, government relations and risk management.
He was a former Haley fundraiser, but has now switched his focus to bundling for the RNC.
Kelsey is a managing principal at Hamilton Point Investments, a real estate private-equity company that owns and manages multifamily apartments.
Kelsey is a longtime GOP donor and founded a political action committee, CT Truth PAC, to help elect Republicans to Connecticut political offices.
Demonstrators ended up picketing the event and berated Vance for mocking “childless cat ladies” during the 2024 campaign.
The feline-loving protesters, led by Miranda McGonigle, the creator of the viral “Cats on a Couch” Instagram page, swarmed the island, which they dubbed “Meowtucket.”
McGonigle created her account during the run-up to the 2024 election, taking inspiration from the resurfacing of his remarks against “childless cat ladies” in the federal bureaucracy — and an absurd canard that the VP admitted to engaging in erotic behavior with couch cushions in his 2016 memoir “Hillbilly Elegy.”
President Donald Trump announced a trade framework with Japan on Tuesday, placing a 15% tax on goods imported from that nation.
“This Deal will create Hundreds of Thousands of Jobs — There has never been anything like it,” Trump posted on Truth Social, adding that the United States “will continue to always have a great relationship with the Country of Japan.”
The president said Japan would invest “at my direction” $550 billion into the U.S. and would “open” its economy to American autos and rice. The 15% tax on imported Japanese goods is a meaningful drop from the 25% rate that Trump, in a recent letter to Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, said would be levied starting Aug. 1.
Early Wednesday, Ishiba acknowledged the new trade agreement, saying it would benefit both sides and help them work together.
With the announcement, Trump is seeking to tout his ability as a dealmaker — even as his tariffs, when initially announced in early April led to a market panic and fears of slower growth that for the moment appear to have subsided. Key details remained unclear from his post, such as whether Japanese-built autos would face a higher 25% tariff that Trump imposed on the sector.
But the framework fits a growing pattern for Trump, who is eager to portray the tariffs as win for the U.S. His administration says the revenues will help reduce the budget deficit and more factories will relocate to America to avoid the import taxes and cause trade imbalances to disappear.
The wave of tariffs continues to be a source of uncertainty about whether it could lead to higher prices for consumers and businesses if companies simply pass along the costs. The problem was seen sharply Tuesday after General Motors reported a 35% drop in its net income during the second quarter as it warned that tariffs would hit its business in the months ahead, causing its stock to tumble.
As the Aug. 1 deadline for the tariff rates in his letters to world leaders is approaching, Trump also announced a trade framework with the Philippines that would impose a tariff of 19% on its goods, while American-made products would face no import taxes. The president also reaffirmed his 19% tariffs on Indonesia.
The U.S. ran a $69.4 billion trade imbalance on goods with Japan last year, according to the Census Bureau.
America had a trade imbalance of $17.9 billion with Indonesia and an imbalance of $4.9 billion with the Philippines. Both nations are less affluent than the U.S. and an imbalance means America imports more from those countries than it exports to them.
The president is set to impose the broad tariffs listed in his recent letters to other world leaders on Aug. 1, raising questions of whether there will be any breakthrough in talks with the European Union. At a Tuesday dinner, Trump said the EU would be in Washington on Wednesday for trade talks.
“We have Europe coming in tomorrow, the next day,” Trump told guests.
The president earlier this month sent a letter threatening the 27 member states in the EU with 30% taxes on their goods to be imposed starting on Aug. 1.
The Trump administration has a separate negotiating period with China that is currently set to run through Aug. 12 as goods from that nation are taxed at an additional 30% baseline.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he would be in the Swedish capital of Stockholm next Monday and Tuesday to meet with his Chinese counterparts. Bessent said his goal is to shift the American economy away from consumption and to enable more consumer spending in the manufacturing-heavy Chinese economy.
An Indian man in his 40s was assaulted and stripped by a group of youngsters in Dublin after he was falsely accused of behaving inappropriately around children. Police were treating the incident as an apparent hate crime.
According to Garda (Irish National Police), the attackers falsely claimed the Indian man was behaving inappropriately around children. (Photo: X)
An Indian man in his 40s was assaulted and stripped by a group of attackers in the Irish capital of Dublin. The unnamed individual was falsely accused of acting inappropriately around children and authorities were probing the incident as a possible hate crime, The Irish Times reported.
The incident occurred on July 19 evening when the Indian national was set upon by a group of young men in the suburb of Tallaght and thrashed him. The attackers removed his trousers before passers-by rescued him. The man was left bleeding from multiple wounds on his face, arms and legs.
According to Garda (Irish National Police), the attackers falsely claimed the man was behaving inappropriately around children. These claims were amplified online by prominent far-right and anti-immigrant online accounts.
However, Garda rejected such claims of the man acting inappropriately.
The man was rushed to the Tallaght University Hospital with injuries and was discharged from the hospital on July 20.
“Garda in Tallaght were alerted to an incident at Parkhill Road, Tallaght, Dublin 24, on the evening of Saturday, July 19, 2025, at approximately 6 pm. Garda attended the scene and a male, aged in his 40s was taken to Tallaght University Hospital with injuries,” a police spokesperson said.
According to investigators, some of the attackers have carried out unprovoked attacks on foreigners in the Tallaght area recently, according to The Irish Times.
Garda has opened an investigation into the incident.
Recently, Irish Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan said he was aware of instances of foreign nationals being falsely accused of crimes.
“Increasingly, you hear people blaming immigrants for crimes. All I can say to you is: I have asked for the statistics and when you look at the prison population of people convicted of offences, the percentage of immigrants in prison is lower than the percentage of immigrants in society,” he said.
“So there’s no substance to the suggestion that immigrants are more likely to commit a criminal offence,” he added.
Indian Ambassador to Ireland Akhilesh Mishra was critical of the incident involving the Indian man and slammed RTE News for reporting the incident with “alleged assault”.
“How can an ‘alleged’ assault cause such horrible injury and bleeding? Aghast at the insensitivity and obfuscation of RTE News! Thank Hon @paulmurphy_TD @gardainfo and Irish people for their sympathy, support to the innocent victim. Hope the perpetrators are brought to justice!” he tweeted.
EYEWITNESS NARRATE INCIDENT
An eyewitness who claimed she witnessed the Indian man being attacked said the ‘racist gang’ stole his bank cards, phone, shoes and trousers. The Irish woman, whose testimonial has gone viral on social media, said the man was staying with his friend and had arrived in the country a week ago.
“I was driving to my mother-in-law when I saw 13 teenagers, including a woman, rounding up that man. I saw that the man was completely dripped in blood from his head to toes. His entire body was covered in blood,” the woman said.
The eyewitness, who became emotional as she narrated the incident, said the man was embarrassed and visibly shocked by what he had gone through.
“His trousers were pulled down. He was whacked. His head was gashed due to a blade in the knuckles of those animals. And this attack happened at 6 pm in broad daylight,” she alleged.
She warned about the gang, saying its members go around neighbourhoods and stab people in their faces. “Four Indian men were stabbed on the face by these teens in the past four days. How many of you knew that or saw it in the news?” she said.
A video shows at least four pickup trucks and over a dozen men taking the couple to a desolate desert and shooting them dead. (Image: Social Media/Screengrab)
In a viral video, a “couple”, now identified as Bano Bibi and Ihsanullah, were seen being taken to a desolate desert spot by more than a dozen men dressed in traditional Pathani suits and turbans, using pickup trucks. Moments later, as the jirga men got off the trucks and pulled out their automatic rifles and pistols, the couple were seen marching ahead into the Baloch wilderness. Then, sharp sounds of gunfire rang out. The couple, accused by the jirga of having an “illicit relationship”, were gunned down from close range in broad daylight, with the woman’s brother among the group of men.
Now, months after the gruesome incident, reported to have occurred in June, and following much hue and cry by civil rights activists and Baloch groups, 13 men, including tribal chief Sardar Sherbaz Satakzai, who ordered the “justice”, have been arrested by the Balochistan provincial police, reported news agency Reuters.
The killings, ordered by tribal leader Satakzai, were a result of the couple’s alleged “illicit relationship”, which was deemed unacceptable by the jirga, or tribal council. The name Satakzai suggests a Pashto tribal clan.
In Pakistan, dishonour killings, particularly prevalent among tribal communities, claim over 1,000 lives annually, with Balochistan reporting 32 cases in 2024 alone.
BROTHER PULLED THE TRIGGER TO DEFEND FAMILY ‘HONOUR’
The June video, which surfaced on July 20, depicted the couple’s final moments in the Sanjidi area of Dagari, three days before Eid ul Azha.
“Come walk seven steps with me, after that you can shoot me,” Bano Bibi was quoted as saying in the Brahavi language with a Quran in her hand.
Among the men who shot the woman was her own brother, acting on behalf of their family and tribe, reported news agency Reuters, citing provincial police chief Moazzam Jah Ansari.
The man then followed her for a few steps, when the woman said, “You are only allowed to shoot me. Nothing more than that”. What she meant by “nothing more than that” remains unclear, reported the UK-based newspaper The Guardian.
The circulation of the graphic footage showing the men, including Bano Bibi’s brother, firing the shots, triggered nationwide outrage in Pakistan, prompting action by authorities.
The FIR filed by Station House Officer Naveed Akhtar at Quetta’s Hanna-Urak police station detailed how the couple were brought before Satakzai, who declared them guilty of “Karo Kari” (an immoral relationship) and ordered their execution.
‘CULTURE IS NO EXCUSE FOR CRUELTY’: POLITICIANS, ACTIVISTS SLAM PAKISTAN KILLING
Balochistan-based activist Sammi Deen Baloch expressed her anguish, saying, “As a woman, this chilling incident is deeply painful and heart-wrenching for me. Killing any woman in the name of dishonour is not only a heinous crime but also the worst humiliation of humanity”.
Engineer Ayesha Zehri, the first female Deputy Commissioner of Balochistan, condemned the hypocrisy of tribes that deny girls education yet justify killing them in the name of “honour”.
“Tribes that can’t build schools for girls are quick to bury them for honour,” she wrote on X.
UK-based PTI functionary Eiman Jamil called the incident a “cold-blooded murder”, adding, “Culture is no excuse for cruelty”.
After the minute-long video clip went viral and attracted widespread condemnation, the Balochistan police arrested 13 suspects, including Satakzai, after a series of raids.
“We will make sure that they will all be prosecuted,” said Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti.
The case has now been transferred to the Serious Crimes Investigation Wing (SCIW), with an SP-level officer taking up the case.
“…All of them will appear before a judicial magistrate today,” a police official said. “The state stands with the oppressed”.
DISHONOUR KILLING A BIG PROBLEM IN PAKISTAN
Dishonour killings remain a grave issue in Pakistan, with the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan reporting at least 405 cases in 2024, including 335 women and 119 men.
“Such acts are a violation of basic human rights, and it is shameful that these killings still continue,” the Commission said in a statement. They also criticised the government for not doing enough to prevent these crimes.
Former Louisville police officer Brett Hankison was sentenced on Monday to 33 months in prison for violating Breonna Taylor’s rights during the raid in which she was shot and killed, after President Donald Trump’s Justice Department asked the judge to imprison him for a single day.
Taylor, a Black woman, was shot and killed by Louisville, Kentucky, police officers in March 2020 after they used a no-knock warrant at her home. Her boyfriend, believing they were intruders, fired on the officers with a legally owned firearm, prompting them to return fire.
Breonna Taylor’s art is seen in Jefferson Square after the announcement that the FBI arrested and brought civil rights charges against four current and former Louisville police officers for their roles in the 2020 fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor, in Louisville, Kentucky, U.S., August 4, 2022. REUTERS/Amira Karaoud Purchase Licensing Rights
Taylor’s death, along with the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis at the hands of a white police officer, sparked racial justice protests across the U.S. over the treatment of people of color by police departments.
U.S. District Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings, who handed down the sentence on Monday, criticized prosecutors for making a “180-degree” turn in its approach to the case and said political factors appeared to have influenced its recommendation for a one-day prison sentence.
“This sentence will not and cannot be measured against Ms. Taylor’s life and the incident as a whole,” Jennings said.
The sentence was at the low end of the 33 to 41 months called for under federal sentencing guidelines, but far more severe than the Justice Department under Trump had sought.
Taylor’s mother, Tamika Palmer, several other family members and Kenneth Walker, her boyfriend at the time, all spoke in court to ask the judge to impose the maximum penalty.
“A piece of me was taken from me that day. You have the power to make today the first day of true accountability,” Palmer told the judge. EX-OFFICER APOLOGIZES
During President Joe Biden’s administration, the Justice Department brought criminal civil rights charges against the officers involved in both Taylor and Floyd’s deaths.
Hankison was convicted by a federal jury in November 2024 of one count of violating Taylor’s civil rights, after the first attempt to prosecute him ended with a mistrial.
He was separately acquitted on state charges in 2022.
In a brief statement to the court, Hankison apologized to Taylor’s family and friends and said he would have acted differently if he had known about issues with the preparation of the search warrant that led police to Taylor’s home that night.
“I never would have fired my gun,” he said.
The Justice Department’s sentencing memo for Hankison downplayed his role in the raid at Taylor’s home, saying he “did not shoot Ms. Taylor and is not otherwise responsible for her death.”
The memo was notable because it was not signed by any of the career prosecutors – those who were not political appointees – who had tried the case.
It was submitted on July 16 by Harmeet Dhillon, a political appointee by Trump to lead the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, and her counsel Robert Keenan.
Keenan previously worked as a federal prosecutor in Los Angeles, where he argued that a local deputy sheriff convicted of civil rights violations, Trevor Kirk, should have his conviction on the felony counts struck and should not serve prison time.
The department’s sentencing recommendation in the Hankison case marks the latest effort by the Trump administration to put the brakes on the department’s police accountability work.
The red-haired doll’s real-life story dates back to the 1970s
A SHOCK twist has been revealed after the sudden death of a paranormal investigator while touring with a “demonically possessed” doll.
Creepy Annabelle has spooked believers for decades – despite the doll being encased in a glass box to “contain the evil.”
Dan Rivera, 54, died on July 13 in Pennsylvania while leading a national tour of the allegedly haunted Raggedy Ann doll named Annabelle.
The US Army veteran was the lead paranormal investigator of the New England Society for Psychic Research (NESPR), which announced his “sudden” death.
Rivera had been showing the supposedly haunted doll – which inspired the Annabelle movies in The Conjuring film franchise – across multiple states.
At the time of his death he had been visiting Gettysburg, where he was leading the Devils on the Run Tour alongside NESPR colleagues.
A Pennsylvania coroner has now confirmed to People that the spooky doll was not in the hotel room where Rivera died.
Francis Dutrow, the Adams County coroner, told the magazine that he didn’t notice Annabelle upon his arrival at the scene on July 13.
Dutrow further confirmed that the doll had not been in Rivera’s hotel room at all.
The coroner told People that hours before he died, Rivera had been with NESPR colleagues.
“The decedent was discovered in his hotel room by workers.
“Nothing unusual or suspicious was observed at the scene.”
Rivera’s cause of death has not as yet been revealed.
His autopsy results are expected before the end of September.
The doll had been given to late paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, who kept it in their occult museum in Monroe, Connecticut.
The couple’s decades of ghost-hunting cases inspired such frightening films as The Conjuring series and The Amityville Horror.
Annabelle also has movies in her own name, including Annabelle (2014), Annabelle: Creation (2017), and Annabelle Comes Home (2019).
HAUNTINGS
The Warrens founded the New England Society for Psychic Research in Monroe in 1952 to probe suspected hauntings.
They investigated more than 10,000 cases in the U.S. and abroad, often writing about their experiences.
One such case was that involving the rag doll, with huge black eyes.
Lorraine Warren said, “It’s not what the doll looks like that makes it scary. It is what has been infused within the doll. Evil.”
A student nurse who received the Raggedy Ann doll as a gift brought it home where she lived with a roommate, according to NESPR, which is overseen by the Warrens’ son-in-law Tony Spera.
His in-laws pronounced the doll as being allegedly “demonically possessed.”
To protect people, they encased it in a glass box to contain the “evil spirited entity,” according to the website.
A chilling alert displayed on its case says: “Warning: Positively Do Not Open.”
US TOUR WARNING
Rivera, who was mentored by the couple, took ownership of Annabelle after Lorraine’s death in 2019, and hoped to continue their work with his research and tour.
His sudden death came after the Warren family had to quash conspiracy theory-style claims that the doll had disappeared.
Months before the US tour, Rivera had posted on Facebook about embarking on a “thrilling and terrifying adventure showcasing the most diabolical items from the infamous Warren’s Occult Museum.”
Spookily, a woman warned him eight weeks ago: “I don’t understand why you guys would put yourself in danger like this, you really should put that doll back.
“And Lorraine Warren said it wasn’t supposed to be touched or removed under no circumstances.”
Speculation ran wild last week when she shared a bikini snap on social media
KOURTNEY Kardashian has finally responded to pregnancy rumors in a buried Instagram comment.
Fans of the business mogul and mother-of-four were recently convinced that she might be pregnant with her 5th child after she shared a revealing bikini snap.
Kourtney, 46, has recently enjoyed a lavish Italy trip – and shared many snaps from her vacation.
In the bikini snap she took in a reflection, fans were stunned and quick to speculate.
Many rushed to Reddit to point out her “bump”, with one comment on Instagram even forcing Kourtney to respond to the rumors herself.
“You can tell from the bikini reflection photo kourtney is pregnant again,” said one fan underneath her Instagram offering.
Kourtney reacted to the comment and set the record straight once and for all.
Replying to the speculative comment, she said: “Or breastfeeding, eating gelato, focaccia, pasta, not working out and loving my best damn life baby!”
Fans rushed to praise Kourtney for her snap back.
“Girl You’re living your best life no need to explain,” said one.
While someone penned to the troll: “Why are you telling her she’s pregnant if she just said she is living her best life and eating.
“If she isn’t pregnant why you keep telling her she is?”
Although many were praising Kourtney for her comment, some still were not convinced that she is not pregnant.
Some fans think Kourtney is hiding her pregnancy and “wouldn’t admit it anyway”.
One person wrote: “Gurl pregnant. We know dam well what a pregnant belly look like.”
“Kourtney u know well u won’t admit if ur pregnant if u were anyways,” said a second.
Germany is allowing two Taliban officials to work at Afghan diplomatic missions in the country, even though it does not recognize the Islamist regime. Chancellor Merz has made curbing migration a policy priority.
Friday’s deportation flight was the second since Germany cut off ties with Afghan authorities in 2021Image: Jan Woitas/dpa/picture alliance
Germany said Monday that it has allowed two envoys from Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban regime to enter the country for the first time since the hardline, Islamist movement seized power in 2021.
The measure was approved to facilitate further deportations of Afghan migrants, after 81 Afghans with failed asylum claims and criminal convictions were deported on Friday.
That flight was the second of its kind since Germany resumed deportations to Afghanistan last year, which were halted after the Taliban returned to power and Germany closed its embassy in Kabul.
Merz insists Taliban will not be formally recognized
The German government, like the rest of the international community except for Russia, does not formally recognize the Taliban government because of its human rights record and in particular its treatment of women.
But it does have “technical contacts” with the Taliban to deal with the deportations, which Qatar has facilitated.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has emphasized that despite the consular staff being allowed to enter and work in the country, there will be no diplomatic recognition of the Taliban Islamists.
Currently, the Afghan diplomatic representations in Germany are headed by officials who were accredited before the 2021 Taliban takeover, according to the German Foreign Office, which added that staff at the Afghan missions are stretched thin.
“The German government has an interest in ensuring that Afghan nationals in Germany receive adequate consular support — this includes, for example, the issuance of passports,” the Foreign Office said.
The Taliban envoys, who arrived in Germany over the weekend, will work at the Afghan embassy in Berlin and the Afghan consulate in Bonn, according to the German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ).
Hot button issue amid rise of far-right
Germany stopped deportations to Afghanistan in 2021 when the Taliban retook control of the country. However, amid a rise of the far-right and anti-immigrant rhetoric, the government led by the conservative bloc of Chancellor Merz has put deportations high on the agenda.
The deportations had already resumed under Merz’s predecessor Olaf Scholz, who had pledged to ramp up removals of rejected asylum-seekers and migrants with criminal convictions in the wake of violent attacks involving migrants.
The deportations of Afghan migrants and asylum-seekers to Afghanistan has drawn sharp criticism from the United Nations.
Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) said it was “not appropriate to return people to Afghanistan,” while speaking to reporters in Geneva.
“We have been documenting continuing human rights violations in Afghanistan,” she said.
People move a boat from the beach ahead of Typhoon Wipha in Thanh Hoa, Vietnam, Jul 21, 2025. (Le Hoang/VNExpress via AP)
Tropical Storm Wipha was set to cross Vietnam’s northern coastline on Tuesday (Jul 22) morning, with almost 350,000 soldiers on standby as the state weather agency forecast up to 50cm of rainfall that could cause flooding and mudslides.
As of 6am, Wipha was 60km off the coast of Haiphong City with wind speeds of up to 102kmh, and was moving southwest at a speed of 15kmh, according to the national weather forecast agency.
After making landfall in Hung Yen and Ninh Binh provinces, Wipha is forecast to weaken to a low-pressure event on Tuesday night, the agency said.
No casualties or damage have been reported so far.
Witnesses in Haiphong, an industrial base that is home to key ports, said the wind and rain were moderate on Tuesday morning.
A volcanic cloud has lingered over much of Iceland since last week’s eruption, with experts on Monday (July 21) blaming the unusual lack of wind.
Two craters on the Reykjanes peninsula began spewing sulphur-rich gas on Wednesday, creating a thick haze that has pushed the capital Reykjavik and the country’s southwest into a red alert for pollution, the highest level on Iceland’s scale.
Lava fountains are seen in the southern crater, after a volcanic eruption around 6km north of Grindavik on the Reykjanes Peninsula, in Iceland, Saturday, July 19, 2025. (Photo: AP/Marco di Marco)
“Volcanic eruptions normally cause air pollution, mainly from sulphur dioxide emissions,” said Hylnur Arnason of the Icelandic Energy and Environment Agency. “The gas becomes sulfate in the atmosphere, creating a volcanic fog.”
“It’s completely misty in large parts of the country,” he told reporters. “Usually in Iceland we have lots of wind, which would carry the pollution away, but right now we don’t. Now it’s kind of just sitting over the whole country.”
Arnason said the gas was not toxic but could cause irritation. The environment agency has advised vulnerable people to stay indoors and take precautions.
Sumatra reported 1,292 hotspots on Monday (Jul 21), a jump from 94 on Jul 12, causing haze to hit several western states on Peninsular Malaysia.
Motorists ride past a fire that razes through a peatland field in Ogan Ilir, South Sumatra, Indonesia, on Sunday, Jul 20, 2025. (Photo: AP/Muhammad Hatta)
Indonesia’s Sumatra island has seen a sharp spike in forest and land fires, with the number of hotspots jumping from 94 to more than 1,000 within 10 days.
A total of 1,292 hotspots were detected in the region, according to a report by Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency BMKG on Monday (Jul 21).
Hotspots are satellite images with high infrared intensity, indicating sources of high heat, such as forest and land fires.
Within the region, Riau province has been the worst hit by fires in forests and peatlands, with a total of 582 hotspot detections. This is up from 38 hotspots reported on Jul 12.
“The trend (of number of hotspots) is increasing because Riau is entering the peak of the dry season and the intensity of rain and cloud growth is decreasing,” Irwan Nasution, coordinator of BMKG Riau province, told CNA.
The Rokan Hilir regency and North Sumatra province were also badly hit by blazes, with 244 and 236 blazes detected in the areas respectively, according to the Jul 21 report by BMKG.
Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) said it will also be carrying out cloud-seeding to fight the forest fires in Riau from Jul 21 to Jul 27.
Abdul Muhari, the head of the BNPB’s Disaster Data, Information and Communication Center said that additional measures, such as a water-bombing helicopter and an air patrol to monitor the fires will also be deployed to Riau as part of the cloud-seeding and fire mitigation efforts, according to a report on the agency’s website.
Indonesia’s fires are usually a result of slash-and-burn techniques being deployed to clear land for subsequent crops, as well as the dry season exacerbating the situation.
The forest and peatland fires are a primary cause for the recurring issue of transboundary haze, which is an annual problem for Indonesia and its neighbours, including Singapore, Malaysia and southern Thailand.
According to the ASEAN Specialised Monitoring Centre, dry conditions were observed over most parts of the southern ASEAN region from Jul 20. Aside from parts of northern Sumatra, hotspots were also detected in parts of Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo.
The Malaysian Meteorological Department, MetMalaysia, released an advisory on Jul 19 regarding the transboundary haze.
It said that hotspots in Sumatra captured by satellite imagery last Friday and reported by the ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre could have contributed to the haze carried by south-westerly winds.
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez are back in Europe, and the Amazon billionaire’s new bride is definitely dressing the part.
Sánchez was spotted at the famed Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Cap d’Antibes Sunday, dressed in a vintage open-back Roberto Cavalli gown in bold shades of blue, yellow and hot pink.
While the limited-edition style is no longer available to purchase at Dior boutiques, it originally retailed for over $15,000 and came housed in a matching trunk with the same artwork. eBay
The haute couture-loving helicopter pilot accessorized with high-heeled Aquazzura sandals and a rare Dior mini bag worth six figures.
Her petite, all-over-beaded Lady Dior Micro purse features the luxury brand’s “Rêve d’Infini” (“Dream of Infinity”) motif by artist Pietro Ruffo, which is based on a compass rose mosaic from Christian Dior’s childhood home in Granville, France.
While the limited-edition style is no longer available to purchase at Dior boutiques, it originally retailed for over $15,000 and came housed in a matching trunk adorned with the same artwork, making it a true collector’s item.
Of course, Sánchez is no stranger to a sought-after purse; she’s recently been carrying her Hermès Kelly Midas on repeat.
Inspired by the mythical king whose touch could turn anything to gold, the bag has an 18-karat-gold handle and hardware, and was released in 2023.
Daniel Englander, an expert on luxury resale site Fashionphile‘s VIP Relations team, recently told Page Six Style that an exotic version of the Kelly Midas like Sánchez’s retails for around $170,000, but can fetch much more — up to $250,000 — on the resale market.
Jennifer Garner and Bradley Cooper made their reunion a family affair.
The former “Alias” co-stars were spotted having an early dinner together alongside their kids at Japanese restaurant Nobu in Malibu, Calif., on Sunday.
Cooper brought his 8-year-old daughter, Lea, whom he shares with ex Irina Shayk, while Garner was photographed with two of her three children, whom she shares with ex-husband Ben Affleck.
The actress was joined by daughter Violet, 19, and son Samuel, 13. Her middle child, Seraphina, 16, did not appear to be present.
Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Garner reunited Sunday for an early dinner at Nobu in Malibu, Calif., alongside their kids. The Hollywood JR / BACKGRID
The group kept it casual for the outing at the pricey, celebrity hotspot.
Cooper, 50, appeared to have bedhead while wearing a hoodie advertising his cheesesteak restaurant, Danny & Coop’s in New York City, with black shorts.
Garner, 53, color-coordinated in a white cardigan, a polo shirt and white jeans.
Violet wore a light blue sweater with oranges on it and a polka-dot skirt, while Samuel wore a gray sweatshirt reading “Palisades.”
Earlier in the day, the Yale student was photographed stepping out for coffee with her mom wearing jeans and a T-shirt.
Cooper brought his daughter, Lea, 8, while Garner brought her daughter Violet, 19, and son Samuel, 13. The Hollywood JR / BACKGRID
Cooper and Garner have remained close friends since “Alias” wrapped in 2006. They’ve been photographed together on multiple occasions.
The “13 Going on 30” star showered Cooper with heartfelt words at the 2019 Cinematheque Awards.
“My mental image of Bradley Cooper is of an apple-drooling frosted haired boy wonder,” she said at the time. “It wasn’t until I heard him speaking French to a background artist on set one day that I was like, ‘Wait a minute. Is Bradley handsome?’”
Roche — who is granddaughter of Princess Diana’s uncle, which makes her William and Harry’s second cousin — died at her family home on July 14, the Sun reported Monday.
A firearm was reportedly found close to her at the property in Norton, England.
The coroner told the outlet police have deemed the death as “non-suspicious” and there was no third-party involvement.
Roche’s mom and sister found her body after she had been packing to go on a trip with friends, according to the report. Getty Images
Roche’s mom and sister found her body after she had been packing to go on a trip with friends, according to the report.
A spokesperson told the outlet that Roche, who was studying english literature at Durham University, “will be sorely missed.”
Reps did not immediately return Page Six’s request for comment.
The Yorkshire Post published her obituary on July 19, noting that Roche will have a private family funeral and a memorial service will be held at a later date.
She was described as “darling daughter of Hugh and Pippa, incredible sister to Archie and Agatha [and] granddaughter to Derek and Rae Long.”
This isn’t the only tragedy the royal family has suffered in recent years.
The Trump administration is prioritising the quality of trade agreements over meeting a looming deadline, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Monday (Jul 21), as countries scramble to avoid steep new tariffs set to take effect on Aug 1.
“We’re not going to rush for the sake of doing deals,” Bessent told CNBC. Asked whether the deadline could be extended for countries engaged in talks, he said it would be up to President Donald Trump.
President Donald Trump, right, and Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., center, look on as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, left, speaks at the “Inaugural Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Event” at Carnegie Mellon University, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Pittsburgh. (Photo: AP/Evan Vucci)
“If we somehow boomerang back to the Aug 1 tariff, I would think that a higher tariff level will put more pressure on those countries to come with better agreements,” he said.
Trump has roiled global markets with sweeping tariff threats targeting most major US trading partners. But his administration has fallen short of securing deals with many countries, including India, the European Union and Japan, where negotiations have proven more difficult than anticipated.
WHITE HOUSE, EU RESPONSE
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump may raise trade during talks with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr at the White House on Tuesday.
She said the US remained engaged with governments globally and could announce new deals or issue more tariff notifications before the deadline, but offered no further details.
Meanwhile, European Union diplomats said the bloc was considering broader counter-measures amid dimming prospects for a deal. Germany and other EU countries are weighing the use of “anti-coercion” tools that could restrict US access to public tenders or target services.
“The negotiations over the level of tariffs are currently very intense,” said German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. “The Americans are quite clearly not willing to agree to a symmetrical tariff arrangement.”
CHINA TALKS, JAPAN AND INDIA
On China, Bessent said talks would resume “in the very near future”.
“Trade is in a good place,” he said, adding that future discussions could focus on Beijing’s continued purchases of sanctioned Iranian and Russian oil, and its excess capacity in sectors such as steel. “The elephant in the room is this great rebalancing that the Chinese need to do.”
Bessent also said he would encourage Europe to follow the US if it implements secondary tariffs on Russia.
“In both accounts, the president quickly called the prime minister to rectify those situations,” said White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt.
US President Donald Trump was “caught off guard” by Israeli strikes in Syria last week, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said on Monday (Jul 21), adding that he discussed the issue with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Israel had launched strikes on the capital Damascus and the southern Druze-majority city of Sweida, saying it aimed to put pressure on the Syrian government to withdraw its troops from the region amid ongoing clashes there.
Men walk among debris after powerful Israeli airstrikes shook Damascus on Jul 16, targeting the defense ministry on Jul 16, 2025. (Photo: Reuters/Khalil Ashawi)
Trump “was caught off guard by the bombing in Syria and also the bombing of a Catholic church in Gaza”, Leavitt told reporters at a press briefing.
“In both accounts, the president quickly called the prime minister to rectify those situations,” she continued.
Netanyahu had visited the White House earlier this month, his third trip since Trump returned to power on Jan 20.
“The president enjoys a good working relationship with Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, and stays in, you know, frequent communication with him,” Leavitt said.
“When it came to Syria, we saw a de-escalation there.”
Israel and Syria on Friday entered a US-brokered ceasefire.
Also on Friday, PM Netanyahu called Pope Leo to express regret at the strike on the Catholic church in Gaza, blaming a “stray missile”.
A China-made F-7 training jet of the Bangladesh Air Force crashed into a school in Dhaka, killing 20 people and injuring 171 others. A one-day state mourning was declared on Tuesday.
At least 20 people were killed and 171 others injured after a training aircraft of the Bangladesh Air Force crashed into a school building in Dhaka on Monday. The China-made F-7 jet crashed into the Milestone School and College building in Dhaka’s Uttara area.
The crash happened when classes were underway. Television footage showed fire and plumes of black smoke billowing from the site of the crash as rescue personnel rushed to carry the injured to six hospitals.
“Bangladesh Air Force’s F-7 BGI training aircraft crashed in Uttara. The aircraft took off at 13:06 (0706 GMT),” the military’s public relations department said in a statement.
Firefighters sprayed water on the mangled remains of the plane, which appeared to have rammed into the side of a building, damaging iron grills and creating a gaping hole in the structure, Reuters reported. Dr Md Sayedur Rahman, Special Assistant Professor for Health to the Chief Advisor, said 48 people were in critical condition.
Visuals showed students, some of them with burn injuries and bleeding profusely, running helter-skelter amid chaos.
“A third-grade student was brought in dead, and three others, aged 12, 14 and 40, were admitted to the hospital,” said Bidhan Sarker, head of the burn unit at the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital, where some victims were taken.
With ambulances not readily available, eyewitnesses said Army personnel rescued the injured students in their arms and took them to hospitals in rickshaw vans and other vehicles.
“To deal with the accident and avoid major damage, the pilot of the aircraft, Flight Lieutenant Md Taukir Islam, made every effort to take the aircraft from a densely populated area to a sparsely populated area. But unfortunately, the aircraft crashed in a two-story building of Milestone School and College in Diabari, Dhaka,” Bangladesh’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.
“All the injured are being quickly shifted to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) and nearby hospitals with the help of Air Force helicopters and ambulances. Bangladesh Air Force is deeply shocked by the unfortunate accident and is actively providing all-round assistance to the injured including providing all-round treatment,” it added.
A high-level investigation committee of the Air Force was formed to find out the cause of the accident.
College teachers and staff carried out the initial rescue efforts before being joined by the army and fire department officials. A teacher said the plane crashed into the front side of a three-storey school building, trapping several students.
The Daily Star reported that over 30 people were admitted to the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery. Others were taken to nearby hospitals.
MUHAMMAD YUNUS REACTS
Bangladesh chief adviser Muhammad Yunus said the government would investigate the cause of the accident and ensure all forms of assistance.
“The loss suffered by the Air Force, students, parents, teachers, and staff of Milestone School and College, as well as others, in this accident is irreparable. This is a moment of deep sorrow for the nation,” he said.
Yunus’s advisor Asif Nazrul said they were informed by medical authorities that all necessary preparations for medical treatment were completed. He said doctors would be brought from abroad to treat the injured if necessary.
“We will definitely investigate why the tragic accident happened. We have been informed by the Hospital Authority National Burn Unit that they have completed all the necessary preparations for medical treatment. If necessary, the doctors will take our students who are injured in the burn unit abroad. There will be no shortage in our medical rehabilitation,” Nazrul said.
“We have declared a national day of mourning tomorrow. The flag will be at half-mast and our chief advisor is getting updates. We will all stand by those who are injured and those who are in critical condition. We will take all measures for their treatment,” he added.
File photo shows British Army soldiers patrolling with Afghan National Army soldiers in Helmand Province in 2007
Parliament’s intelligence watchdog has announced it will launch an inquiry into a major data breach which compromised the identities of thousands of Afghans and British military officials.
The data leak prompted a super-injunction which meant the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC), which routinely reviews sensitive material, was not briefed until last week.
Chairman Lord Beamish said all intelligence documents related to the case should be provided “immediately” for review.
A Ministry of Defence (MoD) spokesman said the government strongly welcomed the committee’s scrutiny of the data leak.
The ISC oversees the work of MI5, MI6 and the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ).
In a statement on Monday, Lord Beamish said the cross-party group would “conduct an inquiry into the intelligence community’s role and activity in connection with the loss of data” after considering defence assessments related to the case.
The peer had previously voiced concern over “serious constitutional issues” raised by the handling of the breach, which went undiscovered for more than a year before the gagging order was requested.
The ISC has argued that – under the Justice and Security Act 2013 – classification of material is not grounds on which information can be withheld from the committee, given its purpose is to scrutinise the work of the UK intelligence community.
An MoD spokesman said: “We recognise the urgent need to understand how these significant failures happened and ensure there’s proper accountability for the previous government’s handling of this matter.
“The Ministry of Defence has been instructed by the defence secretary to give its full support to the ISC and all parliamentary committees. If incumbent ministers and officials are asked to account and give evidence, they will.”
The leak was made in February 2022 by someone working at UK Special Forces headquarters in London, who inadvertently emailed a spreadsheet containing more than 30,000 resettlement applications to an individual outside of government, thinking that he was sending data on just 150 people.
The data breach was only identified in August 2023, when a man in Afghanistan made a Facebook post identifying nine individuals and indicated he could release the rest, in a sequence of events that government sources said was “essentially blackmail”.
The MoD applied for a gagging order in September 2023, due to the risk of reprisals from the Taliban against nearly 19,000 Afghans who were revealed to have worked with British forces in Afghanistan.
Lawyers for Harvard University and the Trump administration have sparred in a Boston courtroom as they fought over President Donald Trump’s decision to strip billions of dollars in government funding for Harvard’s education programmes.
In a hearing on Monday, the judge overseeing the case seemed sceptical of the move to freeze more than $2bn (£1.5bn) in federal grants for the university in a stated effort to fight antisemitism.
Judge Allison Burroughs questioned how denying money allocated for medical research would stop antisemitism. At one point she called the government’s claims “mind-boggling”.
Lawyers for Trump argued that the cuts are deserved and necessary to punish anti-Jewish bias.
The closely watched case comes as the White House also moves to prevent the university from accessing a visa system that allows it to enrol foreign students.
Judge Burroughs, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama, has already made several interim rulings in favour of Harvard in a separate lawsuit over the foreign student visa system.
In the funding battle, Harvard has asked the judge to reach a decision by 3 September – the deadline the Trump administration has given the university to wind up its financial obligations with regards to federal grants.
Any ruling in the case is likely to be appealed and could end up before the US Supreme Court.
During the packed courtroom hearing, Harvard lawyer Steven Lehotsky argued that the administration was trying to control the “inner workings” of the institution.
“The administration has given no consideration to patients, the public at large and the harm of all this research being cut off,” said Mr Lehotsky, noting that Harvard has a research relationship with the US that stretches back over eight decades.
He added that there is no evidence that the cuts – which affect research into everything from medicine to space travel to artificial intelligence – will have any impact on antisemitism on campus.
A lawyer for the government, Michael Velchik, said that the university had violated an executive order signed by Trump directed at combating antisemitism.
“Harvard wants billions of dollars and that is the only reason we are here,” said Mr Velchik, who graduated from Harvard in 2012.
He said the Trump administration was right to cancel the grants because “Harvard prioritised campus protesters over cancer research”. His comments were a reference to anti-Israel protests seen at America’s oldest university, which also took place on campuses across the US.
Judge Burroughs questioned how the government had determined whether Harvard administrators “have taken enough steps or haven’t” to combat antisemitism.
She noted that government lawyers had provided “no documentation, no procedure” to “suss out” their claims.
She also questioned whether the government believed it could cancel the allocated funds without providing proof of antisemitism.
“The consequences of that in terms of constitutional law are staggering,” the judge said, also calling the assertion “mind-boggling”.
“Don’t you have to show each researcher is antisemitic, instead of a blanket statement: Harvard is antisemitic?” she asked.
The judge declined to issue an instant summary judgement after the nearly three-hour hearing, and promised to issue a ruling soon.
Trump, in a post on Truth Social, argued that the judge is biased, and “a total disaster”. He predicted that she would rule against the government, and vowed to “immediately appeal, and win”.
Dozens of protesters assembled outside the court during the hearing, holding signs reading “defend academic freedom” and “hands off Harvard”.
Trump has previously suggested that his actions against Harvard are part of a negotiating strategy, at one point saying “I think we’re probably going to settle with Harvard”.
In a statement, a White House spokesman said: “We are confident that Harvard will eventually come around and support the president’s vision, and through good-faith conversations and negotiations, a good deal is more than possible.”
Year 10 student Farhan Hasan had just finished an exam when the plane crashed
Farhan Hasan had just finished an exam and left the classroom chatting to friends when a Bangladeshi air force training jet crashed into his school campus – killing at least 27 people.
“The burning plane was hitting the building right in front of my eyes,” the Milestone School and College student told BBC Bangla.
Footage from the school in a northern suburb of the capital, Dhaka shows a huge fire and thick smoke, after the aircraft slammed into a two-storey building.
More than 170 people were injured in the crash.
The armed forces said that the F-7 jet had experienced a mechanical fault after taking off for a training exercise just after 13:00 local time (07:00 GMT). The pilot, Flight Lieutenant Md. Taukir Islam, was among those killed.
Farhan, who was speaking to BBC Bangla alongside his uncle and his father, added: “My best friend, the one I was in the exam hall with, he died right in front of my eyes.
“In front of my eyes… the plane went right over his head. And many parents were standing inside because the younger kids were coming out since it was the end of the school day… the plane took the parents along with it.”
A teacher at the college, Rezaul Islam, told the BBC that he saw the plane “directly” hit the building.
Another teacher, Masud Tarik, told Reuters that he heard an explosion: “When I looked back, I only saw fire and smoke… There were many guardians and kids here.”
Hours after the crash, in a residential area which is quite densely populated, huge crowds gathered with people standing on top of buildings to get a view.
As people ran in all directions, ambulances and volunteers worked to find their way to carry the injured and many bodies out of the Milestone School and College.
At least 30 ambulances were seen moving people out.
One woman seeking information at the scene told the BBC her son had called her right after the crash, but she had not heard from him since.
More than 50 people, including children and adults, were taken to hospital with burns, a doctor at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery said.
Many families and relatives of victims were inside the hospital – including Shah Alam, the uncle of a Year 8 boy, Tanvir Ahmed, who died in the crash.
“My beloved nephew is in the morgue right now,” Mr Alam said holding on to his younger brother – Tanvir’s father – who was unable to speak.
Most of the victims inside the burns hospital are minors – most of them are between the ages of 9 and 14.
Many other members of the public came to the hospital to donate blood; while a number of politicians from the two prominent political parties Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami visited.
Locals on the Hawaiian island of Kauai have expressed concern about Zuckerberg’s aggressive purchase of land. MEGA
Mark Zuckerberg has reportedly expanded his sprawling $300 million compound in Hawaii by nearly 1,000 acres — stoking yet more controversy with locals on the idyllic Pacific island chain, according to a report.
The latest expansion on the Meta CEO’s massive estate on the Hawaiian island of Kauai includes 962 acres of ranch land purchased earlier this year under an LLC, according to the tech news site WIRED.
A person close to the sale estimated the purchase price at more than $65 million. The acquisition brings Zuckerberg’s total holdings on Kauai to more than 2,300 acres.
Property records place the land’s market value at around $75 million.
Inside the existing compound, Zuckerberg has constructed two mansions with a combined floor area comparable to a football field, a gym, a tennis court, several guest houses, ranch buildings, saucer-shaped treehouses, a water system and a tunnel leading to an underground storm shelter about the size of an NBA basketball court, outfitted with blast-resistant doors and an escape hatch.
Recent planning documents released through public records show plans for three more large buildings, ranging from 7,820 to 11,152 square feet — nearly 10 times the size of the average home in Hawaii.
Two of them include 16 bedrooms and 16 bathrooms between them, arranged in a motel-style layout, with a shared lanai measuring more than 1,300 square feet.
Each building features cameras, keypad locks and motion detection devices. Hoffine Barr described the buildings as short-term guest housing for family, friends and staff.
Satellite images show dozens of buildings on the property that have not yet appeared in public records. Based on bedroom counts in the documents WIRED reviewed, the compound could eventually accommodate more than 100 people.
The seller was the Mary Lucas Trust Estate, whose lands were previously leased to sugar plantations and later restored for cattle grazing. Zuckerberg’s spokesperson Brandi Hoffine Barr confirmed the purchase to WIRED but did not comment on the size or price.
“Mark and Priscilla continue to make a home for their family and grow their ranching, farming, and conservation efforts at Koʻolau Ranch,” said Hoffine Barr.
“The vast majority of the land is dedicated to agriculture — including cattle ranching, organic ginger, macadamia nut, and turmeric farming, native plant restoration, and endangered species protection. After purchasing the ranch, they canceled the previous owner’s plans for 80 luxury homes.”
The couple’s investment now exceeds the $311 million fiscal year 2024 operating budget for the island of Kauai.
A local islander who fished in the area contacted Zuckerberg’s representatives around 10 years ago to inform them that part of the compound housed the remains of his great-grandmother and her brother, according to the report.
Julian Ako negotiated with Zuckerberg’s team for months before finally being able to gain access to the burial site and register the graves with Hawaii’s Department of Land and Natural Resources.
According to WIRED, Ako tried unsuccessfully to locate the remains of other ancestor that may be buried on Zuckerberg’s property.
Hawaiian officials told WIRED that they confirmed “the probability (based on oral testimony) of additional burial sites.”
The burial site, first identified in 2015, was “fenced off and maintained” after being discovered, Hoffine Barr told the publication.
She added that workers are “bound by regulations that require reporting of inadvertent discoveries of iwi” — or Hawaiian ancestral bones.
But because workers on the project are bound by strict nondisclosure agreements, local residents fear that any future discovery of iwi could be concealed.
“If all of the workers have signed these nondisclosure agreements, then basically they’re sworn to silence,” Ako told WIRED.
“If they uncover iwi — or bones — it’s going to be a challenge for that to ever become public knowledge, because they’re putting their jobs in jeopardy.”
Zuckerberg began buying land on Kauai in 2014, acquiring 700 acres near the town of Kilauea for roughly $100 million. The purchase included parcels where hundreds of local residents held kuleana rights — traditional Hawaiian legal entitlements whereby descendants of original Native Hawaiian landowners can claim ancestral lands.
“Late Show” host Stephen Colbert insisted on announcing that his top-rated program would be canceled — just hours after finding out cash-strapped CBS would not renew his hefty contract, The Post has learned.
The late-night star was told by network brass late Wednesday night that his reported $15 million to $20 million contract would not get picked up and that they were going to pull the plug on the show, according to a well-placed source.
Colbert — who had returned from vacation two days earlier and blasted CBS-parent Paramount Global for settling a high-profile lawsuit with President Trump during his monologue — decided the next morning that he would waste no time in sharing the decision about his fate, the insider added.
“He wanted to tell the world,” the source said. “CBS said OK. They taped with an audience and had to get the news out there before the audience or staff leaked it.”
Stephen Colbert insisted on telling the world that his bosses cancelled “Late Show.” AP
Colbert broke the news to the shocked studio audience at The Ed Sullivan Theater in New York’s Midtown during taping at 5:30 p.m. ET on Thursday.
“It’s not just the end of our show, but it’s the end of “The Late Show” on CBS. I’m not being replaced. This is all just going away,” Colbert said to a chorus of boos.
Less than two hours later, CBS sent out a press release that included the taped comments, which would air at 11:35 p.m. ET that night.
A rep for CBS confirmed the network worked with Colbert on rolling out the announcement.
Paramount co-CEO George Cheeks, who oversees CBS, claimed it was “purely a financial decision” to pull the plug on the late-night staple, first-launched by David Letterman in 1993. Colbert, who took over hosting duties a decade ago, will stay on the air until May of next year.
The Post reported that the show was losing betweek $40 million and $50 million annually, and that advertising had slumped along with overall viewership. Meanwhile, Puck News reported that the show’s annual production cost was a sky-high $100 million.
A source familiar with the situation said that all the late-night shows have been battling paltry viewership and declining ratings, but that Colbert’s show had higher costs, making it hard to justify continuing the program.
“If it was losing money like that, then it had to be canceled,” the source told The Post.
However, several left-leaning pundits and lawmakers speculated that Colbert’s steady diet of anti-Trump rhetoric, including last Monday over the Paramount settlement, played a pivotal role in killing the show.
“I believe this kind of complicated financial sentiment with a sitting government official has a technical name in legal circles. “It’s a ‘big fat bribe,’” Colbert quipped.
“Because it all comes as Paramount’s owners are trying to get the Trump administration to approve the sale of our network to a new owner, Skydance!”
The settlement of the lawsuit has been viewed as helping pave the way for Trump’s Federal Communications Commission boss Brendan Carr to greenlight Skydance Media’s $8 billion acquisition of Paramount.
CBS has previously denied that ther settlement and merger talks are not connected.
Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani speaking at a UAW rally in Manhattan on July 15, 2025. Derek French/SOPA Images via ZUMA Press Wire
Zohran Mamdani’s many antics — setting to music his love for those who provide material support to Hamas, shutting down major transportation hubs with rush-hour protests, refusing to condemn calls for a globalized intifada and flipping off Christopher Columbus, to name just a few — make it easy to lose sight of the fact that he is applying for a job.
Indeed, Mamdani would prefer we fracture over what “intifada” means than that we evaluate his qualifications to serve as New York City’s mayor.
But precisely because he does not want us to, we should.
The mayor sits within a three-branch system: A legislative branch creates laws, an executive branch implements and enforces laws, and a judicial branch interprets laws.
Note the common thread: laws.
Laws provide the stability and safety necessary for New Yorkers to walk our dogs at 11 p.m., and for the private sector to invest billions in corporate headquarters.
A Mayor Mamdani would lead the executive branch, with the primary responsibility of implementing and enforcing laws.
His campaign is effectively a job interview, which allows us to assess his views on and understanding of the law.
Helpfully, he has revealed a great deal about both.
Take Mamdani’s repeated threat to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, purportedly to enforce a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court.
Yet the United States is not a member state of the ICC, as Mamdani should know — and if he nevertheless orders the NYPD to execute the warrant, he would violate the American Servicemembers’ Protection Act of 2001, which prohibits any “local government” from cooperating with or providing support to the ICC.
Without the ICC warrant, Mamdani has no legal means to arrest a sitting prime minister. Even a non-citizen like Netanyahu enjoys the Fourth Amendment’s protection against arrests without warrants or probable cause — a point on which Mamdani is well-versed when it comes to his crusade against Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Then there’s “Stop the Squeeze on NYC Homeowners,” Mamdani’s plan to “shift the tax burden” away from “outer boroughs” and onto “whiter neighborhoods.”
Apart from its manifest racism, the plan evinces an appalling ignorance of the Constitution and civil rights law — the 14th Amendment and Section 1981 of the Federal Civil Rights Act exist to prevent the kind of race-based tax system Mamdani envisions.
In his “Protecting New York’s Tenants” plan, Mamdani vows to seize property from wayward landlords (vaguely, those who “do not work with” his administration or are “ripping off” tenants) “through a public foreclosure process” after doubling and tripling fines for code violations.
Mamdani’s campaign website breezily compares this idea to the way the city’s Department of Health shutters a dirty restaurant, without delving into how he might legally extend the concept to housing.
That’s a question we should ask.
Theoretically, by increasing fines, the city could artificially place otherwise financially healthy properties in fiscal distress, and such distress could trigger a foreclosure proceeding.
However, the city would be entitled only to the value of the outstanding fines, not the value of the building — a government cannot capitalize on the real property investment of a private citizen.
[1/5] Sanseito party supporters raise their fists during the Sanseito’s election campaign tour, on the last day of campaigning for the July 20 upper house election, at Shiba Park in Tokyo, Japan July 19, 2025. REUTERS/Issei Kato/File Photo Purchase Licensing RightsThe fringe far-right Sanseito party emerged as one of the biggest winners in Japan’s upper house election on Sunday, gaining support with warnings of a “silent invasion” of immigrants, and pledges for tax cuts and welfare spending.
Birthed on YouTube during the COVID-19 pandemic spreading conspiracy theories about vaccinations and a cabal of global elites, the party broke into mainstream politics with its “Japanese First” campaign.
The party won 14 seats adding to the single lawmaker it secured in the 248-seat chamber three years ago. It has only three seats in the more powerful lower house.
“The phrase Japanese First was meant to express rebuilding Japanese people’s livelihoods by resisting globalism. I am not saying that we should completely ban foreigners or that every foreigner should get out of Japan,” Sohei Kamiya, the party’s 47-year-old leader, said in an interview with local broadcaster Nippon Television after the election.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner Komeito lost their majority in the upper house, leaving them further beholden to opposition support following a lower house defeat in October.
“Sanseito has become the talk of the town, and particularly here in America, because of the whole populist and anti-foreign sentiment. It’s more of a weakness of the LDP and Ishiba than anything else,” said Joshua Walker, head of the U.S. non-profit Japan Society.
In polling ahead of Sunday’s election, 29% of voters told NHK that social security and a declining birthrate were their biggest concern. A total of 28% said they worried about rising rice prices, which have doubled in the past year. Immigration was in joint fifth place with 7% of respondents pointing to it.
“We were criticized as being xenophobic and discriminatory. The public came to understand that the media was wrong and Sanseito was right,” Kamiya said.
Kamiya’s message grabbed voters frustrated with a weak economy and currency that has lured tourists in record numbers in recent years, further driving up prices that Japanese can ill afford, political analysts say.
Japan’s fast-ageing society has also seen foreign-born residents hit a record of about 3.8 million last year, though that is just 3% of the total population, a fraction of the corresponding proportion in the United States and Europe. INSPIRED BY TRUMP
Kamiya, a former supermarket manager and English teacher, told Reuters before the election that he had drawn inspiration from U.S. President Donald Trump’s “bold political style”.
He has also drawn comparisons with Germany’s AfD and Reform UK although right-wing populist policies have yet to take root in Japan as they have in Europe and the United States.
Post-election, Kamiya said he plans to follow the example of Europe’s emerging populist parties by building alliances with other small parties rather than work with an LDP administration, which has ruled for most of Japan’s postwar history.
Sanseito’s focus on immigration has already shifted Japan’s politics to the right. Just days before the vote, Ishiba’s administration announced a new government taskforce to fight “crimes and disorderly conduct” by foreign nationals and his party has promised a target of “zero illegal foreigners”.
Kamiya, who won the party’s first seat in 2022 after gaining notoriety for appearing to call for Japan’s emperor to take concubines, has tried to tone down some controversial ideas formerly embraced by the party.
During the campaign, Kamiya, however, faced a backlash for branding gender equality policies a mistake that encourage women to work and keep them from having children.
To soften what he said was his “hot-blooded” image and to broaden support beyond the men in their twenties and thirties that form the core of Sanseito’s support, Kamiya fielded a raft of female candidates on Sunday.
American lawyer Alan Dershowitz returns to the courtroom for the criminal trial of former U.S. President Donald Trump after a short break at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City, U.S., 20 May 2024. Sarah Yenesel/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
One of Jeffrey Epstein’s former attorneys on Sunday called on the U.S. Justice Department to release additional investigative records from its sex-trafficking investigation, and urged the government to grant Epstein’s former girlfriend immunity so that she can testify about his crimes.
In an interview on Fox News Sunday, Alan Dershowitz said the grand jury transcripts that Attorney General Pam Bondi on Friday asked a federal judge to unseal would not contain the types of information being sought by President Donald Trump’s supporters, such as the names of Epstein’s clientele.
“I think the judge should release it, but they are not in the grand jury transcripts,” Dershowitz said on Fox.
“I’ve seen some of these materials. For example, there is an FBI report of interviews with alleged victims in which at least one of the victims names very important people,” he said, adding that those names have been redacted.
President Donald Trump has been under mounting pressure from his supporters to release additional information related to the government’s sex-trafficking probe into Jeffrey Epstein, who died by suicide in a Manhattan jail in 2019 while awaiting trial.
Earlier this year, Bondi promised that the department would release additional materials including “a lot of names” and “a lot of flight logs.”
The department back-tracked on that promise earlier this month, after releasing a joint memo, opens new tab with the FBI which poured cold water on long-running conspiracy theories about Epstein by saying there was “no incriminating client list” or any evidence of blackmail.
The memo also backed a prior FBI investigation which concluded that Epstein died by suicide and was not murdered in his jail cell.
Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel have faced a growing backlash by Trump’s supporters since the memo was issued, prompting Trump last week to order the department to ask a court to unseal grand jury transcripts from the Epstein case.
The U.S. government on Friday filed a motion in a Manhattan federal court to unseal grand jury transcripts in the cases of Epstein and former associate Ghislaine Maxwell.
Maxwell was convicted in 2021 of five federal charges related to her role in Epstein’s sexual abuse of underage girls. Maxwell is appealing her conviction and 20-year prison sentence to the U.S. Supreme Court.
